Florida defends the belt, 62–3, at home over Florida International.
AP poll, week 12: Florida International unranked at Florida No. 1 · No. 1 that week: Wisconsin. The belt vs. the polls →
Where this game sits in the lineage
Florida came in 317 days into reign #270, which began with a win over Oklahoma, with 10 defenses already behind it; this was its 11th defense. Florida went on to defend it 1 more time before Alabama took it on December 5, 2009, 331 days after the reign began.
For Florida International 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 Florida and Florida International have met with the belt on the line.
Recap
Florida dominated Florida International from start to finish in a thoroughly lopsided affair, with the Gators' defense setting the tone immediately when Brandon Spikes returned an interception 42 yards for a touchdown just 13 seconds into the game. Tim Tebow was surgical on offense, scoring on a 55-yard rushing touchdown in the first quarter and adding passing touchdowns to Chris Rainey and Riley Cooper as Florida built a commanding lead by halftime. The Gators' relentless attack continued in the third quarter with another Tebow-to-Cooper touchdown pass, while Florida International's only answer was a 37-yard field goal late in the second quarter. Florida's defense held FIU to just 180 total yards and a single turnover, while the Gators racked up 584 yards of offense and converted 11 of 14 third-down attempts in a performance that was never competitive.
- Brandon Spikes' 42-yard interception return touchdown on FIU's first drive set the tone for the game immediately
- Tim Tebow's 55-yard rushing touchdown in Q1 extended Florida's lead and showcased the Gators' dominant ground game
- Chris Rainey's two touchdown plays (27-yard pass and 22-yard rush) highlighted Florida's unstoppable offensive firepower
- Florida International's lone score, a 37-yard field goal late in Q2, was symbolic of their inability to move the ball against Florida's defense
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 13:10 | Florida International | +42 yd | Paul McCall pass intercepted by Brandon Spikes at the FlaIn 42, returned for 42 yards for a TOUCHDOWN. |
| Q1 13:10 | Florida | +0 yd | Caleb Sturgis extra point GOOD. |
| Q1 13:10 | Florida | +33 yd | Caleb Sturgis kickoff for 70 yards returned by T.Y. Hilton for 33 yards to the FlaIn 33. |
| Q1 11:00 | Florida | +21 yd | Tim Tebow pass complete to Riley Cooper for 21 yards to the Fla 37 for a 1ST down. |
| Q1 9:18 | Florida | +55 yd | Tim Tebow rush for 55 yards for a TOUCHDOWN. |
| Q1 9:18 | Florida | +0 yd | Caleb Sturgis extra point GOOD. |
| Q1 3:29 | Florida | +53 yd | Caleb Sturgis 53 yard field goal MISSED. |
| Q2 13:39 | Florida | +27 yd | Tim Tebow pass complete to Chris Rainey for 27 yards for a TOUCHDOWN. |
| Q2 13:39 | Florida | +0 yd | Caleb Sturgis extra point GOOD. |
| Q2 13:39 | Florida | +27 yd | Caleb Sturgis kickoff for 70 yards returned by T.Y. Hilton for 27 yards to the FlaIn 27. |
| Q2 9:41 | Florida | +22 yd | Chris Rainey rush for 22 yards for a TOUCHDOWN. |
| Q2 9:41 | Florida | +0 yd | Caleb Sturgis extra point GOOD. |
| Q2 9:41 | Florida | +47 yd | Caleb Sturgis kickoff for 67 yards returned by Wayne Times for 47 yards to the 50 yard line. |
| Q2 5:17 | Florida International | +33 yd | Dustin Rivest 33 yard field goal MISSED. |
| Q2 3:32 | Florida | +29 yd | Tim Tebow pass complete to Chris Rainey for 29 yards to the FlaIn 14 for a 1ST down. |
| Q2 4:07 | Florida | +26 yd | Tim Tebow pass complete to David Nelson for 26 yards to the FlaIn 43 for a 1ST down. |
| Q2 1:38 | Florida | +3 yd | Jeffery Demps rush for 3 yards for a TOUCHDOWN. |
| Q2 1:38 | Florida | +0 yd | Caleb Sturgis extra point GOOD. |
| Q2 1:00 | Florida International | +26 yd | Paul McCall pass complete to T.Y. Hilton for 26 yards to the Fla 10 for a 1ST down. |
| Q2 0:29 | Florida International | +37 yd | Dustin Rivest 37 yard field goal GOOD. |
| Q3 15:00 | Florida International | +34 yd | Dustin Rivest kickoff for 45 yards returned by Brandon James for 34 yards to the FlaIn 41. |
| Q3 13:38 | Florida | +18 yd | Tim Tebow pass complete to Riley Cooper for 18 yards for a TOUCHDOWN. |
| Q3 13:38 | Florida | +0 yd | Caleb Sturgis extra point GOOD. |
| Q3 14:00 | Florida | +20 yd | Tim Tebow pass complete to Deonte Thompson for 20 yards to the FlaIn 18 for a 1ST down. |
| Q3 5:00 | Florida | +22 yd | John Brantley pass complete to Deonte Thompson for 22 yards to the FlaIn 25 for a 1ST down. |
| Q3 4:06 | Florida | +20 yd | John Brantley pass complete to Omarius Hines for 20 yards for a TOUCHDOWN. |
| Q3 4:06 | Florida | +0 yd | Caleb Sturgis extra point GOOD. |
| Q4 11:10 | Florida | +16 yd | John Brantley pass complete to Justin Williams for 16 yards for a TOUCHDOWN. |
| Q4 12:30 | Florida | +22 yd | John Brantley pass complete to Cade Holliday for 22 yards to the FlaIn 11 for a 1ST down. |
| Q4 11:10 | Florida | +27 yd | Caleb Sturgis kickoff for 65 yards returned by Wayne Times for 27 yards to the FlaIn 47, FLORIDA penalty 15 yard Illegal Block accepted for a 1ST down. |
| Q4 11:10 | Florida | +0 yd | Caleb Sturgis extra point GOOD. |
| Q4 10:51 | Florida International | +31 yd | Paul McCall pass complete to T.Y. Hilton for 31 yards to the Fla 22 for a 1ST down. |
| Q4 2:28 | Florida | +31 yd | John Brantley pass complete to Frankie Hammond Jr. for 31 yards for a TOUCHDOWN. |
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 | 17/25 | 215 | 8.6 | 2 | 0 | 98.4 |
| John Brantley | 9/13 | 146 | 11.2 | 3 | 0 | 97.0 |
Florida International
| Player | C/ATT | YDS | AVG | TD | INT | QBR |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Paul McCall | 9/21 | 134 | 6.4 | 0 | 1 | 0.7 |
| Wayne Younger | 1/5 | 2 | 0.4 | 0 | 0 | 2.0 |
Rushing
Florida
| Player | CAR | YDS | AVG | TD | LONG |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Tim Tebow | 7 | 102 | 14.6 | 1 | 55 |
| Jeff Demps | 9 | 46 | 5.1 | 1 | 11 |
| Chris Rainey | 4 | 30 | 7.5 | 1 | 22 |
| Christopher Scott | 9 | 26 | 2.9 | 0 | 13 |
| John Brantley | 3 | 23 | 7.7 | 0 | 13 |
| Vincent Brown | 1 | -1 | -1.0 | 0 | 0 |
| Andrew Blaylock | 3 | -3 | -1.0 | 0 | 0 |
Florida International
| Player | CAR | YDS | AVG | TD | LONG |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Kendall Berry | 13 | 26 | 2.0 | 0 | 7 |
| Wayne Younger | 2 | 16 | 8.0 | 0 | 16 |
| Daunte Owens | 8 | 15 | 1.9 | 0 | 6 |
| Trenard Turner | 3 | 12 | 4.0 | 0 | 5 |
| Dustin Rivest | 1 | -11 | -11.0 | 0 | 0 |
| Paul McCall | 4 | -14 | -3.5 | 0 | 1 |
Receiving
Florida
| Player | REC | YDS | AVG | TD | LONG |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Deonte Thompson | 5 | 66 | 13.2 | 0 | 22 |
| Chris Rainey | 3 | 61 | 20.3 | 1 | 29 |
| Omarius Hines | 4 | 50 | 12.5 | 1 | 20 |
| Riley Cooper | 3 | 48 | 16.0 | 1 | 21 |
| David Nelson | 3 | 45 | 15.0 | 0 | 26 |
| Frankie Hammond | 2 | 38 | 19.0 | 1 | 31 |
| Cade Holliday | 1 | 22 | 22.0 | 0 | 22 |
| Justin Williams | 1 | 16 | 16.0 | 1 | 16 |
| Brandon James | 4 | 15 | 3.8 | 0 | 12 |
Florida International
| Player | REC | YDS | AVG | TD | LONG |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| T.Y. Hilton | 4 | 75 | 18.8 | 0 | 31 |
| Daunte Owens | 1 | 18 | 18.0 | 0 | 18 |
| Colt Anderson | 1 | 18 | 18.0 | 0 | 18 |
| Jacob Younger | 2 | 13 | 6.5 | 0 | 8 |
| Wayne Times | 1 | 10 | 10.0 | 0 | 10 |
| Trenard Turner | 1 | 2 | 2.0 | 0 | 2 |
Show more stats (5 more categories)
Interceptions
Florida
| Player | INT | YDS | TD |
|---|---|---|---|
| Brandon Spikes | 1 | 41 | 1 |
Florida International
No recorded stats in this category.
Kick Returns
Florida
| Player | NO | YDS | AVG | LONG | TD |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Brandon James | 2 | 53 | 26.5 | 34 | 0 |
Florida International
| Player | NO | YDS | AVG | LONG | TD |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| T.Y. Hilton | 4 | 92 | 23.0 | 33 | 0 |
| Wayne Times | 3 | 82 | 27.3 | 47 | 0 |
Kicking
Florida
| Player | FG | PCT | LONG | XP | PTS |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Caleb Sturgis | 0/1 | 0.0 | 0 | 8/8 | 8 |
| Jonathan Phillips | 0/0 | 0.0 | 0 | 0/1 | 0 |
Florida International
| Player | FG | PCT | LONG | XP | PTS |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Dustin Rivest | 1/2 | 50.0 | 37 | 0/0 | 3 |
Punt Returns
Florida
| Player | NO | YDS | AVG | LONG | TD |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Brandon James | 4 | 25 | 6.3 | 14 | 0 |
Florida International
No recorded stats in this category.
Punting
Florida
No recorded stats in this category.
Florida International
| Player | NO | YDS | AVG | TB | In 20 | LONG |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Dustin Rivest | 5 | 201 | 40.2 | 0 | 0 | 50 |
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 293250057) · This game in the downloadable dataset