1993 Florida State Seminoles football team

Last updated

1993 Florida State Seminoles football
Florida State Seminoles old logo.svg
Consensus national champion
ACC champion
Orange Bowl champion
Orange Bowl (BC NCG), W 18–16 vs. Nebraska
Conference Atlantic Coast Conference
Ranking
CoachesNo. 1
APNo. 1
Record12–1 (8–0 ACC)
Head coach
Offensive coordinator Brad Scott (4th season)
Offensive scheme No-huddle spread
Defensive coordinator Mickey Andrews (10th season)
Base defense 4–3
Home stadium Doak Campbell Stadium
Seasons
←  1992
1994  →
1993 Atlantic Coast Conference football standings
ConfOverall
Team W L  W L 
No. 1 Florida State $  8 –0   12 –1  
No. 19 North Carolina  6 –2   10 –3  
No. 23 Clemson  5 –3   9 –3  
Virginia  5 –3   7 –5  
NC State  4 –4   7 –5  
Georgia Tech  3 –5   5 –6  
Duke  2 –6   3 –8  
Maryland  2 –6   2 –9  
Wake Forest  1 –7   2 –9  
  • $ – Conference champion
Rankings from AP Poll

The 1993 Florida State Seminoles football team represented Florida State University and were the national champions of the 1993 NCAA Division I-A football season. The team was coached by Bobby Bowden and played their home games at Doak Campbell Stadium.

Contents

The season gave the Seminoles their first ever national title as well as their first Heisman winner in quarterback Charlie Ward. Ward, who threw for 3,032 yards and completed 70 percent of his passes, became the first player to win the Heisman Trophy and the national championship in the same season since Pittsburgh's Tony Dorsett in 1976. [1] FSU topped college football in both scoring defense and scoring offense, with its defense giving up an average of 9.4 points per game and its offense scoring an average of 43.2 points a game. [2] In a testament to just how difficult the Seminoles' schedule was during its championship run, the final top 5 football rankings for the season were occupied by FSU at #1, and three of its opponents, including Notre Dame at #2, Nebraska at #3, and the University of Florida at #5. [3]

Season

FSU beat its first five opponents by an average score of 46–3, during which linebacker Derrick Brooks outscored the Noles' first five opponents combined. These victories included a 57-0 win over #17 Clemson and a 33-7 win over #13 North Carolina. The Seminoles' first competitive contest didn't come until October 9, when the third-ranked Miami Hurricanes came to Tallahassee with a 31-game regular season win streak. That game was sealed when FSU safety Devin Bush picked off a Frank Costa pass and ran it back 40 yards for a Florida State touchdown, making the score 28–10 with 4:59 to play.

On November 13, 1993, Florida State played Notre Dame in a matchup of unbeaten teams. FSU was ranked #1 and Notre Dame was ranked #2. In a matchup hailed as the "Game of the Century", the Seminoles' bid for a perfect season fell short as Notre Dame prevailed, 31–24. The Irish had leads of 24–7 and 31–17 before the Seminoles scored late to cut the final margin to seven. The Noles then regained possession at their own 37-yard line with just 51 seconds left in the game. [4] Three consecutive passes by Ward quickly led Florida State to the Notre Dame 14. [4] On the last play of the game, Ward rolled out and had his pass attempt batted down in the end zone, leaving the Irish with a 31–24 victory. After that game, Notre Dame was voted #1 and FSU was voted #2. [5]

The following week, #1 Notre Dame lost at home to #17 Boston College 41–39 on a 41-yard field goal as time expired, while the Seminoles beat NC State 62-3. The voters returned the Seminoles to the #1 spot in the AP poll, and they rose to #2 in the coaches' poll while Notre Dame fell to a ranking of fourth in both polls. The week afterwards, FSU travelled to Gainesville to face the 7th-ranked Florida Gators -- that season's SEC champions -- and defeated them 33-21. FSU finished the regular season #1 and was matched against #2 Nebraska in the Orange Bowl. In a hard-fought contest, Florida State rallied late to defeat Nebraska 18–16 after the Cornhuskers tried and missed a 45-yard field goal on the game's final play. [6] After the bowl games, 12–1 Florida State was voted #1 and 11–1 Notre Dame #2 in both polls.

During the 1993 season, the Seminoles faced four teams in the top seven of the AP rankings when FSU played them -- #3 Miami in week 6, #2 Notre Dame in week 11, #7 Florida in week 13, and #2 Nebraska in the Orange Bowl -- and they went 3-1 against those teams, while playing only one home game in those four contests. The Noles also defeated three other top 25 teams that filled out their schedule, with Clemson ranked 17th, North Carolina ranked 13th, and Virginia ranked 15th when the Noles played them. By the end of season, FSU had faced six of the teams in the final AP top 25 poll, going 5-1 against them. These teams were #2 Notre Dame, #3 Nebraska, #5 Florida, #15 Miami, #19 North Carolina, and #23 Clemson. By the end of Notre Dame's season, the Irish had faced two teams ranked in the final AP top 25: #1 Florida State and #19 Michigan. In their Cotton Bowl meeting with #7 Texas A&M, Notre Dame won 24-21.

Schedule

DateTimeOpponentRankSiteTVResultAttendanceSource
August 2812:00 p.m.vs. Kansas *No. 1
 ABC W 42–051,734 [7]
September 47:00 p.m.at Duke No. 1
 PPV W 45–726,800 [8]
September 1112:00 p.m.No. 17 Clemson No. 1
 JPS W 57–074,991 [9]
September 187:30 p.m.at No. 13 North Carolina No. 1
 ESPN W 33–754,100 [10]
October 212:00 p.m. Georgia Tech No. 1
  • Doak Campbell Stadium
  • Tallahassee, FL
ABCW 51–074,611 [11]
October 912:00 p.m.No. 3 Miami (FL) *No. 1
  • Doak Campbell Stadium
  • Tallahassee, FL (rivalry)
ABCW 28–1077,813 [12]
October 164:00 p.m.No. 15 Virginia No. 1
ESPNW 40–1476,607 [13]
October 302:00 p.m. Wake Forest No. 1
  • Doak Campbell Stadium
  • Tallahassee, FL
W 55–066,666 [14]
November 612:00 p.m.at Maryland No. 1
JPSW 49–2036,255 [15]
November 131:30 p.m.at No. 2 Notre Dame *No. 1
 NBC L 24–31 59,075 [16]
November 207:30 p.m. NC State No. 2
  • Doak Campbell Stadium
  • Tallahassee, FL
ESPNW 62–373,123 [17]
November 2712:00 p.m.at No. 7 Florida *No. 1
ABCW 33–2185,507 [18]
January 18:00 p.m.vs. No. 2 Nebraska *No. 1
 NBC W 18–1681,536 [19]
  • *Non-conference game
  • Rankings from AP Poll released prior to the game
  • All times are in Eastern time

[20]

Rankings

Ranking movements
Legend:██ Increase in ranking ██ Decrease in ranking
( ) = First-place votes
Week
PollPre123456789101112131415Final
AP 1 (42)1 (47)1 (50)1 (59)1 (57)1 (58)1 (61)1 (61)1 (62)1 (62)1 (62)1 (62)21 (33)1 (42)1 (42)1 (46)
Coaches 1 (47)1 (54)1 (56)1 (59)1 (59)1 (58)1 (57)1 (58)1 (59)1 (59)1 (59)1 (60)32 (11)3 (10)3 (13)1 (36)

Game summaries

Kansas

At Duke

Clemson

At North Carolina

Georgia Tech

Miami (FL)

#3 Miami (FL) Hurricanes (4–0) at #1 Florida State Seminoles (5–0)
Period1234Total
Miami (FL) 700310
Florida St 1470728

at Doak Campbell Stadium, Tallahassee, Florida

  • Date: October 9
  • Game time: 12:00 p.m. EST
  • Game weather: Partly cloudy, 74 °F (23 °C)
  • Game attendance: 77,813
  • Referee: John Soffey
  • TV: ABC
  • Box Score
Game information

Virginia

Wake Forest

At Maryland

At Notre Dame

Florida State at Notre Dame
1234Total
No. 1 Seminoles7071024
•No. 2 Fighting Irish7143731

NC State

At Florida

#1 Florida State Seminoles (10–1) at #7 Florida Gators (9–1)
Period1234Total
Florida St 7614633
Florida 0701421

at Ben Hill Griffith Stadium, Gainesville, Florida

  • Date: November 27
  • Game time: 12:00 p.m. EST
  • Game weather: Cloudy, 75 °F (24 °C)
  • Game attendance: 85,507
  • Referee: Dayle Phillips
  • TV: ABC
  • Box Score
Game information

Vs. Nebraska (Orange Bowl)

Florida State vs Nebraska
1234Total
•No. 1 Seminoles069318
No. 2 Cornhuskers070916
Scoring summary
Q27:54FSUScott Bentley 34-yard field goalFSU 3–0
Q25:59NebReggie Baul 34-yard pass from Tommie Frazier (Byron Bennett kick)Neb 7–3
Q20:29FSUScott Bentley 25-yard field goalNeb 7–6
Q312:50FSUWilliam Floyd 1-yard run (pass failed)FSU 12–7
Q33:06FSUScott Bentley 39-yard field goalFSU 15–7
Q414:55NebLawrence Phillips 12-yard run (run failed)FSU 15–13
Q41:16NebByron Bennett 27-yard field goalNeb 16–15
Q40:21FSUScott Bentley 22-yard field goalFSU 18–16

Personnel

Roster

1993 Florida State Seminoles football team roster
PlayersCoaches
Offense
Pos.#NameClass
RB 20Clyde Allen Redshirt.svg  Sr
FB 32 Zack Crockett Sr
WR 30 'Omar Ellison Redshirt.svg  Jr
RT 60Marvin FerrellSr
FB 44 William Floyd Sr
QB 13 Danny Kanell So
OL 51 Kevin Long Fr
G 69Patrick McNeil Redshirt.svg  Jr
WR 15 Phillip Riley So
C 53 Clay Shiver So
QB 5Jon StarkSo
WR 80 Tamarick Vanover So
QB 17 Charlie Ward Sr
WR 6Harold Wright Redshirt.svg  So
Defense
Pos.#NameClass
CB 2 Clifton Abraham Redshirt.svg  Jr
DE 90 Derrick Alexander Redshirt.svg  So
ILB 36Ken AlexanderSr
ILB 54Rick Anteau Redshirt.svg  Fr
DB 11 Devin Bush Sr. So
LB 10 Derrick Brooks Jr
ILB 45 Henri Crockett Redshirt.svg  Fr
CB 21 James Colzie Fr
CB 4 Corey Fuller Jr
S 38Dan LaRose Redshirt.svg  Jr
DE 94 Toddrick McIntosh Redshirt.svg  Sr
DE 92Gerald Owens Redshirt.svg  Jr
ILB 39Melvin PearsallFr
DE 95 Julian Pittman Fr
CB 8 Corey Sawyer Jr
Special teams
Pos.#NameClass
K 3 Scott Bentley Fr
Head coach
Coordinators/assistant coaches
Legend
  • (C) Team captain
  • (S) Suspended
  • (I) Ineligible
  • Cruz Roja.svg Injured
  • Redshirt.svg Redshirt

Starting lineup

Offense

Heisman winner Charlie Ward Charlie Ward 1991.jpg
Heisman winner Charlie Ward
PosNumberNameClass
QB17 Charlie Ward SR
RB35 Sean Jackson SR
FB44 William Floyd SR
WR80 Tamarick Vanover SO
WR88 Kez McCorvey JR
WR12Matt FrierSR
LT67Juan LaureanoSO
LG66Lewis TyreSO
C53 Clay Shiver SO
RG69Patrick McNeilJR
RT60Marvin FerrellSR

Defense

PosNumberNameClass
LB10 Derrick Brooks JR
LB37Todd RebolSO
LB36Ken AlexanderSR
DE94 Toddrick McIntosh SR
DE90 Derrick Alexander SO
NG57John NanceSR
CB2 Clifton Abraham JR
CB8 Corey Sawyer JR
FS16Richard CoesSR
SS11 Devin Bush SO

Special teams

PosNumberNameClass
K3 Scott Bentley FR
P29Sean LissFR
KR
PR

Awards and honors

1993 team players in the NFL

The following were selected in the 1994 NFL Draft.

PlayerPositionRoundOverallNFL team
William Floyd Running back128San Francisco 49ers
Lonnie Johnson Tight end261Buffalo Bills
Corey Sawyer Defensive back4104Cincinnati Bengals
Sean Jackson Running back4129Houston Oilers
Kevin Knox Wide receiver6192Buffalo Bills
Toddrick McIntosh Defensive tackle7216Dallas Cowboys

[23]

The following played in the NFL in later years.

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References

  1. ↑ "1993 NCAA Division I-A football season", Wikipedia, December 9, 2023, retrieved December 13, 2023
  2. ↑ 1993 Team ncaa.org
  3. ↑ "1993 NCAA Division I-A football rankings", Wikipedia, August 19, 2023, retrieved December 13, 2023
  4. 1 2 FULL GAME | THE GAME OF THE CENTURY | Notre Dame Football vs No. 1 Florida State (1993) , retrieved December 13, 2023
  5. ↑ "November 16, 1993 Football Polls | College Poll Archive". www.collegepollarchive.com. Retrieved February 11, 2024.
  6. ↑ "1994 Orange Bowl » Nebraska vs Florida State » HuskerMax game page". www.huskermax.com. Retrieved February 11, 2024.
  7. ↑ "Jayhawks crash and burn in 42–0 thrashing". The Kansas City Star. August 29, 1993. Retrieved February 4, 2024– via Newspapers.com.
  8. ↑ "FSU rises above the muck". St. Petersburg Times. September 5, 1993. Retrieved February 4, 2024– via Newspapers.com.
  9. ↑ "No. 1 Florida State layes waste to Clemson, 57–0". The Baltimore Sun. September 12, 1993. Retrieved February 4, 2024– via Newspapers.com.
  10. ↑ "No. 1 Seminoles blow past Tar Heels". The Commercial Appeal. September 19, 1993. Retrieved February 4, 2024– via Newspapers.com.
  11. ↑ "Florida State crrushes Tech; now for Miami". Star Tribune. October 3, 1993. Retrieved February 4, 2024– via Newspapers.com.
  12. ↑ "It's FSU at last; Seminoles drop Miami 28–10". The Atlanta Journal & Constitution. October 10, 1993. Retrieved February 4, 2024– via Newspapers.com.
  13. ↑ "No. 15 Virginia can't Ward off Seminoles". The State. October 17, 1993. Retrieved February 4, 2024– via Newspapers.com.
  14. ↑ "Ward hurts ribs as No. 1 FSU steamrolls Deacs". Richmond Times-Dispatch. October 31, 1993. Retrieved February 4, 2024– via Newspapers.com.
  15. ↑ "Lackluster Florida State clinches first in ACC". The News and Observer. November 7, 1993. Retrieved February 4, 2024– via Newspapers.com.
  16. ↑ "Irish knock off No. 1 'Noles!". The Indianapolis Star. November 14, 1993. Retrieved February 4, 2024– via Newspapers.com.
  17. ↑ "FSU makes its points vs. North Carolina St". South Florida Sun Sentinel. November 21, 1993. Retrieved February 4, 2024– via Newspapers.com.
  18. ↑ "Ward, Seminoles survive 'The Swamp'". The Times and Democrat. November 28, 1993. Retrieved November 16, 2023– via Newspapers.com.
  19. ↑ "So, who's #1? Freshman kicker gives FSU leg up, win over Nebraska". Chicago Tribune. January 2, 1994. Retrieved February 4, 2024– via Newspapers.com.
  20. ↑ "1993 Florida State Seminoles Schedule and Results". Sports Reference LLC. Retrieved February 4, 2024.
  21. ↑ "Heisman.com - Heisman Trophy". Archived from the original on September 16, 2009. Retrieved April 16, 2007.
  22. ↑ "AAU Sullivan Award" . Retrieved February 11, 2024.
  23. ↑ "1994 NFL Draft Listing - Pro-Football-Reference.com". Pro-Football-Reference.com . Archived from the original on December 22, 2007. Retrieved March 28, 2018.
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