 A Decade Of Classics: FSU vs. Florida
Here we go again. A game for all the marbles.
The Seminoles have played the Gators 11 times this decade; nine regular season matchups and 2 bowl games. Florida State holds a 6-4-1 edge over the Gators, and will come into this week's game as the favorites. It will probably be the last meeting for the in-state rivals in the decade, though a Florida win coupled with particular circumstances elsewhere in the country would leave the possibility of a third bowl rematch open.
For not the first time, the meeting holds national championship implications. For the Seminoles, it is very simple: beat the Gators, and it's next stop, New Orleans. Lose to the Gators and the Noles will have to hope for a chain reaction that would allow them, with one loss, to get a chance at the big game. The Gators, already with one loss, have been playing single elimination football for awhile: they must beat FSU, and they must win the SEC Championship game to have a chance to play for the national championship. But given Florida's tough schedule and the favor of the pollsters, if the Gators do finish 11-1, a Sugar Bowl bearth will be offered without question.
Here's a look at what this game has meant throughout the 1990s:
1990
| RESULT: Florida State 45, Florida 30 |
| What Was On The Line: Primacy |
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Primacy was on the line, as in, who would score the first victory of the decade? The Seminoles had dominated the series in recent years, but the Gators turned out to be surprisingly good in 1990. Losing Emmitt Smith a year early to the NFL was offset by a new found confidence throwing the ball. Steve Spurrier brought the Fun and Gun from Duke, found a gold mine in former fifth-string QB Shane Matthews, and replaced Smith at tailback with Erricht Rhett, who would go on to be UF's career leader in rushing. The Seminoles had replaced the productive Peter Tom Willis with Casey Weldon, but had a capable backup in Brad Johnson. The ground game featured Amp Lee. The Gators came into the game ranked 6th in the country, but were underdogs on the road against the 8-2 Seminoles, ranked 8th. The game ended up being a shootout, with the Seminoles moving effortlessly against the Florida defense. Weldon set an FSU mark with 25 yards per completion, a record indicative of the day it was for Florida. Receiver Lawerence Dawsey had 172 yards receiving. The Noles seemed to always stay two touchdowns ahead; despite an impressive debut of Spurrier's offensive machine versus Florida's in-state rival, the Seminoles were better, claiming a 45-30 victory.
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1991
| RESULT: Florida 14, Florida State 9 |
| What Was On The Line: Defending The Swamp |
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Since coming to Florida, Steve Spurrier had brought a whole new attitude: the Gators were going to throw the ball, they were going to win conference championships, they were going to play on natural grass, and they were going to call their home The Swamp. Since it had been given that nickname, Florida had not been beaten there. The biggest test of that home win streak came on November 30, 1991, when the Seminoles came to town. The Gators had experienced unprecedented success in 1991: They were 9-1, swept their SEC schedule 8-0 for their first official SEC title, and were ranked 5th in the country. But the game had lost a little luster thanks to the Seminoles' misfortune in their last game: a 1 vs. 2 classic against the Miami Hurricanes. Stupidly, Gator fans had applauded wildly when the scoreboard announced the Canes had beaten the Seminoles in Wide Right I. Instead of having the #1 team in the country visit The Swamp for the first time ever, the Noles came in at 9-1, ranked 3rd. Contrary to the previous meeting, the game was a defensive slugfest, and the crowd was going wild. Casey Weldon had 305 yards on 51 pass attempts, but the Seminoles could never seem to punch it in and the ground game was stymied. Shane Matthews broke the game open with a bomb to wide receiver Harrison Houston, who was inexplicably defended by a linebacker on the play. Houston actually caught a deflection off the defender's back and raced down for the score. It was the one big play of the ballgame. Fittingly, the score 14-9, FSU drove down the field one final time. If the Gators were to win it, it would have to be on defense. Weldon dropped back on the Seminoles' final play and hurled a pass to the right corner of the end zone, but Gator safety Will White tipped the ball at the apex of his jump and it fell harmlessly to the ground. The stadium erupted in bedlam, but, I am happy to report, no goal posts were torn down. In the 90s, Gator fans have never stormed their own field.
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1992
| RESULT: Florida State 45, Florida 24 |
| What Was On The Line: A National Championship Hope For FSU |
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The first game of the decade with possible national title implications, but with just a slim hope. At 9-1 with the loss to Miami in Wide Right II, the Seminoles had to hope for a win over Florida, then for Florida to win over Alabama in the first SEC championship game, then for a rematch with Miami in the Orange Bowl in an era when rematches were not popular. Florida came in ranked 6th despite miserable losses to Mississippi State and Tennessee earlier in the season. Probably over-ranked and certainly overmatched, the Gators came into Tallahassee with probably its worst chance of beating Florida State in the 1990s. The Seminoles were coming off two wins in which they had scored 69 and 70 points. They scored early and often against the Gators; Charlie Ward completed 27 passes for 331 yards and scrambled away from Florida defenders on several occasions. Kevin Knox had over 100 yards receiving. Shane Matthews, in contrast, was off and was hassled all day by a dominant Florida State defense. In an unusual sign of surrender from Spurrier, ostensibly to save Matthews for the "more important" SEC Championship game, Matthews was benched in the second half and Florida fans got a look at the heir-apparent: Terry Dean. Dean played quite well. Ironically, Dean would not lead the Gators against the Seminoles in future encouters. The Seminoles won the game handily. Florida State went on to beat Nebraska in the Orange Bowl and finish ranked #2, but surprisingly, the Alabama team that would barely outlast the Gators in the SEC championship went on to crush the Hurricanes in the Sugar Bowl for the national championship.
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1993
| RESULT: Florida State 33, Florida 21 |
| What Was On The Line: A National Championship For FSU |
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The 1993 game was the first one where there was a great deal on the line. Florida State came in ranked #1 in the land, with a Heisman Trophy quarterback in Charlie Ward and a freshman phenom running back in Warrick Dunn. If the Gators were overrated in 1992, they were probabaly underrated in 1993, just 7th nationally despite a 9-1 record including a 3 point loss on the road to an Auburn team that would finish 11-0. The Gators had their own freshman phenom in quarterback Danny Wuerffel, who set the NCAA record for TD passes by a freshman despite sharing time with Terry Dean. Wuerffel had saved UF's season at Kentucky with a last second pass to Chris Doering for a 24-20 triumph. The 1993 game was a game for the offenses, with Ward finishing 38 of 51 for 446 yards, 140 of them to Dunn. UF got started more slowly, but down 26-14, Wuerffel led the Gators on a fourth quarter drive that was the most incredible drive I have ever seen in person. Despite fantastic pressure from the FSU defense, Wuerffel kept completing passes on 3rd and long. Late in the drive, Willie Jackson made the most incredible catch of the game to that point, using his size and strength to muscle the ball down on a 4th and 10 to keep the drive alive. The most incredible catch of the game, though, came a couple of plays later, when Jack Jackson streaked to the endzone and batted a ball that was just out of his reach into the air. Falling, Jackson then batted the ball a second time, this time in towards his body, and finally caught the ball as he hit the turf. The score made it 26-21. The UF defense looked like it would stop FSU and force a punt, but Ward, after 2 batted passes hit Warrick Dunn on a pass out in the flat. Dunn dodged one tackler and outraced a couple more en route to an 80 yard back breaking TD. FSU won 33-26. There were two undefeated teams at that point. FSU took care of one (Nebraska) in the Orange Bowl, and Florida took care of the other (West Virginia) in the Sugar Bowl, giving the Noles their first National Championship.
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1994, regular season
| RESULT: Florida State 31, Florida 31 |
| What Was On The Line: A slimmer of a national championship hope |
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In 1994, Florida and Florida State were both 9-1, with losses to Auburn and Miami respectively. Ranked #4 and #7, a big win would keep the winner alive in a year when Penn State and Nebraska were undefeated. In the first half, FSU did not look like they belonged on the same field with the Gators. Florida rolled up a 31-3 half time lead. After a defensive third quarter, FSU finally got a TD early in the fourth quarter. The Seminoles then produced one of the finest quarters of football in NCAA history. Their defense continued to stymie a Florida offense that had its way in the first half; the Gators continually failed to come up with key first downs and barely gained a yard in the final 15 minutes. On the other side of the ball, Danny Kannell and the Seminole offense abandoned the I-formation, instead conducting the offense out of the shotgun virtually every play. Kannell lit up the Gator defense, ending the day 40-53 for 421 yards; a good chunk coming in that final quarter. Kez McCorvey accounted for 127 yards receiving. In all, the Noles scored 4 TD for an improbable comeback and a 31-31 tie that all Gator fans remember as a loss, and all Seminole fans remember as a win.
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1995 Sugar Bowl
| RESULT: Florida State 23, Florida 17 |
| What Was On The Line: Revenge for the Choke |
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The so-called "Fifth Quarter In The French Quarter". With undefeateds Penn State and Nebraska tradition-bound to different bowl games (the Rose vs. Oregon and the Orange vs. Miami), two major bowls were left available for Florida and Florida State. Florida was 10-1-1 after a thrilling 24-23 win over Alabama in the SEC championship game, and FSU was 9-1-1 still churning on the momentum of the "Choke at Doak" in the regular season finale. A rematch seemed tenable given that the two teams hadn't settled anything during the regular season. The defenses ruled the day; Florida had 5 yards rushing and FSU just 76. The key play for FSU was a halfback option pass by Warrick Dunn which bounced off of a Gator defender into Omar Ellison's hands for a TD. FSU held a 20-10 lead at halftime thanks to an 82 yard TD pass to Ike Hillard. UF would mount a comeback in the second half, limiting FSU to just 3 points. Gator QB Danny Wuerffel was 28 of 39 for 394 yards, and scored on a sneak to make the game 23-17. But the FSU defense buckled down, and the game ended with that score. Final score for the two games: FSU 54, UF 48.
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1995
| RESULT: Florida 35, Florida State 24 |
| What Was On The Line: A National Championship for Florida |
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Florida entered the 1995 game ranked 3rd nationally, and for the first time in the history of the Florida-Florida State series, the Gators were undefeated. Florida State had lost a shocker that year against Virginia, but was 9-1 and ranked 6th in the country. A win against FSU and in the SEC championship would mean a Fiesta Bowl appearance for the Gators, and a shot at the national title. The Gators scored early and often, behind Danny Wuerffel's passing game. About the only details I remember about this game was that there were three FSU fans sitting in front of us, and my brother, a one-time Tallahassee resident, seemed to have a kinship with them. As the game wore on Kevin turned against these unfortunates, happily jeering them along with everyone else. The Florida offense slowed in the second half, and FSU mounted a bit of a comeback, bringing to mind the disaster of the previous year. But for the first time in the decade, Florida maintained a comfortable advantage throughout the game. Their reward would be the national embarassment of the Nebraska thrashing in the Fiesta.
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1996 regular season
| RESULT: Florida State 24, Florida 21 |
| What Was On The Line: A National Championship? |
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It took seemingly forever, but in 1996 the long-awaited game occured: a #1 vs. #2 show down with both teams undefeated. The Gators were ranked #1 behind their highest scoring team in history. Led by Danny Wuerffel, the eventual Heisman Trophy winner, and a corps of future NFL stars (Fred Taylor, Jaquez Green, Reidel Anthony, and Ike Hilliard) on offense, the game was billed as the Gator offense versus the Seminole defense. A year short of his maturing into a top-notch QB, the Seminole offense was conservative and ball-control oriented (by Nole standards) under Thad Busby and Warrick Dunn. The Seminole defense won the day, with Wuerffel harassed all day by Peter Boulware, Reinard Wilson, and Andre Wadsworth. Florida State's offense staked them to a 17-0 first quarter lead, and played close to the vest the rest of the way. Even that advantage was helped by a Peter Boulware blocked punt. The Gator running game was non-existant, and their passing game struggled. Wuerffel was just 23 of 48 for 362 yards, but his 3 interceptions under the intense pass rush were difficult to overcome. Warrick Dunn had his biggest game ever as a Seminole (to the tune of 185 yards); several runs in the fourth quarter helped ice the game for the Seminoles by preventing a last chance drive for Florida. In the end, the #1 Gators fell short in their comeback bid, 24-21.
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1997 Sugar Bowl
| RESULT: Florida 52, Florida State 20 |
| What Was On The Line: A National Championship! |
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The biggest Florida-Florida State game ever. This one didn't just have national title implications, it was a bowl game to decide the national championship. It became that way when Ohio State beat undefeated Arizona State in the Rose Bowl, leaving FSU the lone undefeated and the Gators with the best resume of the one-loss teams to claim the crown. After the 24-21 regular season loss in Tallahassee, the Gators had beaten Alabama convincingly on a day when Nebraska was upset by Texas, clearing the way for the Sugar Bowl rematch... the second of the decade for the Florida schools. This time it was Spurrier who made the adjustments. After the pounding Wuerffel took at the hands of Florida State, Spurrier began experimenting with the shotgun. It proved to be the antidote to Florida's offensive woes. Despite 6 FSU sacks, Wuerffel finished the night as the game's MVP with 18 of 34 passing, 308 yards, and 3 touchdowns. The most memorable TD pass was to Ike Hilliard, whose juke of two FSU DBs had them falling over each other and probably secured Hilliard's status as the top receiver taken in the 1997 NFL draft. Warrick Dunn, who had killed Florida in the regular season game, had just 40 all-purpose yards. Still, his TD at the end of the first half cut UF's lead to 24-17. Two second half TDs by tailback Terry Jackson and a Wuerffel scramble for a TD put the game away, and UF had a national title at the expense of their arch-rivals via the 52-20 blowout.
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1997
| RESULT: Florida 32, Florida State 29 |
| What Was On The Line: A National Championship for FSU |
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Losses to LSU and Georgia had Florida limping into the big game with FSU at 8-2, with the potential of their worst season since 1992, when the loss to FSU put them at 8-3. Adding insult to injury, Tennessee was the SEC East winner and the Gators did not have an SEC championship game to look forward to. Florida State, on the other hand, was cruising behind a much-improved Thad Busby at 10-0. A win would likely put them in a show down with undefeated Nebraska in Tom Osborne's last season for at least a share of the national title (Michigan was also undefeated). Things looked good early for Florida State. Fred Taylor's two fumbles led to 10 quick points, and the Gators, who never run well against the Seminoles, were quickly pushed into catch-up mode. Spurrier's innovation for the Seminoles this time was an unorthodox quarterback rotation system, in which Doug Johnson and senior walk-on Noah Brindise alternated snaps throughout the game. This had the advantage of allowing the quarterbacks to carry in Spurrier's plays directly. Behind a loud, fired up home crowd, the quarterbacks did not seem distracted by the rotation, but got into the unique rhythm of the game plan. The Nole defense may have been thrown off, with an uncharacteristic zero sacks on the day. Johnson did most of the throwing, but both QBs were unusually accurate. Fred Taylor eventually got it going, but the star of the running game was Florida State's Travis Minor, the heir-apparent to Warrick Dunn, who rushed for 142 yards against a solid Florida defense. The contest became a back and forth game with the Seminoles allowing the Gators back into it by scoring field goals instead of touchdowns. Down 29-25 with two minutes to play, Johnson hit Jaquez Green on a bomb to move Florida into scoring position. Two Fred Taylor runs later and UF had come from behind to go ahead 32-29. Taylor ended the game with 162 yards; for once, Spurrier didn't abandon the run after the early miscues and it paid off. The final Seminole drive came up short, and UF knocked off #1 FSU, perpetuating their home win streak since a 1994 loss to Auburn.
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1998
| RESULT: Florida State 23, Florida 12 |
| What Was On The Line: A National Championship for FSU |
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The unthinkable happened in 1998: Florida lost to Tennessee. Still, at 9-1, the Gators had hopes of doing to the Vols what the Vols usually did to the Gators. Namely, lose the head to head match up, but leap them in the polls down the road. Indeed, in retrospect, a win over the Seminoles might have made a rematch with Tennessee possible for all the marbles. The Seminoles were also 9-1, with the likewise unthinkable loss to NC State, but themselves had hopes of landing in the national championship game. The Gators were still looking for a 90s win in Tallahassee. The game opened with some bad breaks for Florida. After a 50 yard TD pass to McGriff and an FSU field goal, Marcus Outzen, replacing an injured Chris Weinke, lost control of the ball in the Seminoles end zone and the fumble was apparently recovered by Gator lineman for a touchdown. A second or two later, the ball was knocked loose and the refs ruled the play a safety. Instead of a 14-3 Gator lead, it was 9-3. At half time, the Gators led 12-6, but then the Seminoles defense took over. Florida would have its worst offensive showing in the Spurrier era, with just 204 yards of total offense. An excellent defensive performance by Florida (363 yards allowed) was marred by getting burnt on a trick play: a Peter Warrick TD pass on an option that iced the game for the Seminoles. The 23-12 victory sent FSU into the Orange Bowl where they were beaten by Tennessee.
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And so we come to the 1999 game. This year, a national championship is a possibility for both teams, though it may be more of a must win for Florida than for Florida State. A one-loss Florida State might still get into the title game, depending on what else happens. For either team, though, winning out means a spot in the Sugar Bowl. It isn't a new story, but its a great one.
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