Gators Wrestled to Draw : College football: Florida State overcomes 31-3 deficit in fourth quarter. Bowden takes the safe way out.

It was football through the looking glass Saturday, when a 31-31 final score felt like a victory for Florida State and a bitter loss for Florida. That’s what happens when you overcome a 28-point fourth-quarter lead . . . or waste one.

“We snatched a tie out of the jaws of defeat,” Seminole Coach Bobby Bowden said.

“We are in a state of shock,” Gator safety Lawrence Wright said.

No. 4-ranked Florida, which led, 31-3, with less than 13 minutes remaining, might need a whole team of therapists after this one. The Gators watched in disbelief as Florida State scored four consecutive fourth-quarter touchdowns, each one more numbing than the next. Then they had to sweat out the Seminoles’ final drive, which reached the Florida 43-yard line before time--and nearly the Gators--expired.

Afterward, the Gators (9-1-1) walked quietly to their locker room, some of them grumbling about defensive coordinator Bob Pruett’s second-half decision to switch from man-to-man coverage to a soft zone. Others flung their helmets to the ground in anger. Others searched out their Seminole counterparts and traded hugs. Florida center David Swain simply stood near midfield and stared at the Doak-Campbell Stadium scoreboard.

“We were up 28 points,” Swain said. “I couldn’t conceive of losing this game or tying it.”

The same goes for the Seminoles (9-1-1), who figured they were goners.

“When we were down, 31-3, we just wanted to score some points to make this thing respectable so we could go to class on Monday,” wide receiver ‘OMar Ellison said.

From such humble aspirations came the comeback that tied the Division I-A fourth-quarter record, set by Washington State against Stanford in 1984. Of course, it didn’t happen until the Seminoles junked their game plan, went to the no-huddle offense, put four wide receivers in the lineup and let the oft-criticized Danny Kanell throw until his arm or Florida dropped.

Kanell, who has the unenviable timing of following Heisman Trophy winner Charlie Ward, responded with a fourth quarter for the ages. He completed 18 of 22 passes for 232 yards, one touchdown and 14 first downs. He led the Seminoles on scoring drives of 84, 60, 73 and 60 yards during that final period, scored on a two-yard run and almost moved Florida State close enough for a last-second field goal.

It was the stuff of Ward, if not better. In fact, Kanell, who finished with a school-record 40 completions in 53 attempts for 421 yards, said he probably quieted his detractors. “Until the next interception,” he said.

Kanell smiled when he said it, but Bowden was this close to pulling the junior quarterback in favor of freshman Thad Busby. Then again, Bowden was thinking all sorts of dark thoughts early in the third quarter, when Florida was adding to its lead and the Seminoles were busy missing 30-yard field-goal attempts.

So complete was the Gators’ dominance that Bowden glumly paced up and down the sideline and considered his postgame concession speech. His headphones were off, his mood as sour as freshly sliced lemons.

“Oh, yeah, I can remember some things that went through my mind,” Bowden said. “Like, ‘I’ve never seen Florida that hot.’ . . . ‘They wanted it more than we did.’ . . . ‘They were physically whipping us in our back yard.’ Yeah, I already had my answers.”

But then Pruett started to play it safe and the Seminoles started taking chance after chance. “At that point, we had nothing to lose,” Florida State offensive coordinator Mark Richt said.

As a record 80,210 watched from the stands, the Seminoles scored their first touchdown on Zack Crockett’s five-yard run with 12:59 to play. Less than three minutes later, Kanell found Andre Cooper in the front corner of the end zone to cut the Florida lead to 31-17.

Meanwhile, Florida couldn’t do a thing. Three of the four final Gator possessions ended with a nice imitation of the June Taylor Dancers--one, two, three, kick. The other one resulted in quarterback Danny Wuerffel’s second interception of the day, a floater that sailed over the head of wide receiver Reidel Anthony and into the arms of a diving James Colzie, the fifth defensive back in the Seminoles’ nickel package.

By then, Florida State had whittled the deficit to 31-24. The Seminoles had the ball at their 40, had 4:01 remaining and needed a touchdown, the quicker the better. Seven plays and 60 yards later, they had it, courtesy of tailback Rock Preston’s four-yard run with 1:45 to play.

Now the interesting part: Kick the extra point or go for two?.

Bowden thought about it. A lot. He had told Richt earlier in the quarter that if the Seminoles got within a touchdown, he wanted the final say on the conversion.

Fine, said Richt, who already had given Kanell the two-point play: a trap play up the middle, the same play Crockett had scored on. Kanell even told the offense to stay on the field after the fourth touchdown.

“We had the play called,” he said.

Didn’t matter. Despite the gentle pleas of his assistant coaches, one of the biggest gamblers in the business decided to play it safe.

“There’s nine (assistants) and they get one vote apiece,” Bowden said. “I get 10.”

Just as well, the Gators’ Swain said. “The way things were going, they probably would have got it,” he said.

No one will know for sure. Out came Dan Mowrey, who punched the extra point through for the tie. The way Bowden figured it, let Florida Coach Steve Spurrier and Wuerffel work the Gators down the field in the final 1:45. Maybe the Gators make it, maybe they don’t. Maybe they throw an interception, or fumble, or punt.

Florida started at its 16, but got no farther than the Gator 31. On the key third-and-four play, Seminole defensive end Derrick Alexander spun his way free and pressured Wuerffel just enough to force a quick pass.

Later, Alexander would say the near-sack was something of a miracle, just like the Florida State comeback. Alexander suffered a hyper-extended left elbow midway through the first quarter and spent the rest of the game playing with one good arm. At times the pain was so intense that Alexander staggered to the sideline, threw down his helmet and fell to his knees.

“I know I can’t move it,” he said. “If I want to move it, I’ve got to move it with my hand.”

But a day earlier, while watching the Thanksgiving Day game between the Dallas Cowboys and the Green Bay Packers, Alexander saw Packer defensive tackle Reggie White play with a heavily wrapped left elbow. It made an impression.

“I think that’s what inspired me,” Alexander said. “I think God put me in a position to watch that game, to see that you can play when you’re hurt. If (White) can do it--and he’s one of the best--why shouldn’t I?”

Alexander still doesn’t know how he did it. For that one key play, he somehow swung his left arm around, used a slap move on his would-be blocker and then spun toward Wuerffel, who rushed the throw.

And that was it for comebacks. Florida punted. Florida State ran out of time.

“I never had a tie that felt so much like a win,” Bowden said.

“It’s better than a loss,” Spurrier said.

But not by much.