 Yet Another One For The Ages
I'm used to this sick feeling in the pit of my stomach after the Florida-Florida State game. Sure, Florida has won its share of games against FSU, but there have been more losses than wins while I've been paying attention - which is, for the record, since 1986. I had a little bit of a disappointment that year, because FSU had lost in the rain when it had the team to stop UF's 5 year win streak. That's right, um, I was an FSU fan at the time. That changed, of course, in 1989, when the direction, and the magnitude, of the sick feelings changed.
In general, the sick feeling comes in four distinctly different varieties:
- The Blow Out. The blow out sick feeling has, happily, been rare. It is best exemplified by the 45-24 beating Florida took in 1992, in Shane Matthews' last season. During the second half we got a look at Terry Dean, who performed admirably during the game and played hit or miss during the rest of his checkered UF career.
- The What Could Have Been. Then there are those losses in seasons where it really mattered. Oddly enough, the best example of that came after Florida's 24-21 loss in 1996 in Tallahassee when a win guaranteed an appearance in Florida's second consecutive national championship game. An improbable Texas upset of Nebraska in that season's Big 12 championship game set the stage for Florida's national championship and got rid of that sick feeling real quick. Famously, 1994's Florida team tied FSU 31-31 when the Gators were 4th in the nation.
- The Refs Blew It. Then there are the close ones where the referees missed calls that may have been the difference. There are no overwhelmingly strong examples of this (2003 would be the best example), but I still think there was a block in the back on Warrick Dunn's game-winning flare pass in 1993; that FSU's defensive backs got away with a number of pass interferences in UF's 30-23 loss in 1999; that UF should have been ahead 14-3 in 1998 when the officials ruled a Gator TD a Seminole safety; and, of course, there is the legendary "late hit" game of 1996.
- So Close, Why Can't We Beat These Guys? My very first UF-FSU game was 1991's 14-9 Florida victory. And 1997 provided another great UF win in a close game. But there've been as many close shaves that went FSU's way: 1996 and 1994 most notably. In 1994, Florida lost 54-48, if you count the fifth (and 6th, 7th, and 8th) quarter in the French Quarter.
This year it is a mix of three and four. To be sure, the referees' mistakes were more glaring this time than in any previous game - in fact, in all of those games combined. They weren't mistakes of a missed late hit here or a pass interference there, but rather in who got possession after a fumble or apparent fumble - with anywhere from 3-6 turnovers not going UF's way. (The number of calls that I'm irritated with would be 3, but the number that the fans in the stands were irritated with are 6. The fact that the refs only got 50% of the close ones right is, well, as well as a blind man could do flipping a coin.) But UF's defensive breakdowns late in the game and Chirs Rix's heroics on FSU's final scoring drives - well, it was like Danny Kannell all over again.
There was much to like about this game. Unlike contests in 1994's Sugar Bowl, or 1996's regular season game, or 1998's defensive slug-fest, this year's 38-34 slugfest was the kind of back and forth offensive shoot-out that one expects almost every year but never gets. The best examples of close offensive shoot-outs would be the 1997 game or the 1993 game, but neither game had this many points scored. Although both games featured fourth quarter heroics, the 2003 game had four lead changes in the final quarter with both teams converting key fourth downs and making rather amazing plays.
| UF-FSU Since 1986 |
| Year |
Record |
AP |
UF |
FSU |
AP |
Record |
| 1986 |
6-5 |
-- |
17 |
13 |
-- |
7-4-1 |
| 1987 |
6-6 |
-- |
14 |
28 |
2 |
11-1 |
| 1988 |
7-5 |
-- |
17 |
52 |
3 |
11-1 |
| 1989 |
7-5 |
-- |
17 |
24 |
3 |
10-2 |
| 1990 |
9-2 |
6 |
30 |
45 |
4 |
10-2 |
| 1991 |
10-2 |
7 |
14 |
9 |
4 |
11-2 |
| 1992 |
9-4 |
10 |
24 |
45 |
2 |
11-1 |
| 1993 |
11-2 |
5 |
21 |
33 |
1 |
12-1 |
| 1994 |
10-2-1 |
7 |
31 |
31 |
4 |
10-1-1 |
| Sugar |
" |
" |
17 |
23 |
" |
" |
| 1995 |
12-1 |
2 |
35 |
24 |
4 |
10-2 |
| 1996 |
12-1 |
1 |
21 |
24 |
3 |
11-1 |
| Sugar |
" |
" |
52 |
20 |
" |
" |
| 1997 |
10-2 |
4 |
32 |
29 |
3 |
11-1 |
| 1998 |
10-2 |
5 |
12 |
23 |
3 |
11-2 |
| 1999 |
9-4 |
12 |
23 |
30 |
1 |
12-0 |
| 2000 |
10-3 |
10 |
7 |
30 |
5 |
11-2 |
| 2001 |
10-2 |
3 |
37 |
13 |
15 |
8-4 |
| 2002 |
8-5 |
-- |
14 |
31 |
21 |
9-5 |
| 2003 |
? |
? |
34 |
38 |
? |
? |
| AP = final rank in AP poll. |
The game was also relatively unmarred by turnovers - at least on the stat sheet. (There were in fact far more turnovers than the referees allowed.) There was Keiwann Ratliff's 77 yard fumble recovery for a score, and there was a key Florida fumble as well (one that initially looked like another blown call from the officials but on at least one replay angle seemed to bear out the official's ruling). But otherwise, the game seemed to flow smoothly.
Saturday's game also showed two often-criticised coaching staffs at their best. Ron Zook made only one bonehead call; choosing to go for a two point conversion yet again too early in a game. But on this occasion, the call did not backfire; instead, Chris Leak made a rather heroic dive from 3 yards out into the end zone igniting him, his team, and the crowd. Ed Zauenbaker called an impressive game as well; mixing in runs, shovel passes, screens, deep balls and even one - gulp! - successful trick play with the flair of the Ol' Ballcoach. And Charlie Strong's defense, while finally falling prey to a couple of deep passes from Chris Rix, played about as well as could be expected. (And I keep feeling the need to mention that they played better - in the takeaway department - than the stats sheet indicates.)
On the other side of the ball, FSU's offensive game plan was simply brilliant. Jeff Bowden, FSU's offensive coordinator, apparently recognized the fact that FSU's offensive weakness (Chris Rix interceptions) and UF's defensive weakness (power running) both added up to the same thing: take the ball out of Rix's hands and let FSU's tailbacks shoulder the burden. This had a number of desirable outcomes: FSU made few mistakes on offense, Florida's offense stayed off the field, UF's defense got tired, and Chris Rix went three quarters without making a mistake. When he finally did - an ill-advised scramble leading to the Ratliff touchdown - he was able to bounce back and make some truly heroic plays later. At the end of the game, after UF looked like it had scored a back-breaking touchdown on an offensive drive that ranks right up there with Florida's finest in recent memory (the final scoring drives in the 1994 SEC championship, the 1993 FSU game, and the 1999 Tennessee game), Rix converted an improabale 4th and 14 and followed that up with the 52 yard strike to PK Sam - all of that 52 yards in the air with Rix on the run and throwing a touch across his body.
Where does this game rank? Oddly, in a year when neither team had much on the line (the ramifications of the game for the SEC Championship game were overhyped in rather silly fashion), and in a year when both teams looked to be shadows of their former selves, we were treated to possibly the most entertaining Florida-Florida State game in the history of the rivalry. Of all of the UF losses in this series, it would rank as my second-favorite game, with only the 1993 game superceding this one (and only losing out to that probably because I was in the Swamp in 1993 with a perfect view of both Jack Jackson's circus catch to bring UF to within 5 and Dunn's famous scamper down the sideline for the final score). Given my UF homerism, and the fact that this one is still tainted by the poor officiating, it is difficult to assess where this one ranks in the annals of the Florida-Florida State series. But, since I started paying attention in 1986, here's my best shot.
- Florida 32, FSU 29 (1997). Similar to 2003's game, this one went back and forth until Jaquez Green caught a deep Doug Johnson pass late in the fourth quarter. Two Fred Taylor runs later was the margin. The famous 2 quarterback system game. Tops the list for being a well-played game, close to the end, and because FSU was 10-0 at the time ranked 2nd in the country. (UF was 10th.)
- Florida 31, FSU 31 (1994). So you know it is an unbiased list - the game I don't like to talk about. UF was preseason #1 in 1994 and had lost only to Auburn on Frank Sanders' memorable catch in the Swamp. Florida was favored in Tallahassee, and surged out to a huge lead, but Danny Kannell led the Seminoles to 28 straight points in the final quarter to tie the game. In almost everyone's mind, this tie was an FSU win.
- Florida 14, FSU 9 (1991). FSU had lost the previous game to Miami in Wide Right I, denying UF a shot at #1 in the Swamp. Florida had played shakily in their previous game against Kentucky, securing their first official SEC championship. This defensive battle was highlighted by a Harrison Houston touchdown catch of 60+ yards and a deflection by Wil White on the Seminoles final play. It was one of the two loudest games I've ever attended.
- FSU 33, Florida 21 (1993). FSU - "the greatest team of all time" according to many, had finally beaten Miami but lost to Notre Dame. With the Irish's loss to Boston College, undefeated West Virginia getting no respect, and undefeated Auburn on probation, UF was the only team that stood between one-loss FSU and glory. The Seminoles dominated the game, but a heroic 4th quarter drive put UF in a position to steal the game until Warrick Dunn scampered 80 yards for the winning margin (and beating the point spread, as the blase FSU fans in front of me pointed out). Charlie Ward was positively unsackable.
- FSU 24, Florida 21 (1996). FSU apparently spoils UF's national championship hopes with a dominating defensive performance on UF's high-powered offense. Doing nearly what Nebraska had done to Weurffel and company the year before, the Florida offense was almost helpless in the face of Mickey Andrews' defense. Of course, Bob Stoops' defense was almost as tough. The home field may have been the only difference in the two teams on that day.
- FSU 38, Florida 34 (2003). Marred by bad officiating and the fact that the two teams had five losses between them, the second half featured the offensive back and forth that surprisingly has been the exception more than the rule in this series. Undoubtedly one of the most exciting games in the history of the series.
That's my best shot at an unbiased ranking, taking into account the excitement of the game, the pacing of the game, and the game's relative importance to the postseason hopes of the two schools. My biased list, of course, would be far different, featuring the 1996 national championship game (a blowout), the 1995 and 2001 easy wins, and a lower ranking for some of the more painful losses. Then too, FSU fans would likely rate the 1998 regular season and 1994 Sugar Bowl games much higher (the first an example of defensive excellence, and the second very similar in feel to the 1996 game I've ranked above). But 2003's contest, for such an unimportant game in the scheme of things, would be worthy on any list.
If you enjoyed this commentary, check out A Decade Of Classics and A Bitter Taste, two other commentaries about the FSU-Florida series.
If you've got something to say in response, post your feedback on the message board.
|
|
ARCHIVES |
|
2003 Season |
-->Product Of The System [11.10.03]
-->Losing Interest In The NFL [10.26.03]
-->Pod People? [10.11.03]
-->Excuse Me, Sir, Where's The Hype? [08.18.03]
|
|
2002 Season |
-->2002 Season In Review [01.15.03]
-->Believe It Or Not: Bob Hanslick [12.10.02]
-->Football Must Be Great Because... [11.19.02]
-->Like Coming Home [11.03.02]
-->The Good, The Bad, and The Ugly [10.21.02]
-->41-34, With An Asterisk (Or Three) [09.29.02]
-->To Panic Or Not To Panic? [09.10.02]
-->2002: A Look Ahead [08.21.02]
|
|
2001 Season |
-->The 2001 Season In Review [01.08.02]
-->Recurring Nightmare [10.14.01]
-->The College Football Paradise? [08.26.01]
|
|
2000 Season |
-->The 2000 Season In Review [01.08.01]
-->Volunteering To Be Stupid On The Internet [12.07.00]
-->The Good, The Bad, and The Ugly [10.19.00]
-->The Bandwagon: A Rider's Guide [10.02.00]
-->Don't Kid Yourself [09.21.00]
-->Quarterback Psychology 101 [09.15.00]
-->4 Counterarguments [08.24.00]
|
|
1999 Season |
-->Webmaestro's Playoff Proposal [11.28.99]
-->A Bitter Taste [11.23.99]
-->A Decade Of Classics: FSU vs. Florida [11.13.99]
-->What's Wrong With The Gators? [11.09.99]
-->The Good, The Bad, and The Ugly [10.31.99]
-->Rewriting History [10.24.99]
-->Off To The Races [10.18.99]
-->Wide right, wrong game [10.02.99]
-->Conference of the decade, Kevin... [09.23.99]
-->Conference realignment the fun way [09.03.99]
|
|
1998 Season |
-->The last national champion [01.05.99]
-->What a day! [12.06.98]
-->Grading the undefeated teams [11.22.98]
-->What's God doing in Tennessee? [11.15.98]
-->BCS or just BS? [11.08.98]
-->Bowden ousted! [10.28.98]
-->Who are these guys? [10.19.98]
-->The good, the bad, and the ugly [10.06.98]
-->It's week 5 and I still haven't learned a thing [09.27.98]
-->Musings of a sore loser [09.20.98]
-->The best of the 90s [09.14.98]
-->Quarterback nation [09.08.98]
-->Everything I needed to know about college football I learned in week 1 [09.01.98]
|
|
1997 Season |
-->Split poll [01.05.98]
-->Peyton Manning vs. Ryan Leaf [12.08.97]
-->The rankings [11.23.97]
-->The Heisman race [11.08.97]
-->The bowl picture [11.02.97]
-->Those unpredictable Badgers [10.27.97]
-->The Penn State see saw [10.20.97]
-->On the UF loss to LSU [10.13.97]
-->Ranking the conferences [10.06.97]
|
|
1996 Season |
-->The 1996 MNC [01.10.97]
|
|
