Florida football: 5 memorable games against LSU
It’s a series that dates its beginnings to 1937 in Baton Rouge where LSU beat Florida football, 19-0 in the first of what would become 65 fairly memorable games.
When you have programs like Florida football and LSU that have a ton of history against each other, there is bound to be memories.
Without question, the rivalry between Gainesville (it’s actually Florida, Urban Meyer, you know better) and Baton Rouge has had some pretty memorable games.
Some have been more memorable for LSU fans and some for Florida football fans.
But, we wanted to pick out five of those games that Gator Nation can sit back and revel in.
1964: Florida 20, LSU 6
It would be the first game against LSU under center for a young sophomore Steve Spurrier.
The game, meant to be in Baton Rouge three weeks before, was held up because of Hurricane Hilda — a storm that caused nearly 40 deaths in Louisiana and Mississippi.
(Couldn’t track down a Florida football video, so I found this rare gem of Spurrier instead):
It was particularly noteworthy because the Tigers were slotted for a trip to the Sugar Bowl that season.
The win was Spurrier’s first against the Tigers, but he would go on to win the next three games against the Tigers and dominate them when he became head coach of Florida football later.
1989: Florida 16, LSU 13
If there was a lesson is “not so fast” it would this game.
LSU connected on a field goal with a little more than a minute left to tie the game, 13-13. Florida mounts a drive and gets ready to kick a winning field goal when the clock expires.
However, because Florida quarterback Kyle Morris threw the ball out of bounds with a second left on the clock, Arden Czyzewski came on and nailed a 41-yard field goal to win the game — only after they shot off fireworks at Tiger Stadium celebrating the tie.
The loss helped send LSU to a 4-7 season — its first losing season since 1983.
2003: Florida 19, LSU 7
Ah, who could forget the years with Ron Zook at the helm of Florida football? More specifically, who really wants to remember those years?
Well, there was one night in 2003 when the Zookers (aka Florida football) limped into Tiger Stadium with a 3-3 record, but freshman quarterback Chris Leak connected on touchdown passes to running backs Ran Carthon and Ciatrick Fason to give Florida the 19-7 win.
It would be the only loss of the season for the Tigers, under Nick Saban (yup, Zooker actually beat Saban), as the Tigers would go on to win the National Championship.
2006: Florida 23, LSU 10
Here is where we all got a look at quarterback Tim Tebow.
Head coach Urban Meyer (it’s Florida, not Gainesville), was platooning Leak and Tebow, but it was the latter who hit three touchdowns, including the infamous “jump pass” to Tate Casey, leading the Gators to a 23-10 win.
By the way, LSU’s quarterback that season — JaMarcus Russell.
Florida football would go on to win the BCS National Championship that season.
2016: Florida 16, LSU 10
Florida football fans will always remember this as being the game where LSU perceived to take advantage of Hurricane Matthew to get an extra home game.
Florida AD Jeremy Foley, LSU AD Joe Alleva and SEC Commissioner Greg Sankey finally agreed to play the game in Baton Rouge.
It was an ugly game — the biggest highlight was a 98-yard touchdown pass from Austin Appleby to Tyrie Cleveland.
Florida would get two field goals late and hold LSU on a last-second drive down to the 1-yard line — where LSU running back Derrius Guice fumbled the football which was recovered by Florida cornerback Quincy Wilson.
The win helped Florida return to the SEC Championship game.
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No. 5 LSU will host No. 7 Florida at Tiger Stadium in Baton Rouge at 8 p.m. Saturday.