2003 Florida Gators football team

2003 Florida Gators football
2003 Florida Gators football
SEC Eastern Division co-champion
Outback Bowl, L 17–37 vs. Iowa
Conference	Southeastern Conference
	Eastern Division
Ranking
Coaches	No. 25
AP	No. 24
Record	8–5 (6–2 SEC)
Head coach	Ron Zook (2nd season);
Offensive coordinator	Ed Zaunbrecher (2nd season)
Offensive scheme	Spread
Defensive coordinator	Charlie Strong (1st season)
Base defense	4–3
Captains	Daryl Dixon; Keiwan Ratliff; Max Starks; Ben Troupe;
Home stadium	Ben Hill Griffin Stadium

2003 Southeastern Conference football standings

Team	W		L	W		L
Eastern Division
No. 7 Georgia xy	6	–	2	11	–	3
No. 15 Tennessee x	6	–	2	10	–	3
No. 24 x	6	–	2	8	–	5
South Carolina	2	–	6	5	–	7
Vanderbilt	1	–	7	2	–	10
Kentucky	1	–	7	4	–	8
Western Division
No. 2 LSU xy$#	7	–	1	13	–	1
No. 13 Ole Miss x	7	–	1	10	–	3
Auburn	5	–	3	8	–	5
Arkansas	4	–	4	9	–	4
Alabama	2	–	6	4	–	9
Mississippi State	1	–	7	2	–	10
Championship: LSU 34, Georgia 13
# – BCS National Champion $ – BCS representative as conference champion x – Division champion/co-champions y – Championship game participant Rankings from AP Poll

The 2003 Florida Gators football team represented the University of Florida as a member of the Eastern Division in the Southeastern Conference (SEC) during the 2003 NCAA Division I-A football season. Led by second-year head Ron Zook, the Gators compiled an overall record of 8–5 with mark of 6–2 in conference play, sharing the SEC's Eastern Division title with Georgia and Tennessee. Florida was invited to the Outback Bowl, where the Gators lost Iowa. The team played home games at Ben Hill Griffin Stadium on the university's Gainesville, Florida campus.

Consensus All-American Keiwan Ratliff set the school single-season interception mark in 2003 with 9.

Schedule

Date	Opponent	Rank	Site	TV	Result	Attendance	Source
August 30	San Jose State*		Ben Hill Griffin Stadium Gainesville, FL	PPV	W 65–3	90,011
September 6	at No. 3 Miami (FL)*	No. 21	Miami Orange Bowl Miami, FL (rivalry)	ABC	L 33–38	79,932
September 13	Florida A&M*	No. 19	Ben Hill Griffin Stadium Gainesville, FL	PPV	W 63–3	90,087	^[1]
September 20	No. 12 Tennessee	No. 17	Ben Hill Griffin Stadium Gainesville, FL (rivalry)	CBS	L 10–24	90,332
September 27	at Kentucky	No. 25	Commonwealth Stadium Lexington, KY (rivalry)	JPS	W 24–21	70,579
October 4	Ole Miss	No. 24	Ben Hill Griffin Stadium Gainesville, FL	JPS	L 17–20	90,101
October 11	at No. 6 LSU		Tiger Stadium Baton Rouge, LA (rivalry)	CBS	W 19–7	92,077
October 18	at No. 11 Arkansas		Razorback Stadium Fayetteville, AR	CBS	W 33–28	73,934
November 1	vs. No. 4 Georgia	No. 23	Alltel Stadium Jacksonville, FL (rivalry)	CBS	W 16–13	84,411
November 8	Vanderbilt	No. 17	Ben Hill Griffin Stadium Gainesville, FL	PPV	W 35–17	90,122
November 15	at South Carolina	No. 15	Williams–Brice Stadium Columbia, SC	JPS	W 24–22	81,523
November 29	No. 9 Florida State*	No. 11	Ben Hill Griffin Stadium Gainesville, FL (rivalry, College GameDay)	CBS	L 34–38	90,407
January 1, 2004	vs. No. 13 Iowa*	No. 17	Raymond James Stadium Tampa, FL (Outback Bowl)	ESPN	L 17–37	65,372
*Non-conference game Homecoming Rankings from AP Poll released prior to the game

^[2]^[3]

Game summaries

San Jose State

Team	1	2	3	4	Total
San Jose St	3	0	0	0	3
• Florida	3	27	14	21	65

Date: August 30
Location: Ben Hill Griffin Stadium, Gainesville, Florida
Game start: 6:00 p.m. EST
Elapsed time: 3:25
Game attendance: 90,011
Game weather: Warm and humid • 82 °F (28 °C) • Wind 5 E
Referee: Jay Vines

^[4]

Miami (FL)

Team	1	2	3	4	Total
Florida	10	9	14	0	33
• Miami (FL)	10	0	15	13	38

Date: September 6
Location: Orange Bowl
Game start: 8:00 p.m. EST
Elapsed time: 3:42
Game attendance: 79,932
Game weather: Cloudy 67% Hum • 87 °F (31 °C) • Wind 14 SW

^[5]

Florida A&M

Team	1	2	3	4	Total
Florida A&M	3	0	0	0	3
• Florida	14	21	7	21	63

Date: September 13
Location: Ben Hill Griffith Stadium
Game start: 6:00 p.m. EST

^[6]

Tennessee

Team	1	2	3	4	Total
• Tennessee	0	7	10	7	24
Florida	3	0	0	7	10

Date: September 20
Location: Ben Hill Griffith Stadium
Game start: 12:00 p.m. EST

^[7]

Kentucky

Team	1	2	3	4	Total
• Florida	0	3	0	21	24
Kentucky	7	7	7	0	21

Date: September 27
Location: Commonwealth Stadium
Game start: 12:30 p.m. EST

^[8]

Ole Miss

Team	1	2	3	4	Total
• Ole Miss	3	7	3	7	20
Florida	7	10	0	0	17

Date: October 4
Location: Ben Hill Griffith Stadium
Game start: 12:30 p.m. EST

^[9]

LSU

Team	1	2	3	4	Total
• Florida	10	3	6	0	19
LSU	7	0	0	0	7

Date: October 11
Location: Tiger Stadium

^[10]

Arkansas

Team	1	2	3	4	Total
• Florida	0	13	13	7	33
Arkansas	7	0	0	21	28

Date: October 18
Location: Donald W. Reynolds Razorback Stadium

^[11]

Georgia

Team	1	2	3	4	Total
Georgia	0	3	0	10	13
• Florida	0	3	7	6	16

Date: November 1
Location: Alltel Stadium

^[12]

Vanderbilt

Team	1	2	3	4	Total
Vanderbilt	7	3	0	7	17
• Florida	14	7	7	7	35

Date: November 8
Location: Ben Hill Griffith Stadium

^[13]

South Carolina

Team	1	2	3	4	Total
• Florida	0	7	17	0	24
South Carolina	9	7	6	0	22

Date: November 15
Location: Williams–Brice Stadium

^[14]

Florida State

Florida State Seminoles (9–2) at Florida Gators (8–3)

Quarter	1	2	3	4	Total
Florida State	7	10	7	14	38
Florida	3	3	18	10	34

at Ben Hill Griffith Stadium • Gainesville, Florida

Date: November 29
Game time: 3:20 p.m. EST
Game weather: Fair • 54 °F (12 °C) • Wind 10 NW
Game attendance: 90,407
Referee: Jack Childress
TV: CBS
Box Score

Game information

Florida St

Rix
14/19, 256 Yds, 3 TD
Washington
15 Rush, 65 Yds
Robinson
5 Rec, 102 Yds, TD

Florida

Leak
22/36, 273 Yds, 2 TD
Carthon
13 Rush, 62 Yds
Troupe
4 Rec, 121 Yds, 2 TD

Scoring summary

Quarter	Time	Drive			Team	Scoring information	Score
Quarter	Time	Plays	Yards	TOP	Team	Scoring information	FSU	FLA
1	6:05	11	46	4:27	Florida	47-yard field goal by Leach	0	3
1	1:46	8	78	4:19	Florida St	Robinson 35-yard touchdown reception from Rix, Beitia kick good	7	3
2	7:31	11	57	6:29	Florida St	28-yard field goal by Beitia	10	3
2	5:31	5	21	2:00	Florida	47-yard field goal by Leach	10	6
2	5:02	2	23	0:29	Florida St	Henshaw 20-yard touchdown reception from Rix, Beitia kick good	17	6
3	13:25	5	78	1:35	Florida	Troupe 25-yard touchdown reception from Leak, 2-point run good	17	14
3	7:44	9	41	3:30	Florida	42-yard field goal by Leach	17	17
3	6:10				Florida	Fumble recovery returned 77 yards for touchdown by Ratliff, Leach kick good	17	24
3	2:49				Florida St	Fumble recovery returned 25 yards for touchdown by Watkins, Beitia kick good	24	24
4	8:01	11	81	3:24	Florida	28-yard field goal by Leach	24	27
4	5:01	8	80	3:00	Florida St	Rix 1-yard touchdown run, Beitia kick good	31	27
4	2:50	9	60	2:11	Florida	Troupe 25-yard touchdown reception from Leak, Leach kick good	31	34
4	0:55	5	72	1:55	Florida St	Sam 52-yard touchdown reception from Rix, Beitia kick good	38	34
"TOP" = time of possession. For other American football terms, see Glossary of American football.							38	34

Outback Bowl

Team	1	2	3	4	Total
• Iowa	7	13	14	3	37
Florida	7	0	3	7	17

Date: January 1
Location: Raymond James Stadium

^[15]

Roster

2003 Florida Gators football team roster

Players

Coaches

Offense

Pos.	#	Name	Class
WR	`81`	Dallas Baker	Fr
OT	`67`	Steven Bell	Sr
WR	`16`	Vernell Brown	So
OL	`66`	Todd Bunce	Fr
OT	`72`	Lance Butler	So
TE	`85`	Hunter Cain	So
WR	`5`	Andre Caldwell	Fr
TE	`83`	Darrell Carpenter	Jr
OL	`71`	Ryan Carter	Fr
RB	`33`	Ran Carthon	Sr
RB	`20`	Joe Cohen	Fr
OT	`78`	Jonathan Colon	Jr
WR	`41`	Casey Conner	Sr
WR	`6`	Jemalle Cornelius	Fr
C	`68`	Mike Degory	So
QB	`17`	Gavin Dickey	Fr
RB	`4`	Ciatrick Fason	So
TE	`82`	Otto Graham	So
OL	`65`	Billy Griffin	Jr
OL	`64`	Anthony Guerrero	Jr
RB	`48`	Tyler Guettler	Fr
G	`74`	Randy Hand	So
FB	`45`	Eddie Hatch	So
WR	`37`	Tim Higgins	Fr
WR	`8`	Chad Jackson	Fr
RB	`46`	Pat Kelley	Fr
TE	`88`	David Kenner	Jr
WR	`2`	Kelvin Kight	Sr
OL	`60`	Zach King	Fr
QB	`9`	Matt Kynes	Fr
FB	`42`	Billy Latsko	Fr
RB	`27`	DaJuan Lawrence	Fr
QB	`12`	Chris Leak	Fr
WR	`22`	Reggie Lewis	Fr
QB	`10`	Ingle Martin	So
G	`63`	Jonathan Marvin	So
OL	`52`	Slyvester McGrew	Sr
OL	`73`	Carlton Medder	Fr
QB	`14`	Justin Midgett	Fr
WR	`28`	Kyle Morgan	So
WR	`87`	Jimmy Newmeyer	So
OL	`70`	Chris Parker	Fr
WR	`23`	Carlos Perez	Sr
OL	`79`	Steve Rissler	Fr
WR	`11`	O.J. Small	Jr
G	`75`	Shannon Snell	Sr
OT	`77`	Max Starks	Sr
OL	`62`	James Stone	Fr
RB	`25`	Skyler Thornton	Fr
WR	`3`	Kenneth Tookes	Fr
TE	`84`	Ben Troupe	Sr
WR	`80`	Reggie Vickers	Jr
RB	`24`	Jimtavis Walker	Fr
OT	`76`	Tavares Washington	Jr
RB	`21`	DeShawn Wynn	Fr
WR	`15`	Ryan Williams	So

Defense

Pos.	#	Name	Class
S	`32`	Zephrin Augustine	Jr
S	`7`	Cory Bailey	Jr
CB	`36`	Nick Brooks	Fr
DB	`45`	Adam Brown	Fr
LB	`28`	Richard Brown	Fr
LB	`52`	Alvin Butler	Fr
CB	`24`	Deshawn Carter	So
LB	`92`	Taurean Charles	Fr
LB	`49`	Shane Cimcock	So
LB	`55`	Channing Crowder	Fr
LB	`13`	Brian Crum	Fr
S	`34`	Daryl Dixon	Sr
DT	`62`	Ronald Dowdy	Jr
DB	`39`	William Foxe	Fr
LB	`30`	Earl Everett	Fr
LB	`43`	Matt Farrior	Sr
LB	`40`	Reid Fleming	Sr
LB	`54`	Doug Guziec	Fr
DE	`93`	Steven Harris	Fr
DE	`27`	Travis Harris	Jr
S	`46`	Jarvis Herring	So
DT	`90`	Michael Hill	Fr
DB	`35`	Reynaldo Hill	Jr
DT	`56`	Eric Holcombe	Jr
CB	`49`	Terrence Holmes	Fr
LB	`29`	Dwight Jackson	Sr
CB	`19`	Matt Jackson	Sr
CB	`31`	Johnny Lamar	Sr
DE	`86`	Darrell Lee	Sr
LB	`99`	Howard Lingard	Fr
CB	`26`	Jermaine McCollum	Fr
CB	`18`	Tremaine McCollum	Fr
DE	`57`	Bobby McCray	Sr
LB	`47`	Todd McCullough	Jr
DT	`95`	Ray McDonald	Fr
DT	`98`	Clint McMillan	Fr
DT	`61`	Mo Mitchell	Jr
DE	`97`	Tranelle Morant	Fr
DE	`94`	Jarvis Moss	Fr
DB	`37`	Matt Nedeff	Jr
DT	`96`	Dwayne Norris	Jr
S	`22`	Tre Orr	Jr
DT	`58`	Kenny Parker	Jr
DE	`85`	MacKenzie Pierre	Fr
CB	`1`	Keiwan Ratliff	Sr
DE	`59`	Julian Riley	Fr
LB	`51`	Bryan Royal	So
DE	`89`	Jeremy Sandow	Sr
LB	`53`	Alik Scott	So
S	`9`	Guss Scott	Sr
DB	`28`	Jermaine Thomas	Fr
DT	`44`	Marcus Thornton	Fr
DB	`15`	Demetrice Webb	Fr

Special teams

Pos.	#	Name	Class
P	`97`	Nick Fleming	So
LS	`69`	Casey Griffith	Sr
PK	`39`	Chris Hetland	Fr
P	`18`	Jason Hunter	Jr
PK	`14`	Matt Leach	Jr
LS	`73`	Jonathan Lively	Jr
P	`92`	Sean Morton	Sr
PK	`12`	Eric Nappy	Fr
LS	`50`	Jay Patella	Fr
PK	`38`	Matt Piotrowicz	Jr
PK	`93`	Brendt Talcott	Sr
PK	`95`	Jeff Whitaker	Jr
P	`10`	Eric Wilbur	Fr

Head coach

Ron Zook

Coordinators/assistant coaches

Legend

(C) Team captain
(S) Suspended
(I) Ineligible

Injured
Redshirt

Roster
Last update: 27 January 2018

Players drafted into the NFL

Round	Pick	Player	Position	NFL club
2	40	Ben Troupe	TE	Tennessee Titans
2	49	Keiwan Ratliff	CB	Cincinnati Bengals
3	75	Max Starks	OT	Pittsburgh Steelers
3	95	Guss Scott	SS	New England Patriots
7	249	Bobby McCray	DE	Jacksonville Jaguars

Bibliography

2009 Southeastern Conference Football Media Guide, Florida Year-by-Year Records, Southeastern Conference, Birmingham, Alabama, p. 60 (2009).
2012 Florida Football Media Guide, University Athletic Association, Gainesville, Florida, pp. 107–116 (2012).
Carlson, Norm, University of Florida Football Vault: The History of the Florida Gators, Whitman Publishing, LLC, Atlanta, Georgia (2007). ISBN 0-7948-2298-3.

References

^ "Gators stuff Rattlers 63–3". Florida Today. September 14, 2003. Retrieved June 1, 2025 – via Newspapers.com.
^ 2012 Florida Football Media Guide Archived 2013-05-27 at the Wayback Machine, University Athletic Association, Gainesville, Florida, pp. 114 & 116 (2012). Retrieved September 16, 2012.
^ GatorZone.com, Football, History, Florida Football 2003. Retrieved November 25, 2011.
^ ESPN. Retrieved 31 July 2014.
^ "2003 Football Boxscore Notes vs Miami (FL) 2003-09-06".
^ "2003 Football Boxscore Notes vs Florida A&M 2003-09-13".
^ "2003 Football Boxscore Notes vs Tennessee 2003-09-20".
^ ESPN.com. Retrieved 11 February 2018.
^ ESPN.com. Retrieved 11 February 2018.
^ ESPN.com. Retrieved 11 February 2018.
^ ESPN.com. Retrieved 11 February 2018.
^ ESPN.com. Retrieved 11 February 2018.
^ ESPN.com. Retrieved 11 February 2018.
^ ESPN.com. Retrieved 11 February 2018.
^ ESPN.com. Retrieved 11 February 2018.

[1] "Gators stuff Rattlers 63–3". Florida Today. September 14, 2003. Retrieved June 1, 2025 – via Newspapers.com.

[ufmediaguide-2] 2012 Florida Football Media Guide Archived 2013-05-27 at the Wayback Machine, University Athletic Association, Gainesville, Florida, pp. 114 & 116 (2012). Retrieved September 16, 2012.

[3] GatorZone.com, Football, History, Florida Football 2003. Retrieved November 25, 2011.

[4] ESPN. Retrieved 31 July 2014.

[5] "2003 Football Boxscore Notes vs Miami (FL) 2003-09-06".

[6] "2003 Football Boxscore Notes vs Florida A&M 2003-09-13".

[7] "2003 Football Boxscore Notes vs Tennessee 2003-09-20".

[8] ESPN.com. Retrieved 11 February 2018.

[9] ESPN.com. Retrieved 11 February 2018.

[10] ESPN.com. Retrieved 11 February 2018.

[11] ESPN.com. Retrieved 11 February 2018.

[12] ESPN.com. Retrieved 11 February 2018.

[13] ESPN.com. Retrieved 11 February 2018.

[14] ESPN.com. Retrieved 11 February 2018.

[15] ESPN.com. Retrieved 11 February 2018.

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Q1	SJSU	Carr 47 yard field goal	SJSU 3–0

Q1	FLA	Leach 20 yard field goal	Tie 3–3

Q2	FLA	Leach 37 yard field goal	FLA 6–3

Q2	FLA	Carthon 2 yard run (Leach kick)	FLA 13–3

Q2	FLA	Kight 21 yard pass from Martin (Leach kick)	FLA 20–3

Q2	FLA	Scott 38 yard interception return (Leach kick)	FLA 27–3

Q2	FLA	Leach 30 yard field goal	FLA 30–3

Q3	FLA	Carthon 2 yard run (Leach kick)	FLA 37–3

Q3	FLA	Kight 16 yard pass from Leak (Leach kick)	FLA 44–3

Q4	FLA	Lewis 22 yard fumble return (Leach kick)	FLA 51–3

Q4	FLA	Jackson 29 yard pass from Dickey (Leach kick)	FLA 58–3

Q4	FLA	Orr 72 yard interception return (Leach kick)	FLA 65–3

Florida Gators football
Venues	The Baseball Park (1906–1910) University Athletic Field / Fleming Field (1911–1930) Ben Hill Griffin Stadium (1930–present)
Bowls & rivalries	Bowl games Alabama Auburn Florida State (Florida Cup) Georgia Kentucky LSU Miami (Florida Cup) Tennessee
Culture & lore	History The Pride of the Sunshine Gator Chomp Mr. Two Bits Gatorade I Won't Back Down 1961 gambling scandal
People	Head coaches Ring of Honor All-Americans UF Athletic Hall of Fame Starting quarterbacks Statistical leaders NFL draftees
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National championship seasons in bold