October 19, 1996, Ben Hill Griffin Stadium at Florida Field, Gainesville, Fla.
Attendance: 85,697
Florida continues to flex its number one muscles - this time to the tune of a 51-10 defeat of No. 16 Auburn in front of 85,697 fans and a CBS national television audience. UF is now off to a 7-0 start for the fifth time in school history and has outscored its three ranked opponents (Tennessee, LSU and Auburn), 142-52.
The Florida defense shuts down an Auburn attack that entered the game averaging 411.8 yards and 38 points a contest. The Tigers manage just three yards in total offense in the fourth quarter and 40 in the second half to total just 173 yards on the afternoon. The passing attack, which threw for a school record 394 yards a week earlier vs. Mississippi State and was averaging 264.8 yards a game, totals 82 yards and completes just seven of 28 passes. UF records seven sacks and picks off two passes - one by Demetric Jackson and one by Anthone Lott. Auburn also entered the contest with a league-best 51% conversion rate on third down, but converts just 4-of-18 opportunities (22%) vs. the Gators.
A week after setting a school-record with 36 first downs vs. LSU, the Gator offense is again in high gear, racking up 625 yards in total offense, the most ever vs. an Auburn team. Florida records 32 first downs and the Tigers give up 50 or more points for the first time since 1948. The Gators gain 279 yards on the ground and 346 in the air. The running game features two 100-yard rushers for the second consecutive week, as Elijah Williams runs for 116 yards and a TD, while Fred Taylor carries the ball 14 times for 110 yards. That same duo had 100-yard rushing performances last week vs. LSU, the first time two UF backs had 100-yard games in the same contest since 1984.
Danny Wuerffel finishes the day 17-of-30 for 346 yards with three touchdowns and one interception and earns SEC Player-of-the-Week for his efforts. Most of the damage comes early, as Wuerffel attempts just two passes in the fourth quarter - one is an 18-yard touchdown to Ike Hilliard. Hilliard finishes the day with six catches for 156 yards, his third consecutive 100-yard receiving game. Reidel Anthony has his three-game consecutive 100 yard receiving streak snapped, as he catches four passes for 91 yards and two TDS. Anthony's first TD comes on the Gators' initial drive of the game, marking the seventh straight game UF has scored on its first drive of the game. Anthony has scored five of those seven first drive touchdowns.
Florida then finds itself in a tie game for the first time since the Georgia Southern game and the second time all year after Auburn's Markeith Cooper scores on a seven-yard run with 3:52 left in the first quarter. Florida responds with touchdowns on its next two possessions, while the defense allows more than one first down on just two of Auburn's final 11 possessions.
Other Game Notes
- UF wins its 20th consecutive regular season game and is now 24-0-1 in regular-season games since mid-season of 1994.
- UF wins its 18th straight SEC game and its 30th conference contest in its last 32 tries.
- UF is now 23-1 vs. SEC foes at "The Swamp" since 1990 and has won nine straight league games at home.
- Reidel Anthony catches a TD pass in his sixth consecutive game.
- Wuerffel registers his 11th career 300-yard passing game, his 26th 200-yard passing game and throws for three TDS after Auburn entered the game allowing just five all year.
- Bart Edmiston has his school record streak of 114 consecutive PATs snapped with a miss in the third quarter (last miss was vs. Arkansas State in 1993).
- The crowd of 85,697 is the second largest ever at Florida Field.
- UF's 41-point victory margin ties the largest margin in the 73 games of the series (48-7 UF win in 1990).
Scoring Summary & Statistics
Team 1st 2nd 3rd 4th Final
Auburn 7 3 0 0 10
Florida 7 14 16 14 51
1st Quarter
UF: 11:00 - Anthony 25-yard pass from Wuerffel (Edmiston PAT) - 7 plays, 60 yards, 2:15
AU: 3:52 - Cooper 7-yard run (Holmes PAT) - 7 plays, 45 yards, 2:10
