The 1983 Gator Bowl was an American college football bowl game played on December 30, 1983, at Gator Bowl Stadium in Jacksonville, FL. The matchup featured the 10th-ranked Iowa Hawkeyes of the Big Ten Conference and the 11th-ranked Florida Gators of the Southeastern Conference. The Gators won, 14–6, to secure their first top 10 ranking in the season's final polls.
Teams The 1983 Gator Bowl was the first meeting between the two programs.
Iowa
Florida
Game summary
Scoring summary
Team statistics Iowa Florida First downs 16 14 Rushing yards 40–114 44–168 Passing 13–30–4 9–23–2 Passing yards 167 92 Total offense 281 250 Fumbles lost 2–1 0–0 Punts–average 2–40.0 7–38.0 Penalties 7–44 12–105
Individual leaders Passing Iowa: Long – 13-28, 167 yds, 4 INT Florida: Peace – 9-22, 92 yds, 2 INT
Rushing Iowa: Gill – 10 carries, 83 yds; Granger – 9 carries, 37 yds Florida: Anderson – 17 carries, 84 yds, 1 TD; Williams – 10 carries, 68 yds
Receiving Iowa: Harmon – 6 catches, 90 yds Florida: Dixon – 5 catches, 55 yds
Box score
References