Florida achieved its biggest road victory of the just-getting-started Urban Meyer era Saturday night at Neyland Stadium. As big as it was, it didn't receive unanimous approval in the Meyer family.

"I call Dad after every game," Meyer said on Sunday's teleconference, the day after Florida's 21-20 victory over Tennessee. "He said, 'You weren't very creative.' I kind of got into an argument with him."

The father-son chat speaks volumes for the dilemma facing offensive coaches in the SEC, where defenses clearly have the upper hand. Offensive play-callers have to be creative, but they also have to be careful.

When do you push the trick-play button? And when do you put the game on your defense?

"The silent cadence limits what you can do (on the road)," Meyer said. "We were facing a very athletic team, and we were playing great defense."

His conclusion: "Let's not do something silly to lose the game."

A silly play might get you beat. A crafty play might get you a victory. That's the challenge facing SEC offensive coordinators.

UT offensive coordinator David Cutcliffe made the craftiest call of the Florida game, and the Vols executed it perfectly. Wide receiver Lucas Taylor took a handoff from quarterback Erik Ainge and threw across the field to running back LaMarcus Coker, who was ignored by the Florida secondary.

But creativity was evident on Florida's side, too. The results weren't as spectacular, but they contributed significantly to the victory.

Meyer and his staff have found ways to utilize a backup quarterback with unusual attributes. And there's nothing tricky about it. The 6-foot-3, 230-pound freshman Tim Tebow takes a direct snap in the shotgun formation and plows straight ahead. Defenders realize on first contact that Tebow isn't your average quarterback.

"He's an extremely strong player," Meyer said. "A linebacker and he met, and he won (Saturday night). That doesn't happen much in this conference."

Remember former Florida State quarterback Dan Kendra? He also played football with the mentality of a fullback, which he ended up playing.

Tebow, a high school All-American from Jacksonville, Fla., shares Kendra's enthusiasm for weightlifting. He also has a zeal for football that's difficult to restrain with one position. In a high school playoff game, Tebow even played nose guard on defense in a crucial goal-line stand.

SEC defenses won't have to wait until next season to see more of Tebow, who will succeed Chris Leak as Florida's starting quarterback. Meyer plans to expand Tebow's role in upcoming games.

"Tim can throw the ball very well," Meyer said. "Next week, if you want to stop the run, be careful (Kentucky, he's talking to you). That's what a dual threat like Tim Tebow gives you."

If any other SEC team has an offensive player who doesn't fit his position mold languishing on its bench, I suggest it identify him quickly, then find a way to use him. This conference has a reputation for defense, and it's exceeding that reputation.

Look at the results of Saturday's two SEC games between nationally ranked teams. In Auburn's 7-3 victory over LSU, the teams combined for 114 yards rushing. At least, they went forward. UT had a minus-11 yards rushing against Florida.

In those two games, the four teams averaged 1.8 yards per rush. That's also what Georgia opponents are averaging after three games.

Every play-caller in this league knows how important it is to establish the run. Every play-caller in this league also knows how important it is to win games.

You don't want to give up on the run too soon. But you don't want to run your team into the ground, either.

Auburn's Kenny Irons might be the best running back in the country, and there's nothing wrong with Auburn's offensive line. But when he only gains 75 yards on 20 carries against LSU -- and he used every bit of his ability to gain that much -- what does that tell you?

It tells you that SEC coaches will have to find other ways to gain yards and score points.

Maybe that means devoting more time to their punt and kickoff returns. Maybe it means developing a special package for their own version of Tim Tebow.

You have to be creative. You also have to be careful.

My Top 25: 1. Ohio State, 2. Southern Cal, 3. Auburn, 4. Michigan, 5. Florida, 6. Louisville, 7. West Virginia, 8. Georgia, 9. Texas, 10. LSU, 11. Tennessee, 12. Oregon, 13. Virginia Tech, 14. Arizona State, 15. Boston College, 16. Iowa, 17. TCU, 18. Notre Dame, 19. Michigan State, 20. Nebraska, 21. Boise State, 22. Oklahoma, 23. Clemson, 24. Alabama, 25. Florida State.