"SEC dominance"

If there was one play that epitomized Florida’s unexpected 41-14 thrashing of Ohio State Monday night in the BCS national championship game, it came late in the first quarter when the Gators’ Derrick Harvey sacked OSU quarterback Troy Smith.

It might not have been the most important play of the game. It didn’t cause a turnover. No, nothing like that. But the play exposed the main reason why Florida was able to run circles around the Buckeyes all night.

The Gators were way faster than the Buckeyes.

Florida’s defensive ends chased down Smith all night, something no lineman in the Big Ten has ever done. Whenever Smith attempted to scramble, they were right on top of him, not allowing him even a second to look upfield.

And even if he had gotten that look, the sight wouldn’t have been pretty. Florida’s quick secondary was all over the Buckeyes’ wide receivers.

Ohio State definitely missed Ted Ginn Jr., its speedster. Ginn Jr. was probably Ohio State’s lone offensive player who could outrun some of the Gator defenders, as he showed by returning the opening kickoff for a touchdown. When he injured his ankle on Ohio State’s first offensive possession, the Buckeyes were in trouble. They would mount just one scoring drive the rest of the night.

Florida’s speed was evident on the other side of the ball as well. The Gators ran several quick screens to freshman Percy Harvin, who darted between defenders for positive gain after positive gain. Harvin finished with nine receptions for 60 yards and five rushes for 22 yards.

And the Buckeyes’ defense was unable to get their hands on Florida QB Chris Leak all night. He’d either get rid of the ball right away or sidestep the rush before finding an open man downfield. Ohio State’s five tackles behind the line of scrimmage cost Florida a mere 13 yards.

What had to be blatantly frustrating to the Buckeyes and fans of the Big Ten by the middle of the third quarter was that not only were the Gators faster, they were just as strong and physical as Ohio State as well.

The Buckeyes tried to play hard-nosed football, running it up the middle. While this was more successful than throwing it, they still didn’t run for 100 yards. Antonio Pittman finished with 62. Florida, on the other hand, pounded the Buckeyes, rushing for 156 yards on 43 carries. Whenever backup quarterback Tim Tebow checked into the game, you knew what was coming: a bullying blast up the middle. Yet that didn’t stop the freshman from gaining 39 yards on 10 carries and rushing for a touchdown.

Florida’s whipping of OSU was a statement game for the SEC. It proved that right now at least the SEC’s best is much better than the Big Ten’s best. It showed just how important speed is in today’s game. Florida did a great job of spreading out the OSU defense and making use of its speedsters.

OSU couldn’t keep up.

Lack of speed is a fundamental concern the Big Ten’s top schools should start addressing in recruiting. It was just as evident in Michigan’s 32-18 loss to USC a week ago. The Trojans were quicker than the Wolverines on both sides of the ball, burning their defensive backs for long touchdowns and eating up quarterback Chad Henne to the tune of six sacks.

Maybe Bo Schembechler’s death in November was an omen: Run-first offenses are not just no longer in vogue; they also can’t win the big games. If teams want to compete for a national title, they need speed on both sides of the ball. They need to use a variety of spread formations on offense to utilize their speed and keep the defense off guard. And they need to find quick, slippery defensive linemen who can not only get to the quarterback, but also corral him once they’ve arrived.

That was Florida’s formula. And it worked flawlessly.