Gwinnett Daily Post

ATLANTA - Tim Tebow often resembled a one-man offense for the Florida Gators, so it's only appropriate he was named Southeastern Conference offensive player of the year.

The sophomore quarterback was honored Wednesday by The Associated Press, which released its All-Southeastern Conference team and recognized the league's top individual performers.

LSU defensive tackle Glenn Dorsey was named defensive player of the year and Mississippi State's Sylvester Croom picked up the coach of the year award.

Georgia running back Knowshon Moreno was selected as freshman of the year.

Tebow and Dorsey were among four unanimous picks to the All-SEC team, joined by Arkansas running back Darren McFadden and Kentucky tight end Jacob Tamme.

No. 2 LSU, which won the conference championship and will meet top-ranked Ohio State in the BCS title game at New Orleans, led the way with six players on the first team. But, in a season ruled by parity, all 12 schools were represented on the first team.

Even though McFadden had another huge year for the Razorbacks, rushing for 1,725 yards after being runner-up for the Heisman Trophy a year ago, he was routed by Tebow in voting for the SEC's top offensive player. The 6-foot-3, 235-pound quarterback was named on nine of 11 ballots cast by a regional media panel.

Then again, no one's ever had a year quite like Tebow's.

He became the first player in NCAA history to rush for 20 touchdowns and pass for 20 in the same season. He passed for 3,132 yards, with 29 TDs and only six interceptions. He led the Gators with 838 yards rushing and broke the SEC's season record by running for 22 TDs.

'It's been a great season,' said Florida's offensive coordinator, Dan Mullen. 'We put an awful lot on him. He's done an awful lot of great things, finding ways to make plays. When you get a guy like that, especially when you get down in the red zone, he's a guy who's real hungry and he fights for those extra yards and that goal line.'

In his first year as a starter, Tebow set a Florida record with 3,970 total yards, quite an accomplishment at a school known for its high-scoring offenses during the Steve Spurrier era. He had a hand - or legs - in nearly 73 percent of the Gators' 70 touchdowns. He contributed to just under 72 percent of their 5,544 yards.

'He's just so much more confident now,' receiver Andre Caldwell said. 'You can see it on his face. Whenever a play needs to be made, you can put the ball in his hands and he's going to make the play for us. His confidence and his swagger are so much different now from when he first arrived.'

Considering his landmark season, it's no surprise that Tebow is a serious contender to become the first sophomore to win the Heisman, though he figures to get some stiff competition from McFadden, who lost out to Troy Smith in 2006.

Moreno wasn't seen at all last season, sitting out a redshirt year, and it wasn't known if he'd get much playing time this year on a Georgia team that already had senior running backs Thomas Brown and Kregg Lumpkin.

But Brown and Lumpkin were both hampered by injuries, giving Moreno a chance to shine. The New Jersey native had five straight 100-yard games after taking over the starting job and became only the second freshman in Georgia history to rush for 1,000 yards in a season, following Herschel Walker.

'I was just trying to help my team in any way possible,' said Moreno, who ranked second in the SEC with 1,273 yards rushing. 'All the credit goes to the offensive line. They did a great job.'