1993 Florida State Seminoles football team

1993 Florida State Seminoles football
Consensus national champion ACC champion Orange Bowl champion
Orange Bowl (BC NCG), W 18–16 vs. Nebraska
Conference	Atlantic Coast Conference
Ranking
Coaches	No. 1
AP	No. 1
Record	12–1 (8–0 ACC)
Head coach	Bobby Bowden (18th season)
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

v t e	Conf							Overall
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.

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

Date	Time	Opponent	Rank	Site	TV	Result	Attendance	Source
August 28	12:00 p.m.	vs. Kansas *	No. 1	Giants Stadium East Rutherford, NJ (Kickoff Classic)	ABC	W 42–0	51,734	[7]
September 4	7:00 p.m.	at Duke	No. 1	Wallace Wade Stadium Durham, NC	PPV	W 45–7	26,800	[8]
September 11	12:00 p.m.	No. 17 Clemson	No. 1	Doak Campbell Stadium Tallahassee, FL (rivalry)	JPS	W 57–0	74,991	[9]
September 18	7:30 p.m.	at No. 13 North Carolina	No. 1	Kenan Memorial Stadium Chapel Hill, NC	ESPN	W 33–7	54,100	[10]
October 2	12:00 p.m.	Georgia Tech	No. 1	Doak Campbell Stadium Tallahassee, FL	ABC	W 51–0	74,611	[11]
October 9	12:00 p.m.	No. 3 Miami (FL) *	No. 1	Doak Campbell Stadium Tallahassee, FL (rivalry)	ABC	W 28–10	77,813	[12]
October 16	4:00 p.m.	No. 15 Virginia	No. 1	Doak Campbell Stadium Tallahassee, FL (Jefferson-Eppes Trophy)	ESPN	W 40–14	76,607	[13]
October 30	2:00 p.m.	Wake Forest	No. 1	Doak Campbell Stadium Tallahassee, FL		W 55–0	66,666	[14]
November 6	12:00 p.m.	at Maryland	No. 1	Byrd Stadium College Park, MD	JPS	W 49–20	36,255	[15]
November 13	1:30 p.m.	at No. 2 Notre Dame *	No. 1	Notre Dame Stadium Notre Dame, IN (rivalry, College GameDay )	NBC	L 24–31	59,075	[16]
November 20	7:30 p.m.	NC State	No. 2	Doak Campbell Stadium Tallahassee, FL	ESPN	W 62–3	73,123	[17]
November 27	12:00 p.m.	at No. 7 Florida *	No. 1	Ben Hill Griffin Stadium Gainesville, FL (rivalry)	ABC	W 33–21	85,507	[18]
January 1	8:00 p.m.	vs. No. 2 Nebraska *	No. 1	Miami Orange Bowl Miami, FL (Orange Bowl)	NBC	W 18–16	81,536	[19]
*Non-conference game Rankings from AP Poll released prior to the game All times are in Eastern time

^[20]

Rankings

Main article: 1993 NCAA Division I-A football rankings

Ranking movements
Legend:██ Increase in ranking ██ Decrease in ranking
( ) = First-place votes

	Week
Poll	Pre	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	10	11	12	13	14	15	Final
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)	2	1 (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)	3	2 (11)	3 (10)	3 (13)	1 (36)

Game summaries

Kansas

See also: 1993 Kansas Jayhawks football team and Kickoff Classic

At Duke

See also: 1993 Duke Blue Devils football team

Clemson

See also: 1993 Clemson Tigers football team and Clemson–Florida State football rivalry

At North Carolina

See also: 1993 North Carolina Tar Heels football team

Georgia Tech

See also: 1993 Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets football team

Miami (FL)

See also: Florida State–Miami football rivalry

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

Quarter	1	2	3	4	Total
Miami (FL)	7	0	0	3	10
Florida St	14	7	0	7	28

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

First quarter FSU – Sean Jackson 69-yard run (Scott Bentley kick), 11:17. Florida St 7–0. Drive: 3 plays, 80 yards, 1:04. MIA – Donnell Bennett 6-yard pass from Frank Costa (Dane Prewitt kick), 4:09. Tie 7–7. Drive: 9 plays, 80 yards, 4:36. FSU – Matt Frier 72-yard pass from Charlie Ward (Scott Bentley kick), 2:46. Florida St 14–7. Drive: 3 plays, 72 yards, 1:23. Second quarter FSU – Charlie Ward 2-yard run (Scott Bentley kick), 13:37. Florida St 21–7. Drive: 8 plays, 59 yards, 2:56. Third quarter No scoring Fourth quarter MIA – Dane Prewitt 23-yard field goal, 14:07. Florida St 21–10. Drive: 16 plays, 74 yards, 8:06. FSU – Devin Bush 40-yard interception return (Scott Bentley kick), 4:59. Florida St 28–10. Top passers MIA – Frank Costa – 21/43, 193 yards, TD, INT FSU – Charlie Ward – 21/31, 256 yards, TD Top rushers MIA – Donnell Bennett – 21 rushes, 75 yards FSU – Sean Jackson – 10 rushes, 98 yards, TD Top receivers MIA – C.T. Jones – 7 receptions, 86 yards FSU – Matt Frier – 2 receptions, 81 yards, TD

Wake Forest

See also: 1993 Wake Forest Demon Deacons football team

At Maryland

See also: 1993 Maryland Terrapins football team

At Notre Dame

Florida State at Notre Dame

1 2 3 4 Total No. 1 Seminoles 7 0 7 10 24 •No. 2 Fighting Irish 7 14 3 7 31 Date: November 13 Location: Notre Dame Stadium, South Bend, IN Game start: Kickoff 1:47pm EST Game attendance: 59,075 Game weather: pregame showers, temp near 60, wind from south 20 to 30 mph TV announcers (NBC): Charlie Jones, Todd Christensen, Bob Costas (studio host), John Dockery (sideline) and O. J. Simpson (sideline)

Main article: 1993 Florida State vs. Notre Dame football game

See also: 1993 Notre Dame Fighting Irish football team and Game of the Century (college football)

NC State

See also: 1993 NC State Wolfpack football team

At Florida

See also: Florida–Florida State football rivalry

#1 Florida State Seminoles (10–1) at #7 Florida Gators (9–1)

Quarter	1	2	3	4	Total
Florida St	7	6	14	6	33
Florida	0	7	0	14	21

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

First quarter FSU – Tamarick Vanover 5-yard pass from Charlie Ward (Scott Bentley kick), 14:57. Florida St 7–0. Drive: 11 plays, 57 yards, 4:04. Second quarter FSU – Scott Bentley 23-yard field goal, 14:57. Florida St 10–0. Drive: 13 plays, 72 yards, 5:39. FSU – Scott Bentley 22-yard field goal, 7:20. Florida St 13–0. Drive: 14 plays, 70 yards, 5:30. UF – Willie Jackson 11-yard pass from Danny Wuerffel (Judd Davis kick), 4:41. Florida St 13–7. Drive: 7 plays, 65 yards, 2:39. Third quarter FSU – Kez McCorvey 7-yard pass from Charlie Ward (Scott Bentley kick), 11:27. Florida St 20–7. Drive: 10 plays, 65 yards, 3:53. FSU – Kez McCorvey 16-yard pass from Charlie Ward (Scott Bentley kick), 0:21. Florida St 27–7. Drive: 3 plays, 35 yards, 0:55. Fourth quarter UF – Willie Jackson 13-yard pass from Terry Dean (Judd Davis kick), 11:48. Florida St 27–14. Drive: 11 plays, 65 yards, 3:33. UF – Jack Jackson 31-yard pass from Terry Dean (Judd Davis kick), 5:58. Florida St 27–21. Drive: 11 plays, 94 yards, 2:44. FSU – Warrick Dunn 79-yard pass from Charlie Ward (pass failed), 5:28. Florida St 33–21. Drive: 3 plays, 79 yards, 0:30. Top passers FSU – Charlie Ward – 38/53, 446 yards, 4 TD, 2 INT UF – Terry Dean – 14/33, 259 yards, 2 TD, 2 INT Top rushers FSU – Sean Jackson – 19 rushes, 48 yards UF – Errict Rhett – 7 rushes, 7 yards Top receivers FSU – Warrick Dunn – 8 receptions, 140 yards, TD UF – Willie Jackson – 7 receptions, 140 yards, 2 TD

Vs. Nebraska (Orange Bowl)

Florida State vs Nebraska

1 2 3 4 Total •No. 1 Seminoles 0 6 9 3 18 No. 2 Cornhuskers 0 7 0 9 16 Date: January 1 Location: Miami Orange Bowl, Miami Game attendance: 81,536 Referee: John Soffey TV announcers (NBC): Dick Enberg, Bob Trumpy and O. J. Simpson

Scoring summary Q2 7:54 FSU Scott Bentley 34-yard field goal FSU 3–0 Q2 5:59 Neb Reggie Baul 34-yard pass from Tommie Frazier (Byron Bennett kick) Neb 7–3 Q2 0:29 FSU Scott Bentley 25-yard field goal Neb 7–6 Q3 12:50 FSU William Floyd 1-yard run (pass failed) FSU 12–7 Q3 3:06 FSU Scott Bentley 39-yard field goal FSU 15–7 Q4 14:55 Neb Lawrence Phillips 12-yard run (run failed) FSU 15–13 Q4 1:16 Neb Byron Bennett 27-yard field goal Neb 16–15 Q4 0:21 FSU Scott Bentley 22-yard field goal FSU 18–16

Main article: 1994 Orange Bowl

See also: 1993 Nebraska Cornhuskers football team

Personnel

Roster

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

Starting lineup

Offense

Heisman winner Charlie Ward

Pos	Number	Name	Class
QB	17	Charlie Ward	SR
RB	35	Sean Jackson	SR
FB	44	William Floyd	SR
WR	80	Tamarick Vanover	SO
WR	88	Kez McCorvey	JR
WR	12	Matt Frier	SR
LT	67	Juan Laureano	SO
LG	66	Lewis Tyre	SO
C	53	Clay Shiver	SO
RG	69	Patrick McNeil	JR
RT	79	Forrest Conoly	JR

Defense

Pos	Number	Name	Class
LB	10	Derrick Brooks	JR
LB	37	Todd Rebol	SO
LB	36	Ken Alexander	SR
DE	94	Toddrick McIntosh	SR
DE	90	Derrick Alexander	SO
NG	57	John Nance	SR
CB	2	Clifton Abraham	JR
CB	8	Corey Sawyer	JR
FS	16	Richard Coes	SR
SS	11	Devin Bush	SO

Special teams

Pos	Number	Name	Class
K	3	Scott Bentley	FR
P	29	Sean Liss	FR
KR
PR

Awards and honors

• Charlie Ward, Heisman Trophy ^[21]
• Charlie Ward, Johnny Unitas Award
• Charlie Ward, James E. Sullivan Award ^[22]
• Charlie Ward, Walter Camp Award
• Charlie Ward, Maxwell Award
• Charlie Ward, Davey O'Brien Award

1993 team players in the NFL

The following were selected in the 1994 NFL draft.

Player	Position	Round	Overall	NFL team
William Floyd	Running back	1	28	San Francisco 49ers
Lonnie Johnson	Tight end	2	61	Buffalo Bills
Corey Sawyer	Defensive back	4	104	Cincinnati Bengals
Sean Jackson	Running back	4	129	Houston Oilers
Kevin Knox	Wide receiver	6	192	Buffalo Bills
Toddrick McIntosh	Defensive tackle	7	216	Dallas Cowboys

^[23]

The following played in the NFL in later years.

• Derrick Brooks
• Sam Cowart
• Kez McCorvey
• Warrick Dunn
• Derrick Alexander
• Tamarick Vanover
• Clay Shiver

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. FULL GAME | THE GAME OF THE CENTURY | Notre Dame Football vs No. 1 Florida State (1993), April 4, 2020, 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.