Dooley: Winning without Harvin a special feat

ATLANTA — Louis Murphy ran to the wall and ripped off a SEC sign to display to the Gator fans losing their collective minds in the Georgia Dome. But as he retreated backward, Murphy tripped over a camera on the field and nearly tumbled to the ground. The crowd gasped.

Not another injury.

Murphy was fine. He was more than fine.

He and his receiving teammates had done what couldn't be done.

They replaced Percy Harvin.

I'm not saying it was difficult, but wide receivers coach Billy Gonzales said after the SEC Championship Game that he used four different players in Harvin's position.

"We made sure we mixed it up with the packages we sent in, running different plays with different packages," Gonzales said. "(Alabama) couldn't get a beat on what we were doing."

Harvin was the story going into this game. Would he or wouldn't he? The decision had been made Friday.

"It just wasn't right for him," Urban Meyer said.

Instead of having its best playmaker, Florida had to use a bunch of them.

And they produced.

Carl Moore, who hasn't been the big-play receiver that we thought he would be when he arrived on campus, went first making a nifty catch for the first UF score. Then it was David Nelson, who has suddenly emerged as a player.

"David Nelson was cashing scholarship checks for 2 1/2 years," Meyer said. "He should have been writing a check back to the University of Florida. His payback is done. We'll call it even now."

There was Murphy catching a pair of deep balls and leading the team in receiving. In the toughest year of his life, he saved the best for the game that meant the most and he was needed the most. In the end zone after the game, he and Meyer shared a private moment, talking about mothers who were watching from a better place.

Finally, there was Riley Cooper making the clinching touchdown catch.

"Riley Cooper had his best week of practice," Meyer said. "You don't replace Percy Harvin. You manage around the receivers you have."

No Percy. No problem.

Believe me, Meyer is right. You don't replace a guy like Harvin. You could see that in the lack of big plays Florida was able to produce against the best defense it has seen all season.

But at the same time, Meyer and Gonzales got exactly what they had to have from the guys who, for lack of a non-cliche that describes it better, stepped up.

Kind of like their quarterback did.

I don't know if Tim Tebow is going to win a second Heisman. He probably won't. But who would you trade him for?

Without Harvin, he played beautifully. In fact, this game was kind of a microcosm of his season.

The numbers weren't spectacular, but the result was.

Florida wasn't supposed to be able to win this kind of game. The Gators weren't supposed to be able to battle from behind in the fourth quarter. They weren't supposed to be physical in a fight. They weren't supposed to be able to win without Harvin.

But in a way, they were not without him. He coached up receivers and defensive backs on the sidelines, reading Alabama's offense to shout out coverages to cornerbacks.

So we didn't get another blowout. Instead, we got the kind of game you want to see when it's No. 1 vs. No. 2. And in the end, the guys who made the biggest plays were the guys you probably worried about the most.

"We proved it tonight," Harvin said, "that we're not just a one-man team."

Harvin laughed. He talked about the first time he met Tebow, when the quarterback was so fired up during a race against the speedy receiver Tebow dove for the goal line in an all-out effort to win the race.

No Percy. No problem.