Great Games in KU Football History: 1973 at Florida State

Yes, you read the headline right. There was a time when Kansas football could travel to Florida State and not just beat but shutout the Seminoles. That date was September 22, 1973 and the final score was Kansas 28, Florida State 0. It could’ve been much worse for FSU.

Although it seems unimaginable now, Kansas went to northern Florida and dominated the Seminoles. The Jayhawks were led by their defense on this early season matchup with the then-independent Seminoles. The KU defense notched eight turnovers on the day, five interceptions and three fumble recoveries. Two of those recoveries were by Odell Weidner and both of those were converted into Kansas touchdowns.

It’s actually amazing that KU didn’t score more. They were held on a goal line stand once and had a field goal blocked on another occasion. It could’ve been and perhaps should’ve been much worse for the hometown Seminoles. When you give the ball away eight times but only give up a total of four touchdowns, you must feel like you have escaped a little. When you’re on the side KU was on, you probably feel like an all time historical rout could’ve been in the cards.

Besides the stellar defense, Kansas quarterback David Jaynes led the Jayhawks offense that afternoon. He completed 15 of 28 passes for 168 yards and two touchdowns. Bruce Adams and Laverne Smith were the touchdown receivers on the day for the Jayhawks.

Running back Delvin Williams also had a nice day for the visiting Jayhawks as well. The senior running back ran the ball 15 times for 89 yards and the other two Kansas touchdowns. As a side note, Williams went on to have a nice NFL career that covered eight seasons with the San Francisco 49ers, the Miami Dolphins, and the Green Bay Packers.

Kansas 28, Florida State 0.