Orange Bowl Countdown: #2

1986 Miami vs Oklahoma

The 1986 matchup between Miami and Oklahoma was the first #1 vs #2 matchup Miami had ever played in. The Sooners came in ranked at the top of the polls, as the defending national champs while still smarting from a loss to the Canes the previous year. The stakes were high for this game and CBS had hyped the matchup for weeks as a potential national championship game. The Hurricanes came out behind Vinny Testeverde who had his signature Heisman moment in the first half on a wild run which believe it or not only gained a net of 9 yards and stormed out to the lead. Fullback Melvin Bratton and WR Brett Perriman had particularly good first halves and the Canes never looked back. Jamile Holloway and the Oklahoma offense was suffocated by Jerome Brown, Daniel Stubbs and the Miami front four. Miami's linebackers led by George Mira Jr. played a critical role as well in 28-16 victory which never seemed that close.