Tebow aims to respond to Kiffin's offseason smack talk

Florida quarterback Tim Tebow doesn't seem to mind in the least when players from opposing teams call him out, like FSU linebacker Geno Hayes did two years ago. It simply fires him up and he usually has a big game.

But call out his coach?

That's a much different story.

"I don't like anyone talking about Coach Meyer," Tebow said Monday.

Of course, the new Tennessee coach talked about Urban Meyer last February, calling him a cheater.

Tebow did not appreciate that one bit.

"I'm trying not to let it affect me," Tebow said. "I've always had Coach Meyer's back in anything because I know what type of person he is. I know what he believes in and I know what he stands for.

"So I will obviously have Coach Meyer's back on that. But I don't think Coach Meyer worried about it too much. I think we kind of dropped it, moved past it."

When asked in what way he has his coach's back, Tebow explained.

"You know, people saying things against him you obviously know are not true," Tebow said. "Coach Meyer doesn't cheat. He does the right thing.

"If someone says something against him, I'll say, 'That's not true, he doesn't know what he's talking about.' That's how I had his back. Coach Meyer does the right thing."

As it turned out, Kiffin didn't know what he was talking about when he accused Meyer of committing an NCAA violation for phoning wide receiver recruit Nu'keese Richardson while Richardson was on his official recruiting visit to UT last January. It was not a violation. Kiffin apologized to Meyer and UF after he was reprimanded by the SEC.

Kiffin also inflamed the Gator Nation in the offseason when he said he was looking forward to singing "Rocky Top" after the Vols beat the Gators in The Swamp this season. This summer, Kiffin took another perceived swipe at UF when he placed a recruiting billboard in south Florida.

So, does all the Kiffin talk have Tebow at an all-time emotional high for Saturday's game?

It's hard to say.

"I haven't paid too much attention to it," he said. "We get asked a lot about it and it's on TV. But in the recruiting process I had respect for (Kiffin). I knew him as a person. I know he's doing a great job there. He's just trying to fire up his team and all their fans.

"I haven't paid too much attention to it. It's not going to add anything or detract anything from our rivalry or how intense the game is or how big a game it will be for me."

Meyer said Monday he's still not sure whether the Kiffin talk will be used as motivation this week.

"We'll gauge that," Meyer said. "It's well-documented that we do whatever we have to do to get 18-, 19- and 20-year-olds ready. The good thing is we've got a mature team. What you don't want the thing to do is be silly.

"Coach Mick (Mickey Marotti) and I will discuss it. The whole intent is to make sure you gauge the kind of team you've got. Do I really need to motivate Brandon Spikes to go hard against Tennessee? I think we'll be OK there. The same with our quarterback. I imagine he's fine.

"We'll do what we have to do. If it's nothing, it's nothing. If it's something, we'll do what we have to do in our opinion."

Tebow said he has pretty much forgotten most of the Kiffin comments.

He was asked if he's forgotten like he forgot about Georgia's end zone celebration last season. After saying the Bulldogs' 2007 celebration was not a big deal, Tebow revealed after UF's blowout in Jacksonville that it was what motivated the Gators through the offseason.

"Not exactly," Tebow said. "I think that one, the Georgia thing, was a lot different than Coach Kiffin and the things he said.

"I'm not going to harp on that, and I don't really want to talk about it much. It's not a big deal. It's someone talking, and it hasn't been a big deal to me. I'm not going to let it worry me."

But it might motivate him.

Contact Robbie Andreu at 352-374-5022 or at andreur@gvillesun.com.