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USA Today
3 days ago
- Sport
- USA Today
Where Tim Tebow's jump pass ranks among greatest college football plays since 2000
Where Tim Tebow's jump pass ranks among greatest college football plays since 2000 There has been no shortage of incredible plays in college football over the past 25 years, but figuring out which ones were among the best is a tougher task than one might realize. Eight ESPN writers and two editors nominated 51 top plays since 2000 and ranked them from 1 to 25, with 25 points awarded for first-place votes, 24 for second place and continuing until 1 point was awarded for a play voted at No. 25. Among those cracking the top 25 was Tim Tebow's original jump-toss play against the LSU Tigers in 2006, which came in at No. 16. "Only a freshman, Tim Tebow introduced himself to the college football world in 2006 as Florida won the first of two national championships over the next three seasons," Chris Low begins. "He was primarily a short-yardage specialist that year at quarterback behind starter Chris Leak. Tebow's first career touchdown pass came in a key 23-10 win over No. 9 LSU. He took the snap, started toward the line of scrimmage as if he was going to run and then went airborne, pump-faking, and lobbing a 1-yard touchdown pass to tight end Tate Casey in the back of the end zone," he continues. "Tebow won the Heisman Trophy the next year and then duplicated his jump pass as a junior with a game-sealing, 4-yard touchdown to David Nelson against Oklahoma to lead the Gators to the 2008 national championship." It was an amazing time to be a Florida Gator. ESPN's top college football plays since 2000 Kick-Six | Nov. 30, 2013 Boise State trickeration | Jan. 1, 2007 Invincibowl | Jan. 4, 2006 Tua's toss | Jan. 8, 2018 "The Horror" | Sept. 1, 2007 "Six" | Nov. 1, 2008 Prayer at Jordan-Hare | Nov. 16, 2013 Surrender Cobra | Oct. 17, 2015 Superman | Oct. 6, 2001 Champions* | Jan. 3, 2003 Clowney "car wreck" | Jan. 1, 2013 "Oh my gracious!" | Nov. 10, 2012 "Orange Crush" | Jan. 9, 2017 Bush Push | Oct. 15, 2005 Reggie in the fog | Oct. 23, 2004 Jump Pass I | Oct. 7, 2006 Bluegrass Miracle | Nov. 9, 2002 (tied) Eight Laterals of Chaos | Oct. 31, 2015 (tied) Reed wrestles it away | Nov. 10, 2001 "Gravedigger" | Nov. 25, 2023 Black 41 Flash Reverse Pass | Oct. 27, 2001 61-second spectacle | Oct. 27, 2007 Nonsense masterpiece | Nov. 7, 2015 Cam Can | Oct. 23, 2010 Lamar Leap | Sept. 9, 2016 Follow us @GatorsWire on X, formerly known as Twitter, as well as Bluesky, and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Florida Gators news, notes and opinions.
Yahoo
29-03-2025
- Sport
- Yahoo
March Madness: Auburn rediscovering midseason form as world-beating bully
ATLANTA — Here's the thing about Auburn: every day, in every way, it's chaos personified. You think you've got the Tigers figured out and pinned down, and then they'll drop a Kick-Six or a Prayer at Jordan-Hare on you … or maybe they'll just go on a 34-8 run that debones your entire team. Give them room to move, and they might trip over their own feet … or they might just ruin your entire season. Auburn stormed to the Elite Eight on Friday night, defeating Michigan 78-65 in a game that somehow felt much closer and yet not nearly as competitive as the score would indicate. After 30 minutes of chaotic basketball that veered from devastating to comical, the Tigers stopped screwing around with the Wolverines and just flat-out stomped them. Auburn rode the delirious wave of its thousands of fans in attendance, and made it very clear: When this team is on, there's not much that can switch them off. With about a minute left in the NCAA tournament game, the outcome already assured, freshman Tahaad Pettiford dribbled upcourt with one hand and motioned for the Tigers faithful to get louder with the other. They obliged, filling State Farm Arena with rafter-raising 'It's great! To be! An Au-burn Tiger!' chants. Advertisement There was a bit of poetic justice at work there with Pettiford handling the ball in the closing seconds, because he — along with Johni Broome and Denver Jones — hauled the Tigers to a statement victory. Auburn flipped a nine-point deficit into a lead in just two and a half minutes midway through the second half, a vicious and overwhelming surge that Michigan had no hope of countering. No play summed up Auburn's victory quite like Pettiford's most spectacular shot, a falling fadeaway that somehow dropped through the net just as he hit the ground: That basket put Auburn up 12 and was, effectively, the dagger that ended Michigan's season, not to mention vintage Pettiford — well, as 'vintage' as a freshman can be. Advertisement 'He gives a spark. He's a good person. He listens to us,' Broome said afterward. 'There's not too many freshmen who can take over a game like he can.' Broome finished the game with 22 points and 17 rebounds — a triple-double, head coach Bruce Pearl laughed, when you factor in Broome's 12 missed shots. Jones added another 20 points, part of Auburn's incredible 34th 10-0 run on the season. 'I just felt the basket get bigger, and I just wanted to continue being aggressive,' Jones said. 'Coach is getting me more involved in the plays, and I'm just taking more advantage of it.' Now comes a Sunday matchup with Michigan State, a fierce challenge both because of the long-term craftiness of Tom Izzo and the smothering defense of the Spartans. At stake: a Final Four berth. Advertisement '[If] Michigan can turn us over 15 times, Michigan State can turn us over 25 times, OK? That's a concern, and these guys know it,' Pearl said. 'Give Michigan credit, they extended, they bothered us, and Michigan State's going to be even better at it. That's one of the best defensive teams in the country, and they're going to be very, very physical with us.' Prior to this year, Auburn had only reached a No. 1 AP ranking once in program history: four years ago, when the team lost in the second round. And the Tigers have only had a No. 1 tournament seed once before this season: 1999, when they lost in the round of 16. Auburn has one Final Four berth: 2019, when it lost to eventual national champion Virginia. So this year's Tigers aren't yet in new territory, but they're very close. And they're as prepared and talented as any Auburn team has ever been in the school's history. A national championship is well within reach … but there will be some chaotic and unexpected turns before Auburn cuts down nets, one way or another.
