There has
been a good bit of chatter all week from people across the college
football landscape about how FSU will whip Miami this Saturday.
Maybe it has to do with last Thursday's ESPN national audience
watching a 1-3 West Virginia team - who could not run, pass,
punt or tackle in a lopsided loss to Maryland just one game
prior - miss beating four-TD favorite Miami on their own Orange
Bowl turf by one 4th-and-13 conversion. "Miami is ripe
for getting beat. FSU will kill them." We can hear those
sentiments far and wide outside of the Sunshine State. How little
they know, how little... And most can't know if something other
than a true Nole fan. Seminoles writing this game in as a victory
are very young, very forgetful, and/or just very naive. The
huge deflating defeats for FSU that made the difference between
playing for a national championship and playing in some other
New Year's Day bowl game are etched into the pages of this classic
rivalry. Much worse are the ways in which they occurred, almost
always having it all boil down to one play here or there, where
if it had gone the other way, FSU would have another national
championship ring(s) on their finger(s).
Count
the ways? As tough as it may be for this writer - a Florida
State graduate, ex-Nole player, and devoted fan - there's
no forgetting. You can't, it's impossible as hard as we may
try.
Should
I cringe with every fumble inside the red zone, every interception
in the end zone, every missed field goal, every direct snap
where the holder isn't ready, every 75-yard touchdown bomb
and every time Bobby Bowden freezes like a deer in headlights?
This just occurs in the fourth quarter alone, huh? You better
bet your life, it will cut you like a knife.
EVERY
FUMBLE IN THE RED ZONE
1992 - Charlie Ward's junior season. Late in the second half,
Miami recovers a fumble inside the Nole 20 that set up a 19-16
victory. On a bizarre play minutes later, FSU punt-returner
and hero of the game, Corey Sawyer, fumbled into his own end
zone, giving Miami a safety and the 19-16 lead.
EVERY
INTERCEPTION IN THE END ZONE
2000 - At the close of the first half, Dan Morgan steps in
front of a Chris Weinke pass in the end zone, securing a 17-0
half-time lead which marked the first time FSU had been shut
out in the first half in over 13 seasons.
EVERY
MISSED KICK
Extra Point with two missed FGAs (1987), Wide Right I (1991),
Wide Right II (1992), Wide Right III (2000), Wide Left I (2002)
EVERY
DIRECT SNAP WHERE THE HOLDER ISN'T READY
1987 - On the game's opening drive, Florida State's quarterback,
Danny McManus drove the Seminoles in position for a 40-yard
field goal, but kicker Derek Schmidt never got a chance to
attempt the kick as the snap sailed past the holder when McManus
was not ready as the center heard the "set" call
and mis-snapped.
EVERY
75-YARD TOUCHDOWN BOMB
1987 - Facing a 3rd-and-seven with 2:22 remaining, Michael
Irvin takes a sideline pass and sprints 75 yards for the leading
touchdown.
EVERY
TIME BOBBY BOWDEN FREEZES LIKE A DEER IN HEADLIGHTS
See every missed kick
And then he played Miami.
You just know with under three minutes to play, Bobby is thinking
field goal on first down. History repeats itself.
WHERE
WERE YOU IN 1987?
Through all of the painful recollections, obviously nothing
stands out more than the 1987 game. NationalChamps.net founder
and president Todd Helmick was on the sidelines that day in
helmet and pads. He was there when the burning spear hit the
turf while Deion Sanders was bringing his "A" trash-talking
game while catching the same from Michael Irvin. NC.net editor
Dave Hershorin was way up in the NW student section of the
ricter set (an old Doak Campbell stadium euphemism), fasting
for that year's Yom Kippur, baking in the Indian summer heat
of October Tallahassee. He, too, experienced the highest of
highs and the lowest of lows as victory disintegrated before
the 62, 561 open-jawed.
Bobby
Bowden has been the first to admit, even to this day, his
1987 team may have been his best. Of course, we never had
overtime back then, so our option was to go for two points
in the end instead of settling for a tie. Forget for a moment
that kicker (and the NCAA's all-time leading scorer at the
time) Derek Schmidt missed a field goal outright, had a snap
go over his head on another attempt, and missed an extra point
out right. Make that earlier extra point and there is no need
to go for two at the end, and an undefeated FSU (even with
a tie, this argument holds with hindsight) goes on to play
in the Orange Bowl for a national championship. But there's
so much more to this game. One only need read what transpired
in the last seven minutes to understand why Seminole fans
far and wide cringe with every play during this rivalry, and
at just the mention of Miami.
Too often
the Noles choose to employ a strategy of "playing not
to lose" instead of following the play-calling consistency
which originally got them their lead(s). One can easily predict
when this shift will occur - including the multitude of Cane
coaches over the years, who all have happened to know just
what to do when a Nole team conservatively cowers with their
prized lead. Knowing Bowden-led squads combine speed, power,
and savvy into execution, if the Noles themselves willingly
give up their main three ingredients, it is easy pickings
for opposing unit's coordinators. Offensively, we've already
seen this in the Georgia Tech contest - up 14-13 as time wound
down, the offense tucked tail deep in Georgia Tech territory
for negative yards on four plays to ultimately turn it over
on downs. All Bowden had to do was run the clock out, but
Tech got the ball with ample time and successfully drove down
to the FSU 46 before sputtering. The point here being just
how prevalent this anemic practice still is for Nole coaches.
And seeing Miami come back against both West Virginia and
(especially against) Florida, proves they too still amply
have the metal to pull off such antics. Just knowing that
FSU hasn't purged this from their arsenal of chosen approaches
is reason enough to believe it will happen again. It is how
FSU lost in 1987, how FSU lost last year, and likely how FSU
will lose again and again until the jugular is their only
aim for all 60 minutes. If you think this Saturday's game
is in the bag for the Seminoles, you've got another thing
coming. Miami has a recent trend of showing up when they want
to show up. You'll find nothing different on the field of
battle come high noon October 11th, 2003.
With all
the close ones over the years, the 1987 game best enhances
this rivalry thesis. Having gone through our collections of
time spent at Florida State, we feel it is best explained
by the folks at the Tallahassee Democrat. Already burned into
the news pages of our mind, and directly from Todd's scrapbook
to his scanner to you
the 1987 Florida State versus Miami
game.
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