Battle of the Floridas Is Today

Once it was a game destined to be the focus of college football. Now, fifth-ranked Florida playing host to No. 3 Florida State here today has a more provincial look, courtesy of the top-ranked team from the University of Miami.

Of course, this contest will be televised around the country by ABC. But, 14 days after previously top-ranked Florida State lost to the now No. 1 Hurricanes, 17-16, in Tallahassee, a national championship no longer is at stake,

It’s been a tough two weeks for the Seminoles, who lost to Miami by the slimmest of margins -- about six inches wide of the right upright on a 34-yard field goal attempt by walk-on kicker Gerry Thomas.

Vilified by some fans on Florida talk shows, Coach Bobby Bowden has taken the brunt of the criticism. Bowden, whose team is 10-1 and headed for the Cotton Bowl to play Texas A&M;, even got into a shouting match with a fan calling in to his weekly coach’s show.

“You’re national-championship caliber until the Miami game, and then you’re nobody, by one measly point,” Bowden said in a conference call with reporters earlier in the week. “I think we’re picking up our spirit day by day, bit by bit, but it’s been coming back slowly.”

There have been other problems for the Seminoles. On Tuesday, Bowden suspended junior receiver Eric Turral, the team’s third-leading pass-catcher and best deep threat, for missing practice that day. Turral could have stayed on the team by running stadium steps, but he declined and Bowden took action.

And then there’s Florida Field, home of the Gators, an 83,000-seat sound machine guaranteed to induce headaches for a visiting team. The Sugar Bowl-bound Gators, 9-1 and the Southeastern Conference champions, are 11-0 at home the past two seasons under Coach Steve Spurrier, 54-9-2 since 1981. This year, the Gators’ average margin of victory at home has been 31 points, including a 35-16 win over highly regarded Tennessee on Oct. 12.

“Ever since I’ve been coming to Florida, this place has been a big advantage for us,” said Brad Culpepper, the Gators’ all-American defensive tackle. “The last two years, these guys (the fans) have poured out the emotion and really let it go. The advantage is to us. It elevates us to playing at the next level. Florida State’s played in big games on the road. I don’t think they’ll be affected by the crowd at all. But it will definitely help us.”

Florida could use that help to end an odious streak at the hands of the Seminoles. Florida State has won the last four meetings, including a wild 45-30 decision last year that saw both teams roll up impressive offensive numbers. Three turnovers forced by the Florida State defense eventually proved decisive.

This year’s game ought to provide more of the same outrageous offense. Both schools have Heisman Trophy candidates at quarterback -- Florida State senior Casey Weldon and Florida junior Shane Matthews. Weldon passed for 325 yards and two touchdowns against the Gators last season; Matthews had 351 yards in the air that day, also with two touchdowns.

Matthews was voted the SEC’s player of the year this season. He had 27 touchdown passes, a conference record, and has thrown for 2,922 yards this year. The “fun and gun” offense designed by former Florida quarterback Spurrier is ranked eighth in the country. Said Matthews: “It’s fun to play. We definitely keep teams off balance. It’s hard to stop us. When we sputter around, it’s not the defense doing it, it’s us.”

And Florida State is no slouch offensively. The Seminoles are ninth in the country in total yards and fourth in scoring, averaging 39 points a game. And Weldon probably will be the first quarterback taken in the NFL draft.

Florida State may have the advantage on defense, ranking 12th in the country and allowing opponents only 277 yards a game. The schools have had two common opponents. Both beat LSU, but Florida State drubbed Syracuse, 46-14, in Tallahassee, whereas the Orangemen upset Florida, 38-21, at the Carrier Dome.

The Seminoles’ defense counts heavily on a fierce pass rush and clamp-on coverage by all-American cornerback Terrell Buckley -- a high school teammate of Florida’s Matthews. Buckley has 19 career interceptions, 10 this year, both school records, and is a finalist for the Jim Thorpe Award as the nation’s best defensive back.