Tim Tebow laid the foundation for his legacy with a 2-yard plow.
This week marks the one-year anniversary of Tebow's fourth-and-one sneak at Tennessee, one of several plays that made last season so magical.
Tebow had other moments - the stiff arms, the touchdown dives, the jump pass - but this one set the standard and left the biggest impact.
"It was special," Tebow recalled this week.
It certainly was.
The scoreboard at Neyland Stadium read Tennesssee 20, UF 14, following James Wilhoit's 51-yard field goal.
UF had been reeling for most of the game after scoring the first touchdown.
Chris Leak threw a pick, Chris Hetland missed two field goals, the usual stuff from the usual suspects that dogged the Gators in so many games.
They got the ball back with 10:43 left at their own 35-yard line and marched to the Tennessee 32.
On third-and-five, Leak called his patented slide play - the one where he slides one yard before the first-down marker.
With 7:53 left, the Gators called a timeout, and Tebow readied for the biggest play of his early collegiate career.
"When we called that timeout on the fourth-and-one, knowing that we were going out there and it was a huge play in the game … and seeing the guys' faces in the huddle and knowing that you've got to go out there and get this done, you don't want to let the rest of these guys down who have been playing and striving so hard for this," Tebow said.
He didn't disappoint.
Tebow lunged for 2 yards, drawing ire from most of the 106,818 in attendance.
"The offensive line knew he was going to get it," right tackle Carlton Medder said. "We just said 'What play Tebow? Let's go get it.' We know Tebow ain't going to take no for an answer, and he's just going to run it in there and get that one yard."
With that, Tebow dusted off his pads and grabbed his headset again as Leak would connect with Dallas Baker for the winning touchdown two plays later.
By feeding his leader a first down, Tebow gave Leak another chance and saved him from thousands of posts of message-board ridicule.
The play put No. 15 on the national scene, too.
"That game was definitely a defining moment for him," receiver Cornelius Ingram said.
Added UF coach Urban Meyer: "That's one of the great plays in the history of this great school."
As for the rest of the season, Tebow continued to play a supporting role.
With the aid of Percy Harvin's runs, Reggie Nelson's hits and Jarvis Moss' holy hand, the Gators found the promised land in Glendale, Ariz.
But the opening act of the title tale took place at Rocky Top, where a hyped freshman quarterback made his first few steps in living up to those lofty expectations.
It's fitting that Tebow, a year later, is poised to make the next big step in his progression against the Volunteers again.
The difference?
This time, two yards won't be nearly enough.
