1984 Miami Hurricanes football team

Last updated

1984 Miami Hurricanes football
Miami Hurricanes logo.svg
Fiesta Bowl, L 37–39 vs. UCLA
ConferenceIndependent
Ranking
APNo. 18
Record8–5
Head coach
Offensive coordinator Gary Stevens (2nd season)
Offensive scheme Pro-style
Defensive coordinatorBill Trout (1st season)
Base defense 5–2 [1]
MVP Bernie Kosar
Home stadium Miami Orange Bowl
Seasons
  1983
1985  
1984 NCAA Division I-A independents football records
Conf.Overall
TeamW L TW L T
No. 5 Boston College    10 2 0
No. 11 South Carolina    10 2 0
Army    8 3 1
Rutgers    7 3 0
No. 17 Florida State    7 3 2
Virginia Tech    8 4 0
West Virginia    8 4 0
No. 18 Miami (FL)    8 5 0
Notre Dame    7 5 0
Temple    6 5 0
Southwestern Louisiana    6 5 0
Penn State    6 5 0
Syracuse    6 5 0
Memphis State    5 5 1
Navy    4 6 1
Southern Miss    4 7 0
Pittsburgh    3 7 1
Tulane    3 8 0
Cincinnati    2 9 0
East Carolina    2 9 0
Louisville    2 9 0
Rankings from AP Poll

The 1984 Miami Hurricanes football team represented the University of Miami during the 1984 NCAA Division I-A football season. It was the Hurricanes' 59th season of football. The Hurricanes were led by first-year head coach Jimmy Johnson and played their home games at the Orange Bowl. They finished the season 8–5 overall. They were invited to the Fiesta Bowl where they lost to UCLA, 39–37.

Contents

The Hurricanes were the defending national champions from the 1983 college football season. Having defeated number one ranked Auburn, and then Florida, they rose to be ranked number one before their game at Michigan. They remained in the top ten after that loss. They lost again to Florida State. They beat a ranked Notre Dame team in South Bend to return to the top 10. The Hurricanes earned three more wins, but then suffered two of the most notable losses in college football history.

On November 10, at the Miami Orange Bowl, Maryland defeated the Hurricanes with the largest comeback in college football history. [2] Down 31–0 at halftime, Frank Reich, who had been injured, came off the bench and led the comeback. At the start of the third quarter, Reich led the Terrapins on multiple scoring drives. Three touchdowns in the third quarter and a fourth at the start of the final quarter turned what was a blowout into a close game. Maryland completed a 42–9 second half, and won 42–40. [3]

Two weeks later at the Orange Bowl stadium, the Hurricanes faced the Boston College Eagles in a nationally televised game that has become known as "Hail Flutie". It has been regarded by FOX Sports writer Kevin Hench as among the most memorable moments in sports. [4] The game is most notable for a last-second Hail Mary pass from quarterback Doug Flutie to wide receiver Gerard Phelan to give Boston College the win.

Schedule

DateTimeOpponentRankSiteTVResultAttendanceSource
August 279:00 pmvs. No. 1 Auburn No. 10KATZW 20–1851,131 [5]
September 17:30 pmvs. No. 17 Florida No. 10 ESPN W 32–2072,813 [6]
September 81:00 pmat No. 14 Michigan No. 1KATZL 14–22105,403 [7]
September 152:30 pmat Purdue No. 5W 28–1756,716 [8]
September 223:30 pmNo. 15 Florida State No. 4 CBS L 3–3860,210 [9]
September 297:00 pm Rice No. 16
  • Miami Orange Bowl
  • Miami, FL
W 38–320,084 [10]
October 67:30 pmat No. 16 Notre Dame No. 14 ESPN W 31–1359,075 [11]
October 13at Cincinnati No. 10KATZW 49–2525,642 [12]
October 2012:00 pm Pittsburgh Dagger-14-plain.pngNo. 9
  • Miami Orange Bowl
  • Miami, FL
USA W 27–732,872 [13]
November 312:30 pmat Louisville No. 6W 38–2320,113 [14]
November 1012:00 pm Maryland No. 6
  • Miami Orange Bowl
  • Miami, FL
JP L 40–4231,548 [15]
November 232:30 pmNo. 10 Boston College No. 12
  • Miami Orange Bowl
  • Miami, FL
CBSL 45–47 30,325 [16]
January 11:30 pmvs. No. 14 UCLA No. 13 NBC L 37–3960,310 [17]

Game summaries

Auburn

#1 Auburn vs. #10 Miami (FL)
1234Total
Tigers0123318
Hurricanes770620

[18] [19] [20]

Florida

#10 Miami (FL) vs. #17 Florida
1234Total
Hurricanes31331332
Gators373720

[21]


Michigan

#1 Miami (FL) at #14 Michigan
1234Total
Hurricanes007714
Wolverines6061022

[22]

Purdue

#5 Miami (FL) at Purdue
1234Total
Hurricanes7714028
Boilermakers1070017

[23]


Florida State

Rice

Notre Dame

#14 Miami (FL) at #16 Notre Dame
1234Total
Hurricanes07141031
Fighting Irish0103013

[24]

At Cincinnati

Pittsburgh

Louisville

#6 Miami (FL) at Louisville
1234Total
Hurricanes0247738
Cardinals0371323

[25]

Maryland

Maryland at #6 Miami (FL)
1234Total
Terrapins00212142
Hurricanes7243640
  • Date: November 16
  • Location: Orange Bowl
  • Game attendance: 31,548
  • Game weather: 80 °F (27 °C), Partly sunny, Wind NE 9 mph (14 km/h)
  • TV announcers (JP): Mike Patrick, Kevin Kiley, and Chris Clackum

[26]

Boston College

#10 Boston College at #12 Miami (FL)
1234Total
Eagles141431647
Hurricanes714101445

[27]

UCLA (Fiesta Bowl)

#14 UCLA vs. #13 Miami (FL)
1234Total
Bruins71571039
Hurricanes14731337

[28]

Roster

PlayerClassPosSummary
Bernie Kosar*QB262 Cmp, 416 Att, 3642 Yds, 25 TD
Vinny TestaverdeQB17 Cmp, 34 Att, 184 Yds, 0 TD
Alonzo Highsmith*RB146 Att, 906 Yds, 6.2 Avg
Darryl Oliver*RB92 Att, 407 Yds, 4.4 Avg
Melvin BrattonRB49 Att, 279 Yds, 5.7 Avg
Warren WilliamsRB29 Att, 140 Yds, 4.8 Avg
Steve StaffierRB9 Att, 48 Yds, 5.3 Avg
Todd StanishRB9 Att, 28 Yds, 3.1 Avg
Eric HamRB8 Att, 11 Yds, 1.4 Avg
Eddie Brown*WR59 Rec, 1114 Yds, 18.9 Avg
Stanley Shakespeare*WR38 Rec, 621 Yds, 16.3 Avg
David KintighWR4 Rec, 62 Yds, 15.5 Avg
Brian BladesWR3 Rec, 50 Yds, 16.7 Avg
Kenny OliverWR1 Rec, 17 Yds, 17.0 Avg
Willie Smith*TE66 Rec, 852 Yds, 12.9 Avg
Alfredo RobertsTE5 Rec, 50 Yds, 10.0 Avg
Charles HenryTE1 Rec, 1 Yds, 1.0 Avg
Paul Bertucelli*OL
Juan Comendeiro*OL
Dave Heffernan*OL
Ian Sinclair*OL
Alvin Ward*OL
Mike MooreOL
Willie Lee Broughton*DL
Dallas Cameron*DL
Julio Cortes*DL
Kevin Fagan*DL
Joe Kohlbrand*DL
Paul O'ConnorDL
John McVeigh*LB
Winston Moss*LB
Bruce FlemingLB
Ken Calhoun*DB
Darrell Fullington*DB
Greg Jones*DB
Willie Martinez*DB
Lucious DelegalDB
Reggie SuttonDB
Rick TutenP
Steve MinieP
J.C. PennyKR

[29]

Other: LB #45 George Mira Jr. (FR)

References

  1. Feldman, Bruce (2004). Cane Mutiny: How the Miami Hurricanes Overturned the Football Establishment. New York: New American Library. p.  55. ISBN   0-451-21297-5.
  2. Brown, Matt (September 4, 2017). "Biggest College Football Comebacks". MSN.com. Archived from the original on September 5, 2017.
  3. This comeback from 31 points down has since been exceeded by the Michigan State Spartans' 41–38 comeback win in 2006 over the Northwestern Wildcats during which Michigan State trailed 38–3 in the third quarter.
  4. Hench, Kevin (May 17, 2007). "Ten Best Damn unforgettable sports moments". FOX Sports. Archived from the original on May 16, 2014. Retrieved September 25, 2022.
  5. "Miami upsets No. 1 Auburn". The Home News. August 28, 1984. Retrieved November 4, 2023 via Newspapers.com.
  6. "Kosar colossal in 32–20 UM win over Gators". The Bradenton Herald. September 2, 1984. Retrieved November 4, 2023 via Newspapers.com.
  7. Tommy George (September 9, 1984). "U-M tips Miami off top". Detroit Free Press. pp. 1H, 9H via Newspapers.com.
  8. "Miami drops Boilers' lift". The South Bend Tribune. September 16, 1984. Retrieved February 28, 2025 via Newspapers.com.
  9. "Florida State stuns Hurricanes". Fort Pierce Tribune. September 23, 1984. Retrieved February 28, 2025 via Newspapers.com.
  10. "Miami bowls over Rice 38–3". The Palm Beach Post. September 30, 1984. Retrieved February 28, 2025 via Newspapers.com.
  11. "Irish accosted by Kosar, Miami". The Indianapolis Star. October 7, 1984. Retrieved February 28, 2025 via Newspapers.com.
  12. "'Canes hold big 4th-quarter lead vs. Cincinnati". St. Petersburg Times. October 14, 1984. Retrieved February 28, 2025 via Newspapers.com.
  13. "Hurricanes beat reeling Pitt to the punch, 27–7". The Orlando Sentinel. October 21, 1984. Retrieved February 28, 2025 via Newspapers.com.
  14. "Hurricanes stumble, but beat Cards 38–23". The Palm Beach Post. November 3, 1984. Retrieved February 28, 2025 via Newspapers.com.
  15. "Maryland comeback stuns No. 6 Miami". Star Tribune. November 11, 1984. Retrieved January 30, 2024 via Newspapers.com.
  16. "Hail Flutie; Desperation pass gives Boston College a 47–45 victory over U–M". The Miami News. November 24, 1984. Retrieved February 28, 2025 via Newspapers.com.
  17. "Lee, UCLA put foot to 'Canes, 39–37". The Orlando Sentinel. January 2, 1985. Retrieved February 28, 2025 via Newspapers.com.
  18. Ocala Star-Banner. "Miami Charge Drops Auburn." 1984 Aug 28. Retrieved 2018-Sep-19.
  19. Eugene Register-Guard. 1984 Aug 28. Retrieved 2018-Sep-19.
  20. "Miami Beats No. 1 Auburn In Season's Opener, 20-18". The Washington Post . August 28, 1984. Retrieved November 2, 2019.
  21. College Football Belt Archived 2016-03-03 at the Wayback Machine . Retrieved 2014-Dec-24.
  22. Gainesville Sun. 1984 Sep 9. Retrieved 2018-Sep-23.
  23. Gainesville Sun. 1984 Sep 16. Retrieved 2018-Sep-29.
  24. Gainesville Sun. 1984 Oct 7.
  25. Gainesville Sun. 1984 Nov 04. Retrieved 2018-Nov-16.
  26. Wilbon, Michael (November 11, 1984). "Down by 31, Md. Stuns Miami, 42-40". The Washington Post. Retrieved December 29, 2018.
  27. "Flutie's Desperation Pass Beats Miami, 47-45". The Washington Post. November 24, 1984. Retrieved December 29, 2018.
  28. Reilly, Rick (January 2, 1985). "When the Dust Settles, UCLA Is on Top : Bruins Win Fiesta Bowl Shoot-Out Against Kosar and Hurricanes, 39-37". Los Angeles Times . Retrieved December 29, 2018.
  29. "1984 Miami (FL) Hurricanes Roster | College Football at Sports-Reference.com". College Football at Sports-Reference.com. Retrieved October 5, 2016.