SEC Champs '94, Part III / Dawg Meat in the 'Swamp'
Thursday, September 19, 2019 | Football, Chris Harry
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By: Chris Harry, Senior Writer
GAINESVILLE, Fla. — After tumbling from No. 1 to No. 5, Steve Spurrier and his Florida Gators had an open date to process the crushing home loss to Auburn.
"I told our team we didn't coach our best game and a lot of players didn't play their best game," Spurrier said. "I'm sorry it happened this way, but we've lost one game here every year and we've regrouped and played better after that. Hopefully, we can do it again."
Yes, the Gators had done just that in the past under Spurrier. As recently as the year before, in fact. In 1993, they lost at Auburn, then ran the Southeastern Conference table all way through the league championship game. Florida could use that path as precedent, but this year was different because of the circumstances that followed that game against the Tigers.
For the 37th time in the last 38 years, Florida would face Auburn and Georgia back-to-back.
But for the first time since 1931, the Gators and Bulldogs would play in Gainesville.
Note: It was a big deal.
Florida safety Michael Gilmore (35) returned a fumble 59 yards for a touchdown, one of three defensive scores by the Gators in the memorable (and historic) home game against Georgia in 1994.
Due to renovations at the Gator Bowl to accommodate the pending arrival of the expansion NFL Jacksonville Jaguars, Florida and Georgia agreed to a two-year contract that would send the Bulldogs to Florida Field in 1994 and the Gators to Sanford Stadium in '95, thus breaking the series' string of 59 consecutive meetings in Jacksonville.
In the words of Norm Carlson, UF's longtime assistant athletic director for communications and resident historian, "I never thought I'd see this day come. Not in my lifetime, not in anybody's lifetime."
Said Spurrier, who entered the game unbeaten in four tries against UGA: "This is a historical game, maybe the only time in our lifetime Georgia will play here in the 'Swamp.' I know this will be a game people will remember for a long time."
The run-up to it was a time Terry Dean just as soon forget.
As if Dean's four first-half interceptions and subsequent benching in the Auburn loss wasn't bad enough, some remarks he made in the post-game locker room made their way back to the head coach. Spurrier had told Dean heading into the game against the unbeaten Tigers that he needed to play better.
The inference: Or else.
"It was something on my mind. I think I was more worried about how I was going to play, instead of us winning the game," Dean said. "All of a sudden, I got caught up in it and everything came crashing back down. [But] he can say what he wants, he's the head coach."
And Spurrier usually did. His answer to a question about the fifth-year senior QB — "Terry insinuated you may have put too much pressure on him to play well heading into the Auburn game. Do you agree?" — during Georgia week got a veiled but direct response.
Spurrier: "I don't ever want to be accused of putting too much pressure on a player to perform."
There was no need to read between those lines.
Dean never had to worry about that again. The offense belonged to Danny Wuerffel for the rest of the season.
"I'm going to stay out of the controversy. I'll let the turmoil take care of itself, like last year," said Wuerffel, who was part of a ping-pong QB game in '93 as well. "Coach Spurrier demands such excellence from the quarterback position. That's why he has been so successful. If you're not totally on it, he'll make a change."
He did. Permanently. Starting with a sold-out and maniacal Saturday night in the "Swamp."
To the time machine we go.
Game 7 Oct. 29, 1994 Florida 52, Georgia 14
What happened: Big plays and quick-strike touchdowns had been the calling card of Spurrier's offenses, but the fifth-ranked Gators unleashed a new scoring weapon against the rival Bulldogs — a defense. James Bates, Darren Hambrick and Michael Gilmore returned turnovers for touchdowns, as UF's 38-point margin of victory was its largest in series history, with the fifth straight win over UGA marking the longest streak for the Gators, as well. Florida jumped to a 14-0 lead on Wuerffel touchdown throws of 15 and 25 yards to Chris Doering, then got a field goal from Judd Davis early in the second quarter to make it 17-0. The Florida lead was 24-7 as the final seconds of the half were ticking away. Georgia quarterback Eric Zeier, looking to get the Bulldogs into field-goal range, forced a pass into traffic downfield that was intercepted by Hambrick (go to the 6:30 mark of the above video ... or better yet, just watch the whole thing and get a sense of the history, courtesy of Keith Jackson). The true freshman linebacker bobbed, weaved, ran through a couple arm tackles, and ultimately tight-roped the sidelines on his way to a jaw-dropping 81-yard interception return as time expired and the "Swamp" went berserk. Gilmore had an 59-yard fumble return and Bates a 9-yard interception return.
Numbers of note: Wuerffel went 19 of 34 for 209 yards and the two TDs to Doering, while Zeier was 28-for-45 for 261 yards, no touchdowns and four interceptions. …. Florida tallied 417 yards vs. 292 for Georgia. … Doering caught four passes for 73 yards and the two TDs. … Dean (with no pressure) entered the game in the fourth quarter and completed two of five passes for 21 yards. … The three defensive TDs were a Florida single-game record. … Hambrick's 81-yarder was the fifth-longest interception return in program history. ... Spurrier improved to 5-0 against Georgia, with all five wins coming against Coach Ray Goff (or "Goof," as the HBC often referred to him).
Steve Spurrier (left) and Georgia coach Ray Goff (right) leave Florida Field after the Gators' 52-14 blowout of the Bulldogs in the only series meeting at Gainesville the last 87 years.
They said it:
* "Very proud of the effort we showed tonight. When they put us under, they can say we beat Georgia at Florida Field." — Spurrier
* "This is the 'Swamp,' and we were up to our necks in it." — Georgia linebacker Randall Godfrey
* "We made a lot of plays on defense. There's no telling what might have happened without those plays. Zeier is a big threat and those plays took the ball out of his hands." — Gilmore
* "Everybody thought it was a given they would just run through our defense. Everybody thought Zeier would throw for 350 or 400 yards. We showed we can play some pretty good defense." — defensive coordinator Bob Pruett
* "A couple of guys were yelling, 'Pitch it to me! Pitch it to me!' There were four or five guys who tried to tackle me, but they started falling down like flies. After that, I looked for the end zone." — Hambrick on his pick-6.
* "That was like the final knife in Georgia's heart. It was spectacular. It killed the Bulldogs." — UF cornerback Larry Kennedy on Hambrick's play. Game 8 Nov. 5, 1994 Florida 55, Southern Mississippi 17
What happened: Homecoming turned into a day of "Musical Quarterbacks" at Florida Field. Wuerffel staked the Gators to a 14-3 lead early in the second quarter, then Spurrier sent third-year sophomore quarterback Eric Kresser into the game. Kresser threw an 87-yard touchdown pass to Reidel Anthony on his first attempt and commenced the next UF blowout of the season. Kresser and Wuerffel went on to share series the rest of the game. Kresser finished 14 of 21 for 309 yards, three touchdowns and one interception. Wuerffel hit nine of 13 throws for 148 yards and two scores. Late in the game, even Dean got a couple snaps, completing one of two passes for six yards (it went to his younger brother, walk-on receiver Jason Dean), giving UF 463 passing yards on the game. Junior wideout Jack Jackson was suspended for the first half for being late to practice the day before. He caught four passes for 78 yards, but was not happy with the discipline put his way.
Numbers of note:A school-record 12 different receivers caught passes against the Eagles. … UF managed just 102 yards rushing on 26 attempts, with 26 yards coming on a run by fourth-team tailback Ernie Dubose late in the game. … Wideout Aubrey Hill caught three passes for 46 yards and two touchdowns. … Walk-on Sam McCorkle had his second blocked punt of the season in the first quarter to set up a 2-yard Fred Taylor touchdown run.
They said it:
* "It depends on the situation. I'm not saying I don't know who it is, I'm saying I don't have to say who it is." — Spurrier when asked who his backup QB was.
* "I don't think he's third-team anymore." Southern Miss coach Bobby Bower when asked to comment on Kresser
* "It was kind of crazy out there, but it was a nice craziness." — Doering
* "We feel there's no job security here. One bad game and you never see the field again. I can relate to what Terry has gone through. I've been very supportive of Terry. To be that type of player, and to have that taken away from you, that's the kind of system we're running." — Jackson, reached by telephone several hours after the game and still miffed about his benching and claiming he left word with the football staff that he would be tardy to practice because he was dealing with his young son.
* We've got some stuff going on around here, but things could be worse." — UF senior center David Swain
* "I was just happy to finally get a chance." — Kresser
* "First it was Danny. Then you look up and it was Eric. Then Danny. Then Eric. Then Danny … you get the idea." — Hill
Game 9 Nov. 12, 1994 Florida 48, South Carolina 17
UF wideout Jack Jackson (1) against South Carolina and on his way to breaking the single-season and career SEC touchdown reception record during 1994.
What happened:The fourth-ranked Gators clinched their third straight SEC East Division title and berth in the league's championship game behind Wuerffel's 357 passing yards and four touchdowns on a blustery afternoon of swirling winds in the final home game at the "Swamp." UF fell behind 7-0 early, and 14-7 in the second quarter before awakening for 31 unanswered points bridging the two halves. Wuerffel had TD passes of 7 yards to Reidel Anthony, 4 and 23 to Jackson, and 38 to tailback Eli Williams, while safety Mike Harris returned a Fred Weary blocked punt 40 yards for a score.
Numbers of note:The Gators had 521 yards of total offense to the Gamecocks' 221. … Jackson was back in the starting lineup and caught six passes for 80 yards and the two scores, which moved him into second place on the SEC's all-time TD reception list with 26 (behind Auburn's Terry Beasley with 29). … Dean threw his first TD pass since the Auburn game, a 2-yard score to Sorola Palmer with 3:01 to play. … Davis booted six PATs giving him a school-record 55 (and counting) for the season. … South Carolina quarterback Steve Tanneyhill was limited to 11 completions in 19 attempts for just 87 yards and was sacked three times. … UF had 10 penalties for 104 yards and still won going away. … Florida's aggregate scores against opponents at home for the '94 season ended at 373-130 (or an average score of 53.3 to 18.6).
They said it:
* "Sometimes you need little things to clear the air. It doesn't bother me when a player says something about his coach, but this may have been a little overboard. You've just got to know Jack." — Spurrier a week after Jackson's remarks.
* "This season was going along great. Everybody was on our side until we lost to Auburn. After that, there was all kinds of controversy. But we have a great bunch of players who know what they want to accomplish. Our goal is to play for the SEC championship — and here we are." — senior defensive tackle Ellis Johnson
* "The Auburn game is history. We're on the right track again." — Bates
* "Our seniors were not going to let this team be divided." — Hill
* "We held our composure. Some things have been said out of frustration and anger, but we didn't get caught up in it. We didn't let it affect our unity." — junior offensive tackle Jason Odom
* "Coach Spurrier said it would be a championship-type atmosphere. This was my last game here. I wanted to remember it. I wanted to go out with a bang."— senior defensive end Kevin Carter
Game 10 Nov. 19, 1994 Florida 24, Vanderbilt 7
What happened:Taylor rushed for 140 yards and two touchdowns, while the UF defense put the clamps on Vandy by holding the Commodores' offense to just 116 yards over the game's final three quarters and just 54 yards passing total. With the SEC East title already in hand, Wuerffel completed 18 of his 23 passes for 221 yards, plus a touchdown and interception each. The UF lead was just 17-7 at halftime, and stayed that way for most of the third quarter, but Taylor's 2-yard scoring run with just over three minutes to play in the period put things away. Late in the game, Kresser was sent in, checked to a pass play and chucked an incomplete pass into the end zone, ruffling what was left of the Vandy fans, who booed and cursed Spurrier he left the field. The team almost immediately turned its focus to the regular-season ending showdown at FSU the following week, which stood between the Gators and a date with Alabama in the SEC Championship Game.
Numbers of note:Taylor averaged nearly 8.8 yards per carry. … Jackson caught five passes for 96 yards, including a 25-yarder to open the scoring midway through the first period. It was Jackson's 13th TD of the season and broke the team's single-season record of 12 set by Carlos Alvarez in 1969. . … UF's 9-1 record matched the program's best 10-game start in school history, with all of them (1990, '91 and '93) coming in Spurrier's first five seasons. … It was Florida's first game of the season on artificial turf.
They said it:
* "The story of the game was our defense and the way we were able to control Vandy's running game. And fortunately, we got our running game doing a little bit. … We actually threw it pretty well in the first half. We weren't completely terrible." — Spurrier
* "What we've accomplished to this point matters very much, but it won't if we can't finish strong." — Carter
* Florida State, then Alabama. Can two games get bigger than that?" — Odom
* "The animosity between the fans is probably at an all-time high. When I played, it was very unusual if Florida or FSU approached the top 10 rankings. Now, it's a given. With those higher stakes comes unbelievable intensity. I mean, unbelievable." — UF backfield coach (and former Gators quarterback) John Reaves on the pending date with FSU.
* "How big a game is it? It's a talk-noise game. You talk it before the game, and if you win it, you talk it after the game. When you lose, it burns in you for a whole year." — Wright on the upcoming Florida State game.
Game 11 Nov. 26, 1994 Florida State 31, Florida 31
FSU's players whoop it up in the fourth quarter of their incredible comeback from 28 points down.
What happened: It remains one of the most incomprehensible meltdowns in Florida football history. Hence, the nickname: "The Choke at the Doak." Down 28 points in the fourth quarter, FSU quarterback Danny Kanell threw for 238 yards over the final 12 minutes the seventh-ranked Seminoles stormed from 31-3 deficit and tied the fourth-ranked Gators before a record Doak Campbell Stadium crowd, many of whom filed out at halftime. Kanell completed 16 of his last 17 passes and tailback Rock Preston's 4-yard touchdown run with 1:45 left made the score 31-30. FSU coach Bobby Bowden, a renown game-day gambler over his career, opted to kick the extra point rather than attempt a two-point conversion for the win. The Gators got the ball back with a chance to drive to a winning score, but instead had their third three-and-out of the quarter and punted with seconds remaining. FSU took a knee and took the tie. As soon as the game ended, speculation began that the two teams could be paired for a rematch in the Sugar Bowl, provided the Gators could upset unbeaten Alabama in the SEC Championship Game the following weekend.
Numbers of note: The comeback tied the largest deficit overcome by a Division I team in NCaa history, equaling when Washington State, trailing 42-21, scored 28 straight points to beat Stanford, 49-42 in 1984. … FSU tallied 519 yards of offense to UF's 389, with the Gators gaining just 33 yards on four possessions in the final period. … … Wuerffel hit 21 of 36 passes for 304 yards, three touchdowns and two interceptions. … Jackson caught five passes for 70 yards and two TDs, with those two scores setting the SEC single-season mark for TD catches with 15 (break the record of 14 by Vandy's Allama Matthews). Jackson also tied Beasley's career SEC record of 29. … Hill had a 58-yard TD reception. … Kanell completed a school-record 40 passes for 431 yards and one touchdown. He was 18 of 22 in the fourth quarter. … Seminoles wideout Kez McCorvey caught nine passes for 127 yards, while tailback Warrick Dunn had 10 for 96. … With four PATs, Davis broke the SEC record for extra points in a season with 62. … Spurrier's record against Bowdens fell to 1-5-1.
They said it:
* "Well, you watched it. It looked like we were a lot better than them and then it looked like they were a lot better than us. I probably would've gone for two in the same situation, but fortunately they kicked it. … But a tie's a tie. Better than a loss." — Spurrier
* "I just felt if you're behind 31-3 and you have a chance to tie it up, you better go ahead and do it. I wish I could've won it, but that would've really been asking too much. I thought I would put pressure on them and let them gamble with the football. It almost worked." — Bowden
* "They threw the ball and completed it. Threw it and completed it, then threw it for a touchdown. And when they got back out they did the same [expletive] all over again. I mean, 28-point [expletive] lead in the fourth quarter? [Expletive!] … I would get kicked off the team if I told you my true feelings. I doesn't take a genius to figure it out." — Johnson, asked about the soft defensive schemes in the fourth quarter.
* "This feels like a loss. And if we're going to lose, let's go down going after them. Let's not sit back on our haunches and take this play after play. Do something!" — senior cornerback Larry Kennedy
* "We wanted to make the plays and stop them short. We just didn't make any. We played three great quarters and one really bad one." — Pruett
* "When you're that far behind you're playing just not to be embarrassed. We were just slinging the ball around the field, 'cause what's the difference between losing losing by five touchdowns or two touchdowns? — Kanell
* "I came back on the field and it was 31-24. It felt like someone hit me in the head with a baseball bat." — UF offensive guard Donnie Young, who left the game early in the fourth quarter with an ankle injury.
* "I was saying, 'C'mon, Wuerffel! Bring it on!' I wanted him to throw my way. When I walked over to their sideline, Spurrier said, 'Get back over there with your team.' I said, 'My team is right here. Throw something my way and see what happens.' … I call those guys 'busters.' They couldn't hold a big lead, so they're busters. I hope all those Gator fans enjoyed their tailgate parties." — FSU cornerback Corey Fuller
* "It was a fabulous game and the rematch could be even better. We'll be meeting on this in the next few days, but I really think it could happen. This is more than a regional game. A Florida-Florida State rematch would have national implications and we'd love to stage it." — Sugar Bowl selection committee member Sam Zurik Jr.
COMING FRIDAY SEC Champs '94, Part IV / HBC Masterpiece in ATL
