TALLAHASSEE, Fla. - Florida State linebacker Geno Hayes invited the wrath of Florida Gator fans on Monday, boldly predicting that “Tim Tebow’s going down” when the rivals meet in the regular-season finale for both teams.

“The bigger they are the harder they fall,” Hayes said. “Hopefully we can go out there and shatter his dream.”

Aside from the bravado, the junior linebacker conceded the Seminole defense would have its hands full Saturday trying to defend the 235-pound southpaw quarterback, a leading Heisman Trophy contender.

“The main thing that concerns us right now is his running ability,” Hayes said. “He’s a great quarterback, but it’s not like we’re going to go in there and just give up because he’s bigger and more agile.”

Tebow has run for 20 touchdowns and passed for 26 more this season to become the first quarterback in NCAA history to reach 20 touchdowns in each category. The 46 touchdowns nearly doubles the 24 TDs produced by the Seminole offense.

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Defensive coordinator Mickey Andrews most likely would have preferred his star linebacker not provide any additional motivation for the Gators.

“You get busy trying to stop him and get shellacked by the other great players they’ve got to go with him,” Andrews said. “Tebow’s part of the problem.”

Andrews was asked if he had a plan to stop Tebow.

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“Yeah, but you get put into jail for it,” Andrews teased.

Florida State offensive coordinator Jimbo Fisher, a former college quarterback who tried to recruit Tebow when he was an assistant at LSU, empathized with Andrews.

“I think their team feeds off of him and his toughness and competitiveness and his willingness to make all the plays,” Fisher said. “He’s a heck of a football player and a heck of a challenge for our defense.”

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The series has already featured four Heisman Trophy winners — Florida’s Steve Spurrier and Danny Wuerffel and Florida State’s Charlie Ward and Chris Weinke. All four were quarterbacks.

Unless Hayes can back up his braggadocio, a fifth may be determined Saturday.