King of the Hill-1991 Miami Hurricanes

[Music] oh is come on [Applause] his name is dennis erickson and he is head coach of the most successful program in college football but in 1991 number one was supposed to be out of reach this would be a young team playing a tough schedule but the keynes consider the impossible as second nature and the result would be astounding after crushing bowl bound arkansas to inaugurate the campaign miami faced highly touted houston in the home opener right from the get-go the hurricanes harassed heisman candidate david klingler without mercy the seemingly invincible houston scoring machine had hit a brick wall [Music] it would be one of those nights for mr klingler and company an altogether two familiar experience for orange bowl visitors [Music] on the other side of the football klingler's opposite number would enjoy a much more pleasant evening miami quarterback geno toretta served notice that the 91 hurricane offense with merritt mentioned in the same breath as its illustrious predecessor with a range of talent that ran the gamut from veteran lamar thomas the sophomore sensation kevin williams [Applause] [Music] the 40 to 10 blowout propelled miami is a national title consideration and the ascent was just beginning the hurricane's big play offense begins with a rather basic premise dominance on the line best known for a sophisticated passing attack the canes run the ball with equal success and number 30 stephen maguire set the pace in 1991 through 10 games he was the workhorse rushing for over 600 yards before being sidelined by a late season injury maguire ran behind a giant line that featured all-american leon circe and compatriots claude jones mario cristobal rudy barber kip vickers marty golliher and kelvin harris only a junior maguire returns next year as does freshman running back larry jones the team's second leading ground gamer in the hurricane scheme running backs must double as receivers and sophomore martin patton more than filled the bill a terrific open field runner patton rounded out a traditionally strong core of running back [Music] and speaking of traditions who's that man throwing the football geno toretta is merely the latest in a long line of superstar signal callers who have matriculated at the university of miami rifle armed intelligent a leader and like all miami quarterbacks blessed with an all-star receiving core number 90 tight end joe moore was a force over the middle a vital cog in the short passing game number 35 junior daryl spencer was one of a half dozen games to catch more than 20 balls and his speed and shiftiness made him quite a threat after the reception of course miami has become synonymous with the long ball and when you have a receiver with the speed and power of coleman bell a short pass often accomplish the same purpose but flying footballs remain the staple of the hurricane air force and speedsters like horace copeland helped make it a thing of pure beauty a pleasant surprise in 1991 was the emergence of sophomore kevin williams who quickly established himself as one of the most exciting players in the game indeed williams was named first team all-america one of five hurricanes so honored in this most magical of seasons [Music] if number one was the goal then experience was the key and the reliable performance of white out lamar thomas was the standard by which all others were measured the team's leading receiver averaged 16 yards per catch including six touchdowns after throttling houston the canes would register lopsided victories over bowl bound tulsa and oklahoma state setting up a classic showdown with a top 10 powerhouse penn state's joe paterno is an advocate of hard-nosed defensive football unfortunately for his nittany lion offense so is dennis erickson on a balmy october afternoon the hurricane defense continued the dominance that had allowed just two touchdowns in the season's first month it was business as usual in the penn state backfield tony saca was sacked nine times two and one half of those credited to number 98 sophomore rusty medeiros [Music] meanwhile shore-footed carlos huerta was enjoying a stellar outing his two first-half field goals sent the teams to the locker room knotted at six all setting the stage for a second half hurricane explosion [Applause] long scoring passes to horace copeland and lamar thomas put miami in position to win the game and hurricane special teams would seal the victory with the most electrifying play of the season gets the kick away looking at it as williams on the run has it at the 10. stop comes to the near side inside 15-20 [Applause] kevin williams punt return was not only a school record it was the difference in a hard-fought 26-20 victory of small consolations of penn state was the fact that others would soon fall victim to the slippery speed of mr williams indeed miami special teams proved themselves to be a not-so-secret weapon in 1991 and the results were easily discernible the triumph over penn state would be followed by conquest of long beach state arizona and west virginia the 8-0 kanes were undefeated for many reasons not the least of which was utter domination of fourth down the miami kicking game enjoyed a banner year not only with returns and blocks but with punt coverage led by number 80 the fiery derrick golden good field position was a special teams trademark the foot in miami football belong to all-american carlos huerta the second leading scorer in ncaa history number 27 owns 13 of 14 school career kicking record and the ncaa mark for consecutive extra points carlos huerta an exciting dimension to an explosive attack and speaking of extra dimensions welcome to the terror dome also known as the orange bowl people in white jerseys believe this place to be a cross between the bermuda triangle and the twilight zone where nothing seems to go quite according to plan college football's ultimate home field advantage has resulted in an amazing run of 45 consecutive um victories second longest in ncaa history perhaps it's because of the torrid love affair between the miami faithful and their beloved hurricanes pride and passion mixed with speed size and skill makes for a winning combination home cooking seems to make every hit just a little bit louder and a sea of orange helps put the razzle in dazzle [Music] or maybe it's simply that the kings are smarter than their visitors for the second year in a row miami football will graduate every one of its seniors an enviable record among the ranks of the elite against an imposing 1991 schedule that included five teams invited to bowl games the keynes would employ every weapon at their disposal the mystique of the orange bowl was one defense was another the canes may not have invented gang tackling but surely they own the patent it begins with a solid front wall that featured a pair of senior standoff defensive tackles number 97 anthony hamlet and number 95 eric miller [Applause] underclassmen would comprise the figurative and literal bug of the defense number 76 mark caesar made his 290-pound presence felt all over the field [Music] the unyielding size of caesar was complemented by the strength and quickness of sophomore kevin patrick number 86 [Music] [Applause] but for all of patrick's heroics it was fellow sophomore rusty medeiros whom enemy ball carriers feared most his 10 sacks led the team and his 23 quarterback pressures were of equal import team speed team strength a miami trademark and the swarming mass of orange around the football was sure to include hurricane linebackers jesse armstead and michael barrow were perfect examples of the prototype miami backer equal parts savvy and savage quick to the ball and deadly tacklers [Music] [Applause] [Music] [Applause] [Music] few individuals are blessed with the skills of number 45 all-american darren smith only a junior smith is equally adept in all phases of the game his inspired play was critical to miami's overwhelming defensive success as a team the 91 keynes allowed less than 10 points per game lowest in the nation the hurricanes entered the year with unproven cornerbacks but the question marks wouldn't last long number 47 ryan mcneil led the team in interceptions herbert james lived up to his promise while hurley brown and charles farms brought veteran leadership to the secondary but it was the play of junior free safety daryl williams that provided the catalyst number 31 was voted first team all-america on the strength of his consistency and outright ability [Applause] [Applause] perfect after eight games miami would take to the road for a classic showdown against undefeated top-ranked arch-rival florida state at stake a possible national championship in a battle royal matching pride and perfection [Music] tallahassee florida november 16 1991 miami enters seminole country and does so in a manner befitting a winner on their first offensive series the canes shatter seminole for tensions of invincibility miami has won its last seven games against teams ranked number one and is not daunted by fsu [Music] [Applause] the quarterback on the take him again mcguire touchdown miami when stephen falls into the end zone the kane's offense has made its point we cannot be intimidated the um defense will add the exclamation mark the remainder of the first half sees the game materialize into a defensive slugfest although the seminoles manage to take the lead their advantage never becomes insurmountable fsu receivers pay a heavy price for each reception until charles farm breaks the ice with a key pick the play signals a subtle shift in momentum [Music] although the keynes trail 16-7 late in the third quarter they are very much in the [Music] setback game on the give mcguire finds a hold of midfield of the 45 with a 40 35 30 down to the 28th and dragging the attacker down with him that was the long round midway through the final stanza a where to field goal cuts the margin to six with less than four minutes remaining miami drives for the winning score loretta the quarterback on the stage again mcguire to the 30 to the 25 to the 20 to the 16-yard line fourth down and eight from the seminole 13 a number one ranking hangs in the balance with larry jones behind it gino looking through his body three yard line first and goal miami they finally found horse and it is first and goal for miami so larry goes he is at the guards touchdown [Applause] larry jones touchdown burst walks the keynes to a stunning 17-16 victory and a new year's day orange ball birth dennis erickson will be named coach of the year and subsequent victories over boston college and ball bound san diego state will cap an undefeated regular season the hurricanes are just 60 minutes away from their fourth national title in nine years january 1st 1992 the 58th annual orange ball unveils a classic match-up perfect through 11 games the keynes must stop mighty nebraska the country's number one rushing team against this big eight juggernaut um will reply in typical hurricane fashion the greater the challenge the more emphatic their response the course of the contest is determined on the opening kickoff cj richardson unloads on the husker return man offering the international television audience a taste of things to come michael barrow and mates prepare to meet the charge head on it's quickly ringing up for the beleaguered midwesterners who appeared no match for miami's awesome team speed on their first possession mccain's stretched nebraska's over tax defense college football's most electrifying offense shifts into high gear target of choice kevin williams you know long time take short drop looking throwing looping enzo kevin williams touchdown miami 51 yards in five plays and the toretta williams combo accounts for almost all of the real estate with the game just two minutes old miami has already established a smooth relentless rhythm the huskers are forced to punt for a second time and gino toretta is soon back in the spotlight the hurricane oh takes flight once again this time it's acrobatic lamar thomas on the receiving end his twisting leaping grab sets the table for carlos huerta who coolly pounds home three more on nebraska's next play from scrimmage ryan mcneil single-handedly busts the option his humble recovery galvanizes the crowd fires up his teammates and ultimately brings on carlos huerta for an encore appearance [Music] the 24-yard chip shot increases the lead to 13 points and the balance of the first half sees miami display a bewildering array of weapons only a pair of untimely penalties keeps the score respectable in every aspect of the game um enjoys complete command miami's success in the air is a direct result of a supposedly crippled ground game playing without their two top running backs the keynes call on number 23 larry jones to supply the spa he responds in magnificent fashion [Applause] the third quarter score ups the advantage to 19 points nebraska's futility is underscored by a telling statistic through three quarters the huskers have averaged less than half a yard on first down [Music] rusty medeiros is having a career night and so is mr huerta joe moore will hold while he's put down the kick is high he's got the accuracy he has got the difference 54 yards for carlos carlos huerta's 54 yarder a personal best caps to hurricane scoring leading 22 nothing entering quarter number four the miami defense will close the case for number one and do so convincingly on this night miami stakes its playing to the national title by simply eviscerating the nation's number one rocking attack [Music] nebraska manages less than 200 total yards and that goose egg never does go away this is the first time nebraska has been shut out since 1973. the coup de grace will be administered by the underrated hurricane ground game larry jones has voted the game's mvp and miami emphasizes its balance by literally running out the final half of the fourth quarter the one-sided 22-nothing victory that's a spectacular campaign for the fourth time in nine years miami has won a national championship for dennis erickson it's his second title in three years and for the miami fifth year seniors it marks an unbelievable free championships in five years tonight's triumph marks more than a mere national title more than just another perfect season it proves once and for all that the university of miami college football's team of the 80s is still king of the hill you

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Length: 24min 37sec (1477 seconds)

Published: Thu Apr 08 2021