COLLEGE FOOTBALL / THE BOWLS : SUGAR FLORIDA vs. FLORIDA STATE, Tonight : Two Gators Suspended After Fight

Florida Coach Steve Spurrier kept his players out of harm’s way, which in New Orleans means the French Quarter on New Year’s Eve, but he couldn’t keep them out of trouble at a team meal.

A feud that apparently has been festering for some time degenerated into a fight while the Gators were having dinner in the Superdome on Saturday night, leaving Florida two nicklebackers short for tonight’s game against Florida State.

Darren Hembrick, a sophomore who was a second-team nicklebacker with extensive playing time, was sent back to Florida, to be joined by Anthony Riggins, a junior whose playing time has come mostly on special teams, when Riggins gets out of the hospital. Both have been suspended indefinitely.

“We’re embarrassed for all of us that it happened,” Spurrier said.

Apparently, the two have had a longtime enmity, and after a heated conversation a fight broke out at the dinner table while coaches were in another room. Superdome security reportedly intervened, and Riggins was sent to nearby Tulane Medical Center, where he was hospitalized in stable condition for a cut on the side of his face, suffered apparently by flying glass when a table was overturned.

The absence of Hembrick and Riggins will put additional pressure on starting nicklebacker Ben Hanks, who will be backed up by Sammy McCorkle and Xavier McCray, both defensive backs.

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In Voodoo City, fans have gone to great ends to get a line on tonight’s game, including having tarot cards read.

“That don’t work,” Florida State Coach Bobby Bowden said. “That just don’t work.”

But if the cards read that the Seminoles will win?

“Well, I hope they’re right. Actually, we don’t have that kind of stuff in Tallahassee. We have churches and have to ask for help.”