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FSU football-Miami Hurricanes rivalry highlights: Wide left, wide right and more

peter holland jr., tallahassee democrat
·7 min read

The Florida State-Miami football rivalry has been one of the country's most thrilling over the years, especially in the 1980s and early 1990s, when both teams were among the best nationally.

Fans usually can easily pinpoint any game or moment in series' history.

FSU fans are also well aware that UM was largely the reason why legendary FSU coach Bobby Bowden didn't win more than two national titles with the Seminoles.

The two teams will square off in their 68th meeting Saturday at Hard Rock Stadium at 7 p.m. on ESPN.

What are some of the best and most historic moments in FSU-Miami game history? Here's a look at a few of them.

Wide left? Wide right? How about both

FSU has suffered heartbreaks during the rivalry game. It's all due to its kicking game.

Some said it's bad luck.

Others would say it's a curse despite FSU's track record of producing great kickers over the years.

It started Nov. 16, 1991, at Doak Campbell Stadium. FSU entered ranked No. 1 and UM No. 2. With less than a minute left in the game, FSU trailed 17-16.

Kicker Gerry Thomas' 34-yard field-goal attempt for the win sailed wide right, giving the Hurricanes a victory. The missed kick - a play that infamously became known as "Wide Right" - led to Miami's fourth national championship.

A year later, FSU's kicking woes continued. This time, it was from Dan Mowrey. Down 19-16, Mowrey missed a 22-yard field wide right as the clock expired.

As the years passed, FSU's kicking woes returned against UM on Oct. 7, 2000.

Down 27-24 with five seconds left as FSU was going for the tie to extend the game to overtime, Matt Munyon missed a 49-yard field goal. Miami ended its six-game losing streak against FSU with that victory. On Oct. 12, 2002, Xavier Beitia missed a 43-yard field goal that went wide left, falling short to the defending champs Hurricanes, 28-27.

"As good as we were, we didn't win a national championship until 1993, mainly because we kept losing to Miami on missed kicks," Bowden told ESPN. "I used to get mad because nobody else would play Miami. Notre Dame would play them, then drop them. Florida dropped them. Penn State dropped them. We would play Miami and lose by one point on a missed field goal, and it would knock us out of the national championship.

I didn't want to play them, either, but I had to play them. That's why I said, 'When I die, they'll say, 'At least he played Miami.'"

More: FSU football's Marvin Jones Jr. knows about Miami rivalry. Look who's he related to

Going for the Win

Bowden is known for making bold decisions and wouldn't settle for less than a victory, especially against the Canes.

But it can also be used against him. During the 1987 season, after Danny McManus threw a touchdown pass to receiver Ronald Lewis, the Seminoles were down by one point.

Instead of going for extra that would've tied the game and likely forced overtime, he decided to go for the win.

A reminder that both teams were ranked in the top four, and a chance to play in the national championship was on the line.

The two-point conversion failed after McManus underthrew the ball in the end zone to tight end Pat Carter, leading to a pass breakup that eventually gave Miami the win.

The Hurricanes went on to win the national championship that season for the second time in program history.

More: Listen Now! Miami is a big favorite over FSU, but anything can happen in a rivalry game

The biggest hits from FSU football, Miami

Over the years, there have been many violent hits during the FSU-Miami rivalry on both sides of the field. Arguably, the biggest hit went to former FSU linebacker Marvin Jones during the 1992 season.

Gino Torretta connected to Larry Jones in a short pass up the middle. Jones, in perfect position for the Seminoles, leveled the UM running back for an incomplete pass.

After the game, Dennis Erickson, Miami's head coach at the time, would say that Jones was the best linebacker he had ever seen.

"Marvin gets to the ball in a hurry, and he's not in a good mood when he gets there," Erickson told the media.

After an All-American career at FSU, Jones went on to have a respectful NFL career after playing all 11 years for the New York Jets.

More: Two-Minute Drill for Oct. 24: FSU plays at Miami; All 3 of Florida's NFL teams play at home

The Block at the Rock

During the 2016 season, FSU played a tight game against UM in a primetime game at Hard Rock Stadium. Both teams were ranked at the time.

However, the 3-2 Seminoles came in as the underdog because the Canes were undefeated and the 10th-ranked team in the country.

With under two minutes left to play and FSU led 20-13, Miami's Brad Kaaya threw an 11-yard touchdown to Stacy Coley to only be down 20-19.

Miami played it safe and went for the extra point to tie the game with 1:38 left.

Defensive end Demarcus Walker got his hand on it at the right time and blocked the Michael Badgley kick, giving the Seminoles a thrilling victory at Hard Rock.

The upset victory extended the winning streak to seven against the Hurricanes.

FSU football taking down the national champs

There was a lot of drama on the field and off the field during the 1989 game.

For example, Miami's mascot, Sebastian the Ibas, was handcuffed by multiple officers after stealing a fire extinguisher in an attempt to put out Chief Osceola's flaming spear before kickoff.

It was the beginning of the bad boy image the Hurricanes were portrayed after coming off a national championship season the year before, and they were the favorite to win it all again.

FSU was not too far off and had plans of disrupting its plans to return to the national championship again by allowing the Hurricanes to win on their home turf.

FSU stunned the Hurricanes 24-10. The defense dominated against a young Toretta at QB, who was starting in place of Craig Erickson.

FSU finished 10-2 that season, while the Hurricanes won another national title.

How to watch FSU vs. Miami game

  • Date: Saturday, Oct. 26

  • Time: 7 p.m.

  • Where: Hard Rock Stadium, Miami Gardens, Florida

  • TV: ESPN

FSU football schedule 2024: TV channels, dates and start times

All times Eastern

* = ACC

Peter Holland Jr. covers Florida State athletics for Tallahassee Democrat. Contact him via email at PHolland@Gannett.com or on X @_Da_pistol.

This article originally appeared on Tallahassee Democrat: Florida State-Miami football rivalry history: Most memorable moments