A smarter way to bet

By MARK LONG
AP Sports Writer

GAINESVILLE, Fla. (AP) --  When No. 1 Florida looks back on this
season, Halloween week could be the one that stands out.

Turning point? The Gators might simply call it another
"Mississippi Moment."

Remember quarterback Tim Tebow's speech following a 31-30 loss
to Mississippi last season, the one that helped propel Florida
to its second national champion in three years? The Gators heard
another inspirational message last week following a 29-19
victory at Mississippi State.

Coach Urban Meyer said Sunday he started a series of locker-room
addresses in Starkville after Tebow threw two interceptions that
were returned for touchdowns and the offense struggled to score
for the third consecutive week.

Florida responded with its most well-rounded game in a month,
thumping rival Georgia 41-17 on Saturday and clinching a spot in
the Southeastern Conference championship game.

"I was right in the middle of it," Meyer said. "There was no
finger-pointing. It was just guys saying, 'Hey, we've got to get
better."'

Although some reports said Tebow and linebacker Brandon Spikes
had a verbal altercation before the speeches, Meyer denied that
happening.

Meyer said he apologized for calling a pass play deep in Florida
territory that resulted in one defensive score, then turned the
floor over to defensive coordinator Charlie Strong, guard Mike
Pouncey, Tebow and Spikes.

"We get on guys and hold them accountable," Spikes said Saturday
night. "Things weren't getting done. Things weren't getting done
the way we expected. We had a team meeting. We may have stepped
on a few toes. Throughout the whole week, it was just an issue
that guys weren't really happy. It wasn't no big deal, nothing
like that. You're going to hit a little adversity. You've got to
get through that."

Whatever was said certainly set the tone for the week.

Meyer kept his assistants late last Sunday night, breaking down
every snap in the red zone and coming up with ways to be less
predictable around the goal line. Meyer also asked Florida
basketball coach Billy Donovan to speak to team leaders later in
the week. Donovan's message was to stick together, recalling
what it took for his 2006-07 team to repeat as national
champions.

Then Meyer ripped into his team in the hotel Friday night.

"This is a passionate game," Meyer said, refusing to give
details about what he said. "It was a hard week on (offensive
coordinator Steve Addazio), on our quarterback, too."

Florida's offense, mostly because of its red-zone woes, had been
more analyzed than Tebow's concussion the last two weeks. Were
the problems a result of play-calling, the offensive line,
receivers, Tebow or a little bit of everything?

Regardless, the Gators (8-0, 6-0) showed few weaknesses against
the Bulldogs (4-4, 3-3), who wore black pants and black helmets
for the first time in hopes of creating a little extra buzz.

Tebow has TD passes on Florida's first two possessions, then
broke Herschel Walker's SEC record for rushing scores with his
50th. Meyer said Tebow played looser than he had in recent
weeks, finishing with 164 yards passing, 85 rushing and
accounting for four touchdowns.

The defense sealed the victory with four interceptions in the
second half, including two by A.J. Jones. The Gators wrapped up
the SEC East a few hours later when Tennessee beat South
Carolina 31-13.

"Last week, it was the ship is sinking. That's what I kept
hearing. The boat's got holes in it. It absolutely does not,"
Meyer said. "We've got good guys that go really hard and we play
good teams and we're in the Southeastern Conference. I'm hoping
we do hit a stride, but you don't have time to worry about
that."

Instead, the Gators hope to avoid a letdown in remaining games
against Vanderbilt, South Carolina, Florida International and
Florida State.

Meyer insisted his team won't ease up, even though the SEC East
is in hand.

"I do think at some point in February you reflect upon moments
during the season. Not now," he said. "I kind of like the
urgency, I love pressure and our players love pressure. ... If
you want to relieve pressure, you might transfer somewhere and
go have some fun and play some ball.

"If you want to play in pressure-packed situations on national
TV each week with a lot at stake, you are in the right place. I
hope there's all kinds of pressure on our team this week."