1993 Florida Gators football team

1993 Florida Gators football
SEC champion SEC Eastern Division co-champion Sugar Bowl champion
SEC Championship Game, W 28–13 vs. Alabama
Sugar Bowl, W 41–7 vs. West Virginia
Conference	Southeastern Conference
Division	Eastern Division
Ranking
Coaches	No. 4
AP	No. 5
Record	11–2 (7–1 SEC)
Head coach	Steve Spurrier (4th season)
Offensive scheme	Fun and gun
Defensive coordinator	Ron Zook (3rd season)
Base defense	4–4–3
Home stadium	Ben Hill Griffin Stadium
Seasons ← 1992 1994 →

1993 Southeastern Conference football standings

v t e	Conf							Overall
Team	W		L		T			W		L		T
Eastern Division
No. 5 Florida x$	7	–	1	–	0			11	–	2	–	0
No. 12 Tennessee* x	6	–	1	–	1			9	–	2	–	1
Kentucky	4	–	4	–	0			6	–	6	–	0
Georgia	2	–	6	–	0			5	–	6	–	0
South Carolina*	2	–	6	–	0			4	–	7	–	0
Vanderbilt*	1	–	7	–	0			4	–	7	–	0
Western Division
No. 4 Auburn†	8	–	0	–	0			11	–	0	–	0
No. 14 Alabama* x	5	–	2	–	1			9	–	3	–	1
Arkansas*	3	–	4	–	1			5	–	5	–	1
LSU	3	–	5	–	0			5	–	6	–	0
Ole Miss*	3	–	5	–	0			5	–	6	–	0
Mississippi State*	2	–	5	–	1			3	–	6	–	2
Championship: Florida 28, Alabama 13
$ – Conference champion x – Division champion/co-champions † – Ineligible for the postseason due to NCAA probation. * – Alabama later forfeited all regular-season wins and one tie due to NCAA violations, giving an official record of 1–12 overall and 0–8 SEC. The forfeit of the tie retroactively gave Tennessee a share of the East title. Rankings from AP Poll

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.

The Gators used coach Spurrier's pass-heavy "fun 'n gun" offense".^[1] 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.^[2]

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.^{[citation needed]}

Schedule

Date	Opponent	Rank	Site	TV	Result	Attendance	Source
September 4	Arkansas State*	No. 8	Ben Hill Griffin Stadium Gainesville, FL		W 44–6	84,051	[3]
September 11	at Kentucky	No. 7	Commonwealth Stadium Lexington, KY (rivalry)	PPV	W 24–20	58,175	[4]
September 18	No. 5 Tennessee	No. 9	Ben Hill Griffin Stadium Gainesville, FL (rivalry)	ABC	W 41–34	85,247	[5]
October 2	Mississippi State	No. 5	Ben Hill Griffin Stadium Gainesville, FL	JPS	W 38–24	84,738	[6]
October 9	at LSU	No. 5	Tiger Stadium Baton Rouge, LA (rivalry)	ESPN	W 58–3	60,060	[7]
October 16	at No. 19 Auburn	No. 4	Jordan-Hare Stadium Auburn, AL (rivalry)		L 35–38	85,284	[8]
October 30	vs. Georgia	No. 10	Gator Bowl Jacksonville, FL (rivalry)	ABC	W 33–26	80,392	[9]
November 6	Southwestern Louisiana*	No. 9	Ben Hill Griffin Stadium Gainesville, FL		W 61–14	83,711	[10]
November 13	at South Carolina	No. 8	Williams–Brice Stadium Columbia, SC	JPS	W 37–26	70,188	[11]
November 20	Vanderbilt	No. 8	Ben Hill Griffin Stadium Gainesville, FL	JPS	W 52–0	83,818	[12]
November 27	No. 1 Florida State*	No. 7	Ben Hill Griffin Stadium Gainesville, FL (rivalry)	ABC	L 21–33	85,507	[13]
December 4	vs. No. 17 Alabama	No. 9	Legion Field Birmingham, AL (SEC Championship) (rivalry)	ABC	W 28–13	76,345	[14]
January 1, 1994	vs. No. 3 West Virginia*	No. 8	Louisiana Superdome New Orleans, LA (Sugar Bowl)	ABC	W 41–7	75,437	[15]
*Non-conference game Homecoming Rankings from AP Poll released prior to the game

^[2]

Roster

1993 Florida Gators football team roster
Players			Coaches
Offense Pos. # Name Class 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 G 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. # Name Class DT David Barnard So DT 67 Mark Campbell 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 DB 20 Sammy McCorkle  So	Special teams Pos. # Name Class K Judd Davis P Shayne Edge K Bart Edmiston K Ryan Ruland	Head coach Steve Spurrier Coordinators/assistant coaches Ron Zook (DC/DB) Legend (C) Team captain (S) Suspended (I) Ineligible Injured Redshirt

Game summaries

Arkansas State

1 2 3 4 Total Arkansas St. 6 0 0 0 6 • Florida 3 21 13 7 44 Date: September 4 Location: Ben Hill Griffin Stadium, Gainesville, Florida Game attendance: 84,051

Scoring summary 1 AS M. Williams 6-yard run (kick failed) AS 6-0 1 FLA Davis 27-yard field goal AS 6-3 2 FLA J. Jackson 35-yard pass from Dean (Edmiston kick) FLA 10-6 2 FLA Rhett 1-yard run (Davis kick) FLA 17-6 2 FLA W. Jackson 40-yard pass from Dean (Edmiston kick) FLA 24-6 3 FLA Frazier 29-yard pass from Wuerffel (Davis kick) FLA 31-6 3 FLA Houston 20-yard pass from Wuerffel (kick failed) FLA 37-6 4 FLA Randolph 6-yard run (Davis kick) FLA 44-6

The season opened in the Swamp with a 44–6 defeat of Arkansas State.^[16]

Arkansas State scored first, but Florida responded with 44 unanswered, including a 35-yard touchdown pass from Terry Dean to Jack Jackson.^[16]

At Kentucky

In the second week of play, Florida managed a close 24–20 win over Kentucky. Quarterbacks Danny Wuerffel and Terry Dean combined to throw a total of seven interceptions.^[18]

With eight seconds left, Wuerffel threw a pass down the middle to walk-on receiver Chris Doering for the game-winning touchdown;^[19] Gator play-by-play announcer Mick Hubert shouted, "Doering's got a touchdown!"^[20][21]

Tennessee

1 2 3 4 Total Tennessee 0 14 6 14 34 • Florida 7 14 10 10 41 Date: September 18 Location: Ben Hill Griffin Stadium, Gainesville, Florida Game attendance: 85,247

Scoring summary 1 FLA Hill 8-yard pass from Wuerffel (Davis kick) FLA 7-0 2 FLA Doering 17-yard pass from Wuerffel (Davis kick) FLA 14-0 2 FLA Rhett 1-yard run (Davis kick) FLA 21-0 2 TENN Fleming 54-yard pass from Shuler (Becksvoort kick) FLA 21-7 2 TENN B. Williams 41-yard pass from Shuler (Becksvoort kick) FLA 21-14 3 FLA Houston 30-yard pass from Wuerffel (Davis kick) FLA 28-14 3 FLA Davis 37-yard field goal FLA 31-14 3 TENN B. Williams 70-yard pass from Shuler (run failed) FLA 31-20 4 FLA Rhett 1-yard run (Davis kick) FLA 38-20 4 TENN B. Williams 13-yard pass from Shuler (pass failed) FLA 38-26 4 FLA Davis 42-yard field goal FLA 41-26 4 TENN Kent 5-yard pass from Shuler (Garner run) FLA 41-34

In a "shootout"^[22] 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.^[22][23]

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.^[24]

Mississippi State

1 2 3 4 Total Miss. St. 14 0 7 3 24 • Florida 7 7 17 7 38 Date: October 2 Location: Ben Hill Griffin Stadium, Gainesville, Florida Game attendance: 84,738

Scoring summary 1 MISSST C. Jones 52-yard pass from Jordan (Burke kick) MISSST 7-0 1 FLA Doering 11-yard pass from Wuerffel (Davis kick) Tied 7-7 1 MISSST Bouie 54-yard run (Burke kick) MISSST 14-7 2 FLA Doering 13-yard pass from Wuerffel (Davis kick) Tied 14-14 3 FLA Davis 46-yard field goal FLA 17-14 3 MISSST Moulds 63-yard pass from Jordan (Burke kick) MISSST 21-17 3 FLA J. Jackson 100-yard kickoff return (Davis kick) FLA 24-21 3 FLA Rhett 5-yard run (Davis kick) FLA 31-21 4 MISSST Burke 31-yard field goal FLA 31-24 4 FLA Doering 11-yard pass from Wuerffel (Davis kick) FLA 38-24

The next week saw a 38–24 win over Mississippi State.^[25] Wuerffel and Doering teamed up for three touchdown passes.^[25]

Down 21–17, Jack Jackson had a 100-yard kickoff return to put the Gators up 24–21.^[25]

LSU

1 2 3 4 Total • Florida 10 13 21 14 58 LSU 3 0 0 0 3 Date: October 9 Location: Tiger Stadium Game attendance: 60,060

Scoring summary Q1 LSU LaFleur 29 yard field goal LSU 3-0 Q1 FLA Davis 19 yard field goal Tied 3-3 Q1 FLA J. Jackson 39 yard pass from Wuerffel (Davis kick) FLA 10-3 Q2 FLA Houston 16 yard pass from Wuerffel (kick failed) FLA 16-3 Q2 FLA W. Jackson 10 yard pass from Wuerffel (Davis kick) FLA 23-3 Q3 FLA Houston 35 yard pass from Wuerffel (Davis kick) FLA 30-3 Q3 FLA Rhett 15 yard run (Davis kick) FLA 37-3 Q3 FLA Palmer 34 yard pass from Dean (Davis kick) FLA 44-3 Q4 FLA Mobley 7 yard run (Davis kick) FLA 51-3 Q4 FLA Foy 6 yard run (Davis kick) FLA 58-3

In Baton Rouge, Florida scored 58 unanswered to beat the LSU Tigers 58–3. Wuerffel completed 14 passes for 221 yards and four touchdowns.^[26]

It was the largest margin of victory over a road opponent under Spurrier^[26] and the worst loss in LSU football history.^[27]

At Auburn

1 2 3 4 Total Florida 10 17 0 8 35 • Auburn 7 7 7 17 38 Date: October 16 Location: Jordan–Hare Stadium, Auburn, Alabama Game attendance: 85,214

Scoring summary 1 FLA Davis 49-yard field goal FLA 3-0 1 FLA Jackson 50-yard pass from Wuerffel (Davis kick) FLA 10-0 1 AUB C. Jackson 96-yard interception return (Etheridge kick) FLA 10-7 2 AUB White 2-yard run (Etheridge kick) AUB 14-10 2 FLA Davis 36-yard field goal AUB 14-13 2 FLA Rhett 24-yard run (Davis kick) FLA 20-14 2 FLA Hill 23-yard pass from Wuerffel (Davis kick) FLA 27-14 3 AUB Richardson 23-yard pass from White (Davis kick) FLA 27-21 4 AUB Bostic 4-yard run (Etheridge kick) AUB 28-27 4 AUB Sanders 9-yard run (Etheridge kick) AUB 35-27 4 FLA Jackson 13-yard pass from Wuerffel (Jackson pass from Wuerffel) Tied 35-35 4 AUB Etheridge 41-yard field goal AUB 38-35

Coach Terry Bowden's undefeated Auburn Tigers upset the Gators 38–35.^[28] 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.^[28]

But the Gators' offensive fireworks were not enough for the win, as Auburn's defense sacked Wuerffel four times and made two key interceptions.^[28] 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.^[28][29] Auburn dropped the Gators to their lowest ranking (10th) of the season.

Vs. Georgia

Florida beat rival Georgia 33–26.^[30] In constant rain, the usually prolific passing game of coach Steve Spurrier's Gators was stymied.^[31] Instead, the Gators relied on tailback Errict Rhett to amass 183 yards and two touchdowns to build a 33–26 fourth-quarter lead.^[31]

Led by quarterback Eric Zeier, the Georgia Bulldogs mounted a drive into Florida territory in the final minute and a half.^[31] Zeier completed what appeared to be the game-tying touchdown to Jerry Jerman with five seconds remaining in the game.^[32]

However, Gators cornerback Anthone Lott had called a timeout just before the ball was snapped, forcing the Bulldogs to play the down again.^[32] Lott was called for pass interference on the ensuing play, giving Georgia one last untimed chance to score.^[32] Zeier's final pass fell incomplete, and the Gators won a hard-fought, but controversial 33–26 victory.^[32][33]

Southwestern Louisiana

1 2 3 4 Total SW Louisiana 0 7 0 7 14 • Florida 14 26 7 14 61 Date: November 6 Location: Ben Hill Griffin Stadium, Gainesville, Florida Game attendance: 83,711

Scoring summary 1 FLA Doering 6-yard pass from Dean (Davis kick) FLA 7-0 1 FLA J. Jackson 19-yard pass from Dean (Davis kick) FLA 14-0 2 FLA Davis 29-yard field goal FLA 17-0 2 FLA Safety (Richard downed in endzone) FLA 19-0 2 FLA W. Jackson 35-yard pass from Dean (Davis kick) FLA 26-0 2 FLA J. Jackson 49-yard pass from Dean (Davis kick) FLA 33-0 2 FLA W. Jackson 16-yard pass from Dean (Davis kick) FLA 40-0 2 SWL Sensley 57-yard run (Shafer kick) FLA 40-7 3 FLA J. Jackson 21-yard pass from Dean (Davis kick) FLA 47-7 4 FLA Foy 14-yard run (Davis kick) FLA 54-7 4 FLA T. Davis 11-yard pass from Wuerffel (Davis kick) FLA 61-7 4 SWL Gasaway 14-yard interception return (Shafer kick) FLA 61-14

Florida piled up a 61–14 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."^[34]

South Carolina

1 2 3 4 Total • Florida 0 20 10 7 37 South Carolina 10 13 3 0 26 Date: November 13 Location: Williams-Brice Stadium, Columbia, South Carolina Game attendance: 70,188

In Columbia, the Gators beat the South Carolina Gamecocks 37–26. The Gamecocks jumped out to a 17–0 lead, but the Gators cut the lead to 23–20 by halftime.^[35]

Down 26–23, 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.^[35]

Vanderbilt

1 2 3 4 Total Vanderbilt 0 0 0 0 0 • Florida 21 10 14 7 52 Date: November 20 Location: Ben Hill Griffin Stadium, Gainesville, Florida Game attendance: 83,818

Scoring summary 1 FLA Dean 35-yard pass from Doering (Davis kick) FLA 7-0 1 FLA Hill 18-yard pass from Dean (Davis kick) FLA 14-0 1 FLA Hill 4-yard pass from Dean (Davis kick) FLA 21-0 2 FLA Davis 45-yard field goal FLA 24-0 2 FLA J. Jackson 19-yard pass from Wuerffel (Davis kick) FLA 31-0 3 FLA Robinson 48-yard fumble return (Davis kick) FLA 38-0 3 FLA C. Dean 12-yard pass from T. Dean (Davis kick) FLA 45-0 4 FLA Frazier 67-yard pass from Kresser (Davis kick) FLA 52-0

Florida clinched another SEC east title, shutting out the Vanderbilt Commodores 52–0. The offense sputtered despite the score, but Ron Zook's defense provided the shutout.^[36]

Florida State

1 2 3 4 Total • FSU 7 6 14 6 33 Florida 0 7 0 14 21 Date: November 27 Location: Ben Hill Griffin Stadium, Gainesville, Florida Game attendance: 85,507

Scoring summary 1 FSU Vanover 5-yard pass from Ward (Bentley kick) FSU 7-0 2 FSU Bentley 23-yard field goal FSU 10-0 2 FSU Bentley 22-yard field goal FSU 13-0 2 FLA Jackson 11-yard pass from Wuerffel (Davis kick) FSU 13-7 3 FSU McCorvey 7-yard pass (Bentley kick) FSU 20-7 3 FSU McCorvey 16-yard pass (Bentley kick) FSU 27-7 4 FLA W. Jackson 13-yard pass from Dean (Davis kick) FSU 27-14 4 FLA J. Jackson 31-yard pass from Dean (Davis kick) FSU 27-21 4 FSU Dunn 79-yard pass from Ward (pass failed) FSU 33-21

Florida also lost to the national champion and rival Florida State Seminoles 33–21. The Florida offense was stymied early, and Dean subbed for Wuerffel by the second half.^[37] 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.^[37] Heisman Trophy-winning quarterback Charlie Ward hit freshman running back Warrick Dunn on a drag route,^[38] who turned up the sideline for a 79-yard touchdown and a 33–21 FSU win.^[39][40]

Postseason

SEC Championship Game: Alabama

1 2 3 4 Total • Florida 7 7 7 7 28 Alabama 7 3 3 0 13 Date: December 4 Location: Legion Field, Birmingham, Alabama Game attendance: 76,345

Scoring summary 1 ALA Lynch 1-yard run (Proctor kick) ALA 7-0 1 FLA Houston 13-yard pass from Dean (Davis kick) Tied 7-7 2 ALA Proctor 45-yard field goal ALA 10-7 2 FLA Dean 2-yard run (Davis kick) FLA 14-10 3 ALA Proctor 25-yard field goal FLA 14-13 3 FLA J. Jackson 43-yard pass from Dean (Davis kick) FLA 21-13 4 FLA Rhett 3-yard run (Davis kick) FLA 28-13

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.^[41]

The Gators defeated the Crimson Tide 28–13, winning their first SEC Championship Game and their second SEC football championship in three seasons.^[41]

Sugar Bowl: West Virginia

1 2 3 4 Total • Florida 7 14 14 6 41 West Virginia 7 0 0 0 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.^[42] 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.^[43]

External videos
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.^[43]

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.^[43]

Postseason

The 1993 team set a then-record for wins in a season.^[44] 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.^[45]

References