2009 BCS National Championship Game
Encyclopedia
The 2009 BCS National Championship Game, sponsored by FedEx
, was an American football
game played at Dolphin Stadium
in Miami Gardens, Florida
, on January 8, 2009. It was the national championship game for the 2008 college football season, and featured the second-ranked Florida Gators
against the top-ranked Oklahoma Sooners
. The two participants were determined by the BCS Rankings to decide the BCS National Championship. Television coverage in the United States was provided by Fox
, and radio coverage by ESPN Radio
. The game was the last BCS Championship to air on Fox; starting with the 2010 game
, ABC
or ESPN
televised the championship.
Tim Tebow
's two touchdown passes and Percy Harvin
's two-yard touchdown run led the Florida Gators to their second BCS National Championship in three seasons. The Gators defeated the Oklahoma Sooners, 24–14, in front of a Dolphin Stadium record crowd of 78,468.
, lost one game during their regular season to Texas in the annual Red River Rivalry
contest, 45–35 on October 11. During the regular season, quarterback Sam Bradford
, winner of the 2008 Heisman Trophy
, led the Sooners on offense to become the highest-scoring team in NCAA history (702 points) and the first team to score 60 or more points in five consecutive games. The game was Oklahoma's fourth BCS Championship appearance.
, were looking to win their second BCS championship in three years. They were led by 2007 Heisman winner Tim Tebow
. The only blemish on their schedule was a loss to Mississippi (Ole Miss)
at home, 31–30 on September 27. By prevailing, Meyer became the first coach to win two BCS championship games, and one of only five coaches in NCAA history to win two titles in his first four years at a college.
Second quarter
Third quarter
Fourth quarter
FedEx
FedEx Corporation , originally known as FDX Corporation, is a logistics services company, based in the United States with headquarters in Memphis, Tennessee...
, was an American football
American football
American football is a sport played between two teams of eleven with the objective of scoring points by advancing the ball into the opposing team's end zone. Known in the United States simply as football, it may also be referred to informally as gridiron football. The ball can be advanced by...
game played at Dolphin Stadium
Dolphin Stadium
Sun Life Stadium is an American football stadium in Miami Gardens, Florida, a suburb of Miami. It is the home stadium of the Miami Dolphins National Football League team, and the University of Miami Hurricanes football team. It also hosts the Orange Bowl, an annual college football bowl game. It...
in Miami Gardens, Florida
Miami Gardens, Florida
Miami Gardens is a Miami suburban city located in Miami-Dade County, Florida. The city name comes from one of the major roadways through the area, Miami Gardens Drive. According to the 2010 U.S...
, on January 8, 2009. It was the national championship game for the 2008 college football season, and featured the second-ranked Florida Gators
2008 Florida Gators football team
The 2008 Florida Gators football team represented the University of Florida in the sport of American football during the 2008 college football season...
against the top-ranked Oklahoma Sooners
2008 Oklahoma Sooners football team
The 2008 Oklahoma Sooners football team represented the University of Oklahoma in the college football season of 2008-2009. It was the 114th year of season play for the Sooners. The team was led by head coach Bob Stoops, a two-time Walter Camp Coach of the Year award winner, who has a contract...
. The two participants were determined by the BCS Rankings to decide the BCS National Championship. Television coverage in the United States was provided by Fox
Fox Broadcasting Company
Fox Broadcasting Company, commonly referred to as Fox Network or simply Fox , is an American commercial broadcasting television network owned by Fox Entertainment Group, part of Rupert Murdoch's News Corporation. Launched on October 9, 1986, Fox was the highest-rated broadcast network in the...
, and radio coverage by ESPN Radio
ESPN Radio
ESPN Radio is an American sports radio network. It was launched on January 1, 1992 under the original banner of "SportsRadio ESPN." ESPN Radio is located at ESPN headquarters in Bristol, Connecticut...
. The game was the last BCS Championship to air on Fox; starting with the 2010 game
2010 BCS National Championship Game
The 2010 Citi BCS National Championship Game was the finale of the 2009 NCAA Division I FBS football season, and was played between the Texas Longhorns and the Alabama Crimson Tide. It was hosted by the Pasadena Tournament of Roses Association at the Rose Bowl Stadium in Pasadena, California,...
, ABC
ESPN on ABC
ESPN on ABC is the brand used for sports programming on the ABC television network. Officially the broadcast network retains its own sports division; however, for all practical purposes, ABC's sports division has been merged with ESPN, a sports cable network majority-owned by ABC's parent, The...
or ESPN
ESPN
Entertainment and Sports Programming Network, commonly known as ESPN, is an American global cable television network focusing on sports-related programming including live and pre-taped event telecasts, sports talk shows, and other original programming....
televised the championship.
Tim Tebow
Tim Tebow
Timothy Richard "Tim" Tebow is an American football player who is currently the starting quarterback for the Denver Broncos of the National Football League . He was drafted by the Broncos as the 25th overall pick in the 2010 NFL Draft...
's two touchdown passes and Percy Harvin
Percy Harvin
William Percival "Percy" Harvin, III is an American football wide receiver, return specialist, and running back for the Minnesota Vikings of the National Football League...
's two-yard touchdown run led the Florida Gators to their second BCS National Championship in three seasons. The Gators defeated the Oklahoma Sooners, 24–14, in front of a Dolphin Stadium record crowd of 78,468.
University of Oklahoma
The Sooners, coached by Bob StoopsBob Stoops
Robert Anthony "Bob" Stoops is the head coach of the University of Oklahoma football team. During the 2000 season, Stoops led the Sooners to an Orange Bowl victory and a national championship....
, lost one game during their regular season to Texas in the annual Red River Rivalry
Red River Rivalry
The Red River Rivalry, commonly known as the OU-Texas Game or Texas-OU Game, is an American college football rivalry game played annually by the Oklahoma Sooners football team of the University of Oklahoma and the Texas Longhorns football team of the University of Texas. The series is considered...
contest, 45–35 on October 11. During the regular season, quarterback Sam Bradford
Sam Bradford
Samuel Jacob "Sam" Bradford is an American football quarterback for the St. Louis Rams of the National Football League. He was the first overall pick in the 2010 NFL Draft, and played college football at Oklahoma. In 2008, as a redshirt sophomore, Bradford became the second sophomore to win a...
, winner of the 2008 Heisman Trophy
Heisman Trophy
The Heisman Memorial Trophy Award , is awarded annually to the player deemed the most outstanding player in collegiate football. It was created in 1935 as the Downtown Athletic Club trophy and renamed in 1936 following the death of the Club's athletic director, John Heisman The Heisman Memorial...
, led the Sooners on offense to become the highest-scoring team in NCAA history (702 points) and the first team to score 60 or more points in five consecutive games. The game was Oklahoma's fourth BCS Championship appearance.
University of Florida
Meanwhile the Gators, coached by Urban MeyerUrban Meyer
Urban Frank Meyer, III is an American football coach and former player. He is head football coach at Ohio State University, having been hired for the position in November 2011...
, were looking to win their second BCS championship in three years. They were led by 2007 Heisman winner Tim Tebow
Tim Tebow
Timothy Richard "Tim" Tebow is an American football player who is currently the starting quarterback for the Denver Broncos of the National Football League . He was drafted by the Broncos as the 25th overall pick in the 2010 NFL Draft...
. The only blemish on their schedule was a loss to Mississippi (Ole Miss)
2008 Ole Miss Rebels football team
The 2008 Ole Miss Rebels football team represented the University of Mississippi during the 2008 college football season. The team's head coach was Houston Nutt, who served his first season in the position and replaced Ed Orgeron, who was fired after accumulating a 10–25 record at Ole Miss from...
at home, 31–30 on September 27. By prevailing, Meyer became the first coach to win two BCS championship games, and one of only five coaches in NCAA history to win two titles in his first four years at a college.
Scoring
First quarter- No scoring.
Second quarter
- FLA — Louis MurphyLouis MurphyLouis Morris Murphy, Jr. is an American professional football player who is a wide receiver in the National Football League . Murphy played college football for the University of Florida, and now plays professionally for the Oakland Raiders of the NFL.- Early years :Murphy was born in St...
20-yard pass from Tim Tebow (Jonathan Phillips kick), FLA 7 - OKLA 0 (12 plays, 86 yards in 1:20). - OKLA — Jermaine GreshamJermaine GreshamJermaine Gresham is an American football tight end for the Cincinnati Bengals. He was drafted by the Bengals with the 21st pick in the 2010 NFL Draft, despite the fact that he had missed all of the previous season with a knee injury....
6-yard pass from Sam Bradford (Jimmy Stevens kick), FLA 7 - OKLA 7 (6 plays, 65 yards in 2:13).
Third quarter
- FLA — Percy HarvinPercy HarvinWilliam Percival "Percy" Harvin, III is an American football wide receiver, return specialist, and running back for the Minnesota Vikings of the National Football League...
2-yard rush (Jonathan Phillips kick), FLA 14 - OKLA 7 (13 plays, 75 yds in 5:22).
Fourth quarter
- OKLA — Jermaine GreshamJermaine GreshamJermaine Gresham is an American football tight end for the Cincinnati Bengals. He was drafted by the Bengals with the 21st pick in the 2010 NFL Draft, despite the fact that he had missed all of the previous season with a knee injury....
11-yard pass from Bradford (Jimmy Stevens kick), FLA 14 - OKLA 14 (8 plays, 77 yds in 2:36). - FLA — Jonathan Phillips 27-yard field goal, FLA 17 - OKLA 14 (6 plays, 68 yds in 1:28).
- FLA — David NelsonDavid Nelson (American football)David Alan Nelson is an American football wide receiver for the Buffalo Bills of the National Football League . He was signed by the Bills as an undrafted free agent in 2010. He played college football at Florida.-Early years:...
4-yard pass from Tim Tebow (Jonathan Phillips kick), FLA 24 - OKLA 14 (11 plays, 76 yds in 6:52).
Statistics
- Passing: Sam Bradford (#14, QB, OKLA) 256 yards
- Rushing: Percy Harvin (#1, WR, FLA) 121 yards
- Receiving: Jermaine Gresham (#18, TE, OKLA) 62 yards
| Team: | Florida | Oklahoma |
|---|---|---|
| 1st Downs | 24 | 25 |
| 3rd down efficiency | 12–17 | 6–13 |
| 4th down efficiency | 0–0 | 0–2 |
| Total Yards | 480 | 363 |
| Passing | 231 | 256 |
| Comp-Att | 18–30 | 26–41 |
| Yards per pass | 7.7 | 6.0 |
| Rushing | 249 | 107 |
| Rushing Attempts | 44 | 29 |
| Yards per rush | 5.7 | 3.7 |
| Penalties | 8–81 | 4–31 |
| Turnovers | 2 | 2 |
| Fumbles lost | 0 | 0 |
| Interceptions thrown | 2 | 2 |
| Possession | 34:57 | 25:03 |
Game notes
- Despite both teams having potent offenses (the Gators had averaged over 45 points per game, while the Sooners averaged 54 points per game), neither team scored in the first quarter.
- Quarterbacks Tim Tebow and Sam Bradford combined for four interceptions despite throwing for just eight combined over the course of the regular season.
- The Gators thwarted two Sooners possessions that were inside the five-yard line: a stop on fourth and goal on the one-yard line in the second quarter, and an interception of Bradford's pass at Florida's three-yard line with 6 seconds to play in the first half.
- Despite coming off an ankle injury and declaring himself at "90%", Percy HarvinPercy HarvinWilliam Percival "Percy" Harvin, III is an American football wide receiver, return specialist, and running back for the Minnesota Vikings of the National Football League...
had nine carries for 122 yards and a touchdown and five receptions for 49 yards. The injury was reported as a high ankle sprain, but Harvin later stated that it was in fact a hairline fracture. - Jimmy Stevens' 49-yard field goal attempt for the Sooners was blocked in the third quarter.
- Florida was ranked #1 and Oklahoma was ranked #5 in the final APAssociated PressThe Associated Press is an American news agency. The AP is a cooperative owned by its contributing newspapers, radio and television stations in the United States, which both contribute stories to the AP and use material written by its staff journalists...
Top 25 and USA TodayUSA TodayUSA Today is a national American daily newspaper published by the Gannett Company. It was founded by Al Neuharth. The newspaper vies with The Wall Street Journal for the position of having the widest circulation of any newspaper in the United States, something it previously held since 2003...
Coaches Poll, released after the game.