Gator Talk - New Foe Visits The Swamp
Sunday, November 22, 2009 | Football
By Norm Carlson, Assistant Athletics Director/Gator Historian
Florida International joins the ranks of Sunshine State football opponents for the Gators, a list that also includes Florida State, Miami, Florida Atlantic, UCF, Florida Southern, Rollins, Stetson and Tampa.
There were times when the two biggest rivals were Rollins and Stetson, and a Florida coach needed to beat them and win the state championship if he wanted to continue to stay employed in Gainesville.
Florida's first head coach, James (PeeWee) Forsythe, found that out after losing to Rollins, 6-0, and beating Stetson, 6-5, in 1908, thus losing the coveted state crown. There was a new head coach the following season that finished at 6-1-1, winning the title despite a 5-5 tie against the Hatters.
Florida Southern came on the scene in 1913 and the Gators beat them, 144-0. The scores of the first four games in this series resulted in a 267-7 margin for Florida, and then the 1919 UF squad, under Coach Al Busser, lost to the Mocs, 7-0, in Tampa.
Busser was replaced the following season by William Kline in 1920. Over the next six seasons, the cumulative score between these schools was 115-0.
Of that original list only FSU, Miami, UCF and Florida Atlantic still play the game. Florida International is a rising young program that gave Rutgers all it could handle earlier this year in New Jersey before bowing, 23-15, and won on the road against Western Kentucky.
This and That: Who can remember a better touchdown catch than the one Riley Cooper made against Georgia? It's difficult enough to pull down a long throw with one hand, but to do it at the back corner of the end zone and get a foot down is even more remarkable.
The most famous scoring grab in UF history came in 1982, when James Jones caught a 17-yard pass from Wayne Peace with one hand while falling backward into the end zone. It resulted in a 17-14 victory at Florida Field over Miami.
That effort is still called “The Catch.”
Cooper's reception was even more difficult because the Georgia defender did an excellent job of staying with him. It took an incredible athletic play and a perfect pass from quarterback Tim Tebow. It was the second Tebow-to-Cooper TD pass in the first half.
Another note on the Georgia win: That was the first time Florida linebackers have come up with four interceptions accounting for the entire team total in a game. A.J. Jones got two, Ryan Stamper produced his first and Brandon Spikes scored a touchdown with his.
Next Week: FSU closes the regular season on “Senior Day” for the Gators. That should be an emotional day as a senior class departs with at least two National Championships. It is the most honored class in school history.
-UF-
