Florida defends the belt, 62–3, at home over Charleston Southern.
AP poll, week 1: Charleston Southern unranked at Florida No. 1 · No. 1 that week: Iowa. The belt vs. the polls →
Where this game sits in the lineage
Florida came in 240 days into reign #270, which began with a win over Oklahoma, with no defenses yet; this was its first defense. Florida went on to defend it 11 more times before Alabama took it on December 5, 2009, 331 days after the reign began.
For Charleston Southern this was its first shot at the belt; it had never held the belt. It still hasn’t; this remains its only belt game.
This is the only time Charleston Southern and Florida have met with the belt on the line.
Recap
Florida's defense suffocated Charleston Southern from the opening whistle, as the Gators' potent offense wasted no time establishing dominance. Tim Tebow and the Florida rushing attack were devastating, with Jeffery Demps scoring on runs of 8 and 23 yards while Chris Rainey added a 76-yard touchdown scamper in the first quarter alone. The second quarter saw Florida continue their onslaught, with Tebow punching in a 1-yard rushing score and connecting with Aaron Hernandez twice in the passing game, including a 28-yard touchdown reception. Charleston Southern managed a field goal and a blocked-kick return touchdown late in the second half, but it proved merely cosmetic against Florida's overwhelming offensive firepower in the Gators' 62-3 belt-retention victory.
- Chris Rainey's 76-yard touchdown rush in Q1 set the tone for Florida's offensive dominance
- Tim Tebow's 1-yard rushing touchdown in Q2 exemplified Florida's ability to score from anywhere on the field
- Aaron Hernandez's two touchdown receptions, including a 28-yard score, showcased Florida's passing attack efficiency
- Charleston Southern's blocked-kick return touchdown late in Q2 was their only bright spot in an otherwise thoroughly controlled defeat
Written by Claude from the box score and play-by-play on this page — a plain-English recap of the numbers below, not a substitute for them.
Team stats
CFBD box scoreFull team box score from CFBD’s /games/teams data. This section only appears for belt games from 2003 onward — CFBD doesn’t have team-level stats that far back.
Key plays
CFBD play-by-play| When | Team | Yards | Play |
|---|---|---|---|
| Q1 11:20 | Florida | +68 yd | Tim Tebow pass complete to Riley Cooper for 68 yards to the ChaSo 8 for a 1ST down. |
| Q1 11:05 | Florida | +8 yd | Jeffery Demps rush for 8 yards for a TOUCHDOWN. |
| Q1 11:05 | Florida | +0 yd | Jonathan Phillips extra point GOOD. |
| Q1 4:34 | Florida | +76 yd | Chris Rainey rush for 76 yards for a TOUCHDOWN. |
| Q1 4:34 | Florida | +0 yd | Jonathan Phillips extra point GOOD. |
| Q2 14:22 | Florida | +1 yd | Tim Tebow rush for 1 yard for a TOUCHDOWN. |
| Q1 0:00 | Florida | +41 yd | Jeffery Demps rush for 41 yards to the ChaSo 12 for a 1ST down. |
| Q2 14:22 | Florida | +0 yd | Jonathan Phillips extra point GOOD. |
| Q2 11:50 | Florida | +25 yd | Tim Tebow pass complete to Aaron Hernandez for 25 yards to the ChaSo 23 for a 1ST down. |
| Q2 11:39 | Florida | +23 yd | Jeffery Demps rush for 23 yards for a TOUCHDOWN. |
| Q2 12:14 | Florida | +25 yd | Brandon James rush for 25 yards to the ChaSo 48 for a 1ST down. |
| Q2 11:39 | Florida | +25 yd | Caleb Sturgis kickoff for 68 yards returned by Gerald Stevenson for 25 yards to the ChaSo 27. |
| Q2 11:39 | Florida | +0 yd | Jonathan Phillips extra point GOOD. |
| Q2 10:12 | Charleston Southern | +0 yd | A.J. Toscano pass intercepted by Major Wright at the Fla 26, returned for no gain to the Fla 26. |
| Q2 7:55 | Florida | +28 yd | Tim Tebow pass complete to Aaron Hernandez for 28 yards for a TOUCHDOWN. |
| Q2 7:55 | Florida | +0 yd | Jonathan Phillips extra point GOOD. |
| Q2 6:29 | Charleston Southern | +26 yd | Tim Jones pass complete to A.J. Toscano for 26 yards to the Fla 22 for a 1ST down. |
| Q2 5:24 | Charleston Southern | +85 yd | John Paglia kickoff for 55 yards returned by Brandon James for 85 yards for a TOUCHDOWN. |
| Q2 5:37 | Charleston Southern | +38 yd | John Paglia 38 yard field goal GOOD. |
| Q2 5:24 | Florida | +0 yd | Jonathan Phillips extra point GOOD. |
| Q2 0:41 | Charleston Southern | +27 yd | A.J. Toscano pass complete to Kwame Krakue for 27 yards to the Fla 23 for a 1ST down. |
| Q3 15:00 | Charleston Southern | +46 yd | John Paglia kickoff for 65 yards returned by T.J. Lawrence for 46 yards to the ChaSo 49. |
| Q3 12:39 | Florida | +7 yd | John Brantley pass complete to Justin Williams for 7 yards for a TOUCHDOWN. |
| Q3 14:40 | Florida | +23 yd | Emmanuel Moody rush for 23 yards to the ChaSo 26 for a 1ST down. |
| Q3 9:14 | Florida | +21 yd | Emmanuel Moody rush for 21 yards to the ChaSo 12 for a 1ST down. |
| Q3 0:24 | Florida | +9 yd | John Brantley pass complete to Cade Holliday for 9 yards for a TOUCHDOWN. |
| Q3 0:24 | Florida | +0 yd | Jonathan Phillips extra point GOOD. |
| Q3 2:03 | Florida | +23 yd | John Brantley rush for 23 yards to the ChaSo 15 for a 1ST down. |
| Q4 9:33 | Florida | +24 yd | Caleb Sturgis kickoff for 67 yards returned by Michael Jefferson for 24 yards to the ChaSo 27. |
| Q4 9:33 | Florida | +7 yd | Mike Gillislee rush for 7 yards for a TOUCHDOWN. |
| Q4 10:55 | Florida | +0 yd | Jonathan Phillips extra point GOOD. |
Scoring plays, turnovers, and gains of 20+ yards, pulled from CFBD’s play-by-play. This section only appears for belt games with play-by-play on file (2003 onward).
Player stats
CFBD player statsPassing
Florida
| Player | C/ATT | YDS | AVG | TD | INT | QBR |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Tim Tebow | 10/15 | 188 | 12.5 | 1 | 0 | 70.7 |
| John Brantley | 8/12 | 67 | 5.6 | 2 | 0 | 45.0 |
Charleston Southern
| Player | C/ATT | YDS | AVG | TD | INT | QBR |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| A.J. Toscano | 18/31 | 157 | 5.1 | 0 | 1 | 0.0 |
| Andrew Trudnowski | 9/17 | 45 | 2.6 | 0 | 0 | 0.0 |
| Tim Jones | 1/1 | 26 | 26.0 | 0 | 0 | 0.0 |
Rushing
Florida
| Player | CAR | YDS | AVG | TD | LONG |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jeff Demps | 5 | 89 | 17.8 | 2 | 41 |
| Emmanuel Moody | 9 | 86 | 9.6 | 0 | 23 |
| Chris Rainey | 1 | 76 | 76.0 | 1 | 76 |
| Mike Gillislee | 6 | 41 | 6.8 | 1 | 14 |
| John Brantley | 6 | 40 | 6.7 | 0 | 23 |
| Brandon James | 1 | 25 | 25.0 | 0 | 25 |
| Andrew Blaylock | 1 | 9 | 9.0 | 0 | 9 |
| Vincent Brown | 2 | 2 | 1.0 | 0 | 2 |
| Tim Tebow | 2 | 1 | 0.5 | 1 | 1 |
Charleston Southern
| Player | CAR | YDS | AVG | TD | LONG |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Gerald Stevenson | 3 | 21 | 7.0 | 0 | 8 |
| B.J. Hackworth | 5 | 21 | 4.2 | 0 | 6 |
| A.J. Toscano | 6 | 20 | 3.3 | 0 | 10 |
| Andrew Trudnowski | 2 | 12 | 6.0 | 0 | 9 |
| Michael Jefferson | 3 | 10 | 3.3 | 0 | 9 |
| DeMarcus Moon | 2 | 6 | 3.0 | 0 | 3 |
| Antwan Ivey | 6 | 5 | 0.8 | 0 | 3 |
Receiving
Florida
| Player | REC | YDS | AVG | TD | LONG |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Riley Cooper | 5 | 105 | 21.0 | 0 | 68 |
| Aaron Hernandez | 4 | 79 | 19.8 | 1 | 28 |
| Omarius Hines | 3 | 31 | 10.3 | 0 | 13 |
| Frankie Hammond | 1 | 13 | 13.0 | 0 | 13 |
| Justin Williams | 2 | 11 | 5.5 | 1 | 7 |
| Cade Holliday | 1 | 9 | 9.0 | 1 | 9 |
| David Nelson | 1 | 4 | 4.0 | 0 | 4 |
| Emmanuel Moody | 1 | 3 | 3.0 | 0 | 3 |
Charleston Southern
| Player | REC | YDS | AVG | TD | LONG |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Kwame Krakue | 6 | 63 | 10.5 | 0 | 27 |
| Alex Neal | 7 | 45 | 6.4 | 0 | 10 |
| Gerald Stevenson | 4 | 41 | 10.3 | 0 | 14 |
| Antwan Ivey | 6 | 29 | 4.8 | 0 | 9 |
| A.J. Toscano | 1 | 26 | 26.0 | 0 | 26 |
| Tim Jones | 1 | 9 | 9.0 | 0 | 9 |
| DeMarcus Moon | 2 | 9 | 4.5 | 0 | 8 |
| Josh Atkinson | 1 | 6 | 6.0 | 0 | 6 |
Show more stats (5 more categories)
Interceptions
Florida
| Player | INT | YDS | TD |
|---|---|---|---|
| Major Wright | 1 | 0 | 0 |
Charleston Southern
No recorded stats in this category.
Kick Returns
Florida
| Player | NO | YDS | AVG | LONG | TD |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Brandon James | 1 | 85 | 85.0 | 85 | 1 |
| T.J. Lawrence | 1 | 46 | 46.0 | 46 | 0 |
Charleston Southern
| Player | NO | YDS | AVG | LONG | TD |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Gerald Stevenson | 7 | 104 | 14.9 | 25 | 0 |
| Michael Jefferson | 2 | 42 | 21.0 | 24 | 0 |
Kicking
Florida
| Player | FG | PCT | LONG | XP | PTS |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jonathan Phillips | 0/0 | 0.0 | 0 | 8/9 | 8 |
Charleston Southern
| Player | FG | PCT | LONG | XP | PTS |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| John Paglia | 1/1 | 100.0 | 38 | 0/0 | 3 |
Punt Returns
Florida
| Player | NO | YDS | AVG | LONG | TD |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Frankie Hammond | 1 | 16 | 16.0 | 16 | 0 |
| Brandon James | 4 | 13 | 3.3 | 6 | 0 |
Charleston Southern
No recorded stats in this category.
Punting
Florida
| Player | NO | YDS | AVG | TB | In 20 | LONG |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Chas Henry | 2 | 80 | 40.0 | 0 | 0 | 41 |
Charleston Southern
| Player | NO | YDS | AVG | TB | In 20 | LONG |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Andy Brown | 8 | 302 | 37.8 | 0 | 0 | 48 |
| Tim Jones | 1 | 31 | 31.0 | 0 | 0 | 31 |
Full player stats from CFBD’s /games/players data, split out by team. This section only appears for belt games from 2003 onward — CFBD doesn’t have player-level stats that far back. Linked player names go to that player’s stat line in every other belt game they’ve appeared in.
Sources Box score at ESPN · Game record: College Football Data (id 292480057) · This game in the downloadable dataset