As the 2016 season will, the 1991 season for Florida State opened on a neutral field against a very talented quarterback.
The Seminoles kicked off the campaign on this day 25 years ago in Anaheim as the No. 1 team in the country. The opponent was No. 19 BYU, led by reigning Heisman Trophy winning quarterback Ty Detmer. On the afternoon however, it would be the FSU quarterback that shone brightest.
In a 44-28 Pigskin Classic victory for the Seminoles, Casey Weldon was stellar, throwing for 268 yards and two touchdowns on 21-for-28 passing. Edgar Bennett accounted for three FSU scores, rushing for two and catching another from Weldon while leading the team with 98 yards rushing and 163 from scrimmage.
FSU raced to a 28-14 halftime lead and extended the lead to 30 early in the fourth quarter. The Seminoles racked up 543 yards of offense, but also put forward a dominant defensive effort.
Though Detmer added two late touchdown passes to make the final score look a bit more respectable, it was a long day for the reigning Heisman winner. Detmer finished 19-for-32 passing with 229 yards, but was sacked three times and intercepted once.
Terrell Buckley, an FSU cornerback, had the game’s only interception while Reggie Freeman, Dan Footman and Troy Sanders all recorded sacks of Detmer. Freeman’s sack of Detmer forced a fumble and led to an FSU score while Footman’s sack came in the end zone for a safety with 10 minutes remaining to make the score 44-14.
The rout of BYU was a nice way to begin the 1991 season as FSU would go on to finish 11-2 and ranked fourth in the country. The Cougars would finish 8-3-2 and ranked 23rd in the final poll.
Detmer would have another outstanding season, passing for more than 4,000 yards and 35 touchdowns, but would finish third in the Heisman voting behind winner Desmond Howard and Weldon, who outperformed him in Anaheim.
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