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One of the fiercest rivalries in college football will see its 54th meeting this Saturday as Florida State travels to Florida. At one time game was only cared about in the state of Florida until the 1990’s.
The Gators owned the Seminoles early in this series. Florida State struggled while changing from Florida State College for Women to Florida State.
That would change mostly because of two reasons. The first reason was the hiring of Bobby Bowden at Florida State in 1976.
Bowden lost his first game against the Gators but would go on to win the next four games in this rivalry. The second reason was the hiring of Charlie Pell at Florida.
Pell took over the program and quickly turned it into a championship contender. The only problem was that Pell broke NCAA rules to turn Florida into a great team.
The Gators would beat the Seminoles in 1986 but would spend the next three years playing under scholarship reductions and not being allowed to play TV for the next three years.
Florida State was able to take a huge recruiting advantage and was able to build a top ten and national championship contending team. This series would change once more in 1990.
Steve Spurrier returned to the Swamp to be the head coach after he had a Heisman winning career at quarterback for Florida. Quickly this game became a fixture in the national title race and the rivalry was kicked up a notch with so much at stake.
Here is a look back at 10 of the best games in this rivalry since Spurrier returned in 1990. Spurrier would leave the Gators but the importance of the games has not subsided.
10. 1990- First Ever Top Ten Meeting
It did not take long after Spurrier returned to Florida for this game to start to become a huge national game. In his first game in this series as the head coach Spurrier brought in the 6th ranked Gators.
Bowden had his Seminoles ranked in the top ten as well. Florida State was ranked 8th in the country heading into this game.
The Seminoles would win the game 45-30 as Bowden won his first matchup against Spurrier. This game was more important in the long run.
It marked the beginning of the Gators and Seminoles dominance of college football. These two squads would meet 12 times in the 1990’s.
They would also win 14 conference championships and three national titles over the same time period. With the rise of the Gators the 1990’s coined the phrase “the road to the national championship goes through the state of Florida”.
9. 1991- First Ever Top Five Meeting
The stakes were high in the 1990 meeting but were even higher the following year. This was the first matchup in the series history in which both teams were ranked in the top five coming in to the contest.
The Seminoles came into the game ranked 3rd after a loss to their other in-state rival Miami the week before. The Gators had won their first ever SEC championship heading into this top five matchup.
This game would be one of the few defensive games as the Gators won the game 14-9. Florida would need a late defensive stand to preserve the win.
It would be Spurrier’s first win over his hated rival. It would also setup another top ranked meeting the next year in 1992.
8. 1998- Pregame Fight Fires Up The Seminoles
This game got ugly even before the first whistle was blown. During the pregame warm-ups Florida starting safety Tony George and two Florida State walk-ons who were not even dressed up to play.
It was rumored during the mêlée that Gators quarterback Doug Johnson tried to hit Bobby Bowden by throwing a football at him. After the game Johnson apologized, saying he had no target he just threw the ball.
The game in played in Tallassee, started out with Florida striking first on a 50 yard touchdown pass by Johnson. The Seminoles would get two field goals by Sebastian Janikowski to cut the lead to 7-6.
The Gators would get a safety and a field goal before the half to take a 12-6 lead after two quarters. The second half would be dominated by the Seminoles.
Marcus Outzen would complete a pass to Peter Warrick for a touchdown. Warrick would also throw a touchdown pass to Ron Dougans.
Florida State’s defense would hold the Gators scoreless in the second half. Janikowski would add a third field goal as the Seminoles won 23-12.
7. 2003- Seminoles Stomp On The “F”
As great as both these teams were in the 1990’s the 2000’s have not been as kind to both programs. After Spurrier left Florida the school struggled to maintain its place as a top team in the country.
This game was mired in controversy with many thinking the ACC officiating crew making questionable calls against the Gators. Most of the calls involved whether or not player had fumbled the ball.
Still, even with the bad calls the Gators had a 34-31 lead late in the fourth quarter. The Seminoles mounted a late drive aided by a fourth and 12 conversion by Florida State quarterback Chris Rix.
Rix would find wide receiver P.K. Sam for a 52 yard touchdown pass to give the Seminoles a 38-34 win. After the game the Florida State players celebrated their win by stomping all over the Florida “F” at mid-field.
Several Florida players took exception to this and started a fight with the Florida State players celebrating. This marked the second fight in five years between these two teams.
Florida State’s athletic director apologized for the events that led up to the fight. The incident only fueled the bad blood between the two teams.
6. 2004-Gators Renames Bobby Bowden Field “Ron Zook Field”
Ron Zook was named the head coach for the Florida Gators after Spurrier left for the NFL. From the moment he was hired Zook was not a popular choice.
While he was able to bring highly ranked recruits to Gainesville he could not bring wins with the talent he recruited. Zook was fired after an embarrassing loss to Mississippi State midway through the 2004 season.
Zook was allowed to finish the season as the head coach. He would lead the Gators in to Doak-Campbell Stadium on the night the field was named for Bobby Bowden.
The embattled Florida coach would steal the night away from Bowden with some inspired play by the Gators. Zook would accomplish something not even the great Steve Spurrier could do.
Zook won in Tallassee for the first time since 1986. He was carried off the field after the 20-13 win by his player and the Florida fans gave Zook a standing ovation.
Florida State named their field after their legendary coach that night. After the win Gators fans being tongue and cheek renamed the field “Ron Zook field”.
5. 1997- Fred Taylor Goes Off In His Final Game Against FSU
The Seminoles came in to the 1997 matchup undefeated and ranked number one in the polls. Florida entered the game ranked 10th in the polls and a huge underdog at nearly 31 ½ points.
The Gators took possession of the ball with 2:33 left in the fourth quarter down 25-29. Doug Johnson would hit Jacquez Green on 63 yard pass to get Florida down to the Florida State 17 yard line.
Fred Taylor would carry the ball on down to the 2 yard line on the next play. Taylor scored on the following play to give the Florida a touchdown after driving 80 yards in three plays in just 44 seconds.
Linebacker Dwayne Thomas would intercept Thad Busby with 1:06 left to play to seal the game for the Gators. The hero of the game would be Taylor who rushed for 162 yards and four touchdowns.
The loss would cost the Seminoles a shot at the national championship that would split by Michigan and Nebraska. The game would be called “the greatest game ever played in the Swamp”.
4. 1995- Florida Completes Only Undefeated Regular Season In School History
The 3rd ranked Gators entered the 1995 matchup one win away from the school first undefeated regular season. Florida State was 9-1 and ranked 6th in the polls.
The only loss Florida State had suffered was to Virginia. The loss to the Cavaliers was the first ACC loss for the Seminoles since they joined the conference.
Florida would defeat the Seminoles 35-24 in Gainesville. The Gators would go to participate in the first ever Bowl Alliance title game.
In the game Florida would face Nebraska and would be unable to complete their perfect season. The Cornhuskers spanked the Gators 62-24 in the Fiesta Bowl. The game would later be dubbed the “Fiasco Bowl”.
3. 1996- #1 vs. #2
This game was the final regular season matchup of the number one and number two ranked teams in the decade. The 1996 matchup was the high point in this series in the 1990s.
The game featured several college football stars on both sides of the ball. The Gators we trying to erase the bitter sweet memories of the 1995 season heading in to the game a perfect 10-0 and ranked number one.
The Seminoles were looking to win their second national championship and entered the game 10-0 as well and ranked second. Florida came in to the game a heavy favorite to win in Tallassee since 1986.
It was the Seminoles who got off to a fast start when Peter Boulware blocked the first Florida punt in the game resulting for a touchdown. The Gators legendary quarterback Danny Wuerffel would throw three interceptions in the first half.
The Seminoles would take a 17-0 lead into the locker room at the half. Wuerffel would get going in the second half throwing for three touchdowns.
The final Wuerffel went to touchdown to Reidel Anthony with just over a minute to play. The touchdown would cut the Seminoles’ lead down to three points.
The Gators would try to recover an onsides kick after the score but the ball would go out of bounds to the Seminoles. Warrick Dunn led the Florida State offence as he rushed for 185 yards.
Wuerffel would throw for 362 yards to go along with his three touchdowns. The Florida State defense would come under scrutiny by Steve Spurrier’s perception that the Seminoles defenders were hitting his quarterback late.
Spurrier would accuse the Florida State defenders of playing dirty. Bobby Bowden would say that his defenders played to the echo of the whistle but were not dirty.
2.1993- Ward To Dunn Seals A Florida State Victory
If the 1996 matchup was the highlight of this series so far the 1993 matchup showed just how good this match could be. This matchup was the start of the culmination of the work of Bobby Bowden and the start of what Steve Spurrier built.
The Seminoles came into this matchup with only one loss after losing to Notre Dame in what many called the “Game of the Century”. The Irish took Florida State’s number one ranking that season but not for long after they lost to Boston College the next week.
Florida State came into the rivalry game ranked number one once again. The 1993 season would see the start of the Gators winning four straight SEC Championships.
Florida was already in the mist of winning five straight SEC East titles. The Gators came into the 1993 contest with a top ten ranking.
This game would also feature two future Heisman trophy winners and two talented freshmen. Early on the game looked to be a blowout as the Seminoles built a 27-7 lead in the fourth quarter.
The Gators would make a comeback behind freshman Danny Wuerffel who would lead Florida to two quick scores to cut the Florida State lead to 27-21. Charlie Ward would win the Heisman trophy on what happened next.
With six minutes remaining in the game and the Seminoles facing a third down and 21. The Swamp was shaking so hard it registered as an earthquake.
Ward would not be fazed by the noise or the shaking. He would find the other talented freshman Warrick Dunn who raced down the sideline for the 79 yard touchdown.
The 33-21 win would secure a place in the national championship game for the Seminoles. They would beat Nebraska by making a late field goal and the Cornhuskers missing one.
There was controversy with undefeated West Virginia being left out of the title game. Florida helped out their rival by beating the Mountaineers 41-7 and ending their hopes of a spilt title.
1. 1994- The Choke At The Doak
The Gators and the Seminoles both entered this game with a 9-1 record. Florida had Wuerffel back under center and Florida State had Danny Kanell to replace Charlie Ward.
Florida State came into the season as defending national champions and their only loss was to in-state rival Miami early in the season. Florida was ranked number one in the season until a loss to Auburn knocked them down.
The Gators ranked 4th in the polls got off to a fast start against the 7th ranked Seminoles. After a 35 yard field goal from Dan Mowery for Florida State; Florida scored 31 unanswered points.
The Gators first score came on a 58 yard pass from Wuerffel to Aubrey Hill for the first touchdown of the game and a 7-3 lead. Next Wuerffel found Jack Jackson for a 3 yard touchdown pass and a 14-3 lead.
Judd Davis would add a 35 yard field goal to extend the lead to 17-3. Right before the half Wuerffel would find Jackson again on a 28 yard pass to give the Gators a 24-3 lead at half time.
In the third quarter Wuerffel would run a quarterback sneak into the end zone for the 31-3. The score was the final score of the game for Florida and the Gators entered the fourth quarter with a 28 point lead.
The fourth quarter would see Steve Spurrier uncharacteristically call running plays to Fred Taylor and play prevent defense. The Seminoles would take advantage of this by making a comeback.
Florida State’s first touchdown would come on a first and goal from the 5 yard line as Zack Crockett plowed into the end zone to cut the lead to 31-10. After a Florida punt the Seminoles marched right down field and Kanell found Andre Cooper for a 6 yard touchdown to cut the lead to 31-17 with a little over ten minutes to play in the fourth quarter.
Florida State was not done scoring yet after they nearly blocked a Florida punt the Seminoles were on the move again. With 5:04 left to play in the game Kanell found the end zone with his own quarterback sneak to cut the lead to 31-24.
The Gators looked to have righted themselves in the final minutes after Wuerffel found Reidel Anthony for a 15 yard gain. Two plays later Wuerffel would throw the ball were only Seminoles could catch it and they did.
The Florida State fans were going wild as the Seminoles took over on their 40 yard line. FSU drove the ball down the field on a 37 yard catch and run by Warrick Dunn to get the ball to the Florida 23 yard line.
The Seminoles would hit pay dirt scoring with 1:45 left in the game on a 4 yard run by Rock Preston. Down by one, Bobby Bowden decided to kick the extra point to tie the game rather than going for two and the win.
There was no overtime in college football at this time so a tie would be the end of the ball game. Bowden did not want to waste the comeback by missing a two point conversion.
Florida State would kick the extra point and tie the game 31-31. Both teams would try to win the game in their next possession but could not get enough offense to win the game.
The game would end at 31-31 and the Seminoles players celebrated after the game like it was a win and the Gators looked dazed and stunned. Both teams knocked themselves out of the national championship race with the tie.
Bonus: 1995- The Fifth Quarter In The French Quarter
After the tie in “the Choke at the Doak” Florida State and Florida meet again in the Sugar Bowl. The Seminoles and the Gators both wanted to walk away from the game with a win this time.
The Gators bounced back from the fourth quarter collapse to beat Alabama in the SEC Championship game to earn a Sugar bowl berth. The Seminoles earned their trip to the “Big Easy” by winning the ACC.
This game was highly hyped but Florida would not find redemption in the game. The Seminoles would get a bowl victory over their hated rival.
The 23-17 win by Florida State did not disappoint. The game was highly entertaining but the Gators had the Seminoles in their head.
This would be the first of two times these teams meet in the Sugar Bowl. The next one would be for a lot more than a bowl win after a tie ball game.
Bonus: 1997- Sugar Bowl Rematch For A Title
Everything fell in place for this game to be for the national championship. The first was Florida beating Alabama in the SEC championship game.
Both teams were helped out by an underdog Texas team beating 3rd ranked Nebraska in the Big-12 championship game. A win James Brown, the Texas quarterback, guaranteed that the Longhorns would beat the Cornhuskers.
The rematch took on even more importance the night before the game was played. In the Rose Bowl 2nd ranked Arizona State would be upset by 4th ranked Ohio State.
The Buckeyes win over the Sun Devils made the Sugar Bowl game between the number one ranked Seminoles and the third ranked Gators for the title. The entire talk heading into the game was about the late hits Steve Spurrier thought Florida State put on Danny Wuerffel.
Spurrier installed the shotgun formation to counter the Florida State pass rush. The formation worked and gave Wuerffel the time he needed to find his receivers.
This game was very close at 24-20 in the second half but the Gators pulled way and turned the game into a rout in the fourth quarter. Spurrier would not take his foot off the gas after “choke at the Doak”.
Wuerffel who won the Heisman Trophy in 1996 passed for 306 yards and three touchdowns. The win would give the Gators their first national championship made even sweeter with the win over their hated rival.
Now, this Saturday the 2009 Florida/Florida State game will be played. There are plenty of story lines heading into the game.
For the Gators it will be Tim Tebow’s last home game at Florida. He has already helped the school win two national championships and a Heisman.
For the Seminoles will it be Bobby Bowden’s last game in this series. At 6-5, the coach has been embattled all season long that it is time for him to retire.
Could it be at E.J. Manuel steals the show while filling in for the injured Christian Ponder? Could the defense for Florida led by Brandon Spikes take the headlines?
This series has brought plenty of memorable games since 1990. The two constants have been the great players and that Bowden has been there for them all.
The Gators are playing for a national championship and their second undefeated regular season in school history. The Seminoles want to play spoilers and ruin their rivals title hopes.
