SHOCK

Gator Nation was touched by an angel this past weekend. As the Gators were dominating the UK Wildcats late in the third quarter, the revered Timothy Richard Tebow was sacked by a UK defensive end. The sack was bad enough as he was hit square in the chest. He obvi didn't see the 250-lb dude running at him at full speed. But the scariest part came as he was falling from the blow. His neck snapped forward as he collided with another UK player's knee. As the Wildcats celebrated their sack on one of the greatest athletes in college history, Tebow remained motionless on the ground.

We had just finished dinner Saturday night when this all went down. We were only midly paying attention to the game while we were cleaning up when the announcer utters the scariest words in the history of Gator football.

"Tebow is down. Tebow is down. Tebow is down."

*silence*

All 5 of us stopped what we were doing to see an idol laying on the ground. All of the articles, interviews, and conversations I've witnessed since last season were immediately on rerun in my mind as they replayed the clip of his fall. All of the predictions of Tebow leading the Gators to an SEC championship, national championship, and possibly picking up an undefeated season along the way. Another Heisman was not out of question. The dedication to his team he demonstrated as he ogranized and ran a grueling summer training schedule. Even the (in)famous speech after the shocking loss to Ole Miss.

Both teams were on the field, waiting for him to sit up, move his arm, wiggle a finger. Any movement to allay their worst fears. UK and UF fans alike began chanting "Te-bow, Te-bow, Te-bow" as he lay there.

That minute stretched on forever to what seemed like an eternity. But someone was looking out for this guy as he got up moments later with the help of Urban Meyers and the UF medical staff. He looked dazed and confused but managed to come out of it with only a concussion. He stayed a night in a Kentucky hospital with Meyers monitoring him throughout the night and flew home the next day.

I'm not usually religious but I definitely think something is definitely looking out for him and this team. Freak accidents like that have prematurely halted tons of peoples' atheletic careers and lives. I'm not saying that a concussion is a minor injury; it's not. But it is so much better than the worse-case scenarios that were racing through everybody's minds. The fact that we also have a bye week this weekend is also a huge blessing. This team recently has been plagued with "respiratory illnesses" and "stomach problems". Tebow and some other players even had to take a quarantined plane this weekend to Kentucky to decrease the rest of the team's exposure.

Or maybe it was all just good Karma for his work circumsizing babies.