Countdown to Kickoff: 9 Historical Notes in the FSU/Auburn Series

9 – Florida State has faced Auburn more times (18) than any other member of the SEC (outside of the yearly rivalry with Florida).  Florida State has faced South Carolina 19 times, but all but one of those meetings were before South Carolina was an SEC member.

8 – In 1987, Florida State defeated Auburn 34-6.  It is the worst home out-of-conference loss in Auburn history.

7 – Florida State’s Deion Sanders intercepted Auburn’s Reggie Slack in the end zone with 5 seconds remaining in the 1989 Sugar Bowl to seal the victory.  It was the last play that Sanders made in an FSU uniform before moving on to the NFL for the 1989 season.

6 – In their last meeting, #5 Auburn kicked a field goal with 2 seconds remaining to defeat #7 Florida State 20-17 in the 1990 season.

5 – Auburn is 13th in the nation in career wins with 714.  Of the other 12 teams with the most wins (Michigan, Texas, Notre Dame, Nebraska, Ohio State, Oklahoma, Alabama, Tennessee, USC, Georgia, LSU, and Penn State), Florida State has played all but Texas.

4 – Auburn great Bo Jackson hails from the same town (Bessemer, AL) as current Florida State quarterback Jameis Winston.  Jackson had a 3-0 career record against the Noles and in 1985 was a one man wrecking crew rushing for 176 yards and touchdowns of 53 and 35 yards.

3 – Florida State is 4-13-1 all-time against Auburn.  More than half of those games were prior to 1980 when FSU was a building program and Auburn was a bonafide SEC blueblood.  In the last 4 meetings, FSU is 3-1.  FSU and Auburn have met one other time in the postseason, a 13-7 Florida State victory in the 1989 Sugar Bowl.

2 – Seven months before a schedule game in 1999, Auburn cancelled the game contract and paid Florida State a $500,000.  It was to be the season opener and broadcast on ESPN.  FSU was left to scramble and filled the schedule with Louisiana Tech.  Florida State fans quickly dubbed Auburn as the “War Chickens” and it remains a popular moniker for FSU fans to use.

1 – In 1984, in a classic 42-41 game that saw Auburn take the victory, Florida State fans saw the culmination of years of evolution from the popular 1960’s Seminole cheer, “Massacre”, to the Warchant known around the nation now.

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