This is part of a series on Canes football games that have been lost to history. Information on the series including other articles is available here. 

The Year

The year is 2009. President Barack Obama is in the first year of his first term in office. The week of October 31st, 2009 saw I Gotta Feeling by the Black Eyed Peas top the Billboard Hot 100 list, which it had done so since July 11th. And The Lost Symbol by Dan Brown was #1 on the New York Times fiction best seller list. Gas was $2.64 a gallon. The top news story in America was the so-called “Balloon Boy Hoax” where parents claimed their child was in a homemade hot air balloon that had been mistakenly released. After a search found the balloon with no child inside, the parents were found to have fabricated the entire story.

The Combatants

Miami entered the game at 5-2, and 2-2 in conference.

Wake Forest was 4-4, and 2-2 in conference.

The Context

The previous week, Miami had essentially thrown away their best chance at an ACC Coastal title, and without a standout powerhouse team in the conference, they had also likely lost a chance at an ACC title. In a classic game that included several Hurricanes mistakes, including playing Sean Spence with a torn ACL while trying to cover CJ Spiller with him and a botched squib kick, the Canes ultimately fell in OT.

The Canes were still officially in the ACC title race (they would be eliminated 2 weeks later with a loss at North Carolina), but they now needed a lot of help. The disappointment of a team that started the season brightly and then threw away a special season on a mistake-filled afternoon was palpable. The Canes started the year with 4 consecutive games against ranked teams, and went 3-1, with the only loss being at Virginia Tech. The Clemson loss was in an easier stretch of games and was a shock to the system.

For Wake Forest, they were coming in on a losing streak, and needed 2 wins for bowl eligibility. They came into this game on a 2-game losing streak, including a disappointing 3-point loss to Navy. They were looking to turn that around here.

The Game

We were worried about a Miami hangover from the Clemson game, and boy did we get one.

Or, more succinctly put: Wake Forest was by far the better team on the day.

After a Miami punt, Wake Forest marched down the field going 78 yards, but the Canes held inside the 10-yard line and forced a FG. After another Canes’ punt, Wake Forest went the full distance going 53 yards to take a 10-0 lead with 2:23 left in the 1st quarter. But they weren’t done yet, going 80 yards for their 3rd consecutive score, and now were up 17-0 with 10:21 left in the 1st half.

At this point, in addition to being up 17-0, Wake Forest had outgained Miami 211-87.

To try and change momentum, the Canes went to a no-huddle offense. The change of pace caught Wake Forest off guard, and the Canes went 67 yards in 5 plays to pull within 10. Aldarius Johnson caught the 35-yard TD pass after the Canes went no-huddle and snapped it against a confused Wake Forest defense.

Wake Forest did respond, however. After both teams exchanged punts (the first Miami had forced all day), Wake Forest once again drove, this time for a FG.

The Canes got the ball with 33 seconds at their own 36. A FG seemed like a long shot with the way they’d failed to move the ball, but Jacory Harris hit Thearon Collier for 29 yards, then Graig Cooper rushed for 29 yards before Harris hit Collier again down to the 3-yard line with 8 seconds left. Miami still had a timeout, and therefore the luxury to attempt a run, which they did and which Damien Berry scored on with 3 seconds left to cut the lead to 6 at the half.

Wake Forest had thoroughly dominated the game, but Miami’s quick strike ability had kept them in the game. Ultimately, those themes of Wake Forest minimizing points and Miami’s ability to score quick would decide the game.

The second half looked like it would follow the first half when Wake Forest immediately strung together a drive, taking the ball inside the Canes 35-yard line. But, on an 11-yard completion, Sam Shields stripped the ball and Vaughn Telemaque recovered, keeping the deficit at 6.

After 3 consecutive punts (2 by Miami, 1 by Wake Forest), the Demon Deacons got the offense going again. Wake Forest went 82 yards in 9 plays, capped off by a 44-yard TD pass to go up 27-14.

When Harris followed that up with an interception, this game felt over. But Miami’s defense held without giving up yardage for one of the few times on the day, and Miami continued to hang in the game. After more punts, Wake Forest received the ball near the start of the 4th quarter and promptly drove to the Canes 27-yard line. But they missed the FG, and miraculously, the lead was still only 13.

After yet another Miami punt (the offense was going nowhere), the Canes were bailed out by a muffed punt. The ball bounced inside the Wake Forest 5-yard line where Sam Shields recovered. One play later, Harris hit Tervaris Johnson in the back of the end zone to cut the lead to 27-21.

The total yardage in the 2nd half at that point was Miami 24, Wake Forest 186…and yet the score for the 2nd half was 7-7.

The Demon Deacons went on the march again, hoping to restore a 2-possession game. But after crossing midfield, Riley Skinner threw a pass into coverage which was batted in the air and intercepted by DeMarcus Van Dyke.

With just under 9 minutes left, and the ball in decent field position starting at their own 36-yard line, now was the time for Miami to seize the game. They promptly gained a solitary yard on 3 plays and punted. Wake Forest put together a decent drive, eating clock and moving out of deep in their territory. A holding penalty killed the drive at midfield, but a solid punt put Miami at their own 18 with 2:36 left and only one timeout.

Miami had to go the end zone on this drive, or it was game over. Jacory Harris fired 2 incompletions, then hit Collier for 29 yards on a beautiful corner route. On the next play Harris was sacked, and then threw 2 more incompletions. It was 4th and 16 at their own 41, but the Canes had to go for it anyway with only 1:32 left. Harris stood in the pocket, taking a hit as he lofted the ball to Aldarius Johnson, who made a leaping catch for 29 yards at the Wake Forest 30. The stunned Demon Deacons struggled to lineup as Harris hit Travis Benjamin on consecutive plays for 17 and 13 yards, the latter of which resulted in Benjamin making a sliding catch in the front corner of the end zone to score the go ahead TD and put Miami up 28-27 with 1:08 left.

With backup QB Ryan McManus having replaced Riley Skinner (who left with a concussion on the previous drive), Wake Forest tried to get the ball into FG range. Wake Forest did move the ball, but was fighting the clock. When McManus scrambled to the Canes 43-yard line, then fired an incompletion on the following play, Wake Forest had 4 seconds left. Rather than try the Hail Mary, they opted for a 60-yard FG, which was nowhere close.

The Canes had escaped, 28-27.

Highlights: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rOfzr_Jvl9g

Why is it Memorable?

It’s hard to imagine a less deserving win. Miami stole this game. We’re actually used to be on the wrong side of one-sided games, where the Canes gain a ton of yards but can’t finish drives. This was the opposite.

Wake Forest outgained Miami 555-356. They had ample opportunities to put this game away.

Yet the Canes made a handful of plays that ultimately finished drives and won them this game. The names contributing to this win…Jacory Harris, Travis Benjamin, Aldarius Johnson, Graig Cooper, Thearon Collier, Damien Berry…they bring back memories of hope and what could have been. On the day, Miami ran 21 times for 26 yards, Jacory Harris was sacked 6 times, and yet they persevered.

Perhaps, the most shocking stat is the combined time of possession on Miami’s 4 TD drives was a total of 3 minutes and 55 seconds. And they literally did nothing the rest of the game. They had multiple drives that gained negative yards. Meanwhile, Wake Forest had multiple 40+ yard drives that yielded no points.

Jacory Harris did throw for 330 yards, but it was really a handful of drives where those yards came. We also should not forget Aldarius Johnson, who ended up never playing another down for Miami in the aftermath of the Nevin Shapiro scandal. He was fantastic in this game, and his leaping catch on 4th and 16 by itself makes this game memorable.

In the end, Miami converted multiple 3rd and 4th and longs, had 14 of their 28 points come via 2-minute drills at the end of halves, another 7 on a 2-yard drive off a muffed punt, and the final 7 come via a no-huddle attack…and Wake Forest basically dominated everything else and lost.

The Canes didn’t deserve to win, but did.

The Aftermath

Miami blew the 2019 season. There’s no other way to put it. They somehow navigated this start to the schedule:

Still can't believe Al Golden complained about playing at FAU when Randy Shannon once started the season like pic.twitter.com/E7cQQn7NYA

— Vishnu Parasuraman (@vrp2003) March 29, 2020

In position to win the ACC Coastal and probably the conference, and then imploded against Clemson. In a game in which the Canes’ outgained Clemson, they gave it away with 4 turnovers, a botched squib kickoff, and a busted coverage…and found themselves in overtime. In OT, Miami drove inside the Clemson 5, couldn’t punch it in and kicked a FG. They then somehow gave up a 26-yard TD pass on 2nd-and-11 when it looked like they might force a long FG. That really blew the season.

In the aftermath of that, this Wake Forest game became a footnote, but likely balanced out the record since Miami did not deserve to win this game. The real question is, had they held on against Clemson, do they then win this Wake Forest game more easily, do they win at North Carolina later in the year, do they win the ACC Coastal and the ACC? We’ll never know.

In hindsight, the 2009 Clemson game was the one that told the story of the Randy Shannon Era. He brought in talent, got it to the precipice, and blew it at inopportune times. The Wake Forest game was a reminder of the heart of those teams, and their ability to make plays.

This team ended up being the best of the Randy Shannon Era, losing the Champs Sports Bowl to Wisconsin. But on paper, and the way they played much of the year, they were the ACC’s best team. It’s unfortunate that the results didn’t show it.

For Wake Forest, they were midway through a 5-game losing streak that ultimately saw them miss a bowl game at 5-7. In addition to this loss, they had two 3-point losses, and 2 overtime losses. So all told, 6 of their 7 losses came by a FG or less, with 2 in OT. This was likely not even Wake Forest’s most heartbreaking loss of the year.

Have memories of this game? Tweet us at @vrp2003 and @5ReasonsSports

This is part of a series on Canes football games that have been lost to history. Information on the series including other articles is available here. 

The Year

The year is 2012. President Barack Obama is in the final year of his first term in office. The week of September 22nd, 2012 saw We Are Never Getting Back Together by Taylor Swift top the Billboard Hot 100 list for the 3rd week in a row. And Fifty Shades of Grey by E.L. James was #1 on the New York Times fiction best seller list. Gas was $3.83 a gallon. In addition to the ongoing US Presidential Election, the top news story was worldwide attacks on several US Embassies, with the most notable being in Benghazi, Libya, where 4 Americans were killed.

The Combatants

The Canes entered this game at 2-1, with the loss being a 39-point blowout at Kansas State.

Georgia Tech was 2-1, having lost an overtime game to Virginia Tech.

The Context

For the Canes, the story was Al Golden. The Nevin Shapiro scandal was the new normal, but even with that context, the previous season’s disappointing record did have one silver lining…all 6 losses were one possession games. The thinking was that with marginal improvement, the Canes could turn those losses into wins.

That narrative collapsed in the second game of the season when the Kansas State Wildcats demolished Miami. The gap between Miami and a decent team (which is what Kansas State was at the time) was startling.

In hindsight, all the signs of Golden’s demise were present, but at this juncture, it was still a situation where most fans were trying to balance the scandal with the play on the field and figure out what represented the true quality of an Al Golden team.

The Game

This game is absolutely crazy.

For Miami, this game was about Stephen Morris, Mike James, and Phillip Dorsett.

Morris got going early, and threw a 65-yard TD pass to Dorsett on the game’s 3rd play. The Canes would then drive for a FG, which was set up by another 40-yard completion to Dorsett.

And this is where Georgia Tech had a mental breakdown. On the kickoff, the GT kick returner broke the plain with the ball and knelt it, resulting in a safety and putting the Canes up 12-0. With the short field (the Canes started at the GT 48 yard line), Miami drove for Mike James’ first TD of the game to put the Canes up 19-0, literally on the last play of the 1st quarter. That drive also featured the injury that would short-circuit Malcolm Lewis’ career.

On the subsequent kickoff, once again, the Canes stuffed GT, this time inside their 10-yard line. Up by 19 on an option team, the Canes appeared to be in control. But D’Onofrio happens.

In a stunning 2nd quarter explosion, The Yellow Jackets started to methodically destroy the Miami defense. The Canes caught a seeming reprieve when offsetting penalties wiped out an 80-yard run. But it didn’t matter as GT capped off a 91-yard drive with a TD.

The Canes offense appeared to get back in gear on the next drive, but Dorsett fumbled at the end of another long catch (this one for 32-yards) and GT immediately had the ball back. They went 57 yards in 6 plays to cut the lead to 5 at 19-14.

Next it was time for Miami special teams to fail. On the next possession, Miami punted and it was returned 56 yards to the Canes’ 23. The defense shut down GT’s option, and put the Yellow Jackets in 3rd and 11…where they promptly gave up a 17-yard completion to a team that could not pass. But they weren’t done giving up long 3rd down plays. 3 plays later, on 3rd and goal from the 10, the Canes allowed the GT QB to run, Tevin Washington, to walk into the end zone, almost untouched. To rub salt in the wound, GT went for 2 and completed a pass on it, to go ahead 22-19.

The rest of the half featured Stephen Morris forcing a deep ball into coverage for an INT, and the half essentially running out from there. Miami won the first quarter 19-0, but somehow lost the 2nd half 22-0 and was down 22-19 at the half.

If you expected an inspired halftime reaction, adjustments to stop the offense that everyone knew GT would be running, or even a competitive response coming out of the half, you would be disappointed. It took only 4 plays for GT to go 65 yards and go up 29-19.

The Canes did finally put a solid drive together, but had to punt from midfield. Once again, the Canes did a poor job in punt coverage, and GT returned it to their own 40. On the next play, they completed another long pass, this one for 58 yards, and were in the end zone one play later.

From 12 minutes left in the 2nd quarter to 10 minutes left in the 3rd quarter, the Yellow Jackets scored 36 points in a row, and took a commanding 36-19 lead.

But the Canes did not sink. They embarked on a long, methodical drive that went 74 yards on 17 plays, culminating in a FG that cut the lead to 14 points and at least stopped the 36 point streak.

Miami’s defense also finally settled in, and forced a GT punt. 82 yards from the end zone, the Canes went on another long drive, this time all the way to the end zone, with Mike James picking up the TD, and cutting the lead to a one TD game at 36-29.

It seemed like Miami was back in the game, and immediately forcing another punt put the Canes in great shape to tie the game. Starting from their own 8, the Canes once again put together a long drive, going 88 yards in 10 plays. But they couldn’t punch it in despite having 1st and goal at the 3-yard line. And then Jake Wieclaw missed a 22-yard FG.

That should have been game over. One gut punch too many. And when GT was able to run 8 plays before punting, and drop the ball inside the Canes’ 10-yard line again, Miami found themselves 91 yards from the tying TD with only 2 minutes left.

Stephen Morris promptly completed 4 consecutive passes to Davon Johnson, totaling 50 yards and taking Miami to the GT 41. From there, Morris hit Duke Johnson for 25 yards. Two Yellow Jacket penalties took the Canes to the GT 10-yard line with 27 seconds left. Mike James scored his 3rd TD of the game on a middle screen pass from Morris and miraculously, the Canes had tied the game at 36 and sent it into OT.

On the first possession of OT, GT drove inside the Canes 5-yard line. On 2nd and 5 they got 2 yards, then another yard on 3rd down, setting up 4th and an inch at the 1. GT trusted their option attack…and shouldn’t have. Eddie Johnson destroyed GT QB Tevin Washington and stopped him just short of the 1st down.

Miami just needed a FG, but Mike James ended the festivities on the 2nd play of the Canes’ possession, going 24  yards for the game clinching TD, his 4th of the game. The Canes won 42-36.

First Half: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TMTktztcA8A&t=2s

Second Half: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tCeMf1wMMYg

Why is it Memorable?

Where to start? First, I linked the half highlights above because it a “no huddle” cut, meaning you get through both videos in roughly an hour and fifteen minutes. I encourage anyone with some spare time to do that.

This game featured huge performances from Stephen Morris and Phillip Dorsett, who totaled 436 and 184 yards, respectively. Mike James scored 4 TDs (3 rushing, 1 receiving). Duke Johnson also had an impact on the ground and through the air.

Davon Johnson came out of nowhere to step up. He had 107 yards receiving, but 50 came on 4 consecutive plays on the last drive of regulation.

And time and again, both teams look like they were down and out, and then came back. Eddie Johnson had the highlight reel hit in OT to stop GT, but in regulation, on GT’s last true possession, Anthony Chickillo made 2 consecutive, huge tackles to hold GT short of the 1st down or they would have run the clock out without Miami having the opportunity to drive for the tying TD.

On the negative, yet uplifting side, this game will also be remembered for the horrific injury that Malcolm Lewis sustained, and Al Golden’s compassion in that moment. That moment was Golden’s finest as the Miami Head Coach.

In the end, this was a game that saw the Canes score the first 19 points, GT come back and run off 36 points in a row, and then the Canes digging deep to score the last 23 and win OT. You’ll be hard-pressed to find a game that streaky and one in which a team lost despite scoring 36 points in a row. But that is what happened on this day.

The Aftermath

Neither team was good, and this would show up repeatedly. The Canes would run their record to 4-1 before imploding with 3 straight losses, tacking on a heartbreaking loss at Virginia late in the year, and finishing 7-5.

This was the “transition” year in the Al Golden tenure. One in which the Canes took their final bowl ban, and entered the offseason for the last time not knowing what their sanctions would be. It was also the year that Golden transitioned from close losses to blowout losses. In addition to the aforementioned Kansas State blowout, the Canes lost badly to Notre Dame and Florida State.

For Georgia Tech, they would recover to “win” the ACC Coastal, but ultimately finish 7-7, losing the ACC Championship game to Florida State.

Miami, North Carolina, and Georgia Tech ended up in a 3-way tie atop the ACC Coastal. North Carolina had the tiebreaker, but received a postseason ban from the NCAA. This made it a 2-way tie between Georgia Tech and Miami, and this 42-36 OT classic could have conceivably sent the Canes into a rematch with FSU and their first ACC title game. Ultimately, Miami opted (correctly) to self-impose a postseason ban. At 7-5, getting slaughtered by FSU for a 2nd time and then losing a bowl game didn’t seem wise when they could sacrifice those games for less restrictions later (this worked as the Canes received a slap on the wrist less than a year later).

So, Georgia Tech was the last team standing for not being banned from postseason play, and ended up making it to Charlotte. 2 years later, Georgia Tech would win the ACC Coastal again, this time with a much better team. They lost a nailbiter to FSU there, 37-35, but recovered to blowout Mississippi State in the Orange Bowl, which was the best season of Paul Johnson’s tenure.

For Miami fans, this was probably Al Golden’s second best season, and perhaps the one that most filled the fans with a false sense of optimism. Performances like this were a mirage that made everyone feel good about wins, but were ultimately huge warning signs of an impending implosion, particularly on defense.

Have memories of this game? Tweet us at @vrp2003 and @5ReasonsSports

This is part of a series on Canes football games that have been lost to history. Information on the series including other articles is available here. 

The Year

The year is 2004. President George W. Bush had been re-elected to a second term 11 days prior. The week of November 13th, 2004 saw My Boo by Usher and Alicia Keys top the Billboard Hot 100 list for the 3rd week in a row. And Metro Girl by Janet Evanovich was #1 on the New York Times fiction best seller list. Gas was $1.96 a gallon. In addition to the recently concluded election, the Middle East topped the headlines, as the War in Iraq saw insurgents capture Mosul, while in an unrelated Mideast matter, Iran was working on a deal over their nuclear arms program (some things stay the same).

The Combatants

This was a Top 20 matchup.

The Canes were 6-2, with 2 conference losses.

Virginia came into this game at 7-1.

The Context

The Canes were reeling coming off consecutive losses. Having peaked at #4 in the polls, the Canes had lost consecutive games to North Carolina by 3 on a last-second FG and to Clemson by 7 in overtime. They had fallen to #18 in the AP Poll.

Virginia had only one loss, to Florida State.

But the Seminoles had already lost twice. With Virginia Tech leading the ACC, but also having a loss, and with both teams still having to play Virginia Tech, the winner of this game controlled their own destiny in the ACC.

This was the last year before the ACC switched to divisions, so whoever finished on top of the regular season standings won the conference. This was also Miami’s first year in the ACC.

The Game

The best word to describe this game is intense. Miami actually never trailed, and yet the entire game felt like it was on razor’s edge.

Miami had 2 long drives in the 1st quarter. The first resulted in a missed FG, but the second lead to a Frank Gore TD.

Virginia answered immediately with a TD to tie the game. Roscoe Parrish (much more from him later) returned a punt 45 yards to set up another Canes TD.

The Canes took the 14-7 lead into the half, but one of the themes of the day began to present itself as the Canes drove to the UVA 27, but went for it on 4th down and got stuffed. That, coupled with the earlier missed FG, meant the Canes had left at least 6 points on the field.

The second half saw both teams exchange punts before UVA tied the game late in the 3rd quarter with a 3-play, 67 yard drive capped off by Alvin Pearman’s 34-yard TD run.

Miami answered with a 43-yard FG (a similar distance to the FG that the Canes neglected to kick earlier) to take a 17-14 lead into the 4th quarter. After forcing a punt, the Canes had an opportunity to put some distance between themselves and the Cavaliers, but Larry Coker chose to punt from the UVA 34-yard line. Miami’s John Peattie was a reliable kicker, and the overall decisions to pass on FGs, as well as an uncharacteristic miss, saw the Canes up by 3 instead of 9.

On the next UVA punt, Roscoe Parrish once again got loose, breaking a few tackles, and this time took the return all the way to the house, putting the Canes up 24-14 with 7:38 left. On the next play, Brandon Meriweather picked off a pass and that sealed the game, except it didn’t.

Instead, the Canes lost 4 yards on 3rd and 1 at the UVA 41 and punted. Then UVA scored a TD in 4 plays and 79 yards in less than a minute to cut the lead to 3. All of a sudden, it was game on with 3:22 left.

Frank Gore had been the Canes’ offense on the day carrying 28 times for 195 yards and a TD. But with UVA stacking the box, he netted 5 yards on 2 plays. Brock Berlin, who was having an efficient, conservative game, was called on. His play-action completion to Talib Humphrey not only got the first down, but picked up 34 yards after Humphrey ran through several tackles. The Canes picked up 6 yards on 3 plays, getting down to the UVA 25 with 58 seconds left and the Cavaliers out of timeouts.

Miami had the option of kicking the FG, throwing underneath to ice the game, or…going for broke and throwing it to the end zone.

At first, Coker sent out the FG team, but was waiting to take a timeout with 1 second on the play clock. He did so, but Peattie took and missed the FG anyway. The play didn’t count because of the timeout, but perhaps that convinced Coker to go for it, because he, and his team went for it all.

On a play action pass, Parrish showed up again, making a twisting 25-yard TD reception, which this time finally ended the game, with the Canes winning 31-21.

Highlights: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hYEbgipN0g4

Why is it Memorable?

This was the first time since 1999 that the Canes were out of the National Championship picture, so there is certainly that element. The game had an odd feeling.

Miami’s 2 big time players carried them. Frank Gore, playing with a bad ankle, carried 28 times for 195 yards and a TD, and also had a reception for 4 yards, which means 29 touches and 199 yards…while injured. It’s hilarious to look back on this game and hear the commentators talk about how Gore’s 2 ACL injuries have slowed him down. They were almost nostalgic about what could have been. 16 years later, Gore is still playing and is a lock for the NFL Hall Of Fame. And you know what? He actually COULD have been better. Gore is ridiculous.

And if this series of articles is about anything, it’s about greatness forgotten, and Roscoe Parrish fits that bill. Roscoe is an all-timer at Miami, but he lived in Devin Hester’s shadow as a returner, and was a little too diminutive to be a true NFL superstar, which is often how Miami’s players are measured. Yet this game showed just how great Roscoe was. Parrish had 4 yards rushing, 50 yards receiving, and 121 yards in returns for a total of 175 yards.

This game was also a throwback to when the Canes used to know how to effectively use the FB. Talib Humphrey had 3 critical receptions for 49 yards, including a huge late 4th quarter 3rd down conversion and a TD reception.

But this was also just a great college football game, and a reminder of why we love the sport. Packed house, perfect football weather. Both teams kept trading blows, the momentum swung wildly back and forth, and eventually, the Canes landed the knockout blow.

As color commentator Tim Brandt exclaimed toward the end of the 3rd quarter, “What a football game!”

The Aftermath

Oh, what could have been.

For the Canes, this was their best chance to win the ACC. The Canes jumped up to #9 in the polls, and subsequently crushed Wake Forest setting up a de facto ACC title game at home against Virginia Tech.

But Miami lost that game 16-10, and with it, the ACC. With the ACC switching to divisions and 2004 being a transition year, this was the last time there was not a conference championship game.

At the time, the assumption was Miami would be a regular participant in that game, but it would be 13 years until the Canes made that expected appearance, and in the 15 years since the 2004 VT loss, they’ve been unable to win the conference. A home win against Virginia Tech could have ended that narrative before it started, and if it had, this 2004 Virginia game in particular would be pointed at as the game that propelled them.

The Canes would recover to beat Florida in the Peach Bowl, and finish the year ranked 11th, but in hindsight, the ACC was there for the taking.

For Virginia, the season crated a bit from here. They did recover to win against Georgia Tech in Atlanta, but lost badly to Virginia Tech and then lost in overtime to Fresno State in the MPC Computers Bowl. A footnote to this game is that both of Virginia’s coordinators would go on to be head coaches, and fail miserably.

Ron Prince went to Kansas State, where he was fired after 3 years. He’s currently the head coach at Howard. And Virginia’s Defensive Coordinator is a major contributing factor to both the Canes’ 13-year ACC Title Game drought and overall inability to win the ACC. Suffice it to say that those are 5 years of our program we’re never getting back.

Probably the most ridiculous oddity surrounding this game is that the Canes head coaches from 2001-2015 were all coaching in this game with Larry Coker (Miami HC), Randy Shannon (Miami DC), and Al Golden (Virginia DC) all participating.

Have memories of this game? Tweet us at @vrp2003 and @5ReasonsSports

The Miami Hurricanes have a long and storied history, with many glorious, memorable victories.

They’ve produced the greatest football team in college football history.

They’ve invaded the national ethos. If someone mentions “Wide Right,” any college football fan knows exactly what is being talked about.

The program itself is iconic, with legendary filmmaker Billy Corben producing 2 documentaries on the football program, The U and The U Part 2. A third documentary, “Catholics versus Convicts,” talks about the Notre Dame-Miami rivalry in the 80s.

The Canes’ ascension into the ethos of sports culture, and the subsequent hyper focus on the program, has resulted in games and performances that would be legendary and program defining at most programs being relegated to the background, mere scenery.

But they shouldn’t be, and if the global pandemic has taught us anything, it’s that it’s never to late to right wrongs, to tell people we care about them, and to argue over inane, unimportant stuff. And this will accomplish all 3 of those things.

The Selection Criteria

The general selection criteria was flatly my opinion. But I did try to use some consistent logic, which I’m sure I violated multiple times. With that said, I did intentionally exclude any National Championship games or rivalry games (Florida, Florida State, Notre Dame, and Virginia Tech) since by definition, those are never really forgotten. So, while Kirby Freeman dropped this dime to beat FSU in a game that would otherwise make the list, in this instance, it does not. I also intentionally excluded certain games, like 1998 UCLA, which do live on Canes’ lore.

I fully acknowledge my own recency bias towards games I remember. I didn’t even consider games prior to the Canes’ first championship in 1983. And some games received deference because they are important to me. The importance of the game in the larger scheme of things might have had a tangential impact, but was not specifically considered, with a huge exception for any game that was really important, but is now forgotten and not viewed as such. For the very recent games, I thought about whether it would make the list 15-20 years from now.

And that’s pretty much it. I’m sure I’ve excluded some games entirely that are other people’s number 1 game. In the end, I settled on 10 Honorable Mentions and 12 Games to countdown. And without further ado, the list.

Honorable Mentions

These are in chronological order and just missed making the dozen.

1. 1987 Miami vs. South Carolina – this one would have threatened to crack the Top 12, but it’s debatable whether this already memorable, due to a brawl . The Canes hung on for a 20-16 win en route to the 1987 National Championship. The story of this game was the defense, that stymied South Carolina multiple times to preserve the win. While the legendary FSU game of that year gets all the accolades, this game deserves recognition.
2. 1991 Miami vs . Penn State – Another game that lead to a National Championship. This was a back-and-forth affair with the Canes having several explosive plays offset by long, methodical drives from the Nittany Lions. Future Heisman Trophy winner (and all-around great guy) Gino Torretta was brilliant, in particular in the second half. Torretta threw TD passes of 80- and 42-yards, and Kevin Williams ran back a punt for a 91-yard TD as the Canes escaped 26-20.
3. 1992 Miami @ Penn State – The rematch a year later saw another close game. The Canes jumped out to a 10-0 lead, but Penn State repeatedly rallied. A huge Pick 6 from Darren Krein was ultimately decisive as the Canes hung on for a 17-14 win in a season that ultimately fell one game short of a championship. I also picked this game because it was one of 3 extremely close games in a row. 2 weeks before, the Canes escaped against Arizona 8-7 when the Wildcats missed a FG as time expired (barely Wide Right). The next week was the famous Wide Right II. And this game followed a similar pattern of the Canes just making enough plays to win. The narrative around the ’92 team is one of a team that went undefeated and then blew a title against Alabama. But this team was as mentally tough as it was good, and repeatedly gutted out wins. This game represents that.
4. 2003 Miami vs. West Virginia – I take you back to a time where Miami was undoubtedly the premier program in the country. On a Thursday Night against West Virginia, we saw the first signs of the empire crumbling. It was a sluggish game, but the Canes were running the clock down, and at midfield, leading 19-13. Then everything came apart. Jarrett Payton fumbled, and all of a sudden West Virginia had an opportunity. On 3rd and 13, the Mountaineers called a screen pass which the Canes snuffed out…but Quincy Wilson made one of the great forgotten plays in College Football history, evading Vince Wilfork, juking past Sean Taylor, beating Jonathan Vilma to the corner, and then running over Brandon Meriweather on his way to the end zone. The Canes had their own conversion, on the following drive, with Kellen Winslow catching a pass on 4th and 13. The Canes kicked the winning FG to win 22-20. The highlights are worth a rewatch.
5. 2005 Miami vs. North Carolina– The Virginia Tech win the next week is the one that everyone remembers. But it was set up by this comeback. The Orange Bowl was battered by Hurricane Wilma, with the upper deck closed. The Canes trailed 16-7 at halftime, and then exploded in the second half, running off 27 straight points. The late, great Tyrone Moss had 195 yards and 4 TDs in what was his last game before tearing his ACL, an injury that stymied his career. And that’s one thing that makes this game memorable. Watching a healthy Moss run was a thing of beauty. The throwback jerseys the Canes wore were not.
6. 2010 Miami @ Clemson – This was back when 3 teams (Dolphins, Marlins, and Hurricanes) shared one stadium, with the Canes lowest on the pecking order. That means that if the Marlins happened to have a weekend series in September, the Canes had to hit the road. And this was the Canes 3rd consecutive road game against major competition, having already played Ohio State and Pitt. The game after this was essentially the beginning of the end of the Randy Shannon Era, where a favored Miami team was blown out by 4 TDs by FSU at home. And that’s why this game is lost to time. But Jacory Harris threw 4 TDs, and the Canes came out of one of the toughest places to play in the country with a 9 point win, thanks to a wild 2nd quarter where Harris threw 3 TDs and 2 INTs.
7. 2013 Miami @ North Carolina – This was a prototypical Al Golden game. Both teams put up over .500 yards and the Canes found themselves in a close game with a poor North Carolina team who came into the game at 1-5. The Thursday Night game was on National TV. Duke Johnson had a concussion in the 1st quarter and missed most of the game. Miami’s offense struggled, but a huge blocked FG return for a TD at least kept the Canes in touching distance. UNC lead 23-13 in the 4th quarter, but from there, Dallas Crawford took over, with 2 TDs, including the winner with 16 seconds left. Crawford, who was not expected to play much, stepped up carrying the ball 33 times for 137 yards. But this was a Mark D’Onofrio defense, so somehow, North Carolina got into scoring range, and had a throw into the end zone to win, but it was batted down and the Canes escaped 27-23.
8. 2015 Miami vs. Nebraska – I almost excluded this from the list, because it was a win that felt like a loss. Still, it is a crazy game. I also remember this because I was on a plane to Thailand during this game, streaming it on dodgy wifi that kept disconnecting. With the Canes up 27-3 in the 3rd quarter, and the game feeling out of hand, I briefly considered turning it off. But I know D’Onofrio better than that. The margin was still 33-10 with under 10 minutes left, when Nebraska ran off 23 straight points, including 2 successful 2-point conversions. The game was decided when Corn Elder had an INT in the first OT, and Nebraska made a late hit on him, setting the Canes up at half the distance on their possession. The FG was automatic from there.
9. 2017 Miami @ Georgia Tech – This one is recent, and is remembered for Darrell Langham’s 4th down catch. But it’s hard to remember how wild this game was. Miami dominated this game outgaining Georgia Tech by 200 yards, but couldn’t finish drives, kicking 4 short FGs. GT scored TDs on consecutive drives to build a 14-3 lead, but the Canes responded and GT lead by 1 at the half. That’s when it got loopy. Mark Richt tried a surprise onside kick to start the 2nd half. It was returned for a TD and Miami spent the rest of the game chasing, especially after missing a 2-point conversion that would have tied the game. In the end, the Canes won on a last second FG in a monsoon.
10. 2019 Miami @ Pittsburgh – This is from the past season, so probably doesn’t need much explanation. But when we look back on this game a decade from now, the Miami defense digging deep with a goal line stand to force a FG, Jarren Williams coming off the bench in relief to lead the winning TD drive, and the Canes escaping with a victory will be something we remember (or not), which is why this makes the list.

The Dozen

Every weekday, we’ll reveal the next game.

Game 12:  2013 Wake Forest at Miami

Game 11: 1997 Miami @ Boston College

Game 10: 2004 Miami @ Virginia

Game 9: 2012 Miami @ Georgia Tech

Game 8: 2009 Miami @ Wake Forest

Game 7: 2008 Miami @ Virginia

Game 6: 1991 Miami @ Boston College

Game 5: 2012 NC State @ Miami

Game 4: 2004 Louisville @ Miami

Game 3: 2005 Miami @ Clemson

Game 2: 1988 Miami @ Michigan

Game 1: 1999 Miami @ Boston College