SOS Discusses The Worst Loss Of His Coaching Career

[Gator Fever]

I was in the south endzone for that game. The anticipation was huge. Hoke's run defense was awful. We made Travis Stephens look like a Heisman running back. That's why we lost, not because of Graham or Dockett or feuding with Hart and surely not Sept. 11.

Spurrier, as Spurrier was wont to do, wasn't willing to wait it out for our running game to get going. I'm not sure I disagreed either. We weren't blessed with a ton of RB depth that season, which cost us. No, Spurrier believed Grossman could overcome any obstacle Tennessee put before him, and he probably had good reason to think that way. Grossman had had a monster season. He was the best quarterback in America entering that game.

Grossman launched it 51 times. That's too many to expect to win. More often than not, you're going to lose when you pass that often.

As for Miami, I love my Gators, but the Miami of 2001 with that many future NFLers would have eaten our lunch.

Yep it looked like someone playing a game of pinball with how our defenders were not making tackles. The only worst example that pops up in my head was that Nebraska game when it came to tackling.

 

[Gatorraid81]

The choke at doak has to be the worst.. and it wasn't even a loss.

Yeah nothing like blowing a 4 TD 4th Quarter lead over your hated in state rival at their house. God that sucked

 

[Gatorraid81]

Yep and its crazy Spurrier never won at FSU because of that meltdown. Bowden pulling a Pat Tie at the end was a joke also.

Never understood why Bowden went for the tie either, the way things were going it was a gimme they'd make the 2 point conversion.

 

[BNAG8R]

'95 Nebraska for me. In retrospect, I should have never been so confident, but I was absolutely certain we were going to win pulling away.

I know how OSU fans felt in 2006.

 

[MJMGator]

**** this thread you miserable SOBs!

 

[Double Gator Dad]

He was too worried about what happened the week before w/ Darnell Dockett and the ensuing pissing contest w/ the AD, Dave Hart.

Terrible loss, especially considering the stakes. 17+ point favorites. If that game was played the Saturday after 9/11 we would have won by 24+. Cost us a national championship.

Yes he was and I don't blame him.
That incident was the lowest for FSU and they perfected low back in those days. Docket intentionally injured Graham which caused him to miss the UT game and was probably the difference given that we became one dimensional on offense.

More importantly, the UF administration left SOS hanging and chose not to defend the winningest coach in their history. SOS was 100% correct in his accusations but the betrayal left him looking like a cry baby. You mentioned a pissing contest with AD Dave Hart which begs the question....Where was UF's AD? Busy planning to add women's lacrosse or interviewing a new gymnastics coach?
Say what you want, but I will always believe that the fact that Jeremy and Charles Young chose not support him was THE reason why he left UF a month later.

 

[Wuerffel4Pres]

I agree with Steve on this one on so many levels. This one will forever haunt me and upset me the most of all even if I live to be 100.

Had we played them when it was normally scheduled, we win easily. Our starting running back, Graham was healthy and their star player on D, Henderson was not.

Then 9/11 happens, we're forced to play them in December, E.J. Henderson is healthy and Darnell (hope you get run over by a truck) Dockett pulls his dirty crap, while also attempting to stomp on Grossman's hand and we are without Earnest, leading to a heartbreaking loss in which we were the only team that had a chance to hang with that Miami squad that season.

Buh-bye possible National Title and buh-bye my favorite coach in any sport ever. Yes, Spurrier wanted to try his hand at the pros, but losing the way they did and not getting the support from the AD after FSU's thuggery was the final straw that pushed him out the door.

I was never of the mindset that Spurrier wasn't good enough if we didn't win a title, but that season hurt more than any other. I remember annihilating Maryland in a meaningless bowl game afterwards and not giving one iota of of that game. Thinking about that Tennessee game even right now is making me upset.

 

[Gatorraid81]

'95 Nebraska for me. In retrospect, I should have never been so confident, but I was absolutely certain we were going to win pulling away.

I know how OSU fans felt in 2006.

Nah this game was over by halftime. Choke at Doke by a mile!!

 

[Gatorraid81]

Yes he was and I don't blame him.
That incident was the lowest for FSU and they perfected low back in those days. Docket intentionally injured Graham which caused him to miss the UT game and was probably the difference given that we became one dimensional on offense.

More importantly, the UF administration left SOS hanging and chose not to defend the winningest coach in their history. SOS was 100% correct in his accusations but the betrayal left him looking like a cry baby. You mentioned a pissing contest with AD Dave Hart which begs the question....Where was UF's AD? Busy planning to add women's lacrosse or interviewing a new gymnastics coach?
Say what you want, but I will always believe that the fact that Jeremy and Charles Young chose not support him was THE reason why he left UF a month later.

Yep, Foley run off 2 of our HOF coaches we had. What an accomplishment.

 

[Gator2222]

 

[Swamp Donkey]

Nah this game was over by halftime. Choke at Doke by a mile!!

No it wasnt. It was still tight at halftime.

Edit: I must have been drunk. But we were winning at the end of the first quarter 10-6. Then they figured out that Ron Zook didnt know how to defend tthe option.

In any event, without that game, we dont get a blank check to hire Stoops. There is no doubt in my mind that Fooley would have demanded that his bestus buddy the Zooker would have been promoted back to DC (as he was in paper after the game before he went to the Saints).

 

[Gatorraid81]

No it wasnt. It was still tight at halftime.

Edit: I must have been drunk. But we were winning at the end of the first quarter 10-6. Then they figured out that Ron Zook didnt know how to defend tthe option.

In any event, without that game, we dont get a blank check to hire Stoops. There is no doubt in my mind that Fooley would have demanded that his bestus buddy the Zooker would have been promoted back to DC (as he was in paper after the game before he went to the Saints).

I'm pretty sure Bob Pruett was Def Coordinator in '95 and Zook had already been demoted at this time

 

[Swamp Donkey]

He was. But Pruett spent the whole month at Marshall and Zook did the bowl prep except for a couple of days.

I dont remember what the problem was but in a certain look w had a conflict of some sort, like the strong safety had both the waggle pass and the keep or something. Nebraska figured it out and destroyed us. We then "adjusted" in some way that left us open to the FB dive and they ran it like four times in a row for a TD.

It was a Clown Show in the second half.

 

[soflagator]

I'm pretty sure Bob Pruett was Def Coordinator in '95 and Zook had already been demoted at this time

To be fair, he already admitted he was drunk. In any event, as bad a blowout as it was, I'll always remember that Rose Bowl.

 

[Himey]

 

[Gatorraid81]

To be fair, he already admitted he was drunk. In any event, as bad a blowout as it was, I'll always remember that Rose Bowl.

I don't think any Gator fan will forget that game and it was the Fiesta Bowl. Don't believe we've ever been to the Rose Bowl.

 

[Gatorraid81]

He was. But Pruett spent the whole month at Marshall and Zook did the bowl prep except for a couple of days.

I dont remember what the problem was but in a certain look w had a conflict of some sort, like the strong safety had both the waggle pass and the keep or something. Nebraska figured it out and destroyed us.

Ok, didn't realize this. Just another reason to be disappointed in Zook.

 

[Swamp Donkey]

Ok, didn't realize this. Just another reason to be disappointed in Zook.

Well, again, it resulted in us hiring Stoops.

Could you imagine us today going to another power conference team, a championship contender at that, and hiring away their DC?
Today we have people proclaiming that we cant hire coaches who are currently employed, unless the current employment is a directional school.

 

[Frozen Gator]

Yes he was and I don't blame him.
That incident was the lowest for FSU and they perfected low back in those days. Docket intentionally injured Graham which caused him to miss the UT game and was probably the difference given that we became one dimensional on offense.

More importantly, the UF administration left SOS hanging and chose not to defend the winningest coach in their history. SOS was 100% correct in his accusations but the betrayal left him looking like a cry baby. You mentioned a pissing contest with AD Dave Hart which begs the question....Where was UF's AD? Busy planning to add women's lacrosse or interviewing a new gymnastics coach?
Say what you want, but I will always believe that the fact that Jeremy and Charles Young chose not support him was THE reason why he left UF a month later.

That is when I started to dislike Foley

 

[Gatorraid81]

Well, again, it resulted in us hiring Stoops.

Could you imagine us today going to another power conference team, a championship contender at that, and hiring away their DC?
Today we have people proclaiming that we cant hire coaches who are currently employed, unless the current employment is a directional school.

Maybe then Spurrier just demanded that Foley let him go after whoever he wanted, cause Spurrier had the program rolling at such a high level. Why do anything that would derail that. At that time I think our facilities were top notch we were paying Spurrier as much as any coach. Somewhere around that time I remember Spurrier flirting with going to the Buccaneers,but turned them down. Maybe Spurrier used leaving to the NFL as a bluff to get who and what he wanted. Who knows, but something definitely changed in Foley in the coming years when it came to $$ and he turned into a cheap bastard. I still remember Urban wanting an indoor facility when he got here and Foley wouldn't get one.