Coming off a national championship in the 2001 season, the Miami Hurricanes looked to begin another football dynasty. Even after having five players selected in the first round, the U still had an unbelievable amount of talent. On offense, QB Ken Dorsey returned to lead the Canes once again. Miami retooled at their skill positions as well. RB Willis McGahee, TE Kellen Winslow, and WR Andre Johnson headlined the skill players. All of them would go on to be first round picks. But it was on defense where the Canes had a plethora of NFL talent. This includes CB Antrel Rolle, FS Sean Taylor, MLB Johnathan Vilma, DT William Joseph, and DT Vince Wilfork.
2002 Miami Hurricanes season:
The Canes started where they left off in 2001. In the second game of the season, the No. 1 Hurricanes ravaged the No. 6 Florida Gators 41-16. This win showed that the U was not a one year wonder. It displayed they would once again be a national title threat.
The next test for the Canes was against Florida State. As is always the case, the game was a nail-biter. FSU gave Miami a scare deep into the game, being up 27-14 with around 8 minutes left in the 4th quarter. FSU pounded the rock the whole game, with FSU RB Greg Jones accumulating 189 yards on the ground. Also, Miami made a lot of mistakes, racking up 14 penalties. QB Ken Dorsey threw two picks and lost a fumble. However, late in the game, Miami went on two long drives to take the lead 28-27 with 5:17 left. FSU got the ball into field goal range with 1 second remaining. But once again, FSU missed a field goal to hand Miami the win.
Miami would cruise through the rest of their schedule, finishing undefeated and firmly in the national championship.
National Championship Game:
Miami faced-off against Ohio State in the National Championship game. The Buckeyes were led by star running back Maurice Clarett and head coach Jim Tressel.
While Miami was the favorite heading into the game, they didn’t play like it for the most part. Miami’s running game was stymied by the Ohio State front seven. Additionally, Ken Dorsey two costly interceptions and lost a fumble during the second quarter.
Down 17-14 in the fourth quarter, Miami punt returner Roscoe Parrish had a 50-yard punt returner to Buckeyes 26-yard line with 2:02 left. After burning clock with three run attempts, Miami eventually hit a field goal to send the game to overtime.
The Controversy:
After Miami scored a TD on their first possesion of overtime, it was time for Ohio State to try and tie the game. After the Canes defense forced a 4th down & 3 at the 5-yard line, Ohio State QB Craig Krenzel threw a pass to Chris Gamble at the top corner of the endzone. CB Glenn Sharpe was draped over Gamble. The pass was incomplete, and the Miami players started rushing the field. Fireworks had been shot off over the stadium. While the side judge ruled the pass incomplete, another official threw a flag. Pass interference was called and the game continued on. After Krenzel sneaked the ball in for a score, OSU got a second possession where they scored a TD. Miami got the ball back, but was unable to punch the ball in from 1 yard away, giving OSU the victory.
The pass interference call was controversial because on replay, it seems that Sharpe touched Gamble after the ball already went through Gamble’s hands.
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While the pass interference call may have prevented Miami from winning a championship, there were other cascading effects. The Miami program never truly recovered after this game, as they haven’t made a championship in the 20 years since. This was also began Ohio State’s dominance in the 21st century.
But in a shorter term view, it also takes away from the legacy of the early 2000s Canes. From 2000-2002 the Miami Hurricanes could’ve potentially won three championship games, and obtain a dynastic legacy. Instead, those teams may be remembered as an afterthought in the college football pantheon.
To read the previous articles from our ‘Top BCS Controversies Series’ click here, here and here.
