Meyer Leaves as a Winner

Who would have thought? When 47-year-old Urban Meyer and 84-year-old Joe Paterno played each other, Paterno would be the one to continue coaching. Meyer was two years old when JoePA coached his first game, but after just six wondrous years at Florida, he'll be the one retiring, not the coach of 45 years. And in the Outback Bowl today, the two would go head-to-head.

It was a dogfight throughout, a very sloppy one at that, as Penn St. quarterback Matt McGloin doomed them by throwing five picks, including one with about a minute to go as his team was in the midst of driving down the field, in hopes of a touchdown to put them ahead. Instead it was Florida that got their final score, with an 80-yard return.

Florida no longer has Tim Tebow, so they had to rely on their carousel three quarterback system, which was good enough for the win, even if it wasn't Meyer's third BCS Championship, or even a BCS Bowl. It was a win over a coach he looks up to, who also has won two championships.

In his six year tenure at Florida, Meyer established a greater legacy than any other coach has had in such a short period. He is cherished by those in Gainesville, who wish he would stick around as long as Paterno, but are thankful for his time nonetheless. Meyer will probably be back into coaching at some point, but for now, he has time to rest.