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1987 Miami Hurricanes football
National Champions
ConferenceNCAA Division I-A independent schools
Ranking
CoachesNo. 1
APNo. 1
1987 record12-0 ( Independent)
Head coachJimmy Johnson
Offensive schemePro Style
Defensive coordinatorDave Wannstedt
Base defense4-3
Home stadiumMiami Orange Bowl
(Capacity: 75,500)
Seasons
← 1986
1988 →
1987 Division I-A independents football records
v · d · e Conf     Overall
Team W   L   T     W   L   T
No. 1 Miami (FL)           12 0 0
No. 4 Syracuse           11 0 1
No. 2 Florida State           11 1 0
No. 15 South Carolina           8 4 0
Pittsburgh           8 4 0
Penn State           8 4 0
No. 17 Notre Dame           8 4 0
Southern Miss           6 5 0
Rutgers           6 5 0
Southwestern Louisiana           6 5 0
Memphis           5 5 1
Northern Illinois           5 5 1
West Virginia           6 6 0
Tulane           6 6 0
Army           5 6 0
Boston College           5 6 0
East Carolina           5 6 0
Akron           4 7 0
Cincinnati           4 7 0
Louisville           3 7 1
Temple           3 8 0
Tulsa           3 8 0
Navy           2 9 0
Virginia Tech           2 9 0
Rankings from AP Poll

The 1987 Miami Hurricanes were the national champions of the 1987 NCAA Division I-A football season. The national championship was the second of five won by the University of Miami in football.

Season summary[]

Pre-season[]

After taking over as head coach in 1984, Jimmy Johnson had a winning record, but some critics questioned whether he could gain a national championship.[citation needed]

In 1985, Miami finished the regular season 10-1, and had a chance to win the national title with Penn State's loss to Oklahoma in the Orange Bowl. Needing a victory over Tennessee in the Sugar Bowl, Miami jumped out to a 7-0 lead. Tennessee then scored 35 unanswered to derail Miami's title hopes.

In 1986, Miami achieved a perfect 11-0 regular season record. Led by Heisman Trophy-winner Vinny Testaverde, a record breaking offense, and the 5th-ranked defense in the country, #1 Miami was a prohibitive favorite heading into its Fiesta Bowl matchup against #2 Penn State. However, Penn State was able to disrupt the Miami passing game and force the Hurricanes into seven turnovers. Penn State won the national championship with a 14 to 10 victory over Miami that was sealed when a Testaverde pass from the Penn State 6-yard line was intercepted in the endzone by linebacker Pete Giftopoulos with 0:18 left in the game.

After losing three key players (Testaverde, Alonzo Highsmith, and Jerome Brown) from the '86 squad who were selected within the first nine picks of the 1987 NFL Draft, 1987 was expected to be somewhat of a reloading year for Miami, which began the season ranked 10th in the nation by the AP poll.

Regular season[]

Under the direction of sophomore quarterback Steve Walsh and a defense that returned nine starters, Miami opened the regular season with a win over rival Florida, 31-4. The game would prove to be the last in a series that had been played annually since 1944. The teams would not meet in the regular season again until the 2001 season. The victory over Florida was followed by a 51-7 victory over #10 Arkansas Razorbacks in Little Rock, which would catapult Miami to a #3 ranking.

Miami's rigorous early season schedule continued the next week with a showdown with #4 Florida State at Doak Campbell Stadium in Tallahassee. The October 3 game featured not only high drama, but also an astounding 56 players who would go on to play in the NFL. Miami scored first with a second quarter field goal, but Florida State, fielding a team many consider to be the best in school history, took control of the game after that. A 67-yard run by Florida State running back Sammie Smith was followed by a 1-yard touchdown run from Dayne Williams, giving FSU a 7-3 lead. A 36-yard field goal from Derek Schmidt pushed the Seminoles' lead to 10-3 at the half.

After Schmidt missed a third quarter field goal wide right, Miami took over, but went three-and-out and was forced to punt. The ensuing punt by Jeff Feagles was blocked and returned by Florida State for a touchdown, increasing the Florida State lead to 16-3 (Schmidt missed the extra point). Miami was forced to punt again, and a big return by FSU's Deion Sanders put Florida State in position to add another Schmidt field goal to make the score 19-3.

With Miami having been unable to mount any offense to that point, the Hurricanes looked to be in dire straits late in the third quarter. Spurred on by an impassioned speech from receiver Michael Irvin, the Hurricanes were able to keep their focus and climbed back into the game when Walsh found a streaking Melvin Bratton for a 49-yard touchdown. Miami went for two, which they converted when Walsh was able to hook up with receiver Brian Blades, trimming the FSU lead to 19-11 heading into the fourth quarter.

The final quarter was filled with back-and-forth drama. Irvin started things off when he was on the receiving end of a 26-yard touchdown pass from Walsh. With the score now at 19-17, Miami again went for two, which Miami, again, converted, this time on a pass from Walsh to Warren Williams. With the game now tied at 19-19 and its 16-point lead evaporated, Florida State staged a drive of its own, taking the ball down to the Miami 17-yard line before quarterback Danny McManus fumbled the snap, which was recovered by Bennie Blades. Miami wasted little time in capitalizing on the miscue, as four plays later Walsh hooked up with Irvin for one of the most famous plays in University of Miami history.[citation needed] Walsh walked to the line, read the FSU defense, and called an audible for Irvin, who was appropriately nicknamed "The Playmaker" due to his penchant for making big plays. Walsh took a quick three-step drop and hung the ball up perfectly for Irvin on a fly route. Irvin was in double coverage, but was able to get behind the coverage, catch the pass, and take it 73-yards for a Miami touchdown. With 2:22 left to play, Miami led 26-19.

Florida State would not go meekly, though, as the Seminoles valiantly fought back after taking possession on their own 25-yard line. Before long, the Seminoles were in the endzone when McManus hit Ronald Lewis on a perfect corner route for 18-yards. With college football not having overtime at the time, Florida State head coach Bobby Bowden was faced with a decision: attempt the extra point and settle for a 26-26 tie, or attempt a two-point conversion and go for the win. Complicating matters was the fact that Schmidt, FSU's kicker, had looked shaky on this day, already missing on a field goal attempt and on an extra point attempt. Nevertheless, Bowden initially had decided to kick the extra point and settle for the tie, as he had stated[citation needed] when asked before the game what he would if he found himself in this exact predicament. But after the FSU offense protested and urged their coach to go for the win, Bowden changed his mind and decided to go for the two, betting both FSU's and Miami's national championship hopes on the outcome. FSU called a pass play. McManus took the snap, looked for a receiver, and then threw into the right corner of the endzone. The ball was underthrown and broken up by Miami defensive back Bubba McDowell before it could reach its intended target. With Miami up 26-25, Florida State attempted an onside kick on the ensuing kickoff, but Miami recovered the ball with 0:42 left and was able to run out the clock, sealing the Hurricane victory.

Having successfully negotiated its brutal early season schedule, Miami won its next six games with ease, beating Maryland (46-16), Cincinnati (48-10), East Carolina (41-3), Miami (Ohio) (54-3), Virginia Tech (27-13), and Toledo (24-14).

Next up for the now 2nd-ranked Hurricanes was a date with #10 Notre Dame in Miami. Notre Dame coach Lou Holtz brought an upset minded Irish squad to the Orange Bowl, but they proved to be little match for Daniel Stubbs and a relentless Hurricane defense. Miami continued its dominance over Notre Dame, shutting out the Irish, 24-0, and beating them for the fourth straight time. It was also the first time Notre Dame had been shutout since 1983, when they were also shutout at the hands of the Hurricanes.

Miami's final regular season game came at home against #8 South Carolina. South Carolina played a spirited game and gave the Hurricanes all they could handle. Eventually, Miami was able to walk away from the nail biter with a hard fought 20-16 victory, capping an 11-0 regular season.

The Orange Bowl[]

The 1988 Orange Bowl featured "Game of the Century"-type billing[citation needed] as the undefeated and top-ranked Oklahoma Sooners faced off against undefeated and second-ranked Miami for the national championship.[1] Adding to the hype was the recent on-field history between the teams. Oklahoma was a dominant force in college football, winning the national championship in 1985 and losing just one game in each of the preceding two years. Miami, though, had proven to be the thorn in Oklahoma's side, as the Sooners' losses in '85 and '86 had both come at the hands of Miami. Now, with the national championship on the line, Miami sought to make it three-losses-in-three-years for Oklahoma. Further fuel for the fire was provided by the growing personal animosity between Johnson and Oklahoma coach Barry Switzer.

Miami's vaunted defense set the tone early, forcing the Sooners to punt on their first five possessions. Meanwhile, Walsh settled into a nice rhythm, putting Miami on the board first with a 30-yard touchdown pass to fullback Melvin Bratton, who caught 9 passes for 102 yards for the game. Oklahoma got on the board with a second-quarter touchdown to tie things up, but Miami responded with 10 unanswered third quarter points, coming on a 56-yard field goal by kicker Greg Cox and a 23-yard touchdown pass from Walsh to Irvin. Oklahoma would add a fourth-quarter touchdown to trim the score to 20-14, but Miami held on for the win and the national championship. Johnson received a Gatorade bath, which messed his trademark impeccably coiffed hair, and was carried off the field, having finally won "the big one" at Miami.

The Hurricane defense held Oklahoma to just 255 yards of offense, while Walsh's efficient play (18 of 30, 209 yards, 2 touchdowns) paced the Hurricane offense. Middle linebacker Bernard "Tiger" Clark- a backup middle linebacker who was forced to start after starting MLB George Mira Jr. was suspended for failing a drug test- was named the MVP of the Orange Bowl after recording 14 tackles (12 unassisted).

With the win, Miami completed its first ever undefeated season. In winning their second national championship, the Canes once again had to go through the nation's top-ranked team at the Orange Bowl, just as they had done in 1983.

Starting lineup[]

Offense[]

Position Name
QB Steve Walsh
FB Melvin Bratton
HB Warren Williams
TE Charles Henry
SE Brian Blades
FL Michael Irvin
LT Matt Patchan
LG Mike Sullivan
C Bobby Garcia
RG Scott Provin
RT John O'Neill

Defense[]

Position Name
RE Bill Hawkins
DT Greg Mark
DT Derwin Jones
LE Daniel Stubbs
WLB Rod Carter
MLB George Mira Jr.
SLB Randy Shannon
RCB Tolbert Bain
LCB Bubba McDowell
FS Bennie Blades

Special teams[]

Position Name
K Greg Cox
P Jeff Feagles
KR Randal Hill
KR Alex Johnson
PR Cleveland Gary

Coaching staff[]

Name Position Year Alma mater
Jimmy Johnson Head Coach 4th Arkansas, 1965
Dave Wannstedt Defensive Coordinator/Linebackers 2nd Pittsburgh, 1974
Gary Stevens Offensive Coordinator/Quarterbacks 8th John Carroll, 1965
Hubbard Alexander Wide Receivers 9th Tennessee State, 1962
Butch Davis Defensive Line 4th Arkansas, 1974
Dave Campo Defensive Backs 1st Central Connecticut State, 1969
Joe Brodsky Running Backs 10th Florida, 1956
Don Soldinger Tight Ends 4th Memphis, 1967
Tony Wise Offensive Line 3rd Ithaca College, 1972
Art Kehoe Assistant Offensive Line 3rd Miami, 1982
Bill Foran Strength Coach 3rd Central Michigan University, 1977

Schedule[]

Date Opponent# Rank# Site TV Result Attendance
September 5 #20 Florida #10 Miami Orange BowlMiami, FL (Seminole War Canoe) TBS W 31–4   77,224
September 26 at #10 Arkansas #5 War Memorial StadiumLittle Rock, AR ESPN W 51–7   55,310
October 3 at #4 Florida State #3 Doak Campbell StadiumTallahassee, FL (Florida State–Miami rivalry) CBS W 26–25   62,561
October 10 Maryland #3 Miami Orange Bowl • Miami, FL W 46–16   43,020
October 24 at Cincinnati #3 Riverfront StadiumCincinnati, OH W 48–10   20,011
October 31 at East Carolina #3 Ficklen Memorial StadiumGreenville, NC W 41–3   31,791
November 7 Miami (OH) #3 Miami Orange Bowl • Miami, FL W 54–3   40,128
November 14† Virginia Tech #3 Miami Orange Bowl • Miami, FL W 27–13   40,105
November 21 Toledo #3 Miami Orange Bowl • Miami, FL W 24–14   37,010
November 28 #10 Notre Dame #2 Miami Orange Bowl • Miami, FL CBS W 24–0   76,640
December 5 #8 South Carolina #2 Miami Orange Bowl • Miami, FL W 20–16   63,317
January 1 vs. #1 Oklahoma #2 Miami Orange Bowl • Miami, FL (Orange Bowl) NBC W 20–14   74,760
*Non-Conference Game. Homecoming. #Rankings from AP Poll.

[2]

Awards and honors[]

Consensus All-Americans[]

  • Bennie Blades, FS
  • Daniel Stubbs, LE

Awards finalists[]

Bold indicates winners

Jack Harding University of Miami MVP Award[]

  • Steve Walsh, QB

Trivia[]

  • From 1985 through 1987, the Oklahoma Sooners only lost three games in three seasons, but each of those losses came at the hands of the Miami Hurricanes.

References[]

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