1991 Florida Gators football team

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1991 Florida Gators football
SEC champion
Sugar Bowl, L 28–39 vs. Notre Dame
ConferenceSoutheastern Conference
Ranking
CoachesNo. 8
APNo. 7
Record10–2 (7–0 SEC)
Head coach
Offensive schemeFun and gun
Defensive coordinatorRon Zook (1st season)
Base defense4–4–3[1]
CaptainBrad Culpepper
Cal Dixon
Tim Paulk
Home stadiumBen Hill Griffin Stadium
Seasons
← 1990
1992 →
1991 Southeastern Conference football standings
Conf Overall
Team W   L   T W   L   T
No. 7 Florida $ 7 – 0 – 0 10 – 2 – 0
No. 5 Alabama 6 – 1 – 0 11 – 1 – 0
No. 14 Tennessee 5 – 2 – 0 9 – 3 – 0
No. 17 Georgia 4 – 3 – 0 9 – 3 – 0
Mississippi State 4 – 3 – 0 7 – 5 – 0
LSU 3 – 4 – 0 5 – 6 – 0
Vanderbilt 3 – 4 – 0 5 – 6 – 0
Auburn 2 – 5 – 0 5 – 6 – 0
Ole Miss 1 – 6 – 0 5 – 6 – 0
Kentucky 0 – 7 – 0 3 – 8 – 0
  • $ – Conference champion
Rankings from AP Poll

The 1991 Florida Gators football team represented the University of Florida during the 1991 NCAA Division I-A football season. The season was Steve Spurrier's second as the head coach of the Florida Gators football team. The Gators were led by quarterback Shane Matthews and first-team All-American defensive tackle Brad Culpepper.[2]

Spurrier's 1991 Florida Gators compiled the first-ever ten-win season in program history, an overall record of 10–2 and a perfect SEC record of 7–0.[3]

Schedule[edit]

DateOpponentRankSiteTVResultAttendanceSource
September 7San Jose State*No. 6
W 59–2183,067[4][5]
September 14No. 17 AlabamaNo. 6
  • Ben Hill Griffin Stadium
  • Gainesville, FL (rivalry)
ESPNW 35–085,069[6]
September 21at No. 17 Syracuse*No. 5
ABCL 21–3849,823[7][8]
September 28vs. No. 21 Mississippi StateNo. 14
TBSW 29–769,328[9]
October 5at LSUNo. 13
PPVW 16–072,019[10]
October 12No. 4 TennesseeNo. 10
  • Ben Hill Griffin Stadium
  • Gainesville, FL (rivalry)
ESPNW 35–1885,165[11]
October 19Northern Illinois*daggerNo. 6
  • Ben Hill Griffin Stadium
  • Gainesville, FL
W 41–1083,708[12]
November 2at AuburnNo. 6
ABCW 31–1083,714[13]
November 9vs. No. 23 GeorgiaNo. 6
ESPNW 45–1381,679[14]
November 16KentuckyNo. 5
  • Ben Hill Griffin Stadium
  • Gainesville, FL (rivalry)
W 35–2684,109[15]
November 30No. 3 Florida State*No. 5
  • Ben Hill Griffin Stadium
  • Gainesville, FL (rivalry)
ABCW 14–985,461[16]
January 1, 1992vs. No. 18 Notre Dame*No. 3
ABCL 28–3976,477[17]
  • *Non-conference game
  • daggerHomecoming
  • Rankings from AP Poll released prior to the game

[3]

Roster[edit]

1991 Florida Gators football team roster
Players Coaches
Offense
Pos. # Name Class
RB Brady Ackerman
RB Chris Bilkie
OL 69 Brian Fisher
TE Charlie Dean
QB 12 Terry Dean
C 59 Cal Dixon Sr
WR Monty Duncan
WR Tre Everett
WR Lester Ferdinand
TE Jim Franklin
WR Kevin Glenn
WR Aubrey Hill
WR 84 Harrison Houston
OL Hesham Ismail
TE Terrell Jackson
WR Willie Jackson
QB G. A. Mangus
QB 9 Shane Matthews Jr
RB Willie McClendon
RB Dexter McNabb
RB Kelvin Randolph
WR Ted Reynolds
RB 33 Errict Rhett So
OL Tony Rowell
TE George Rushing
WR Alonzo Sullivan
OL Jim Watson
OL Mark White
Defense
Pos. # Name Class
DB Myrick Anderson
DB Ephesians Bartley
DL Kevin Carter
DL 50 Brad Culpepper Sr
DL William Gaines
DB Lawrence Hatch
CB Larry Kennedy
DL Tony McCoy
DE Darren Mickell
LB Carlton Miles
DB Marquette Oliver
LB Tim Paulk
LB Ed Robinson
CB Del Speer
DE Harvey Thomas
S 2 Will White
FS 20 Sammy McCorkle Fr
Special teams
Pos. # Name Class
K Arden Czyzewski
P Shayne Edge
Head coach
Coordinators/assistant coaches
Legend
  • (C) Team captain
  • (S) Suspended
  • (I) Ineligible
  • Injured Injured
  • Redshirt Redshirt

Rankings[edit]

Further information: 1991 NCAA Division I-A football rankings
Ranking movements
Legend: ██ Increase in ranking ██ Decrease in ranking
( ) = First-place votes
Week
PollPre1234567891011121314Final
AP5 (1)66 (1)5 (1)141310666655537
Coaches7675 (1)151310666655548

Game summaries[edit]

San Jose State[edit]

See also: 1991 San Jose State Spartans football team

The season opened with a 59–21 victory over the San Jose State Spartans.

Alabama[edit]

The Gators defeated Alabama, 35–0. Spurrier treasured the wins against the Crimson Tide: "Those victories early – '90, '91 – really got us started there at Florida ..."[18]

Syracuse[edit]

The 1991 season also included a disappointing 38–21 road loss to the seventeenth-ranked Syracuse Orangemen in the Carrier Dome.[3]

Mississippi State[edit]

The Gators had a dominating confidence win over the twenty-first-ranked Mississippi State Bulldogs, 29–7.

LSU[edit]

Florida blanked the LSU Tigers 16–0.

Tennessee[edit]

#4 Volunteers at #10 Gators
1 234Total
Tennessee 2 1033 18
• Florida 7 1477 35
  • Date: Saturday, October 12
  • Location: Ben Hill Griffin Stadium, Gainesville, Florida
  • Game attendance: 85,165
  • Television network: ESPN
Scoring summary
1TENNC. Smith tackles Matthews for a safetyTENN 2-0
1FLAT. Jackson 2 yard pass from Matthews (Czyzewski kick)FLA 7-2
2FLAEverett 29 yard pass from Matthews (Czyzewski kick)FLA 14-2
2TENNFleming 4 yard pass from Kelly (Becksvoort kick)FLA 14-9
2FLARhett 4 yard run (Czyzewski kick)FLA 21-9
2TENNBecksvoort 43 yard field goalFlorida 21-12
3FLARhett 3 yard run (Czyzewski kick)FLA 28-12
3TENNBecksvoort 23 yard field goalFlorida 28-15
4TENNBecksvoort 23 yard field goalFlorida 28-18
4FLAKennedy 44 yard interception return (Czyzewski kick)Florida 35-18

The Gators defeated the fourth-ranked Tennessee Volunteers 35–18.[19]

Northern Illinois[edit]

Florida beat Northern Illinois 41–10 .

Auburn[edit]

The Auburn Tigers fell to Florida 31–10.

Georgia[edit]

#6 Florida vs. #23 Georgia
1 234Total
• Florida 7 21314 45
Georgia 3 370 13
  • Date: Saturday, November 9
  • Location: Gator Bowl, Jacksonville, Florida
  • Game attendance: 81,769
Scoring summary
1FLAW. Jackson 4 yard pass from Matthews (Czyzewski kick)FLA 7-0
1UGAParkman 41 yard field goalFLA 7-3
2FLARhett 13 yard run (Czyzewski kick)FLA 14-3
2FLAHouston 36 yard pass from Matthews (Czyzewski kick)FLA 21-3
2FLASullivan 61 yard pass from Matthews (Czyzewski kick)FLA 28-3
2UGAParkman 25 yard field goalFLA 28-6
3FLACzyzewski 25 yard field goalFLA 31-6
3UGAHastings 5 yard pass from Zeier (Peterson kick)FLA 31-13
4FLAW. Jackson 9 yard pass from Matthews (Czyzewski kick)FLA 38-13
4FLAW. Jackson 24 yard pass from Fox (Czyzewski kick)FLA 45-13
See also: 1991 Georgia Bulldogs football team

The Gators defeated rival and twenty-third-ranked Georgia Bulldogs 45–13.[20]

Kentucky[edit]

Florida clinched its first SEC title with a hard-fought win over the Kentucky Wildcats, 35–26. "The Gators appeared on their way to a comfortable victory with a 28-6 lead in the third quarter. That's when the UF band started playing the song "Pour Some Sugar on Me" by Def Leppard and students began throwing little sugar packets into the air. Then UK quarterback Pookie Jones went wild, almost spoiling the party. "[21]

Florida State[edit]

See also: 1991 Florida State Seminoles football team and Florida–Florida State football rivalry
#3 Florida State Seminoles (10–1) at #5 Florida Gators (9–1)
Period 1 2 34Total
Florida St 0 3 069
Florida 0 7 7014

at Ben Hill Griffin Stadium, Gainesville, Florida

Game information

Among the Gators' 1991 victories, the 14–9 defensive upset of the Florida State Seminoles was a particularly memorable victory played in front of a record home crowd (the previous record set only five weeks earlier vs. Tennessee).[3] The Gators scored touchdowns on a first-quarter run by tailback Errict Rhett, and a 72-yard bomb from Shane Matthews to wide receiver Harrison Houston in the third quarter, and held on to win. Gators defensive ends Darren Mickell and Harvey Thomas kept Seminoles quarterback Casey Weldon off balance and on the run in the second half, and, in the fourth quarter, Gators safeties Will White and Del Speer combined to break up a fourth-down pass to the end zone by Weldon with two minutes remaining§, thus saving the victory for Florida.[22]

Sugar Bowl[edit]

1 234Total
• Fighting Irish 0 71022 39
Gators 10 6012 28
Main article: 1992 Sugar Bowl
See also: 1991 Notre Dame Fighting Irish football team

Postseason[edit]

The Gators closed out their season with their first New Year's Day bowl appearance since 1974, a 28–39 defeat by the Notre Dame Fighting Irish in the Sugar Bowl, and were ranked seventh in the final Associated Press Poll.[3] Florida won the team's first official SEC championship, 59 seasons after joining the conference as a charter member. Quarterback Shane Matthews repeated as SEC Player of the Year in 1991.[23]

NFL Draft[edit]

The following Gators were selected in the 1992 NFL Draft after the season.[24]

Round Pick Player Position NFL Team
4 105 Tony McCoy Defensive tackle Indianapolis Colts
5 119 Dexter McNabb Fullback Green Bay Packers
5 127 Cal Dixon Center New York Jets
6 156 Tony Rowell Center Los Angeles Raiders
7 182 Tim Paulk Linebacker Atlanta Falcons
8 206 Hesham Ismail Guard Pittsburgh Steelers
9 241 Ephesians Bartley Linebacker Philadelphia Eagles
10 264 Brad Culpepper Defensive tackle Minnesota Vikings
12 309 Mike Brandon Defensive end Indianapolis Colts

References[edit]

  1. ^ "Zook's defense was offensive to foes". Tampa Bay Times. December 2, 1991. Retrieved September 20, 2023.
  2. ^ Carlson, University of Florida Football Vault, pp. 107–108.
  3. ^ a b c d e 2015 Florida Gators Football Media Guide Archived 2015-12-08 at the Wayback Machine, University Athletic Association, Gainesville, Florida, p. 107 (2015). Retrieved August 16, 2015.
  4. ^ "Florida's air attack too much for San Jose". The San Francisco Examiner. September 8, 1991. Retrieved November 12, 2023 – via Newspapers.com.
  5. ^ "Big West". The Los Angeles Times. Los Angeles, California. September 8, 1991. p. C18. Retrieved April 21, 2017 – via Newspapers.com.Open access icon
  6. ^ "Gators pummel Tide 35–0". The Tampa Tribune. September 15, 1991. Retrieved November 12, 2023 – via Newspapers.com.
  7. ^ Dame, Mike (September 22, 1991). "Orange Crush Gators, 38-21". The Orlando Sentinel. p. 31. Retrieved January 16, 2021 – via Newspapers.com Open access icon.
  8. ^ Sari Linn, Debra (September 22, 1991). "Orangemen Offer Gators an Option". The Orlando Sentinel. p. 39. Retrieved January 16, 2021 – via Newspapers.com Open access icon.
  9. ^ "Gators run to win over Miss. St". The Pensacola News-Journal. September 29, 1991. Retrieved November 12, 2023 – via Newspapers.com.
  10. ^ "Czyzewski's FGs, defense help UF beat LSU 16–0". The Palm Beach Post. October 6, 1991. Retrieved November 12, 2023 – via Newspapers.com.
  11. ^ "Florida's revenge, Tennessee falls 35–18". The Tennessean. October 13, 1991. Retrieved November 12, 2023 – via Newspapers.com.
  12. ^ "Florida struggles, but whips NIU". Chicago Tribune. October 20, 1991. Retrieved November 12, 2023 – via Newspapers.com.
  13. ^ "Gators a step closer". St. Petersburg Times. November 3, 1991. Retrieved November 12, 2023 – via Newspapers.com.
  14. ^ "Gators win 45–13, clinch tie for SEC". The Palm Beach Post. November 10, 1991. Retrieved November 12, 2023 – via Newspapers.com.
  15. ^ "How sweet! Gators rule SEC". The Miami Herald. November 17, 1991. Retrieved November 12, 2023 – via Newspapers.com.
  16. ^ "Florida finally solves slumping Florida State". Fort Worth Star-Telegram. December 1, 1991. Retrieved November 12, 2023 – via Newspapers.com.
  17. ^ "Irish thwart Florida". Wisconsin State Journal. January 2, 1992. Retrieved November 12, 2023 – via Newspapers.com.
  18. ^ "Steve Spurrier says early '90s wins over Alabama 'got us started there at Florida'". AL.com.
  19. ^ "Florida drops UT 35-18". Ocala Star-Banner. October 13, 1991 – via Google News Archive Search.
  20. ^ Larry Savage (November 10, 1991). "No. 6 Florida rules SEC". Ocala Star-Banner – via Google News Archive Search.
  21. ^ "Gators' streak vs. 'Cats filled with close calls". Archived from the original on May 29, 2016. Retrieved July 14, 2016.
  22. ^ Gainesville Sun. 1991 Dec 1.
  23. ^ "SEC Player of the Year Winners". College Football at Sports-Reference.com.
  24. ^ "1992 NFL Draft Listing". Pro-Football-Reference.com. Retrieved November 20, 2023.
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