Well, technically, that's an exaggeration. Or a complete lie. SMQ's not splitting hairs.
But you know what? Unlike Vince Young and Troy Smith, occasional scramblers who were sometimes cheekily given the title (before Smith sold out and went all pocket passer), Tim Tebow for all intents and purposes is an actual single wing tailback, whose head first charges behind a pulling guard into the line from a direct snap substantially varies not at all from the classic single wing of Pop Warner, designed - as described by the inviolable and always right Wikipedia - "as a brute-force running formation" that was adapted into a passing set by Knute Rockne. The all-knowing Wiki also describes the wing as a "novelty," which is successful in its rare modern incarnations (especially in high school) because defenses are so surprised by its very unsubtle lack of pretentious strategizin'.
Therein lies in part the effectiveness of the novelty ("Fergit the playbook, give it to Tee-bo! That boy don't needa make no faincy reads!"), but also the charge of extending its momentum; how much more excitement can be generated from the freshman's predictable, no-holds-barred Harry Stuhldreher charges into stacked defenses after it got everybody all hot and bothered against LSU?
That hardboiled fish Tebow's the real bee's knees!
Florida's offense is not a juggernaut with either quarterback, and in fact is taking a backseat, 360-style 180-style in relation to the Spurrier Years, to UF's defense and special teams. This may win, but nevertheless is nowhere as exciting to fans and the all-important pollsters whose opinion decides narrowly-separated fates at the end of the season. But the voters can be distracted and swayed by shiny gimmicks with which to fashion columns on a slow Tuesday, (or say, rambling blog entries) and - like Ohio State with two-way Chris Gamble in 2002 - the Gators are in position to capitalize and expand their freaky freshman's forte.
Now that Urban Meyer has let subside his utter terror in allowing his young quarterback to actually attempt a pass - as long as it's set up by a series of old school plunges - the next step in the ongoing evolution of the analysis-defying Tebow Effect is to put the young Tebow and the grizzled (go with it) Chris Leak on the field at the same time, and SMQ does not just mean splitting Leak at wideout to run an Incredibly Surprising Quarterback Draw with Tebow, or vice versa. No: both in the backfield, both with a chance to receive the snap, to handoff, throw, run or possibly consider blocking, shifting and motioning in every direction as opposing defensive coordinators flop around on the floor of the press box and blood trickles out of the earholes of strength-calling middle linebackers' helmets. Tebow can do the single wing, can do the awkward jump pass, can do the Lindy Hop and 23 skidoo - in an offense whose motion, misdirection and emphasis on a running quarterback has generally trended towards the old school, why not go with the really, really old school and pull out the ol' Rockne box, too, Dapper?
Look familiar, Gator fans?
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