American college football season
The1984 Miami Hurricanes football team represented theUniversity of Miami during the1984 NCAA Division I-A football season . It was the Hurricanes' 59th season of football. The Hurricanes were led by first-year head coachJimmy Johnson and played their home games at theOrange Bowl . They finished the season 8–5 overall. They were invited to theFiesta Bowl where they lost toUCLA , 39–37.
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 theMiami Orange Bowl ,Maryland defeated the Hurricanes with the largest comeback in college football history.[ 2] 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] Hail Mary pass fromquarterback Doug Flutie towide receiver Gerard Phelan to give Boston College the win.
Date Time Opponent Rank Site TV Result Attendance Source August 27 9:00 pm vs. No. 1Auburn No. 10 KATZ W 20–1851,131 [ 5] September 1 7:30 pm vs. No. 17Florida No. 10 ESPN W 32–2072,813 [ 6] September 8 1:00 pm at No. 14Michigan No. 1 KATZ L 14–22105,403 [ 7] September 15 2:30 pm atPurdue No. 5 W 28–1756,716 [ 8] September 22 3:30 pm No. 15Florida State No. 4 CBS L 3–3860,210 [ 9] September 29 7:00 pm Rice No. 16 Miami Orange Bowl Miami, FL W 38–320,084 [ 10] October 6 7:30 pm at No. 16Notre Dame No. 14 ESPN W 31–1359,075 [ 11] October 13 atCincinnati No. 10 KATZ W 49–2525,642 [ 12] October 20 12:00 pm Pittsburgh No. 9 Miami Orange Bowl Miami, FL USA W 27–732,872 [ 13] November 3 12:30 pm atLouisville No. 6 W 38–2320,113 [ 14] November 10 12:00 pm Maryland No. 6 Miami Orange Bowl Miami, FL JP L 40–4231,548 [ 15] November 23 2:30 pm No. 10Boston College No. 12 Miami Orange Bowl Miami, FL CBS L 45–47 30,325 [ 16] January 1 1:30 pm vs. No. 14UCLA No. 13 NBC L 37–3960,310 [ 17]
#1 Auburn vs. #10 Miami (FL)
Team 1 2 3 4 Total Tigers 0 12 3 3 18 •Hurricanes 7 7 0 6 20
Scoring summary Q1 10:19 MIA Shakespeare 17 yard pass from Kosar (Cox kick) MIA 7–0 Q2 AUB Beauford 31 yard pass from Washington (McGinty kick) Tie 7–7 Q2 MIA Shakespeare 8 yard pass from Kosar (Cox kick) MIA 14–7 Q2 AUB McGinty 42 yard field goal MIA 14–10 Q2 0:56 AUB Safety, Tuten tackled in end zone by Powell MIA 14–12 Q3 AUB McGinty 36 yard field goal AUB 15–14 Q4 14:09 MIA Cox 45 yard field goal MIA 17–15 Q4 10:17 AUB McGinty 45 yard field goal AUB 18–17 Q4 6:08 MIA Cox 25 yard field goal MIA 20–18
Bernie Kosar 21/38, 329 Yds, 2 TDAlonzo Highsmith 21 Rush, 140 Yds Eddie Brown 8, Rec 157 Yds [ 18] [ 19] [ 20]
#10 Miami (FL) vs. #17 Florida
Team 1 2 3 4 Total •Hurricanes 3 13 3 13 32 Gators 3 7 3 7 20
Scoring summary Q1 MIA Cox 29 yard field goal MIA 3–0 Q1 FLA Raymond 44 yard field goal Tie 3–3 Q2 FLA Hampton 64 yard run (Raymond kick) FLA 10–3 Q2 MIA Cox 20 yard field goal FLA 10–6 Q2 MIA Oliver 21 yard run (Cox kick) MIA 13–10 Q2 MIA Cox 27 yard field goal MIA 16–10 Q3 MIA Cox 25 yard field goal MIA 19–10 Q3 FLA Raymond 30 yard field goal MIA 19–13 Q4 :41 FLA Neal 5 yard pass from Bell (Raymond kick) FLA 20–19 Q4 :07 MIA Brown 12 yard pass from Kosar (Cox kick) MIA 26–20 Q4 :00 MIA Bain 59 yard interception return MIA 32–20
[ 21]
#1 Miami (FL) at #14 Michigan
Team 1 2 3 4 Total Hurricanes 0 0 7 7 14 •Wolverines 6 0 6 10 22
Scoring summary Q1 MICH Perryman 6 yard run (kick failed) MICH 6–0 Q3 MIA E. Brown 32 yard pass from Kosar (Cox kick) MIA 7–6 Q3 MICH Perryman 3 yard run (run failed) MICH 12–7 Q4 MICH Perryman 1 yard run (Bergeron kick) MICH 19–7 Q4 MIA Shakespeare 44 yard pass from Kosar (Cox kick) MICH 19–14 Q4 MICH Bergeron 27 yard field goal MICH 22–14
[ 22]
#5 Miami (FL) at Purdue
Team 1 2 3 4 Total •Hurricanes 7 7 14 0 28 Boilermakers 10 7 0 0 17
Scoring summary Q1 MIA Highsmith 47 yard run (Cox kick) MIA 7–0 Q1 PUR Rendina 32 yard field goal MIA 7–3 Q1 PUR Wallace 4 yard run (Rendina kick) PUR 10–3 Q2 MIA Oliver 2 yard run (Cox kick) Tie 10–10 Q2 PUR Wallace 2 yard run (Rendina kick) PUR 13–10 Q3 MIA Kosar 1 yard run (Cox kick) MIA 17–13 Q3 MIA Highsmith 6 yard run (Cox kick) MIA 24–13
[ 23]
#14 Miami (FL) at #16 Notre Dame
Team 1 2 3 4 Total •Hurricanes 0 7 14 10 31 Fighting Irish 0 10 3 0 13
Scoring summary Q2 MIA Highsmith 3 yard pass from Kosar (Seelig kick) MIA 7–0 Q2 ND Safety, Tuten ran out of end zone MIA 7–2 Q2 ND Jackson 4 yard pass from Beuerlein (Jefferson run) ND 10–7 Q3 ND Carney 39 yard field goal ND 13–7 Q3 MIA Highsmith 1 yard run (Seelig kick) MIA 14–13 Q3 MIA Highsmith 2 yard run (Seelig kick) MIA 21–13 Q4 MIA Seelig 27 yard field goal MIA 24–13 Q4 MIA Highsmith 1 yard pass from Kosar (Seelig kick) MIA 31–13
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#6 Miami (FL) at Louisville
Team 1 2 3 4 Total •Hurricanes 0 24 7 7 38 Cardinals 0 3 7 13 23
Scoring summary Q2 MIA Highsmith 8 yard run (Cox kick) MIA 7–0 Q2 MIA Brown 32 yard pass from Kosar (Cox kick) MIA 14–0 Q2 LOU Ellis 33 yard field goal MIA 14–3 Q2 MIA Kosar 1 yard run (Cox kick) MIA 21–3 Q2 MIA Cox 37 yard field goal MIA 24–3 Q3 LOU Davenport 4 yard run (Ellis kick) MIA 24–10 Q3 MIA Brown 10 yard pass from Kosar (Cox kick) MIA 31–10 Q4 MIA Bratton 59 yard pass from Kosar (Cox kick) MIA 38–10 Q4 LOU Gray 6 yard pass from Rubbert (Ellis kick) MIA 38–17 Q4 LOU Knighton 2 yard run (pass failed) MIA 38–23
Kosar 22/36, 330 Yds Highsmith 18 Rush, 100 Yds Smith 10 Rec, 124 Yds Brown 5 Rec, 113 Yds [ 25]
Maryland at #6 Miami (FL)
Team 1 2 3 4 Total •Terrapins 0 0 21 21 42 Hurricanes 7 24 3 6 40
Date: November 16Location: Orange Bowl Game attendance: 31,548Game weather: 80 °F (27 °C), Partly sunny, Wind NE 9 mph (14 km/h)TV announcers (JP ): Mike Patrick ,Kevin Kiley , and Chris Clackum
Scoring summary Q1 3:51 MIA Bernie Kosar 1-yard run (Cox kick) MIA 7–0 Q2 MIA Willie Smith 7-yard pass from Bernie Kosar (Cox kick)MIA 14–0 Q2 MIA Willie Smith 11-yard pass from Bernie Kosar (Cox kick) MIA 21–0 Q2 1:03 MIA Greg Cox 48-yard field goal MIA 24–0 Q2 0:12 MIA Charles Henry 1-yard pass from Bernie Kosar (Cox kick) MIA 31–0 Q3 12:35 MD Greg Hill 39-yard pass from Frank Reich (Atkinson kick) MIA 31–7 Q3 6:53 MD Frank Reich 1-yard run (Atkinson kick) MIA 31–14 Q3 5:08 MIA Greg Cox 19-yard field goal MIA 34–14 Q3 MD Alvin Blount 1-yard pass from Frank Reich (Atkinson kick) MIA 34–21 Q4 9:20 MD Tommy Neal 20-yard run (Atkinson kick) MIA 34–28 Q4 5:29 MD Greg Hill 68-yard pass from Frank Reich (Atkinson kick) MD 35–34 Q4 9:20 MD Rick Badanjek 4-yard run (Atkinson kick) MD 42–34 Q2 1:00 MIA Eddie Brown 5-yard pass from Bernie Kosar (pass failed) MD 42–40
[ 26]
#10 Boston College at #12 Miami (FL)
Team 1 2 3 4 Total •Eagles 14 14 3 16 47 Hurricanes 7 14 10 14 45
[ 27]
#14 UCLA vs. #13 Miami (FL)
Team 1 2 3 4 Total •Bruins 7 15 7 10 39 Hurricanes 14 7 3 13 37
[ 28]
Player Class Pos Summary Bernie Kosar* QB 262 Cmp, 416 Att, 3642 Yds, 25 TD Vinny Testaverde QB 17 Cmp, 34 Att, 184 Yds, 0 TD Alonzo Highsmith* RB 146 Att, 906 Yds, 6.2 Avg Darryl Oliver* RB 92 Att, 407 Yds, 4.4 Avg Melvin Bratton RB 49 Att, 279 Yds, 5.7 Avg Warren Williams RB 29 Att, 140 Yds, 4.8 Avg Steve Staffier RB 9 Att, 48 Yds, 5.3 Avg Todd Stanish RB 9 Att, 28 Yds, 3.1 Avg Eric Ham RB 8 Att, 11 Yds, 1.4 Avg Eddie Brown* WR 59 Rec, 1114 Yds, 18.9 Avg Stanley Shakespeare* WR 38 Rec, 621 Yds, 16.3 Avg David Kintigh WR 4 Rec, 62 Yds, 15.5 Avg Brian Blades WR 3 Rec, 50 Yds, 16.7 Avg Kenny Oliver WR 1 Rec, 17 Yds, 17.0 Avg Willie Smith* TE 66 Rec, 852 Yds, 12.9 Avg Alfredo Roberts TE 5 Rec, 50 Yds, 10.0 Avg Charles Henry TE 1 Rec, 1 Yds, 1.0 Avg Paul Bertucelli* OL Juan Comendeiro* OL Dave Heffernan* OL Ian Sinclair* OL Alvin Ward* OL Mike Moore OL Willie Lee Broughton* DL Dallas Cameron* DL Julio Cortes* DL Kevin Fagan* DL Joe Kohlbrand* DL Paul O'Connor DL John McVeigh* LB Winston Moss* LB Bruce Fleming LB Ken Calhoun* DB Darrell Fullington* DB Greg Jones* DB Willie Martinez* DB Lucious Delegal DB Reggie Sutton DB Rick Tuten P Steve Minie P J.C. Penny KR
[ 29]
Other: LB #45 George Mira Jr. (FR)
^ Feldman, Bruce (2004).Cane Mutiny: How the Miami Hurricanes Overturned the Football Establishment New American Library . p. 55 .ISBN 0-451-21297-5 ^ Brown, Matt (September 4, 2017)."Biggest College Football Comebacks" .MSN.com . Archived fromthe original on September 5, 2017. ^ This comeback from 31 points down has since been exceeded by theMichigan State Spartans '41–38 comeback win in 2006 over theNorthwestern Wildcats during which Michigan State trailed 38–3 in the third quarter. ^ Hench, Kevin (May 17, 2007)."Ten Best Damn unforgettable sports moments" .FOX Sports . Archived fromthe original on May 16, 2014. RetrievedSeptember 25, 2022 . ^ "Miami upsets No. 1 Auburn" .The Home News . August 28, 1984. RetrievedNovember 4, 2023 – viaNewspapers.com .^ "Kosar colossal in 32–20 UM win over Gators" .The Bradenton Herald . September 2, 1984. RetrievedNovember 4, 2023 – viaNewspapers.com .^ Tommy George (September 9, 1984)."U-M tips Miami off top" .Detroit Free Press . pp. 1H, 9H – viaNewspapers.com . ^ "Miami drops Boilers' lift" .The South Bend Tribune . September 16, 1984. RetrievedFebruary 28, 2025 – viaNewspapers.com .^ "Florida State stuns Hurricanes" .Fort Pierce Tribune . September 23, 1984. RetrievedFebruary 28, 2025 – viaNewspapers.com .^ "Miami bowls over Rice 38–3" .The Palm Beach Post . September 30, 1984. RetrievedFebruary 28, 2025 – viaNewspapers.com .^ "Irish accosted by Kosar, Miami" .The Indianapolis Star . October 7, 1984. RetrievedFebruary 28, 2025 – viaNewspapers.com .^ " .St. Petersburg Times . October 14, 1984. RetrievedFebruary 28, 2025 – viaNewspapers.com .^ "Hurricanes beat reeling Pitt to the punch, 27–7" .The Orlando Sentinel . October 21, 1984. RetrievedFebruary 28, 2025 – viaNewspapers.com .^ "Hurricanes stumble, but beat Cards 38–23" .The Palm Beach Post . November 3, 1984. RetrievedFebruary 28, 2025 – viaNewspapers.com .^ "Maryland comeback stuns No. 6 Miami" .Star Tribune . November 11, 1984. RetrievedJanuary 30, 2024 – viaNewspapers.com .^ "Hail Flutie; Desperation pass gives Boston College a 47–45 victory over U–M" .The Miami News . November 24, 1984. RetrievedFebruary 28, 2025 – viaNewspapers.com .^ "Lee, UCLA put foot to 'Canes, 39–37" .The Orlando Sentinel . January 2, 1985. RetrievedFebruary 28, 2025 – viaNewspapers.com .^ Ocala Star-Banner. "Miami Charge Drops Auburn." 1984 Aug 28. Retrieved 2018-Sep-19. ^ Eugene Register-Guard. 1984 Aug 28. Retrieved 2018-Sep-19. ^ "Miami Beats No. 1 Auburn In Season's Opener, 20-18" .The Washington Post . RetrievedNovember 2, 2019 .^ College Football Belt Archived 2016-03-03 at theWayback Machine . Retrieved 2014-Dec-24.^ Gainesville Sun. 1984 Sep 9. Retrieved 2018-Sep-23. ^ Gainesville Sun. 1984 Sep 16. Retrieved 2018-Sep-29. ^ Gainesville Sun. 1984 Oct 7. ^ Gainesville Sun. 1984 Nov 04. Retrieved 2018-Nov-16. ^ Wilbon, Michael (November 11, 1984)."Down by 31, Md. Stuns Miami, 42-40" .The Washington Post . RetrievedDecember 29, 2018 . ^ "Flutie's Desperation Pass Beats Miami, 47-45" .The Washington Post . November 24, 1984. RetrievedDecember 29, 2018 .^ 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 . RetrievedDecember 29, 2018 . ^ "1984 Miami (FL) Hurricanes Roster | College Football at Sports-Reference.com" .College Football at Sports-Reference.com . RetrievedOctober 5, 2016 .
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