Fiesta Bowl Crash Deflates Florida’s Joy

For now, the prevailing image of Florida is ineptitude, a team that looked no different against two-time national champion Nebraska than the Pacifics and Missouris of the college football world.

That’s not fair, of course, considering the Gators just completed the greatest season in school history. Nevertheless, coach Steve Spurrier hopes the embarrassment of a 62-24 loss to Nebraska in the Fiesta Bowl will serve as a wakeup call to his “Fun ‘N Gun” program in 1996.

“Obviously, spring practice will be a little bit more intense instead of everybody patting themselves on the back,” said Spurrier, who has been mentioned as a candidate for several NFL coaching jobs but insists that he’s happy at Florida. “You know, we’ve been on the good end of some of these big scores. Now we’re on the bad end.”

Until they got to Arizona, the Gators had been on the good end all season.

Florida finished with a perfect regular-season record (12-0) for the first time and extended one of the great runs in Southeastern Conference history with its third straight championship. In winning every game by double-figure margins, the Gators continued their domination of archrival Tennessee with a 62-37 rout and eradicated the Bowden Curse by beating Auburn 49-38 and Florida State 35-24.

Danny Wuerffel rewrote the SEC record book, passing for 3,266 yards and 35 touchdowns to finish third in the Heisman Trophy balloting. Chris Doering had 70 receptions for 1,045 yards and set an SEC mark with 17 TD receptions. The defense, much maligned in ‘94, improved dramatically as the season went along, particularly in stopping the pass.

Even with the 38-point loss to Nebraska, the Gators finished No. 2 in The Associated Press poll, their highest ranking ever.

“It’s been a great five years for me at the University of Florida,” said Doering, a senior who caught an SEC-record 31 touchdowns in his career. “This game will fade away and I’ll have some good memories.”

If those players who return in ‘96 can turn the Fiesta Bowl disaster into a motivating influence, there’s nothing to indicate Florida won’t continue to be among the nation’s best teams.

Eight starters return for an offense that ranked third in the nation with 44.5 points per game, including the most important starter of all. The humble Wuerffel may not be able to top a near-perfect junior season (his 178.4 pass efficiency rating was the highest in NCAA history), but it’s a good bet that success won’t go to his head. He’ll be one of the leading candidates for the Heisman in ‘96.

Wuerffel won’t have Doering to throw to anymore, but the Gators should have enough depth to replace the former walk-on. There’s Ike Hilliard, who caught 57 passes for 1,008 yards as a sophomore; Reidel Anthony (24 receptions); and Jacquez Green (19 catches for a team-high 28-yard average).

Green suffered a dislocated left hip in the Fiesta Bowl, but surgery won’t be necessary and he is expected to take part in spring practice.

More problematic are the losses on the left side of the offensive line: All-American tackle Jason Odom and guard Reggie Green, a four-year starter.

Several key defensive players are departing as well, including linemen Mark Campbell and Johnie Church and linebackers Ben Hanks and Dexter Daniels.

Among those expected to fill the void are Ed Chester, Johnny Rutledge and Ernie Badeaux, who was suspended after a preseason bar brawl and didn’t play in ‘95. However, linebacker Kavin Walton suffered a serious knee injury on the opening kickoff in the Fiesta and may not be recovered in time in the fall.

The secondary, vastly improved after defensive coordinator Bobby Pruett switched from passive zone coverages to a more aggressive man-to-man, returns intact next season with Anthone Lott, Fred Weary, Lawrence Wright and Teako Brown.

The most glaring weakness for the ‘95 Gators, at least from a statistical standpoint, was the kicking game. Bart Edmiston made only 6-of-12 field goals and may be challenged by Robby Stevenson, who handled the punting duties as a true freshman but averaged only 38.3 yards per kick. Spurrier made it clear that he’ll be looking for a new punter next season.

Spurrier also found in the Fiesta Bowl that his team must get stronger. Nebraska matched the Gators’ speed and simply overpowered them in the trenches.

“Nebraska is strong, they’re strong. They ran right through our arms,” Spurrier said. “Certainly, Nebraska’s strength program is one of the best in the country. If we’re ever going to be able to match up with them, we need to be as strong as they are. And I don’t think we are right now.”

Spurrier, meanwhile, continued to face questions about his future.

As soon as his team landed in Tempe, he was asked about the NFL openings in Arizona and Tampa Bay. When Don Shula resigned as Dolphins coach on Friday, there was immediate speculation that Spurrier was one of the leading candidates.

University officials offered a new contract reported to be worth about $1 million a year - which would make Spurrier the highest-paid college coach in the country - but also gave him an extra week to explore NFL opportunities.

“I’m very happy to be at Florida,” Spurrier said. “I hope to be there for many years.”