At eighth in both major polls going into the fourth football game of the season, Auburn is back in the Top 10 nationally for the first time since the seventh-ranked 1995 Tigers lost 49-38 to third-ranked Florida at Jordan-Hare Stadium.

That setback dropped Auburn six spots to 13th. The the Tigers have been trying to get back into the Top 10 since then.

Auburn's run up the rankings in 1997 is not surprising. However, the move in 1993 was anything but expected in Terry Bowden's first season as the Auburn head coach when the Tigers began the campaign unranked and unrespected after back-to-back five-victory seasons. It took seven victories, including a stunning 38-35 victory at Jordan-Hare Stadium over fourth-ranked Florida, to vault Auburn back into the Top 10. On the way to an 11-0 record, Auburn finally joined the national elite at number nine after the exciting victory against the Gators.

Although Auburn came into the SEC showdown unbeaten, there were still plenty of questions about a team that had not exactly been overwhelming most of its opponents. (Beating Ole Miss 16-12 and Vandy 14-10 didn't exactly impress the pollsters.) Late in the first quarter, it looked like Auburn's bubble was about to burst. The Gators' high-powered offense quickly took a 10-0 lead and looked like it was about to jump in front 17-0 until little Calvin Jackson changed the momentum in a hurry. As Danny Wuerffel tried to hit wide receiver Willie Jackson for a short touchdown pass, the Auburn cornerback anticipated the play, stepped in the passing lane and raced 96 yards for a score, sending the packed house at Jordan-Hare Stadium into a frenzy.

"The coaches kept saying we need a big play," Jackson said. "I just stepped in front of the receiver, made the catch, and saw green in front of me."

Auburn used the momentum to take a 14-10 lead as quarterback Stan White made a two-yard scoring run to cap a 75-yard, 11-play march. However, Florida showed its strength by scoring 17 uncontested points before halftime to take a 27-14 edge into the dressing room.

Auburn finally got the Florida offense slowed in the third quarter and the only touchdown of the period belonged to Tiger fullback Tony Richardson, who scored on a 23-yard pass play to cap a 76-yard, six-play drive.

That play set the stage for a frenzied fourth quarter. James Bostic pulled Auburn ahead with 13:40 left when he scored from the four to end an 80-yard, 10-play drive. On fourth and one, the bullish Bostic, a tailback with a fullback's body, ran over linebacker Dexter Daniels for the score.

Another big interception by a little defensive back, this one returned 65 yards by Chris Shelling, put Auburn in business on the Gator nine. On the next play, split end Frank Sanders stretched the lead to 35-28 as he scored on a reverse. However, the Gators weren't finished. Not by a long shot.

Future Heisman-winner Wuerffel hooked up with his favorite receiver, Jackson, for a 13-yard TD pass. It took Florida just seven plays to move 81 yards. The Wuerffel-Jackson combination hooked up again for the two-point conversion and the game was tied at 35-35 with just 5:44 left.

Auburn needed to score and it also needed to run some clock. The Tigers did both as Scott Etheridge capped a 12-play, 52-yard drive with a 42-yard field goal with 1:21 left. The Tiger secondary, which gave up 386 passing yards, kept the Gators at bay the rest of the way, vaulting Auburn into the national Top 10.