Leftover notebook items about the big game…

Some leftover notes from Miami we couldn’t fit into the paper:

Meyer Wants to Protect Tebow
Meyer wants to limit Tebow’s running. Tebow carried 27 times against Ole Miss last season. “I won’t do that again,” Meyer said, even though Tebow carried 154 times this season, almost double any other Gator.
Meyer said Tebow wouldn’t be asked to run that much in the NFL, because of the brutal nature of the pro game and shouldn’t be asked to do it at Florida, since the SEC is almost as physical..

“If you notice, the NFL is not much different from the SEC, with all due respect,” Meyer said. “If you’re a player and start in the SEC, you’re going to the NFL, that’s just the way it is.”

Great Places to Live
In 2007, a book called “Cities Ranked & Rated” named Gainesville, Fla., home of the University of Florida, the nation’s No. 1 place to live among small cities. In 2008, Money magazine ranked Norman No. 6 on the same kind of list.

“There’s a lot great about Gainesville,” Tebow said. “It’s a great university, but it’s not a big town, so there’s not overwhelming stuff to do. I guess that’s a pro or a con, depending on how you look at it.”

Option Could Cause Problems
OU’s defense has seen some option this season. Both Texas’ Colt McCoy and Oklahoma State’s Zac Robinson ran a little option. But Tebow will offer an expanded challenge.

“It’s very tough,” said OU cornerback Dominique Franks. “Most quarterbacks you play against just hand it off to the running back. But Tebow, with his size and great speed, can also keep the ball.”