Florida–Florida State football rivalry

Florida–Florida State football rivalry

Sport	Football
Teams	Florida Gators Florida State Seminoles
Trophy	Florida Cup

The Florida–Florida State football rivalry is an American college football rivalry between the teams of the two oldest public universities of the U.S. state of Florida: the University of Florida Gators and the Florida State University Seminoles. Although both universities participate in a range of intercollegiate sports, the competition between the Gators and the Seminoles has most often focused on football.

The first game in the Florida–Florida State series was played in 1958. The Gators dominated the nineteen games played before 1976, but the rivalry has become remarkably balanced since then. The Gators lead the overall series 34–21–2, but the series record has been split 20–19–1 over the last forty meetings, with Florida leading by only a single win over the last forty meetings. For the past three decades, one or both squads have usually been highly ranked coming into the game, adding national championship implications to a rivalry already heavily weighted with in-state bragging rights.

Series history

Roots of a rivalry

Florida State College, one of the predecessor institutions of Florida State University, sponsored a varsity football team from 1902 to 1904 and won "state championships" in each of those seasons. With its passage of the Buckman Act in 1905, the Florida Legislature abolished the coeducational Florida State College and rededicated its Tallahassee campus as the all-women Florida Female College for the 1905 fall term, ending the football program. The college's name was officially changed to "Florida State College for Women" in 1909.

During the same 1905 reorganization mandated by the Buckman Act, four smaller state-supported colleges were abolished and their assets and academic programs consolidated to form the new "University of the State of Florida," a new all-male university located in Gainesville. Florida State College's last coach, Jack Forsythe, became the first coach of the new University of the State of Florida football team in 1906. The name of the new men's university was officially shortened to the "University of Florida" in 1909. The university has fielded an officially recognized and sponsored varsity football team every season since 1906, with the exception of 1943, when World War II manpower shortages precluded most intercollegiate athletics.

In 1947, the Florida Legislature reorganized the state's university system again. In order to accommodate the post-World War II surge in college enrollment, both the University of Florida and Florida State College for Women became coeducational, with the Tallahassee institution taking its present name, "Florida State University." Florida State immediately established a football program, and its coach, players and students began calling for games against the Gators. The University of Florida administration, however, was reluctant to treat Florida State as an equal, less for reasons of intercollegiate sports rivalry than for reasons of limited state funding for higher education and the perception that Florida State's demands for a greater share of those funds might undercut Florida's role as the state's historic flagship university.

As the impasse dragged on, a bill was proposed in the Florida Legislature in 1955 which would have mandated that the two schools compete against each other in football and other sports. The bill was voted down. Shortly thereafter, however, Florida Governor LeRoy Collins personally requested president J. Wayne Reitz of the University of Florida to schedule a yearly football series between the two state universities, and the two schools' athletic directors eventually negotiated a contract that started the football series in 1958, the first available opening on the Gators' schedule.

One of the stipulations in the first contract was that all games be played in the Gators' home stadium, Florida Field in Gainesville, because the Seminoles' stadium facilities at the time were too small. As a result, the first six games in the series were all played in Gainesville. Florida State initiated a series of expansions to Doak Campbell Stadium, and beginning in 1964, the game site has alternated on an annual home-and-away basis between Gainesville and Tallahassee. The Gators hold a 20–9–1 series advantage in games held in Gainesville, and have a two-game edge for those played in Tallahassee, 13–11–1. The Gators and Seminoles have split two neutral-site games—both Sugar Bowls played in the Louisiana Superdome in New Orleans (1994 and 1997).

Early contests

After the Florida State College for Women became the co-educational Florida State University in 1947, the newly-formed Florida State Seminoles football team achieved immediate success on the gridiron. Under head coach Don Veller, the Seminoles became the first collegiate football program in the state of Florida to go unbeaten and untied, finishing 8–0 in 1950. Under Coach Tom Nugent, the Seminoles made the move to major college status in 1955. Just three years later, Nugent would lead the Seminoles onto Florida Field to face the Gators, with Florida winning 21–7. With the arrival of Bill Peterson in 1960, the Seminoles began their move to national prominence. Under Peterson's direction, the Seminoles beat the Gators for the first time in 1964 and earned their first major bowl bid. Peterson also led the Seminoles to their first-ever top-ten ranking. While Peterson was taking the Seminole program to new heights, Ray Graves had been hired as the Gators new head coach to improve the Florida football program. When the two teams fought to a 3–3 tie in 1961, Graves likened the result to "a death in the family." From that point on, the game took on new significance and the rivalry intensified.

With a strong advantage in both resources and facilities, the Gators would dominate the rivalry in its formative years, as the Gators were a remarkable 16–2–1 against the Seminoles from 1958 until 1976. One particularly poor stretch for the Seminoles was from 1969–72 when wide receiver Barry Smith was playing for Florida State. He didn't play in the 1969 contest since freshmen were not eligible then but recalled the 1970–72 games in a recent article in The Tampa Tribune,

"My sophomore year . . . I ran a reverse . . . and I remember being nailed by Jack Youngblood. I remember watching the ball being pitched to me and thinking, when the ball was about halfway, that it was kind of race to see whether he was going to get to the ball first or me. He was foaming at the mouth. I still have nightmares from the hit he gave me . . . . My junior year, we were 5–0 and Florida was 0–5. There is no question that we were the much better team, and they beat us . . . . My senior year, we're playing Florida at home and we're 4–0. They had a decent team, but it wasn't like the year before . . . . Chan Gailey was their quarterback, and he had a big game. That game was a blowout. They torched us. It got so bad, I had to throw a touchdown pass . . . ." [1]

The Gators currently own a commanding lead in total points scored by either team cumulatively: Gators - 1372 Seminoles - 1073.

1976–89: Arrival of Bowden; the rise and fall of Pell

Bobby Bowden arrived at Florida State in 1976 and began to turn around the anemic program. After losing his first game against Florida in 1976, the Seminoles would win the next four in the rivalry, their first wins in the series since 1967. This would begin a decade and a half period in which the rivals would take turns running off winning streaks against the other.

The Gators changed leadership as well, hiring coach Charley Pell from Clemson University to replace Doug Dickey in 1979. After a dismal 0-10-1 first season, Pell quickly turned around the Florida program, fielding championship-contending teams by the early 1980s.

Under Pell's leadership, Florida took their turn dominating the rivalry from 1981–86, including putting a series-record 53 points on the scoreboard in the 1983 contest. However, an NCAA investigation of Florida's football program revealed multiple violations of rules in the early years of Pell's tenure. Pell was fired and the program put on probation beginning in 1985. For the next 3 seasons, Florida played with a reduced number of scholarship players and Gator football games could not appear on television, setting the program back considerably and allowing Florida State to sign more talented in-state high school recruits.

In 1986, the Gators extended their winning streak against FSU with a 17-13 upset in Tallahassee. However, FSU then ran off four consecutive victories over Florida as they became a fixture in the top-10 rankings and Florida's program floundered under heavy NCAA sanctions.

From the arrival of Bowden in 1976 to the end of the 1980s, the series was tied 7-7. The return of a familiar face to the Gators' sideline before the 1990 season would bring the rivalry to new national prominence.

1990–2001: Bowden vs. Spurrier

Steve Spurrier, who had won a Heisman Trophy as Florida's quarterback in 1966, returned as the head coach of the Gators for the 1990 season. During the eleven seasons that followed, the Florida–Florida State rivalry reached its peak of national importance. Because of the Sugar Bowl rematches following the 1994 and 1996 regular seasons, Florida and Florida State met fourteen times on the football field during the twelve seasons Spurrier coached the Gators. And each time, one or both teams were ranked in the top ten in the AP football poll.

The decade began auspiciously with the first meeting of top-10 squads in the history of the rivalry (UF No. 6, FSU No. 8) heading into FSU's 45–30 win in Tallahassee. The stakes were even higher in 1991 in Gainesville, as both teams were ranked in the AP Poll top five (FSU No. 3, UF No. 5). The Gators had just clinched their first SEC Championship while the Seminoles were still feeling the sting of a defeat at the hands of the rival Miami Hurricanes. The game was a defensive struggle that culminated in a Gator defensive stand late in the fourth quarter to preserve a 14–9 win. FSU won the 1992 contest in Tallahassee, yet another meeting of top ten squads.

1993 brought about a collection of talent perhaps unequaled in the history of the rivalry. Two future Heisman trophy winners in Charlie Ward and Danny Wuerffel were starting at quarterback. The No. 1 Seminoles beat the No. 7 Gators 33–21, and went on to win the Bowl Alliance national championship. In the 1994 contest in Tallahassee, Florida held a 31–3 lead at the start of the 4th quarter, but a furious FSU comeback ended in a 31–31 tie in what became known as the "Choke at Doak". The teams were given a rematch in the Sugar Bowl ("The Fifth Quarter in the French Quarter"), which the Seminoles won 23–17. The No. 3 Gators beat the No. 6 Seminoles 35–24 in Gainesville in 1995, capping off Florida's first undefeated regular season.

For national championship implications, 1996 was the high point of the series. Both teams were undefeated and ranked No. 1 (UF) and No. 2 (FSU) coming into their regular season finale in Tallahassee, where the Seminoles won a hard-fought contest 24–21. However, the season belonged to Florida, as their 52–20 win in a Sugar Bowl rematch gave them their first national title. No.1 FSU was undefeated coming into the 1997 contest against the No. 10 Gators in Gainesville, but Florida won again 32–29. After these setbacks, Florida State won three straight victories over Florida, winning the 1998 and 2000 games in Tallahassee and the 1999 contest in Gainesville on their way to a second national championship.

Florida State and Florida combined for fourteen conference championships and three national championships during the 1990s. In addition, the winner of the game would play for the national championship five times in the decade. Through those years, FSU held a 7–4–1 advantage in a rivalry that was arguably the most important in college football during that time.

The 2001 game was Steve Spurrier's twelfth and final Florida–Florida State game as the head coach of the Gators. The 2001 Gators entered the game with national title aspirations, and easily defeated the Seminoles 37–13. Florida finished the season 10–2 ranked third nationally in both major polls; Florida State finished 8–4 and ranked fifteenth. The 2001 game was also the end of a twelve-year era for Florida; Spurrier would resign as the Gators head coach following the season, finishing with a 5–8–1 record in the rivalry series. The twelve Bowden–Spurrier face-offs provided several of the most memorable games in the series history.

2002–present: The evolving rivalry

Ron Zook made his rivalry debut as Florida's head coach in 2002, and the game marked the first time since 1986 that neither team was ranked in the AP Poll Top 10. Despite being a home underdog, Bowden's Seminoles won easily 31–14, starting a two-game series winning streak, which they continued in 2003 with a 38–34 win in Gainesville.

Entering the 2004 game, the unranked 7–4 Gators were heavy underdogs when they arrived to face the No. 8 Seminoles in Tallahassee, where they had not won since 1986. Zook had already been fired as the Gators' head man, but was allowed to finish the season. But on the night in which the turf at Doak Campbell Stadium was re-christened "Bobby Bowden Field" in honor of the long-serving Florida State coach, victory belonged to Zook's Florida Gators, 20–13, and Zook was carried from the field by his players and received a standing ovation from the visiting Florida fans.

Zook's third and final Florida–Florida State game as the Gators' coach started a six-game series winning streak for the Gators. With Florida's hiring of head coach Urban Meyer after Zook's departure, the Gators again rose to national prominence, winning the program's second and third national championships in 2006 and 2008, while Florida State struggled to regain the level of success for which the program was known during the 1990s.

The 2009 Florida–Florida State game marked Bobby Bowden's thirty-sixth against the Gators in thirty-four seasons as the Seminoles head coach; it was also his last, as he retired at the conclusion of the 2009 season. He finished his head coaching career with a 17–18–1 record against the Gators. Remarkably, Bowden's thirty-four years in Tallahassee spanned the tenures of eight different Gators head coaches: Doug Dickey (1970–78), Charley Pell (1979–85), Galen Hall (1985–89), Gary Darnell (1989), Steve Spurrier (1990–2001), Ron Zook (2002–04), Charlie Strong (2004), and Urban Meyer (2005–10).

Florida State ended Florida's winning streak with an exclamation point in 2010. Under first-year head coach Jimbo Fisher, the Seminoles defeated the Gators in dominant fashion with a 31–7 blowout in Tallahassee. The 2010 game was also the last one for Urban Meyer as the Gators head coach, and his only loss to Florida State in six tries. Nothing worked for the Gators, who had three turnovers in the first half and were stopped short on a fake punt. In 2011, Fisher's Seminoles extended their winning streak to two games by defeating the Gators 21–7 despite the fact that they gained less than 100 yards of total offense. John Brantley was intercepted three times. The Seminoles took advantage of Florida quarterback John Brantley's three interceptions by converting two of them into Devonta Freeman rushing touchdowns. It was their first win at Ben Hill Griffin Stadium since 2003. The 2011 meeting marked the first time since 1986 that neither team was ranked coming into the contest.

Game results

Florida victories are colored ██ blue. Florida State victories are colored ██ garnet. Ties are white.

Date	Location	Winner	Score
November 22, 1958	Gainesville, FL	Florida	21–7
November 21, 1959	Gainesville, FL	Florida	18–8
September 24, 1960	Gainesville, FL	Florida	3–0
September 30, 1961	Gainesville, FL	Tie	3–3
November 17, 1962	Gainesville, FL	Florida	20–7
November 30, 1963	Gainesville, FL	Florida	7–0
November 30, 1964	Tallahassee, FL	FSU	16–7
November 27, 1965	Gainesville, FL	Florida	30–17
October 8, 1966	Tallahassee, FL	Florida	22–19
November 25, 1967	Gainesville, FL	FSU	21–16
September 28, 1968	Tallahassee, FL	Florida	9–3
October 4, 1969	Gainesville, FL	Florida	21–6
October 10, 1970	Tallahassee, FL	Florida	38–27
October 16, 1971	Gainesville, FL	Florida	17–15
October 7, 1972	Tallahassee, FL	Florida	42–13
December 1, 1973	Gainesville, FL	Florida	49–0
October 19, 1974	Tallahassee, FL	Florida	24–14
October 18, 1975	Gainesville, FL	Florida	34–8
October 16, 1976	Tallahassee, FL	Florida	33–26

Date	Location	Winner	Score
December 3, 1977	Gainesville, FL	FSU	37–9
November 25, 1978	Tallahassee, FL	FSU	38–21
November 24, 1979	Gainesville, FL	FSU	27–16
December 6, 1980	Tallahassee, FL	FSU	17–13
November 28, 1981	Gainesville, FL	Florida	35–3
December 4, 1982	Tallahassee, FL	Florida	13–10
December 3, 1983	Gainesville, FL	Florida	53–14
December 1, 1984	Tallahassee, FL	Florida	27–17
November 30, 1985	Gainesville, FL	Florida	38–14
November 29, 1986	Tallahassee, FL	Florida	17–13
November 28, 1987	Gainesville, FL	FSU	28–14
November 26, 1988	Tallahassee, FL	FSU	52–17
December 2, 1989	Gainesville, FL	FSU	24–17
December 1, 1990	Tallahassee, FL	FSU	45–30
November 30, 1991	Gainesville, FL	Florida	14–9
November 28, 1992	Tallahassee, FL	FSU	45–24
November 27, 1993	Gainesville, FL	FSU	33–21
November 26, 1994	Tallahassee, FL	Tie	31–31
January 2, 1995	New Orleans, LA	FSU	23–17A

Date	Location	Winner	Score
November 25, 1995	Gainesville, FL	Florida	35–24
November 28, 1996	Tallahassee, FL	FSU	24–21
January 2, 1997	New Orleans, LA	Florida	52–20A
November 22, 1997	Gainesville, FL	Florida	32–29
November 21, 1998	Tallahassee, FL	FSU	23–12
November 20, 1999	Gainesville, FL	FSU	30–23
November 18, 2000	Tallahassee, FL	FSU	30–7
November 17, 2001	Gainesville, FL	Florida	37–13
November 30, 2002	Tallahassee, FL	FSU	31–14
November 29, 2003	Gainesville, FL	FSU	38–34
November 20, 2004	Tallahassee, FL	Florida	20–13
November 26, 2005	Gainesville, FL	Florida	34–7
November 25, 2006	Tallahassee, FL	Florida	21–14
November 24, 2007	Gainesville, FL	Florida	45–12
November 29, 2008	Tallahassee, FL	Florida	45–15
November 28, 2009	Gainesville, FL	Florida	37–10
November 27, 2010	Tallahassee, FL	FSU	31–7
November 26, 2011	Gainesville, FL	FSU	21–7
November 24, 2012	Tallahassee, FL	Florida	37–26

^AThe Gators and Seminoles played twice during the 1994 and 1996 college football seasons; in both cases, the second meeting was in the Sugar Bowl (1995 and 1997).

Records table sources: 2011 Florida Gators Football Media Guide, 2010 Florida State Football Media Guide, and College Football Data Warehouse.

Notable games

1964: FSU breaks through

Even though many of the early games in the series were close (and the 1961 contest ended in a 3–3 tie), Florida State had yet to beat their in-state rivals in six attempts. The 1964 game would be the first time that the Gators would journey to Doak Campbell Stadium, and the Seminoles under coach Bill Peterson were enjoying their best season since joining the ranks of major college football programs. However, the Gators still felt confident that another victory was in the offing, coming out onto the playing field with the boast "Never, FSU, Never!" attached to their helmets.

Florida State quarterback Steve Tensi hit Fred Biletnikoff with a first-half touchdown, helping the Seminoles to a 13–0 lead at the half as the Gator offense fumbled four times, including once at the FSU one yard line. Florida, led by quarterback Steve Spurrier, finally scored in the 3rd quarter to cut the lead to 13–7, but were unable to find the endzone again. Les Murdock kicked a 42-yard field goal to secure the win for FSU, 16–7.

After the win, the Seminoles accepted their first bid to a major bowl game, defeating Oklahoma in the Gator Bowl to finish the season 9–1–1.

1966: Catch or not?

In an otherwise unremarkable game coming in to this eighth annual contest between the burgeoning rivals, this game established the rivalry in full due to the controversy that surrounded its outcome. In a tight contest, the Gators led the Seminoles late in the game, 22–19. FSU had the ball at the Gators' 45-yard-line with seventeen seconds left in the game. On first down, little used and previously injured wide receiver Lane Fenner entered the game in place of FSU's star receiver Ron Sellers. FSU quarterback Gary Pajcic took the snap, Fenner got behind UF defenders, and Pajcic lofted a pass to Fenner in the front corner of the end zone for what appeared to be a game-winning FSU touchdown. However, referee Doug Moseley signaled that Fenner did not have control of the ball before rolling out of bounds and ruled the pass incomplete.

UF ended up holding on for a 22–19 win, but the controversy heated up after the game when photos that apparently showed Fenner making the catch in the endzone were published in state newspapers. Debate over whether or not the play should have been ruled a touchdown continues to this day.

1969: Cappleman crunch

Both Florida and Florida State were 2–0 when the teams met in 1969. The Gators had defeated number one ranked University of Houston two week prior and FSU was off to a good start as well. The Gators won this matchup 21–6 on the back of a defensive surge that was unparalleled in Gator history. The Gators defense, led by junior defensive lineman Jack Youngblood and sophomore defensive lineman Robert Harrell, sacked FSU quarterback Bill Cappleman eleven times for 91 yards leaving FSU with a total of negative 18 yards rushing in the game. In addition to the pass rush, the FSU offense fumbled the ball eight times, losing five. Two other Gator Sophomores starred in the game as well, All-American wide out Carlos Alvarez and quarterback John Reaves. The Gators went on to a 9–1–1 record including a victory over the University of Tennessee in the Gator Bowl.

1970: Huff the magic quarterback

The Florida Gators dominated Florida State for the first fifty-three minutes of the 1970 game. FSU quarterbacks Frank Whigham and Tommy Warren failed to move the ball and with seven minutes left in the game the Gators led 38–7. FSU coach Peterson put sophomore Gary Huff into the game and he quickly completed two long passes, the second a 43-yard touchdown pass. The FSU defense forced John Reaves and the Gator offense into a three and out, and on the next drive Huff used four plays to score a touchdown with 2:30 left in the game. With the score cut to 38–21 FSU tried an onside kick which failed but didn't fail to cause a both bench-clearing brawl. The FSU defense again forced Florida to punt and as time expired, Huff led the Seminoles to another touchdown making the final score 38–27. Gators All-American Jack Youngblood was criticized by the press for doing a "disrespectful rear-end wagging dance" on a wall near the FSU student section. Both teams ended the season 7–4 but neither received a bowl bid. Huff's passing caused FSU to actually out gain the Gators in the game and it set, at the time, a record for most points scored by both teams in the rivalry.

1993: Ward to Dunn

The Seminoles came into The Swamp with a 10–1 record and aspirations of playing for a national championship. Florida State's lone defeat in 1993 was two weeks earlier at the hands of the Notre Dame Fighting Irish, 31–24, in South Bend. The Gators entered the contest 9–1, with a loss at Auburn, but had already clinched the SEC Eastern Division. The 'Noles took an early 13–0 lead in front of what was a state record 85,507 fans at Florida Field. FSU would never relinquish that lead. The Gators finally answered just before halftime when freshman Quarterback Danny Wuerffel hit his receiver Willie Jackson for an 11 yard touchdown pass to cut the Florida State lead to 13–7. Florida State got back to work on their first drive of the second half. Heisman Trophy winning quarterback Charlie Ward completed 5 of 7 passes for 62 yards, including a 7 yard touchdown strike to Kez McCorvey, giving the Seminoles a 20–7 lead. From this point, FSU appeared to have the upper hand as they took an impressive 27–7 lead entering the final quarter. Florida answered with another touchdown pass to Willie Jackson, this time from Terry Dean. FSU stormed right back and just when it appeared the 'Noles would seal the victory, fullback William Floyd coughed up the football and the Florida defense recovered at its own 9 yard line, giving the Gators and its crowd new life. After converting several fourth downs, Florida, behind Quarterback Terry Dean, drove all the way to the FSU 31. Florida would cut the to 27–21 when Dean hit his receiver Jack Jackson for a remarkable, juggling, 31 yard touchdown pass which electrified the record crowd at The Swamp. With the crowd roaring louder than it had all day, Ward led the Seminoles back onto the field with just under 6 minutes remaining in the game. The Seminoles faced third down at their own 21-yard-line. Unfazed, Charlie Ward hit freshman Warrick Dunn up the sideline for a 79-yard game-clinching touchdown run and a 33–21 FSU win. FSU would go on to win the 1993 National Championship, and Florida would win the SEC Championship the following week.

1994: The "Choke at Doak"

Main article: The Choke at Doak

In the greatest fourth-quarter comeback of the series, the Gators led the Seminoles 31–3 after three quarters. However, the Seminoles scored 28 points in the final fifteen minutes to tie the game at 31–31. The Seminoles then won a rematch in the Sugar Bowl 23–17, referred to as "The Fifth Quarter in the French Quarter."

1996: No. 1 vs. No. 2

The No. 1–ranked and undefeated Gators came in to Tallahassee favored against the second-ranked Seminoles. The 'Noles got off to a quick start when Peter Boulware blocked the Gator's first punt of the game, resulting in a touchdown. Florida's eventual Heisman Trophy winner quarterback Danny Wuerffel threw three interceptions in the first half, and FSU had a 17–0 lead after one quarter of play.

Wuerffel got on track after that, throwing for three touchdowns. The last one (to WR Reidel Anthony) cut the Florida State lead to three points with just over a minute left to play. The ensuing onside kick went out of bounds, however, and the Seminoles held on for the 24–21 upset win.

The stars of the game were FSU running back Warrick Dunn, who rushed for 185 yards; Wuerffel, who threw for 362 yards; and the FSU defense, which sacked Wuerffel six times and knocked him to the turf on many other occasions. That Seminole pass rush became a source of controversy after the game when Gators' coach Steve Spurrier claimed that FSU players had deliberately tried to injure his star quarterback with late hits and "cheap shots". The Seminoles had been flagged for roughing the passer twice during the game, and Spurrier had the UF video staff compile footage which he claimed showed FSU players tackling Wuerffel late a half-dozen additional times.

1997: Sugar Bowl rematch for the title

Main article: 1997 Sugar Bowl

The late-hit controversy that began after the team's regular season meeting intensified when the Texas Longhorns upset third-ranked Nebraska Cornhuskers in the Big 12 Championship Game and Florida defeated Alabama in the SEC Championship Game, creating an FSU–UF rematch in the Sugar Bowl. Spurrier continued to complain to the press about the issue while FSU coach Bobby Bowden responded that he thought the hits in question were clean while admitting that "we just hit to the echo of the whistle instead of the whistle."

The Sugar Bowl match-up gained even more importance the night before the game when the second-ranked Arizona State Sun Devils lost to the fourth-ranked Ohio State Buckeyes in the Rose Bowl, making the contest between the No. 3 Gators and the No. 1 Seminoles the de facto national championship game.

To counter FSU's pass rush, Spurrier installed the shotgun formation in an attempt to give quarterback Danny Wuerffel more time to throw. The plan worked, as the Gators turned a close game (it was 24–20 early in the second half) into a 52–20 rout behind Wuerffel's 306 yards and three touchdown passes, earning the Gators their first national championship.

1997: Greatest game ever played in the Swamp

Florida State entered the game ranked No. 1 and a double-digit favorite over No. 10 Florida. After a pregame fight, the Gators drove the ball 83 yards for a touchdown on the opening series. Spurrier implemented a two-quarterback system with Doug Johnson and senior walk-on Noah Brindise, and rotated the two nearly every play. Florida State led 17–6 early in the second quarter after Seminoles quarterback Thad Busby found tight end Melvin Pearsall for a five-yard touchdown. The Gators fought back, however, as wide receiver Travis McGriff caught a touchdown from Johnson, and running back Fred Taylor scored from the 4-yard line to put Florida ahead 18–17 at halftime. In the second half, kicker Sebastian Janikowski boomed his second of three field goals to put Florida State back on top, but Taylor responded with a 61-yard touchdown run to retake the lead, 25–20. Seminoles running back Travis Minor scored on an 18-yard touchdown run, to give Florida State a 26–25 lead. The first twelve minutes of the fourth quarter were scoreless, but the Seminoles drove inside the Gators' 5-yard line until the Gators defense, led by Jevon Kearse and Mike Peterson, stopped the 'Noles on three consecutive running plays and the Seminoles settled for another Janikowski field goal. On first down from the Gators' own 20-yard line, Johnson hit receiver Jacquez Green for a 62-yard pass play. Fred Taylor completed the drive with a touchdown, and Florida took the lead for good, 32–29. Florid State's final comeback attempt ended when senior linebacker Dwayne Thomas intercepted a third-down pass from Busby, sealing the victory for Florida, and costing Florida State a chance to play for the national championship.

1998: Not in our house!

This 1998 battle between the in state rivals started before the whistle even blew. A pre-game fight caused Florida's starting senior safety, Tony George, and a couple walk-on FSU players who were not even dressed, to be ejected from the game. In the midst of the fight, it is rumored that Florida quarterback Doug Johnson attempted to peg FSU coach Bobby Bowden with a football. Johnson did later apologize to Bowden, claiming that he had no target, he just threw the ball. Florida State's defense came in the ballgame rated No. 1 in the nation, Florida's defense was rated No. 1 in the SEC, so the game was set to be a defensive battle. Florida struck first with a 50-yard Doug Johnson touchdown pass, but Seminoles Peter Warrick and Travis Minor put the Seminoles in scoring position twice and Placekicker Sebastian Janikowski kicked two field goals to make the game 7–6. After a Florida punt the Seminoles were at their own 5-yard-line and Florida forced a safety. And then Doug Johnson drove Florida deep into Florida State territory after the safety kick, but Florida State's defense stiffened and forced Florida to settle for three points. At halftime, the game was 12–6, Florida.

In the second half Florida State's defense held Florida scoreless. Florida State's first touchdown of the game came when Seminoles quarterback Marcus Outzen connected with Peter Warrick on a touchdown throw, then later in the game, Peter Warrick threw a touchdown to Ron Dugans. The game ended 23–12, with Florida State the winner.

2003: Swindle in the Swamp

Florida State was ranked No. 9 and Florida No. 11 coming into the 2003 contest in Gainesville. It turned out to be a close and high-scoring affair, but it is most remembered for several controversial referee calls by the ACC officiating crew, and was christened the "Swindle in the Swamp" by several national and Florida sportswriters for the questionable calls on multiple fumble/no-fumble plays that went against Florida. Florida nevertheless held a slim 34–31 lead late in the fourth quarter when Seminoles quarterback Chris Rix hit wide receiver PK Sam for a 52-yard touchdown pass, giving Florida State a 38–34 win. Before the winning score, Rix had completed a first down pass on a fourth-and-17 play deep in Seminoles territory to keep the drive alive.

After the game, a fight broke out on the field between the Florida and Florida State players after some Seminole players celebrated the win by jumping on the "F" logo in the center of Florida Field. FSU's athletic director apologized on behalf of the university for sparking the incident and both schools took steps to make sure similar incidents did not recur.

See also

• Clemson–Florida State football rivalry
• Florida Cup
• Florida Gators
• Florida–Georgia football rivalry
• Florida–LSU football rivalry
• Florida–Miami football rivalry
• Florida State–Miami football rivalry
• Florida State Seminoles
• Florida–Tennessee football rivalry
• History of Florida State University
• History of the University of Florida
• List of Florida Gators football players

Bibliography

• 2010 Florida State Football Media Guide, Florida State Athletics Department, Tallahassee, Florida, pp. 162, 170–173 (2010).
• 2011 Florida Gators Football Media Guide, University Athletic Association, Gainesville, Florida, pp. 116–125 (2011).
• Carlson, Norm, University of Florida Football Vault: The History of the Florida Gators, Whitman Publishing, LLC, Atlanta, Georgia (2007). ISBN 0-7948-2298-3.
• Golenbock, Peter, Go Gators! An Oral History of Florida's Pursuit of Gridiron Glory, Legends Publishing, LLC, St. Petersburg, Florida (2002). ISBN 0-9650782-1-3.
• Hairston, Jack, Tales from the Gator Swamp: A Collection of the Greatest Gator Stories Ever Told, Sports Publishing, LLC, Champaign, Illinois (2002). ISBN 1-58261-514-4.
• McCarthy, Kevin M., Fightin' Gators: A History of University of Florida Football, Arcadia Publishing, Mount Pleasant, South Carolina (2000). ISBN 978-0-7385-0559-6.
• McEwen, Tom, The Gators: A Story of Florida Football, The Strode Publishers, Huntsville, Alabama (1974). ISBN 0-87397-025-X.
• Nash, Noel, ed., The Gainesville Sun Presents The Greatest Moments in Florida Gators Football, Sports Publishing, Inc., Champaign, Illinois (1998). ISBN 1-57167-196-X.
• Proctor, Samuel, & Wright Langley, Gator History: A Pictorial History of the University of Florida, South Star Publishing Company, Gainesville, Florida (1986). ISBN 0-938637-00-2.

External links

• GatorZone.com – Official webpage of the Florida Gators football team
• Seminoles.com – Official webpage of the Florida State Seminoles football team