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1989 college football

The Seasonal Narrative Of 1989 Nebraska Football

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The Nebraska Cornhuskers cleared a big hurdle in 1988 when they finally defeated their archenemy, the Oklahoma Sooners after four straight years of losing, and won the championship of the old Big Eight Conference. When offseason turmoil hit Oklahoma, the Cornhuskers appeared ready for an era of dominance in this top-heavy league. But the 1989 Nebraska football season was more of the same, both good and bad. They were an outstanding team and crushed most people. But a new rival emerged and undid their national championship hopes.

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It all started with a potent running game in the Tom Osborne era of Nebraska football. Ken Clark was an All-Big Eight rusher and racked up nearly 1,200 yards. Leodis Flowers and Bryan Carpenter were good change of pace backs and combined for nearly 900 yards of their own. All three backs averaged well over six yards a pop behind an offensive line that included all-conference performers in Jake Young and Doug Glaser, each of whom also got some love in the All-America voting.

Nebraska’s passing game wasn’t used a lot in this era and it’s success rate most definitely fluctuated year-to-year. Gerry Gdowski was pretty good in 1989. His 52 percent completion rate was manageable by the standards of the era. His 9.8 yard-per-attempt was excellent for any era. And the 19-2 TD/INT ratio was dazzling. The Cornhusker offense ranked second in the nation, scoring over 42 points per game.

The defense wasn’t quite as good, ranking 22nd nationally in points allowed. But they had still All-Conference players in Kent Wells up front and Jeff Mills at linebacker. The secondary was the strength of the D, with Reggie Cooper and Bruce Pickens each intercepting four passes and Cooper getting the nod for second-team All-American.

Nebraska was ranked #3 in the nation to start the year and they opened at home against Northern Illinois. NIU had a pretty good team and would win nine games against a very soft schedule. The Cornhuskers played poorly in the first half, turning the ball over five times and going to the locker room tied 17-all. They got it rolling in the second half, scoring on four straight possession. On a day when each team only threw 13 passes, Nebraska outrushed NIU 455-130 and pulled away to a 48-17 win.

Utah State was next to come into Lincoln. The Aggies were coached by Jim Fassel, who got the New York Giants to a Super Bowl eleven years later. But his ’89 Utah State team wasn’t very good and Nebraska won 42-30. The Cornhuskers followed that up by going to mediocre Minnesota and putting a 48-0 pasting on the Gophers. Nebraska closed the non-conference schedule at home against a subpar Oregon State team and won 35-7.

The Big Eight was the organizational forerunner of today’s Big 12. Oklahoma, as mentioned, had been Nebraska’s principal rival for the top for two decades, but entered the year on probation and in transition. Colorado was a contender and an up-and-comer, ranked in the preseason Top 10. Iowa State was an average team in 1989. Oklahoma State, normally pretty good, had a down year this season. Kansas, Kansas State and Missouri were all awful.

It was K-State and Mizzou that were first up for the Cornhuskers. Nebraska won the games by a combined score of 108-14. They went to Stillwater and knocked off Oklahoma State 48-23.

Iowa State came to Lincoln to close the month of October. The Cyclones had the country’s best tight end in Mike Busch and a pretty good quarterback in Brett Oberg. What they couldn’t do was stop the run. And it was Gdowski who ran wild. The quarterback took off on a 74-yard touchdown run early in the game. Before the first quarter was out, he ran in from 26 yards. Gdowski added a pair of TD runs in the third quarter and ran for 176 yards on the day. Flowers added 118 to the cause. Nebraska won easily 49-17.

Now it was time for the game all of college football was waiting for. Colorado was also undefeated and having played a better schedule, had moved past Nebraska in the polls to #2. But the Cornhuskers were still at #3 and the winner would get the Big Eight’s contractual bid in the Orange Bowl and a crack at the national championship.

Nebraska got the game’s first touchdown, but trailed 17-14 in the third quarter. They appeared to have made a big defensive stop with an interception in the end zone. But pass interference was called and replays showed that it was, to be nice, a questionable call. The Buffaloes scored and the Cornhuskers trailed 24-14. They cut the lead to 27-21 and got the ball back for one last gasp, but couldn’t quite get close enough to throw it into the end zone. Colorado would get the Orange Bowl bid.

There were still two games to play. Nebraska licked their wounds and blew out Kansas 51-14. The Cornhuskers then welcomed Oklahoma for what was the traditional season finale in this conference. OU might have taken a fall, but they still came into the game 7-3 and being on probation, this was their only chance to make any kind of national statement. For their part, the Cornhuskers had a lot of past grievances to atone for in this rivalry.

The game was tied 7-7 early when Gdowski took over and this time with his arm. He threw a 31-yard touchdown pass and a 24-yard touchdown pass. He only attempted 15 passes, but completed 12 and they went for 225 yards and three TDs. Clark ran for 91 yards and the final was 42-23.

Nebraska got a Fiesta Bowl bid to play Florida State with a national top 5 finish on the line. But the Seminoles were the hottest team in the country. Even though two early losses took them out of the national championship picture, a lot of observers believed they were the best team by the time New Year’s Day arrived. And they looked the part. The Cornhuskers were never in the game in a 41-17 loss.

They fell to #11 in the final rankings. Missing the Top 10 was a disappointment in Lincoln at this time. Perhaps more so was the fact that at a time when Nebraska had finally turned the corner on Oklahoma, a new rival had jumped up as a stumbling block.

1989 Alabama Football: Sugar With A Sour Taste

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The 1980s were a dry stretch for the powerful Alabama football program. After closing the previous decade with national championships in 1978 and 1979, the Crimson Tide hadn’t reached a major bowl game since 1981. Bear Bryant retired the following year and Ray Perkins couldn’t keep the Tide in the national elite. Bill Curry got became head coach in 1987. A controversial hire, his first two years were rough. The 1989 Alabama football team stepped up and returned to the New Year’s stage, but a sour end to the season still spelled the end of another era.

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Alabama was a balanced team. Their best player was All-American linebacker Keith McCants and all-conference performers dotted the lineup. Siran Stacy was a versatile running back. Stacy rushed for over 1,000 yards and caught 36 passes out of the backfield. His pass receptions went for over ten yards a pop, indicating bigger plays than the usual dump-offs that running backs caught.

Gary Hollinsworth was the All-SEC quarterback, with 60.5% completion rate and 7.0 yards-per-attempt. His TD-INT ratio was 14/16. While that wasn’t unheard of for this era, it was higher than the norm. And even allowing the SEC was not known for its quarterback play, Hollingsworth was a curious choice for all-conference. He relied on his backs—Kevin Turner, along with Stacy—and his tight end, Lamonde Russell to keep the passing game moving.

Defensively, the Tide had a couple ballhawks in the secondary with John Mangum and Efrum Thomas each picking off five passes and  making all-conference. In the trenches, Willie Wyatt on defense, along with Terrell Chatman and Roger Schultz on offense were honored by SEC voters.

So ‘Bama had good talent, but not great—especially when measured by the Bryant era which was still in the fairly recent rearview mirror and by the Saban era that we now have as another measuring stick. The #16 national ranking they had to start the season seemed about right.

The Tide blew out lowly Memphis to start the season and then ground out a 15-3 win over a respectable Kentucky team. An uninspiring 20-14 escape at woeful Vanderbilt was followed by a trip to Ole Miss. This would be a pretty good Rebel team, one that would go 7-4 and earn a bowl trip. The Alabama offense opened up and blew them out, 62-27.

Alabama came home and had another uninspired win, 24-17 over UL-Lafayette. But uninspired wins were still wins, and at 5-0, the Crimson Tide had nudged up to #10 in the polls in time for a visit from Tennessee. The Vols were undefeated and ranked sixth in the country. They were the favorites to win the SEC and the Sugar Bowl bid that went with it. Instead, the Alabama offense put on a show.

Stacy did everything. He ran for 125 yards. He caught nine balls for 125 yards. One of those catches was a 75-yard touchdown pass. He ran for three more scores. Hollingsworth played his best game of the year, going 32/46 for 379 yards. By the third quarter, the Crimson Tide led 33-14 and they ended up winning 47-30.

There was no time to celebrate because a big non-conference date at Penn State was up next. The Nittany Lions had won two national championships in the 1980s and while ’89 wasn’t one of their great teams, it was still a pretty good one that came in ranked #14.

In a tough game on a sunny afternoon at State College, Stacy ran for 106 yards. Hollingsworth had his struggles and threw four interceptions. The costliest one came when Alabama led 17-16 with a little over five minutes to go and was driving for insurance. Penn State took over on their own 30 and drove to the threshold of the goal line. There was time for one more play. They sent on the field goal team. Curry sent on 6’7” Thomas Rayman for the play titled “Desperation Block.”

Rayman got up and did his job, blocking the field goal clean. Alabama had a great escape. They were headed into November ranked #5, undefeated and in serious position to talk about a national championship.

A 23-10 win over mediocre Mississippi State nudged them to #4. A 37-14 win over Southern Miss pushed the Tide’s record to 10-0 on November 18. They were off the following week while seventh-ranked Miami knocked off #1 Notre Dame. The results shook up the polls and was the break Alabama needed.

Colorado was the new #1 and in this era when bowl games were often locked up just before the final games of the season, the Buffs were in line to play Notre Dame in the Orange Bowl. The Irish loss meant that game would not be winner-take-all for the national championship.

And the Tide were sitting pretty at #2. They simply needed to win out and hope Notre Dame could beat Colorado in the Orange Bowl (which the Irish were favored to do).

But “simply win out” wasn’t really that simple. There was still the fabled Iron Bowl game at Auburn. The Tigers, along with Tennessee, were a game back of Alabama in the conference race. While the Sugar Bowl had already committed to Alabama, an Auburn win would create tri-championship in the SEC. What’s more, the rivalry stakes in the Iron Bowl were even higher—1989 was the first time that Auburn would get to host this game on their own campus, at Jordan-Hare Stadium.

Alabama did not play well. They fell behind 27-10 in the third quarter. A rally to pull to within 27-20 gave them a chance, but Auburn calmly drove for a lockup field goal in the final minute and it ended 30-20.

The polls dropped Alabama to #7 going into their Sugar Bowl date with the new #2, Miami. The Hurricanes were now the ones in position to benefit from a potential Notre Dame win over Colorado.

Miami and Notre Dame were head-and-shoulders above the rest of the country and it showed on New Year’s Night. Alabama played from behind the entire evening. They fell behind 20-10 before a touchdown pass to Russell just before the half made it a game at 20-17. They fell behind 33-17 before a touchdown and two-point conversion with just less than three minutes to play gave some hope at 33-25. But the ensuing onside kick was recovered by Miami and the season ended. The ‘Canes claimed the national championship when Notre Dame beat Colorado.

Alabama finished the season ranked #9. A Top 10 finish and the program’s first major bowl appearance in eight years seemed like a breakthrough. The school didn’t see it that way. Curry’s contract was up for renewal and he was offered very unfavorable terms. Seeing the writing on the wall, Curry opted to leave and take the Kentucky job.

Curry never fit in at Alabama, where he lacked ties to Bryant and lacked a winning resume, having gone 31-43-4 at Georgia Tech prior and the seven ensuing years saw him post a 26-52 record in Lexington. He was, by the accounts of all he knew him, an honorable man. But this was a curious hire and the relationship was tenous from the outset.

Alabama hired Gene Stallings, a man with ties to the Bryant era. Three years later, the Tide had another national championship.

1989 USC Football: Larry Smith Gets Off The Rose Bowl Schneid

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Larry Smith had come to the prestigious Southern Cal football program in 1987 and got off on the right foot, taking the Trojans to the Rose Bowl. USC was even better in 1988, getting another Rose Bowl bid and reaching the season finale with Notre Dame in position for a national title. But ’88 ended on a dour note, losing to the Irish and then losing in Pasadena for the second straight year. At USC, it wasn’t enough to simply to get to Rose Bowls, you had to win them. The 1989 USC football team got Smith over that hump.

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USC was far and away the most talented team in a Pac-10 Conference that was mostly mediocre. Todd Marinovich was the league’s top quarterback. The freshman completed over 62 percent of his passes (a high percentage in this era of football), generated better than seven yards per attempt and his TD-INT ratio of 16/13 was tolerable for the era. His top target, John Jackson, caught 62 balls and was All-Conference.

The Trojans did their real work offensively on the ground and it started up front with All Pac-10 players in Mark Tucker and Brent Parkinson at guard, along with Brad Leggett at tackle. That line cleared the way for Ricky Ervins to lead the league in rushing with nearly 1,400 yards. Leroy Holt was a good second option in the backfield going over 600 yards. Ervins and Holt were also USC’s second and third most productive receivers.

But the defense was where the biggest stars were. Mark Carrier was the best defensive back in the country, intercepting seven passes from his safety spot and winning the Jim Thorpe Award. And Carrier wasn’t even the best player on the USC defense. That honor fell to linebacker Junior Seau, who won Pac-10 Defensive Player of the Year honors and went fifth overall in the following spring’s NFL draft. The rest of the defense was supplemented by All-Conference players in defensive tackle Dan Owens and linebacker Scott Ross.

National championship hopes were high again and USC was ranked #5 in the country. They had challenged themselves in the non-conference part of the schedule and September would be marked by visits from two Big Ten contenders.

Illinois came to the Los Angeles Coliseum for a prime-time kickoff on Labor Day. The Illini were ranked #22 in the preseason polls and would be even better than expected. They had Jeff George at quarterback and made a good run at a Rose Bowl bid of their own in ’89 before coming up short. In a crushing loss, USC blew a 13-0 lead when George authored a pair of fourth quarter touchdown drives to beat the Trojans 14-13.

The loss sent USC out of the national Top 10. They rebounded with a 66-10 beatdown of a bad Utah State team. Then Ohio State came in. This was a Buckeye team that was good and would win eight games, but they weren’t vintage. It showed here. USC pounded Ohio State 42-3 and re-established their momentum going into conference play.

A visit to Washington State opened the Pac-10 schedule and closed September. It was a game that would also raise more than a few hairs on the heads of Trojan backers. The Cougars had Steve Broussard, a talented running back who went for over 1,200 yards and they were a respectable, winning team. USC found themselves in a 17-10 hole, on their own 9-yard line and less than four minutes to play in the fourth quarter.

Marinovich led a long drive that reached the two-yard line with four seconds left. Then he flipped a scoring pass to Ervins, a two-point pass to Gary Wellman and USC escaped 18-17. The difference in the game was Ervins outrushing Broussard 138-25. And it makes Broussard’s ultimate selection as Pac-10 Offensive Player of the Year even more mystifying. Ervins outrushed Broussard on the season and in their head-to-head game, both times by a lot. Even allowing that the Washington State back had considerably less support around him, how did this get overlooked?

In any case, having survived, USC settled in and beat a decent Washington team 24-16 and then dispatched lowly Cal 31-15. It was time for an October visit to South Bend.

Notre Dame had the best teams of the Lou Holtz era in 1988-89 and the Irish were ranked #1 in the country. USC was ready and jumped out to a 17-7 lead. Even when Notre Dame rallied to go ahead 28-24, the Trojans drove inside the 10-yard line late in the game. But the drive ended on downs and USC’s upset bid had just missed.

They were out of the national championship picture, but still very much in control of the Pac-10. A 19-10 home win over a poor Stanford team wasn’t inspiring, but it was likely a letdown after the Notre Dame battle. The Trojans got back in gear when they blasted subpar Oregon State 48-6.

That set up a visit to Arizona, Smith’s stomping grounds before he came to Los Angeles. The Trojans were two games up on the Wildcats with two to play and could wrap it all up right here.

USC did exactly that. They drove for a field goal on their first possession and led 10-0 by half. The defense was completely locked in against a one-dimensional Arizona offense that only produced 16 yards in the air. Ervins rolled up 151 yards on the ground and the Trojans won 24-3.

A season-ending 10-10 tie to UCLA was annoying, given the rivalry and that the Bruins were a bad team in 1989. It left the Trojans sitting at #12 in the polls. But at the end of the day, this season was about New Year’s Day in Pasadena.

Michigan was ranked #3 in the country, harboring outside hopes for a national championship and playing in what everyone knew would be the final game for legendary head coach Bo Schembecler. USC was hoping to avenge their loss to the Wolverines on this stage a year earlier.

It would be a football game very much worthy of the stakes. An early USC drive ended when Marinovich threw an interception. But Seau took the momentum back by blocking a punt. The Trojans took a 10-3 lead into halftime. The Wolverines got their offense going in the third quarter and the game went to the final period tied 10-10 and stayed that way as the clock neared the five-minute mark.

At midfield, facing fourth down and not willing to play for a tie, Schembecler called for a fake punt. It worked. But Michigan was flagged for holding and the veteran coach went ballistic, incurring another 15-yard unsportsmanlike penalty. USC got the ball on their own 25.

On a key 3rd-and-5 from the Michigan 44, Marinovich hit Jackson for twenty yards. Four players later, Ervins took it in. The game ended 17-10.

While most of the national focus was on Schembecler losing another Rose Bowl and getting his reaction to the holding call (it was very harsh), the story out west was that Larry Smith finally had a Rose Bowl win and that USC would finish the season in the Top 10, placing #8 in the final polls.

The disappointment for USC is more in retrospect. The breakthrough for Smith also proved to be his high point. He never returned the Rose Bowl and was let go after the 1992 season. The Trojans did not make it back to Pasadena until 1995.

1989 Miami-Florida State: Seminoles Win A Battle; Canes Win A War

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For at least seven years, 1987 through 1993, the Miami-Florida State rivalry blazed red-hot, one of the best in both college football and all of sports. 1989 had an ironic twist—more often than not, the Hurricanes got the best of the Seminoles. Florida State won the ’89 battle, but even then, it was Miami who ended up winning the war before it was all over.

You can read more about the complete seasons of both teams, as well as their key players, at the links below. This post focuses specifically on the 1989 Miami-Florida State game.

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It was a humid night in Tallahassee on October 28. Florida State was building momentum on their season after a rocky start left them 0-2 and out of the national championship picture. The Seminoles had responded with five straight wins, three over ranked teams. Beating #2 and undefeated Miami would validate their turnaround.

The Hurricanes were dealing with an injured quarterback. Craig Erickson had missed the last two games and been replaced by freshman Gino Torretta. It hadn’t come back to bite the ‘Canes yet, but the freshman had not faced an opponent of this caliber or a road environment that would be this loud.

And it showed on his first pass. Torretta was picked off by LeRoy Butler. FSU’s Dexter Carter immediately ripped off a 37-yard run for a touchdown. A first-quarter flurry was underway.

To his credit, Torretta settled down and led a 65-yard TD drive that tied the game. Florida State marched right back with another touchdown. Miami raced back the other way and got a field goal. All the back and forth left this a 14-10 game with FSU in front as the first quarter came to a close.

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The remaining three quarters would be marked by Hurricane mistakes and missed opportunities. Miami drove to the one-yard line in the second quarter. Torretta’s third-down pass was intercepted in the end zone by Kevin Grant. The ‘Canes drove to the one-yard line in the third quarter. Kirk Carruthers recovered a fumble. The recovery went with Carruthers’ two interceptions and made it a dream night for the linebacker.

Florida State made the turnover hurt when they drove 99 yards for a touchdown that gave them some breathing room. After a field goal extended the lead to 24-10 it was time for Miami to make yet another drive to the FSU one-yard line. This time they were stopped on downs.

On the night, the ‘Canes committed six turnovers—four of them interceptions by the freshman quarterback. They were flagged for nine penalties totaling nearly 100 yards.

Lest we think that the evening was only marked by Miami shooting themselves in the foot, let’s also point out that Florida State dominated the line of scrimmage. The Seminoles rushed for over 200 yards, 142 of them from Carter. The Seminoles moved up to #6 in the polls with the win. The Hurricanes fell to #7.

Miami would rebound though, winning out and beating top-ranked Notre Dame in the season finale. The Hurricanes went on to the Sugar Bowl back at #2 and beat Alabama. When the Irish knocked off #1 Colorado in the Orange Bowl, it handed Miami the national title.

As for Florida State, they kept on coming. The Seminoles won out and then blasted Nebraska in the Fiesta Bowl. FSU finished #3 and had a lot of people believing they were the nation’s best team, even if the two early losses made it impractical to crown them as champs.

The Inspiring Season Of 1989 Colorado Football

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The 1989 Colorado football team opened the season with the cloud of tragedy hanging over them off the field and an inferiority complex within their conference on it. They ended the season coming within one half of a national championship and providing inspiration to the country.

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It had been 1976 since Colorado had represented the old Big Eight Conference in the Orange Bowl, where the league had an automatic bid. That in of itself wasn’t the source of the problem, but the Buffs had mostly fallen off the map. Bill Mallory, the coach of that ‘76 team had left for Indiana. A high-profile hire of Chuck Fairbanks away from the New England Patriots was a colossal bust and ended after three years.

Bill McCartney took over the program in 1982 and for three years his records were 2-8-1, 4-7 and 1-10. In the meantime, Oklahoma and Nebraska completely owned the Big Eight. Not only was the season finale between the Sooners and Cornhuskers always for the Orange Bowl bid, but everyone pretty much knew prior to the season that would be the case. Colorado joined the rest of the Big Eight as an afterthought.

The Buffaloes began their slow rise in 1985 when they reached a bowl game. In 1986 they sprung a shocking upset on Nebraska. In 1987 and 1988 they went a combined 15-7. They hadn’t stopped the Oklahoma-Nebraska game from settling the Orange Bowl spot, but Colorado was a program that was coming.

Prior to the 1989 season was when tragedy hit. Starting quarterback Sal Aunese was diagnosed with stomach cancer and he would not make it. Aunese had dated Kristin McCartney, the daughter of the head coach and she became pregnant. Coach McCartney was a member of Promise Keepers, a group of Christian evangelicals. His daughter chose life and the entire story—that of sin and mercy, and of a football team trying to move forward without its leader, became a national story and inspiration.

On the field, the Buffs still had talent. The offensive line was anchored by All-American guard Joe Gartner and included All-Big Eight performers in Mark Vander Poel and Darren Mullenberg. The defensive front seven had All-Conference players with lineman Arthur Walker on the interior, along with Kanvais McGhee and Alfred Williams controlling the edge.

The secondary didn’t have the same level of talent, but in the 1980s Big Eight that didn’t really matter. The option was what offenses were built on and Colorado was typical. Darian Hagan had the task of stepping for Aunese and Hagan only threw 85 passes for the entire season. Mike Pritchard was the leading receiver and he had twelve catches for the year. Yes, the old Big Eight was a lot different from the Big 12 it evolved into and not just in terms of membership and alignment.

Hagan was exceptional at running the option and went for over 1,000 yards on the ground and got honorable-mention All-American by season’s end. In the backfield, J.J. Flannigan cleared the 1,0000-yard threshold and future NFL talent Eric Bienemy chipped in over 500 yards .

Colorado opened the season ranked #14 and quickly set to work moving up the polls. They started with Texas on Labor Day. The Longhorns were a mediocre team, but one whose talent level still needed to be respected. The Buffs won 27-6. Five days later they hosted Colorado State, another average team, but this was a rivalry game on an extremely short week. No matter—Colorado won it 45-20.

It set up a big home game with 10th-ranked Illinois, who end the season as the Big Ten’s second-best team. The Buffs blasted the Illini 38-7 and were now ranked fifth in the nation.

There was a bye week following, and it was here that Aunese passed away. If Colorado wasn’t already a sentimental favorite across the country, they were now.

And they didn’t let up on the field, going to #21 Washington and delivering another easy win over a ranked opponent, this one 45-28. The pollsters nudged Colorado to #3 as the Big Eight schedule began.

The offense put up big numbers in the first three conference games, scoring 150 points combined and blasting Missouri, Iowa State and Kansas. The Cyclones were the only opponent of the group even remotely decent though. The real test was ahead the next two weeks, October 28 and November 4, when Colorado took on Oklahoma and Nebraska.

Oklahoma had already fallen from grace after a tumultuous offseason resulted in the firing of head coach Barry Switzer. These Sooners were not a national title contender, having already lost to Arizona and Texas. But OU still controlled their destiny in the Big Eight and as any team who has challenged a dynasty can tell you, the Old Guard rarely gives up its hold easily.

This game in Norman stayed scoreless for a quarter. Hagan made the first big play in the second quarter when he ripped off a 40-yard run that set up a touchdown. Colorado took a 10-0 lead into the fourth quarter, but an Oklahoma field goal kept them in striking distance with over fourteen minutes left.

It was the Buffs who finally got the big break, when they recovered a fumble inside the Oklahoma 10-yard line and turned it into a gift touchdown. Colorado closed out a 20-3 win. The first half of the Big Eight lock had been broken.

But the hard part would come the following week in Boulder. The national championship picture had taken on clarity—the Colorado-Nebraska winner was all but assured of going to the Orange Bowl and was all but certain to play top-ranked Notre Dame. A de facto national semifinal took place in Colorado on the first Saturday of November.

Nebraska’s offense was as run-oriented as Colorado’s but Cornhusker quarterback Gerry Gdowski made some big plays and one of them was a 51-yard touchdown strike to Bryan Carpenter for the game’s first score. Flannigan responded by bolting 70 yards to the house to tie it and a few minutes later Hagan ran in from a yard out.

Gdowski threw another touchdown pass in the second quarter, and Colorado got a 49-yard field goal just before the half to take a 17-14 lead. The Buffs started a good drive in the third quarter ,one that appeared to be snuffed out when Hagan threw an interception in the end zone. But pass interference nullified the pick, Colorado marched it in and took a 24-14 lead.

Before the third quarter was out, Gdowski struck again. For the day, he only completed 11/27 passes, but they went for 211 yards and he threw a third touchdown pass from 26 yards out. The game went to the fourth quarter at 24-21.

Colorado got a field goal with a little less than nine minutes to go and was still leading 27-21 when Nebraska got the ball at their own 12-yard line with 1:40 left. Gdowski made it interesting, driving the Cornhuskers to the Buffalo 42 and being able to toss one desperation pass into the end zone. Colorado defended it and the party could start in Boulder.

The Orange Bowl bid was sealed the following week with a 41-17 rout of subpar Oklahoma State and a 59-11 blasting of lowly Kansas State wrapped up the undefeated season. By the time New Year’s Night came around ,Colorado had moved to the top of the polls. Notre Dame lost in Miami on the Saturday after Thanksgiving. The Irish had already accepted the Orange Bow bid though, so they were still the last hurdle Colorado had to clear.

There was still skepticism over whether Colorado was in the class of teams like Notre Dame, Miami or Florida State. That was best summed up when news cameras caught Irish coach Lou Holtz talking to his team about the Buffs and using none of the usual coach-speak–”They’re living a lie” was the quote that came out of it.

For thirty minutes of football, Colorado looked ready to make believers out of the country. They had a 6-0 lead on Notre Dame, but had also missed opportunities. Those came back to haunt when the Irish offensive line took over the second half and churned out a 21-6 win.

The Colorado dream season was over, but this program had provided inspiration thanks to their coach’s compassionate response to his daughter’s pregnancy and his team’s courageous response to the loss of their quarterback. And on the football field they set the stage for even bigger things—in 1990, they made it back to the Orange Bowl, got a rematch with Notre Dame and this time they finished the deal and won a share of the national championship.

1989 Florida State Football: They Just Took Too Long To Get Rolling

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The 1989 Florida State football team just took a bit too long to get started. By season’s end they were one of the best teams in the nation—in fact, a lot of observers felt they were the best. But a slow start meant that no one was arguing their case for a national championship.

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Florida State came into the season with high expectations. They were ranked #6 in the preseason polls and this was now the third year of the Bobby Bowden Ascendancy, where the program was one of the consistently elite teams in the country from 1987-2003.

The Seminoles’ best player was strong safety LeRoy Butler, a consensus All-American. Other players who got some love from the All-American voters were inside linebacker Kirk Carruthers, linebacker/nose tackle Odell Haggins, defensive tackle Eric Hayes and center Michael Tanks. With this kind of quality in the trenches, it was easy to see why Florida State would become so good.

There was new personnel elsewhere. Peter Tom Willis was first-year starting quarterback in his senior year. He was supported by Dexter Carter in the backfield and a balanced receivers corps of Lawrence Dawsey, Ronald Lewis and Terry Anthony. But the biggest absence was the hole left by cornerback and return man extraordinaire Deion Sanders, now in the NFL. Terrell Buckley eventually became a pretty good replacement, but no one could truly fill Deion’s shoes.

Florida State’s first game was with an unheralded Southern Miss team, played in Jacksonville. The quarterback was a unheard-of kid with a strong arm by the name of Brett Favre. The young gunslinger led a late touchdown drive that stunned the Seminoles 30-26 and sent them tumbling to #16 in the polls.

It got worse a week later at home against Clemson. Florida State was still an independent in 1989, so this wasn’t the big ACC divisional game that it is today, but with a loss on the books, FSU could ill-afford another. And that’s what happened, as Clemson came into Doak Campbell and handed the ‘Noles a 34-23 loss.

The national championship hopes were gone, and the season could get away completely with a trip to LSU up next. The Tigers were in similar straits—they had opened the season ranked #7, but lost their opener to Texas A&M. It was a battle of desperate teams and Florida State got off the schneid with a 31-21 win.

After blasting Tulane 59-9, voters moved FSU back into the Top 25. The next game was at Syracuse, at a time when the Orangemen had a 16-game home winning streak and had gone 20-2 over the last two regular seasons. This was the game where Florida State really began putting it together. They had a 20-3 lead in the second half, when Buckley returned a punt for a touchdown and Butler came up with a Pick-6 to cap a 41-10 rout.

Florida State won easily at what was then a struggling Virginia Tech program. The Seminoles were set to host #11 Auburn, a team that would eventually share the SEC title. This was the third year in a row FSU and Auburn had played.

Florida State had gone on the road and won a 34-6 blowout in 1987, a game that really announced the Seminoles as national contenders at a time when that wasn’t taken as a given. The two teams ended the previous year by playing in the Sugar Bowl and Deion intercepted a pass in the end zone to preserve a 13-7 win. FSU made it three in a row with a 22-14 win that pushed them up to #9 in the polls. Long before Jameis Winston led an epic drive to win the 2013 national championship, Florida State was in the business of tormenting Auburn.

One week later though, was the game everyone in Tallahassee was really juiced up for, and it was with #2 Miami. The Hurricanes had beaten Florida State each of the previous three years, including a gutwrenching game that swung the national championship in 1987, and a blowout in 1988 when FSU was ranked #1. It was time for some payback.

Butler intercepted the first pass of redshirt freshman quarterback Gino Torretta, and one play later, Carter ripped off a 37-yard touchdown run. The prime-time crowd was electrified early, and Edgar Bennett scored on a later touchdown run. A back-and-forth first quarter ended with FSU ahead 14-10.

Miami had opportunities over the second and third quarters, but Florida State made all the biggest plays. They intercepted a Torretta pass in the end zone and recovered a fumble on the one-yard line. After that latter, FSU drove 99 yards, the biggest blow being a 51-yard pass from Willis to Lewis. It gave Florida State a 21-10 lead and it was the dagger. They won 24-10 and moved up to #6 in the polls.

Florida State closed the season with three straight wins, beating a decent South Carolina team, and what was then just a decent Florida team, sandwiched around blowing out a bad Memphis team. The Seminoles closed the year ranked #5 and got a ticket to the Fiesta Bowl, their third straight major bowl appearance.

Nebraska was the opponent, and the Cornhuskers took a 7-0 lead. FSU opened up in the second quarter, with Willis throwing three touchdown passes and they led 21-10 at half. Willis threw two more scoring passes in the second half and Florida State capped off their comeback season with a 41-17 rout.

Florida State finished the season third in the nation, trailing only Miami and Notre Dame, each of whom finished with one loss. Had the ‘Noles managed to split their first two games, the strength of their finish and their win over the Hurricanes would have surely had them at #1. Instead, they had to accept the value of a major bowl victory, a Top 5 finish and the belief of lot of people—myself included—that they would have won a national playoff.

1989 Miami Hurricanes: A Third Coach Wins A National Title In Seven Years

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Most college football dynasties are marked by a transcendent figure at head coach. The University of Miami was different. Their national championship of 1983 was won with Howard Schnellenberger at head coach. In 1987, Miami won with Jimmy Johnson at the helm. And the 1989 Miami Hurricanes reached the top of the polls in the first year of Dennis Erickson’s tenure. That’s three championship with three coaches in a seven-year period.

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Miami was ranked #4 to start the season, with Erickson replacing Johnson and another Erickson—quarterback Craig—replacing Steve Walsh behind center. The skill positions were ably manned by a deep corps of talent, with three good receivers in Dale Dawkins, Wesley Carroll and Randall Hill. At running back was the shifty Leonard Conley and the more powerful Stephen McGuire.

The ‘Canes had top talent up front, with future NFL players on both sides of the trenches, including Leon Searcy at offensive tackle, with Cortez Kennedy and Russell Maryland on the defensive front. Miami was ranked #4 to start the season.

It wasn’t an imposing schedule, the kind the 1987 and 1988 teams had to navigate. Miami was able to open with three cakewalk wins over bad teams in Wisconsin, Cal and Missouri. The first test came at Michigan State on September 30, and even here we should note that while the Spartans would finish the year 8-4, they weren’t even ranked at the time Miami went to East Lansing.

Things went wrong early for the Hurricanes, as Craig Erickson hurt his hand and redshirt freshman Gino Torretta was inserted. Miami trailed 10-3 in the second quarter, before Torretta capped a 57-yard drive with a short touchdown pass to Carroll. In the second half, they blocked a punt and pulled out to a 20-10 lead.

The game seemed in hand, but the Spartans got a field goal and then Torretta threw a pick-6 with five minutes remaining. The game was tied, and if it ended that way—overtime did not exist prior to 1996—it would be disastrous for Miami’s national title hopes. They might as well have been trailed, and a redshirt freshman had to lead the way on the road.

Torretta came through. He got the ‘Canes into field goal range and All-American kicker Carlos Huerta kicked a field goal to get the lead. Huerta kicked one more before it was over and Miami escaped 26-20.

Two more easy wins over Cincinnati and San Jose State at home followed, and it set up a prime-time visit to ninth-ranked Florida State. The Seminoles had lost their first two games of the season, effectively ending their national championship hopes, but FSU was coming on strong and wanted badly to end a three-game losing streak in their series against Miami.

Craig Erickson’s hand was not recovered and Torretta remained in the lineup. His inexperience showed on this night. He threw an interception on his first pass of the game and ended up with four picks before it was over. Miami lost 24-10, slipped to #7 in the polls and their national championship hopes appeared dead.

The Hurricanes blew out lowly East Carolina and then got a nice 24-3 road win over an eight-win Pitt team. Another home rout, this one over San Diego State followed. Miami hadn’t moved in the polls—they were still at #7. But all ills would be healed if they could beat Notre Dame.

Miami’s crushing 31-30 loss to Notre Dame the previous year in South Bend was the game that settled the national championship. Indeed, Johnson’s parting request to the team upon leaving to coach the Dallas Cowboys was “beat Notre Dame.” The former coach sent the team a telegram reminding them of his request in the week leading up to the battle on Thanksgiving Saturday night. Notre Dame was ranked #1 in the country and riding a 23-game winning streak.

The Hurricanes looked like the quicker, hungrier team right from the outset and built up a 10-0 lead, with Craig Erickson hitting Dawkins on an early 55-yard touchdown strike. ND got a field goal back, and then tied the game when Craig Erickson threw a Pick-6 near midfield late in the second quarter. Fortunately for Miami, Irish quarterback Tony Rice threw an interception to Bernard Clark and Miami quickly cashed it in and led 17-10 at half.

Early in the third quarter, Miami was backed up in its own end and facing an impossible 3rd-and-44. Hill ran a fly route down the sidelines. Erickson let the ball fly. An improbable 50-yard completion gave Miami a first down. A grinding drive ensued. By the time it was over, Miami had taken 22 plays to drive 80 yards and taken 10:47 off the clock. They got into the end zone and with the soul-crushing drive, Notre Dame was all but finished. Miami won 27-10.

The Hurricanes not only had revenge, but the impressive quality of the win shot them back up to #2 in the polls and they were in the national championship race. Colorado was ranked #1 and tied into the Orange Bowl. But the bowl matchups had been put in place over the previous couple weeks, as was the norm in the anything-goes-chaos that preceded the Bowl Championship Series in later years.

Miami was already ticketed for the Sugar Bowl to play Alabama.  The Orange Bowl paired up Notre Dame with Colorado, anticipating a 1 vs. 2 battle. Instead, the matchups gave the Hurricanes season a new irony—they had to root like heck for Notre Dame.

Both games took place in prime-time on New Year’s Night. McGuire ran in a first-quarter touchdown from three yards out, Alex Johnson ran in another, and Craig Erickson hooked up with Carroll on a short TD pass. But Miami’s defense was having a tough time keeping Alabama’s overachieving quarterback, Gary Hollingsworth, under control and the score was 20-17 at half.

The Hurricanes talent was too much though. Craig Erickson threw TD passes towards the end of the third quarter and early in the fourth, though the normally reliable Huerta missed his second extra point of the night on one of them. The result was the score was 33-17, and still within two possessions.

That looked like it might matter when Alabama scored with 2:53 left and converted the two-point play to make it 33-25. A tie would be as good as a loss, even with the scoreboard showing Notre Dame was in command against Colorado. But the Hurricanes were able to run out the clock and win the game. They were voted national champions.

The dynasty was nowhere near over. Dennis Erickson would win another national championship in 1991 and play for another in 1992. The 1989 Miami Hurricanes made it apparent that “The U” was bigger than any one coach.

1989 Michigan Football: A Vintage Finale For Bo Schembecler

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Bo Schembecler was one of the top football coaches in the history of the Big Ten and of college football overall, but the one thing missing on his resume was a national championship. The 1989 Michigan football team was seen as one of his best chances, and were ranked #1 to start the season. The Wolverines were a vintage Schembecler team—tough on defense and a strong running game. But they were vintage in another sense—there was no national title in the end.

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Michigan’s first game was on September 16 when they hosted defending national champion Notre Dame. The Irish had already beaten future ACC co-champ Virginia, and because of that had vaulted to #1 in the polls, with the Wolverines at #2.

On a day when a thunderstorm left puddles on what was then the artificial turf of Michigan Stadium, Schembecler made a fateful decision—he decided to kick to Notre Dame’s explosive return man Raghib Ismail. The result was two kickoff returns taken to the house and the difference in a 24-19 ND win. Michigan slipped to #5 in the polls.

It looked like this promising season might get away the next week at 24th-ranked UCLA. The Wolverines trailed 14-3 in the second quarter, when a big punt return set up a quick touchdown and they eventually took a 15-14 lead. Then UCLA kicked a field goal, and was ready to put the game away with a touchdown that made the score 23-15. Michigan blocked the extra point and the game was still within one possession.

UCLA had the ball with less than four minutes to play and was in position to grind out the clock. Michigan forced a fumble and gave their offense a chance. Elvis Grbac, a future quarterback for the Kansas City Chiefs, Baltimore Ravens and San Francisco 49ers, led a drive for a touchdown with 1:35 left, but the two-point conversion was missed.

Michigan was finally dead, right? Not so fast. They covered the onside kick, Grbac got them in field goal range, and Michigan pulled out an improbable 24-23 win.

Grbac was one of two quarterbacks that got a lot of playing time. The other was Michael Taylor, more of a running quarterback, and it was the run game that ultimately defined the Wolverine offense. Leroy Hoard and Tony Boles each rushed for over 800 yards.

No one really made a mark at wide receiver, although there was a freshman return man by the name of Desmond Howard that would eventually leave his imprint in Ann Arbor.

Michigan went on to take care of Maryland and what was then a lousy Wisconsin team. It set up a visit to Michigan State, where the Spartans were ranked #21, and would end the season in the Top 20. The game was a defensive war throughout. Michigan led 10-0 in the fourth quarter, before the Spartans scored and got the ball back on their own 13-yard line with 2:36 left. They reached midfield before Michigan intercepted fourth down pass and slammed the door.

The Wolverines went on to take care of Iowa, Indiana and Purdue, all relatively handily. The big game of the conference schedule this year was going to be on November 11 at Illinois. The Illini, like the Wolverines, had only lost to a premier non-conference opponent. In this case, Illinois’ defeat came at Colorado, who was unbeaten and ranked #2, right behind #1 Notre Dame in the polls. The winner of the Illinois-Michigan game had the inside track to the Rose Bowl.

It was tied 10-10 in the second quarter, when Taylor led a long 80-yard drive that ended with the little quarterback taking it in for the lead. Michigan’s defense kept prolific Illinois quarterback Jeff George under reasonable control, at 22/38 for 253 yards. In the meantime, the Wolverines controlled the trenches. They won the rushing yardage battle by a 266-92 count. Boles rushed for 115 yards and his 13-yard jaunt in the fourth quarter sealed the 24-10 win.

A victory at a decent Minnesota team, 49-15, followed and it was time for the season finale with Ohio State in Ann Arbor. The Buckeyes, along with the Illini, had one conference loss, so Michigan needed to win to avoid sharing the Big Ten crown three ways.

The Wolverines led 14-12 after three quarters, when Todd Platte intercepted an Ohio State pass and Michigan drove half the field for a nine-point lead as Taylor flipped a short touchdown pass to running back Jarrod Bunch. Ohio State cut the lead back to 21-18, but the Wolverine special teams again came up with a big extra point block, to keep the margin at a full three points.

Taylor led one more drive to finally put the game away, as Bunch scored his second key touchdown, dragging tacklers into the end zone from five yards out and putting the finishing touches on a 28-18 win. Michigan was the outright Big Ten champions, they were going to the Rose Bowl and were ranked third in the country.

It was already announced that Schembecler would retire after the game against USC. It might have been the only way to get Michigan to a national title. Theoretically, they simply needed top-ranked Colorado to lose to Notre Dame in the Orange Bowl, and second-ranked Miami—who had beaten Notre Dame—to lose to Alabama in the Sugar Bowl.

But Notre Dame was at #4, and if voters saw the choice was the Wolverines or Irish, they would surely default back to head-to-head. Unless, of course, a sympathy vote for Bo could move the needle.

The important precondition to all this was that Michigan had to beat USC. The game was tied 10-10 midway through the fourth quarter. Michigan faced a 4th-and-2 near midfield and lineup to punt. Schembecler called for a fake and it worked brilliantly, picking up 24 yards.

But a penalty negated the play. An enraged Schembecler then drew another penalty for unsportsmanlike conduct. USC drove for the winning touchdown and the 17-10 game ended the season.

It was an unfortunate ending, though oddly typical in that Michigan experienced frustration from both Notre Dame, and then the Pac-10 in the Rose Bowl. But it’s also typical that Michigan was exceptionally well-coached, controlled the Big Ten race, and won big games on their way to a conference title. That’s the legacy of Bo Schembecler and the 1989 Michigan football team and it’s a pretty darn good one.

1989 Notre Dame Football: One Win Short Of Running The Gauntlet

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The 1989 Notre Dame football team was one Lou Holtz believed was the best he had ever coached—better even, than the team that won the national championship the prior year. Holtz had a good point—the ’89 Fighting Irish kept winning against a grueling schedule, but ended up one win short of a repeat title.

Notre Dame was stocked with talent the NFL would like in the following spring’s draft. Three offensive linemen, Tim Grunhard, Dean Brown and Mike Brennan, were picked by the pros. So was defensive tackle Jeff Alm, along with linebacker Ned Bolcar and defensive backs Pat Terrell, Stan Smagala and D’Juan Francisco.

Tony Rice ran the option-oriented offense, and while his passing was erratic, Rice led the team in rushing with 884 yards. Rice had more future pros in his backfield, with Anthony Johnson at fullback and Ricky Watters at halfback. And when it came to sheer explosiveness, no one could match Raghib Ismail, who was the top receiver, along with carrying the ball and being an electric special teams player.

The Irish were ranked #2 to start the season and the college football world was on fire for their September 16 meeting with top-ranked Michigan. ND opened the season in the Kickoff Classic in the Meadowlands and easily dispatched future ACC co-champ Virginia, 36-13.

By the time ND got to Ann Arbor, they had flipped poll positions with the Wolverines and were in the top spot.

Rain pounded Ann Arbor and it left puddles on what was then the artificial turf at the Big House in Michigan. Notre Dame led 7-6 at halftime and then Ismail took over the game. He returned the opening kickoff of the second half for a touchdown. Then, with the score 17-12, Ismail returned another kickoff for a touchdown. Notre Dame won 24-19.

The Irish then hosted Michigan State, who would finish the season in the Top 20. ND won 21-13. They took care of bad teams on the road, blowing out Purdue and beating Stanford 27-17. It set the stage for a difficult three-game October run against ranked teams in Air Force, USC and Pitt.

Notre Dame’s visit to Colorado Springs resulted in the first night game in the history of the Air Force Academy. The Falcons were ranked #17, but the Irish dominated from the start. They took a 14-0 lead and then Ismail returned a punt for a touchdown. The final was 41-27 and it really wasn’t that close.

There was chippiness on the field in South Bend the next week when USC came visiting. The Irish players blocked the end zone as the Trojans tried to take the field, a scene reminiscent of Notre Dame instigating a brawl in the tunnel with Miami the prior year.

This one looked like it might backfire—Notre Dame trailed 17-7 at half and 24-21 late in the game, when Rice hit Ismail on a deep pass and the quarterback then ran it in for the winning touchdown.

Pitt was ranked seventh in the country when they came to South Bend the following week. The Panthers got off to a fast start and led 7-0. But the ND defense sacked Pitt quarterback Alex Van Pelt for a safety, and later in the first half, Terrell returned an interception 54 yards for a touchdown. The rout was on and the final was 45-7.

Notre Dame got a brief breather, blowing out bad teams in Navy and SMU by the combined score of 100-6. But the schedule quickly toughened up, with a road game at #17 Penn State. The Irish offensive line was dominant. Rice carried 26 times for 141 yards. Watters piled up 128, and Ismail added 84. The cumulative total was an amazing 425 yards against a very good defense playing at home, and Notre Dame won 34-23.

The bowl matchups were already set in place prior to the last week of the season, as was the norm back in the days when there was no organized coalition of the major bowls. Notre Dame was going to play second-ranked Colorado in the Orange Bowl. The road to a repeat title went through the Orange Bowl in more ways than one—before that 1 vs. 2 matchup could take place, ND had to go to the same stadium to face Miami.

Miami had lost an October game to Florida State and needed help to get back in the national title picture. The Hurricanes also wanted revenge for the 1988 loss in South Bend. Notre Dame simply looked too slow on the Saturday after Thanksgiving.

Trailing 17-10 in the third quarter, they had Miami backed up and facing 3rd-and-44. Then Terrell and Smagala got mixed up in covering the deep route on Miami’s Randall Hill and the ‘Canes amazingly converted the first down. They drove for a touchdown that all but sealed it and the final was 27-10.

Notre Dame was now #4 in the polls, but they weren’t out of it. They could beat the new #1 team in Colorado head-to-head. Michigan was ranked #3, and if it came down to it, the Irish could vault past the Wolverines based on head-to-head. What Notre Dame really needed was for Miami to lose to Alabama in the Sugar Bowl. And short of that, ND had played a significantly better schedule than the Hurricanes, so there was an argument that this could justify overriding head-to-head.

First things first. Notre Dame needed to beat Colorado and for one half, the Buffaloes were the better team. But they didn’t cash in. There was a fumble in the red zone and two blown field goals from short range. The game was scoreless at the half and then ND took over the third quarter. They scored two touchdowns, including a 35-yard reverse by Ismail.

Colorado found the end zone at the end of the third quarter, but a missed extra point was their latest mistake. Notre Dame finished the job with an 82-yard drive that took 17 plays, chewed up nine minutes and sealed the 21-6 win.

“We beat the #1 team in the country by 15 points,” Holtz said in his postgame interview, as he prepared to make his case in light of the fact that Miami was surviving a test from Alabama 33-25. But it was to no avail—the Hurricanes ended up #1 and the Irish finished #2.

I think the voters made the correct decision—the head-to-head victory was simply too decisive to ignore. But the voters should have applied the same logic four years later when Notre Dame had beaten Florida State, while the Seminoles played the tougher schedule. Instead, Notre Dame was shut out in both 1989 and 1993, a level of appalling inconsistency.

Regardless of voter issues, the 1989 Notre Dame football team had beaten the champions of both the Big Ten and Pac-10 (Michigan & USC), the Big Eight (Colorado) the ACC (Virginia), and good teams in Michigan State, Air Force, Pitt and Penn State. It’s easy to see why Holtz considered them his best team.

The Catholics Vs. Convicts Sequel Highlights 1989 College Football

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The Notre Dame-Miami game that ultimately decided college football’s 1989 national championship game wasn’t the epic battle it had been the prior year. It wasn’t as clear-cut that these were the best two teams. The sequel to Catholics vs. Convicts was much like Godfather II—it was pretty good, but it could never measure against the standard set by the original.

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Notre Dame played a brutally difficult schedule that started with a 24-19 win at Michigan, a 1 vs. 2 battle in Ann Arbor to start the season. Raghib Ismail, Notre Dame’s electrifying kick returner and receiver, brought back two kickoffs for touchdowns to make the difference. Michigan head coach Bo Schembecler was in his final season and this loss—the only one his team suffered prior to the Rose Bowl—ended any hopes for a national title.

The Irish would win games against Top 10 opponents Pitt and USC, and also ranked foes in Air Force and Penn State. Notre Dame arrived in Miami for Thanksgiving weekend ranked #1 in the country and locked into an Orange Bowl date with unbeaten Colorado.

Miami had a good year, but their title hopes seemed to come undone when they were beaten at Florida State, a 24-10 game that didn’t even feel that close. For the Seminoles’ part, they were playing as well as anyone in November, but had lost their first two games—including a big upset loss to Brett Favre’s Southern Mississippi team—and were out of the national discussion.

The Hurricanes did what they could to help themselves. Their speed dominated Notre Dame, who looked and played tentative. Miami had control of the game from the early going and when they did the impossible and converted a 3rd-and-44 in the third quarter (yes, 44 yards), you knew where this game was going. The ‘Canes won 27-10 and kept the national championship race alive.

Miami was going to the Sugar Bowl to play Alabama, and now, in the ironic plot twist that a good screenwriter loves, had to become Notre Dame fans. Colorado was #1 in the country, and it was the Irish who had to take them out.

Notre Dame did their part, taking control in the second half and winning 21-6. Miami got a good test from Alabama, but the Hurricanes kept it in reasonable control during the second half and won 33-25.

The Hurricanes were voted national champions for the third time in seven years, and each was under a different coach—Howard Schnellenberger in 1983, Jimmy Johnson in 1987 and now Dennis Erickson in 1989. They had won the sequel to the great Catholics vs. Convicts movie.

READ MORE ABOUT THE 1989 MIAMI HURRICANES
READ MORE ABOUT 1989 NOTRE DAME FOOTBALL
READ MORE ABOUT 1989 FLORIDA STATE FOOTBALL
READ MORE ABOUT 1989 MICHIGAN FOOTBALL