The 20th SEC Championship Game will be held in Atlanta’s Georgia Dome on Saturday. Since the first SEC Championship Game in 1992, nine of the teams that won went on to win the national championship, including each winner from 2006 to 2010.
From the first championship game at Birmingham’s Legion Field to Cam Newton’s performance last year, here are some of the most memorable moments or performances from each of the first 19 SEC Championship games from 1992 to 2010.
Contents
1992: Langham’s Game-Winning Interception
On December 5, 1992, the first SEC Championship Game was played between second-ranked and unbeaten Alabama and 12th-ranked Florida at Birmingham’s Legion Field. The Crimson Tide led 21-7 in the third quarter in front of more than 83,000 fans, most of whom were cheering for Alabama. But Florida answered with two touchdowns to tie the game at 21 points apiece about halfway through the fourth quarter.
With 3:25 left in the game and the score tied, Alabama cornerback Antonio Langham picked off Florida quarterback Shane Matthews and ran 21 yards to score the touchdown that won the game. Alabama won by a score of 28-21, and Langham was named MVP.
After winning the SEC title, Alabama beat top-ranked Miami 34-13 in the Sugar Bowl to win the school’s 12th national title. In the Gator Bowl, runner-up Florida beat North Carolina State by a score of 27-10.
1993: The Fake
On December 4, 1993, Florida and Alabama met again in a rematch of the first SEC Championship game. Both teams were ranked ninth.
Late in the third quarter of what turned out to be the last SEC Championship game at Legion Field, Florida was ahead 14-13. At this time, Steve Spurrier, the head coach of Florida, took a huge risk.
On fourth-and-eight from their own 37-yard line, the Gators’ punter, Shayne Edge, took the snap and ran 30 yards around the right end to give Florida a first down at the Alabama 43. After that, Gators quarterback Terry Dean threw a 43-yard touchdown pass to Jack Jackson on the next play, giving Florida a 28-13 win.
Florida beat West Virginia 41–7 to get to the Sugar Bowl and earn a spot there. In the Gator Bowl, Alabama beat North Carolina by a score of 24 to 10.
1994: The Tricky Gators
The place where the game was played changed, but the teams did not. The SEC Championship game moved from Birmingham, Ala. to the Georgia Dome in Atlanta, but the teams that played were still third-ranked and unbeaten Alabama and sixth-ranked Florida.
Alabama was ahead 23–17 in the fourth quarter before Florida used two trick plays to put together the drive that won the game.
The first trick play happened when Florida quarterback Danny Wuerffel, who seemed to have hurt his leg, limped off the field. As soon as backup quarterback Eric Kresser came into the game, he passed to Ike Hilliard for a 25-yard catch that put the ball on the Alabama 42-yard line. Wuerffel went back into the game right away after missing only one play.
Steve Spurrier, the head coach of Florida, called for another trick play later in the drive. With the ball at the Alabama 22-yard line, Wuerffel threw to Chris Doering behind the line of scrimmage. The wide receiver for the Gators then found Aubrey Hill, who caught the ball and moved 20 yards to the 2-yard line. The next play, Doering caught a two-yard touchdown pass. The next extra point, made by Judd Davis, gave Florida a 24-23 upset win and their second SEC title in a row.
Florida went to the Sugar Bowl for the second year in a row, even though they lost to seventh-ranked Florida State 23–17. Alabama went to the Citrus Bowl and won by a score of 24–17 over Ohio State.
1995: Hanks You Very Much
This year was the first time that Florida and Alabama did not play in the SEC Championship game. The second-ranked and unbeaten Gators played again, but this time it was Arkansas, which was ranked 23rd, that they played.
The Razorbacks scored first to go up 3-0, but by the end of the third quarter, they were behind 24-3. Arkansas was deep in Florida’s territory, so Razorbacks quarterback Barry Lunney Jr. tried a pitch. But the ball was tipped and fell into the hands of Gators nickelback Ben Hanks, who ran 95 yards for a touchdown. After that, Florida added a field goal for a 34–3 win and the Gators’ third straight SEC title.
Florida was invited to the Fiesta Bowl to play for the national championship against the number one team, Nebraska. After winning the SEC championship by 31 points, the Gators lost to the Cornhuskers by 38 points, 62-24. In the Carquest Bowl, Arkansas played North Carolina and lost by a score of 20-10.
1996: Air Wuerffel
Fourth-ranked Florida and 11th-ranked Alabama played in the SEC Championship game for the fourth time in five years after a one-year break. The game was between the best offence in the country, Florida, and the best passing defence in the country, Alabama.
Even though Florida quarterback Danny Wuerffel didn’t play Alabama during the regular season, he still threw for 401 yards and six touchdowns against the Crimson Tide defence. He threw three touchdown passes in each half, and Florida won the SEC championship for the fourth straight year with a 45–30 win.
Wuerffel threw three touchdown passes to Reidel Anthony, including one in the second quarter that put Florida in the lead for good. Wuerffel, who would go on to win the Heisman Trophy that season, was named MVP of the SEC Championship game for the second straight year.
The win moved Florida to the top of the AP poll, and in the Sugar Bowl, they played third-ranked Florida State. Florida won the national title with a convincing 52–20 win. Alabama went to the Outback Bowl and won by a score of 17-14 over Michigan.
1997: Nash’s Dash
For the first time ever, neither Florida nor Alabama played in the SEC Championship game. Tennessee, which was ranked third, and Auburn, which was ranked 11th, were the first teams to play.
Tennessee was behind 27–17 in the third quarter when quarterback Peyton Manning threw a 46-yard touchdown pass to Peerless Price. But Jeff Hall’s try to score an extra point was blocked. Quinton Reese of Auburn grabbed the ball and ran it into the end zone for two points and a 29-23 lead for the Tigers.
Mrs. Fletcher Season 2 Release Date, Cast, Plot – Everything We Know So Far
With 11 minutes left, Auburn still had a 29-23 lead. Marcus Nash caught what looked like a simple short pass from Manning. Instead, Nash broke through a tackle in front of the Auburn sideline and ran 73 yards for the touchdown. Hall made the extra point, and Tennessee won 30-29, giving them their first SEC title. Manning completed 25 of 43 passes for 373 yards and was named MVP of the game.
Nebraska beat Tennessee 42–17 and won a share of the national championship. Tennessee went to the Orange Bowl, but they lost to Nebraska. Auburn went back to Atlanta for the Peach Bowl and beat Clemson 21–17.
1998: The Upset That Almost Was
Tennessee, which was ranked first and had never lost a game, was a huge favourite over Mississippi State, which was ranked 23rd. There was still hope for the Bulldogs, though, because both unbeaten Kansas State and UCLA lost earlier in the day.
Early in the fourth quarter, Mississippi State’s Kevin Prentiss caught a Tennessee punt from his own 17-yard line. At the time, his team was behind by 10 points. As Prentiss started his return, two Volunteers tried to tackle him. He dodged them and then straddled the sidelines in front of the Bulldog players and coaches. After 83 yards, Prentiss was celebrating in the end zone, giving Mississippi State a 14-10 lead.
Unfortunately for the Bulldogs, Tennessee quickly scored a touchdown to regain the lead and then added another score on their way to a 24-14 win and their second straight SEC Championship.
In the first BCS Championship Game, Tennessee played Florida State, which was ranked second, in the Fiesta Bowl. Tennessee beat Florida State 23-16. Mississippi State was asked to play in the Cotton Bowl, but Texas beat them 38-11.
1999: Milons Run
Florida and Alabama played for the SEC championship for the fifth time in history. Both teams came into the game with a 9-2 record. The Gators were fifth in the country and the Crimson Tide was seventh.
Earlier in the season, Alabama won 40-39 in overtime to end Florida’s streak of 31 straight wins at home. The Gators were ready to get back at the Crimson Tide, and they also saw it as a chance to beat them for the fourth time in the SEC Championship Game.
At the start of the fourth quarter, Alabama had a 15-7 lead. With the ball at their own 23-yard line, Crimson Tide quarterback Andrew Zow threw to running back Freddie Milons. Milons tried to run up the middle, but was stopped by a Florida player. He then went back to the middle of the field. Milons turned around again and went toward the sideline in Florida. He ran faster than the Gators’ defence and scored from 77 yards out, giving Alabama a 23–7 lead.
In a 19-point fourth quarter, the Crimson Tide scored two more touchdowns for a 34-7 win and Alabama’s 21st SEC Championship. Milons was named Most Valuable Player of the Game because he ran for 116 yards and a touchdown.
Alabama played in the Orange Bowl, but they lost to eighth-ranked Michigan 35-34 in overtime. In the Citrus Bowl, Florida lost 37-34 to ninth-ranked Michigan State.
2000: Another SEC Championship Game, Another Gators Win
A year after losing by a lot to Alabama in the SEC Championship Game, seventh-ranked Florida went back to the Georgia Dome to play 18th-ranked Auburn. In the regular season, the Gators beat the Tigers by a score of 38-7.
Early on, the game was over thanks to the Gators, especially Rex Grossman and Reche Caldwell. On Auburn’s first drive, they lost the ball, which Florida took advantage of when Grossman threw a 10-yard touchdown pass to Caldwell. Later in the first quarter, Caldwell caught a 66-yard touchdown pass from Grossman. He stiff-armed an Auburn defender and ran faster than the rest of the Tigers’ defence.
Florida never looked back and won the SEC Championship Game for the fifth time with a 28-6 win. The next month, Florida played in the Sugar Bowl, but second-ranked Miami beat them 37-20. Auburn lost to Michigan 31–28 in the Citrus Bowl.
2001: From the Bench to MVP
Tennessee looked like it was going to get back to the BCS National Championship Game. The Volunteers were ranked second and had a record of 10-1 going into the 2001 SEC Championship Game. The team they were playing was LSU, which was ranked 21st and was playing in its first SEC Championship Game.
Is Sharp Objects, the HBO Series Starring Amy Adams, Getting a Season 2? Well, Probably Not
Not only was LSU a big underdog, but Tennessee beat them in the regular season, 26-18. Even worse, quarterback Rohan Davey got hurt early, and Matt Mauck, a redshirt freshman, had to take over.
Early in the fourth quarter, when the score was 17-16 and the ball was on Tennessee’s 13-yard line, Mauck ran through the Volunteers’ defence to score from 13 yards out. It was his second touchdown of the game that he ran for. On the try for two points, Mauck threw a pass to Josh Reed that was caught, giving LSU a 24-17 lead.
After LSU scored another touchdown, the upset was over and they won 31–20. It was LSU’s first SEC title since 1988 and their first outright title since 1986.
Even though Mauck started the game on the bench, he was the most valuable player of the game. Mauck didn’t throw for more than 67 yards, but he ran 12 times for 43 yards and two touchdowns.
After their shocking win in the SEC Championship Game, LSU beat Illinois 47-34 in the Sugar Bowl, which was almost like a home game for them. Tennessee didn’t get the chance to play Miami for the national championship. Instead, they had to play 17th-ranked Michigan in the Citrus Bowl. The Volunteers won, 45-17.
2002: Dogs vs. Hogs
The 2002 Southeastern Conference Championship Game did not include the SEC West Champion. The Crimson Tide won the division, although they were barred from postseason play because of their status as an NCAA probationary club. As a result of a three-way tie with Auburn and LSU, Arkansas, the 22nd-ranked team in the country, was crowned the West Division champion. Georgia would be the Razorbacks’ next opponent.
Arkansas lost 34-3 to Florida in their first trip in the SEC Championship Game in 1995. Not much of a difference between their performance in the 2002 and 2003 games. 104 yards and two scores on the ground for Georgia’s Musa Smith led the Bulldogs to a comfortable 30-3 victory on the road. Georgia had a 17-0 lead before Arkansas had a single yard to its name.
Smith was named the game’s MVP as Georgia advanced to the Sugar Bowl to meet Florida State, the 16th-ranked team. The Bulldogs came out on top 26-13 in the end. Arkansas went to Nashville for the Music City Bowl, where it was defeated 29-14 by Minnesota.
2003: Run Justin, Run
At first glance, the 2003 SEC Championship Game appeared to be a fantastic matchup. Third-ranked LSU played fifth-ranked Georgia in a matchup of the past two SEC champions.
The Tigers never looked back after Justin Vincent set the tone in the first quarter.
In the first quarter, LSU held possession of the ball at their own 13-yard line with less than five minutes remaining and the game 0-0. Matt Mauck threw the ball to Vincent, who was helped along by a number of LSU offensive linemen and wide receivers in blocking. Near the LSU sideline, Vincent made a break for the outside and outran Georgia’s defenders.
LSU romped to a 34-14 victory after taking a commanding 17-0 lead. A record-setting 201 running yards and three touchdowns earned Vincent MVP honours in the SEC Championship Game. In three years, the Tigers have won two SEC championships.
As a result of their win, LSU is now ranked No. 2 in the BCS standings and will play Oklahoma in the Sugar Bowl. It was LSU’s first national championship since 1958 after a 21-14 victory over Oklahoma. In the Citrus Bowl, Georgia defeated Purdue 34-27 in overtime.
2004: A Bittersweet Win
Third-ranked With a lot riding on the 2004 SEC Championship Game, Auburn had a lot on the line. Even if the Tigers beat 15th-ranked Tennessee, they would not be guaranteed a spot in the title game. When Auburn went into the Big 12 Championship Game, they knew they had to win big and pray that Oklahoma would lose.
During the regular season, Auburn defeated Tennessee 34-10. After scoring two touchdowns in the first seven minutes of the SEC Championship Game, Auburn appeared to have a commanding 14-0 lead.
Gerald Riggs, Jr.’s 80-yard touchdown run in the third quarter helped Tennessee rally from a 21-7 halftime deficit. Jason Campbell found Devin Aromashodu for a 53-yard touchdown throw to reclaim the lead for Auburn. Auburn sealed the victory with a field goal and a touchdown of their own.
When Campbell was chosen MVP for his efforts, Auburn had a shot at winning the championship. He threw for 374 yards and three touchdowns on 27-of-35 attempts. The 431 total yards set by Campbell in the SEC Championship Game is a new record for total offence in an SEC Championship Game.
Both Auburn and Oklahoma had to settle for a Sugar Bowl matchup against Virginia Tech after Oklahoma triumphed in the Big 12 Championship Game Auburn’s players, coaches, and fans watched helplessly as USC thrashed Oklahoma 55-19 in the Orange Bowl to claim the national championship despite their team’s victory by a score of 16-13. (a title later vacated by USC for NCAA violations). Tennesse defeated Texas A&M 38-7 in the Cotton Bowl, which was won by SEC runner-up Tennessee.
2005: Bullying the Tigers
As in 2003, the SEC Championship Game was held in a repeat of the previous year’s final. A different triumphant squad emerged from this match, despite a similar result.
Les Miles, the Tigers’ first-year head coach, led the Tigers to victory over Georgia, the Tigers’ 13th-ranked opponent. It would be the Bulldogs, though, who would revenge their humiliation in 2003.”
Georgia scored two touchdowns in the first quarter to take a 14-0 lead. Immediately following LSU quarterback JaMarcus Russell’s one-yard touchdown run, a special teams play swung the tide of the game.
Rust Bros Restorations 1957 GMC Sierra resto-mod goes up for auction on AutoHunter
At the 15-yard line for LSU, Georgia wide receiver Bryan McClendon broke through the line and blocked punter Chris Jackson’s attempt. D.J. Shockley scored a seven-yard touchdown run three plays later to give the Bulldogs a 21-7 lead. Despite a slow start, the Bulldogs never looked back, winning 34-14.
In the Sugar Bowl, Georgia faced West Virginia in the Georgia Dome, where the Superdome had been damaged by Hurricane Katrina. Although the Bulldogs had a large partisan crowd behind them, they were beaten 38-35 by the Mountaineers. The LSU Tigers beat Miami 40-3 in the Chick-fil-A Peach Bowl in the Georgia Dome.
2006: A Fishy Decision
Finally, Florida returned to the SEC Championship Game after an absence of 5 years. The Gators would face Arkansas, the eighth-ranked team in the country at the time of the 1995 championship game, which the Gators won 34-3.
Despite Arkansas’ best efforts, the Razorbacks were unable to come away with a victory in this contest.
Arkansas appeared doomed after falling behind 17-0 in the second quarter, much like they had in their previous two visits in the SEC Championship Game, where they were outscored 64-6. The Razorbacks, on the other hand, scored three straight touchdowns in the third quarter to take a 21-17 lead.
There was no doubt about Arkansas’ lead until the most puzzling play in SEC Championship Game history. A Florida punt was returned by Reggie Fish, a substitute for the Razorbacks’ normal punt returner, deep in Arkansas territory.
At this point in time, it looked like the ball would either inside the five-yard line or in the end zone, depending on how far it travelled. Fish attempted an over-the-shoulder catch on his own goal line for some reason. The ball bounced into the end zone after Fish fumbled the punt. Wondy Pierre-Louis scored the game-winning touchdown for the Gators with a diving catch.
In the end, Florida prevailed 38-28, despite Arkansas’ fourth touchdown. After a Gators victory and a USC defeat, Florida will face No. 1 ranked Ohio State in the first BCS Championship Game. The Gators won their second national championship in ten years with a 41-14 thrashing of the Buckeyes. Arkansas was forced to settle for the Citrus Bowl after losing 17-14 to Wisconsin in the SEC Championship game.
2007: Tigers on the Prowl
It was LSU’s victory over Tennessee in 2001 that prevented the Volunteers from competing in the national title game. Against LSU six years later, 14th-ranked Tennessee was able to avenge the loss.
In the third quarter, quarterback Erik Ainge threw a six-yard touchdown pass to Josh Briscoe to give the Volunteers a 14-13 lead. LSU’s opportunistic defence took control of the game with less than 10 minutes remaining and Tennessee in possession of the football.
A Tennessee receiver was intercepted by Tigers cornerback Jonathan Zenon, who returned it 18 yards for the game-winning touchdown. LSU led 21-14 after the two-point conversion by quarterback Ryan Perrilloux, who was named the game’s MVP. Darry Beckwith’s interception of an Ainge throw deep in LSU territory late in the third quarter sealed the victory for the Tigers.
As a result of Missouri and West Virginia’s defeats, the Tigers will face Ohio State in the BCS Championship Game in New Orleans. LSU defeated the Buckeyes for the second year in a row, this time 38-24, to win their second national championship of the decade and a second SEC crown. Tennessee, the SEC’s runner-up, defeated Wisconsin in the Outback Bowl, 21-17.