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1997 Nokia Sugar Bowl
National Championship Game
Florida State Seminoles Florida Gators
(11-0) (11-1)
20 52
Head coach: 
Bobby Bowden		 Head coach: 
Steve Spurrier
AP Coaches BA
1 1 1
AP Coaches BA
3 3 3
1 2 3 4 Total
Florida State 3 14 3 0 20
Florida 10 14 14 14 52
Date January 2, 1997
Season 1996
Stadium Louisiana Superdome
Location New Orleans, Louisiana
Attendance 78,344
Sugar Bowl
 < 1995 (Dec) 1998 > 

The 1997 Sugar Bowl was the 63rd edition to the annual game. It featured the top ranked Florida State Seminoles, and their heated rivals, the third ranked Florida Gators. It was the designated National Championship Game for the 1996-97 season by the Bowl Alliance. The match up was supposed to feature the top two teams in the nation. However, number two ranked Pac-10 Champions, Arizona State, were contractually obligated to play the number four Big Ten Champions Ohio State, in the Rose Bowl. Florida overcame a loss to Florida State 24-21 in late November of the season, to win 52-20. This, along with a win by Texas over Nebraska in the Big 12 title game and Ohio State’s come from behind victory over Arizona State, helped give the Gators the National Championship.

Florida was led by their Heisman Trophy winning quarterback, Danny Wuerffel who threw three touchdown passes, in each of the first three quarters, to Ike Hilliard and ran for another score.

With the victory, Florida claimed its first-ever national championship and Florida State was denied their second national title in four years and gave up the most points since a 59-27 loss against Auburn in 1985.

The victory marked Spurrier’s third win against Bowden in nine tries.

The victory helped erase the memory of the previous season's 62-24 loss to Nebraska in the National Championship Game in the Fiesta Bowl.

Wuerffel became the second Heisman Trophy winner in four years to win a national championship, following Charlie Ward of Florida State in 1993.

Score by Quarter

First Quarter
UF-Hilliard 9 pass from Wuerffel (Edmiston kick)
FSU-FG Bentley 43
UF-FG Edmiston 32
Second Quarter
UF-Taylor 2 run (Edmiston kick)
FSU-Eg Green 29 pass from Busby (Bentley kick)
UF-Hilliard 31 pass from Wuerffel (Edmiston kick)
FSU-Dunn 12 run (Bentley kick)
Third Quarter
FSU-FG Bentley 45
UF-Hilliard 7 pass from Wuerffel (Edmiston kick)
UF-Wuerffel 16 run (Edmiston kick)
Fourth Quarter
UF-T Jackson 42 run (Edmiston kick)
UF-T Jackson 1 run (Edmiston kick)

External links

1996-97 Division I-A bowl game season

Las Vegas (Dec. 19) • Aloha (Dec. 25) • Carquest (Dec. 27) • Liberty (Dec. 27) • Copper (Dec. 27) • Peach (Dec. 28) • Alamo (Dec. 29) • Holiday (Dec. 30) • Independence (Dec. 31) • Sun (Dec. 31) • Outback (Jan. 1) • Cotton (Jan. 1) • Gator (Jan. 1) • Florida Citrus (Jan. 1) • Rose (Jan. 1)
Bowl Alliance games:
Orange Bowl (Dec. 31) Fiesta Bowl (Jan. 1) Sugar Bowl (Jan. 2)
Sugar Bowl
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Bold indicates BCS National Championship Game
ATL denotes game was played in Atlanta because of Hurricane Katrina.
Florida Gators bowl games

1953 Gator Bowl • 1958 Gator Bowl • 1960 Gator Bowl (December) • 1962 Gator Bowl • 1966 Sugar Bowl • 1967 Orange Bowl • 1969 Gator Bowl • 1973 Tangerine Bowl • 1974 Sugar Bowl • 1975 Gator Bowl • 1977 Sun Bowl (January) • 1980 Tangerine Bowl • 1981 Peach Bowl (December) • 1982 Bluebonnet Bowl • 1983 Gator Bowl • 1987 Aloha Bowl • 1988 All-American Bowl • 1989 Freedom Bowl • 1992 Sugar Bowl • 1992 Gator Bowl • 1994 Sugar Bowl • 1995 Sugar Bowl (January) • 1996 Fiesta Bowl • 1997 Sugar Bowl • 1998 Florida Citrus Bowl • 1999 Orange Bowl • 2000 Florida Citrus Bowl • 2001 Sugar Bowl • 2002 Orange Bowl • 2003 Outback Bowl • 2004 Outback Bowl • 2004 Peach Bowl • 2006 Outback Bowl • 2007 BCS National Championship Game • 2008 Capital One Bowl • 2009 BCS National Championship Game • 2010 Sugar Bowl
Bold denotes National Championship Game
Florida State Seminoles bowl games

1955 Sun Bowl • 1958 Bluegrass Bowl • 1965 Gator Bowl (January) • 1966 Sun Bowl • 1967 Gator Bowl • 1968 Peach Bowl • 1971 Fiesta Bowl • 1977 Tangerine Bowl • 1980 Orange Bowl • 1981 Orange Bowl • 1982 Gator Bowl • 1983 Peach Bowl • 1984 Florida Citrus Bowl • 1985 Gator Bowl • 1986 All-American Bowl • 1988 Fiesta Bowl • 1989 Sugar Bowl • 1990 Fiesta Bowl • 1990 Blockbuster Bowl • 1992 Cotton Bowl • 1993 Orange Bowl • 1994 Orange Bowl • 1995 Sugar Bowl (January) • 1996 Orange Bowl (January) • 1997 Sugar Bowl • 1998 Sugar Bowl • 1999 Fiesta Bowl • 2000 Sugar Bowl • 2001 Orange Bowl • 2002 Gator Bowl • 2003 Sugar Bowl • 2004 Orange Bowl • 2005 Gator Bowl • 2006 Orange Bowl • 2006 Emerald Bowl • 2007 Music City Bowl • 2008 Champs Sports Bowl • 2010 Gator Bowl
Bold denotes National Championship Game.







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