Who is Florida football's all-time archenemy?

Few things in life drive as much passion as college football, and in this crucible of emotions, both heroes and nemeses arise with regularity. One program’s G.O.A.T is another’s most-hated.

On that point, ESPN’s writing staff compiled a list of the archenemies of every school in the Power Four and the stories that make them public enemy No. 1 on campus. For the Florida Gators, UF alumna Andrea Adelson picked a name that has lived in infamy for over four-and-a-half decades: Georgia Bulldogs wide receiver Lindsay Scott.

“‘Run, Lindsay, Run’ happened 46 years ago, but the play will never be forgotten,” Adelson begins. “On Nov. 8, 1980, Florida led rival Georgia 21-20 with 90 seconds left when quarterback Buck Belue dropped back to pass on third down from the 8-yard line and found a wide-open Scott across the middle. Scott ran 92 yards for the improbable touchdown, giving the Bulldogs a 26-21 victory.

“That win not only cost Florida the SEC title but also led to the first national championship in Georgia history. In 2020, former Georgia coach Vince Dooley told The Athens Banner-Herald, ‘I still believe that it is the greatest play in Georgia football history.’ Winning a title at Florida’s expense surely had something to do with that.”

While a good portion of the Gator Nation is too young to remember this play (including this article’s author, who was just three years old when it happened), it still resonates as one of the lowest points in program history, especially given the context of opening the door for Florida’s biggest rival to earn its first football crown.
archenemies over the years

While that play was a veritable dagger in the collective hearts of Gator fans, there are a few other players who also provided their share of misery for the Florida faithful. Honorable mentions also go to Scott’s teammate Herschel Walker, as well as Alabama Crimson Tide cornerback Antonio Langham, and Nebraska Cornhuskers duo, quarterback Tommie Frazier and running back Lawrence Phillips.

Walker, who was a freshman the year that the “Run, Lindsay, Run” play occurred, would go on to win the Heisman Trophy and Maxwell Award in 1982, and his performance against the Gators helped fuel that success. That year, he ran for 219 yards and four touchdowns on 35 carries, leading the Bulldogs to a humiliating 44-0 triumph.

Across three seasons of the UF-UGA rivalry, the Georgia legend rushed 119 times for 649 yards and eight touchdowns while leading the ‘Dawgs to victories in all three matchups.

Langham will forever be remembered for his interception of Shane Matthews in the inaugural edition of the SEC Championship Game in 1992. Tied at 21 apiece late in the fourth quarter after Florida had scored 14 unanswered points, the cornerback pounced on a pass and ran it back for a touchdown, resulting in a 28-21 final score and an Alabama victory a year after the Gators embarrassed them in the Swamp, 35-0.

Crimson Tide went on to win their 12th national championship with a 34-13 victory over top-ranked Miami in the Sugar Bowl.

Then finally, there is the dynamic duo of Frazier and Phillips, who absolutely dominated Florida in a 62-24 Fiesta Bowl rout to earn the 1995 national title. Both were unstoppable on the ground, combining for 364 yards on 41 carries, trampling over the Gators’ defense in a manner unseen since.

Frazier’s performance through the air was mediocre at best, completing just six of his 14 pass attempts for a meager 104 yards, but his team-leading 199 rushing yards on 16 carries were instrumental in destroying the morale of Spurrier’s squad that night in Tempe.

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This article originally appeared on Gators Wire: Who is Florida football’s all-time archenemy?