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1987 Game Intensified Rivalry For Miami, FSU

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By SCOTT CARTER, The Tampa Tribune

Published: October 20, 2007

TALLAHASSEE - Twenty years and two national championships later, the final score remains unchanged. So does the lasting image of a stunned coach on the sideline, one Florida State's Bobby Bowden says doesn't haunt him any more than a dressed-up 5-year-old on Halloween.

Still, he'd like to rewrite history if he could. That way, FSU would own another national title.

The Seminoles, ranked No. 4 in the country on Oct. 3, 1987, had just scored with 42 seconds left against No. 3 Miami. On what the official scorer described in his game report that day as a 'sunny and absolutely gorgeous' afternoon, darkness set in for the garnet-and-gold portion of a then-record crowd of 62,561 at Doak Campbell Stadium.

Shortly after FSU quarterback Danny McManus hit Ronald Lewis for an 18-yard touchdown pass to cut Miami's lead to 26-25, Bowden sent his kicking unit onto the field to tie the game. But his players urged him to go for the win. So, Bowden sent his offense back out in one of the gutsiest calls of his coaching career.

'Coach Bowden did exactly what we wanted him to do as a team,' said FSU assistant coach Dexter Carter, a running back on the 1987 team. 'And unfortunately, the play just didn't work out. But you know what, there's not a player I played with, still to this day, that regrets going for it.'

Attempting a 2-point conversion to win, McManus took the snap and rolled to his right as everyone in the stadium stood to watch. With defenders closing in - including a linebacker named Randy Shannon - McManus lofted a pass toward tight end Pat Carter. Safety Bubba McDowell knocked the ball down in the right corner of the shade-covered end zone, preserving a one-point win for the Canes on their way to a 12-0 season and a national title. FSU finished No. 2, its only blemish the agonizing loss to Miami.

As FSU prepared this week for its 52nd meeting against the Hurricanes, Bowden had this to say about the decision two decades ago to go for 2: 'It doesn't haunt me, but if I had to go again, I'd kick. The wise thing to do would have been to tie the game up.'

Over the years, the 1987 Miami-FSU game has come to perhaps symbolize the magnitude of the rivalry better than any other contest.

'For many, many years,' FSU defensive coordinator Mickey Andrews said, 'that was the game of the year for the country.'

In the two decades since, Miami and FSU have been ranked in the top 20 in every season but three when they played each other, including a six-year streak (1988-93) when both teams were ranked in the top 10 during their annual showdown.

However, when they meet here today, neither team will be ranked for the first time since 1977.

'It's kind of a great situation for both teams,' said Shannon, in his first season as Miami's coach. 'Both teams are coming off big losses, key losses in conference play. It's a chance for both teams to get back on a winning track.'

Good try, Randy, but in other words, this isn't your father's Miami-FSU game. Still, those who remember the '87 game and how it lifted the rivalry to new heights refuse to believe that both programs can't build back up and stage another classic game.

'We just want to be winners again,' said Carter, in his first year coaching FSU's running backs. 'We want this rivalry to get back to where it was.'

Former Miami linebacker Bernard Clark, now an assistant coach at Florida International whose best memory from the '87 game was an open-field solo tackle on future NFL star Deion Sanders, admits the rivalry has lost some of its luster from the late '80s.

But Clark isn't counting either program to be down for the count.

'I think both teams are in the rebuilding stage,' Clark said. 'I don't think you're going to see any less intensity on the field than you've seen in the past. The battle is going to be just as strong.'

Once upon a time, high-scoring games and field goals going awry defined this game, but in recent years it has been defense. In the past four meetings, the winning team has failed to score more than 16 points, and with both offenses ranked in the lower half of the NCAA, another low-scoring game is expected today.

'Neither one of us is ranked, but that's today,' Bowden said. 'That could change next year or the next year, where we're back on top. So, has the rivalry lost its luster? Not to the players. Not to the coaches. Not to your fans, the ones who really support Florida State and support Miami. It's still Miami and Florida State to us.'

It's just not 1987 anymore.

Miami (4-3, 1-2 ACC) at FSU (4-2, 1-2)

KICKOFF: 3:30 p.m.; Doak Campbell Stadium, Tallahassee

TV/RADIO: WFTS, Channel 28/WHBO, 1470 AM

THE LINE: FSU by 5 1/2

KEEP AN EYE ON
Miami - A front four led by junior DE Calais Campbell should challenge FSU's injury-plagued offensive line. Campbell, DE Eric Moncur and DT Teraz McCray each have four sacks, one behind team-leader Vegas Franklin. Also, QB Kyle Wright, right, must rebound after passing for only 56 yards in last week's loss to Georgia Tech.
FSU - Miami native Patrick Robinson expected a scholarship offer from UM, but when the sophomore CB didn't get one, he went to FSU. Robinson replaced Michael Ray Garvin in the starting lineup last week at Wake Forest and picked off a pass for the second consecutive game. But Robinson needs help from the rest of the secondary, specifically S Myron Rolle, who has yet to intercept a pass this season.

KEY STAT
Miami - As bad as the Noles have been converting third downs (32 percent), the Hurricanes are even worse, converting only 30 percent on third down.
FSU - Sophomore DE Everette Brown has a sack in four consecutive games, the best streak by an FSU player since Brodrick Bunkley recorded a sack in five straight games in 2005.

INJURY UPDATE
Miami - RB Charlie Jones (foot/toe), LB Glenn Cook (foot), LB Romeo Davis (knee), DT Dwayne Hendricks (knee), DT Josh Holmes (undisclosed) and WR Lance Leggett (foot) are out. RB Javarris James (neck) is probable.
FSU - LB Marcus Ball (ankle) is doubtful. DT Budd Thacker (ankle/toe) is questionable. OL David Overmyer (knee) is probable. OL Rodney Hudson (knee) and FB Marcus Sims (ankle) are out.

AT STAKE
Miami - The Hurricanes need a win to snap a two-game losing streak and avoid dropping to .500 following a 4-1 start in Coach Randy Shannon's first season.
FSU - If the Noles want to keep any hopes alive of winning the ACC title, they must defeat Miami for the third consecutive season and hope Boston College and Wake Forest stumble in the second half of the season.

KEY MATCHUPS
When Miami has the ball - The Hurricanes' backfield has a trio of talented runners in Javarris James and freshmen Graig Cooper and Shawnbrey McNeal. If QB Kyle Wright is struggling, look for Miami to run, run, run. That could be a problem for FSU with DT Budd Thacker likely out and DT Andre Fluellen still limited by a strained elbow ligament.
When FSU has the ball - At 6-foot-8 and 280 pounds, Calais Campbell is a huge presence on Miami's defensive line. He'll provide a huge test for Noles LT Daron Rose. Also watch WR Greg Carr, seeking his fourth consecutive 100-yard game, work against Miami corners Glenn Sharpe and Bruce Johnson, who both give up at least six inches to the 6-foot-6 Carr.

PREDICTION
This is 2007, not 1987, when these teams staged one of the greatest games in college football history. Both programs have fallen on hard times, and with lackluster offenses - FSU is ranked 93rd in the nation in total offense, Miami 95th - don't expect a lot of scoring in what should be a defensive battle won by the team with the fewest turnovers.
Score: FSU 20, Miami 16

Compiled by Scott Carter

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