Five best conference title games

<p>When Florida and Alabama face off in the 17th SEC Championship Game on Saturday, the teams hope to make lasting memories. As a rule, this game has been full of them. Four times the winning team left with an unbeaten record and two of those teams won national championships. Gainesville Sun sports columnist Pat Dooley picks the five best SEC title games. So far.</p><p><b>1. 1994 — Florida 24, Alabama 23</p><p>Where:</b> Georgia Dome, Atlanta.</p><p><b>The drama:</b> This was the first time the game was played in Atlanta and there were 30 million people watching on ABC. Florida led 17-10 behind sophomore quarterback Danny Wuerffel. Alabama kicked a pair of long field goals to pull within one before Dwayne Rudd picked off a Wuerffel pass and returned it 23 yards for a score with 8:56 to play. Florida responded with an 80-yard drive with Wuerffel hitting Chris Doering from two yards out and Judd Davis kicking the winning point. The Gators had blown a 31-3 lead the week before in Tallahassee so Gator fans were still nervous with 5:29 to play. But Eddie Lake’s interception off a Fred Weary tip sealed the game for UF.</p><p><b>Biggest play:</b> One play after Wuerffel hit Reidel Anthony on a backward pass for nine yards to the Alabama 22 on the game-winning drive, Steve Spurrier went to his bag of tricks. Earlier in the drive he had Wuerffel fake an injury, then throw deep with Eric Kresser at quarterback. This time he used the double-pass, Wuerffel throwing to Chris Doering who threw to Aubrey Hill for 20 yards to set Florida up at the 2-yard line.</p><p><b>2. 1992 — Alabama 28, Florida 21</p><p>Where:</b> Legion Field, Birmingham.</p><p><b>The drama:</b> Alabama came into the inaugural SEC Championship Game unbeaten with a shot at the national title. On the other side, this was probably Steve Spurrier’s worst team at Florida. But despite two SEC losses, the Gators managed to win the East by beating Georgia and watching as Tennessee faded. The Gators were expected to be fodder for the dominant Tide defense but Spurrier put in a special shovel pass to running back Errict Rhett, who caught 10 passes in the game. Still, Alabama appeared to have control of the game up 21-7 in the third quarter behind two Derrick Lassic runs and a Jay Barker touchdown pass. Florida tied it with 8:09 to play in the game to set up the late heroics.</p><p><b>Biggest play:</b> Florida had the ball with a chance to drive for the winning score and pull off the stunner, but Antonio Langham had other ideas. He stepped in front of a Shane Matthews pass and returned it 27 yards down the sideline for the game-winning score. Florida couldn’t muster a drive after that. Days later, Spurrier blamed the interception on a faulty route run by wide receiver Monte Duncan.</p><p><b>3. 1996 — Florida 45, Alabama 30</p><p>Where:</b> Georgia Dome, Atlanta.</p><p><b>The drama:</b> Earlier in the day, Nebraska lost to Texas. That meant a win by Florida could mean a shot at the national title in the Sugar Bowl against Florida State. Alabama came in as the champions of the West at 9-2 and ranked 11th in the country. What followed was the highest-scoring game in SEC Championship Game history, a 45-30 Florida win that saw Danny Wuerffel throw six touchdowns — three to Reidel Anthony — against the nation’s sixth-ranked defense. Alabama kept answering. A 94-yard touchdown pass from Freddie Kitchens to Michael Vaughn pulled the Tide within three at 31-28 before the Gators pulled away.</p><p><b>Biggest play:</b> After Vaughn’s long touchdown, Florida needed to retaliate. The Gators did 57 seconds later. Wuerffel found a streaking Jacquez Green down the right sideline behind the Alabama defense and hit him with a perfect strike. Green would not be caught and completed the 85-yard touchdown play that gave Florida a 10-point lead late in the third quarter.</p><p><b>4. 2007 — LSU 21, Tennessee 14</p><p>Where:</b> Georgia Dome, Atlanta.</p><p><b>The drama:</b> Two hours before the game, LSU coach Les Miles held an impromptu news conference to refute reports he would be the new coach at Michigan. And that was just a sidebar. LSU came into the game with an outside shot at playing for the national title, but the Tigers were without their starting quarterback Matt Flynn. Ryan Perrilloux stepped in and was the game’s MVP. Tennessee battled all the way and Erik Ainge’s touchdown pass to Josh Briscoe gave the Vols the lead heading into the fourth. But LSU prevailed and when Missouri and West Virginia lost on the same day, the Tigers were pushed into the title game.</p><p><b>Biggest play:</b> With Tennessee leading 14-13, the Vols were backed up in their own territory when Ainge threw an out pattern to a receiver who didn’t break out. Instead it landed in the arms of defensive back Jonathan Zenon, who sprinted 18 yards to the end zone for the winning score. Ainge did drive the Vols, who were wearing all orange, into LSU territory but Ainge threw another pick to seal it.</p><p><b>5. 1997 — Tennessee 30, Auburn 29</p><p>Where:</b> Georgia Dome, Atlanta.</p><p><b>The drama:</b> Tennessee had lost again to Florida early in the year but the Vols took advantage of a pair of Gator losses to LSU and Georgia to advance in Peyton Manning’s senior season. Auburn stumbled in with a 6-2 SEC record and losses in two of its last five conference games by a combined score of 44-10. The Tigers made it because of an early season win over LSU, which also finished 6-2. But the Tigers came to Atlanta ready to play and led 20-7 early. The Tigers still led 27-17 when Tennessee scored. But Auburn blocked the extra point and it was returned by Quinton Reese. Still, the Vols pulled the game out, but then lost to Nebraska in the Orange Bowl, 42-17.</p><p><b>Biggest play:</b> You could say it was Jeff Hall’s extra point that was the margin of victory. But with Tennessee down 29-23 early in the fourth quarter, Manning found Marcus Nash open for a 73-yard touchdown. It was Manning’s fourth touchdown pass of the game and Auburn couldn’t muster anything offensively the rest of the way.</p>