2015 UNIVERSITY OF MIAMI <strong>FOOTBALL</strong> MEDIA GUIDEwww.<strong>HURRICANES</strong>PORTS.comHISTORY & RECORDS<strong>HURRICANES</strong> <strong>FOOTBALL</strong> HISTORYMIAMI JOINS THE BIG EASTFollowing the 1990 season, Miamiofficially became a charter member of theBIG EAST Football Conference, joiningBoston College, Syracuse, Pittsburgh,Rutgers, Temple, Virginia Tech and WestVirginia.UNDEFEATED AGAINIn 1991, Miami went 12-0 for onlythe second time in its history, winningthe AP National Championship, whileWashington, which also finished 12-0, wasvoted National Champion by CNN/USATODAY (coaches). It was the second titlein Dennis Erickson’s three years (a featmatched by only one other coach), the thirdfor the school in five years, and fourth innine.58 IN A ROWMiami opened the 1994 campaign byetching its name atop an NCAA recordthat may never fall. With a 56-0 victoryover Georgia Southern, the Hurricanesrecorded their 58th consecutive victoryin the Orange Bowl, a streak that beganin 1985. After posting a road victory atArizona State, the Canes returned hometo face another Pac-10 foe, Washington.The Huskies capitalized on a series ofUM miscues early in the third quarter toproduce 22 points, and the Miami homewin streak ended with a 38-20 defeat.HUERTAS RECORDKicker Carlos Huerta set an NCAArecord with 157 consecutive extra pointsand set or tied 13 Miami records. Hefinished with 397 career points, third on theNCAA career list, and was one of five UMfirst-team All-Americans, joining defensiveback Darryl Williams, offensive linemanLeon Searcy, linebacker Darrin Smith andreceiver/kick returner Kevin Williams.WHITE HOUSE AGAINThe season ended with a third visit to theWhite House in five years, this time to seePresident George H.W. Bush, following aconvincing 22-0 win over Nebraska in theFederal Express Orange Bowl.NCAA RECORD SETA 41-17 defeat of Memphis State in the1993 season finale gave the Canes their57th consecutive home victory, tying theNCAA record set by Alabama, and sent asenior class to graduation without a loss inthe Orange Bowl during their careers.THE SAPPDefensive tackle Warren Sapp etchedhis name among the great defensivelinemen in UM history as he was named aconsensus All-American and Miami’s firstLombardi Award winner in 1994.HURRICANE ANDREW STRIKESThe 1992 season saw the Hurricanes facea level of adversity previously unimagined.Just prior to the season, on August 24,South Florida was devastated by HurricaneAndrew causing Erickson, five othercoaches and several staff and players’families to move out of their severelydamaged homes. The Miami football teamwas forced to move nearly 200 miles northto Dodgertown in Vero Beach to completepreseason drills before playing the seasonopener. The 24-7 road victory at Iowa wasthe first positive symbol for a ravagedMiami community. Head coach DennisErickson was named the BIG EAST Coachof the Year, while QB Gino Torretta earnedcollege football’s highest individual honor,becoming Miami’s second Heisman Trophywinner.Torretta became the most honoredcollege player in history and was joined bylinebackers Micheal Barrow and DarrinSmith and cornerback Ryan McNeil asfirst-team All-Americans.1995-2000THE BUTCH DAVIS ERAFormer UM assistant Butch Davisreturned to Coral Gables following sixseasons as an assistant coach with theDallas Cowboys in January of 1995. Bymid-October, Miami found itself witha 1-3 record, including a 0-1 mark inconference play, Miami regrouped andreeled off seven straight wins to finish theseason with an 8-3 record. Junior middlelinebacker Ray Lewis finished second inthe balloting for the 1995 Butkus Awardand was honored as a first-team All-American by the Associated Press.3 FOR 300The 1997 Hurricanes became the firstteam in the history of the program toput together three consecutive games ofrushing for more than 300 yards. Miamiaccomplished the feat in wins over BostonCollege, Temple and Arkansas State. In thethrilling, double overtime victory over BC,running back Edgerrin James set what wasthen a BIG EAST and University of Miamisingle-game rushing record with 271 yardsin the 45-44 win.BACK TO THE TOPIn 1998, the Hurricanes began theirascent back to the top of college football.A team that featured 71 sophomoresand freshmen battled to a BIG EASTConference title showdown with Syracusein the conference finale. Miami reboundedfrom a bitter defeat at Syracuse to ruinUCLA’s national title hopes in the regularseasonfinale. In a game that was originallyscheduled to be played in the Orange Bowlon September 26 but was rescheduled forDecember 5 as Hurricane Georges set itssights on South Florida, Miami hosted thethird-ranked Bruins and their 20-gamewinning streak. When Cade McNown’s“Hail Mary” pass fell through the back ofthe end zone as time expired, fans stormedthe Orange Bowl field to celebrate UM’sdramatic 49-45 victory. The Hurricaneshad sent notice to the college footballworld that the program was headed backin the right direction. Miami finished 1998with a 9-3 mark and a No. 20 final rankingfollowing a 46-23 dismantling of NC Statein the Micron PC Bowl at nearby Pro PlayerStadium.BC COMEBACKThe Hurricanes produced the largestcomeback in UM history at Boston Collegein 1999, erasing a 28-0 third quarter deficitto win, 31-28. That win provided UM withmomentum as the Canes would win sevenof their final eight games, the only losscoming to No. 2 Virginia Tech.BACK ON TOPThe 2000 Hurricanes tallied big victoriesover top-ranked Florida State and No.2- ranked Virginia Tech on their way tobeing acknowledged nationally as collegefootball’s hottest team at season’s end,but were not given a chance to play forthe national championship. UM laid animpressive 37-20 win on Florida in theNokia Sugar Bowl to make a case for a fifthchampionship and setting the stage foranother title run in 2001.2001-06THE LARRY COKER ERALarry Coker was named as UM’s 19thhead football coach on February 3, 2001.The 2001 season started with Cokerfacing coaching legend Joe Paterno andthe Penn State Nittany Lions. A crowdof 109,313 – the largest ever for a Miamigame – watched the Hurricanes open theseason with a resounding statement. Miamiraced to a 30-0 halftime lead on the way toa 33-7 victory before a national televisionaudience. QB Ken Dorsey orchestrated86
2015 UNIVERSITY OF MIAMI <strong>FOOTBALL</strong> MEDIA GUIDE@CANES<strong>FOOTBALL</strong><strong>HURRICANES</strong> <strong>FOOTBALL</strong> HISTORYa 344-yard passing performance and theHurricanes were stifling on defense in thevictory.“BREAK HISTORY AND MAKE HISTORY”The Seminoles were riding a 54-gamehome unbeaten streak (37 straight wins),and had not lost on their home turf sincea UM victory in 1991. Miami’s mission to“Break History and Make History” wasaccomplished in spectacular fashion witha 49-27 defeat of the Seminoles. Anothernational television audience watchedthe Hurricanes’ defense cause six FSUturnovers. Miami scored via offense,defense and special teams en route to oneof its largest points-total ever against theSeminoles, a victory that returned UM tothe top of the rankings.NO. 5 TAKES THE ROSEThe Rose Bowl game hosted the BowlChampionship Series (BCS) title game forthe first time, the first time in 56 years thatteams from conferences other than the Pac-10 Conference and the Big Ten Conferencewere competing in the game. Miami leftlittle doubt about which team was collegefootball’s best, racing to a 34-0 halftimelead behind a huge first-half performanceby game co-MVPs Ken Dorsey and AndreJohnson. Dorsey and Johnson connectedfor two touchdowns and 199 yards in thegame with Dorsey throwing for a careerbest362 yards. Portis added another scoreon a brilliant 39-yard touchdown run andthe Hurricanes were able to enjoy thesecond half of their national title victory.Miami’s fifth national title team in 19years ranked among its most dominating,setting a school and Big East record with475 points in the regular season. Miami’s37-point outburst in the Rose Bowl gavethe team 512 points overall. In Big Eastgames, the 2001 Hurricanes scored 290points, second to 2000’s 310. During the2001 regular season, UM outscored itsopponents by an average margin of 43.2 to9.4. The total included a 239-33 (21.7-3.0)advantage in the first half and 236-70 (21.5-6.36) mark in the second half.COKER MAKES HISTORYCoker became the first rookie headcoach to lead his team to a nationaltitle since 1948. He earned two nationalCoach of the Year honors, winningthe “Bear” Bryant Award from theNational Sportswriters and SportscastersAssociation, and sharing the AmericanFootball Coaches’ Association honor withMaryland’s Ralph Friedgen.LOPSIDED WIN IN THE SWAMPThe first regular-season meetingbetween UM and UF in 16 years was amatchup of a pair of teams ranked in thenation’s top 10 in 2002. The top-rankedHurricanes dominated the sixth-rankedGators with an impressive show ofoffensive versatility and defensive forcein a stunningly easy 41-16 victory. Theoutcome was the most lopsided UF homeloss in more than 20 years. QuarterbackKen Dorsey threw for four touchdowns,tailback Willis McGahee rushed for 204yards and the Miami defense created threeturnovers.JUSY SHY OF NO. 6The Hurricanes had earned a shot attheir sixth national title with a berth inthe 2003 Tostitos Fiesta Bowl where theywould face Ohio State in Tempe, Ariz.,and the matchup provided one of collegefootball’s most dramatic games. Miamiovercame a 17-7 second-half deficit to tiethe game when Todd Sievers nailed a40-yard field goal as time expired. Miamitook the lead 24-17 in the first overtimewhen Dorsey connected with tight endKellen Winslow for a score. Ohio Stateresponded with a touchdown to send it toa second overtime, a score made possibleby a controversial pass interference call inthe end zone on a fourth-down play thatkept the Buckeyes’ drive alive. OSU took a31-24 lead, a lead they held when Miami’sfinal possession ended on an incompletionfrom the two-yard line on fourth down.RALLY AGAINST THE GATORSMiami opened with Florida in 2004and fell behind the Gators 33-10 midwaythrough the third quarter. A packed houseat the Orange Bowl was in disbelief but theHurricanes rallied behind the hot hand ofquarterback Brock Berlin who compiledone of the most amazing performances inMiami history in the second half. Berlinled Miami to a 38-33 comeback win bycompleting 19 of his final 21 passes overthe game’s final 21 minutes, leadingfour touchdown drives and taking theHurricanes to the winning score with justover a minute remaining. Miami closed itsseason in the FedEx Orange Bowl againstrival Florida State. The unusual rematchplayed out much like the first meetingafter Miami fell behind early. After trailing14-3 early in the second quarter, Miamiphysically took over the game with itsrunning game to mount a comeback.Jarrett Payton rushed for 131 yards on 22carries to earn game Most Valuable Playerhonors. His 46-yard run set up Miami’sfirst touchdown.Jon Peattie nailed three field goals andMiami’s defense held FSU to 206 totalyards while limiting Chris Rix to 6-of-19passing for only 96 yards. A missed FSUfield goal attempt in the fourth periodcontinued Miami’s roll in the series, asthe Hurricanes ended 2003 with a fivegamewin streak over their rivals fromTallahassee.Eight Hurricanes earned first-team All-Big East honors in 2003, led by ConferenceDefensive Player of the Year Sean Taylor.Taylor and tight end Kellen Winslowwere consensus first-team All-Americanswhile linebacker Jonathan Vilma wasmentioned on several All-America squadsand was a finalist for the Butkus Award.Winslow continued Miami’s string ofaward winners as he was named winnerof the John Mackey Award as collegefootball’s top tight end.<strong>HURRICANES</strong> JOIN THE ACCAfter having six players selected in thefirst round of the NFL draft in April, themost ever of any college, the Hurricanesembarked on their first season as membersof the Atlantic Coast Conference. UMplayed on Labor Day night againstFlorida State in the Orange Bowl in frontof a nationally televised ABC audience.However, the arrival of another Hurricane– this one called Hurricane Francis –closed down the campus and delayedthe game four days. On September 10, aFriday night, the Hurricanes hosted theSeminoles and were trailing 10-3 in thefourth quarter. With 4:09 remaining, theSeminoles attempted a 34-yard field goalthat would have iced the victory. ButDevin Hester blocked the kick, giving theHurricanes a chance. Not long after, BrockBerlin led Miami on an 80-yard drive,throwing a 30-yard touchdown pass toSinorice Moss with 30 seconds remaining.The game went into overtime and Miami’smomentum held. The Hurricanes forced afumble on Florida State’s first possession,and two plays later Frank Gore scored onan 18-yard run for a 16-10 victory.2007-10THE RANDY SHANNON ERAThe Randy Shannon era began on Sept.1, 2007, with the Hurricanes knocking offMarshall, 31-3, to jumpstart a 2007 seasonthat was a building year for the mightyHurricanes. One of the two highlightgames of the 2007 season occurred on aThursday night at the Orange Bowl, asa stifling Miami defense wreaked havocon Texas A&M’s triple-option attack,HISTORY PLAYERS & RECORDS87
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