# 1971 Florida Gators football team

The 1971 Florida Gators football team represented the University of Florida during the 1971 NCAA University Division football season. The season was Doug Dickey's second as the head coach of the Florida Gators football team. Dickey's 1971 Florida Gators finished with a 4–7 overall record and a 1–6 record in the Southeastern Conference (SEC), tying for eighth among ten SEC teams.

## Schedule

| Date | Opponent | Site | Result | Attendance |
| September 11 | vs. Duke* | Tampa StadiumTampa, FL | L 6–12 | 51,477 |
| September 18 | at Mississippi State | Mississippi Veterans Memorial StadiumJackson, MS | L 10–13 | 33,500 |
| September 25 | No. 8 Alabama | Florida FieldGainesville, FL (rivalry) | L 0–38 | 61,832 |
| October 2 | No. 12 Tennessee | Florida FieldGainesville, FL (rivalry) | L 13–20 | 61,112 |
| October 9 | at No. 16 LSU | Tiger StadiumBaton Rouge, LA (rivalry) | L 7–48 | 67,055 |
| October 16 | No. 19 Florida State* | Florida FieldGainesville, FL (rivalry) | W 17–15 | 65,109 |
| October 23 | Maryland* | Florida FieldGainesville, FL | W 27–23 | 53,021 |
| October 30 | at No. 5 Auburn | Cliff Hare StadiumAuburn, AL (rivalry) | L 7–40 | 63,500 |
| November 6 | vs. No. 7 Georgia | Gator Bowl StadiumJacksonville, FL (rivalry) | L 7–49 | 67,383 |
| November 13 | Kentucky | Florida FieldGainesville, FL (rivalry) | W 35–24 | 45,268 |
| November 27 | at Miami (FL)* | Miami Orange BowlMiami, FL (rivalry) | W 45–16 | 37,710 |
| *Non-conference gameHomecomingRankings from AP Poll released prior to the game ||||||

## Game summaries
### Duke

| | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| • Duke | 6 | 3 | 0 | 3 | 12 |
| Florida | 0 | 0 | 6 | 0 | 6 |

### Mississippi State

| | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| Florida | 0 | 10 | 0 | 0 | 10 |
| • Mississippi State | 3 | 0 | 7 | 3 | 13 |

### Alabama

| | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| • #8 Alabama | 10 | 14 | 7 | 7 | 38 |
| Florida | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
Against the Gators, Alabama's Johnny Musso scored four rushing touchdowns en route to a 38–0 shutout at Florida Field. After Bill Davis gave the Crimson Tide a 3–0 lead with his first quarter field goal, Musso scored Alabama's next four touchdowns and extended their lead to 31–0. All four came on the ground with a pair from one-yard out, a three-yard run and a five-yard run. Alabama then closed the game with an 11-yard Billy Sexton touchdown pass to Dexter Wood that made the final score 38–0.
The four touchdowns scored by Musso on the ground set a new school record for rushing touchdowns. Additionally, the shutout was the first for the Crimson Tide defense since their 17–0 victory in 1967 over South Carolina.

### Tennessee

| Quarter | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| Tennessee | 3 | 10 | 7 | 0 | 20 |
| Florida | 0 | 13 | 0 | 0 | 13 |
at Florida Field, Gainesville, Florida
* Date: October 2, 1971
* Game attendance: 61,112
* New York Times, 1971 Oct 03.
Game information :
First quarter
TENN – George Hunt 33-yard field goal. Tennessee 3–0. Drive:
Second quarter
TENN – George Hunt 34-yard field goal. Tennessee 6–0. Drive:
TENN – Curt Watson 8-yard run (George Hunt kick). Tennessee 13–0. Drive: 74 yards.
FLA – Willie Jackson 23-yard pass from John Reaves (kick failed), 2:12. Tennessee 13–6. Drive:
FLA – Hank Foldberg 7-yard pass from John Reaves (Richard Franco kick). Tie 13–13. Drive:
Third quarter
TENN – Stan Trott 20-yard pass from Phil Pierce (George Hunt kick). Tennessee 20–13. Drive: 99 yards.
Top passers
TENN
FLA – John Reaves – 19/40, 213 yards, 2 TD, INT
Top rushers
TENN
FLA – Mike Rich – 9 rushes, 80 yards
Top receivers
TENN
FLA – Willie Jackson – 7 receptions, 93 yards, TD :

### Florida State

| Quarter | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| Florida St | 0 | 0 | 0 | 15 | 15 |
| Florida | 0 | 14 | 0 | 3 | 17 |
at Florida Field, Gainesville, Florida
* Date: October 16, 1971
* Game weather: Overcast
* Game attendance: 65,109
* Recap/Box Score
Game information :
Second quarter
FLA – Mike Rich 1-yard run (kick failed), 14:58. Florida 6–0. Drive: 75 yards.
FLA – Jimmy Barr 26-yard fumble return (pass good), 14:40. Florida 14–0.
Fourth quarter
FSU – Paul Magalski 3-yard run (Frank Fontes kick), 13:57. Florida 14–7. Drive: 73 yards.
FLA – Richard Franco 42-yard field goal, 9:19. Florida 17–7. Drive:
FSU – Rhett Dawson 6-yard pass from Gary Huff (pass good), 3:02. Florida 17–15. Drive:
Top passers
FSU – Gary Huff – 22/40, 198 yards, TD
FLA – John Reaves – 4/11, 44 yards
Top rushers
FSU – Art Munroe – 17 rushes, 79 yards
FLA – Tommy Durrance – 15 rushes, 60 yards
Top receivers
FSU – Rhett Dawson – 7 receptions, 90 yards, TD
FLA – Willie Jackson – 1 reception, 28 yards :

### Maryland

| | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| Maryland | 0 | 13 | 10 | 0 | 23 |
| • Florida | 7 | 6 | 7 | 7 | 27 |

### Auburn

| | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| Florida | 0 | 7 | 0 | 0 | 7 |
| • Auburn | 12 | 0 | 7 | 21 | 40 |

### Georgia

| | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| • Georgia | 7 | 13 | 22 | 7 | 49 |
| Florida | 0 | 7 | 0 | 0 | 7 |

### Kentucky

| | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| Kentucky | 0 | 3 | 7 | 14 | 24 |
| • Florida | 0 | 7 | 7 | 21 | 35 |

### Miami (FL)

| Quarter | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| Florida | 7 | 10 | 14 | 14 | 45 |
| Miami (FL) | 0 | 0 | 8 | 8 | 16 |
at Orange Bowl, Miami, Florida
* Date: November 27, 1971
* Game attendance: 37,710
* Box Score
The disappointing season ended on a controversial note. With the Gators leading the Miami Hurricanes 45–8 late in the fourth quarter of the last game of the season, senior quarterback John Reaves was just 14 yards short of the NCAA career record for passing yardage, but Miami had the ball and seemed destined to run out the clock. At the urging of Florida defensive captain Harvin Clark, Dickey agreed to permit the Gators defense to allow the Hurricanes to score, thus returning the ball to the Gators offense and giving Reaves a chance to break the record. Dubbed the "Florida Flop" or "Gator Flop", the move worked. When Miami snapped the ball from the Florida 8-yard line, the Gators instantly flopped to the turf, allowing Miami quarterback John Hornibrook to walk uncontested into the endzone. Florida's offense got one more possession, and Reeves promptly broke the record with a pass to favorite target Carlos Alvarez. After the game, many Gator players celebrated by jumping into the pool at the Orange Bowl's east end zone used by the Miami Dolphins' live mascot, Flipper.
Miami coach Fran Curci was so angered by the turn of events that he refused to shake Dickey's hand. In a post-game interview, he called the actions "bush league" and declared that "what Doug Dickey did shows absolutely no class."