It was noteworthy because Tebow — who had two interceptions returned for touchdowns in the game — rarely turns down such requests. The only time he didn't talk to media after a game the last three years was because of injury (a concussion at Kentucky this fall).

On Monday, he explained. Florida faces Georgia at 3:30 p.m. Saturday on CBS.

"I'm sorry I didn't see you all but I wanted to see Coach Mullen," Tebow said, referring to Mississippi State coach Dan Mullen, Florida's former offensive coordinator. He also said he had a lot of friends and family at the game he wanted to visit with and since a team meeting ran late, had little time to see them all before the team bus left for the airport.

"I'm sorry I didn't talk to you all, but it wasn't the end of the world," he said with a smile. " It didn't hurt that bad."

While the offense hasn't been impressive, Tebow is OK with it as long as UF wins.

"That's how we're doing it right now ... If they are all ugly, that's OK. We'll be undefeated. ... (But) it is frustrating as an offense."

Critics have sought perfection out of the Gators this fall, putting the team under a microscope.

"I don't think it's getting to me. Do I put pressure on me? Yes, I put more pressure on me than (the media) can put on me," Tebow said.

He has mixed emotions, happy the team is winning — which is the main thing.

"That's hard to say because we're 7-0. We're getting wins and we're moving the ball. ... I'm not going to lie to you and say (red zone offense) is not frustrating," Tebow said.

He said struggles on offense could be a good thing.

"It could give us a little bit of an edge that hey, we haven't arrived."

He called last year's win 49-10 against Georgia in Jacksonville, Fla., a highlight of his career.

"Just seeing the orange and blue on one side of the stadium and the rest of the stadium empty, that was pretty cool," Tebow said

Florida struggled in the red zone against MSU. When asked if maybe he was holding back breaking Herschel Walker's career SEC rushing TD record (tied at 49) because he wants to do it against Georgia, Tebow laughed.

"You figured it out," he said with a laugh, adding he was honored to even have his named mentioned alongside Walker's.