# 1990 Florida Gators football team

The 1990 Florida Gators football team represented the University of Florida during the 1990 NCAA Division I-A football season. The season marked the return of the Gators' Heisman Trophy-winning quarterback Steve Spurrier to his alma mater as the new head coach of the Florida Gators football team.
Spurrier's 1990 Florida Gators, while ineligible to win the SEC title or receive a bowl bid because of lingering NCAA probation, nevertheless posted a best-in-the-SEC record of 6–1 and an overall record of 9–2, and laid the foundation for the Gators' run of six SEC championships and a national title during the next decade. They finished thirteenth in the season's final AP Poll.

## Before the season

Just before Spurrier's Gator coaching debut, the Gainesville campus was rocked by the murders committed by Danny Rolling.
During Spurrier's first season, he was able to build on the strong talent recruited by departing Gators coach Galen Hall, but the Gators also reaped the benefits of Spurrier's "there are no excuses for losing" mantra. Even as Spurrier's new "fun 'n' gun" offensive scheme led by quarterback Shane Matthews, wide receiver Ernie Mills and tight end Kirk Kirkpatrick was breaking team scoring and yardage records, defensive coordinator Jim Bates coached one of the best defensive squads in team history, including two first-team All-Americans, defensive end Huey Richardson and safety Will White.

## Schedule

| Date | Opponent | Rank | Site | TV | Result | Attendance |
| September 8 | Oklahoma State* | | Ben Hill Griffin StadiumGainesville, FL | | W 50–7 | 75,428 |
| September 15 | at Alabama | No. 24 | Bryant–Denny StadiumTuscaloosa, AL (rivalry) | TBS | W 17–13 | 70,123 |
| September 22 | No. 1 (I-AA) Furman* | No. 19 | Ben Hill Griffin StadiumGainesville, FL | | W 27–3 | 71,868 |
| September 29 | Mississippi State | No. 17 | Ben Hill Griffin StadiumGainesville, FL | TBS | W 34–21 | 72,943 |
| October 6 | LSU | No. 10 | Ben Hill Griffin StadiumGainesville, FL (rivalry) | ESPN | W 34–8 | 75,039 |
| October 13 | at No. 5 Tennessee | No. 9 | Neyland StadiumKnoxville, TN (rivalry) | ESPN | L 3–45 | 96,874 |
| October 20 | Akron* | No. 17 | Ben Hill Griffin StadiumGainesville, FL | | W 59–0 | 74,558 |
| November 3 | No. 4 Auburn | No. 15 | Ben Hill Griffin StadiumGainesville, FL (rivalry) | ESPN | W 48–7 | 75,459 |
| November 10 | vs. Georgia | No. 10 | Gator BowlJacksonville, FL (rivalry) | TBS | W 38–7 | 81,529 |
| November 17 | at Kentucky | No. 6 | Commonwealth StadiumLexington, KY (rivalry) | TBS | W 47–15 | 55,140 |
| December 1 | at No. 8 Florida State* | No. 6 | Doak Campbell StadiumTallahassee, FL (rivalry) | ESPN | L 30–45 | 63,190 |
| *Non-conference gameHomecomingRankings from AP Poll released prior to the game ||||||||

## Game summaries
### Oklahoma State

| Quarter | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| Cowboys | 0 | 7 | 0 | 0 | 7 |
| Gators | 14 | 12 | 14 | 10 | 50 |
at Ben Hill Griffith Stadium, Gainesville, Florida
* Date: September 8
* Game attendance: 75,428
* Recap/Box Score
Game information :
First quarter
UF – Dexter McNabb 2-yard run (Arden Czyzewski kick), 13:18. Florida 7–0.
UF – Shane Matthews 1-yard run (Arden Czyzewski kick), 3:20. Florida 14–0.
Second quarter
OSU – Curtis Mayfield 14-yard pass from Chris Smith (Cary Blanchard kick), 13:35. Florida 14–7.
UF – Arden Czyzewski 33-yard field goal, 10:59. Florida 17–7.
UF – Safety, Chris Smith tackled by Huey Richardson in end zone, 5:20. Florida 19–7.
UF – Willie McClendon 1-yard run (Arden Czyzewski kick), 3:24. Florida 26–7.
Third quarter
UF – Tre Everett 50-yard pass from Shane Matthews (Arden Czyzewski kick), 7:45. Florida 33–7.
UF – Willie McClendon 3-yard run (Arden Czyzewski kick), 3:14. Florida 40–7.
Fourth quarter
UF – Arden Czyzewski 40-yard field goal, 11:34. Florida 43–7.
UF – Darren Mickell 14-yard interception return (Arden Czyzewski kick), 9:21. Florida 50–7.
Top passers
OSU – Chris Smith – 11/22, 81 yards, TD
UF – Shane Matthews – 20/29, 332 yards, TD
Top rushers
OSU – Gerald Hudson – 14 rushes, 86 yards
UF – Errict Rhett – 7 rushes, 63 yards
Top receivers
OSU – Curtis Mayfield – 7 receptions, 110 yards, TD
UF – Tre Everett – 5 receptions, 123 yards, TD :
Combating the gloom, the Gators opened the season with a no-huddle, 80-yard touchdown drive in six plays to defeat the Oklahoma State Cowboys 50–7.

### At Alabama

| Quarter | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| No. 24 Gators | 0 | 0 | 10 | 7 | 17 |
| Crimson Tide | 7 | 0 | 3 | 3 | 13 |
at Bryant–Denny Stadium, Tuscaloosa, Alabama
* Date: September 15
* Game attendance: 70,123
* TV: TBS
* Recap/Box
In their second game, the Gators came from behind to beat Alabama, a confidence-building, 17–13 signature road win, which set the tone for the remainder of the season,. Spurrier treasured the wins against the Crimson Tide: "Those victories early – '90, '91 – really got us started there at Florida ..." Alabama quarterback Gary Hollingsworth threw three interceptions to Florida safety Will White, and the Gators scored the winning touchdown on a blocked punt.

### Furman

Florida then beat Furman 27–3.

### Mississippi State

Building on the Alabama win, the Gators had a 34–21 conference victory over the Mississippi State Bulldogs.

### LSU

Next, the Gators blew out the LSU Tigers 34–8.

### At No. 5 Tennessee

The Gators suffered a disappointing 3–45 road loss to the fifth-ranked Tennessee Volunteers in Knoxville, Tennessee. In yet another link between the programs, Spurrier had been a star quarterback at Science Hill High School in Johnson City, Tennessee during the early 1960s. Although Knoxville is nearby, he did not seriously consider attending UT because he was an excellent passer and the Vols ran a single-wing offense at the time which featured a running quarterback. Instead, he choose to return to the state of his birth (Spurrier was born in Miami Beach), eventually becoming the Gators' first Heisman Trophy winner in 1966.
Spurrier's first Gator squad was 5–0 and ranked No. 9 coming into the matchup with Johnny Majors' 3–0–2 and No. 5 Vols, marking the first time in series history that both rivals were ranked in the AP top-10 when they faced off. (It was not Spurrier's first visit to Knoxville as an opposing coach; his 1988 Duke Blue Devils had upset the Vols 31–26.)
The 1990 game began as a defensive struggle, with UT holding a slim 7–3 lead at the half. However, the Vols' Dale Carter returned the second half kickoff 91 yards for a touchdown, igniting the home crowd at Neyland Stadium.
On their ensuing possession, the Gators fumbled for what would be the first of six UF turnovers in the second half. The opportunistic Vols took full advantage, turning Spurrier's homecoming (and, coincidentally, UT's homecoming game) into a dominating 45–3 rout, the largest margin of victory for either team in the series.

### Akron

Florida blanked Akron 59–0.

### Auburn

| | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| No. 4 Tigers | 7 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 7 |
| • No. 15 Gators | 7 | 27 | 7 | 7 | 48 |
Coach Pat Dye's 1990 Auburn Tigers 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. Notwithstanding the fact that first-year coach Steve Spurrier's fifteenth-ranked 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, which was the Gators' biggest margin of victory in the series, and the worst loss of Dye's career.

### Vs. Georgia

| Quarter | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| Bulldogs | 7 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 7 |
| No. 10 Gators | 14 | 10 | 14 | 0 | 38 |
at Gator Bowl, Jacksonville, Florida
* Date: November 10
* Game attendance: 81,529
* Gainesville Sun
Game information :
Georgia
Greg Talley 6/12, 93 Yds, TD, 2 INT
Dupree 8 Rush, 32 Yds
Hummings 3 Rec, 33 Yds
Florida
Shane Matthews 26/39, 344 Yds, 3 TD
Willie McClendon 16 Rush, 58 Yds, TD
Kirk Kirkpatrick 8 Rec, 112 Yds :
Florida's first win against Georgia since 1986, the Gators beat the Bulldogs 38–7 .
Scoring summary :
| Quarter | Time | Drive | Drive | Drive | Team | Scoring information | Score | Score |
| Quarter | Time | Plays | Yards | TOP | Team | Scoring information | UGA | FLA |
| 1 | | | | | Florida | Willie McClendon 2-yard touchdown run, Arden Czyzewski kick good | 0 | 7 |
| 1 | | | | | Florida | Interception returned 36 yards for touchdown by Tim Paulk, Arden Czyzewski kick good | 0 | 14 |
| 1 | | | | | Georgia | Andre Hastings 23-yard touchdown reception from Greg Talley, John Kasay kick good | 7 | 14 |
| 2 | | | | | Florida | 23-yard field goal by Arden Czyzewski | 7 | 17 |
| 2 | | | | | Florida | Ernie Mills 6-yard touchdown reception from Shane Matthews, Arden Czyzewski kick good | 7 | 24 |
| 3 | | | | | Florida | Terence Barber 51-yard touchdown reception from Shane Matthews, Arden Czyzewski kick good | 7 | 31 |
| 3 | | | | | Florida | Ernie Mills 16-yard touchdown reception from Shane Matthews, Arden Czyzewski kick good | 7 | 38 |
| "TOP" = time of possession. For other American football terms, see Glossary of American football. | "TOP" = time of possession. For other American football terms, see Glossary of American football. | "TOP" = time of possession. For other American football terms, see Glossary of American football. | "TOP" = time of possession. For other American football terms, see Glossary of American football. | "TOP" = time of possession. For other American football terms, see Glossary of American football. | "TOP" = time of possession. For other American football terms, see Glossary of American football. | "TOP" = time of possession. For other American football terms, see Glossary of American football. | 7 | 38 |

### At Kentucky

Florida beat the Kentucky Wildcats 47–15.

### At No. 8 Florida State

| Quarter | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| No. 6 Gators | 3 | 7 | 6 | 14 | 30 |
| No. 8 Seminoles | 17 | 7 | 14 | 7 | 45 |
at Doak Campbell Stadium, Tallahassee, Florida
* Date: December 1, 1990
* Game weather: Clear
* Game attendance: 63,190
* Recap/Box Score
Game information :
First quarter
FSU – Lawrence Dawsey 76-yard pass from Casey Weldon (Richie Andrews kick), 14:03. Florida St 7–0. Drive:
FSU – Richie Andrews 47-yard field goal, 12:57. Florida St 10–0. Drive:
FLA – Arden Czyzewski 41-yard field goal, 8:35. Florida St 10–3. Drive:
FSU - Amp Lee 8-yard pass from Casey Weldon (Richie Andrews kick), 2:36. Florida St 17–3. Drive:
Second quarter
FLA – Shane Matthews 1-yard run (Arden Czyzewski kick), 5:12. Florida St 17–10. Drive:
FSU – Edgar Bennett 2-yard run (Richie Andrews kick), 1:11. Florida St 24–10. Drive:
Third quarter
FSU – Edgar Bennett 2-yard run (Richie Andrews kick), 10:59. Florida St 31–10. Drive:
FLA – Ernie Mills 14-yard pass from Shane Matthews (kick blocked), 4:03. Florida St 31–16. Drive:
FSU – Amp Lee 16-yard run (Richie Andrews kick), 3:08. Florida St 38–16. Drive:
Fourth quarter
FLA – Shane Matthews 1-yard run (pass good), 12:38. Florida St 38–24. Drive:
FSU – Amp Lee 2-yard run (Richie Andrews kick), 11:56. Florida St 45–24. Drive:
FLA – Kirk Kirkpatrick 9-yard pass from Shane Matthews (pass failed), 8:50. Florida St 45–30. Drive:
Top passers
FLA – Shane Matthews – 29/48, 351 yards, 2 TD, 2 INT
FSU – Casey Weldon – 13/23, 325 yards, 2 TD
Top rushers
FLA – Errict Rhett – 14 rushes, 57 yards
FSU – Amp Lee – 26 rushes, 147 yards, 2 TD
Top receivers
FLA – Ernie Mills – 7 receptions, 126 yards, TD
FSU – Lawrence Dawsey – 4 receptions, 172 yards, TD :
The game was dubbed by some as the "Seminole Bowl" due to Florida's postseason ban.

## Postseason

Matthews finished the season with 2,952 passing yards and twenty-three touchdowns—then the most passing yards in Gators history. He was SEC Player of the Year.
Before Spurrier returned to Gainesville, the Gators had never won an officially sanctioned Southeastern Conference (SEC) or national football championship (Florida's first SEC championship was in 1984, but was retroactively vacated by the SEC for infractions incurred by former head coach Charley Pell). Before Spurrier resigned to seek a coaching position in the National Football League in January 2002, the Gators would win six SEC titles, play for two national championships, and win one in 1996.