1997 Sugar Bowl

The 1997 Sugar Bowl was the 63rd edition to the annual Sugar Bowl game and served as the Bowl Alliance's designated national championship game for the 1996 season. It featured a bowl rematch of the top-ranked Florida State Seminoles and their heated rivals, the third ranked Florida Gators, whom the Seminoles had previously defeated 24–21 in the final game of the regular season. Florida defeated Florida State in their Sugar Bowl rematch in convincing fashion, with a final score of 52–20, and with the victory, earned its first-ever consensus national championship.

The Gators were led by their Heisman Trophy-winning quarterback, Danny Wuerffel, who threw three touchdown passes to Ike Hilliard and ran for another score. Wuerffel became the second Heisman Trophy winner in four years to win a national championship, following Charlie Ward of Florida State in 1993.

Third-ranked Florida was invited to the Bowl Alliance's designated national championship game for the 1996–97 season because the Pac-10 Conference champion was contractually obligated to play in the Rose Bowl, and unavailable to participate in the Bowl Alliance. As a result, the second-ranked Pac-10 champion, Arizona State, played the fourth-ranked Big Ten champion, Ohio State, in the Rose Bowl. When Ohio State defeated second-ranked Arizona State in the Rose Bowl the day prior, the Sugar Bowl winner was all but assured of winning the consensus national championship.

Score by quarter

First quarter
UF-TD Ike Hilliard 9 pass from Danny Wuerffel (Bart Edmiston kick) 9:48
FSU-FG Scott Bentley 43 7:49
UF-FG Bart Edmiston 32 2:44
Second quarter
UF-TD Fred Taylor 2 run (Bart Edmiston kick) 11:28
FSU-TD E.G. Green 29 pass from Thad Busby (Bentley kick) 7:28
UF-TD Ike Hilliard 31 pass from Danny Wuerffel (Bart Edmiston kick) 5:18
FSU-TD Warrick Dunn 12 run (Scott Bentley kick) 0:40
Third quarter
FSU-FG Scott Bentley 45 10:24
UF-TD Ike Hilliard 7 pass from Danny Wuerffel (Bart Edmiston kick) 5:43
UF-TD Danny Wuerffel 16 run (Bart Edmiston kick) 0:13
Fourth quarter
UF-TD Terry Jackson 42 run (Bart Edmiston kick) 8:52
UF-TD Terry Jackson 1 run (Bart Edmiston kick) 2:12 ^[1]

References

^ https://www.allstatesugarbowl.org/site94.php

[1] ttps://www.allstatesugarbowl.org/site94.php

[1]

v t e Sugar Bowl
History & conference tie-ins	History Tulane Stadium Georgia Dome Caesars Superdome College Football Playoff Southeastern Conference Big 12 Conference
Games	1935 1936 1937 1938 1939 1940 1941 1942 1943 1944 1945 1946 1947 1948 1949 1950 1951 1952 1953 1954 1955 1956 1957 1958 1959 1960 1961 1962 1963 1964 1965 1966 1967 1968 1969 1970 1971 1972 (Jan) 1972 (Dec) 1973 1974 1975 1977 1978 1979 1980 1981 1982 1983 1984 1985 1986 1987 1988 1989 1990 1991 1992 1993 1994 1995 (Jan) 1995 (Dec) 1997 1998 1999 2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015 2016 2017 2018 2019 2020 2021 2022 (Jan) 2022 (Dec) 2024 2025
Notes	The 2006 game took place in Atlanta, Georgia due to Hurricane Katrina. The game was also the national title game for either the Bowl Coalition, Bowl Alliance, or Bowl Championship Series in 1993, 1997, 2000, and 2004. There was a Sugar Bowl in January and December in 1972, 1995 and 2022. The game was a College Football Playoff semifinal in its 2015, 2018, 2021, and 2024 editions.

v t e 1996–97 NCAA football 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 (Dec. 31) Fiesta (Jan. 1) Sugar (Jan. 2)