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© St. Petersburg Times, published October 9, 2001
First in series
No team has come closer to knocking off the Seminoles in the 10 years since their last defeat at Doak Campbell Stadium. And it is likely that no team felt worse about walking off the field. Florida did not lose, but it felt like it did.
The Gators led 31-3 heading into the fourth quarter.
Somehow, the Seminoles scored 28 points in the final 15 minutes to salvage a tie. Coach Bobby Bowden elected to kick the tying extra point with 1:45 remaining rather than go for a two-point conversion. College football did not have overtime in 1994.
"I've never had a tie that felt as much like a win," Bowden said afterward. "There's no doubt about it.
"There were many times in that game when I thought we had had it."
FSU quarterback Danny Kanell keyed the comeback. He completed 34 of 40 passes for 349 yards in the second half, 18 of 22 for 232 yards in the fourth quarter. Kanell's 40 completions in 53 attempts for the game set a school record. He finished with 421 passing yards.
"Things just started clicking," he said. "I think they got tired and our team just reached deep within itself."
The tie was only the second in series history, the other coming in 1961.