FSU Football’s Best 15 Games Of The Last 40 Seasons: No. 8

Here’s a look at one of the best 15 games over the last 40 seasons of FSU football.

For the four decades, two men have led FSU football: Bobby Bowden and Jimbo Fisher. Over that span, the Seminoles have gone from a football program that seemed to be just weeks from being cancelled to one of the top teams in the country and a known brand across the country and all over the world.

There has been everything from big road wins that set the tone for FSU football’s “play anyone at anytime” attitude to rivalry wins against Florida and Miami. The 34 seasons with Bowden at the helm saw two national titles won and one of the greatest dynasty eras in the history of the sport take place. The last six seasons under Fisher have seen the ‘Noles bring another title to Tallahassee and restored FSU football’s place as one of college football’s elite teams.

Of all the games over the past four decades, which are the ones that meant the most to where FSU football is today? Let’s take a look at the best games over the past 40 seasons the ‘Noles have taken the field.

No. 8 – Florida State 37 Florida 9 (December 3, 1977)

Nine seasons…over ten calendar years…3,661 days…that’s how long it had been since the Florida State Seminoles had beaten the hated rival Florida Gators when the two teams met for the regular season finale of the 1977 season. To this date, it remains as the longest winning streak by either team in the history of this game. It would also be the first time Bobby Bowden coach the ‘Noles when they traveled down to Gainesville, having looked impressive the season before when FSU lost 33-26 in Tallahassee.

In the previous 19 games between the two schools, Florida had won 16 of the contests with FSU football being victorious just twice and the teams tying in their 1961 game. There was reason to believe that if there was going to be a year where the latest losing streak would be broken, it was 1977. The ‘Noles returned a nucleus of talent that, in the eyes of many, overachieved in Bowden’s first year in finishing 5-6. Having lost the previous week on the road to San Diego State, Bowden brought a Seminoles team into this game with hopes of a ten win season for the first time in school history, something that would take place with wins over the Gators and in their Tangerine Bowl game with Texas Tech.

From the start, FSU football was in control on both sides of the ball. It started when Wally Woodham hit Kirk Unglaub for a 35-yard touchdown to open the scoring. The ‘Noles other quarterback, Jimmy Jordan, would throw three touchdowns on the day, all to Roger Overby and the ‘Noles didn’t look back. Though he didn’t get into the end zone, running back Larry Key was beyond vital as he ran for over 140 yards on 20 carries (part of a 578 yard day for the entire offense), keeping the Florida defense honest. Defensively, FSU football held the Gators to just 200 yards on the day and without a touchdown for the first time in five seasons.

FSU football would get that tenth win of the season three weeks later when they traveled down to Orlando and handed the Red Raiders a 40-17 defeat in their first bowl victory since the Gator Bowl to conclude the 1964 season. More importantly, it got the ‘Noles their first win over the Gators in a decade as Bowden lived up to his promise to not be a stepping stone for the other state schools on the gridiron, winning their next three against Florida and four of their next seven against Miami.