Year-by-Year: 1984
November 24, 1984 10:00 AM
Golden Game for Hurricanes
Miami 31
Nebraska 30
In arguably the greatest college football bowl game ever played, Miami won its first national championship, 31-30, after Nebraska missed a two-point conversion attempt in the 50th anniversary Orange Bowl Classic.
The Huskers had pulled within one with 48 seconds to play, but Miami strong safety Ken Calhoun stepped in front of a Turner Gill attempted two-point conversion pass to preserve the win. Coming into the game, the 11-0 top-ranked Huskers were the favorites, but they quickly found themselves on the short end of a 17-0 score after UM freshman quarterback Bernie Kosar, who passed for 300-yards threw two touchdowns to his tight end Glenn Dennison.
The first Husker points came on a second period Dean Steinkuhler's controversial 19-yard "fumblerooskie" play. Gill took the snap from center and dropped the ball on the ground, an intentional fumble. The offensive line went to the right except for Steinkuhler, who pulled to his left, picked up the ball and rambled around left end for the score. The Huskers added a 1-yard Gill run to close the gap to 17-14.
A Nebraska field goal tied it at 17 in the third, but Alonzo Highsmith and Albert Bentley scored touchdowns at the end of long Kosar-led drives. Nebraska responded at the close of the third with a Jeff Smith 1-yard run and, after UM missed a field goal in the fourth, Smith ran it in from the 24 with :48 on the clock. Then, the Nebraska comeback hopes were dashed when the conversion pass was batted away.
GAME STATISTICS
Miami, Fla. Nebraska
First Downs 22 24
Rushing Plays 28 56
Rushing Yards 130 287
Passes Attempted 35 30
Passes Completed 19 16
Had Intercepted 1 1
Passing Yards 300 172
Total Offense 430 459
Punting/Avg. 4/41.8 3/37.3
Fumbles/Lost 1/1 6/1
Penalties/Yards 13/101 4/51
SCORE BY QUARTERS
Miami, Fla. 17 0 14 0 31
Nebraska 0 14 3 13 30
SCORING SUMMARY
UM: Dennison 2 pass from Kosar (J.Davis kick); UM: J. Davis 45 FG; UM: Dennison 22 pass from Kosar (J. Davis kick); NE: Steinkuhler 19 fumble return (Livingston kick); NE: Gill 1 run (Livington kick); NE: Livingston 34 FG; UM: Highsmith 1 run (J. Davis kick); UM: Bentley 7 run (J. Davis kick); NE: J. Smith 1 run (Livingston kick); NE: J. Smith 24 run (pass failed)...MVPs: Bernie Kosar and Jack Fernandez (Miami, Fla.)
Miami, FL Head Coach Howard Schnellenberger
Nebraska Head Coach Tom Osborne