25 years later, College Football changed in one night

By Kartik Krishnaiyer
Canes Rising Staff

On January 2nd 1984 the University of Miami won the first national championship in the schools history. It was the first title for a school from the state of Florida and also the first by a school running a pro style offense.

The game changed forever that day. When Florida State played Oklahoma in the Orange Bowl following both the 1979 and 1980 seasons the Seminoles had not been able to stop OU's option and Oklahoma did do enough (just enough in the second meeting) to slow down FSU's innovative offense to win. The Nebraska-Miami game following the 1983 season was seen in the same light. An upstart school from Florida that ran an unconventional offense against Big 8 option powerhouse. When Miami won the game, and a year later BYU went undefeated, schools throughout out the nation began to think about moving away from the option and towards a more passing oriented offense.

Back to the game itself: the Huskers of 1983 were one of the most intimidating teams in recent college football history. Led by QB Turner Gill, Heisman Trophy winner Mike Rozier, and all American Irving Fryar, the Nebraska offense was an unstoppable force.

Miami had overachieved in 1983 behind an awkward redshirt freshman QB Bernie Kosar. The Canes offense featured a freshman FB Alonzo Highsmith, and two great TEs in Willie Smith and Glen Dennison. But the player who made Miami on offense was WR Eddie Brown, who time after time made big plays with the game on the line.

The Canes entered the game as a 10 1/2 point underdog but raced out to a shocking 17-0 lead in the first quarter. Then the tables turned because of one unforgettable moment in the annals of College Football. Facing a 3rd and long down 17 in the second quarter Tom Osborne unveiled the Fumblerooski. Dean Steinkuhler took the play for a TD and brought Nebraska new life.

Leading 31-17 in the 4th quarter Miami's Jeff Davis missed a FG attempt that would have made it a three score game. Jeff Davis replaced an injured Rozier and led two Nebraska TD drives. With the score 31-30, Nebraska went for two and the win even though tie would have won the undefeated Huskers the title. But Kenny Calhoun knocked down Turner Gill's pass and the Canes had won the first national championship ever by a school from the state of Florida and by a pro style offense.

Florida State had their chances in the late 1970s and early 1980s to win a title before Miami did. But each time FSU played Oklahoma in the Orange Bowl, ultimately the option beat the Noles, and FSU's passing game was thwarted. But in the 1984 Orange Bowl, Miami did just enough to slow down the Nebraska option, and unlike FSU was able to exploit the lack of speed the Big 8 champions had defensively to win.

Howard Schenellenberger had led Miami to a title in just five years on the job. In 1978, Schnenellenberger had inherited a team that lost its all everything RB Ottis Anderson and had finished 6-5 the previous year. Within two seasons, Miami won a bowl game and within five were national champions, thanks to an innovative pro style offense that perplexed defensive coordinators around the country.

BYU, who ran a pass happy offense won the 1984 National Title and between 1985 and 1992, Miami finished in the top 3 nationally every season running a pro style offense until 1988 and a one back spread from 1989 onwards. Florida State took their passing oriented offense and finished with 10 wins or more for an absolutely remarkable fourteen consecutive seasons beginning in 1987. By the time that streak ended the whole college football world was imitating Miami and FSU. The game twenty five years ago today is what made it possible