Tebow accounts for 5 TDs as top-ranked Gators roll in rain over Troy, 56-6

No. 1 Florida beats Troy 56-6 in tuneup for Vols

GAINESVILLE, Fla. — No. 1 Florida finished its “preseason” undefeated and unchallenged.

Now, it’s Tennessee time.

Tim Tebow threw four touchdown passes, ran for another score and the Gators beat Troy 56-6 Saturday in their final tuneup before beginning Southeastern Conference play.

Florida (2-0) started slow in this one, punting twice and fumbling once in its first four series. But once Tebow & Co. got on track in the rain, the Trojans (0-2) looked nearly as overmatched as Charleston Southern did last week.

Tebow completed 15 of 24 passes for 237 yards and equaled his career high with four TD passes. He also ran 13 times for 71 yards. His 4-yard TD run was the 45th of his career and tied him with former Auburn star Cadillac Williams for third on the SEC’s all-time list.

He has Kevin Faulk (LSU) and Herschel Walker (Georgia) in his sights.

Tennessee, too.

The Gators have won four in a row against the Volunteers, and Tennessee coach Lane Kiffin’s recruiting accusations in February have Florida players and coach Urban Meyer eager for this meeting.

They certainly looked ready against Troy.

Jeff Demps ran for 87 yards and a touchdown. Chris Rainey added 85 yards on the ground and a score. Riley Cooper continued his strong start, catching five passes for 82 yards and a touchdown. Deonte Thompson, who dropped a third-down pass early in the game and would-be TD pass in the opener, rebounded with a 33-yard touchdown reception.

Florida’s defense, upset about giving up 323 yards against Charleston Southern, allowed 139 Saturday. Getting a boost from the return of defensive end Jermaine Cunningham and cornerback Janoris Jenkins, the unit also recovered two fumbles and had an interception.

Cunningham and Jenkins were suspended for the opener. Cunningham forced a fumble early, and Jenkins had the interception midway through the second quarter.

The biggest negative for the Gators were six fumbles (three lost) on a sloppy day at The Swamp. Jonathan Phillips also missed a 39-yard field-goal attempt in the fourth quarter. His miss came a week after missing an extra point.

Those mistakes aren’t exactly cause for alarm in Gainesville. After all, Florida talked all week about Troy’s penchant for playing big-time teams close.

The Trojans gave Ohio State and LSU big scares last season. They trailed 14-10 in the fourth quarter at Ohio State, and were up 31-3 late in the third at LSU before the Tigers mounted a huge comeback.

Meyer spent the week reminding his players about those close calls. He even convinced them that Troy had more NFL-caliber talent than several SEC teams on Florida’s schedule this season.

Although Meyer never indicated which conference teams he was talking about, his words surely raised eyebrows in Knoxville, especially after Troy lost 31-14 at Bowling Green last week.

The Trojans didn’t look much better Saturday.

Levi Brown completed 8 of 24 passes for 66 yards, with an interception, while Troy fumbled four times (lost two) and finished 2 of 16 on third down.

Florida was 10 of 14 on third down and racked up 663 yards.