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The aura of invincibility vanished right around the flip-phone era. The immovable objects were being shoved around. The “Big Three” suddenly were beatable.
It began on a searing Tallahassee afternoon in 2009, when USF — behind first-time starting quarterback B.J. Daniels and a suffocating defense — shocked FSU, 17-7, for the program’s first win against one of the state’s three most prominent programs.
Before that, none of the state’s upstart Division I programs (USF, UCF, Florida Atlantic, Florida International) had ever notched a victory against Florida, FSU or Miami. The only prior blemish to the Big Three’s reign of dominance over the state had been Florida A&M’s 16-13 triumph against Miami in 1979, when the Hurricanes — still an independent — finished 5-6 under first-year coach Howard Schnellenberger.
But since that surreal day at Doak Campbell Stadium 15 years ago, the state’s younger programs have taken down their figurative big brothers with more regularity. Hence the reason a USF win this weekend against Miami wouldn’t be so much a stunner as simply another reminder that parity has prevailed on the state’s collegiate landscape.
Listed here, in chronological order, are the takedowns of the “Big Three” by their less-heralded state counterparts, with a couple of close calls tossed in.
USF 17, FSU 7
Sept. 26, 2009
Tallahassee
History will recall this riveting afternoon as the dawn of the B.J. Daniels era at USF. And while Daniels mostly sparkled (341 total yards, two touchdowns) in his debut as a Bulls starter, this was a day for the defense. Jim Leavitt’s unit sacked ‘Noles quarterback Christian Ponder five times, caused four fumbles and held the 18th-ranked ‘Noles to 19 rushing yards. “They whupped us,” FSU coach Bobby Bowden said.
USF 23, Miami 20 (OT)
Nov. 27, 2010
Miami…
Source link : https://sports.yahoo.com/recent-history-shows-florida-big-134100607.html
Author : Tampa Bay Times, St. Petersburg, Fla.
Publish date : 2024-09-16 13:41:00
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