JACKSONVILLE, Fla. — It has come to this for Georgia in the Cocktail Party. The Dawgs are fighting back with laundry and plastic.

Impersonating Valdosta State with new black helmets didn't quite provide the emotional bump Mark Richt was seeking. Combine that with tuxedo-formal matching black pants and going all Halloween on Halloween was, well, scary.

After enduring its annual Rout by the River, this time 41-17 to Florida, Georgia could be content with one thing: It could have a say in the national championship race.

If Tim Tebow makes it the end of the season without another debilitating injury, it will be a minor miracle. Florida might have worked 'em silly, Georgia almost knocked Tebow silly. It wouldn't be the first time for a Gators opponent. We already know Superman isn't indestructible after that concussion suffered in Kentucky. At this rate, something big and terrible is coming.

The effect of the hits now seem cumulative. Even the great Tebow couldn't hide the beating he took. A couple of times he took his time raising himself from the turf. Georgia linebacker Rennie Curran in particular stuck Tebow.

"I was hoping he didn't get up, but he's competitor, he's a great player," said Georgia defensive end Demarcus Dobbs. "He fights through pain. That's just all you can say about Tebow."

Tebow carried 18 times on Saturday, seven in the fourth quarter. He was sacked twice. Since the concussion against Kentucky on Sept. 26 he has averaged 21 carries per game. In his career he has averaged 12. While a heavy workload nothing new for the senior, it does raise the question of how long he can last physically. He has 614 career carries, an average of more than 150 a season for a quarterback.

The best thing for Tebow's health is also the worst thing for Florida. There's not much time left in his career. At most, the Gators have six games left, assuming a conference championship and bowl game. But it isn't going to be easy, especially with games left against South Carolina and, presumably, Alabama. Florida did its part by clinching the SEC East five weeks before the SEC title game.

Everyone assumes Tebow will make it through, but will he make it through playing at such a high level? Two years ago, he came into this game with an injury to his non-throwing shoulder and was under orders to limit his running. Georgia sacked him six times in the Gator Stomp game, a 42-30 victory.

This is different. This was supposedly a healthier Tebow accounting for four touchdowns. With two rushing scores, he surpassed Herschel Walker — take that, Georgia — as the SEC career rushing touchdown leader. He also threw for two touchdowns.

"We tried to rattle Tebow," Dobbs said. "That's their leader, that's their guy. We tried to bring the thunder as much as we could. We just didn't do it enough."

Tebow showed no outward signs of damage. In fact, he sprinted around the rim of Jacksonville Municipal Stadium for a final victory lap in his last Georgia game. But could Georgia somehow have an impact on the national championship by being part of the cumulative effect?

"Possibly," Curran said. "He's a tough guy. He's going to find a way to get it done."

"Hopefully," Dobbs said before quickly adding his own superlatives.

The struggle is both mental and physical for the Gators. There were two main stories coming out of this game: 1.) Florida winning, and 2.) Florida winning and feeling good about itself. There had been so much consternation lately about the sluggishness of the team (read: offense) lately that linebacker Brandon Spikes admitted to a "skirmish" between himself and Tebow at some point after the Mississippi State game.

Here is the transcript of the question asked by Florida Times-Union columnist Gene Frenette:

"Let me ask you this specifically: You and Tim had a little skirmish after the Mississippi State game. You guys got it resolved ..."

Spikes replied: "Me and T's friends, brothers. It wasn't nothing. It was all positive. We came together me and him, got the team together and we kind of got things right."

"There was," Tebow admitted during his news conference, "a lot of turmoil this past week."

This suggests that the chase for the third the national championship in four years is wearing on the Gators. There is the added pressure on them to go undefeated for the first time in school history. Legacies are at stake — Tebow's is obvious — he played on a field Saturday where he might next appear playing for pay.

If you thought he got beat up Saturday, think what NFL linebackers might do to him.

Then there's Urban Meyer, who could stay at Florida forever or parlay this run into a new job somewhere else. Florida honks will cringe after reading that sentence, but after Tebow leaves then what? The Gators will have to be somewhat more conventional with John Brantley. Will they be as successful? Parity would suggest not.

Anyway, in the middle of all this, the fiery pair of Spikes and Tebow apparently set things straight with the team as well as themselves.

"We kind of know what it takes, me and Tebow," Spikes said after returning for the first time in two weeks because of an injury. "We get on guys and hold them accountable, let them know, 'What's your value to the team?' Things weren't getting done the way we expected. We had a team meeting, we may have stepped on a few toes.

"Throughout the whole week, it was just an issue that guys weren't really happy. It wasn't no big deal, nothing like that. You're going to hit a little adversity. You've got to get through that."

So far, the Gators have been able to focus. For 18 consecutive wins, in fact. While Georgia changed its uniforms, Florida might have changed its season.

Beyond the drama, this had to be one of the greatest games this season by a set of linebackers. Spikes, A.J. Jones and Ryan Stamper combined for 17 tackles and four interceptions. Spikes' resulted in a touchdown that was so ridiculously easy that the All-American literally walked the 5 yards into the end zone after picking off Logan Gray.

Even after another mugging of the Dawgs — that's 17 wins in the last 20 years — it's clear the Florida D is the sharpest unit in Gainesville.

Can it hold up the team if a certain No. 15 goes down?

"It's going to be hard to keep down somebody over a headache," Dobbs said, "someone of his caliber."