Florida Gators

GAINESVILLE, Fla. — Nine months earlier, University of Florida players, coaches, support staff and fans filed out of the Superdome in New Orleans having earned the celebration that ensued on Bourbon Street. Third-ranked and unbeaten West Virginia came to New Orleans saying it belonged in the national-champion conversation, but the Mountaineers met their match in the eighth-ranked Gators, whose 41-7 blowout victory put the finishing touches on an 11-2 record that marked the winningest season in program history. 
 

It was August of 1994 and UF went to preseason camp with 14 starters back and a ton of momentum having won two of the previous three Southeastern Conference titles, including a win over reigning national-champion Alabama in the league's second championship game in '93. 

Only once in the program's 87 years had Florida been ranked No. 1. That was in October of 1985, while on NCAA probation, and the fame (and number) was fleeting. The Gators were beaten soundly by Georgia and tumbled from the top of the polls after just seven days.  

The '94 team that opened the season at No. 1 was arguably the greatest collection of Gators ever and appeared built for staying power. It was Alabama legend Paul "Bear" Bryant who had once said Florida was a "sleeping giant" just waiting for the right coach to come along. Bryant died in 1983, well before that certain coach arrived, but the Crimson Tide folks he left behind were starting to understand. 

And they would understand even more in '94. 

This weekend, Steve Spurrier will welcome back his 1994 Gators as the team celebrates the 25th anniversary of that SEC championship season, a roller-coaster ride that led to UF's first run of back-to-back titles — and the first half of what became a conference-record four straight championships. Spurrier and his players will be honored during Saturday's showdown between the No. 8 Gators (3-0, 1-0) and Tennessee (1-2, 0-0) on the field that now bears his name. 

Make no mistake, these were glorious times for Florida football, which was the envy of the SEC. To commemorate that era — and that '94 team — FloridaGators.com will relive that season in the run-up to the UF-UT game via a four-part series. 

An offseason/preseason quarterback duel between senior Terry Dean and redshirt sophomore Danny Wuerffel was won by the former. Dean and Wuerffel had been in and out of the lineup during the '93 season, both with magnificent moments, but it was Dean who played the last two and half games after Wuerffel suffered a season-ending knee injury in a home loss to top-ranked Florida State. Dean had a pair of third-year starting tackles (Reggie Green and Jason Odom), a record-setting wide receiver in Jack Jackson, plus a trio of true freshman playmakers in tailback Fred Taylor and wideouts Reidel Anthony and Ike Hilliard. The defense returned eight starters, including end Kevin Carter, tackle Ellis Johnson and cornerback Larry Kennedy, but with a new coordinator in Bob Pruett, by way of Tulane. Pruett took over a unit that finished last in the league in pass defense two straight seasons under Ron Zook, who was demoted to coaching outside linebackers, safeties and special teams. 

From Day 1, the "Swamp" was alive, with the fireworks instantaneous — and that pretty much was a constant throughout the season; on and off the field. 

It may not have had the best ending, but there were some sterling moments along the way, including the raising of some hardware in the first SEC Championship Game ever played in Atlanta. 

To the time machine we go. 
  PART I  / "Life at the Top "

Game 1
Sept. 3, 1994 
Florida 70, New Mexico State 21 

What happened: In the first home game as the nation's top-ranked team, the Gators got a SEC-record seven touchdown passes from Dean, including four to Jackson, as the UF offense rolled to 56 first-half points before Dean gave way to Wuerffel and fellow backup Eric Kresser. Yet, the three touchdowns the Aggies got in the first half proved every bit the topic of conversation in the aftermath, despite a 49-point margin of victory. That's because the new Pruett-led defense surrendered a 73-yard touchdown pass on the Aggies' second play from scrimmage and two more TD passes in the second quarter, including one after a nine-play, 79-yard drive. The Gators found the end zone their first five possessions on the way to 618 yards of total offense (fourth-most in school history), including 462 before halftime. 

Numbers of note: The 70 points were the second-most in team history, behind a 73-0 defeat of Montana State in 1988. … Dean finished 20 of 30 for 271 yards and no interceptions, with his seven scoring throws tying the NCAA record for one half set in 1969 by Dennis Shaw of San Diego State.   … Kresser also threw a TD, giving UF eight scoring throws, which set a SEC team mark. … The Gators rushed for 219 yards, led by sophomore Elijah Williams' 96 yards, plus another 72 and a touchdown from Taylor in his collegiate debut. … Hilliard had a pair of TD catches. … Judd Davis kicked 10 extra points, also a UF record. … The crowd of 84,721 was the largest ever to attend a game in the state of Florida. 

They said it: 

* "It got to the point where it was a little boring out there. Everything worked." — Jackson 

* "I've never felt more comfortable in a game. It was like scoring at will." — Dean 

* "It's tough to deal with a team that scores 70 points. The thing I was encouraged with was that we were able to move the ball at times." — New Mexico coach Jim Hess 

* "We're not very excited about setting a bunch of records against an opponent that is not the kind of caliber we usually play. Obviously, it was a team out there we had out-personneled. I think we had good effort and our guys played hard, but we had some bad plays. … Hopefully, we can be a little more responsible back there in the secondary." — Spurrier 

* "It was like, 'What's going on here?' I'm thinking shutout and all of a sudden they've got seven points and the game just started." — UF free safety Michael Gilmore 

* Our offense can't be stopped, but without a defense … I just don't know." — Johnson 

*  I'm not by any means making an excuse, but it was in front of a big crowd, it's a new system and we made a couple errors that cost us. We got them corrected in the second half." — Pruett 


Game 2
Sept. 10, 1994 
Florida 73, Kentucky 7

What happened: Voters in the Associated Press poll apparently shared the concerns of Spurrier and his defensive players as far as UF's ability to stop teams, as Florida — after a 70-21 win — dropped from No. 1 to No. 2. If the dis irritated the Gators they clearly took it out on the outmanned Wildcats, with the 66-point margin of victory the largest by a UF team ever against a SEC opponent. Dean hit 15 of 22 throws for 201 yards, four TDs and no interceptions, while Williams carried 13 times for 115 yards and two scores, leading a UF ground attack that totaled 304 yards. The Gators led 31-7 at halftime, then scored three touchdowns in each of the final two periods, with the 73 points the most ever surrendered by a Kentucky team and the Wildcats most lopsided defeat in 89 years.  

Numbers of note: The 144 points over the first two games of the season not only marked the first time UF had scored at least 70 in back-to-back games, but also equaled for the most points scored in consecutive games, tying the 144 points scored by the 1913 team. That UF team beat Southern 144-0 and was shut out the next game against Auburn. … Florida had 582 yards of offense to Kentucky's 198. … Williams had a 51-yard run that marked the longest run from scrimmage by a UF back in Spurrier's four seasons. … Kresser, the No. 3 quarterback, threw a touchdown for the second week in a row. … For the second week in a row, 11 different receivers caught passes, with senior wideout Aubrey Hill hauling in two TD catches and Anthony scoring on a 65-yard throw from Dean in the third quarter. … UF got a defensive score when freshman safety Xavier McCray returned a fumble 33 yards in the third quarter. … Spurrier improved to 5-0 in SEC openers at Florida. … 

They said it: 

* "I'm not real excited it got out of hand. I would have been happy with a 38-10 [win]. Hopefully we can regroup and not get full of ourselves and start thinking we're gonna score 70 every week." — Spurrier

* "It was like we were playing Sega and we couldn't push reset ... only this was real." — Kentucky safety Steven Hall 

* We had to take our starters out for the good of sportsmanship." — UF fullback Chris Bilkie 

* "It's crazy. I think 73 is a pretty good number, and it's scary when you think what this offense might be capable of." — Dean 

* "We were destroyed by an outstanding Florida team. It's probably the best Florida I've ever seen and I'm not sure we even gave them a chance to find out how good they are. It was no contest." — UK coach Bill Curry 


Game 3
Sept. 17, 1994 
Florida 31, Tennessee 0 

What happened: Back atop the polls, the Gators left no doubt about their ranking this time. Embarrassed in its two previous trips to Knoxville, UF went to Neyland Stadium and blanked the 15th-ranked Volunteers in one of the program's most complete and overwhelming victories in decades. Though UF was a seven-point favorite, the Gators came into the game winless under Spurrier in seven tries against ranked opponents on the road, and handed the Volunteers their worst home shutout in 70 years. Jackson returned the opening kickoff 60 yards, but after reaching the UT 6, a Dean interception wiped out a chance to seize an early lead — and was reminiscent of the last two trips to Rocky Top. The rest of the game was not. Taylor's 7-yard scoring run and a 23-yard field goal by Davis had UF up 10-0 in the first quarter, despite the turnover. A 22-yard Dean-to-Jackson touchdown toss (that ended with a celebration dance and 15-yard unsportsmanlike conduct penalty) and 1-yard run by Williams made it 24-0 by halftime. The Gators' defense, so maligned in the opener, harassed quarterback Todd Helton, the future Colorado Rockies star, for five sacks, an interception and a fumble, and surrendered next to nothing to a Tennessee running game that began the day ranked first in the SEC. This was a total beatdown. 

Numbers of note: Dean, now on everybody's Heisman Trophy list, hit 18 of 26 passes for 303 yards, two touchdowns and the one pick. … Williams and Taylor combined to rush for 114 yards and two scores. … Florida didn't punt until its seventh possession. … Helton went 11-for-21 for just 123 yards before giving way in the fourth quarter to a true freshman quarterback named Peyton Manning (3-for-5, 27 yards). … UT was averaging 292 yards rushing per game, but finished with just 93 on 44 attempts. … Total yards at halftime: UF 346, UT 126. … Carter had eight tackles and two sacks for a UF defense that looked unblockable at times. … After giving up the three touchdowns to New Mexico State in the first half of the opener, Florida had outscored opponents 118-7 over the next 10 quarters.  

They said it: 

* "I can assure you I'm not worried about who's No. 1 right now. I'm just very proud of everybody who put on a Florida uniform tonight." — Spurrier 

* "All I can say is we did it on national TV. They saw the type of defense we have. They saw our team speed. They saw our maturity. We had to make a stand and we made our stand." — Kennedy 

* "Did we shut up the critics? You tell me. Their crowd was gonna be loud. They were gonna be pumped up, come after us and run the ball. We said, 'Bring it on!' " — strong safety Lawrence Wright. 

* "We felt we had something to prove on defense. TV and everybody was saying Florida can't do this and can't do that. Our players took that to heart." — Pruett 

* "There are lessons in football and lessons in life. This was an opportunity to learn a lot of lessons." — Tennessee coach Phillip Fulmer 

* "We had a great game plan. We knew about their offensive line and were aware of the challenge that faced us." — Carter 

* "They have to be the quickest team up front I've ever seen. It was frustrating out there." — Helton 

* "We've taken a lot of heat. The only way to stop that is to play well in front of this many people on the road. If we can keep doing that we'll be fine." — Gilmore 


Game 4
Oct. 1, 1994 
Florida 38, Ole Miss 14 

What happened: The Gators turned the ball over four times, gave up five sacks, were flagged for eight penalties and forced Spurrier to chuck his visor about a dozen times. Such a sloppy day in the SEC would have spelled doom for most teams, but not the No. 1 team in the country, which still beat the Rebels going away. Dean overcame three turnovers (including an 83-yard interception return for a score) with four touchdown passes, two to Mississippi native Jackson, and UF also scored when Kedra Malone blocked and Fred Weary returned it 10 yards for a TD in the first quarter that opened a 14-0 lead. Dean hit 19 of his 32 passes for 292 yards, but took a bit of a pounding in the pocket along the way. Despite the miscues and giveaways, the Gators still finished with 481 yards of offense, including 158 on the ground. The Florida defense held Ole Miss to just 185 yards, including minus-22 rushing. 

Numbers of note: The 38 points were the most scored against the rebels in Oxford since 1951. … UF remained unscored-upon in second halves for the season. … Once again, both Wuerffel and Kresser got mop-up snaps after the game was in hand. … After a first-quarter touchdown drive, the Rebels final 10 drives of the game resulted in eight punts, an interception and a fumble. … The UF defense exited the game allowing just 46.5 rushing yards per game. 

They said it: 

* "We were flat. But for being flat, we played pretty well." — Bilkie 

* "I was happy with the effort level of our players. They played extremely hard. We certainly weren't perfect, especially on offense. We left a lot of points out there." — Spurrier 

* "I'm pretty sore right now. No doubt, that was the worst game I've played in a while. I could never really get in a groove. And I got hit more than I ever have." — Dean 

* "We looked tired out there. The other team was in better shape." — Ole Miss interim coach Joe Lee Dunn

* "It's probably good that things went the way they did. This is going to help us in some tougher games down the road." — Doering 

* "We hung the bad laundry out early. We sucked it up for the first 30 minutes and put it on them for the next 30." — Wright 


Game 5
Oct. 8, 1994 
Florida 42, LSU 18  What happened: UF won another game by a fat margin, but for the second week in a row the Gators were far from the best version of themselves, despite jumping to a 20-0 first-quarter lead against the Tigers. Worse, though, a trio of front-line players suffered injuries that would carry over into coming games. Dean went 20 of 38 for 217 yards, with a touchdown and interception, as well as rushing for a score. It was Taylor, who had 16 rushes for a career-best 136 yards and a score, who carried the offense. The Florida defense, meanwhile, held LSU to 295 yards, with just 51 on the ground, and got an 88-yard interception return from sophomore cornerback Anthone Lott and blocked punt from walk-on Sam McCorkle to help open that 20-point cushion to start the game. At game's end, Williams (ankle and knee), Odom (knee) and cornerback Shea Showers (dislocated elbow) made up the wounded. Not great timing, what with a showdown with unbeaten Auburn looming in a week. 

Numbers of note: UF defeated LSU for a seventh straight game and ran its home SEC winning streak to 17 games, with 15 under Spurrier. … Taylor averaged 8.6 yards per carry. … Jackson caught a career-high 10 passes and moved into second place on the all-time UF touchdown receiving list, tying him with Wes Chandler. … Lott's pick-6 was the third longest in school history. … The Gators allowed their first rushing TD of the season when LSU tailback Jermaine Sharp scored on a 2-yard run. … Through five games, Florida had outscored its opponents by a combined 184-39.  

They said it: 

* We're not nearly as good as all you guys think we are, so quit saying we are. It might help Terry Dean and this whole offense if you said they looked like crap out there today. If it hadn't been for Fred Taylor, we might not have made a first down." — Spurrier 

* "Victories aren't always rosy or pretty. Sometimes they just happen." — Carter 

* "A lot of guys were just standing around on the sidelines and watching [teammates go down with injuries] and saying, 'Why is this happening all of a sudden? Now, the rest of us have to pick up the slack." — junior linebacker Ben Hanks 

* "I felt bad for Eli [Williams], but I knew I had to step it up." — Taylor 

* "It's funny. Anybody else beats a team 42-18, they've played a great game, but we know we're capable of so much more." — Dean

 * "We did some bad things early. Anytime you have a punt blocked and an interception returned for a touchdown against a good team like Florida, it's going to be awfully tough to get back in it." — LSU coach Curley Hallman 


COMING WEDNESDAY 
SEC Champs '94, Part II / The Auburn Debacle