The Daily Nole

FSU’s 1993 National Title Team’s Silver Anniversary — Part IV: Five Games, Little Resistance

Newspaper Archive Photo

It’s been 25 years since Florida State claimed its first national championship. The 1993 team delivered FSU college football’s ultimate prize for the first time. In a multi-part series commemorating the silver anniversary of Florida State’s first title team, we’ll be remembering that season with five former players who played a prominent role in the team’s success.

The early parts of the season came with little resistance to the Seminoles. Through the first week in October, FSU was 5-0 and holding firm to its No. 1 national ranking. The Seminoles had outscored opponents 238-14 with two victories over ranked teams and shutout wins over Kansas, No. 21 Clemson and Georgia Tech.

“I don’t care who you’re playing, it’s impressive to keep people off the scoreboard,” said Todd Rebol, a sophomore starting linebacker in 1993. “It was selling out and doing your job. It was assignment football.”

On the offensive side, quarterback Charlie Ward was living up to his Heisman Trophy hype. Ward had eclipsed the 300-yard passing mark twice and had 11 total touchdowns to his name, compared to just one interception.

“Teams were under such pressure to score,” said Clay Shiver, a redshirt sophomore center on the 1993 team. “We had the mindset that we were going to beat teams and beat teams badly. We were going to outscore everyone and by a large margin.”

The season for Florida State opened on the final Saturday in August with a 42-0 win over Kansas in the Kickoff Classic in East Rutherford. Ward passed for just 194 yards in the win while FSU triumphed for 248 yards on the ground.

Kez McCorvey led the Seminoles with over 100 yards receiving. Sean Jackson rushed for 64 yards and two touchdowns on just seven carries while Marquette Smith and William Floyd also each found the end zone. Clifton Abraham fell on a blocked punt in the end zone as well.

On the defensive side of the ball, Derrick Brooks recorded 11 tackles, four for loss and a sack. Tyrant Marion and Chris Cowart each had two sacks for an FSU defense that held the Jayhawks to just 240 total yards.

In the ACC opener at Duke, the Seminoles cruised to an easy 45-7 victory. Ward passed for 272 yards and three total touchdowns while Jackson had another efficient rushing day with 107 yards and a touchdown on just 13 carries.

For the second week in a row, FSU scored a non-offensive touchdown as Brooks returned an interception 32 yards for a score. Abraham and safety Richard Coes also had picks for an FSU defense that forced four turnovers and held Duke to just 147 yards of offense. The Blue Devils finally broke the shutout with a short touchdown run with just over four minutes remaining.

Many thought FSU might finally be tested as Clemson came to Doak Campbell Stadium on Sept. 11, 1993. The Tigers were undefeated, ranked 21st in the country and held a late lead against FSU the previous year at Death Valley before Ward’s touchdown pass to Kevin Knox with 2:08 to go ultimately put the Seminoles ahead for good in a 24-20 victory.

There would be no drama this time around at Doak Campbell Stadium. FSU scored early and often in a 57-0 victory.

Ward’s Heisman buzz gained steam after the home opener as the redshirt senior passed for 317 yards and four touchdowns in the victory. Tight end Lonnie Johnson caught touchdown passes from Ward and backup Danny Kanell. Jackson, Warrick Dunn and Wayne Messam were also all on the receiving end of Ward touchdown passes.

The non-offensive touchdown again would be the friend of the Seminoles as Abraham fell on a blocked punt in the end zone for a second time in three weeks. Brooks scored his second touchdown in as many weeks and put the exclamation point on the victory with an 83-yard fumble return for a touchdown.

For the second time in three games, Florida State had pitched a shutout on defense and for a second time in three games, it had come in part to a memorable goal line stand. In the opener against Kansas, the Jayhawks ran 12 plays on one drive inside the FSU red zone.

Florida State opened the 1993 season with a 42-0 shutout of Kansas. (Newspaper Archives)

“Our goal was not to allow a first down in the fourth quarter,” Brooks said. “(Defensive coordinator Mickey) Andrews preached to us about not letting opponents get even an inch. We did everything we could to keep teams off the scoreboard.”

Six of those plays came at or inside the FSU 1-yard-line and still, Kansas came away with no points.

“The Kansas game, I remember, it was hot,” said Clifton Abraham, a redshirt junior cornerback on the 1993 team. “We were ready to just let them score. Coach Andrews always told us to fight for every inch. I remember Coach Andrews standing on the sideline and kept yelling, ‘one more play’. It was one more seven times. It became a game.”

Against Clemson, the Tigers had 1st-an-goal from the FSU 4-yard-line and then both third and fourth down from a yard away. Thanks to efforts from Brooks, Cowart and Ken Alexander, Clemson was turned away with no points.

“When you’re led by a guy like Mickey Andrews, you practice goal line stands early in the year,” Rebol said. “It doesn’t matter if they had an inch to go, they’re not getting in the end zone.”

Even kicker Scott Bentley played a role in preserving the shutout by running down then Clemson and now Pro Football Hall of Fame safety Brian Dawkins on a blocked extra point return.

“We all patted Scott Bentley on the head after that,” Abraham said. “I can’t believe Clemson tried to run on us four straight times by the goal line.”

Following the trouncing of Clemson, Florida State headed back to the Tar Heel state — this time to take on the Tar Heels of North Carolina. North Carolina was ranked No. 13 in the country and early on, it looked like Florida State might be in a dog fight.

Midway through the first quarter, the Seminoles experienced something they hadn’t until that point in 1993 — a deficit. Jason Stanicek’s 28-yard touchdown toss to a diving Bucky Brooks lifted North Carolina to a 7-0 lead with 6:21 to play. That would be the last time the Tar Heels would find the scoreboard.

It took FSU less than five minutes to answer as Ward connected with Dunn for a 16-yard touchdown. At the half however, the lead was just 10-7 thanks to a short field goal by Bentley in the final minute of the second quarter.

In the second half, FSU came to life on offense. Ward’s 33-yard scoring strike to Kevin Knox pushed the lead to double digits. After a Bentley field goal pushed the lead to 13, Brooks found the end zone yet again on a 49-yard interception return to make it 26-7. Floyd’s 2-yard plunge midway through the fourth quarter capped the scoring as FSU prevailed, 33-7.

Ward passed for 303 yards in the win for the Seminoles and overcame his first interception of the season to lead the team with 69 yards rushing. On defense, Ken Alexander recorded 11 tackles while Brooks and Coes both recorded interceptions. Toddrick McIntosh, a senior defensive end and linebacker Chris Cowart combined for all five FSU sacks.

After a bye week, Florida State hosted yet another team that it had needed to rally to beat on the road the year before. The month of October began with Georgia Tech making the trip to Doak Campbell Stadium. FSU had overcome a 10-point deficit with less than three and half minutes to play in Atlanta the year prior with the help of an onside kick.

After struggling the year prior in Atlanta, Ward was nearly flawless in Tallahassee, finishing with 222 yards passing and four touchdowns. Dunn, the freshman running back, touched the ball just nine times, but three of those went for scores. McCorvey led the team with 87 yards receiving and both he and Knox caught touchdowns.

On defense, Brooks led the way with nine tackles while Derrick Alexander added seven stops and two for loss. Corey Sawyer had the game’s only interception for an FSU defense that held the Yellow Jackets to just 110 yards of offense in a 51-0 FSU victory.

“Early on, we just manhandled teams,” Shiver said. “These weren’t bad teams. Clemson was a good team; North Carolina was a good team. Georgia Tech was three years removed from a national championship. Teams just didn’t beat other teams back then the way we did that season.”

Mike Ferguson is the editor of The Daily Nole. Follow Mike on Twitter @MikeWFerguson

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