01x02 - A New Chapter

[bunniefuu]

[gentle music plays]

[Tim Tebow]
I can remember my first time ever

playing organized sports.

I was signed up
for the Normandy White Sox.

- [children laughing]
- [bat striking baseball]

[Tebow] And Coach gathers us together.

And he says, "Okay, guys."

"Now, it doesn't matter
whether you win or lose."

"It's only about having fun."

And I'm like,
"What's this guy talking about?"

[bold music plays]

[announcer] And they brought
the hammer back in, Tim Tebow.

"Is this what America is all about?
'Cause this sucks."

- [announcer ] Look at that! Look at that!
- [announcer ] Straight up the middle!

[fans cheering]

[announcer ] Touchdown, Tebow!

Urban Meyer says
he's a gorilla playing quarterback.

So I said, "No, Coach. You're wrong."

"It's only about winning."

[announcer ] Oh, Look at this! Goes deep!

- How about that? Touchdown!
- [cheering]

[announcer ] Here's Tebow!
How about that?

Touchdown, Florida!

[announcer ] The legend is expanding.

[evocative music plays]

[crowd cheering]

[suspenseful music plays]

[Urban Meyer] In ,
we started the season undefeated.

[announcer] A defender slips
and Dallas Baker has a touchdown!

[players yell and cheer]

[Meyer] We won the first five games.

[all yell and grunt]

We were winning, we were kicking butt,
and we felt like this our year.

- One, two, three!
- [all] Be brave!

Everybody was rooting for the Gators.

You could feel the energy
starting to change.

And we just had the number one
top recruiting class in America.

I'll be playing college football
next year at the University of Florida.

[people cheering]

[Dan Mullen] We had
this injection of young talent.

Here comes Percy Harvin,

Tim Tebow,

Brandon James,

Brandon Spikes.

[laughs]

[Tebow] I was the quarterback recruit
that just signed.

- [camera shutter clicking]
- [fl*sh f*ring]

In some people's eyes, it was like,

"Oh, this is the guy
that's gonna help get us back."

[gentle music plays]

[Tebow] I grew up on a -acre farm
with cows and chickens.

[cows lowing]

And I had to do all of the chores.

[father]...write them a letter...

I was homeschooled my whole life.

So I wasn't really prepared
for my first few days on campus.

[anxious orchestral music plays]

[cheering]

[Tebow] I would get stopped
going to every class.

You'd drive by the bank,
and they would have your name on it.

"Welcome, Tim Tebow."

All this pressure and hype,

it was hard.

[Brandon Siler] When Tim
gets to campus, he called me.

He said, "Uh, I'd like
to come hang out with you."

We gonna be the number one defense!

[Tebow] I wanted to learn from him.
He was passionate.

We gonna be the number one defense!

[Tebow] He was willing to sacrifice.

Those were the qualities
I also wanted to one day possess.

[Siler] I'm thinking in my head,

"He's done homeschooling.
He's ready to go out and party."

[tense pulsing music plays]

I drive over, pick him up on my scooter.

[scooter engine whirring]

[Siler] We go to the party.

Girl comes up, tap me on the shoulder.

She says, "You, um... You're that guy."

I'm like, "Yeah, you know, it's me."

I'm on the posters for the university.
I feel like I'm the man, right?

She said,
"The guy that came with Tim Tebow."

I almost lost my mind.

I said,
"The guy that came with Tim Tebow?"

"I'm the guy, not Tim! What do you mean?"

And, uh... [laughs]

...that was my one
going-out experience with Tim.

Safe to say, I never took him out again.

[driving music plays]

[Siler] But from the start,
Tim wanted to lift with me.

He wanted to prove to us
that he was worthy.

[Tebow] If he did extra curls,
I did extra curls.

When he got in the cold tub
up to his waist,

I got in it up to my neck.

[Siler] Right then and there,

that just lets you know
what somebody's mentality is.

Tim wanted to work for it.
Tim didn't want it given to him.

[soft melancholic music plays]

[Tebow] I wasn't supposed to be born.

There was all these problems
with the pregnancy.

The doctors told my mom
that I would cost her her life and mine.

My mom and dad used to tell me,

"Hey, you're a miracle baby for a reason."

"You're gonna do awesome, great things."

When you hear that over and over again,
do you know what happens?

You believe it.

[announcer] Rushing to take
the field, the Gators!

[crowd cheering]

[announcer] Florida,
every goal is still reachable.

Urban Meyer said,
"The best thing about being -

is that you can get to -."

[cheering continues]

Game six against LSU.
It's insane, the pressure right now.

The expectations of the team
were to win a National Championship.

Every game is important.

And now we had to find a way to b*at LSU.

[tense music plays]

[Meyer] LSU had arguably
the best talent in the SEC, you know?

They just looked different
when they came out of the tunnel.

[crowd jeering and booing]

Their pants can't even fit their legs,
they're so big.

[announcer] And a not unexpected reaction
from the crowd.

We were a great defensive team,
but our offense was a work in progress.

Hut!

[announcer] Leak has a man wide open.

He's got the play. Jemalle Cornelius.

[Meyer] We were starting
to experiment with two quarterbacks,

Chris Leak and Tim Tebow.

He was a quarterback
that could not just throw,

but also force you
to defend him in the run game.

There was times
where Chris'd drive the team

down to the two-yard line
and I'd take him out.

[announcer] Second down and ten.

Here's Tebow!

Tim Tebow comes in,
and gets all this standing ovation.

[commentator] Number comes on!

He's about as exciting
as, uh, anybody you could watch.

The whole crowd going berserk.

[cheering]

[announcer] Tim Tebow, the freshman.

Look at that! Look at that!

[crowd cheers wildly]

Ran right over LaRon Landry,
the All-American safety!

He electrifies this crowd!

[uplifting music plays]

When we would put Tebow in for a play,
and bring him back out,

fans started booing.

[booing and jeering]

They were booing the decision
'cause they wanted to see more Tebow!

"We love our little Timmy!"

[Tebow] I just felt so much pressure.

[marching band playing]

[crowd cheering]

[Tebow] We had some pretty cool plays
put into the game plan that week.

And the clock's running out
at the end of first half.

[announcer] They got one timeout left.
They use it here.

Urban says... [chuckles]
He said, "All right, it... it's time."

"Get ready for the jump pass."

I didn't think it was gonna work.

[announcer] Seven-seven. Tebow.

[Tebow] Everyone expected me
to run the football.

[commentator] Tebow in the game,

no way they're gonna let Tebow
throw a pass, is there?

[Tebow] And so I just catch it.

Hike!

And I sprint up to the line of scrimmage,
and I stop, and I jump.

[laughs]

To say the least,
I didn't think it was gonna work.

[announcer] Oh, jump pass!

Biggest thing was for me,
one, don't fall down,

and two, catch the ball. And, uh...

[announcer] How about that?

You know, fortunately, I did both.

[announcer] Oh, my gosh!

[crowd cheering]

[announcer] Are you kidding me?

[yells]

[Siler] Worked like a charm.

And I said, "You know, I...
I knew it was gonna work the whole time."

[laughs]

[uplifting music plays]

They threw a jump pass!
Nobody's ever seen a jump pass before.

[Tebow] I was able
to really make a difference.

And that was so encouraging to me.

[announcer] That was amazing.
The legend is expanding.

[screaming]

[sportscaster] Gators a winner, to .

Gators have won eight straight games,
longest win streak in eight years.

- Urban, -, congratulations.
- Thanks.

[Spikes] Tebow was k*lling it.
He's the same age as me.

We just got here at the same time.
I'm like, "Why am I not in that position?"

Brandon, where you gonna go?

Well, next year,
I will be attending University of Florida.

All right,

Urban Meyer gets one of the best
defensive players in the country.

When I arrived at Gainesville,
I was a five-star recruit.

You know, high expectations.

Everybody expecting me to play,
expecting me to be great instantly.

[suspenseful music plays]

[Spikes] I was questioning myself,
"Why am I not a starter?"

It was my first time not contributing
at the level I would like to.

Like, far as every team I ever been on,
I was always the guy.

[indistinct]

And Urban let me know,
like, "You're not ready."

Brandon Spikes was so talented,
but the work ethic wasn't there.

[Spikes] I was just this young kid
with a big dream.

So, I was disappointed.

I was born in Shelby, North Carolina.

A small country town.

You know, the City of Pleasant Living.

[players grunting]

[melancholic music plays]

I guess some people experience
pleasant living,

but nothing was pleasant about growing up,
it was very intense for me.

[dog barking]

My dad was...

He was around,
but I don't think he was present.

My brother was seven years older than me,
and he was a male role model,

the... that... that... that leader I needed.

I wanted to be just like him.

I... I was in middle school...

and he got charged
with first-degree m*rder.

They had to explain to me,
like, "He's going to prison for life."

Like, it's no chance of coming home.

That changed my life.

I was in the streets every day.

I had three g*ns at the time,
'cause that's what I wanted to be.

I wanted to be an adult, boy.

That's when I knew I had to quit
playin' in the streets. Like...

I knew I could've failed too.

You know, football was my...
my way out, out of it all.

But in the University of Florida,

they was training
like we was going to Iraq.

- [whistle blows]
- [players] One...

- [whistle blows]
- Two...

- [whistle blows]
- Three...

[Spikes] I didn't come here for that.
I came here to play football.

- [whistle continues]
- [players]...six, seven...

Let's go! Arms open wide!

Siler's like... [clicks tongue]
"It's part of it. Get used to it."

[yelling]

- [young Siler yells indistinctly]
- [screams]

[screaming]

People like me, people like Tebow,
we fit with Urban

because we aligned
with a lot of the things that he wanted.

Spikes is like,
"That ain't what I like to do."

Right? "That ain't my thing."

Like, "I'm just gonna
go out here and ball."

[young Siler] Let's go!

[Siler] He did not understand
what we had to go through

in order to get there.

Let him think that!
Soon as he run that bitch...

God damn!

I shouldn't have said I wasn't gonna go
too hard on these m*therf*ckers.

[Siler] This was gonna be my last year.
I was gonna be leaving.

Make him say that after the first play!
"I messed up!"

Damn right, you did. We here now.

[Siler] So all of the freshmen
very quickly learned

how much this means to everybody.

Especially to guys like me.

[brooding electronic music plays]

So we were in the weight room.

[all grunting]

- [man yells]
- [young Siler] Come on!

[Siler] And we were doing an ab workout.

Work! Work!

Go!

If anybody put down their feet
or anything, we had to start all over.

Go again! Hit it! f*cking hit it!

Go!

[Siler] We're about halfway
through the workout

and one of the freshmen running backs
comes in late.

[mimics whistle blowing]

"Start over the workout."
Then we start going,

about quarter of the way through it again,
and... [mimics whistle]

He's the one drops his leg.

So I tell him,

"Hey, if you drop your legs again,
I'mma punch you in your face."

- And...
- [whistle blows]

[Siler]...he does it again. I get up.

Punch him in his face.

[Meyer] Hey, it all comes down to this!
It all comes down to one game!

This is my last chance,
and y'all ain't finna ruin it for me.

For three hours, this is our world.

Nothing else! Nothing else!

[players] Yeah!

[all cheering]

- [Meyer] One, two, three!
- [players] Showtime!

[crowd cheering]

[announcer] ,-plus are here to see
the renewal of a tremendous rivalry

as the nation's second-ranked team,

the Florida Gators
with a perfect - record,

take on the number eleven Tigers
of Auburn who are -.

[percussive marching band music plays]

[crowd cheering wildly]

From the start, we were just k*lling it.

[bold dramatic music plays]

[announcer] Lester was just
swallowed up by Brandon Siler.

Defense played our behinds off, man.

We... We... We really battled hard.

[announcer] Under pressure.
And he's just gonna go down.

Man, we were on fire!

Leak with time,
floats this one for the end zone...

Caught it, touchdown!

And then, that's when
we started getting in trouble.

[announcer] And for the first time
tonight, the Gators will punt.

Eric Wilbur to kick to Dunn.

- Look out! And they got him!
- [crowd cheers wildly]

Loose ball! Touchdown, Auburn!

[fireworks explode]

[Tebow] The second half,
they got some momentum and...

we didn't really show up.

[crowd cheering]

[announcer] Fakes to Wynn.

- Looking to throw! Fumble!
- [commentator] Fumble, yeah!

They put the... the thing down.

[announcer] Picked up by Blackmon!

We just let, like, three or four moments
get away from us.

[crowd cheering]

[announcer] Vaughn delivers this time!

-. Florida will need a touchdown,

and they have only seconds to get it.

You don't have room for error.
We made some mistakes.

[announcer] Maybe two plays left
for the Gators.

Can they pull off a miracle?

[crowd cheering]

The ball is picked up by Auburn!

And the Auburn Tigers will win!

[anxious music plays]

[announcer] The nation's
second-ranked team, the Florida Gators,

have gone down at Auburn.

That was absolutely shocking.

You were not expecting
that Auburn team to b*at Florida.

College football
is very different than professional.

Where, in professional, uh, you can lose
a couple games and still win the title.

In college football, you can't.
You have maybe one loss.

So there was almost a feeling
like they had thrown it all away.

[reflective music plays]

I just remember sitting on the field
for maybe like minutes after the game.

I didn't move. I just sat there.
I was just angry.

I felt like that loss was gonna jeopardize
everything we had in... in... in play.

When I finally made my way
back to the locker room,

I just remember Brandon Siler
just throwing helmets around.

[young Siler yelling indistinctly]

It's violent. I mean,
it's Brandon Siler slamming the lockers.

And it was darn near a fight.

[young Siler] We can do better than that!

I... I remember being very upset.

[young Siler] We're better than that!

[Siler] I felt like we should
all be held accountable.

[young Siler] Step up!

[Siler] I did go after a couple people

probably in a little bit
more aggressive way

than I should have.

[young Siler] No, this guy right here!

Man, you f*cked up
being number one in the state!

I started yelling, I said,
"Go after each other. I wanna hear it."

"Go. Go, keep going, Siler. Tell 'em."

It would have been a mistake
for me to silence him.

And from that point forward,
it's almost like he cleaned the slate.

[ethereal music playing]

[Siler] After losing that game,

the national title
was almost out of reach.

[Baker] I was worried.

"Will we bounce back from this?"

You know?

[tense pulsing music plays]

[Siler] After the Auburn game,
we knew that the stakes were high.

If you lose two games, you're done.

We want to get ourselves
back into the SEC Championship,

have a chance at a title.

We can't lose no more.

[announcer] Brandon Siler, despite a bad
knee injured Wednesday, gets the start.

[Siler] Going into South Carolina,
I tore my meniscus,

but I had to handle business.

[commentator] You have to wonder,
how long do we go with Siler?

I know he wants to play,
I know he's emotional,

but does he start
to hurt your overall package?

[announcer] The backup is a freshman,
Brandon Spikes.

[Spikes] When I wasn't playing football,
I felt like I had failed.

I was embarrassed for myself,
my family, my brother.

Hey! Let's go!

[Spikes] Siler, he was a leader,

but I was like, "This is my competition."
Like, that's how I looked at it.

As a freshman, I was like,
"Yo, He's a starter."

"I'm trying to take his job."

"I'm on your back. I'm waitin' for you
to make a slight mistake,

'cause I'mma slide in there,
and you'll never get your job back!"

[tense music playing]

[crowd cheering]

[announcer] This is a South Carolina team
that has played very well on the road.

Last year in ', South Carolina b*at us.

[announcer] First and goal
from the four-yard line.

[Meyer] And now in ',

Steve Spurrier makes
his first trip ever back to the Swamp.

[announcer] They hand it off.
Mike Davis surges toward the goal line!

Touchdown, Gamecocks!

[Meyer] Deep in my heart, I think,

"I wonder if this stadium
wants him to win."

That's the way my warped mind thinks.

[announcer] Stephen Spurrier
has taken a six-nothing lead.

If he lost to Spurrier again, uh,
the best thing for Urban Meyer

would've been to go out
to the parking lot and left town.

[laughs] I mean, I don't think
his future in Gainesville

was gonna be worth very much.

[marching band plays jubilant tune]

[crowd] Go, Gators!

[crunching]

[announcer] And they nail Chris Leak!

[Meyer] It is a street fight.

[announcer] First down and ten.

Leak pumps, goes back deep.
Got a man open!

And he threw it to Baker,
there's the catch!

[Meyer] But then Dallas Baker
scores a touchdown.

[announcer] Leak to Baker.

[uplifting music plays]

[announcer] Urban Meyer's team
within one of tying it up. Dallas Baker.

I can't help myself
but look over and see that visor.

I had to do it.
I had to b*at Coach Spurrier in the Swamp.

I get chills right now thinking about it.

[cheering]

[Siler] A lot of that game, I was injured.

Tried to play.

Tried to tough it through it,
but I couldn't move.

[announcer] That does not look
like the Brandon Siler I've watched

when he is flying
all over the football field.

[Siler] I realized that I'm hurting
the team by being out here.

[Spikes] They was like, "Spikes, Spikes!
Where you... Where you at?"

They was like, "Go in!" I'm in?

[commentator]
Spikes in the game for Siler.

Maybe the defensive coaches
are seeing what I'm seeing, not %.

I wasn't shy or scared of the moment.

[suspenseful music plays]

I just wanted to prove to everybody
that I was worthy, that I should be here,

that I belong.

[dramatic music plays]

- [announcer] Second down.
- [whistle blows]

Brandon Spikes makes this tackle.

[cheering]

Yeah.

This is what it's about,
being a gladiator in the stadium.

You know, just with a...
a little motion of my hands,

I can make , go crazy.

[players grunting]

[crowd cheers]

[announcer] Brandon Spikes
with the tackle.

Keep it goin'!

[Spikes] We playin' football now!

[commentator] Good tackle by Spikes.

The cream of the crop
always rise to the top.

[announcer] Urban Meyer
in his second season here.

Seven-seven at the half.

Told you before we started this game,
we own the SEC.

Let's take the whole thing!

Let's go get it. You got...
You got minutes!

Let's go get the whole thing, CI!
Let's go! Why not?

[crowd cheering]

[announcer] First and ten.

[suspenseful music plays]

[announcer] Davis to the corner.

Touchdown, South Carolina!

They played so hard,
but we didn't back off.

[announcer] And on first down,
it's Tim Tebow, the freshman.

Tebow goes left, to the five...

Touchdown, Gators!

[crowd cheers wildly]

[Meyer] We go up -
with a few minutes left to go.

And, uh, they get the ball.

[announcer] Mitchell picks it up inside.

Freddie Brown at the -yard line.
This'll make it about a -yarder.

[Meyer] And here they are,
they're in field goal range.

[announcer] ,-plus
holding their breath.

South Carolina
has positioned the ball perfectly.

[Harris] We know
we have to block the kick.

This is our last chance.

If they... they make this kick,
they win, it's our second loss,

and our hopes of SEC Championship,
National Championship, all that's over.

[announcer] And Ryan Succop, number ,

will attempt a field goal
from yards out.

And I remember saying, "Okay, Coach,

on the left side, we can...
we can block the kick."

[announcer] This one from .

Okay...

[tense music plays]

[Baker] I just remember,
as... as they were lining up to kick,

being on my hands and knees
and praying to God.

[announcer] Nothing you can do
as a coach now.

[crowd cheers]

As they say, the hay is in the barn.

[Meyer] And the stadium goes silent.

[cheering stops]

Usually,
I can't even look at stuff like that.

I remember staring at the ground.
I look up right at the last second.

[ringing tone intensifying]

[music stops]

[cheering wildly]

[announcer] It is won! Jarvis Moss!

[triumphant music plays]

[Meyer] Jarvis Moss blocks the field goal.

[cheering continues]

He blocked it with his ring finger.

And it's the loudest
I've ever heard a stadium.

[loud cheering continues]

[sobbing]

One of the greatest experiences
of... of my... of my life,

that moment right there.

[announcer] And Florida's dreams
of a berth in the BCS title game

remain alive by a very slim margin.

[Meyer] I almost can't move my feet.
I'm numb.

And here's the... the visor.
Coach Spurrier.

And he goes,
"Congratulations. Go win it all."

I'll never forget that.

- [claps]
- [music stops]

[Siler] When you have everything
stacked up against you,

and somehow you find a way...

that's a sprinkle of God.

Putting his little sprinkle on you,
saying, "Yeah, I got you."

"I got you."

[gentle acoustic guitar music plays]

[sportscaster] These two teams
going for conference titles,

but the Gators have a huge challenge

in stopping that powerful
Arkansas running game.

About three weeks later, we're in Atlanta
getting ready to play Arkansas,

the SEC Championship Game.

This is a great honor,
but we gotta play our best game to...

We're playing a very, very talented team.

[Meyer] This is my first
big game as a coach.

The stress level has reached a point

where it's hard to... for me to...
I don't sleep.

And I wanted to give a feeling
of confidence, but in my heart, I...

It's hard for me to function right now.

I'm so worried about this game.

And I'm sitting there.

Earle Bruce is sitting next to me
and Earle Bruce was my mentor.

He goes, "Hey, you doin' all right?"

I said, "No, I'm actually...
I'm struggling right now."

And I said, "Coach,
I'm just tight, man. I'm tight."

And in his very colorful language,
he goes, "What the F is wrong with you?"

"The reason you got here
is because you let it go."

"Let the mf'er go."

He just kept screaming at me,
you know, "Have fun with this thing!"

You know, "Play confident!"
So we go to the game.

[crowd cheering]

[announcer] It's on.
Florida for the SEC title.

Well, the current BCS standings...

Gee, have we talked about this
at all this year?

Ohio State will be
in the BCS Championship Game.

[Siler] We knew that we had a legit chance
to play in the national title.

But we had to not only b*at them...

All respect, you go down and get it!

Ain't gonna get it from talking!
You go get it!

We also needed UCLA to b*at USC.

- Win on three! One, two, three!
- [all] Win!

[bold music playing]

[announcer] Gators won the toss.
They have deferred the option

to the second half, which means
that Arkansas will get the ball.

Here we go again.

[crowd cheering]

They hand it off
on a right sweep, to the right.

The tackle is made by Brandon Siler.

I knew that this was a running team,

and running teams are, like, my specialty.

[announcer] No, nothing at all.

[Siler] You get to bang,
I get to put my hat on a hat,

and I love that.

[announcer] McFadden spins,
down at the .

And it's Brandon Siler
with his ninth tackle.

[percussive music plays]

[announcer] Felix Jones...

[crowd cheering]

We're playing fantastic football.

[announcer] Here's the handoff.

It's Chris Leak!

Touchdown!

[crowd cheers]

At halftime, we found out
that UCLA had beaten USC.

[announcer] About two
and a half minutes ago,

this score was posted,
and the Florida Gator fans began to erupt

because they are playing for a sh*t
in the National Championship Game.

UCLA had b*at USC and we were going crazy.

Let's go, baby!

[man ] Let's go, check it out!
Check it out!

- [man ] Here we go! Here we go, now!
- Let's go!

[pulsing suspenseful music plays]

[Meyer] I see our players all celebrating.

[clapping]

- [man] Ain't gonna matter.
- Nah, man...

I'm thinking, "Okay,
I gotta get this team refocused,

'cause Arkansas got a good team."

Hey! Hey!

All that matters
are the people in this room!

Go out and play your nuts off!

Relentless effort,
relentless effort, relentless effort!

"You wanna go play for it all?
Let's play for it all."

Go get it! Your best half of football!
How do you do that?

Everything you got for four
to six seconds. Here we go, let's go.

- Showtime on three! One, two, three!
- [all] Showtime!

[players yelling]

[dramatic music playing]

[crowd cheering]

We knew exactly what we had to go do.

[announcer] Leak gets it picked off
by the Arkansas Razorbacks.

[Meyer] First play.
Chris Leak throws an interception.

They go down to score.

[announcer] He throws it!
Touchdown, Arkansas!

[crowd exclaims sadly]

[Meyer] Next drive, they kick off,
we get the ball back.

[announcer] Inside...
Oh, boy, it's picked off!

[Meyer] Chris Leak shovels it right
to their defensive end. He runs it back.

[announcer] And he will score!

What the heck's going on here?

[cheering]

[tense music plays]

[Meyer] Within two minutes,
the score is -.

National Championship's gonna be gone.
Our team's lost all their confidence.

[announcer] And in this third quarter,
it has been, Gary, all Arkansas.

[Meyer] It's third down and ten, now.
We throw an incomplete pass.

[announcer] Leak fires it.
Incomplete. Fourth down.

[Meyer] And I'm so angry.

[commentator] Urban will take his time.

[Meyer] I look at my manila folder...

[music intensifying]

...and it says, "Let the mf'er go."

[announcer] They just called
their last timeout of the ball game.

[Meyer] And my heart
started b*ating a mile a minute.

My mouth goes dry.

And I go, "Okay, here we go."

I call a fake punt
on our own ten-yard line.

[announcer] How about this?

[commentator] They're... They're gonna take
their third timeout and punt?

All the players looked at me and go, like,
"Now?" And I go, "Get the first down!"

[announcer] Eric Wilbur on to punt.

[tense music plays]

I hear the crowd get quiet.

And I look up.

[crowd cheering]

[dramatic music playing]

And sure enough, Jemalle Cornelius
has the ball in his hand.

[announcer] They fake it!
How about this gamble?

It's Jemalle Cornelius!

And he got the first down!

How do you do?

And he takes it , yards
and the whole game changed.

[commentator] Backed up, backed up.

And look what they do!

I stared right at it.
And it said, "Let the mf'er go."

[announcer] Chris Leak hands it off
to Harvin. He comes back.

Say goodbye!

[crowd cheering]

The electrifying Percy Harvin!
I'll give him this, Urban Meyer is stoic.

[commentator] Well, and he's gone for it.
He has gone for it.

[announcer] Here's the final play
of this ball game,

and the Florida Gators

are the
Southeastern Conference Champions.

[Finebaum] All of a sudden,
this team that has had so many close calls

is in a position to do the unthinkable.

[Siler] Now, we had the chance
to win the ultimate championship,

something that has been done only one time

in the history of the years
of Florida football.

[man] If you think about where we've come,
the last two years in this locker room,

we got b*at,

and now he comes in,
and he takes this program,

and he takes us to a new level.

There's a reason you won that game.
The reason why you won that game

you guys care about each other,
you're good people.

Squeeze tight, take care of each other.
Southeastern Conference Champion.

Squeeze tight. Jemalle Cornelius.

[Cornelius] Lord, we comin' for you now
to praise you and thank you, God.

Thank you for helping us
to experience this victory...

[Siler] Celebrate this win tonight.

Wake up in the morning,
though, we got more work to do.

[sportscaster] Now the matchups are set
and Florida has emerged from the pile.

They will take on Ohio State
for the National Championship

on the night of January th
in Glendale, Arizona.

[Meyer] There was a narrative
going into the National Championship Game

that Florida was overrated.
Your offense is not good enough.

You got a good defense,
but you're barely winning all these games.

We're gonna get blown out by Ohio State.

[sportscaster] What do you think?
Is the matchup the right one?

[commentator] Just my humble opinion.

I still feel that Michigan
is the second-best team in the country.

[Dooley] You'd see stories all the time
that just said, you know,

"Gators have no chance against Buckeyes."

Game prediction, it's gonna be a blowout.
Absolute blowout.

Ohio State's probably gonna
take care of some business Monday night.

[reporter] Florida will be the underdog
when the Gators meet top-ranked Ohio State

for the national title on January th.

The Buckeyes are led

by Heisman Trophy-winning
quarterback Troy Smith.

[reporter ] On defense,
the Buckeyes are balanced,

and widely considered
among the best in the country.

We thought we were up here,

but we were talked about
like we were down here.

[intriguing music plays]

One of Urban's greatest strengths
was his ability

to crawl into your mind and push buttons.

[Harris] Everywhere we went,
we would have newspaper clippings posted,

where we could just see all
the negative stuff that was said about us.

They disrespected us,
saying that we were gonna get pummeled.

We really were offended by it.

[Meyer] Hatred's a great motivator.

Don't let up they ass!
Embarrass them b*tches!

You know, it was kinda like
the coaching staff going,

"Hey." Like, "Get... Go get your respect."

[marching band music plays]

[announcer] It is a spectacular night
in the Valley of the Sun.

We welcome you to the University
of Phoenix Stadium in Glendale, Arizona.

The second-ranked and once-beaten
University of Florida Gators

go toe-to-toe with the undefeated
and number-one-ranked Ohio State Buckeyes.

- It's our one, right?
- Hell yeah!

- It's our one, right?
- Hell yeah!

- Y'all ain't ready! Y'all ain't ready!
- sh*t! sh*t!

- This is our one, right?
- Hell yeah!

- This is our one, right?
- Hell yeah!

- Y'all ain't ready! Y'all ain't ready!
- sh*t! sh*t!

This our one...

[Siler] Ohio State had to pay

for everything that we had gotten
up to that point.

And that's how our whole entire team felt

is that we had to get it all out that day.

Four to six seconds, as hard as you go!

Respect is an earned thing!

Go get some respect
as fast as your ass can go!

- Showtime on three! One, two, three!
- [all] Showtime!

[bombastic music playing]

[crowd cheering]

[Spikes] That was definitely
a dream come true.

The greatest show on earth right there.

But once you've reached that bar,

you get up there, if you don't win
in that championship, it's a bust.

[tense music plays]

[announcer] So the Buckeyes
will get the football first.

Their first year of football was .

Florida started play in .

They have never played until now.

[music intensifies]

Joey Ijjas bangs it away.

And this is Ted Ginn Jr.

At the start of the game,
I made the decision to kick it to 'em.

[music reaching crescendo]

[announcer] Across the ,
slips a couple of tackles.

And Ginn, down the sideline,
will race to the end zone!

And my man put on the jets

and he ran by us
like we were standing still.

[announcer] What a start for Ohio State!

[tense music plays]

[dialogue inaudible]

[commentator] Well, Urban Meyer,
he's gotta settle his team down.

It's a shocker right now.

[Meyer] I panicked.

Urban is going crazy.
I think he threw down his headset.

Brandon Siler, our captain,
grabs me by the arm,

and I mean grabs me hard.

And I say, "Hey."

"I didn't want them m*therf*ckers
to score either,

but if we can't score
more than seven points,

then maybe they right,
we don't deserve to be here."

And the way he looked at me,
he goes "We got this."

"Pick up them headphones
and let's go win a football game."

[announcer] It's as simple as this.
Next play, guys.

You gotta let that one go.

We've corrected on... you know,
on the sidelines, talked to the coaches.

Next play.

[crowd cheering]

[tense music plays]

[announcer] A line-drive kick.

James on one hop from his own five,
on across the .

And he has daylight!

And is tackled by the kicker.

[Meyer] Brandon James returns it
to the -yard line.

We're on the plus territory
four or five plays later.

[announcer] Leak, out of the shotgun,
throws, caught by Dallas Baker!

Touchdown, Gators!

Oh, my God, I just scored
in a National Championship game.

[announcer] Saddle up, boys and girls!

Some early fireworks, boys!

[commentator] How about Florida
on that one?

I didn't know what to do.
Put my hands on my hips like Superman.

And then afterwards,
I ran to the sideline like a madman.

Hey, I'mma b*at the sh*t
outta him all night!

Y'all do y'all's job,
f*ck these m*therf*ckers!

[Siler] We wouldn't have been happy
b*ating them by seven,

wouldn't have been happy
just barely b*ating 'em.

We wanted to embarrass them. Let's go.

[announcers] Five wide receivers
for Troy Smith and he's gonna run it.

["w*r" by Edwin Starr plays]

[announcer] And not go through.

Jarvis Moss and Brandon Siler
there to make the stop.

Our front seven,
they didn't try to hit you,

they tried to hurt you.

[announcer] And sacked
from behind is Smith!

We wanted to send the ultimate message,
that we deserve to be here.

[announcer] The option...

Sniffing the end zone.

Touchdown! Percy Harvin!

And here comes an all-out blitz.

And it is intercepted on the -yard line.

They give it to Wynn.

Gets into the end zone!

And the Gators
already with a ten-point lead.

Sacked.

Moss coming, and he got him!

Fifth time he's been sacked tonight.

It's been all Gator D.

- Tebow.
- [commentator] There it is!

[announcer] Touchdown throw
to Andre Caldwell.

Did you see this coming?

No! No!

[announcer] Eleven minutes
to play in Arizona.

Stacked-I formation, it's Wynn.

And he will be denied a touchdown.

The game was still somewhat competitive,
but we were pulling away,

and we get down to their one-yard line.

[announcer] We'll see if they send out
Hetland for a field goal.

[Tebow] Coaches had been talking,
"What play are we gonna run?"

And just sometimes you just feel
like, "If I carry this, I'm getting in."

[ethereal music plays]

[Tebow] And I yelled at Urban.

You know, I kept pointing to my heart,
said, "Give me the ball. I'll get it in."

And he said, "Why?"

I don't even think I said anything,
just heart.

And he said, "All right, go."

[announcer] They're gonna go for it
on fourth and goal at the one.

[commentator] You put the...
You can put the game away.

- And if you don't make it...
- [announcer] They gotta go yards.

Absolutely, had fear.
Absolutely, it was nervous.

I absolutely had anxiety.

[tense music plays]

[commentator] Favorite play's
been the isolation.

[announcer] Tebow straight ahead.

Into the end zone!

And the Gators have put this one on ice!

[triumphant music plays]

[announcer] -, Florida!

[commentator] It's a big night
for the Gators!

We number one! We told them!

[announcer] Well, this night belongs
to a young man

born and raised in the Buckeye State,

Urban Meyer from Ashtabula,

about a three-hour ride
outside of Columbus.

[players cheer]

[laughing and cheering]

[yelling indistinctly]

[triumphant music continues]

[announcer] For the second time

in years of football
at the University of Florida,

the Gators celebrate
as national champions.

[Siler] Confetti flying everywhere.

It didn't seem real.

[Meyer] And, uh, you know,
the improbable just happened.

It was so unexpected.

Florida is the national champion
and Urban Meyer has done it.

[country music plays]

We're the only ones who believed!
That's what I'm talking about!

We're the only ones who believed, baby!
The Gators!

Gator Nation!

[Siler] Celebrating
amongst all your brothers.

The blood, sweat, and tears
that you've put in.

[Harris] You're just thankful.

What a year.

[chuckling] The highlight of my life.

[Siler] That night, that day, it was us.

Man, it was
just the greatest feeling ever.

[announcer] Oh, what a night it'll be
in Gainesville, Florida!

One! Hey, it's one now!

[Meyer] Listen up!
Listen, this is real important!

Your life will never be the...
never be the same.

You're a national champion.

I love you,

I appreciate you, you're the best.
You're national champions.

- [all] National champions!
- [all cheering]

All the pre-game polls
said you couldn't win.

[gentle music playing]

So much for polls.

[crowd cheering]

[Siler] We went out,
we drank, we celebrated hard.

We danced, we partied.
We just had a good time.

Nobody thinks you're gonna win. Nobody.

No one but us,
and that was kind of the mantra

that we carried with ourselves

and kind of all we... all we needed.

I was in my junior season,
uh, which is my third year.

And I wanted to go pro

'cause I wanted
to be able to take care of my family.

I grew up in the projects.

My family's counting on me.

And it was time for me to go,
and, uh, try my luck in the NFL.

When I decided to leave,

I took Brandon Spikes into the stadium.

And I said, "Listen."

"You see this beautiful place?"
I said, "This is mine."

"But I'm leaving."

"You know who this belongs to now?"

"You."

"This is your place."

He's like, "This whole thing
is yours now 'cause I'm leaving."

You know, "Take good care of it.
I showed you, I taught you the ropes."

"You going to be a top linebacker
for the University of Florida, a leader."

Like, "You think you're ready for this?"

[tender music continues]

[Meyer] After we won, I remember
sitting there, and I looked at my father.

And I said,
"You know what's really unbelievable?"

"For the rest of my life,
I'm gonna have fun doing this."

You know, "We did it. No more pressure."

"We did it."

"I'm gonna have fun doing this,
and there's no pressure."

And that's probably
the most incorrect statement

that ever came out
of a human being's mouth.

[suspenseful rock music playing]