The weather outside may have been a bit frightful, but Cincinnati’s offense found nickel-and-diming East Carolina’s overmatched defense to be oh-so-delightful as the Bearcats chipped their way to 13-0 and a date with No. 6 Florida in the Citrus Bowl.

Amidst light snowfall, All-Big East quarterback Tony Pike worked efficiently, completing 20 of his 25 pass attempts for 273 yards and three scores and moving Cincinnati down the field methodically. The Bearcats were forced to punt only four times, compared to eight punts by the Pirates, and all but one of their touchdowns came from inside the red zone.

“This isn’t ideal weather for us, obviously,” Pike said after the game. “We had to dial our offense down a notch, take what the defense gave us, but I think we ended up getting into a pretty good rhythm.”

Cincinnati running back Isaiah Pead grinded out 99 yards on 16 carries, including a 51-yard off-tackle run that was easily the game’s longest play. Backs Jacob Ramsey and John Goebel added 77 yards on 18 carries, helping the Bearcats to a six minute edge in time of possession.

Courtesy of walterfootball.com

Early on, East Carolina took a 7-0 lead on a first-quarter drive capped by a 17-yard pass from Patrick Pinkney to wide receiver Dwayne Harris. On the day, though, Pinkney connected on only 11 of 28 attempts for 129 yards as the Pirates struggled to block Cincinnati’s defensive front, allowing three sacks and countless hurries and managing only 3.2 yards per carry on 54 attempts.

“Pass protection was lacking today,” East Carolina head coach Skip Holtz said in his postgame address. “He [Pinkney] has the ability to extend plays with his feet, but we didn’t do a good job of sliding protection to give him time to make his reads.”

With their defense holding steady, the undefeated Bearcats went on a 38-7 run to put the game well out of the Pirates’ reach by the end of the third quarter.

Losing ended East Carolina’s surprise run to the postseason, one week after a 38-32 upset of Houston in the Conference USA Championship earned them an automatic bid.

Results of Other Games:

#1 Alabama vs. #16 Troy

#8 Oregon vs. #9 Ohio State

#4 TCU vs. #13 Iowa

#5 Boise State vs. #12 West Virginia

————–

#2 Texas vs. #15 Central Michigan

#7 Georgia Tech vs. #10 LSU

#6 Florida vs. #11 Virginia Tech

#3 Cincinnati vs. #14 East Carolina

In the week leading up to their first-round matchup against Georgia Tech, LSU saw the Yellow Jackets’ vaunted triple option offense and its averages: over 300 yards rushing and 440 total yards per game.

On Saturday, the Tigers raised them 586 yards-480 on the ground-as they delivered a stunning knockout blow to the ACC champions on the road.

With four rushing touchdowns in the game’s first 18 minutes, LSU’s 84th-ranked rushing attack, which averaged only 128 yards per game during the regular season, showed early that it was more than capable of going blow-for-blow with Georgia Tech’s in a matchup that featured almost 1,000 yards rushing.

Senior running back Keiland Williams’ 64-yard score on the Tigers’ game-opening drive was the first of his four on the day as LSU took advantage of poor tackling and confusion among the Yellow Jackets’ second-level defenders.

“I just kept fighting through to daylight,” Williams said of the run after the game. “Broke one tackle, broke another, and then there was no one behind them.”

Courtesy of www.zimbio.com

Georgia Tech’s backs, for their part, found plenty of room to run as well. All-American Jonathan Dwyer racked up 288 yards on 22 carries, including four runs of 20 yards or more and two touchdowns. Marcus Wright and Anthony Allen combined for 160 yards and three more scores on just 11 carries.

Nonetheless, the Yellow Jackets’ whopping 515 rushing yards came in chunks too inconsistent to counter LSU’s 38 first downs. Georgia Tech converted only two of 13 third down attempts and managed only 16 first downs, sputtering out on several early drives as the Tigers bashed their way to a 35-7 head start by the halfway point of the second quarter.

“Penalties, in key situations and after a few big plays, really hurt us in that first half,” Yellow Jackets head coach Paul Johnson said in his postgame press conference. On the day, Georgia Tech committed 11 penalties-compared to only two by LSU.

The Yellow Jackets were within striking distance, down 11 points entering the fourth quarter on the heels of a 24-7 run to answer the Tigers’ hot start. But Williams’ fourth touchdown for LSU, a 25-yard counter run early in the final frame, put them away for good.

Sophomore quarterback Jordan Jefferson completed only nine of his 27 pass attempts for the Tigers, throwing an interception and a late score. Eight of those nine completions, though, were drive-extending first downs as LSU kept Georgia Tech’s offense off the field, converting seven of 14 third downs.

“We didn’t have much total success passing,” Tigers head coach Les Miles reflected. “But we were able to make plays when we needed them.”

LSU will face No. 2 Texas, who drubbed Central Michigan 46-10 in earlier action, in the Cotton Bowl next Friday.

Results of Other Games:

#1 Alabama vs. #16 Troy

#8 Oregon vs. #9 Ohio State

#4 TCU vs. #13 Iowa

#5 Boise State vs. #12 West Virginia

————–

#2 Texas vs. #15 Central Michigan

#7 Georgia Tech vs. #10 LSU

#6 Florida vs. #11 Virginia Tech

#3 Cincinnati vs. #14 East Carolina

Texas’ third-ranked defense slammed Central Michigan’s offense into the dirt, clamping down on All-MAC quarterback Dan LeFevour and shutting the Chippewas out through two quarters as the Longhorns’ offense built a 33-0 halftime lead, coasting into a quarterfinal berth in the Cotton Bowl.

LeFevour, college football’s all-time leading touchdown scorer, managed only 198 total yards on 40 touches-including a mere 10 yards on 19 carries-against Texas’ stout defensive front. He threw an interception, completed less than half of his 21 passes, and was held out of the end zone until a late fourth-quarter touchdown pass that trimmed seven points off the Longhorns’ 40-point lead.

Safeties Blake Gideon and Ben Wells each registered a sack as Texas crowded the line of scrimmage and keyed on LeFevour as the main cog of Central Michigan’s spread option offense.

“Coming in, we knew that he [LeFevour] might be a problem if we gave him too much space to maneuver, either to run or pass,” Longhorns head coach Mack Brown told reporters in his postgame address.

Courtesy of pickandpop.files.wordpress.com

“Our boys did a great job of blitzing, finding open lanes in the blocking and getting after him.”

On the day, the Chippewas averaged less than two yards per run and converted only five of 21 third down attempts.

The stifling presence of Texas’ defense offset a shaky start by the Longhorns’ offense. In spite of solid starting field position, Texas was held out of the end zone until freshman running back Tre’ Newton broke free for a 68-yard touchdown run just under five minutes into the second quarter.

Between Newton’s run and the halftime whistle, though, the Longhorns’ passing game sprang to life. All-American quarterback Colt McCoy threw two of his three touchdown passes and kicker Hunter Lawrence added his second field goal of the game during Texas’ 23-point second quarter.

“We were in a bit of a funk early on,” McCoy admitted after the game.

Coming off a subpar performance against Nebraska in last week’s Big 12 Championship, in which he threw three interceptions and a floating incompletion that nearly ran the final seconds off the game clock, the Longhorns’ Heisman finalist quarterback rebounded nicely, completing 23 of 34 pass attempts for 304 yards and three scores.

In losing, the Chippewas fell to 0-3 against BCS competition this season, with regular season defeats at the hands of Arizona and Boston College the only blemishes on an 11-2 record-the program’s best since going 10-0-1 and winning the MAC championship in 1979.

Texas will travel to Dallas next week to face the winner of tonight’s game between Georgia Tech and LSU.

Results of Other Games:

#1 Alabama vs. #16 Troy

#8 Oregon vs. #9 Ohio State

#4 TCU vs. #13 Iowa

#5 Boise State vs. #12 West Virginia

————–

#2 Texas vs. #15 Central Michigan

#7 Georgia Tech vs. #10 LSU

#6 Florida vs. #11 Virginia Tech

#3 Cincinnati vs. #14 East Carolina

If Alabama’s 32-13 thumping of Florida in the SEC Championship exposed any of the Gators’ fatal flaws on either side of the ball, Virginia Tech couldn’t tell.

With early touchdown runs of 86 and 72 yards, Florida’s Jeffery Demps and Emmanuel Moody blasted holes in the Hokies’ defense, sparking the Gators to a 27-7 halftime lead as their defense repeatedly snuffed out Virginia Tech’s drives on third downs.

Welcoming standout pass rusher Carlos Dunlap back after a one-game suspension, Florida’s defensive front harried quarterback Tyrod Taylor into check-down passing and a 7-of-16 night as the Hokies managed only 29 yards through the air and converted just two of their 16 third down attempts.

More importantly, the Gators were able to contain freshman sensation Ryan Williams, whose 207 rushing yards on 29 carries were inflated by a 73-yard touchdown at the end of the fourth quarter with Virginia Tech trailing 40-10. Williams, who ranked in the top ten nationally in rushing yards and points per game during the season, broke only one other run for more than 20 yards and struggled to fight through Florida’s linebackers for extra yardage.

thewholegardenwillbow.files.wordpress.com

“You have to give him [Williams] credit,” Gators head coach Urban Meyer remarked after the game, “when he puts up 200 yards and you can still say that we contained him without sounding foolish.

“Stopping their ground game was a huge key for us coming in, and, judging from some of the games he’s had, it could have been much worse.”

After attempting 35 passes against Alabama, Florida’s aerial attack took the night off against the Hokies. Quarterback Tim Tebow threw just eight passes, completing four for 71 yards and two first downs that sustained early drives. Against Virginia Tech’s quick-but-undersized defense, the Gators ran the ball 67 times, averaging just under seven yards per rush.

The loss caps a disappointing season for the Hokies, who rose as high as fifth in national polls before consecutive losses to Georgia Tech and North Carolina derailed their bid for an ACC championship and relegated them to at-large status.

Florida will face the winner of tonight’s game between Cincinnati and East Carolina in the Citrus Bowl next Friday.

Results of Other Games:

#1 Alabama vs. #16 Troy

#8 Oregon vs. #9 Ohio State

#4 TCU vs. #13 Iowa

#5 Boise State vs. #12 West Virginia

————–

#2 Texas vs. #15 Central Michigan

#7 Georgia Tech vs. #10 LSU

#6 Florida vs. #11 Virginia Tech

#3 Cincinnati vs. #14 East Carolina

• Opening round games will be held December 19th at the higher seed’s home stadium.
• Second round games will be held December 25th at the listed bowl sites
• Final Four games will be held at the Rose and Sugar Bowls on New Year’s Day.  Teams in each is TBD.
• The National Championship game will be held in Pasadena on January 8.

The first bracket is in, so start the bickering over who got in and who didn’t.

Initial Reaction:

No surprises here.  Coming off their 32-13 thumping of former No. 1 Florida, the Crimson Tide richly deserve the honor of being college football’s first-ever top seed.  The No. 16 Troy Trojans enjoy an automatic bid as the fruit of their undefeated record in the Sun Belt Conference, but their road to the Final Four likely ends in Tuscaloosa.

With No. 8 Oregon and No. 9 Ohio State—conference champions, both—each down a notch from their rankings in the writers’ and coaches’ polls, it’s likely they’ve been leap-frogged in the standings by ACC champion Georgia Tech.

The second half of this bracket:

Initial Reaction:

Soft-schedule powerhouses TCU and Boise State are, no doubt, too close for each other’s comfort as Nos. 4 and 5.  With Alabama’s official coronation as No. 1 complete and Texas all but certain to be No. 2, suspense still surrounds the committee’s choice for No. 3.  The Gators can’t have fallen below both non-BCS unbeatens after one loss…can they?

The tournament’s first two official at-large selections have emerged in this group: No. 12 West Virginia and No. 13 Iowa.  Both were likely helped by head-to-head wins against two teams still on the bubble, with the Mountaineers boasting a 19-16 victory over Big East rival Pittsburgh and the Hawkeyes buoyed by their early-season toppling of fellow Big Ten contender Penn State.

The other side of the bracket (first half):

Initial Reaction:

The Yellow Jackets land at No. 7 after putting Clemson down 39-34 in the ACC Championship, a week after their 30-24 loss to in-state rival Georgia left their top-10 status in jeopardy. They’ll host the LSU Tigers, who lay claim to one of the three remaining at-large berths after struggling through a brutal conference schedule that included both Alabama and Florida.

Texas (Big 12) and Central Michigan (MAC) were mere formalities at Nos. 2 and 15 as conference champions. Enjoying their first-ever appearance in the national FBS standings at No. 25 in the coaches’ poll, the Chippewas face a steep uphill climb to advance past Austin.

Counting the Gators as a mortal lock for a tournament bid, all but one of several strong at-large candidates will be left out in the cold after the last four teams are revealed.

The last four:

Initial Reaction:

As the last pieces of college football’s first postseason tournament fall into place, the selection committee’s priority has become clear: Win your games. All of them. (Or, at least, as many as possible.)

The undefeated Cincinnati Bearcats fit neatly into the No. 3 slot as the last perfect BCS-conference team, with Florida’s fall from grace ending at No. 6, behind all five unbeatens, as the highest-ranked at-large candidate. East Carolina’s upset win over Houston in the Conference USA Championship grants the Pirates an automatic bid and the tournament’s No. 14 seed, robbing Cougars quarterback—and darkhorse Heisman candidate—Case Keenum of a national showcase.

Signature wins over Miami (Fl.) and Nebraska, coupled with losses to respectable foes (and conference champions) Alabama and Georgia Tech, boosted No. 11 Virginia Tech ahead of their competition for the last at-large bid. The Hokies’ trip to Gainesville is the tournament’s only first round matchup of at-large teams, and it figures to be a close one.

Bubble Teams Not Invited:

BYU 10-2

Houston 10-3

Penn State 10-2

Pittsburgh 9-3

Miami 9-3

Oklahoma State 9-3

Final Thoughts:

First, two points of contention.

1. Clearly stating a preference for perfection, the selection committee slotted college football’s five remaining unbeatens ahead of former No. 1 Florida after the Gators’ 32-13 loss to top-seeded Alabama in the SEC Championship.

The Crimson Tide, along with No. 2 Texas (Big 12) and No. 3 Cincinnati (Big East), have certainly earned top billing as undefeated BCS conference champions. But Florida’s strength of schedule (eighth in the nation) should have kept the Gators ahead of less-tested juggernauts No. 4 TCU (75th) and No. 5 Boise State (92nd).

Now, instead of hosting No. 13 Iowa—losers in two of their last three games—Florida must prepare for a tougher matchup against No. 11 Virginia Tech and the Hokies’ high-powered rushing attack.

2. In awarding No. 10 LSU an at-large bid, the committee spurned several possible alternates, but none with a better case for inclusion than Miami.

Most other candidates popped their own bubbles. Brigham Young and Houston each boasted double-digit win totals, but their strength of schedule ratings—88th and 91st, respectively—sunk them beneath their BCS conference competition. Pittsburgh, Penn State, and Oklahoma State each lacked a signature win over a true top-25 opponent.

(So did LSU, really.)

The Hurricanes’ win over ACC champion Georgia Tech stands out, in contrast, as the mark of a potential postseason contender. They’ve been up-and-down since, of course, including a loss to upset-hungry North Carolina—who, let’s not forget, also beat at-large contenders Virginia Tech.

To stock the tournament’s at-large ranks with capable foils to the big dogs, the committee should have gone with a team who’s actually finished one off.

Still, thanks to the format, the teams that made the Dance will finally be able to settle such grievances on the field. At long last, here in what the powers-that-be would call a “bizarro world,” rhetoric is merely the prelude to the college football postseason—not the main event.

So, TCU and Boise State, is your “unbeaten” as good as Alabama’s or Cincinnati’s?  Florida, are you prepared to claw back to No. 1?  Conference champions, are you national champions?  At-large teams, can you pave an improbable road to the top?

Strap on the pads and prove it. Welcome to the first second season.

@MiamiFL: Can’t please everybody.  Better luck next year.

Courtesy of Augusta Free Press

CHARLOTTESVILLE, Va. — Most of Virginia’s student body took this weekend’s away football game as an opportunity to leave its collective bowtie in the top drawer or pearl necklace in the jewelry box and relax, free from the stress of watching their winless team.

For some frustrated fans, though, the Cavaliers’ trip to Hattiesburg, Miss., represented an opportunity to make their complaints heard.

Dozens of the disenchanted Wahoo faithful congregated in front of the team’s McCue Center headquarters next to University Hall in the wee hours of Saturday morning, armed with posterboard, blue and orange magic markers, and a common message for much-maligned Virginia head coach Al Groh.

“Groh must grow!” second-year political science major Lance Massenburg shouted while filling in the blue bubble letters on his sign with orange, coloring carefully within the lines.

“We’re fed up with his schtick,” Massenburg continued. “Every week, win or lose, we get the same old stone-faced ball coach shrugging his shoulders for the fans. He’s lost his last six games, choked away bowl eligibility, and taken one on the chin from William-and-freaking-Mary, and we haven’t gotten so much as a headset smashed in frustration.

“He needs to show a wider range of emotions. If he’d just hit a microphone or something, the sixty minutes of bad football would at least be entertaining.”

With the football team’s staff out of town, Massenburg explained, the group seized the opportunity “for real grassroots action against the coaching status quo” after meeting and organizing through private messages on Internet message boards.

“We wanted to stage a sit-in hunger strike, like those Living Wage hippies did,” he said, “but the doors were locked.”

Undeterred, the gathered protestors disperesed temporarily, returning before noon with camping supplies and provisions for a protracted stay on McCue’s grassy front lawn.

“I refuse to put off working on my dissertation to follow week after week of fruitless gridiron futility!” philosophy grad student Erik Bayes opined as he inflated a bed inside his Coleman-brand tent.

“If I’m going to pull all-nighters wracking my brain on how to answer the question of free will well enough to get a master’s degree from this school,” Bayes said, “I expect the football coach to be similarly thoughtful about the awful results he’s getting. Lose a cupcake game, lose six games—lose every game this season, for all I care—but at least take a lesson away from it.

“Bemoan that ‘the best laid plans of mice and men’ fall to pieces. Question whether the end of winning justifies the cutthroat means used by the schools who rise to the top. Realize the insignificance of a game in a world torn by war, poverty, and disease.

“Expand your mind, for crying out loud!”

When told that many Virginia supporters are calling for Groh’s dismissal, the protestors seemed taken aback.

“Fire him?” townie and lawn maintenance contractor Ted Spargo wondered as he taped his “Emphasize The Positives” sign to a wooden paint stick. “That’s so harsh.”

“I mean, his program’s graduation rate has never quite lived up to the school’s reputation, and those six consecutive losses sting a little right now,” Spargo acknowledged. “But he’s coached up 23 NFL draft picks in his eight years, including five first-rounders. And his defenses have always been competitive in the ACC.

“Then again, these are the same fans who dress for football games like weddings and drink a fifth of liquor before the last home game as a rite of passage. I wouldn’t trust them with operating a weedwhacker, let alone a football team.”

Since regaining his starting job in 2007 after an injury-plagued 2006 season, Monroe had become a rock on his end of the Cavaliers’ offensive line.  His departure has created a hole in Virginia’s starting lineup that no one on the current roster seems equipped to fill seamlessly.

Landon Bradley, a 6-6, 275-pound redshirt sophomore from Conway, S.C., has been tabbed to succeed Monroe at left tackle.

After winning the Cavaliers’ Rock Weir Award a year ago for being the most-improved player in spring practice, Bradley has only one game appearance (in last year’s road loss to Connecticut) to his credit.  But coach Al Groh is optimistic that his new left tackle’s athleticism and intelligence will make him a solid starter.

“[Bradley has] very good feet [and] good awareness,” Groh told Jeff White of the Richmond Times-Dispatch.  “He gets concepts well.  They make good sense to him.

“We’re very positive about what he’s getting done here.”

In any case, Virginia shouldn’t need Bradley to be a one-man force like the NFL first-rounder he’s replacing.  The group charged with picking up Monroe’s slack this year figures to be better than the unit he led in 2008.

The Cavaliers’ line entered last season with a combined 51 starts to their credit, all but six of which belonged to Monroe and right tackle Will Barker.  Between those two experienced tackles were three greenhorn interior linemen: senior Zak Stair, who had started six games at left tackle in 2006, and untested sophomores B.J. Cabbell and Jack Shields.

Stair gave way to true freshman Austin Pasztor at left guard in the fifth game of the season, a 31-0 home win against Maryland.  Pasztor held the position for the next seven games, while Cabbell and Shields each accumulated a full season of starting experience.

Virginia’s rushing attack surpassed the 200-yard mark in each of Pasztor’s first two games as a starter, and the Cavaliers allowed only 16 sacks all season, fewest in the ACC.  But they were the only ACC team to average under 100 rushing yards per game on the year, and Monroe’s play was a huge reason for their success against opposing pass rushers.

This year, as new offensive coordinator Gregg Brandon installs his offense, the hope is that Barker and last year’s interior linemen—who now boast 69 starts as a group—can build on that game experience, maintaining a high standard of pass protection while paving the way for more yards on the ground.

The 2008 schedule was difficult enough to make last year’s lessons meaningful going forward.  Virginia’s opponents had a combined record of 90-54, not counting FCS national champions Richmond.  Having played against such a tough slate, the term “battle-tested” can legitimately be applied to the Cavaliers’ starting linemen.

One of the group’s biggest challenges this year will be adapting those lessons into Brandon’s new offensive system.

“It’s a completely new offense,” Barker said in an interview with VirginiaSports.com.  “There’s some carryover from our old offense.  Making calls in the line, we are able to make some of the same calls that we used to make.

“[But] there is some new terminology in techniques, as well as splits and stances that are changed.”

Some of the experience last year’s linemen gained in playing together will be tough to translate.  Part of the process of developing chemistry along a line involves learning each player’s role in the offense and getting a feel for how the rest of the line moves on a given play.

Still, on a unit where four of the starting five return from last season, continuity will play the biggest role both in improving on 2008 and bringing Bradley into the fold.  Among such a young but experienced group, Bradley won’t have to be Eugene Monroe to be effective.

For now, he’ll just have to fit into the group.

But for Brenda Miller and Stacey Welsh, two undergraduates at the University of Florida who volunteer with Shands Children’s Hospital in Gainesville through their sorority, Tau Beta Theta, the broadcast was quite an eye-opener.

“We already knew that he [Tebow] was, like, the best–and hottest!–football player ever,” Miller explained. “But when that announcer-guy said, you know, that spending five or twenty minutes with him could, like, change your life, we both thought of the children.”

Miller and Welsh started volunteering at the Gainesville-area children’s hospital during the spring semester of their freshman year, bringing gifts and spending time with the patients.

“We volunteer on weekends there, mostly,” Miller said. “Whenever there’s not, like, a mixer or a home game or something.”

The children whose plight had weighed most heavily on the girls’ minds was that of three young brothers, Thomas, Andrew, and Daniel Nguyen. The boys had been diagnosed with malignant brain tumors which had recently spread, afflicting each of them with near-total blindness. Despite the attention of the hospital’s world-renowned neurologists and staff, the boys’ conditions had continued to worsen.

“I mean, yeah, the people who treat them at Shands are, like, doctors and such,” Walsh acknowledged, “but they mostly just walk around writing on clipboards and do tests on the kids. A lot of medical-type stuff.

“That guy on television had talked to Tebow, not even about medicine, and he said it changed his life.”

“And then,” Miller added, “when he was on the four-yard line, with the Gators only ahead by three, and he acted like he was running and then jumped to pass it for the touchdown, we were like, ‘Oh-my-god, that’s a miracle!’ It seemed impossible, that one person could be running and passing at the same time. And I’ve never seen one of those doctors perform a miracle in three years of volunteering.

“We decided the next day at lunch to ask Harry [Harold Hodgkiss, the hospital's chief of medicine] if he could get Tebow in to see them.”

Dr. Hodgkiss admitted that he was initially reluctant to involve the quarterback in the boys’ case.

“We are very proud of the unrivaled team of neurosurgeons in our employ,” he explained. “I was confident that, with the proper precautions, we would be able to successfully operate on each of the boys in the near future–and, frankly, the girls’ suggestion was quite unorthodox. There isn’t a soul east of Tallahassee who’d dispute Mr. Tebow’s status as perhaps the greatest human being to ever touch a football, but I like to think of myself as an advocate of the power of modern medicine.

“Besides,” he added, “that spread option offense isn’t exactly brain surgery.”

But Dr. Hodgkiss was persuaded to grant Miller and Welsh their request. “We agreed that I would ask him,” Welsh said, “since I paid a girl $200 for her spot in one of his sociology classes. I was totally nervous since it was my first time, like, actually talking to him.”

Tebow agreed to accompany the girls on their next volunteer visit. “He said he was really busy, of course,” Welsh explained, “but that guy on TV said it only took five minutes, so we weren’t concerned.”

What followed, according to Dr. Hodgkiss, was “magic.”

“He walked into the children’s wing behind the girls,” Hodgkiss recalled, “still shaking hands and signing scrubs for a few of the doctors, and we brought him over to the Nguyen children. Andrew was lying there, propped up on pillows in the bed, and Mr. Tebow looked at him and said, ‘Hey, buddy,’ and the boy blinked–and looked up at him, and said, ‘Hey.’ And you could just tell that Andrew could see him.”

Miller and Welsh excitedly directed Tebow to the other boys’ beds, and soon Thomas and Daniel were looking at each other and Tebow.

“It was positively Christ-like, what he did,” Hodgkiss said. “I couldn’t get it out of my mind in church last Sunday–the first Sunday I’d gone in twenty years. I just had to thank God for Tim Tebow.”

MRI scans taken on each of the Nguyen boys after Tebow’s visit showed no trace of the tumors which had afflicted them. They were recently released to their parents’ care with the approval of the hospital’s neurological experts, who consider the possibility of the tumors’ regrowth to be negligible.

“I’m glad Mr. Tebow gave me my sight back,” said Andrew Nguyen. “I got to watch all the Gators games I missed. My favorite player is Percy Harvin. He’s so fast!”