The year was 1987. The Gators had a freshman RB on the sidelines yet to make an impact. Until, he ran for 220+ yards in his first real chance at the position. I forget which RB he replaced that day against Alabama, but I do remember that he either transferred or left the team after realizing his playing time at the position was about over.
From that day forward, we had on display one of the most elusive running backs in Gator history. Back in those days, Gators were not on the forefront of the national college scene talk. For some reason this Gator back's talent stayed in the background and was never really considered for a heisman despite the impressive numbers he put up.
When Spurrier arrived in 1990, Emmitt and Steve talked but for whatever reason, Emmitt chose to take his game to the next level. Even the NFL draft people overlooked this guy. The Cowboys with former Hurricane coach knew what a talent was still on the board. He went on to have a better NFL career than any Gator RB ever.
Congratulations Emmitt on a great HOF college career.