"Miami's Mecca - Part Two"
by Chris Bello - CanesTime Magazine
December 2003 - Issue #5


In November 2003, CanesTime brought you "Miami's Mecca - Part One" with #10 through #6 in the Top 10 Orange Bowl moments – Hurricane style. This month we return with #5 through #1. Enjoy.


( #5) – October 31st, 1981 – Miami 17, #1 Penn State 14 – A Miami classic that doesn’t get enough recognition - but absolutely set the tone for the future of Hurricane Football. Mighty Penn State strutted into the Orange Bowl with a #1 ranking. The #13 Nittany Lions beat the Hurricanes 27-12 in Happy Valley the previous season, but it was Miami that provided the upset of #19 Penn State, 26-10 on the road in 1979. A rivalry was now underway.

Head coach Joe Paterno heavily recruited Pennsylvania native Jim Kelly as a linebacker. Kelly wanted to play quarterback and after hearing Miami’s sales pitch and seeing the campus, he was sold.

The Canes’ offense jumped out to 14-0 lead while the defense denied Penn State every time they entered the red zone. After two early Danny Miller field goals, Kelly found receiver Larry Brodsky for an 80 yard touchdown pass which left PSU corner Paul Lankford in the dust.

Kelly finished the day 13 of 25 for 220 yards while Penn State running back Curt Warner proved ineffective, leaving the game injured in the second quarter – thus ending his streak of 100+ yard games at six.

The Canes continued the shut out of the #1 team in the land until midway through the fourth quarter. By this point Miller added an insurance field goal, giving Miami the 17-0 lead. Nittany Lions quarterback Todd Blackledge led his team on two quick scoring drives in under two minutes, cutting the lead to 17-14. Still, the underdog Miami defense continued forcing turnovers and came up strong. A Fred Marion interception with 1:25 left in the contest sealed the Canes’ fate and made this upset a reality.


(#4) – November 25th, 1989 – #6 Miami 27, #1 Notre Dame 10 – Revenge was the name of this game. Miami wanted another crack at the Fighting Irish after getting jobbed in South Bend the previous season. Cleveland Gary’s phantom fumble should’ve been a Miami touchdown. Instead UND received the ball on the 20 yard line. In the end, a missed two point conversion was the difference in the 31-30 game. The Fighting Irish went on to win the 1988 National Championship while Miami finished 11-1 with a 23-3 Orange Bowl win over #6 Nebraska.

The Fighting Irish were undefeated, on a 23-game win streak and sported a #1 ranking while the #6 Hurricanes were 9-1 in Dennis Erickson’s first season. Title game implications were obviously on the line.
The highly touted UND running game was stonewalled in the first quarter. Miami forced the Irish to punt three times. Moments later Craig Erickson found Dale Dawkins for a 55-yard touchdown and a 7-0 Miami lead. The teams would trade field goals and late in the first half the Canes. Miami led 10-3.

A battle of linebackers ensued as Notre Dame’s Ned Bolcar picked off an Erickson pass, taking it 49-yards for the game tying score. Just before half, Miami’s Bernard “Tiger” Clark snatched a Tony Rice pass out of the Miami sky which set up a Stephen McGuire touchdown just before halftime.

Holding tight to a 17-10 lead, Miami owned the third quarter with a lengthy drive that went 22 plays, covered 80 yards and chewed 10:47 off of the clock. A penalty had the Canes looking at a 1st and 25 from their own 26 yard line. After an Erickson fumble, which Miami recovered and a run that netted minimal yardage – the Canes were faced with a 3rd and 43. Erickson would hit the speedy Randall “Thrill” Hill for a 44 yard reception, keeping the Canes alive. The drive culminated with a 5-yard touchdown pass to Dale Dawkins, putting the Canes up 24-10 with 4:13 left in the third quarter.

Miami would tack on one more Carlos Huerta field goal in the fourth quarter, for a 27-10 final score. The well rested Hurricane defense shut down the Fighting Irish for the entire second half en route to an 11-1 season. The win gave the Canes a 5-0 home record against the Irish in the 1980s. Miami went on to knock off #7 Alabama 33-25 in the Sugar Bowl, winning the 1989 National Championship.


(#3) – October 7th, 2000 - #7 Miami 27, #1 Florida State 24 – Five straight losses to the Seminoles during the probation era were tough to swallow. Florida State captured the 1999 National Championship after falling short in the 1998 title game. They entered the game as defending champions, #1 in the nation and on a 17-game win streak. The #7 Canes were 4-1 and looking to rebound from a heartbreaking loss to #15 Washington in week two.

After a fumbled opening kickoff, Florida State recovered and attempted to strike first but Miami stuffed them on 4th down. The Canes would go three and out, recovering a muffed Seminoles punt midfield. Moments later, Ken Dorsey hit Najeh Davenport for a 22-yard touchdown.

In the second quarter it was a then fullback D.J. Williams getting in for a one yard touchdown, extending the lead to 14-0. A Todd Sievers’ field goal had Miami up 17-0 in the final moments of the first half. A Florida State scoring drive was cut short in the half’s final seconds when Dan Morgan picked off, preserving the early shutout.

The defending champions were not done yet and with two quick scores brought it to 17-10 with 8:03 remaining in the third quarter. Another Sievers’ field goal late in the third extended the Miami lead to 20-10.

The fourth quarter proved to be vintage Miami vs. Florida State as both teams delivered and absorbed blows. The better part of the quarter was a defensive battle as neither team could find the end zone. With 3:15 left in the game, Chris Wienke hit Anquan Boldin for a 2-yard touchdown, cutting the Miami lead to 3.

With Miami in position to pick up a first down and run out the clock, Davenport fumbled and the Noles recovered. Four plays later Wienke found Atrews Bell for a 29-yard touchdown. Florida State 24, Miami 20 after the Canes once had a 17-0 lead early in the 3rd.

With 1:37 left, a Miami miracle occurred. Daryl Jones returned the kick to the 27 yard line and left Dorsey in position to lead his Canes on a game winning drive. He went 6 of 7 hitting Santana Moss, Jeremy Shockey and Reggie Wayne in stride to keep the drive alive. The final play, a 13-yard touchdown strike to Shockey that gave Miami the 27-24 lead.

Florida State made a valiant effort to get downfield and set up a game tying field goal, but poor clock management left the Noles with a 49-yard Matt Munyon attempt that sailed – what else – Wide Right.


(#2) – January 1st, 1988 – #2 Miami 20, #1 Oklahoma 14 – This 1987 season finale pitted the nation’s elite against each other for the National Championship.

Miami’s rose to prominence in the 1980s while Oklahoma dominated the college football landscape for decades. In 1985, Oklahoma took home the National Championship but was one game shy of an undefeated season as Miami dominated in Norman, 27-14. In 1986, the defending champions and #1 Sooners traveled to the Orange Bowl and lost an early season match up against the #2 Hurricanes, 28-16. Both Miami and Oklahoma experienced undefeated regular seasons in 1987, which made the 1988 Orange Bowl that much sweeter.

The Canes made an early statement with a 30-yard strike from Steve Walsh to Melvin Bratton. In the second quarter, Oklahoma answered back with a 1-yard Anthony Stafford touchdown, tying the game 7-7 where it would remain through the half.

Though a career-threatening knee injury forced him to leave the game, Bratton ended his day with nine catches for 102 yards and a touchdown.

With starting linebacker George Mira Jr. suspended for the contest, Bernard “Tiger” Clark rose to the occasion. With 14 tackles, Tiger not only took part in holding the Sooners' offense to 255 total yards – he was the game's MVP.

Miami went up 10-7 on a Greg Cox 56-yard field goal early in the third quarter. A gutsy call by head coach Jimmy Johnson since a Cox miss would’ve given the Sooners momentum – as well as possession from their 39-yard line. Late in the third quarter, Walsh found favorite target Michael Irvin for a 23-yard touchdown and put the Canes up 17-7. Walsh finished day 18 of 30 passing for 209 yards and two touchdowns.

Cox sent one more through the uprights giving the Canes their largest lead of the day at 20-7. The Sooners staged a late rally and brought the score to 20-14 but a failed onside kick gave Miami the opportunity to run out the clock.

In a game nowhere near as close at the final score, the Canes won the 1987 National Championship and went 3-0 against Sooners in the 1980s.


(#1) – January 2nd, 1984 – #4 Miami 31, #1 Nebraska 30 – A no brainer here. When the 1983 lost their season opener 28-3 to the hated Florida Gators, title aspirations were the last thing on anyone’s mind. Under head coach Howard Schnellenberger, Miami rattled off 10 straight wins – including victories against #13 Notre Dame, #12 West Virginia and rival Florida State. The 10-1 record earned Miami an Orange Bowl berth against #1 Nebraska – one of the greatest teams in college football history. This match up became the ‘unofficial’ National Championship game after Georgia knocked off #2 Texas in the Cotton Bowl and #3 Auburn squeaked past an average Michigan team, 9-7.

Freshman Bernie Kosar took home MVP honors after throwing for an Orange Bowl record 300 yards and two touchdowns. His first, a 2-yard pass to Glenn Dennison which gave the Canes a 7-0 lead. A quick field goal and 22-yard touchdown pass to Dennison had Miami up 17-0 before Nebraska knew what hit them.

Still, the nation’s top team wouldn’t’ roll over and scored twice, making it 17-14 at the half – the first coming on the heels of a Kosar interception. Head coach Tom Osborne reached into his bag of tricks, stunning Miami’s defense with the “Fumblerooski” and a 19-yard touchdown by lineman Dean Stienkuhler. The second touchdown came on a 1-yard Turner Gill run.

The third quarter belonged to Miami as they held Nebraska to a field goal and found the end zone twice with a 1-yard Alonzo Highsmith run and a 7-yard Albert Bentley touchdown, extending their lead to 31-14.

The fourth quarter brought a furious Nebraska rally while Miami stood its ground for the final 15 minutes. With the score 31-24, Nebraska faced a fourth down with the championship on the line. Gill rolled to the right and before being dragged down, pitched the ball to Jeff Smith who took it 24 yards for a touchdown. The score was 31-30.

With no desire to tie, Osborne sent his offense out to go for two and the win. Gill dropped back, threw towards Smith and the pass was deflected by Ken Calhoun. Miami recovered the onside kick and the celebration began.

Actually, 20 years later – it still hasn’t ended.

Born and raised in Miami, FL and a CanesTime.com columnist since 1996, Chris Bello now resides in San Diego, CA and handling online sales and providing content for allCanes.com. Feel free to send your comments or to contact him at chris@allCanes.com