Chris Leak threw for 213 yards and a touchdown and the Florida defense held Ohio State to 82 total yards as the Gators defeated the Buckeyes, 41-14, to win their first BCS Title and second national title overall, the first coming in 1996. Leak was named the BCS National Championship MVP.
Things started out with a bang for Ohio State when Ted Ginn Jr. returned the opening kickoff 93 yards for a touchdown and a 7-0 Buckeye lead. Ginn would later leave the game with a sprained ankle. The tide quickly turned, however, as Leak led Florida down the field on a seven-play, 46-yard drive capped by a touchdown pass from Leak to Dallas Baker, knotting things up at seven. Leak went 5-for-5 during the drive. The touchdown was largely the result of great starting field position, as a 15-yard penalty by the Buckeyes put the ball at their own 46-yard line.
On the ensuing possession, Heisman winner Troy Smith threw an incompletion, had a four-yard carry, and then was sacked for a seven-yard loss, forcing the Buckeyes to punt. Ohio State again killed themselves with a penalty on the kick, as a 15-yard infraction moved the ball up to their own 34. Florida capitalized once again, as Leak threw a 20-yard pass to Cornelius Ingram to set up a four-yard touchdown run by Percy Harvin two plays later which gave the Gators a 14-7 edge.
Smith was then intercepted by Florida's All-American safety Reggie Lewis on the Buckeyes' next possession, and Florida once again took advantage of their opponent's miscues. Leak led the Gators on a 10-play, 71-yard drive touched off by a two-yard touchdown scamper by DeShawn Wynn. Florida led 21-7 at this point. Leak completed his first nine passes before finally throwing an incompletion.
Ohio State finally showed some signs of life on their next possession, as Antonio Pittman's 18-yard run to the end-zone cut the deficit to seven, 21-14. However, that would be the last time the Buckeyes would score in the National Championship game.
Florida kicker Chris Hetland, who made only four of 13 field goal attempts this season, put two kicks through the uprights, one 42-yarder and one 40-yarder, extending the Gators' lead to 13, 27-14. The second kick was the result of a failed fourth-down conversion by the Buckeyes, as head coach Jim Tressel opted to go for it on fourth and 1 from his team's own 29-yard line. Second-string halfback Chris Wells got the call, but could not advance the ball past the first-down marker.
Ohio State started from their own 20 after the second field goal by Hetland, only to see Smith fumble on a sack by Jarvis Moss. Florida's Derrick Harvey recovered and brought it down to the Buckeyes' five-yard line. Tim Tebow then tossed a touchdown to Andre Caldwell on third and goal, pushing Florida's lead to 20 at halftime, 34-14.
The second half was much slower offensively for the Gators, but their defense held Ohio State to only nine net yards. Florida sacked Smith five times overall and forced him into bad throws, as Smith, known for his ability to come up big in big games, completed only 4-of-14 passes for 35 yards.
The Gators dominated the heavily favored Buckeyes in every facet of the game Monday, especially time of possession in which they had the ball for over 20 minutes longer than the former undefeated and number one ranked Buckeyes, 40:48 to 19:12.
Florida took over the number spot in the Associated Press rankings, receiving 64 of a possible 65 first-place votes. The one vote they did not get went to the 13-0 Boise State Broncos, who were ranked fifth. Ohio State dropped to second.
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