1993 Florida Gators football team

The 1993 Florida Gators football team represented the University of Florida during the 1993 NCAA Division I-A football season. The season was the fourth for Steve Spurrier as the head coach of the Florida Gators football team. The Gators compiled a 10–2 overall record.

1993 Florida Gators football
SEC champion
SEC Eastern Division champion
Sugar Bowl champion
ConferenceSoutheastern Conference
DivisionEastern Division
Ranking
CoachesNo. 4
APNo. 5
1993 record11–2 (7–1 SEC)
Head coach
Defensive coordinatorRon Zook (3rd season)
Home stadiumBen Hill Griffin Stadium
(Capacity: 83,000)[1]
1993 Southeastern Conference football standings
Conf  Overall
TeamW L T  W L T
Eastern Division
No. 5 Florida x$ 7 1 0  11 2 0
No. 12 Tennessee 7 1 0  10 2 0
Kentucky 4 4 0  6 6 0
South Carolina 3 5 0  5 6 0
Georgia 2 6 0  5 6 0
Vanderbilt 2 6 0  5 6 0
Western Division
No. 4 Auburn 8 0 0  11 0 0
Arkansas 4 3 1  6 4 1
Ole Miss 4 4 0  6 5 0
Mississippi State 3 4 1  4 5 2
LSU 3 5 0  5 6 0
No. 14 Alabama x 0* 8 0  1* 12 0
Championship: Florida 28, Alabama 13
  • $ Conference champion
  • x Division champion/co-champions
  • Auburn had the best division record, but did not participate in postseason play due to NCAA probation.
    *Alabama (9–3–1, 5–2–1) later forfeited all 1993 regular season wins and one tie due to NCAA violations.
Rankings from AP Poll

The Gators used coach Spurrier's pass-heavy "fun 'n gun" offense".[2] Although the Gators fell short of their hopes for a national championship, the 1993 season marked the first time that they were ranked in the top ten of the Associated Press Poll during every week of the season, and they were ranked fifth in the final AP Poll, following their 41–7 Sugar Bowl victory over the 11-0, 3rd ranked West Virginia Mountaineers.[3]

Before the season

The players' and fans' preseason expectations for the Gators' fourth season under Spurrier were high, and some commentators began to speak openly about the possibility of the Gators making a run for the national title.

Schedule

DateOpponentRankSiteTVResultAttendance
September 4Arkansas State*No. 8W 44–684,051
September 11at KentuckyNo. 7PPVW 24–2058,175
September 18No. 5 TennesseeNo. 9
  • Ben Hill Griffin Stadium
  • Gainesville, FL (rivalry)
ABCW 41–3485,247
October 2Mississippi StateNo. 5
  • Ben Hill Griffin Stadium
  • Gainesville, FL
JPSW 38–2484,738
October 9at LSUNo. 5ESPNW 58–360,060
October 16at No. 19 AuburnNo. 4L 35–3885,284
October 30vs. GeorgiaNo. 10ABCW 33–2680,392
November 6Southwestern Louisiana*No. 9
  • Ben Hill Griffin Stadium
  • Gainesville, FL
W 61–1483,711
November 13at South CarolinaNo. 8JPSW 37–2670,188
November 20VanderbiltNo. 8
  • Ben Hill Griffin Stadium
  • Gainesville, FL
JPSW 52–083,818
November 27No. 1 Florida State*No. 7
  • Ben Hill Griffin Stadium
  • Gainesville, FL (rivalry)
ABCL 21–3385,507
December 4vs. No. 17 AlabamaNo. 9ABCW 28–1376,345
January 1, 1994vs. No. 3 West Virginia*No. 8ABCW 41–775,437
  • *Non-conference game
  • Homecoming
  • Rankings from AP Poll released prior to the game

Primary source: 2015 Florida Gators Football Media Guide.[3]

Roster

1993 Florida Gators football team roster
Players Coaches
Offense
Pos.#NameClass
RB Chris Bilkie
WR Paul Bowen
TE Chris Braun
OL Gantt Crouch
RB Tony Davis
TE Charlie Dean
QB 12 Terry Dean Jr
WR 28 Chris Doering (W) So
RB Jerome Evans
RB Terrence Foy
WR Daryl Frazier
OL Dean Golden
OT Reggie Green
WR Aubrey Hill
WR Harrison Houston (C)
WR 1 Jack Jackson So
WR 22 Willie Jackson Sr
TE Greg Keller
WR Larry Kennedy
QB 15 Eric Kresser Fr
OG 71 Jeff Mitchell Fr
RB Dwayne Mobley
WR David Nabavi
TE Shawn Nunn
OT 74 Jason Odom So
WR Sorola Palmer
RB Kelvin Randolph
RB 33 Errict Rhett (C) Sr
OL David Swain
OL Jim Watson
QB Adam Whitehurst
QB 17 Danny Wuerffel Fr
Defense
Pos.#NameClass
DT David Barnard So
LB James Bates
DL Mark Campbell
DE 57 Kevin Carter Jr
LB Dexter Daniels
DT 94 William Gaines (C) Sr
DB Michael Gilmore
DB Monty Grow
LB Ben Hanks
DT 61 Ellis Johnson Jr
CB Larry Kennedy
CB 9 Anthone Lott
DL Henry McMillian
LB Ed Robinson (C)
DB Shea Showers
S Lawrence Wright  Fr
Special teams
Pos.#NameClass
K Judd Davis
P Shayne Edge
K Bart Edmiston
K Ryan Ruland
Head coach
Coordinators/assistant coaches

Legend
  • (C) Team captain
  • (S) Suspended
  • (I) Ineligible
  • Injured
  • Redshirt

Game summaries

Arkansas State

1 234Total
Arkansas St. 6 000 6
Florida 3 21137 44
  • Date: September 4
  • Location: Ben Hill Griffin Stadium, Gainesville, Florida
  • Game attendance: 84,051

The season opened in the Swamp with a 44–6 defeat of Arkansas State.[4]

Arkansas State scored first, but Florida responded with 44 unanswered, including a 35-yard touchdown pass from Terry Dean to Jack Jackson.[4]

at Kentucky

Florida Gators (1–0) at Kentucky Wildcats
1 2 34Total
Florida 3 6 8724
Kentucky 7 0 10320

at Commonwealth Stadium, Lexington, Kentucky

  • Date: September 11, 1993
  • Game weather: Clear, mid-60s
  • Game attendance: 58,175
  • [5]

In the second week of play, Florida managed a close 2420 win over Kentucky. Quarterbacks Danny Wuerffel and Terry Dean combined to throw a total of seven interceptions.[6]

With eight seconds left, Wuerffel threw a pass down the middle to walk-on receiver Chris Doering for the game-winning touchdown;[7] Gator play-by-play announcer Mick Hubert shouted, "Doering's got a touchdown!"[8][9]

Tennessee

1 234Total
Tennessee 0 14614 34
Florida 7 141010 41
  • Date: September 18
  • Location: Ben Hill Griffin Stadium, Gainesville, Florida
  • Game attendance: 85,247

In a "shootout"[10] the Gators defeated the Vols by a single touchdown, 41 to 34.

Heath Shuler completed 25 of 41 passes for 355 yards and five touchdowns; and Danny Wuerffel completed 19 of 38 for 231 yards and three touchdowns. Errict Rhett rushed for 147 yards and two touchdowns.[10][11]

A group of Tennessee fans, including coach Phillip Fulmer's wife, complained to the SEC about the behavior of Gators fans. They claim cups of urine were thrown on them during the game.[12]

Mississippi State

1 234Total
Miss. St. 14 073 24
Florida 7 7177 38
  • Date: October 2
  • Location: Ben Hill Griffin Stadium, Gainesville, Florida
  • Game attendance: 84,738

The next week saw a 38–24 win over Mississippi State.[13] Wuerffel and Doering teamed up for three touchdown passes.[13]

Down 2117, Jack Jackson had a 100-yard kickoff return to put the Gators up 2421.[13]

LSU

1 234Total
Florida 10 132114 58
LSU 3 000 3

In Baton Rouge, Florida scored 58 unanswered to beat the LSU Tigers 583. Wuerffel completed 14 passes for 221 yards and four touchdowns.[14]

It was the largest margin of victory over a road opponent under Spurrier[14] and the worst loss in LSU football history.[15]

at Auburn

1 234Total
Florida 10 1708 35
Auburn 7 7717 38
  • Date: October 16
  • Location: Jordan–Hare Stadium, Auburn, Alabama
  • Game attendance: 85,214


Coach Terry Bowden's undefeated Auburn Tigers upset the Gators 38–35.[16] On a cold, drizzling, dreary day in Auburn, the fourth-ranked Gators amassed 560 yards of total offense, including 386 yards passing by quarterback Danny Wuerffel and 196 yards rushing by tailback Errict Rhett.[16]

But the Gators' offensive fireworks were not enough for the win, as Auburn's defense sacked Wuerffel four times and made two key interceptions.[16] The two teams were tied at 35 with 1:21 left in the game, when Tigers placekicker Scott Etheridge booted a 41-yard field to beat the Gators, 38–35.[16][17] Auburn dropped the Gators to their lowest ranking (10th) of the season.

Georgia

1 234Total
Florida 13 1073 33
Georgia 3 1706 26

Florida beat rival Georgia 3326.[18] In constant rain, the usually prolific passing game of coach Steve Spurrier's Gators was stymied.[19] Instead, the Gators relied on tailback Errict Rhett to amass 183 yards and two touchdowns to build a 3326 fourth-quarter lead.[19]

Led by quarterback Eric Zeier, the Georgia Bulldogs mounted a drive into Florida territory in the final minute and a half.[19] Zeier completed what appeared to be the game-tying touchdown to Jerry Jerman with five seconds remaining in the game.[20]

However, Gators cornerback Anthone Lott had called a timeout just before the ball was snapped, forcing the Bulldogs to play the down again.[20] Lott was called for pass interference on the ensuing play, giving Georgia one last untimed chance to score.[20] Zeier's final pass fell incomplete, and the Gators won a hard-fought, but controversial 3326 victory.[20][21]

Southwestern Louisiana

1 234Total
SW Louisiana 0 707 14
Florida 14 26714 61
  • Date: November 6
  • Location: Ben Hill Griffin Stadium, Gainesville, Florida
  • Game attendance: 83,711

Florida piled up a 6114 score on the Ragin' Cajuns. Terry Dean burned the Cajun defense for 6 touchdown passes, "one of the most productive halves by a quarterback in UF history."[22]

South Carolina

1 234Total
Florida 0 20107 37
South Carolina 10 1330 26

In Columbia, the Gators beat the South Carolina Gamecocks 3726. The Gamecocks jumped out to a 170 lead, but the Gators cut the lead to 2320 by halftime.[23]

Down 2623, Jack Jackson avoided a safety and ran free for 76 yards. After a roughing the passer penalty, Errict Rhett scored and the Gators never relinquished the lead.[23]

Vanderbilt

1 234Total
Vanderbilt 0 000 0
Florida 21 10147 52
  • Date: November 20
  • Location: Ben Hill Griffin Stadium, Gainesville, Florida
  • Game attendance: 83,818

Florida clinched another SEC east title, shutting out the Vanderbilt Commodores 520. The offense sputtered despite the score, but Ron Zook's defense provided the shutout.[24]

Florida State

1 234Total
FSU 7 6146 33
Florida 0 7014 21
  • Date: November 27
  • Location: Ben Hill Griffin Stadium, Gainesville, Florida
  • Game attendance: 85,507

Florida also lost to the national champion and rival Florida State Seminoles 3321. The Florida offense was stymied early, and Dean subbed for Wuerffel by the second half.[25] The Gators never led, although they had cut the score to 27–21 late.

With just under six minutes left and the crowd roaring, the Seminoles faced third down at its 21-yard-line.[25] Heisman Trophy-winning quarterback Charlie Ward hit freshman running back Warrick Dunn on a drag route,[26] who turned up the sideline for a 79-yard touchdown and a 33–21 FSU win.[27][28]

Postseason

SEC Championship Game: Alabama

1 234Total
Florida 7 777 28
Alabama 7 330 13

The Gators finished the regular season with a conference record of 7–1, and in first place among the six teams of the SEC Eastern Division, thus earning a berth in the second SEC Championship Game in Birmingham, Alabama. The Gators were paired against the Alabama Crimson Tide in the championship game—a rematch of the 1992 SEC Championship Game.[29]

The Gators defeated the Crimson Tide 28–13, winning their first SEC Championship Game and their second SEC football championship in three seasons.[29]

Sugar Bowl: West Virginia

1 234Total
Florida 7 14146 41
West Virginia 7 000 7
  • Date: January 1
  • Location: Louisiana Superdome, New Orleans
  • Game attendance: 75,437

The Gators then defeated third-ranked West Virginia Mountaineers 41–7 in the Sugar Bowl, finishing fifth in the AP Poll.[30] After a quick touchdown from Jake Kelchner to Jay Kearney to put West Virginia up 7–0 early, the Gators came right back and answered with a touchdown by Errict Rhett to tie the score at 7.[31]

External video
1994 Sugar Bowl, YouTube video.

It seemed the half would end that way, but just before halftime, Gator defensive back Lawrence Wright picked off an errant pass from West Virginia QB Darren Studstill right on the midfield logo. He first made his way to his right side, but when he ran out of blocking help just inside the WVU 40, he turned around and backtracked, circling back to the 45 before finding some running room, and he sprinted into the end zone from there to cap a 51-yard interception return touchdown. That put Florida up 14–7, and crushed the Mountaineers' competitive spirit, as Florida's defense proceeded to force a quick three and out, which gave Terry Dean time to connect with Jack Jackson for a 39-yard touchdown to make it 21–7 at halftime.[31]

From there, the Gators cruised in the second half. Errict Rhett ran in two more touchdowns and Judd Davis added two insurance field goals in the fourth quarter to make the final score a convincing 41–7.[31]

Postseason

The 1993 team set a then-record for wins in a season.[32] Halfback Errict Rhett, offensive tackle Reggie Green, and defensive tackle William Gaines were first-team All-SEC. Placekicker Judd Davis won the Lou Groza Award.[33]

References

  1. University of Florida Sports Information Department. "Florida 1993 Football Guide" (PDF). floridagators.com. University Athletic Association, Inc. Retrieved 15 March 2018.
  2. "Steve Spurrier's Fun 'n' Gun brought football evolution to the SEC".
  3. 2015 Florida Gators Football Media Guide Archived 2015-12-08 at the Wayback Machine, University Athletic Association, Gainesville, Florida, p. 107 (2015). Retrieved August 16, 2015.
  4. "Gator QBs impressive in 44-6 win". Ocala Star-Banner. pp. 1C, 5C via Google News Archive Search.
  5. Gainesville Sun. 1993 Sep 12. Retrieved 2019-Dec-07.
  6. "Gators' streak vs. 'Cats filled with close calls". Gatorsports.com. Archived from the original on 2015-09-28.
  7. "Wuerffel saves UF from upset, 24-20". Ocala Star-Banner. p. 1C via Google News Archive Search.
  8. Kassidy Hill. "FlashBack Friday with the Florida Gators: Chris Doering". GatorCountry.com.
  9. "Gators Dodge 7 Misguided Bullets".
  10. "Shuler's Advice To Vols: Avoid A Gator Shootout".
  11. "Florida holds off Tennessee, 41-34". Ocala Star-Banner. pp. 1C, 6C via Google News Archive Search.
  12. "Vols-gators: Plots, Subplots".
  13. Robbie Andreu (October 3, 1993). "Gators pound Bulldogs, 38-24". Ocala Star-Banner. pp. 1C, 9C via Google News Archive.
  14. Mic Huber. "Explosive Gator attack bombs LSU". Ocala Star-Banner. pp. 1C, 6C via Google News Archive Search.
  15. Poseur (26 July 2013). "Biggest Disasters in SEC History: LSU Hires Curley Hallman".
  16. Associated Press, "Auburn's Defense Stops Florida When It Counts", The New York Times (October 17, 1993). Retrieved August 17, 2011.
  17. "Tigers hand Gators first loss". Ocala Star-Banner. October 17, 1993. pp. 1C, 8C via Google News Archive Search.
  18. Gainesville Sun. 1993 Oct 31.
  19. Robbie Andreu, "Gators reign, 3326", The Gainesville Sun, pp. 1C & 7C (October 31, 1993). retrieved August 22, 2011.
  20. Associated Press, "Officials: timeout call was the right one in last Saturday's FloridaGeorgia game", Sun Journal, p. 16 (November 2, 1993). Retrieved August 22, 2011.
  21. Jay Stone, "Bad Call May Cost 'Dogs Bowl Berth", Calhoun Times, p. 1B (November 3, 1993). Retrieved August 22, 2011.
  22. "Dean throws 6 TD passes". Ocala Star-Banner. November 7, 1993. pp. 1C, 10C via Google News Archive Search.
  23. "On the road with the Gators in '99". Gainesville Sun. August 28, 1999. p. 23 via Google News Archive Search.
  24. "Defense delivers in 52-0 rout of Vanderbilt". Ocala Star-Banner. November 21, 1993. p. 7C via Google News Archive Search.
  25. "'Noles freshman gets the job 'Dunn'". Ocala Star-Banner. November 28, 1993. pp. 8C, 9C via Google News Archive Search.
  26. "Gators Dunn In By 'Noles". November 28, 1993.
  27. Stephen F. Holder (July 14, 2011). "Greatest point ever: Warrick Dunn's touchdown sets up Florida State Seminoles' championship berth". Archived from the original on 2016-08-03. Retrieved 2016-07-12.
  28. "The History of FSU Football: 1993 - Fifteen Years Ago".
  29. "Florida whips Bama for SEC title". Ocala Star-Banner. pp. 1C, 5C via Google News Archive Search.
  30. "1993 Final Football Polls - College Poll Archive - Historical College Football and Basketball Polls and Rankings".
  31. "1994 Game Recap / Allstate Sugar Bowl".
  32. "National title Gators' goal". Rome News-Tribune. August 17, 1994. p. 4-B.
  33. "Previous Winners – PB Sports Commission – Lou Groza".
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