Florida quarterback Tim Tebow ::AP

GAINESVILLE, Fla. - Tennessee coach Lane Kiffin fielded an interesting question following his team's 23-13 loss to Florida on Saturday. Who was the best player on the field? Was it Tennessee safety Eric Berry or Florida quarterback Tim Tebow?

Kiffin's answer may surprise you.

"Tim Tebow," Kiffin said. "Eric is a phenomenal player, a great player. But Eric doesn't touch the ball every snap. Tim does. So the difference is Eric can make a phenomenal two or three plays, and it's a good game for him. Tim has the ball in his hands every snap. It's third-and-11 and you've got everybody covered up and a guy comes free, and you can't tackle [Tebow]. Eric doesn't get a chance to do that."

To be fair, both players were excellent Saturday. Tebow scored a touchdown and managed the game well. His only negative play was a fumble near the goal line. He called himself "selfish" for not covering the ball and going down. Berry made a great diving interception, and he allowed Tennessee to take chances in coverage because of his near-flawless tackling. He was always in the correct spot, and with the exception of one play, he chose the correct tackling technique for each situation. The notable exception was a play in which he tried to collide with Tebow. Neither man looked great after the play, but it seemed Berry took the worst of the hit.

Later, CBSSports.com's Dennis Dodd asked Kiffin if he thought Tebow might wear down after a few more 24-carry days. Kiffin thinks Tebow can take the pounding.

"If anybody can do it, it's him," Kiffin said. "I probably said it three times on the headsets: Is he ever going to wear out? It's unbelievable. Not only physically, but some of his 6-yard gains, he runs 50 yards to get them. He doesn't wear out. … If it was any other human, I'd say he could wear out. But I don't think he's human."