When Auburn Beats Florida, They Usually Make It Hurt
Aside from the World War II years, Auburn and Florida played every year from 1912 to 2002. Since then, they’ve only played four times. Auburn leads the series 44-39-2, and have won three of the last four matchups.
I grew up with the Florida game being the scariest on the schedule because Steve Spurrier had them in the Top 5 seemingly every year. But some of my strongest football memories center around Auburn beating really good Florida teams in really gut-wrenching ways. Here are the best.
1989 – Auburn 10, Florida 7
I was alive, but I don’t remember this. Auburn faced a 4th-and-10, down 7-3 with under a minute to go. Then Reggie Slack to Shane Wasden happened.
It’s one of my favorite Jim Fyffe calls of all time. Listen to the shock, awe, and almost angered bewilderment as he screams “Touchdown Auburn.” Also, Emmitt Smith was on that Florida sideline. He never beat Auburn.
1993 – Auburn 38, Florida 35
I was at this one. #4 Florida rolled into Jordan-Hare Stadium to face the #19 Tigers. They left with their only SEC loss in their SEC Championship season thanks to Calvin Jackson and the leg of Scott Etheridge.
Due to a bogus NCAA punishment, this classic wasn’t on TV.
1994 – Auburn 36, Florida 33
The #6 Auburn Tigers traveled to #1 Florida and for the 2nd straight year won by three points. This time, thanks to Pat Nix and possibly the best receiver in Auburn history, Frank Sanders. This was also Auburn’s 18th win in a row (and only ranked #6, sure).
2001 – Auburn 23, Florida 20
My first Florida game as an Auburn student. It was windy. Florida was #1 and nobody except Corso and Herbstreit and me gave Auburn a chance. Florida was out of sorts the whole game. I’m pretty sure Spurrier punted on 3rd down just to end a terrible drive. Auburn had all the magic and Damon Duval won it with a last second field goal. His 2nd game-winner in two weeks.
2006 – Auburn 27, Florida 17
This was possibly the loudest game in Jordan-Hare history, at least until those two games in 2013. Auburn was ranked #2 the week prior, but got whooped by Arkansas and dropped to #11. Florida took the Tigers’ #2 spot and played Auburn, again, as a Top 5 team.
Much like the 2001 game, Florida was out of sorts most of the game. They were still trying the Leak/Tebow rotation, and it didn’t work. Quentin Groves had a massive sack that setup Tristan’s Davis’s punt block and Tre Smith’s flip into the endzone. It was loud. The score is a little more lopsided because Auburn scooped and scored on Florida’s last play.
2007 – Auburn 20, Florida 17
In what can be seen as the weirdest year in college football history, a year where South Florida rose to #2 in the nation after beating Auburn, the Tigers traveled to Gainesville to face Tim Tebow and the — hey look — #4 Florida Gators. It was a back and forth game, with Florida scoring late, but Brandon Cox and Ben Tate got Florida-native Wes Byrum exactly where he needed to be to make the game-winning kick twice.
Why did he have to kick it twice? Because Florida coach Urban Meyer called time out right before the first one, giving Byrum a practice kick (that he made). This win solidified the fact that Florida legends Tim Tebow and Urban Meyer never beat Auburn.
