1997 #9 Florida Gators vs. #1 Florida State Seminoles: The Greatest Game Ever Played

good afternoon everyone and welcome the Nasdaq college football on CBS sports I'm Sean McDonough it's great to have you with us for the 40th meeting all-time in this rivalry it has become the most heated rivalry in all of college football as we saw during the pregame warm-ups when the two teams had to be separated players and assistant coaches had to be separated by the officials and in recent years this has also become the most important rivalry in college football as for the 10th consecutive meeting between these two teams both will be ranked in the top 10 in the nation at game time this year Florida State number one still on the path to a possible national championship in an appearance in the Orange Bowl Florida State cannot defend its national title rather Florida cannot but the Gators still are thinking about an alliance ball in a vacant with a national title they certainly would like to make sure the Seminoles don't coach Spurrier's quarterback today is Noah Brandeis the senior from Fort Myers over Vanderbilt in South Carolina the last two weeks punched up her phone today's on target the Travis McGriff Doug Johnson at quarterback we expect to see all three quarterbacks play today Johnson throws and it is jungle Dan pie he's got 54 catches on the year he's the outside man he just runs down the field against man to man take OD 27 on the coverage Green turns around and catches the ball on the rebound it's just a great individual effort by one of the best receivers in the Southeastern Conference it's Brandeis back in we're changing quarterbacks on virtually every play Fred Taylor lots of Running Room fourth down and three for Steve Spurrier and the Gators they're going for it at the 30 will toss Taylor pitches at the JA quiz green Johnson has one open inside the 20 and uh no phones at the 12 yard back in tale little touchdown being able to see set recognition and off my friend ice Taylor FOMO Sam coward picks it up touchdown Seminoles Lamont green knock it out they always say Johnson throws short Taylor fumbles again that's a free football and the Seminoles say they've recovered and they have the hold of a backup quarterback Marcus Olson right down the middle and Florida State takes a four-point lead passing to set up the run Busby on third and long throws man open it's Minnis inside the 10 with a price down three receivers to the right Busby under blitz touchdown Pierce all wide open two yards into the end zone see the difference in the delivery between Brandeis and Johnson Rin dice doesn't have quite a strong and eye but he has enough to get the Travis 5-yard line you think Florida's out of it they strike first and goal from the five Johnson in the end zone touchdown but it was a quick strike by the Gator one as a starter in his career nearly threw an interception it should have been he hit Dwayne Thomas right between the five in the two looks like Ford is going to come in a punt block here Hill was a quarterback in high school I'm going to keep in mind bad punt got on the run by Green bad direction by grain for just a moment but here he goes shut post rain out of bounds of the 48 yard line he started seven different combinations nine different offensive linemen a start of the game this year green face stopping a catch made at the 24 yard line that enable the ball to get launched friend ice from the four hands it off-- tailor untouched for a touchdown the interior the Florida line gets a push and the tailback tailors able to cut back into that huge void when you get a push at the line of scrimmage it creates running lanes and the Florida offensive line sit down once again look now as they have moved the chains one two left on the 1/2 1/2 from Florida State and old by a point Buzzbee going long poor Warrick Ben it down on a great defensive play by weary second America Busby hit as he delivers it is intercepted teako brown across midfield and down at the 34 yard and Chester put the hit on buzz be the number one team in the country Florida State it's the locker room down by a point knowing very well the other number one team in the nation Michigan is still undefeated with the wind today here's Michelle one minute played second half Florida has a one-point lead Buzzbee forced from the pocket has a man open EG green down to the 30-yard line third down and seven for us to throw it short and miners in trouble down back in the 13 yard line Bastian Janikowski won 4-1 today just to get Florida State the lead and it is good from 31 yards Florida State the best team against the run in the nation Florida's rush from 51 yards today Johnson back in on third down and 2 everybody up on the line for the Florida State defense and Taylor runs right by them Oh touchdown watch the block of the full-back number for me on Darrell Busch the middle linebacker Busch couldn't get off the block quick enough that's exactly one of the plays they ran against Florida State in the Sugar Bowl alder Stadium in the country we have not heard it Busby Rose has a man TG green in the Florida Territory with a first down all the way to the 38 tackled by Fred weary five and a half minutes left third quarter miner got hit and stayed on his face touchdown Travis minor what a run an excellent field position coaches when it would have hunted that ball to muskie Spurrier Busby sacked way back in the 24 yard line this possession Florida down by a point Taylor turns the corner and has room cuts back across midfield bought the rushing total that's the reason Florida State has gone in Reverse they were up over 100 that pass is the peace Kareem Oh Collins Cooper from 28 yards to give Florida the lead again and it's a line drive no god wide left should get the ball and good field position another high snap handled by Stephenson another low kick Warrick started at the 40 Warwick with some Running Room trying to get outside Peterson forced them to stop now he reverses his field he's giving up the yardage now he is room on the other side what a run by Warren he ran about a hundred yards yard-line Lorna the toss first of speed later inside the 20 that gonna pounds at the 6 yard line first and goal from the 6 the whole bag Abdullah second and goal from the 4 the pitch to get outside bounces off a tackler Glenn checks in third and goal from the two minor running right staff to the two yard line as an extra point become a tough angle 20-yard field goal Janikowski booms it through and he's three for three today and the kicking game the difference in the game at the moment that missed extra point on the first touchdown of the game by Florida and approved Florida's approach on every subsequent score out of whack the lever has switched over to Florida State in terms of the kicking game they certainly have had the better place kicking today and this guy's had a phenomenal day the number one ranking hanging in the balance perhaps on this Drive could be a last chance opportunity for Florida at 2:30 3:00 remaining Gator started their own 20 Johnson Lawson deep green is behind the defense he's at the 35 he's at the 25 he's taken at the 17 by tank owner and perhaps the number one ranking Doug Johnson remains at quarterback draw a Taylor big hole left at the one-yard line tailor the loan back first and goal with the one tailor the endzone touchdown in three plays perhaps too quickly fourth rushing touchdown of the day for thread taylor Lashon I hate to say I told you so but at the beginning of the telecast we mentioned Florida's offensive line and Fred Taylor Florida State's got two downs to make ten yards a four-man rush throws a second clean tennis deafening noise being made by the Gator fans and you have the feeling they're cheering just as loud in the state of Michigan for this play watch number 52 Duane Thomas he drops in zone coverage plays a curl route to perfection he dropped an earlier interception in this game but he didn't drop that one Bob Stoops the defensive coordinator they got to give him a little credit when guys takes the final snap morale is still alive for an alliance ball a huge victory sealed by Thomas's interception now the fielders Michele Tafoya you said this was your big game this was the ball game for you guys this was it talk about the effort of this team today well obviously God still smiling on the Gators crazy green Doug Johnson our defense you know everything to go perfect today but I kids this played their hearts out and we got a big close Victor this is good for us we needed this one all right coach we've got a couple your players standing by and we know here's something John where's green you set up just about every scoring play today with big plays talk about this rivalry and what it meant for you to come up so pick today it was a big win for snow here a lot of disappointments early to seize now I knew me and Frank Taylor made a lot of big play for office no I chance the wheel very great I made a lot of big plays know I'm team counting me make a blob big plays on camera on top I heard you come off after one big play just laid there in the fourth quarter and saying you know that's the ACC over there but we're the SEC and extra Santini later FS you know we're saying to you know ranked number one for six weeks ago so we knew good player names on with Seminoles and all week a my show that night congratulations on a terrific game thing now with Fred Taylor early on this game you fumbled twice and your friend Terry Jackson was there with you on the sidelines saying man get back in there not only did you get back in there you scored four touchdowns yeah my teammates they stuck with me um at one point I went to put my hair down but everyone told me there's no count on a man up above say a quick prayer and he'll make everything work out and everything worked out time everyone came into the skin talking about the amazing defense of Florida State you make them look quite so amazing they renew ACC competition not not audit so we put a lot of good teams in the SEC we just want to come out here and play 60 minutes on from the heart this all up how much does this make up for some of the disappointments earlier in the season the two losses it's probably the best billing without me it's my last games right I feel great congratulations frat boy Shawn well as all great rivalry games do they come down in the final few seconds Florida prevail against a strong Florida State team and you can just sense the relief in the Florida program because they clearly are troubled the last five weeks of the season now for Michele Tafoya Terry Donahue in our entire CBS Nasdaq college football crew I'm Sean McDonough say so long from Gainesville Florida once again the final score of tonight's game for 232 in Florida State 29 the Florida State Seminoles knocked from the ranks the unbeaten and the number one ranking you

Channel: In All Kinds Of Weather

Views: 63,257

Rating: 4.8032789 out of 5

Keywords: New, Project

Id: lJ6is6b_Bdo

Length: 15min 0sec (900 seconds)

Published: Fri Jul 13 2012

Reddit Comments

[u/HistoricalNazi]

Wait holy shit, for 10 straight years they played each other while both ranked in the top 10?!?!

[u/Caltoa]

Just in time for potentially the "Greatest" Game Ever Played in the Swamp.

[u/Human_Robot]

I miss good Florida teams :-(

[u/TDEconglomerate]

Delete this...

[u/[deleted]]

Best FSU team to never win the title?

[u/fanamana]

That was a very good FSU team, better than a few that played for the championship.

FSU had a deep drive late in the 4th that would have sealed it, and they blew it.

[u/WhileFalseRepeat]

A few thoughts...

1) I was at that game. It was incredible. Fuck I'm old.

2) Sean McDonough was so much better announcing college football.

3) I hope both UF and FSU can get back to being great next year - it always makes this rivalry special when something big is on the line.

4) In the words of Spurrier, I hope that "God's still smiling on the Gators" this Saturday. We could use a little love from the invisible man upstairs. I might even believe in God if we could win.

[u/bed-stain]

FUN Fact: Florida has never lost a game in the swamp that I've been to. Anyone got spare tickets?

[u/FSBlueApocalypse]

It was a good game, as painful as it is to admit.