1984 Florida Citrus Bowl

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1984 Florida Citrus Growers Association Florida Citrus Bowl
1234 Total
Georgia 01403 17
Florida State 00314 17
DateDecember 22, 1984
Season1984
StadiumFlorida Citrus Bowl
LocationOrlando, Florida
MVPQB James Jackson (Georgia)
RefereeDonald Safrit (ACC)
Attendance51,821
United States TV coverage
NetworkNBC
AnnouncersDon Criqui & Bob Trumpy
Florida Citrus Bowl
 < 1983  1985

The 1984 Florida Citrus Bowl was a college football postseason bowl game that featured the Georgia Bulldogs and the Florida State Seminoles.

Background[edit]

A 7–1 start and a #8 ranking came crashing down after a loss to Florida in the World's Largest Outdoor Cocktail Party rivalry game, as they then lost to #15 Auburn and Georgia Tech to crater into the Citrus Bowl without a ranking, and a (tied for) 3rd-place finish in the Southeastern Conference. A 4–0 start (and a #6 ranking) for the Seminoles ended with a 3–3–1 finish. This was Georgia's first Florida Citrus Bowl since 1974, along with their 5th straight bowl appearance. This was Florida State's first Florida Citrus Bowl since 1977 and 3rd straight bowl appearance.

Game summary[edit]

  • Georgia – Lars Tate 4-yard touchdown run (Butler kick), 5:26 remaining in 2nd quarter
  • Georgia – Lars Tate 2-yard touchdown run (Butler kick), 1:08 remaining in 2nd quarter
  • Florida State – Schmidt 32-yard field goal, 10:26 remaining in 3rd quarter
  • Florida State – Smith 1-yard touchdown run (run failed), 14:21 remaining in 4th quarter
  • Georgia – Kevin Butler 36-yard field goal, 12:10 remaining in 4th quarter
  • Florida State – Joe Wessel 14-yard touchdown return of blocked punt (Darrin Holloman run), 3:58 remaining in 4th quarter

Jackson threw 7-of-16 for 159 yards in an MVP effort.

Aftermath[edit]

Florida State has not returned to the Citrus Bowl since this game, while Georgia returned in 1993, 2004, 2009 and 2013.

Statistics[edit]

Statistics Florida State Georgia
First downs 18 15
Rushing yards 161 189
Passing yards 85 178
Passes (Comp-Attempts-Int.) 10–27–2 9–18–1
Return yardage 122 22
Fumbles–lost 3–1 5–1
Punts–average 8 (38.6) 8 (37.1)
Yards penalized 8–65 6–42

References[edit]