Hurricane Bowl History: The 1990s

By Kartik Krishnaiyer
Canes Rising Staff

Miami entered the 1990s with three national championships in hand to go along with seven new year's day bowl bids. But the Canes stumbled in the first regular season game of the new decade losing to BYU in Provo. The Canes ranked #1 in the country entering the game were shredded by Ty Detmer who eventually won the Heisman Trophy. Miami lost the final matchup with Notre Dame later that season and despite beating Florida State and sweeping future Big East rivals BC, Pitt and Syracuse, the Canes needed an impressive win out west against San Diego State to stay in the national title race. But the Canes stumbled winning 30-28 because the Aztecs missed three FGs, and Miami entered the bowl season with no chance to win the national title for the first time since 1984.

Miami was matched up with Texas in the Cotton Bowl, and Texas unlike Miami did have a very realistic shot to win the title. A Texas win coupled with a Colorado loss in the Orange Bowl would have likely given the Longhorns at worst a share of the national title. But the discussion didn't last long into New Year's Day as the Canes racked up 202 yards in penalties, many personal fouls, in crushing Texas 46-3.

The Cotton Bowl irrevocably turned the media, college football world and NCAA against Miami. While significant elements of the national media and college football establishment were always against Miami, some sports writers that didn't cover NCAA Football closely didn't start slamming UM until after this game. Additionally, the NCAA started sniffing around the Miami program after this game. Oklahoma, Miami's great rival of the 1980s had been put on probation the previous year as had been Florida. For the Gators it was the second time probation had hit in the past five years, and with so many Florida alumni in the local south Florida media, a concerted effort of gotcha journalism ensued, looking to trip up Miami.

Miami would the National Title in 1991, going unbeaten and beating Nebraska in the Orange Bowl. In 1992, the Canes under Denis Erickson went unbeaten in the regular season but lost to Alabama in the Sugar Bowl. While the results still looked satisfactory, the Canes were headed down hill. Miami had beaten FSU both seasons but clearly no longer had the depth of talent the Noles did. Jimmy Johnson's recruits had now left the program and Erickson's recruiting was suspect at best given the natural advantages Miami had at the time.

The next two bowl seasons would be disastrous. Miami was poor in 1993. An early season win in Boulder against a good Colorado team postponed the inevitable for a while but the Canes were crushed in Tallahassee in October and a November loss to West Virginia meant the Canes did not even win the Big East. Then came the Fiesta Bowl debacle where the Canes were embarrassed 29-0 by Arizona.

The following season was more of the same at least early: a loss to Washington at home ended the Canes NCAA record 58 game winning streak at home. But somehow, Miami recovered and impressively was not tested the rest of the season until the bowl game. Miami beat Florida State by the largest margin since 1988, and crushed Syracuse and Virginia Tech as well.

Miami entered the Orange Bowl with a shot at the national title and led Nebraska 17-7 at the end of three quarters. Frank Costa the much maligned Miami QB was playing well and Miami's Defense was dominating the Huskers. Then the Canes collapsed losing 24-17, and ending the Erickson era. Less than two weeks later the Coach jumped to the NFL, and the Canes appeared to hire Jim Tressel from Youngstown State. But Tressel had second thoughts about the job because the NCAA was sniffing around and the day after accepting the job verbally he backed out. Miami was then stuck hiring Dallas Cowboys Defensive Coordinator Butch Davis, who had been on the Canes staff in the 1980s but had never been a head coach before. Miami literally was scraping the bottom of the barrel.

Davis started badly with Miami losing its first three games against IA opponents. Yet the Canes bounced back winning the team's last seven games and appeared headed for the Orange Bowl until the NCAA struck. A one year bowl ban and substantial scholarship restrictions were the punishment for the Erickson era violations.

The next season Miami struggled at times, losing famously to East Carolina at home. Miami did salvage some pride with a win in the Car Quest bowl over Virginia, a team that had beaten Big XII champion Texas earlier in the season. 1997 was Miami's first losing season since 1979 and the first time Miami had not beaten a ranked team since 1977.

Davis' Canes bounced back in 1998. An overtime loss to Virginia Tech could have broken the young team, but an exciting come from behind victory in Morgantown against West Virginia and a 49-45 win over BCS #2 UCLA put 8-3 Miami in the Micron PC Bowl against NC State, who had beaten Florida State earlier in the season.

The Canes won that game 46-23 setting up 1999. That season the Canes would receive the type of preseason hype the program had lacked since the mid 1990s. But the Canes weren't ready for it. After beating Ohio State in the kickoff classic, the Canes lost three straight to Penn State, East Carolina, and Florida State. All three games were close and Miami led all three games in the second half. But the young Canes could not close out any of them. The Canes at 2-3 faced Boston College on the road and fell behind 28-0 before rallying to a 31-28 win. From that point on with the exception of a crushing loss in Blacksburg versus Virginia Tech the Canes were strong.

Miami received its first New Year's Day bowl bid since after the 1994 season facing off with Georgia Tech in the Gator Bowl. Ken Dorsey a freshman QB had an outstanding game splitting time with Kenny Kelly and the Canes entered the new decade winner, 28-13.