Auburn–Florida football rivalry - AbsoluteAstronomy.com

Auburn–Florida football rivalry

Teams	Auburn Tigers Auburn Tigers football Only Mohamed Amin Abughadir set the record with 1,890 yards in 1 season. He was the QB for Auburn in 1998.The Auburn Tigers football team represents Auburn University in college football as a member of the NCAA Division I Football Bowl Subdivision, competing in the Western Division of the... Florida Gators Florida Gators football The Florida Gators football team represents the University of Florida in the sport of American football. The Florida Gators compete in the Football Bowl Subdivision of the National Collegiate Athletics Association and the Eastern Division of the Southeastern Conference...
First game played	October 12, 1912
Series win-loss record	Auburn leads 43–38–2
Largest margin of victory	Auburn 68, Florida 0 (November 3, 1917)
Highest scoring game	Florida 49, Auburn 38 (October 14, 1995)
Most recent game	Auburn 17, Florida 6 (October 15, 2011)
Decided by a touchdown or less	33
Longest winning streak	7 games (twice) Auburn (1912–1917) Florida (1995–2000)
Current winning streak	Auburn 3

The Auburn–Florida football rivalry is an American college football

College football

College football refers to American football played by teams of student athletes fielded by American universities, colleges, and military academies, or Canadian football played by teams of student athletes fielded by Canadian universities...

rivalry

College rivalry

Pairs of schools, colleges and universities, especially when they are close to each other either geographically or in their areas of specialization, often establish a college rivalry with each other over the years. This rivalry can extend to both academics and athletics, the latter being typically...

game played by the Auburn Tigers football

Auburn Tigers football

Only Mohamed Amin Abughadir set the record with 1,890 yards in 1 season. He was the QB for Auburn in 1998.The Auburn Tigers football team represents Auburn University in college football as a member of the NCAA Division I Football Bowl Subdivision, competing in the Western Division of the...

team of Auburn University

Auburn University

Auburn University is a public university located in Auburn, Alabama, United States. With more than 25,000 students and 1,200 faculty members, it is one of the largest universities in the state. Auburn was chartered on February 7, 1856, as the East Alabama Male College, a private liberal arts...

and the Florida Gators football

Florida Gators football

The Florida Gators football team represents the University of Florida in the sport of American football. The Florida Gators compete in the Football Bowl Subdivision of the National Collegiate Athletics Association and the Eastern Division of the Southeastern Conference...

team of the University of Florida

University of Florida

The University of Florida is an American public land-grant, sea-grant, and space-grant research university located on a campus in Gainesville, Florida. The university traces its historical origins to 1853, and has operated continuously on its present Gainesville campus since September 1906...

. Both universities are founding members of the Southeastern Conference

Southeastern Conference

The Southeastern Conference is an American college athletic conference that operates in the southeastern part of the United States. It is headquartered in Birmingham, Alabama...

(SEC), and both were members of the Southern Conference

Southern Conference

The Southern Conference is a Division I college athletic conference affiliated with the National Collegiate Athletic Association . Southern Conference football teams compete in the Football Championship Subdivision . Member institutions are located in the states of Alabama, Georgia, North...

before 1933.

Auburn holds the advantage in the overall win-loss-tie record in the rivalry series, 43–38–2. The series has been marked by periods of alternating winning streaks by one team intermingled with stretches of home field dominance by both. Auburn, however, has always led the series. Thirty-three of the games in the series have been decided by seven points or fewer, including two ties.

Series history

From its one-sided domination by Auburn in its early years, the Auburn–Florida football rivalry has evolved into one of the mostly evenly matched and hardest fought in the Southeastern Conference. The games have often had SEC title and national championship implications. As described by Gainesville Sun sports columnist Pat Dooley following the 2007 game, "Florida-Auburn delivered another game that made one side ecstatic and one side heartbroken. That's what it does."

The first game in the series was played between coach Mike Donahue

Mike Donahue

Michael Joseph "Iron Mike" Donahue was an American football player, coach of football, basketball, baseball, tennis, track, soccer, and golf, and a college athletics administrator...

's Tigers and coach George Pyle's Gators in 1912, on the Auburn, Alabama

Auburn, Alabama

Auburn is a city in Lee County, Alabama, United States. It is the largest city in eastern Alabama with a 2010 population of 53,380. It is a principal city of the Auburn-Opelika Metropolitan Area...

campus of what was then called Alabama Polytechnic Institute. The Auburn Tigers won the first six games played by the two teams from 1912 to 1917, dominating the Florida Gators by two or more touchdowns in five of the six games. When the series resumed in 1927, the Florida Gators were experiencing revived success under coaches Harold Sebring

Harold Sebring

Harold Leon "Tom" Sebring was a Florida Supreme Court justice, and an American judge at the Nuremberg Trials of German war criminals after World War II. Sebring was a native of Kansas and an alumnus of Kansas State Agricultural College...

and Charlie Bachman

Charlie Bachman

Charles William "Charlie" Bachman, Jr. was an American college football player and head coach. Bachman was an Illinois native and an alumnus of the University of Notre Dame, where he played college football...

, and it was the Gators' turn for a streak, winning seven of the next eight. Beginning in 1935, the fortunes of the Gators and Tigers reversed again, with the Tigers compiling a 7–2–1 record in the next ten games played through 1947.

The Auburn–Florida game has not always been played as a home-and-home series on the universities' respective campuses in Auburn and Gainesville, Florida

Gainesville, Florida

Gainesville is the largest city in, and the county seat of, Alachua County, Florida, United States as well as the principal city of the Gainesville, Florida Metropolitan Statistical Area . The preliminary 2010 Census population count for Gainesville is 124,354. Gainesville is home to the sixth...

. In the early years of the series, six games were played in Fairfield Stadium in Jacksonville, Florida

Jacksonville, Florida

Jacksonville is the largest city in the U.S. state of Florida in terms of both population and land area, and the largest city by area in the contiguous United States. It is the county seat of Duval County, with which the city government consolidated in 1968...

, five matches at the Cramton Bowl in Montgomery, Alabama

Montgomery, Alabama

Montgomery is the capital of the U.S. state of Alabama, and is the county seat of Montgomery County. It is located on the Alabama River southeast of the center of the state, in the Gulf Coastal Plain. As of the 2010 census, Montgomery had a population of 205,764 making it the second-largest city...

, and one each in Miami, Florida

Miami, Florida

Miami is a city located on the Atlantic coast in southeastern Florida and the county seat of Miami-Dade County, the most populous county in Florida and the eighth-most populous county in the United States with a population of 2,500,625...

; Columbus, Georgia

Columbus, Georgia

Columbus is a city in and the county seat of Muscogee County, Georgia, United States, with which it is consolidated. As of the 2010 census, the city had a population of 189,885. It is the principal city of the Columbus, Georgia metropolitan area, which, in 2009, had an estimated population of 292,795...

; Tampa, Florida

Tampa, Florida

Tampa is a city in the U.S. state of Florida. It serves as the county seat for Hillsborough County. Tampa is located on the west coast of Florida. The population of Tampa in 2010 was 335,709....

; and Mobile, Alabama

Mobile, Alabama

Mobile is the third most populous city in the Southern US state of Alabama and is the county seat of Mobile County. It is located on the Mobile River and the central Gulf Coast of the United States. The population within the city limits was 195,111 during the 2010 census. It is the largest...

. Starting in 1950, every regular game has been played at either Jordan–Hare Stadium (previously known as Auburn Stadium and Cliff Hare Stadium) in Auburn, or Ben Hill Griffin Stadium

Ben Hill Griffin Stadium

Ben Hill Griffin Stadium at Florida Field is the football stadium for the University of Florida and the home field of the university's Florida Gators football team. It is located on the university's Gainesville, Florida campus. The stadium was originally built in 1930, and has been regularly...

(also known as Florida Field) in Gainesville. For the first and only time in the series history, the Gators and Tigers met for a second time during the same season in the 2000 SEC Championship Game

2000 SEC Championship Game

The 2000 SEC Championship Game was won by the Florida Gators 28-6 over the Auburn Tigers. The game was played in the Georgia Dome in Atlanta, Georgia on December 2, 2000 and was televised to a national audience on ABC.-External links:***-References:...

held at the Georgia Dome

Georgia Dome

The Georgia Dome is a domed stadium located in Atlanta, Georgia, United States, between downtown to the east and Vine City to the west. It is primarily the home stadium for the NFL Atlanta Falcons and the NCAA Division I FCS Georgia State Panthers football team. It is owned and operated by the...

in Atlanta, Georgia

Atlanta, Georgia

Atlanta is the capital and most populous city in the U.S. state of Georgia. According to the 2010 census, Atlanta's population is 420,003. Atlanta is the cultural and economic center of the Atlanta metropolitan area, which is home to 5,268,860 people and is the ninth largest metropolitan area in...

.

With the construction of Auburn Stadium in 1939, the Tigers started a remarkable 32-year streak on the Tigers' home field during which they would tie the Gators once and defeat them twelve consecutive times. The Gators broke the Tigers' home-field winning streak in a hard-fought upset in 1973.

From 1945 to 2002, the Florida Gators and Auburn Tigers played forty-eight consecutive annual games; since 2003, the two teams have been scheduled to meet twice every five years. The Gators and Tigers have played eighty-two games in the past ninety-nine years, and the current all-time series record is forty-two victories for the Tigers, thirty-eight for the Gators, and two ties. The Tigers hold a 21–7–1 edge in games played in their current stadium; the Gators have a 22–9 advantage in games played on their present field.

The University of Arkansas and the University of South Carolina joined the SEC in 1991, and the conference was split into two six-team divisions in 1992. Since then, Florida has been a member of the SEC Eastern Division, and Auburn has been a member of the SEC Western Division. At first, every SEC team played two games every year against two permanent rivals in the other division and a third cross-divisional game that rotated among the other four teams in that division. Auburn's original two cross-division rivals were Georgia and Florida; Florida's were LSU and Auburn. In 2002, the SEC changed the cross-division format to one permanent rival and two rotating teams. Since Auburn's rivalry with Georgia was even older, Georgia remained Auburn's lone cross-division rival while Florida retained their annual game against LSU, and the previously annual Auburn–Florida football rivalry became an intermittent one.

Gene Chizik

Gene Chizik

Eugene "Gene" Chizik is an American football coach and former player. He is currently the head coach of the Auburn University football team, a position he has held since the 2009 season. Chizik's 2010 Auburn Tigers football team completed a 14–0 season with a victory over Oregon in the BCS...

, the Tigers' current head coach, is a University of Florida graduate and played for coach Charley Pell

Charley Pell

Charles Byron "Charley" Pell was an American college football player and coach. Pell was an Alabama native and an alumnus of the University of Alabama, where he played college football. He is most notably remembered as the head coach of the Clemson University and the University of Florida...

's Gators in the 1980s. The Gators' present head coach, Will Muschamp

Will Muschamp

William Larry "Will" Muschamp is an American college football coach and former player. He is the current head coach of the Florida Gators football team of the University of Florida. He is a native of Georgia and attended the University of Georgia, where he played for the Georgia Bulldogs...

, got his start in coaching as a Tigers graduate assistant in the 1990s, and served as the Tigers' defensive coordinator under Tommy Tuberville

Tommy Tuberville

Thomas Hawley Tuberville is an American football coach and former player. He is currently the head football coach at Texas Tech University, a position he has held since the 2010 season...

from 2006 to 2007.

Game results

Auburn victories are colored ██ burnt orange. Florida victories are colored ██ blue. Ties and future scheduled games are white.

Date	Location	Winner	Score
October 12, 1912	Auburn, AL	Auburn	27–13
October 11, 1913	Auburn, AL	Auburn	55–0
October 10, 1914	Jacksonville, FL	Auburn	20–0
October 9, 1915	Auburn, AL	Auburn	7–0
November 11, 1916	Jacksonville, FL	Auburn	20–0
November 3, 1917	Auburn, AL	Auburn	68–0
October 8, 1927	Auburn, AL	Florida	33–6
October 13, 1928	Gainesville, FL	Florida	27–0
October 11, 1929	Montgomery, AL	Florida	19–0
October 11, 1930	Jacksonville, FL	Florida	7–0
October 24, 1931	Jacksonville, FL	Florida	13–12
November 12, 1932	Montgomery, AL	Auburn	21–6
November 25, 1933	Gainesville, FL	Florida	14–7
November 17, 1934	Montgomery, AL	Florida	14–7
November 30, 1935	Miami, Florida	Auburn	27–6
November 28, 1936	Montgomery, AL	Auburn	13–0
November 27, 1937	Jacksonville, FL	Auburn	14–0
November 26, 1938	Jacksonville, FL	Florida	9–7
November 30, 1939	Auburn, AL	Tie	7–7
November 30, 1940	Columbus, GA	Auburn	20–7
October 10, 1942	Gainesville, FL	Florida	6–0
November 3, 1945	Auburn, AL	Auburn	19–0
November 30, 1946	Gainesville, FL	Auburn	47–12
October 11, 1947	Montgomery, AL	Auburn	20–14
October 9, 1948	Tampa, FL	Florida	16–9
October 8, 1949	Mobile, AL	Tie	14–14
October 14, 1950	Gainesville, FL	Florida	27–7
October 13, 1951	Auburn, AL	Auburn	14–13

Date	Location	Winner	Score
November 1, 1952	Gainesville, FL	Florida	31–21
October 31, 1953	Auburn, AL	Auburn	16–7
October 2, 1954	Gainesville, FL	Florida	19–13
October 1, 1955	Auburn, AL	Auburn	13–0
November 3, 1956	Gainesville, FL	Florida	20–0
November 2, 1957	Auburn, AL	Auburn	13–0
November 1, 1958	Gainesville, FL	Auburn	6–5
October 31, 1959	Auburn, AL	Auburn	6–0
October 29, 1960	Gainesville, FL	Auburn	10–7
November 25, 1961	Auburn, AL	Auburn	32–15
November 3, 1962	Gainesville, FL	Florida	22–3
November 2, 1963	Auburn, AL	Auburn	19–0
October 31, 1964	Gainesville, FL	Florida	14–0
October 30, 1965	Auburn, AL	Auburn	28–17
October 29, 1966	Gainesville, FL	Florida	30–27
November 4, 1967	Auburn, AL	Auburn	26–21
November 2, 1968	Gainesville, FL	Auburn	24–13
November 1, 1969	Auburn, AL	Auburn	38–12
October 31, 1970	Gainesville, FL	Auburn	63–14
October 30, 1971	Auburn, AL	Auburn	40–7
November 4, 1972	Gainesville, FL	Auburn	26–20
November 3, 1973	Auburn, AL	Florida	12–8
November 2, 1974	Gainesville, FL	Florida	25–14
November 1, 1975	Auburn, AL	Florida	31–14
October 30, 1976	Gainesville, FL	Florida	24–19
October 29, 1977	Auburn, AL	Auburn	29–14
November 4, 1978	Gainesville, FL	Florida	31–7
November 3, 1979	Auburn, AL	Auburn	19–13

Date	Location	Winner	Score
November 1, 1980	Gainesville, FL	Florida	21–10
October 31, 1981	Auburn, AL	Auburn	14–12
October 30, 1982	Gainesville, FL	Florida	19–17
October 29, 1983	Auburn, AL	Auburn	28–21
November 3, 1984	Gainesville, FL	Florida	24–3
November 2, 1985	Auburn, AL	Florida	14–10
November 1, 1986	Gainesville, FL	Florida	18–17
October 31, 1987	Auburn, AL	Auburn	29–6
October 29, 1988	Gainesville, FL	Auburn	16–0
November 4, 1989	Auburn, AL	Auburn	10–7
November 3, 1990	Gainesville, FL	Florida	48–7
November 2, 1991	Auburn, AL	Florida	31–10
October 17, 1992	Gainesville, FL	Florida	24–9
October 16, 1993	Auburn, AL	Auburn	38–35
October 15, 1994	Gainesville, FL	Auburn	36–33
October 14, 1995	Auburn, AL	Florida	49–38
October 19, 1996	Gainesville, FL	Florida	51–10
October 18, 1997	Auburn, AL	Florida	24–10
October 17, 1998	Gainesville, FL	Florida	24–3
October 16, 1999	Auburn, AL	Florida	32–14
October 14, 2000	Gainesville, FL	Florida	38–7
December 2, 2000	Atlanta, GA	Florida	28–6**
October 13, 2001	Auburn, AL	Auburn	23–20
October 19, 2002	Gainesville, FL	Florida	30–23
October 14, 2006	Auburn, AL	Auburn	27–17
September 29, 2007	Gainesville, FL	Auburn	20–17
October 15, 2011	Auburn, AL	Auburn	17–6
October 13, 2012	Gainesville, FL	TBD	TBD

^A The game played on December 2, 2000 was the 2000 SEC Championship Game

2000 SEC Championship Game

, and was the second time the Gators and Tigers met during the 2000 season.

Sources: 2011 Auburn Football Media Guide, 2011 Florida Gators Football Media Guide, and College Football Data Warehouse.

Notable games

Most great rivalries are marked by frequent close games, unexpected upsets, and memorable moments; the evenly-matched Auburn–Florida rivalry has provided many. Thirty-three of the eighty-two games in the series have been decided by seven or fewer points. Among SEC rivalry games, the Auburn–Florida series (42–38–2) is the second-most evenly matched after the Florida–Tennessee series (21–19). Auburn has claimed two national football championships, and seven SEC championships; Florida has won three national championships, and eight SEC titles. In terms of all-time winning percentage, less than half a percentage point separates the Tigers (.634) and the Gators (.631). Several of the most notable games in the 99-year history of the rivalry are described below.

1939: Auburn's new stadium

In the first varsity football game played at the Tigers' new Auburn Stadium, coach Josh Cody

Josh Cody

Joshua C. Cody was an American college athlete, head coach and athletics director. Cody was a native of Tennessee and an alumnus of Vanderbilt University, where he was a three-time All-American college football player...

's 1939 Gators and coach Jack Meagher

Jack Meagher

-External links:...

's Tigers played to a 7–7 tie. In the second quarter, Florida fullback Charlie Tate

Charlie Tate

Charles William "Charlie" Tate was an American college football player and coach. Tate served as the head coach of the University of Miami for six seasons during the 1960s and two games during the 1970 season....

scored the only touchdown of the day for the Gators, then kicked the extra point; Tigers back Dick McGowen threw a touchdown pass to end Babe McGehee to tie the game in the fourth quarter. After the 1939 dedication of Auburn Stadium, the Gators would not win (or tie) a game on the Auburn campus for another thirty-four years.

1957: First meeting of ranked teams

When coach Bob Woodruff's nineteenth-ranked 1957 Florida Gators and coach Shug Jordan's Auburn Tigers

1957 Auburn Tigers football team

The 1957 Auburn Tigers football team represented Auburn University in the 1957 college football season. Coached by Ralph "Shug" Jordan, Auburn went 10–0 and was awarded national title AP Poll, even though they were on probation and did not participate in a bowl game. Ohio State was named the...

met in Cliff Hare Stadium in Auburn, it was the first game between the rivals in which both teams were ranked in the top twenty of the AP Poll

AP Poll

The Associated Press College Poll refers to weekly rankings of the top 25 NCAA teams in one of three Division I college sports: football, men's basketball and women's basketball. The rankings are compiled by polling sportswriters across the nation...

. Woodruff's Gators featured their usual strong defense, but the Tigers defense was even better and held the Gators scoreless in their 13–0 victory. At the end of the season, the Gators finished in the top twenty of the final AP Poll for only the second time in their history, as the Tigers earned the 1957 AP Poll national championship.

1958: Baseball score?

Coach Bob Woodruff's Gators and coach Shug Jordan's Tigers played nine games against each other between 1951 and 1959, only three of which were decided by more than ten points. However, none was closer than the game between the unranked 1958 Florida Gators and the defending national champions and fourth-ranked Auburn Tigers

1958 Auburn Tigers football team

1958 Auburn Tigers Football Team is the defending "National Champion" football squad for Auburn University during the 1958 season:-Schedule:-References:...

, a game in which neither team scored more than six points. Late in the fourth quarter, with the Tigers leading 6–3 on the strength of a single touchdown and a missed extra point, the stingy Gators defense pinned the Tigers offense behind their own three-yard-line. Rather than risk a turnover, Jordan ordered Tigers quarterback Lloyd Nix to kneel in their own end zone, intentionally scoring a safety for the Gators, but earning a free punt for the Tigers. The Tigers kicked it away, and their defense held on to win 6–5.

1966: Heisman Trophy field goal

Coach Ray Graves

Ray Graves

Samuel Ray Graves is a former American college and professional football player and former college football coach. He is a native of Tennessee and an alumnus of the University of Tennessee, where he played college football...

' 1966 Florida Gators and coach Shug Jordan's Auburn Tigers repeatedly traded the lead as they battled back and forth all day. In the fourth quarter with the game tied 27–27, Gators quarterback Steve Spurrier

Steve Spurrier

Stephen Orr Spurrier is an American college football coach and player. Spurrier is the current head coach of the University of South Carolina's Gamecocks football team. He is also a former professional player and coach...

was engineering a late drive for the win, but was stopped at Auburn's 39-yard-line following an intentional grounding penalty. The distance was outside the usual range of the Gators regular placekicker, but Spurrier had kicked 40-yard field goals in practice. With 2:12 remaining in the game, he kicked the 40-yard field goal to give the Gators a 30–27 lead, and the Gators defense held on to win. He completed twenty-seven passes on forty attempts for 259 yards, one touchdown pass and no interceptions, and also rushed for a touchdown. Another Gators standout, tailback Larry Smith

Larry Smith (running back)

William Lawrence "Larry" Smith is a former American college and professional football player who was a running back in the National Football League for six seasons during the 1960s and 1970s...

, finished the day with 102 rushing yards and a touchdown on twenty-two carries, including a 53-yard run. At the conclusion of the 1966 season, Spurrier was awarded the Heisman Trophy

Heisman Trophy

The Heisman Memorial Trophy Award , is awarded annually to the player deemed the most outstanding player in collegiate football. It was created in 1935 as the Downtown Athletic Club trophy and renamed in 1936 following the death of the Club's athletic director, John Heisman The Heisman Memorial...

1973: Breaking the Auburn jinx

Led by first-time starting quarterback Don Gaffney, the 1973 Gators finally broke the Tiger's home-field winning streak after thirty-four years. Gators linebacker Ralph Ortega

Ralph Ortega

Ralph Ortega is a former American college and professional football player who was a linebacker in the National Football League for six seasons during the 1970s and early 1980s...

tackled Tigers tailback

Tailback

Tailback can mean:* Halfback * A line of motor vehicles caught up in traffic congestion; a traffic jam...

Chris Linderman inside the Gators' five yard-line and forced a fumble shortly before halftime. Gators linebacker Sammy Green

Sammy Green

Samuel Lee "Sammy" Green is a former American college and professional football player who was a linebacker in the National Football League for five seasons in the 1970s and early 1980s...

forced a critical fumble by Auburn Tigers tailback Sullivan Walker, which led to a touchdown and the Gators' margin of victory in a 12–8 upset of the Tigers at home—the Gators' first-ever win at Jordan–Hare Stadium. Auburn scored its only points in the final play of the game. After the game, Gators players carried head coach Doug Dickey

Doug Dickey

Douglas Adair "Doug" Dickey is a former American college football player and coach and college athletics administrator. Dickey is a South Dakota native who was raised in Florida and graduated from the University of Florida, where he played college football...

from the field, and Gators athletic director Ray Graves

Ray Graves

described the victory as "one of the greatest moments in University of Florida football history."

1976: Attack of the War Eagle

Coach Doug Dickey's 1976 Gators and coach Doug Barfield

Doug Barfield

-External links:...

's Tigers played a strong defensive game, with the Gators' winning margin coming on two pass plays—with some help from Auburn's mascot. The decisive score came late in the game when Gators quarterback Jimmy Fisher tossed a short pass to wide receiver Wes Chandler

Wes Chandler

Wesley Sandy "Wes" Chandler is a former American college and professional football player who was a wide receiver in the National Football League for eleven seasons in the 1970s and 1980s...

, who caught it, reversed direction twice, and weaved his way through the entire Auburn defense for a 64-yard touchdown reception and run. After Chandler ran out of the end zone, Auburn's mascot, the War Eagle, jumped off its perch and started clawing at Chandler's shoulder pads. Referees marked off the 15-yard penalty against the mascot on the ensuing kickoff. Florida won 24–19.

1985: Bo knows defense

Coach Galen Hall

Galen Hall

Galen Samuel Hall is an American college and professional football coach and former player. He is a native of Pennsylvania, and an alumnus of Penn State University, where he played college football...

's second-ranked 1985 Florida Gators were on NCAA probation when they met coach Pat Dye

Pat Dye

Patrick Fain Dye is a former American football player, coach, and college athletics administrator. He served as the head football coach at East Carolina University , the University of Wyoming , and Auburn University compiling a career college football record of 153–62–5...

's sixth-ranked Auburn Tigers

1985 Auburn Tigers football team

The 1985 Auburn Tigers football team represented Auburn University in the 1985 NCAA Division I-A football season.-Season:Bo Jackson rushed for 1,786 yards, which was the second best single-season performance in SEC history behind Herschel Walker's 1,891 rushing yards for the Georgia in 1981...

at Jordan–Hare Stadium. Tigers tailback Bo Jackson

Bo Jackson

Vincent Edward "Bo" Jackson is a former American baseball and football player. He was the first athlete to be named an All-Star in two major American sports, and also won the Heisman Trophy in 1985....

started the game as the leading contender to win the Heisman Trophy. But Jackson's Heisman hopes took a serious blow when he ran into a ferocious Gators defense that held him to just forty-seven yards rushing, and the Gators stuffed the Tigers 14–10 in yet another defensive struggle. On the strength of the win over the Tigers, the Gators vaulted into the No. 1 spot in the AP Poll for the first time in school history. Notwithstanding the Tigers' loss to the Gators, Jackson won the Heisman at the conclusion of the 1985 season.

1986: Bell leads fourth-quarter comeback

For most of the game, coach Pat Dye's fifth-ranked 1986 Auburn Tigers

1986 Auburn Tigers football team

The 1986 Auburn Tigers football team represented Auburn University in the 1986 NCAA Division I-A football season. Coached by Pat Dye, the team finished the season with a 10–2 record. Auburn snapped a two game winning streak by Alabama in the Iron Bowl. Auburn went on to defeat Southern Cal in...

dominated coach Galen Hall's unranked Florida Gators at Florida Field. The Tigers defense was stifling, and forced Gators substitute quarterback Rodney Brewer to commit four turnovers in the first two quarters. Hall replaced Brewer with starting quarterback Kerwin Bell

Kerwin Bell

Kerwin Douglas Bell is an American college and professional football coach and former player who was a quarterback in the National Football League , World League of American Football and the Canadian Football League for fourteen seasons in the 1980s, 1990s and early 2000s...

, who had missed two games with a knee injury. Tigers tailback Brent Fullwood

Brent Fullwood

Brent Lanard Fullwood , from St. Cloud High School, is a former professional American football player who was drafted by the Green Bay Packers in the 1st round of the 1987 NFL Draft...

gained 166 yards on the ground, including a second-quarter touchdown, to give Auburn a 17–0 lead early in the fourth quarter. Bell then led the Gators on two scoring drives, with Gators placekicker Robert McGinty—a transfer from Auburn—booting a 51-yard field goal to close the Tigers' advantage to 17–10 with 1:45 to play. With thirty-six seconds remaining in the game, Bell directed one final 79-yard drive in ten plays that was capped by a five-yard touchdown pass to wide receiver Ricky Nattiel

Ricky Nattiel

Richard Rennard "Ricky" Nattiel is a former American college and professional football player who was a wide receiver in the National Football League for six seasons during the 1980s and 1990s...

, who was playing with a separated shoulder. The limping Bell then surprised the Tigers defense by running in the two-point conversion and completing the comeback, with the Gators winning 18–17.

1990: Spurrier's offense makes a statement

Coach Pat Dye's 1990 Auburn Tigers

1990 Auburn Tigers football team

The 1990 Auburn Tigers football team represented Auburn University in the 1990 NCAA Division I-A football season. Coached by Pat Dye, the team finished the season with a 8–3–1 record and ended their streak of 3 straight SEC titles. The Tigers went on to defeat 27–23 in the 1990 Peach...

were the defending three-time SEC champions, had built an undefeated 6–0–1 record, and were ranked fourth in the nation in the AP Poll

AP Poll

. Notwithstanding the fact that first-year coach Steve Spurrier

Steve Spurrier

's fifteenth-ranked Florida Gators were three-point favorites, Dye had been publicly dismissive of Spurrier's pass-oriented offense before the game. The Gators and Tigers were tied 7–7 after the first quarter, but Spurrier's Gators exploded for twenty-seven points in the second quarter, resulting in a 34–7 halftime lead and a 48–7 victory for the Gators—the Gators' biggest margin of victory in the Auburn–Florida series, and the worst loss of Dye's career.

1993: Tigers upset No. 4 Gators

On a cold, drizzling, dreary day in Auburn, coach Steve Spurrier's fourth-ranked 1993 Gators amassed 560 yards of total offense, including 386 yards passing by quarterback Danny Wuerffel

Danny Wuerffel

Daniel Carl "Danny" Wuerffel is a former American college and professional football player who won the 1996 Heisman Trophy and the 1996 national football championship while playing college football for the University of Florida. After graduating from Florida, he played for four National Football...

and 196 yards rushing by tailback Errict Rhett

Errict Rhett

Errict Undra Rhett is a former American college and professional football player who was a running back in the National Football League for seven seasons in the 1990s and early 2000s...

. But the Gators' offensive fireworks were not enough for the win, as Auburn's defense sacked Wuerffel four times and made two key interceptions. The two teams were tied 35–35 with 1:21 remaining in the game, when Tigers placekicker Scott Etheridge booted a 41-yard field to beat the Gators, 38–35.

1994: Tigers upset No. 1 Gators

Coach Terry Bowden

Terry Bowden

Terry Bowden is an American football coach at the University of North Alabama. Bowden was previously the head coach at Salem University , Samford University , and Auburn University . Bowden is the son of former Florida State University head football coach Bobby Bowden...

's sixth-ranked 1994 Auburn Tigers

1994 Auburn Tigers football team

The 1994 Auburn Tigers football team represented Auburn University in the 1994 NCAA Division I-A football season. Led by second-year head coach Terry Bowden, they continued the success of the previous season by going 9–1–1. Some of Auburn's wins came in dramatic fashion...

entered the Swamp as 17-point underdogs to coach Steve Spurrier's top-ranked Florida Gators, but, just like the year before, the Tigers offense kept pace with the Gators as its defense forced key turnovers by the Gators. The Gators' starting quarterback, Terry Dean, threw four interceptions in the first half, and was replaced by Danny Wuerffel, who three touchdown passes but was intercepted by Tigers defensive back Brian Robinson with 1:20 remaining. Tigers quarterback Patrick Nix engineered a quick drive, and threw an eight-yard touchdown pass to Frank Sanders, winning the game for Auburn, 36–33.

2001: . . . and again

Coach Tommy Tuberville

Tommy Tuberville

Thomas Hawley Tuberville is an American football coach and former player. He is currently the head football coach at Texas Tech University, a position he has held since the 2010 season...

's unranked 2001 Auburn Tigers

2001 Auburn Tigers football team

The 2001 Auburn Tigers football team represented Auburn University in the 2001 NCAA Division I-A football season.They posted a 7–5 record, including a record of 5–3 in the Southeastern Conference...

were 21-point underdogs when they met coach Steve Spurrier's No. 1 Florida Gators

2001 Florida Gators football team

The 2001 Florida Gators football team represented the University of Florida in the sport of American football during the 2001 college football season...

at Jordan–Hare Stadium. Gators quarterback Rex Grossman

Rex Grossman

Rex Daniel Grossman, III is an American football quarterback for the Washington Redskins of the National Football League . Grossman played college football for the University of Florida, and thereafter, he has played professionally for the Chicago Bears, Houston Texans and Washington Redskins of...

completed twenty-five of forty-two passes for 364 yards and two touchdowns, but also threw four interceptions. The Gators dominated statistically, but the Tigers' bend-but-don't-break defense held the Gators rushing game to negative yardage. Tigers back-up quarterback Daniel Cobb was not so flashy, but played mistake-free football, and the game was tied 20–20 late in the fourth quarter. With ten seconds remaining, Tigers placekicker Damon Duval

Damon Duval

Damon Duval is a professional Kicker and Punter for the Edmonton Eskimos of the Canadian Football League. Raised by his mother, Cynthia, Damon attended Central High School in Harrison, Tennessee. At age 13, he played professional soccer in the United States Indoor Soccer League as a Striker for...

nailed a 44-yard field goal and the Tigers upset the top-ranked Gators 23–20.

2002: Not in our house

First-year coach Ron Zook

Ron Zook

Ron Zook is a former American football coach and former player. He served as the head football coach at the University of Florida from 2002 to 2004 and at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign from 2005 to 2011. Zook is a native of Ohio and an alumnus of Miami University, where he...

led his unranked Florida Gators

2002 Florida Gators football team

The 2002 Florida Gators football team represented the University of Florida in the sport of American football during the 2002 college football season...

against coach Tommy Tuberville's Auburn Tigers

2002 Auburn Tigers football team

The 2002 Auburn Tigers football team represented Auburn University in the 2002 NCAA Division I-A football season. Auburn, led by head coach Tommy Tuberville, finished with record of 9–4, including a 5–3 record in the Southeastern Conference. Following a disappointing 7–5 finish the previous...

in Gainesville. Rex Grossman quarterbacked the Gators to a pair of early scores, and Florida led 23–7. The Tigers' starting tailback, Carnell Williams

Carnell Williams

Carnell Lamar "Cadillac" Williams is an American football running back for the St. Louis Rams of the National Football League. He was drafted by the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in the first round of the 2005 NFL Draft...

, left the game with a broken leg, but backup Ronnie Brown

Ronnie Brown

Ronnie G. Brown, Jr. is an American football running back for the Philadelphia Eagles of the National Football League . After graduating from Cartersville High School in Georgia, Brown attended Auburn University to play college football for the Auburn Tigers...

amassed 162 yards and three touchdowns, as the Tigers came roaring back to tie the score at 23–23 in the fourth quarter. With one final chance to win the game in regulation, Tigers placekicker Damon Duval lined up for the game-winning kick as he had in 2001, but Gators defensive end Bobby McCray

Bobby McCray

Bobby L. McCray, Jr. is an American football defensive end who is currently a free agent. He was drafted by the Jacksonville Jaguars of the National Football League in the seventh round of the 2004 NFL Draft...

blocked the kick as time expired. In overtime, Grossman threw a 25-yard touchdown pass to receiver Taylor Jacobs

Taylor Jacobs

Taylor Houser Jacobs is a former American college and professional football player who was a wide receiver in the National Football League for five seasons in the early 2000s...

, the Gators defense held the Tigers on downs, and Florida won, 30–23.

2007: Tigers kick twice to upset Gators

Coach Urban Meyer

Urban Meyer

Urban Frank Meyer, III is an American football coach and former player. He is head football coach at Ohio State University, having been hired for the position in November 2011...

's fourth-ranked 2007 Florida Gators

2007 Florida Gators football team

The 2007 Florida Gators football team represented the University of Florida in the sport of American football during the 2007 college football season...

played host to coach Tommy Tuberville's unranked Auburn Tigers

2007 Auburn Tigers football team

The 2007 Auburn Tigers football team represented Auburn University during the 2007 NCAA Division I FBS football season. Head coach Tommy Tuberville returned for his ninth season at Auburn, the third longest tenure among SEC head coaches in 2007. He was joined by returning offensive coordinator Al...

. Tigers quarterback Brandon Cox

Brandon Cox

Brandon Cox , is a former American football quarterback, who played collegiately for Auburn University...

led the Tigers to an early 17–0 lead, but Gators quarterback Tim Tebow

Tim Tebow

Timothy Richard "Tim" Tebow is an American football player who is currently the starting quarterback for the Denver Broncos of the National Football League . He was drafted by the Broncos as the 25th overall pick in the 2010 NFL Draft...

and all-purpose back and receiver Percy Harvin

Percy Harvin

William Percival "Percy" Harvin, III is an American football wide receiver, return specialist, and running back for the Minnesota Vikings of the National Football League...

led a comback to tie the game at 17–17. The Tigers had one chance to win in regulation, as Wes Byrum

Wes Byrum

Wes Byrum is an American football kicker playing for the Seattle Seahawks from Saint Thomas Aquinas High-School . He was signed as an undrafted free agent by the Seahawks. Byrum hit the game winning 19 yard field goal as time expired to give the 2010 Auburn Tigers the national...

attempted a potentially game winning 45-yard field goal—and nailed it. But Meyer had called a timeout at the last possible moment to ice the kicker before the snap had taken place. So, after the timeout, Byrum had to try it again—and nailed it again. After successfully kicking the field goal the second time, he taunted the Florida coach and crowd with couple of mock Gator chomp

Gator Chomp

The Gator Chomp is a gesture made by fans and players of the University of Florida to show their support of their Florida Gators sports teams. The chomp originated in 1981....

s, and Auburn upset Florida 20–17 as time expired.

External links

Auburn Tigers Football – Official website of the Auburn Tigers.
GatorZone.com – Official website of the Florida Gators.
SECSports.com – Official website of the Southeastern Conference.

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