1996 Florida Gators football team

1996 Florida Gators football
Consensus National Champions
Sugar Bowl Champions
SEC Champions
SEC Eastern Division Champions
SEC Championship Game, W 45–30 vs. Alabama
Sugar Bowl, W 52–20 vs. Florida State
Conference Southeastern Conference Eastern Division
Ranking
Coaches #1
AP #1
1996 record 12–1 (8–0 1st SEC)
Head coach Steve Spurrier
Offensive coordinator Steve Spurrier
Offensive scheme Pro-set, multiple
Defensive coordinator Bob Stoops
Base defense 4-3
Home stadium Ben Hill Griffin Stadium
Seasons
« 1995 1997 »
1996 SEC football standings
Conf     Overall
Team   W   L         W   L  
Eastern Division
#1 Florida x†   8 – 0         12 – 1  
#9 Tennessee   7 – 1         10 – 2  
South Carolina   4 – 4         6 – 5  
Georgia   3 – 5         5 – 6  
Kentucky   3 – 5         4 – 7  
Vanderbilt   0 – 8         2 – 9  
Western Division
#11 Alabama xy   6 – 2         10 – 3  
#12 LSU x   6 – 2         10 – 2  
#24 Auburn   4 – 4         8 – 4  
Mississippi State   3 – 5         5 – 6  
Ole Miss   2 – 6         5 – 6  
Arkansas   2 – 6         4 – 7  
Championship: Florida 45, Alabama 30
† – Conference champion
x – Division champion/co-champions
y – Championship game participant
Rankings from AP Poll

The 1996 Florida Gators football team represented the University of Florida in the 1996 NCAA Division I-A football season. This was the team's seventh season under head coach Steve Spurrier. They played their home games at Ben Hill Griffin Stadium in Gainesville, Florida.

Contents

Schedule

Date Opponent# Rank# Site TV Result
8–31–1996 Southwestern Louisiana* #4 Ben Hill Griffin Stadium • Gainesville, Florida W 55–21  
9–7–1996 Georgia Southern* #4 Ben Hill Griffin Stadium • Gainesville, Florida SS W 62–14  
9–21–1996 #2 Tennessee #4 Neyland Stadium • Knoxville, Tennessee CBS W 35–29  
9–28–1996 Kentucky #1 Ben Hill Griffin Stadium • Gainesville, Florida CBS W 65–0  
10–5–1996 Arkansas #1 Razorback Stadium • Fayetteville, Arkansas JP W 42–7  
10–12–1996 #12 Louisiana State #1 Ben Hill Griffin Stadium • Gainesville, Florida (Homecoming) CBS W 56–13  
10–19–1996 #16 Auburn #1 Ben Hill Griffin Stadium • Gainesville, Florida CBS W 51–10  
11–2–1996 Georgia* #1 Alltel Stadium • Jacksonville, Florida CBS W 47–7  
11–9–1996 Vanderbilt #1 Vanderbilt Stadium • Nashville, Tennessee JP W 28–21  
11–16–1996 South Carolina #1 Ben Hill Griffin Stadium • Gainesville, Florida ESPN W 52–25  
11–30–1996 #2 Florida State* #1 Doak Campbell Stadium • Tallahassee, Florida ABC L 21–24  
12–7–1996 #11 Alabama #4 Georgia Dome • Atlanta, Georgia (SEC Championship) ABC W 45–30  
1–2–1997 #1 Florida State* #3 Louisiana Superdome • New Orleans, Louisiana (Sugar Bowl) ABC W 52–20  
*Non-conference game. #Rankings from AP Poll released prior to game.

Postseason awards and accomplishments

National award winners

Draddy Trophy, National Football Foundation and College Hall of Fame Scholar, College Football Association Scholar-Athlete Team

First round draft picks

Game notes

Southwestern Louisiana

1 2 3 4 Total
Ragin' Cajuns 0 0 14 7 21
Gators 7 28 7 13 55


Georgia Southern

1 2 3 4 Total
Eagles 7 0 7 0 14
Gators 14 21 21 7 63


Tennessee

1 2 3 4 Total
Gators 14 21 0 0 35
Volunteers 0 6 10 13 29


The game was a showdown between No. 4 Florida and Mo. 2 Tennessee. Volunteers quarterback Peyton Manning had not beaten the Gators in two previous attempts, and after a second-half meltdown a year earlier in Gainesville, the Volunteers were looking to exact revenge on their SEC East rival in Knoxville. The game featured two of the top quarterbacks in college football, Manning and Florida's Danny Wuerffel. Both teams featured strong aerial attacks, but Florida's Fred Taylor and Tennessse's Jay Graham were among the SEC's best tailbacks. ESPN's College Gameday was on hand to broadcast their pregame show live from Knoxville.

The tone for the game was set on Florida's first drive, as Spurrier spurned the punt team on a 4th and 10 from the UT 35, and Wuerffel connected with Reidel Anthony for a touchdown to put the Gators up 7-0. Teako Brown intercepted Manning on the Volunteers' first drive, and it took Wuerffel only one play to find the end zone again, hitting Terry Jackson from 10 yards out to extend the lead to 14-0. Florida doubled their lead in a 52-second stretch early in the 2nd quarter, as Ike Hilliard and Jacquez Green became the third and fourth different receivers with touchdown receptions on the afteroon, sandwiched around a James Bates interception of Manning. Antone Lott's 27-yard fumble return stretched the lead to 35-0, before Manning finally got the Vols on the scoreboard before halftime on a 72-yard strike to Peerless Price.

With Florida switching to a more conservative offensive game plan in the second half, Manning cut the lead to 35-22 with 8 minutes left with 2 more touchdown tosses, including a second to Price. Andy McCellough's 14-yard reception brought the Vols within 35-29 with 10 seconds to play, but Florida recovered the ensuing onsides kick to hang on for a six-point win on a rainy Knoxville afternoon.

Florida would ride the early-season win over their bitter rival to a 10-0 start and the #1 ranking, before being upset by #2 Florida State in Tallahassee in their regular-season finale. With #2 Arizona State locked into the Rose Bowl, #4 Florida would need a win the following week in the SEC Championship against Alabama and an upset of #3 Nebraska by 21-point underdog Texas to get another shot at the Seminoles in the Sugar Bowl. Fate was with the Gators, as Texas stunned Nebraska 37-27, and Florida won a shootout with the Crimson Tide to earn a rematch with FSU. WIth #4 Ohio State defeating #2 Arizona State in the Rose Bowl a day prior, the Sugar Bowl would decide the national championship, and Florida dominated the rematch to win the school's first national title. Tennessee bounced back to stay in the national title picture at 6-1 before being stunned on the road at Memphis, and finished 10-2, defeating Northwestern in the Citrus Bowl.

Kentucky

1 2 3 4 Total
Wildcats 0 0 0 0 0
Gators 21 20 17 7 65


Coming off a big win in Knoxville the week before and being ranked #1 for the first time since 1994, the Gators were looking for somewhat of an easy home game against the Kentucky Wildcats. This would prove true as the Gators scored just 63 seconds into the game with a touchdown pass from Danny Wuerffell to Ike Hilliard. Wuerffell would have 3 touchdown passes in all, but the day belonged to Jaquez Green. In the 3rd quarter, Green took a punt back 66 yards for a touchdown. On Kentucky's next possession, they would punt again and Green, who was still breathing heavy from his first return, weaved his way for another return for a touchdown, this one from 79 yards. In all, the Gators amassed over 300 return yards from punts and kickoffs. In the end the Gators posted their first shutout since a 31-0 drubbing of Tennessee in Knoxville in 1994, with Florida defeating Kentucky 65-0.

Arkansas

1 2 3 4 Total
Gators 14 0 14 14 42
Razorbacks 7 0 0 0 7


LSU

1 2 3 4 Total
Tigers 0 6 0 7 13
Gators 14 28 0 14 56


With Florida winning so convincingly all season, the next two weeks might have proved a challenge for the Gators, with #12 LSU and #16 Auburn coming to town. It was business as usual for the Gators. LSU came in undefeated on the campaign and featured an offense that scored 38 points per game. Florida, however, was not thinking upset, as Danny Wuerffell threw three touchdowns, two of them to Ike Hilliard, and ran for another score as the Gators proved to have the better offense. Their defense came to play as well as they forced two turnovers and recorded 7 sacks and held the LSU offense to just 28 rushing yards. In the end, the Gators proved themselves worthy of the #1 ranking as they thumped the Tigers 56-13.

Auburn

1 2 3 4 Total
Tigers 7 3 0 0 10
Gators 7 14 16 14 51


It was another ranked team and another set of Tigers for Florida. This time, it was 16th ranked Auburn coming to Gainesville. Like the LSU game, the Gators scored quick and often, amassing over 600 yards of offense and holding Auburn to just 173 yards. Danny Wuerffell again threw for 3 touchdowns and ran for another for the red-hot Florida offense. The first half may have been closer than most would have expected, as Auburn kicked a field goal late to trail just 21-10. But that would be it for the Tigers as the Gators reeled off 30 unanswered points en route to a 51-10 win.

Georgia

1 2 3 4 Total
Bulldogs 0 0 0 7 7
Gators 20 14 0 13 47


  1. 1 Florida was coming in looking to win its 7th consecutive game against Georgia in the World's Largest Outdoor Cocktail Party. Wuerrfell again would have an outstanding game, bolstering his heisman candidacy, with 279 yards passing and 4 touchdowns. The Gators also amassed over 200 yards rushing. The Gator defense held the Dawgs to just 272 yards and one touchdown on the day. By the end of the day, Alltel Stadium was half teal (teal seats in the stadium) and half orange and blue as the Gators won 47-7. By this point in the season, Florida was bruising their opponents by an average score of 52-12.

Vanderbilt

1 2 3 4 Total
Gators 7 14 7 0 28
Commodores 3 0 11 7 21


South Carolina

1 2 3 4 Total
Gamecocks 6 9 7 3 25
Gators 14 14 7 17 52


Florida State

1 2 3 4 Total
Gators 0 14 0 7 21
Seminoles 17 0 0 7 24


Alabama (SEC Championship Game)

1 2 3 4 Total
Crimson Tide 7 7 14 2 30
Gators 6 18 14 7 45


Florida State (Sugar Bowl, National Championship Game)

1 2 3 4 Total
Gators 10 14 14 14 52
Seminoles 3 14 3 0 20

Scores by quarter

1 2 3 4 Total
Opponents 57 45 66 60 228
Gators 148 220 117 127 612

Personnel

Depth Chart

Offense
WR WR
Reidel Anthony Jamie Richardson
Nafis Karim Travis McGriff
LT LG C RG RT
Zach Piller Ryan Kalich Jeff Mitchell Donnie Young Mo Collins
Donnie Young Deac Story Corey Yarbrough Cheston Blackshear Scott Bryan
TE
Tremayne Allen
Teras Ross
Erron Kinney
WR
Ike Hilliard
Jacquez Green
QB
Danny Wuerffel
Brian Schottenheimer
Doug Johnson
Noah Brindise
TB
Fred Taylor
Elijah Williams
Terry Jackson
Eugene McCaslin
FB
Dwayne Mobley
Jerome Evans
Terry Jackson
Defense
CB
Fred Weary
Shea Showers
DE DT DT DE
Tim Beauchamp Ed Chester Reggie McGrew Anthony Mitchell
Willie Rodgers Keith Council Mike Moten Cameron Davis
CB
Anthone Lott
Tony George
Ronnie Battle
FS
Shea Showers
Teako Brown
Mike Harris
Will LB Middle LB Sam LB
Johnny Rutledge James Bates Mike Peterson
Keith Kelsey Dwayne Thomas Jevon Kearse
SS
Lawrence Wright
Demetric Jackson

Depth Chart: http://gatorzone.com/football/history.php?his=1996/depth1996.html

Roster

Quarterbacks

Running Backs

  • 6 Daymon Carroll - Freshman

Tailbacks

Fullbacks

  • 34 Jerome Evans - Senior
  • 35 Ernie Dubose - Junior
  • 36 Jayme Campbell - Freshman
  • 40 Rod Frazier - Freshman

Tight Ends

  • 80 Shawn Nunn - Senior
  • 82 Dwight Edge - Freshman
  • 88 Taras Ross - Junior
  • 89 Erron Kinney - Freshman
  • 91 Tremayne Allen - Senior
  

Wide Receivers

  • 3 Travis McGriff - Sophomore
  • 5 Jacquez Green - Sophomore
  • 8 Nafis Karim - Sophomore
  • 15 Reidel Anthony - Junior
  • 18 Jamie Richardson - Freshman
  • 19 Ike Hilliard - Junior
  • 20 Tyrone Baker - Junior
  • 31 Craig Dudley - Freshman
  • 83 Jason Dean - Senior
  • 84 David Nabavi - Senior
  • 85 Ian Skinner - Freshman

Offensive Line

  • 51 Ryan Kalich - Freshman
  • 57 Scott Bryan - Freshman
  • 59 Wyley Ritch - Junior
  • 62 Corey Yarbrough - Freshman
  • 65 Sean Ladd - Sophomore
  • 69 Zach Piller - Sophomore
  • 70 Cooper Carlisle - Freshman
  • 71 Jeff Mitchell - Senior
  • 72 Deac Story - Sophomore
  • 73 Pat Browning - Sophomore
  • 74 Zac Zedalis - Freshman
  • 75 Donnie Young - Senior
  • 77 Cheston Blackshear - Freshman
  • 78 Todd Holland - Junior
  • 79 Mo Collins - Sophomore
  

Defensive Line

  • 53 Thaddeus Bullard - Freshman
  • 54 Willie Rodgers - Junior
  • 55 Willie Cohens - Sophomore
  • 56 Cameron Davis - Senior
  • 61 Buck Gurley - Freshman
  • 64 Derrick Chambers - Freshman
  • 66 Keith Council - Junior
  • 90 Mike Moten - Junior
  • 92 Reggie McGrew - Freshman
  • 93 Tim Beauchamp - Sophomore
  • 94 Ed Chester - Sophomore
  • 96 Ernie Badeaux - Freshman
  • 98 Anthony Mitchell - Freshman
  • 99 McDonald Ferguson - Senior

Linebackers

  • 4 Jevon Kearse - Freshman
  • 22 Terry Jackson - Sophomore
  • 29 Mike Peterson - Sophomore
  • 30 Daryl Owens - Freshman
  • 39 Teddy Sims - Freshman
  • 41 Keith Kelsey - Freshman
  • 44 James Bates - Senior
  • 46 Xavier McCray - Junior
  • 49 Zuri Buchanan - Freshman
  • 50 Kavin Walton - Junior
  • 52 Dwayne Thomas - Junior
  • 58 Johnny Rutledge - Sophomore
  

Cornerbacks

  • 2 Shea Showers - Senior
  • 9 Anthone Lott - Senior
  • 10 Ronnie Battle - Junior
  • 24 Fred Weary - Junior
  • 28 Dock Pollard - Freshman
  • 48 Cedric Warren - Freshman

Defensive Backs

  • 38 Demetrius Lewis - Freshman

Safeties

  • 1 Tony George - Sophomore
  • 4 Lawrence Wright - Senior
  • 13 Mike Harris - Junior
  • 26 Jon Xynidis - Junior
  • 27 Demetric Jackson - Senior
  • 33 Teako Brown - Sophomore
  • 37 Reggie Davis - Freshman
  • 47 Rod Graddy - Freshman
  • 38 James Gray - Sophomore

Punters

  • 43 Matt Teague - Senior
  • 87 Robby Stevenson - Sophomore

Kickers

  • 14 Bart Edmiston - Senior
  • 43 Matt Teague - Senior

Long Snappers

  • 76 Mike Younkin - Freshman
  • 68 Scott Wise - Freshman
  • 60 Fred Hagberg - Junior

Coaching staff

Coaching Staff: http://gatorzone.com/football/history.php?his=1996/fastfacts1996.html

Team statistics

UF OPP
Scoring 559 201
  Points per Game 46.6 16.8
First Downs 303 192
  Rushing 118 81
  Passing 167 87
  Penalty 18 24
Total Offense 6047 3373
  Avg per Play 7.1 4.1
  Avg per Game 503.9 281.1
Fumbles-Lost 16-7 27-14
Penalties-Yards 125-1095 90-748
  Avg per Game 91.3 62.3
UF OPP
Punts-Yards 38-1475 86-3477
  Avg per Punt 38.8 40.4
Time of Possession/Game 28:42 31:18
3rd Down Conversions 59/145 49/189
4th Down Conversions 12/19 8/23
Touchdowns Scored 76 26
Field Goals-Attempts 10-18 7-11
PAT-Attempts 71-75 20-22
Attendance 512424 281107
  Games/Avg per Game 6/85404 4/70277

Scores by quarter

1 2 3 4 Total
UF 137 207 102 113 559
OPP 47 38 63 53 201

Player statistics

Offense

Rushing

Name # GP Att Gain Loss Net Avg TD Long Avg/G
Wiliams, E. 25 12 106 690 19 671 6.3 4 46 55.9
Taylor, F. 21 9 104 650 21 629 6.0 5 30 69.9
Jackson, T. 22 12 79 398 10 388 4.9 8 34 32.3
McCaslin, E. 32 9 41 301 11 290 7.1 4 63 32.2
Baker, T. 20 11 16 80 0 80 5.0 0 18 7.3
Hilliard, I. 19 11 4 33 0 33 8.3 0 13 3.0
Anthony, R. 15 12 4 27 0 27 6.8 0 21 2.3
Green, J. 5 12 6 24 3 21 3.5 1 10 1.8
Mobley, D. 23 12 2 17 0 17 8.5 0 10 1.4
Evans, J. 34 12 2 11 0 11 5.5 0 9 0.9
Dubose, E. 35 12 2 9 0 9 4.5 0 6 0.8
Schottenheimer, B. 16 9 7 10 7 3 0.4 1 3 0.3
Richardson, J. 18 9 1 0 0 0 0.0 0 0 0.0
Johnson, D. 12 7 3 2 12 -10 -3.3 0 1 -1.4
Brindise, N. 17 3 1 0 10 -10 -10.0 0 0 -3.3
Wuerffel, D. 7 12 63 126 226 -100 -1.6 2 18 -8.3
Team Total 12 442 2378 338 2040 4.6 25 63 170.0

Passing

Name # GP Effic Cmp-Atm-Int Pct Yds TD Lng Avg/G
Wuerffel, D. 7 12 170.61 360-207-13 57.5 3625 39 85 302.1
Johnson, D. 12 7 99.87 27-12-3 44.4 171 2 27 24.4
Schotetnheimer, B. 16 9 155.22 21-13-0 61.9 194 1 34 21.6
Brindise, N. 5 3 114.27 3-2-0 66.7 17 0 15 5.7
Jackson, T. 22 12 0.00 1-0-0 0.0 0 0 0 0.0
Team Total 12 164.37 412-234-16 56.8 4007 42 85 333.9

Receiving

Name # GP No. Yds Avg TD Long Avg/G
Anthony, R. 15 12 72 1293 18.0 18 56 107.8
Hilliard, I. 19 11 47 900 19.1 10 46 81.8
Green, J. 5 12 33 626 19.0 9 85 52.2
Williams, E. 25 12 14 253 18.1 1 45 21.1
McGriff, T. 3 8 14 167 11.9 0 27 20.9
Jackson, T. 22 12 13 163 12.5 1 43 13.6
Taylor, F. 21 9 8 120 15.0 0 38 13.3
Allen, T. 91 12 7 118 16.9 1 32 9.8
Richardson, J. 18 9 5 75 15.0 1 34 8.3
Ross, T. 88 12 4 93 23.3 1 45 7.8
Mobley, D. 23 12 4 51 12.8 0 19 4.3
Karim, N. 8 9 3 47 15.7 0 27 5.2
McCaslin, E. 3 9 3 40 13.3 1 19 4.4
Kinney, E. 83 11 3 40 13.3 0 15 3.6
Dubose, E. 35 12 1 9 9.0 0 9 0.8
Dean, J. 83 5 1 5 5.0 0 5 1.0
Nabavi, D. 84 9 1 5 5.0 1 5 0.6
Schiralli, N. 81 4 1 2 2.0 0 2 0.5
Total 12 234 4007 17.1 42 85 333.9

Defense

Name # GP Tackles Sacks Pass Defense Fumbles
Solo Ast Total TFL-Yds No-Yds BrUp QBH Int.-Yds TD Rcv-Yds FF Blkd Kick
Bates, J. 44 11 51 74 125 6.0-23 2.0-14 1 6 1-9
Rutledge, J. 58 11 40 59 99 12.0-58 5.0-39 5 1-0 4
Wright, L. 4 11 40 31 71 2.5-15.5 2.5-15.5 3 3 2-12 1TD 1
Showers, S. 2 11 52 16 68 1.0-1 3 1-0 1
Peterson, M. 29 9 27 18 45 3.5-10.5 0.5-1.5 2 3
Lott, A. 9 11 36 8 44 1.0-6 1.0-6 6 2-25 2-26 1TD 1
Kearse, J. 42 10 27 16 43 8.5-38.5 2.5-11.5 2 4 2 1
Chester, E. 94 10 21 20 41 9.0-35 5.0-28 19 1-0 1
McGrew, R. 92 11 23 15 38 3.0-4 1.0-2 1 7 1-0
Weary, F. 24 11 22 10 32 6 5-117 1 1-64 1TD
Harris, M. 13 9 16 14 30 1
Moten, M. 90 11 11 16 27 2.0-7 1.0-5 6
Mitchell, A. 98 10 13 12 25 3.0-14 3.0-14 1 5
Rodgers, W. 54 10 13 9 22 8.0-33.5 4.0-24.5 1 9 1-0 2
Jackson, D. 27 11 13 7 20 1.0-1 4 1 1-0 1-0
Kelsey, K. 41 8 9 10 19 4.0-17 1.0-9 2
Thomas, D. 52 11 12 7 19
Beauchamp, T. 93 10 7 11 18 7.0-43 6.0-40 9 1-6 1
Davis, C. 56 10 6 8 14 9.5-45 5.5-38 7 1-40 1TD 1
Brown, T. 33 6 7 4 11 3 3-73 1
Council, K. 66 10 3 6 9 2.0-9 1.0-7 1 3 1-0
Ferguson, M. 99 8 1 5 6
George, T. 1 11 5 2 7 1.0-7 1.0-7 1 1 1-2
Sims, T. 39 2 1 4 5 1
Owens, D. 30 2 2 1 3 1 1
Cohens, W. 55 3 2 2 1.0-4 1.0-4 2
Jackson, T. 22 11 1 1 2 1
McCray, X. 46 11 2 2
Perry, J. 4 2 2
Walton, K. 50 6 2 2
Badeaux, E. 96 6 1 1
Xynidis, J. 26 10 1 1 1
Battle, R. 10 11 1
Lewis, D. 38 10
Pollard, D. 28 6 1-0
Baker, T. 20 9
Total 11 467 386 853 85-372 43-266 37 93 14-226 2 14-148 4TD 15 3

Defense statistics reflect regular season games only

Special teams

Kicking

Name # Punting Kicking
No. Yds Avg Long Blkd FG XP
Stevenson, R. 87 35 1475 42.1 64 0
Edmiston, B. 14 9-17 64-66
Cooper, C. 70 1-1 7-9
Total 38 1475 38.8 64 3 10-18 71-75

Returns

Name # Punt Returns Kick Returns
No. Yds Avg TD Long No. Yds Avg TD Long
Green, J. 5 25 324 13.0 2 79 10 216 21.6 0 40
Anthony, R. 1 8 90 11.3 0 30 7 113 16.1 0 22
Richardson, J. 18 4 46 11.5 0 20 3 79 26.3 0 28
Hilliard, I. 19 1 10 10.0 0 10 5 144 28.8 0 40
Xynidis, J. 26 1 28 28.0 0 28
Jackson, T. 22 1 25 25.0 0 25 1 15 15.0 0 15
Lott, A. 9 1 0 0.0 0 0
Peterson, M. 29 0 9 0.0 1 9
Dubose, E. 35 2 18 9.0 0 16
Total 41 532 13.0 3 79 28 585 20.9 0 36

References

  1. ^ http://www.heisman.com/winners/hsmn-winners.html
  2. ^ http://sports.espn.go.com/ncf/awards?awardId=3
  3. ^ http://football.about.com/cs/history/a/jimthorpeaward.htm
  4. ^ http://www.pro-football-reference.com/draft/2002.htm

External links

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