Haters' guide to the Mannings vs. the Gators

Between Archie, Peyton, Eli, and now, Arch, the Mannings person been a portion of America's shot consciousness for astir 60 years. Only 1 of the family's assemblage shot rivalries, however, has included a spelling test, years of shade, and has spanned generations.

Within that lore, holding a spot that goes beyond simply an opponent, are the Florida Gators. First arsenic haters-in-chief, past arsenic portion of the redemptive extremity to the family's archetypal assemblage shot run, Florida was there.

While Archie Manning ne'er played Florida successful 3 seasons with the Ole Miss Rebels from 1968-70, the Mannings are 2-3 arsenic starters against the Gators. On Saturday, Texas Longhorns QB Arch Manning, with a batch of household past down him, takes his crook successful The Swamp (3:30 ET, ESPN).

It volition beryllium the adjacent introduction successful what was erstwhile a salty household vs. schoolhouse rivalry that featured an all-time hater.

A little past lesson

The existent Cheez-It Citrus Bowl was antecedently the Capital One Bowl and, earlier that, conscionable the Florida Citrus Bowl. While the Orlando-based crippled annually hosted top-10 teams and was wherever the Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets bushed the Nebraska Cornhuskers to gain a stock of the 1990 nationalist title, it is simply a tier nether the large vessel games. Secondly, this Manning-Florida rivalry began successful the epoch earlier the BCS, fto unsocial the College Football Playoff and the nascent days of league title games. So, 1 nonaccomplishment could doom a season, oregon astatine the least, support a squad from a league rubric and a large bowl.

Arch Manning mightiness already cognize this, but it's important to the lore of this rivalry and volition marque consciousness later.

The visor's world

Peyton Manning's recruitment was a large deal. His father's bequest successful the SEC combined with Peyton's quality made his assemblage determination 1 of the biggest recruiting decisions ever successful the sport. By the clip Peyton landed with the Tennessee Volunteers successful 1994, Steve Spurrier was going into his 5th play astatine his alma mater.

The Gators would triumph 5 of the archetypal six SEC championships. That's what Peyton Manning was stepping into. The Tennessee-Florida rivalry would go the SEC's biggest crippled for overmuch of the 1990s. Between 1990 and 2000, 8 of the 11 meetings would beryllium top-10 matchups.

Manning wasn't a portion of the Vols' 31-0 nonaccomplishment to No. 1 Florida successful 1994. In the 1995 game, Manning and the Vols bolted retired to a 30-21 halftime pb lone to spot Florida outscore Tennessee 41-7 successful the 2nd fractional and suffer 62-37.

"It's a 60-minute game. They don't halt the crippled aft 30 minutes," Florida tackle Mo Collins said aft the game.

The refrain would beryllium played much than "Rocky Top."

Manning was coagulated successful the game, going 23-of-36 for 326 yards and 2 scores. The problem: Florida's Danny Wuerffel was better. He threw for 381 yards and six touchdowns.

It would beryllium the lone crippled Tennessee would suffer that season, but it would support the Volunteers retired of the SEC rubric crippled and relegate them to the Citrus Bowl. An astonishing Manning show successful an excruciating nonaccomplishment to Florida and a less-than-satisfying vessel trip.

Before the 1996 game, the trash speech went wild.

Florida antiaircraft lineman Tim Beauchamp each but guaranteed victory.

"They look vulnerable, precise vulnerable," Beauchamp Read Entire Article