In a world where everyone was expecting to be knee-deep in the NCAA Tournament this weekend, another type of “March Madness” has become all the rage—self-quarantining in effort to flatten the ol’ curve, while hoping to get the Coronavirus under control.
Making this new bizarro world existence even creepier; the fact we’re all forced to take on this down time without the welcomed distraction of live sports. Everything has been cancelled, or postponed indefinitely—making an already strange situation, even stranger.
While nothing can replace the unknown outcome and theatre-like aspect of live competition—it’d be foolish to ignore the treasure trove of old content in existence, as well as the fact we all have more than enough time on our hands to dive back into some classic moments.
Where we’re all prone to pulling up YouTube for a condensed highlight clip and endorphin rush that comes from reliving a classic moment—when was the last time most of us dove into some classic sports footage and watched events in their entirety?
While our normal day-to-day arguably prevents us from spending four hours taking in a full game from a few decades back—this temporary down time is ripe for the experience.
While the Miami Hurricanes haven’t given fans much to boast about over the past decade, or so—no one had a better run in the 80’s, early 90’s or early 00’s. Thanks to some heroes out there who’ve taken the time to convert old footage, while uploading to the Intrawebs—we all can experience and relive some classic Canes moments.
Because live sports and new seasons are the usual, we don’t generally take the time to relive past moments in full—unlike iconic movies, classic books or beloved albums.
While most things related to COVID-19 are a nightmare and inconvenience, the lack of any live sports might not be the worst thing ever—if using the hiatus to deep dive some feel-good history. Below, a list of our Top 15 Miami Hurricanes (football) games to relive during the shut-in.
Disclaimer; we stuck to past history under the assumption that the newer stuff is still too fresh in the brain. Yes, watching Miami kick the ass off of Notre Dame back in 2017 was a epic night at Hard Rock—but less than three years old, we wanted to delve back into games that most haven’t watched in their entirety in almost two decades—so on that note, let’s dive into some vintage Canes.
(Click on the date in each entry to be taken to YouTube for the full version of each Canes’ game.)
#15 — Miami at Boston College (11/10/01) — The Canes rolled into Chestnut Hill undefeated (7-0) and looking for the program’s first national championship in a decade; and history didn’t disappoint as Boston College again proved to be a tough out at home, despite Miami being the best program in the nation.
Everyone remembers the ending; the Eagles driving late as the Canes clung to a 12-10 lead—off of four field goals due to a brutal, four-interception outing by Ken Dorsey. A late fumble by freshman Frank Gore—subbing in for workhorse Clinton Portis—on a 4th-and-4 was just the spark Boston College needed to come alive; 70 yards standing in the way of dethroning the best team in the nation; less if settling for a game-winning field goal.
When Eagles’ quarterback Brian St. Pierre hit Dedrick Dewalt for a stretched-out 21-yard pick-up on 4th-and-10—Canes fans felt the gut punch and legitimately saw a Rose Bowl-intended season slipping away.
The moment was short-lived as the football gods had their say and St. Pierre’s next slant went off the knee of safety Mike Rumph (who jumped the route), into the hands of defensive end Matt Walters, who was stripped by his own man—Ed Reed—who scampered 80 yards for a score, before Alumni Stadium knew what hit it. Final score, 18-7 and a relived Hurricanes bunch.
Were there better games in 2001? Absolutely. One could easily jump into the Canes first win in Tallahassee since 1991, or a home pasting of Washington as payback for wrecking a perfect season in 2000 and a most-likely a national championship—but there’s something about watching this Boston College scare in its entirety all these years later, knowing the outcome.
It was the Canes biggest scare of the season and the only time Miami really looked mortal—Dorsey struggling on a windy, dreary day in the northeast—and almost pissing away a title shot.
#14 — Miami versus Louisville (10/14/04) — A Thursday night game in an eventual 9-3 season where the Canes had lost some luster from their dominant ways a few years earlier. (Translation; Larry Coker wasn’t recruiting and developing talent like this predecessor Butch Davis, and it showed.)
No. 4 Miami survived and overtime season-opener against Florida State and took care of Louisiana Tech, Houston and Georgia Tech the next three weeks before offensive-minded, No. 20 Louisville and head coach Bobby Petrino headed south.
The Canes’ defense took a step back by this point; greats like Jon Vilma, D.J. Williams, Sean Taylor and Vince Wilfork all departing for the NFL months prior—putting Miami in a position where it’d have to score points and win some shootouts to prevail; something that started on this ESPN Thursday night broadcast.
Brock Berlin hit tight end Greg Olsen in the back of the end zone to strike first midway through the first quarter—but went ice cold after that, falling into a 24-7 halftime hole—while Louisville danced, whooped it up and gave Miami a dose of its own excessive celebration-type medicine.
The Canes opened the second half with a touchdown, while the Cards answered and put Miami back in a 17-point hole. Another score and two field goals pulled the Canes within four with 8:27 remaining—the entire Orange Bowl on pins and needles as Devin Hester was set to field a punt … which he sliced and diced his way through traffic 78 yards for the score, giving Miami it’s first lead of the night.
Par for the course, the Canes’ defense gave up a nine-play, 80-yard touchdown drive—Brian Brohm in for starter Stefan LeFors—going ahead, 38-34 with 4:17 remaining.
As he was prone to do in his two-year career as starter, Berlin led Miami on a game-winning drive—picking up 26 yards with a 3rd-and-10 strike to Lance Leggett and converting a 4th-and-4 with a five-yard strike to Darnell Jenkins inside the ten-yard line. Gore would punch it in from a yard out—like he did in the earlier comeback against Florida State, as well as a 2003 thriller when hosting Florida.
Brohm got Louisville mid-field before Antrel Rolle hauled in an interception on 3rd-and-10 to seal it, 41-38.
The following week Miami would give up 31 points and 440 yards in a win at North Carolina State—but the defensive struggles would do the Canes a week after that, falling to a a 3-4 North Carolina squad as the No. 3 team in the nation.
The hangover continued as Miami fell to Clemson at home in overtime a week later and ended the regular season with a home stumble to Virginia Tech, with an ACC title and Sugar Bowl berth on the line. The Canes wound up with a crack at Florida in the Peach Bowl and routed the Gators, 27-10—but the true highlight of the 2004 season was that thrilling comeback against Louisville—a hell of a game to watch start to finish.
(Bonus footage; shaky, pre-iPhone camera footage that I shot of Hester’s return against the Cards, which incredibly has over 100K views on YouTube.)
#13 — Miami versus Penn State (10/31/81 -or- 10/12/91 -or- 10/10/92) — All three showdowns against Penn State were epic in their own right; speedy Miami facing off against a bruising Big Ten powerhouse.
In between the early 80’s meeting and two early 90’s showdown—heartbreak as the top-ranked Hurricanes pissed away a shot at the 1986 national championship; Heisman-winning quarterback Vinny Testaverde coughing up five interceptions in the Fiesta Bowl, en route to a 14-10 upset.
The 1981 victory was special in that it was year three of the Howard Schnellenberger era—the take down of the No. 1 Nittany Lions a building-block moment for a head coach who promised a year five national title and ultimately delivered.
Jim Kelly was under center for the Canes; a junior that had upset No. 19 Penn State in 1979 as a freshman—and ready to lead Miami to victory two years later with more on the line. Miami jumped out to a 17-0 lead, let it slip away in the fourth quarter, but held on to win 17-14 when Fred Marion intercepted an overthrown Todd Blackledge pass with just over a minute remaining.
The 1991 home showdown was a key early-season win, with No.2 Miami hanging in for a 26-20 win over No. 9 Penn State. The Nittany Lions were driving late, before Darryl Spencer intercepted Tony Sacca on fourth down—much like Marion a decade prior— with just over a minute remaining.
Lots of on-brand, big-play Canes action in this one—an 80-yard touchdown from Horace Copeland and a 91-yard punt return from Kevin Williams—both of which helped Miami survive an 11-penalty, 124-yard setback.
As for the 1992 match-up; amplified even more as it was a road game against the No. 7 team in the nation one week after surviving No. 3 Florida State at home (“Wide Right II”). ABC commentator Keith Jackson said, at the time, that the back-to-back test for Miami the toughest two-game stretch he’d seen in all his years of calling games—the Canes hanging on in both.
A low-scoring affair with Miami ahead 10-7 in the third quarter; Sacca, under pressure from Jessie Armstead, attempted a screen pass that was picked off by Darren Krein and returned for a score.
Sacca pulled the Nittany Lions to three, but Miami held on for the 17-14 win—Penn State with a dead ball personal foul on a punt return in the final minutes—a potential game-winning drive starting from the shadows of their goal post with no timeouts.
Another desperation pass by a Penn State was pulled out of the sky by a Miami defender—this time, Paul White—as the Canes held on for the win.
#12 — Miami versus Texas (1/1/91 — Cotton Bowl) — This wouldn’t be considered a great football game by any on the planet, outside of a University of Miami fan.
Again, another one of those contests that has been talked about over the years because of how it played out—but probably not one that most have sat down and viewed in its entirety in a long while.
Miami felt like it was the best team in the nation by the end of 1990, but had no one to blame but itself for two regular season losses that kept the Hurricanes out of any title game chatter.
In the end, Colorado won the AP and Georgia Tech was tops in the Coaches Poll—the Buffaloes hanging in there for a 10-9 Orange Bowl win over No. 5 Notre Dame, capping off an 11-1-1 season, while the Yellow Jackets finished 11-0-1 with a Citrus Bowl win over No. 19 Nebraska.
Meanwhile, No. 4 Miami took on a one-loss No. 3 Texas team (who fell to Colorado, 29-22 early in the year); the Canes taking a 9-2 record into bowl season, having lost a season opener at BYU, behind eventual Heisman Trophy winner Ty Detmer—as well as a late-October loss at No. 6 Notre Dame, 29-20.
The Canes closed with five regular season wins–as well as and early season win over No. 2 Florida State—that kept Miami in the Top 5, but on the outside looking in any way the bowl games played out. Knowing that, the Canes took all their frustration out on the Longhorns and a very bias, pro-Texas crowd and bowl week experience—starting with the opening kickoff where Robert Bailey said he was going to knock out the returner, and did.
Miami took a 19-3 lead into halftime, but blew things open in the third quarter—linebacker Darrin Smith with a 34-yard interception return for score, followed by a 48-yard strike from Craig Erickson to Randal Hill, which led to an infamous end zone tunnel, six-shooter dance as the Canes went up 33-3.
Leonard Conley tore off a late 26-yard run early in the fourth, putting the Canes up, 46-3—in a game where Miami set both a Cotton Bowl and school record with 15 penalties (for 202 yards), most of which were for unsportsmanlike conduct. As a result, the NCAA cracked down on excessive celebration—“The Miami Rule”—that off-season, resulting in the now-common 15-yard penalty, should a player even think about having fun after a big play.
#11 — Miami versus Alabama (1/1/90 — Sugar Bowl) — One of two national championships Miami captured on the road, instead of the home confines of the Orange Bowl—the other being the 2002 Rose Bowl and the Hurricanes’ last title.
Also a cool throwback to an era where a national title wasn’t usually a No. 1 versus No. 2 match-up.
No. 2 Miami took on No. 7 Alabama in New Orleans, while No. 4 Notre Dame played No. 1 Colorado in Miami—the Hurricanes learning during their game with the Crimson Tide that the Fighting Irish had knocked off the undefeated Buffaloes, 21-6 in the Orange Bowl—meaning that UM would claim it’s third national title in seven seasons with a Sugar Bowl victory. (No. 3 Michigan, also in the conversation—was promptly removed after a 17-10 loss to No. 12 Southern Cal in the Rose Bowl.)
Stephen McGuire got Miami on the board late in the first quarter, giving the Canes a 7-0 lead—but Alabama quickly responded and tied things up. Erickson found Wesley Carroll for an 18-yard touchdown on the ensuing drive, followed by a Crimson Tide field goal. Alex Johnson punched in a late second quarter touchdown, pushing the Canes’ lead to 20-10, but a Bama score just before the half pulled them to within three.
The third quarter was quiet, outside of an 11-yard Rob Chudzinski touchdown—and Miami looked to put things out of reach with a Randy Bethel 12-yard haul in early fourth—the Canes lead extended to, 33-17.
Alabama went down swinging, finally getting on the board in the second half with a late touchdown and two-point conversion with 2:53 remaining—but Johnson hauled in a well-placed onside kick—allowing the Hurricanes to run out the clock for a 33-25 win.
Notre Dame was a one-loss squad that knocked off No. 1 Colorado—but that loss was a 27-10 beat down at the hands of No. 7 Miami at the Orange Bowl, ending the regular season; the Canes’ lone loss, late October in Tallahassee with Erickson sidelined due to injury and true freshman Gino Torretta under center for the 24-10 upset.
In the end, Miami was the unanimous No. 1—followed by Notre Dame, Florida State, Colorado and Tennessee.
Check back tomorrow for games #10 through #6 and later this week for #5 through #1.