European Stars and Stripes (Newspaper) - August 21, 1994, Darmstadt, Hesse                                Page 32 the stars and stripes sports sunday August 21,1994gators Hunt bigger game this year by Fred Goodall Gainesville Fla. A no longer satisfied with just winning the Southeastern conference championship the Florida gators Are taking aim at an even bigger prize this season. _ although coach Steve Spurrier is not entirely comfortable with fans rising expectations of the program he a guided to a pair of Sec titles in the past three years he concedes its Only logical to include the gators among a select group of teams Likely to contend for the National title. A the Way the schedule Falls right now the Odds Are not As great for us As they might be for some other teams a said Spurrier whose team must play on the Road at Tennessee and Florida state and also survive a 12th game a for the Sec title a a to stay in the Hunt for no. 1. A it does no to mean we can to do it a he added. A but we have to recognize what the Odds arc.�?�. Nevertheless football has never been in better shape at Florida which went nearly 60 seasons without winning the Sec before Spurrier claimed the schools first title three years ago. The 1993 team finished 11-2, setting a school record for victories in a season. A last years team when you look Back at it won basically everything we could have won except the National championship a Spurrier said. A but when you look at everything realistically winning the Sec May be More difficult for us than winning a National championship is for a school like  since the coach returned to his Alma mater from Duke four years ago Florida is a sizzling 27-5 in the Sec a arguably the strongest conference in the nation. Understandably the Success has whet the appetite of players and fans for More. A we realize our expectations Are up there a Spurrier said. A but what i do every now and then is Tell our fans to buy the Florida Media Book and just look at the history of Florida football. You look at our history we should be very very Happy where we Are. We  be too  twelve starters return from the team that climbed to fifth in the final Asso dated poll after beating Alabama in the a. A v. A a a a be photos 2 Florida a apparently inter changeable quarterbacks Terry Dean 12 and Danny Wuerf Fel 7will try to improve on last years 4766 Yards and 39.3 Points Pei game. Sec championship game and West Virginia in the sugar bowl. Eight of the returnees Are on defense where the biggest change must come if the gators Are to remain in Contention for the National title. After finishing last in the Sec in pass defense for the second straight year Spurrier Stop priority was finding a new defensive coordinator. He settled on former Tulane assistant Bob Pruett who junked Florida s 4-4-3 for a 4-3-4 scheme designed to Shore up the teams biggest weakness. A the players lost Confidence in what we were doing. It just Wasny to working a Spurrier said. A anybody who throws it a lick was going up and Down the Field on us. You Check the stats and about All those teams had their Best Day throwing it against us. A but Only Auburn and National Champion Florida state managed to beat the gators who were virtually unstoppable on offence despite a year Long quarterback controversy. Only four starters return from the unit that averaged 476.6 Yards and 39.3 Points yet Spurrier feels he could have the Best offence he a Ever had with tackles Reggie Green and Jason Odom returning along with quarterbacks Terry Dean and Danny Wuerffel. Dean a fifth year senior who started five games and threw for 1,651 Yards and 17 touchdowns last season is no. 1 again after directing victories in the Sec title game and the sugar bowl. If he falters though1, Spurrier wont hesitate to turn to Wuerffel who got seven starts and threw for 2,230 Yards and 22 ads As a Redshirt freshman. A sometimes i think a Little too much is made of who sat quarterback a Spurrier said. A you look at the numbers and there a not a great Deal of difference in their play. Terry Deans earned the right to Start. If Ever things a going Well he a our Guy. Danny a got two More  the biggest Hole to fill on offence is at tailback where the gators lost Derrict Rhett the schools career Rushing Leader. Speedy freshmen Elijah Williams Tyrone Baker and Fred Taylor Are competing for the Job and could provide Spurrier with something he a never had a legitimate breakaway threat. A they along with Jack Jackson Are probably the fastest players on the team a Spurrier said. A a we re certainly going to have an Opportunity to make some Long runs. Whether or not those Guys can make the Tough four five or eight Yard runs Derrict Rhett made for four years we be got to wait to  Jackson last years leading receiver with 51 catches for 949 Yards and 11 ads will probably catch even More passes now that Willie Jackson and Harrison Houston have moved on to the nil. Meanwhile Chris Doering 43 catches seven ads and Aubrey Hill 23 catches four ads also will be counted on assume bigger roles in the  Lack of Talent Wasny to the problem on defense last year. Spurrier likes the personnel but was puzzled by the units Lack of Success on game Day. Kevin Carter Ellis Johnson Henry Mcmillan and Mark Campbell return to give the gators one of the strongest defensive lines in the Sec. Dexter Daniels and Ben Hanks head the list of promising linebackers and Larry Kennedy is the Leader of the secondary Auburn has Only one goal by Paul Newberry Auburn Ala. What can Auburn do for an encore a �.����?�. / a. A v a. A a perfect season nope already done that. A bowl trip or the Southeastern conference championship nope can to do either of those because of Mcaa probation. All the tigers can Hope to do is simply keep on winning. And even they know that can to last forever. A we will lose a game that Sas sure As death and taxes and it will probably happen sooner than we want a said Terry Bowden the first coach to go 11-0 in his first season at division i a. A closing is part of it. A Champion is Able to Bounce Back from a Tough loss and go for the  now there a a possibility. Nothing says Auburn can twin a National championship. Its not that farfetched. The tigers made an improbable run for no. 1 last season finishing fourth in the nation despite having no bowl game no conference championship and no television. Not to mention a Rookie coach. Bowden a cherubic Man who wears an a a attitude pin on his Collar and could find work As a motivational speaker actually feels More sure of himself than he did a year ago. He even took an ill advised dive off a 60-foot Cliff Over the summer leaving himself with a Tom pectoral muscle and cracked ribs. A i feel like Dpi More confident that the things we re doing and the Way we re doing them is Correct a said Bowden who came to Auburn from division i a College football �?T94 Samford. A was opposed to last year when i said a gosh this stuff worked at Samford i Hope it works  there was a lot of  the Best team hardly anybody saw used the Mcaa sanctions As a rallying cry making people forget the pay for play scandal that started the whole mess. Unfortunately for the tigers their season ended on nov. 20 a by the time the final poll came out most people had forgotten the Only unbeaten team in America. Still on probation the tigers face the same problem this year. Plus some others. A the secondary concerns me a Bowden said. A a it a not that they done to have Talent its just that they think they re so Dang Good. I want to make sure the secondary continues to work hard and does no to talk too  on offence the tigers have to replace two of their top players four year starting quarterback Stan White 2,054 Yards passing 13 touchdowns and tailback James Bostic the secs leading rusher with 1,205 Yards Bowden thinks Junior Stephen Davis is ready to fill Bosticks shoes. Davis was the teams second leading rusher with 480 Yards and briefly took Over the starting role because of Bosticks fumbling problems. Whites successor is not so Clear Cut. Pat Nix who led the tigers to the win Over Alabama after White was injured is the logical Choice to move to no. 1. But Redshirt freshman Dame Yune Craig described by his teammates As another Charlie Ward is hard to ignore. Terry Bowdens first year at Auburn was no bust. Apsite