Per ESPN…
Quarterback Tim Tebow will play if he passes medical testing before the Florida’s game against LSU, a Gators source said Saturday morning.
The decision will be made well before the kickoff for the 8 p.m. ET game but probably won’t be known until they get to the stadium, the source said.
More commentary on the game:
Steve Eubanks, FoxSports.com: Tebow, Schmebo. This one’s going to come down to defense. Sure, the story so far has been whether or not Florida quarterback Tim Tebow’s scary concussion two weeks ago against Kentucky will sideline him at LSU in the first matchup between top-five teams all year. But that’s not the real story. As usually happens in top-ranked SEC showdowns, the outcome will be decided on the defensive side of the ball. On that front, Florida has a distinct advantage. The Gators defense is ranked second in the country in points per game (7.3) and third in total yards (212.8). The Tigers don’t fare as well. They’re 88th in total yards allowed, 81st in rushing defense, and 101st in getting to the quarterback with only five sacks in five games, none in the last three. If those numbers don’t improve, it won’t matter if Florida has Tim Tebow or Tim Conway taking snaps.
Andy Staples, SI.com: In years past Tebow almost certainly would start on Saturday night when the top-ranked Gators face No. 4 LSU at Tiger Stadium. Old-school coaches would have used the following logic: Sure, Tebow got his bell rung on Sept. 26, when Kentucky defensive end Taylor Wyndham creamed him and sent Tebow’s head flying into offensive lineman Marcus Gilbert’s knee. But he’s had two weeks. He took some Advil. He can shake it off. He’s a warrior. But as the Gators wrapped their LSU preparation on Thursday, Tebow remained a gametime decision. A team of physicians still hadn’t cleared him to play against the Tigers. Why the wait? Because, as recent research has shown, allowing a player to return too soon after a concussion can have serious and even deadly consequences. (Last year a high school football player in New Jersey died after returning from a concussion and suffering another one.) “There are many coaches still ignorant on this subject, but there are an increasing number that are beginning to understand the importance of concussions and the importance of allowing people to completely recover from them,” said Dr. Robert Cantu, the neurosurgeon who in 1986 published the first concussion grading scale. “If you do recover properly, most of the time, there are no permanent implications. Whereas if you don’t, there can be very dire problems down the road.”
Olin Buchanan, Rivals.com: If LSU can run effectively, it will be in good shape. In Charles Scott, the Tigers have one of the most talented tailbacks in the league. LSU has not been as dominant on the ground as expected, averaging 135.4 yards per game with five rushing TDs. Keiland Williams is a solid backup tailback, and true freshman QB Russell Shepard is a threat in the Tigers’ version of the “Wildcat” formation. Coach Les Miles has not been all that happy with his linemen and the Tigers’ fullbacks have struggled, as well. Florida would get a boost if DT Lawrence Marsh, the Gators’ best interior lineman against the run, is able to play; he has been bothered by a high ankle sprain and has missed three games. Florida has an active group of linebackers, headed by Brandon Spikes, and cornerbacks Janoris Jenkins and Joe Haden are active in run support.
