Watching 97 Florida vs fsu 32-29

Lotta sub-themes in the '97 FSU game.

• Quez circus catches & reverse pass back to Doug Johnson on a 4th down play
• Fred redemption after two early fumbles
• Spurrier evil genius, going to rotating QBs + 4th down reverse call early in the game
• Mike Harris prevents Travis Minor TD to prevent the loss; defense makes stand inside the 5
• Janicrimeski premature chompification = dooms the Nolies
• Quez gets behind the defense late in the 4th
• Dwayne Thomas dropped INT in the first half / made INT to seal the game.

 

For the ‘97 game, our local Gator club gathered at a restaurant to watch it. Turned out the local Seminole club showed up at the same restaurant. The restaurant’s big room had three giant television screens, along one wall. They gave the Noles the left-hand screen and the Gators the right-hand screen. The middle screen was some other game.

When the Polish hotdog kicked that field goal near the end and did the Gator chop, the noles next to us went crazy. Three plays later, they were stunned. The looks on their faces were gloriously priceless.

A friend of mine was one of the leaders of the Nole club. As he was wrapping up his spear and other decorations, I walked over and said something like “good game.” He turned and scowled at me and said, “Don’t even try to comfort me.” It was one of those moments I continue to savor to this day.

 

I was at that game. What a ride and what a win!

 

THE single play that set up any possibility of a TD winning it for us. I've talked about it here many times, and Coach Spurrier himself remembers Mud's effort to cross from the far side , causing Minor to need to tiptoe the sideline and Mud having just enough juice to barely, just barely, have the leverage to force Minor out short of a touchdown.

 

The Gainesville Sun ran a column and asked each senior what was their greatest moment as a Gator.
Dwayne Thomas was the only one that didn’t have one… instead in an almost eerie bit of what was to come he said “ mine hasn’t happened yet.”

 

-or- the cock block.

 

Me too..awesome game

 

Was there for that one too...so loud

 

Was Nat Moore still on the call and upset that the SWAC was not going to his Orange Bowl and they would not have the National Championship Game?

 

Good stuff
Also : F$U was favored by 18 points and ranked #1. Before the game, brain dead Tommy Barnhill of the AJC (Bulldog fan) and ESPN? Commentator said “FSU is only favored by 18 points? They will blow Florida out by 30!”
Best coaching I’ve ever seen that night. What a game!

 

This was the 2nd win vs fsu in 1997... The 1st