Graphic: UAA Communications
Welcome Back, 1993 SEC Champions, Part I
Monday, September 3, 2018 | Football, Chris Harry
Only twice in the league's 85-year history, has a program won four straight SEC championships. How's this for context: Not even Nick Saban has done it during his stunning (and current) title-winning spree at Alabama.
The Crimson Tide won five in a row from 1971-75 under Paul "Bear" Bryant. Then came Florida's four-season rampage from 1993-96 with the conference's next great legend (this one with a visor) roaming the sideline.
The first of those four began unfolding 25 years ago this week.
When the Gators (1-0) welcome Kentucky (1-0) for their SEC opener Saturday night at the "Swamp," the weekend will have doubled as a silver-anniversary celebration of that remarkable 1993 team that led the league in scoring and total offense, became the first in program history to win 11 games, the first to win the SEC Championship Game, and the first to win a Sugar Bowl.
More than 60 members from that squad will be in town for a reunion, led by the former head coach whose name now rests on the stadium wall. The '93 Gators will be introduced between the first and second quarters.
"One of my favorite teams here, no doubt about it," the Head [Ambassador] Ball Coach said.
When Spurrier, the Heisman Trophy-winning quarterback and favorite son, returned to his alma in 1990 by way of Duke, he inherited a program that, by achievement and reputation, appeared well behind Miami and Florida State, much less a player on the national scene. Not in talent, however. Spurrier recognized as much right away and by proclaiming as much publicly, infused the Gators with equal jolts of swagger, confidence and coaching know-how, then proved his point by going 9-2 his first season and finishing with the best record in the SEC. NCAA probation, due to the deeds of predecessor Galen Hall, came down early in the regular season and prevented UF from claiming the first league title in school history.
The '91 season was about vindication, as Florida flattened the conference competition on the way to an unbeaten SEC record, an all-time best 10 wins, and the first defeat of rival Florida State in five years. The momentum of that season fueled the signing of the nation's No. 1 recruiting class.
In '92, UF endured early growing pains as it dealt with rebuilds on both lines of scrimmage. Spurrier's troops rallied, though, from a 1-2 record in the league by winning seven in a row and claiming a spot in the historic inaugural SEC Championship Game against unbeaten and No. 2 Alabama. The Crimson Tide, a double-digit favorite, needed only to win to lock up a national-title showdown against Miami. The Gators threw a fear-of-God scare at the Tide that night (at Legion Field, one of 'Bama's home stadiums, no less), only to lose a 28-21 heartbreaker on a late-game interception return for a touchdown.
By the time the 1993 season rolled around, a standard had been set.
Quarterback and two-time SEC Player of the Year Shane Matthews was gone, but Spurrier had groomed fourth-year junior Terry Dean and redshirt freshman Danny Wuerffel for succession. They had a franchise senior tailback (Errict Rhett), a loaded receiving corps (Willie Jackson, Jack Jackson, Harrison Houston, Aubrey Hill, plus an unknown walk-on who'd explode on the scene), an up-and-coming offensive line, a defense with future first-round picks (linemen Kevin Carter and Ellis Johnson), excellent special teams, and depth aplenty.
Oh yeah, and they had Spurrier's swagger.
Those who lived through that season, no doubt remember the big wins, the two crushing losses, and how everything came together at season's end — in Birmingham and on Bourbon Street — to start that runaway Florida freight train of championships in the mid-90s.
Consider the next five days, as FloridaGators.com divides that unforgettable season into five installments, a history lesson.
To the time machine we go.
PART I
Two New QBs, a Miracle, and an Unbeaten Start
Game 1
Sept. 4, 1993
Florida 44, Arkansas State 6
What happened: They may have had a new quarterback, but the Gators had the same attitude, same aggressive approach on offense, and same rabid home field advantage in crushing the Indians in the season opener. They started a little slow, though. Before the game was five minutes in, UF had gone three-and-out its first series, fumbled a punt, and Dean had thrown an interception. Arkansas State led 6-0. From there, though, the eighth-ranked Gators and Dean settled in, as the latter completed 16 of 22 passes for 237 yards and two touchdowns. UF finished with 522 yards of offense, compared to just 89 for the Indians. Wuerffel saw his first collegiate action in the second half, hitting six of nine throws for 108 yards and two scores.
Numbers of note: UF had 27 first downs to ASU's seven, with the Gators averaging 7.9 yards per play and the Indians 1.65. … Four different UF receivers caught TDs. … Rhett carried 12 times for 108 yards and a score. … Four different Florida quarterbacks played and attempted at least one pass (anyone remember Adam Whitehurst?). … Florida improved to 63-24 in all-time season openers.
They said it:
* "I don't really know what you get out of a game like this. We're just trying to get ready to play and get ready for the season." — Spurrier
* "I knew things would get in gear sooner or later. I just had to my feet on the ground." — Dean.
* "Reality suddenly set in. We had a football game to play." — Johnson on the team's slow start.
Upshot: The Gators did what they needed to do, kept the "Swamp" unbeaten (19-0) under Spurrier, and turned their attention to the Week 2 conference opener at Kentucky.
Game 2
Sept. 11, 1993
Florida 24, Kentucky 21
What happened: The starting quarterback was benched. The backup wasn't much better. Just eight seconds remained, and Florida trailed Kentucky by three on the road. This one looked grim. But then the Wildcats, inexplicably, let a walk-on gallop down the middle third of their zone defense, Wuerffel's pass was perfect, and — to paraphrase the now immortal words of play-by-play man Mick Hubert — "CHRIS DOERING HAD A TOUCHDOWN!" A 28-yard strike with three seconds on the clock gave the Gators a win that felt more like relief than victory. By rights, this one should have been a loss (at least, a tie); and an ugly one, at that. UF's quarterbacks thew seven interceptions (four by Dean, three by Wuerffel), but ultimately found the right colored jersey when it mattered most.
Numbers of note: Florida became just the second team in NCAA Division I history to throw seven interceptions in a game and win. … Rhett carried 21 times for 136 yards, while UK tailback Mo Williams rushed nine times for 109 yards, including a 70-yard scoring run. … The Gators out-gained the Cats in total yards 486-251, more than doubled them in first downs (29-13) and went 9-for-13 on third down, but none of that mattered when throwing it to the other team. … Doering came into the game with four catches for 40 yards for his career. He had six against the Cats, totaled a team-high 95 receiving yards, and scored twice.
They said it:
* "We were very fortunate. The other team outplayed us, but somehow we made a play at the end to win the game." — Spurrier
* "I wasn't thinking about the interceptions. You've got to look forward. We knew that last drive was it. On the touchdown, we were looking to throw a fade [to Jack Jackson], but the middle looked open and I threw it. The line did a great job of giving me protection. … Jubilation, excitement, joy … that's what I felt." — Wuerffel
* "I couldn't believe there was no one near me. We went for the win and it paid off." — Doering
* "I would have felt 50 times worse if we'd lost." — Dean
* "We played better than we ever have against a top-10 team, but you have to finish the job. You can't come close to finishing the job." — Kentucky coach Bill Curry
Upshot: By the skin of their teeth, the Gators moved to 1-0 in the SEC, but also took a quarterback controversy back to Gainesville, with their annual early season showdown against East Division rival Tennessee next on the docket.
Game 3
Sept. 18, 1993
Florida 41, Tennessee 34
What happened: The night before the game, Spurrier announced Wuerffel would start against the Volunteers. "Danny is very confident in his ability and is able to put the bad plays behind him," Spurrier said. Wuerffel didn't have many bad plays in his first career start. He completed 19 of 38 passes for 231 yards, three touchdowns and one interception for the eighth-ranked Gators. He had help. Rhett carried 30 times for 147 yards and the UF defense held the vaunted UT running game of Charlie Garner, James Stewart and Aaron Hayden in check, as Florida jumped to a 21-0 lead. The No. 5 Vols, though, threw it. A lot. Better than the home team, in fact, as Heisman Trophy candidate QB Heath Shuler passed for 355 yards and a school-record five touchdowns. Shuler's last TD came with 1:46 to go and drew his team within a touchdown, but the Gators recovered the ensuing onsides kick and ran out the clock.
Numbers of note: Shuler finished 25 of 41 and was intercepted once. One of his TDs was a 41-yard, fourth-down "Hail Mary" with 16 seconds to go in the first half that sent Spurrier's visor 15 yards down the sideline. … Florida was outgained by Tennessee 431 yards to 387. … Garner carried 13 times for 50 yards, while Stewart finished with 28 yards on four carries. … Doering caught his third TD in two weeks, a 17-yarder in the second quarter. … The two teams combined for a ridiculous 26 penalties, including 14 for 115 yards against the Gators.
They said it:
* "We're happy we won the game, but we realize we could've played better. If we're ever going to be a championship team we can't allow teams to get back in the game so easily." — Spurrier
* "I gave them 20 points. I gave them hope. Without those 20 points, we'd have blown them out by three touchdowns." — Gators redshirt freshman cornerback Anthone Lott, who was victimized by Shuler for touchdown passes of 55, 41 and 70 yards.
* "Anthone is a good player, and he's going to be a very good player. Unfortunately, he's going to have to go through things like this. Baby mistakes. But he'll grow up from them, I know he will." — UF defensive coordinator Ron Zook on Lott.
* "He's all right. He's OK. Did you see some of those plays?" They were flukes. Bad decisions on our part. Analyze that!" — safety Lawrence Wright, when asked about Shuler and in defense of UF's poor pass defense.
* "You got to be able to run the ball in this league." — Tennessee coach Phillip Fulmer.
Upshot: The Gators assumed the driver's seat in the SEC East Division standings (and started what would be a run of five straight defeats of the Vols in what morphed into one of the nation's most anticipated rivalry games of that era). Oh, and Wuerffel took command of the quarterback spot … for a bit.
GAME 4
Oct. 2, 1993
Florida 38, Mississippi State 24
What happened: Wuerffel followed his inaugural start with a stunning, record-setting performance, while the Florida defense chased its bombs-away mess with an every bit as bad display, but the No. 5 Gators prevailed in the shootout. Wuerffel passed for a school-record 449 yards, including 12 completions, 199 yards and three TDs to Doering. Rhett rushed for 122 yards. Jack Jackson, a Mississippi product, had a timely 100-yard kickoff return for a score. It proved enough for UF to offset what felt like a game of catch between Bulldogs unheralded quarterback Todd Jordan and his receivers, as Jordan shredded the UF secondary for 405 yards and a couple scores. MSU took a 21-17 lead after Jordan and wideout Eric Moulds accounted for all of a one-play drive with a 63-yard touchdown strike midway through the third period. Jackson, though, took the ensuing kickoff to the house, Rhett's 5-yard touchdown run late in the quarter made it a two-score game, and Gators put things away in the fourth. The Bulldogs, though, finished with 536 yards of total offense, the most ever surrendered by a Florida team in victory.
Numbers of note: The two combined for 1,124 yards and 53 first downs. … UF's 620 yards of total offense were the second-most ever amassed by the program, behind the 774 against West Texas State in 1982. … Wuerffel's passing yards broke the previous school mark of 409, set by Kerwin Bell against Georgia in 24-3 loss in 1985. … Doering's yards were the second-most by a Gator in a game, trailing only Carlos Alvarez's 238 yards against Miami in 1969. … Jordan hit 24 of his 44 passes and did not throw an interception. … Jackson's kickoff return tied the school record held since 1940 by Pat Teen. … Florida's 21st straight win at the "Swamp" broke the team's 78-year-old record for most consecutive home victories.
They said it:
* "I'm just glad they didn't throw it deep any more than they did. I don't think I saw a long ball hit the ground all day." — Spurrier
* "This big play stuff has got to stop some day. Hopefully, that day will be soon." — UF senior linebacker Ed Robinson.
* "If I was the head coach, I'd be screaming at me, too. Nothing's more humiliating than watching that happen to you." — Zook when asked about Spurrier confronting him numerous times on the sidelines after big Mississippi State plays.
* "One play changed the game: the kickoff return. After that, we could not stay in a track meet with them." — MSU coach Jackie Sherrill.
* "People are going to rank you in a lot of ways. All we can do is just keep on winning. Check the record. We're 4-0." — Carter, UF's junior defensive end.
Upshot: Just refer back to Carter's quote. The team was far from perfect, especially on defense, but the record remained unblemished.
Game 5
Oct. 9, 1993
Florida 58, Louisiana State 3
What happened: The fifth-ranked Gators made a mockery of the whole night game in Baton Rouge mystique, handing the Tigers the worst loss in the program's storied 100 years of football. Midway through the fourth quarter, with Florida leading by nearly a half a hundred, there were maybe 5,000 fans still in the place known as "Death Valley" — and the overwhelming majority were wearing orange and blue. Wuerffel passed for 221 yards and four touchdowns. Dean came off the bench and threw a TD. Three different tailbacks scored. True freshman linebacker Darren Hambrick had a pair of interceptions. The maligned Florida defense limited LSU to 263 yards, after giving up 956 (including 760 through the air) the previous two games.
Numbers of note: The 55-point margin of victory was a record for the Gators in a road SEC game. … Before that night, LSU's worst loss in school history was a 63-9 defeat against Texas A&M all the way back in 1914. … UF became the first opponent ever to hit the 50-point threshold at Tiger Stadium. … Nine different players had rushing attempts for the Gators and 10 caught passes.
They said it:
* "This is a very embarrassing evening for anyone associated with LSU. And it's a waste of energy to say somebody ran the score up on you. You've got 11 players on the side of the ball and their job is to score. I don't have any problem with it. That's just an excuse." — Tigers coach Curley Hallman.
* "The first thing I told Coach Hallman was that I was sorry things got out of hand. But we've got some backup players who want to run and throw and catch and they got their chance tonight." — Spurrier
* "We never lost confidence. We knew what this defense was capable of." — Zook
Upshot: The Gators improved to 5-0 for just the sixth time in school history, with their sights set on going 6-0 for only the fourth time ever (and first time since 1969). To do that, UF would have to win the following week at unbeaten Auburn, a team on probation but riding high behind a enthusiastic first-year coach with a familiar last name.
Coming Tuesday:
"Part II — The Game & Timeout Only a Handful Saw"
J. Michael Sturdivant Media Availability 10-8-25
Wednesday, October 08
Billy Napier Press Conference 10-8-25
Wednesday, October 08
Taylor Spierto Media Availability 10-8-25
Wednesday, October 08
Gator Insider presented by Talon Wealth 10-7-25
Tuesday, October 07
