BCS National Championship Game: Defenses Dominating, Oklahoma-Florida Tied at Halftime

Entering the BCS National Championship game, both Florida's and Oklahoma's defenses gave off the impression that they felt overlooked. Now we know why.

What was expected to be a scoring explosion between two of the top offenses in the nation has settled into a defensive slugfest. Florida and Oklahoma sit knotted at seven at halftime, with three combined turnovers the main culprit.

The Sooners have picked off Florida's (and greatest human being in history, to paraphrase Fox's broadcast) Tim Tebow twice -- both throws showing off the reasons why Tebow's NFL future is likely not as quarterback. On the Gators' first possession, Tebow tried to throw a mid-range pass from the left hash out to the right sideline and Oklahoma's Nic Harris jumped it for an interception. Then in the second quarter, Tebow attempted a short pass over the middle, but dumped it right into the arms of OU's Gerald McCoy, who had dropped into coverage.

Oklahoma's Sam Bradford turned it over once himself -- the victim of a wacky carom in the final seconds of the first half.

Each QB also has a touchdown pass, accounting for the game's only points. Tebow hit Louis Murphy for a 20-yard score early in the second to make it 7-0 Florida. OU answered back immediately, with Bradford connecting with Jermaine Gresham for a 6-yard TD.

It's been the defenses dominating other than that -- Oklahoma doing a nice job keeping Tebow near the pocket and slowing Florida's ground attack, while the Gators' defensive speed has limited what Oklahoma can try.