Bo McMillin

President Doak Campbell

Doak Campbell Stadium in 1950

Early FSU Helmet

Jim Arnold
Bainbridge GA

Tommy Brown
Tallahassee FL

Ernie Huggett
South Bend IN

Dick Peterson
Chicago IL

Mike Sellers
Barberton OH

Dick Turk
South Bend IN

Harry Bringger
Winter Haven FL

Preston Bradley
Lake Wales FL

Seminole fans remember Glorious '99 when FSU became the first - and still only - team to be #1 in the preseason polls and retain the top spot throughout the season. But how many know that 1999 was not the first undefeated season in school history?

• That distinction belongs to the 1950 Seminoles, the university's fourth gridiron squad.
• Don Veller's team won the Dixie Conference with a 4-0 record.
• The '50 season also marked the debut of Doak Campbell Stadium.

Veller had taken over the fledgling program in its second year, 1948.

• Don had been a backfield star at Indiana, where his accomplishments included a 82y run to help upset rival Purdue. He had also been a teammate of Michigan C Gerald Ford, the future president, in the East-West Shrine game.
• Don's first coaching experience consisted of seven years at Elkhart (IN) High where he won 80% of his games with two unbeaten seasons.
• After finishing four years of wartime service in the Air Force with a rank of major, he served as head football coach at Hanover College (IN) in 1946. He left there to work on his doctorate at his alma mater, Indiana, while assisting his old coach, Bo McMillin.
• When Florida State began looking for a permanent coach after a makeshift maid­en voyage in 1947, basketball coach Don Loucks, who grew up three blocks from Veller in Indiana, recommended Don.
• Howard Danforth, FSU's first AD, hired Veller with the agreement that we wouldn't have to move to Tallahassee until August 1948 so that he could con­tinue his year of residency at Indiana for his doctorate.

 
Coach Don Veller (center) and staff members

The Seminoles experienced success immediately under Veller.

• Don assembled a small coaching staff called the "Hoosier Hot Shots" because all three had played at Indiana. One, Bob Harbison, would remain on the FSU staff for 37 years.
• As you'd expect from a doctoral candidate, Veller was an assiduous student of the game of football. He was well organized and paid attention to the details that can win or lose games.
• The staff taught the players the "Cockeyed T" that McMillin had used at IU. Assistant Charley Armstrong recalled: You used an unbalanced line, lining up the QB underneath C - and either the WB on the wing, or back in a three-back set that was similar to the straight T-formation. But, with the wing out, you would also shift the QB from underneath C to set for a direct snap. In other words, the Cockeyed T tried to combine the best of the new T formation and the old single wing, with quick shifts from one to the other.
• Veller: It was a new system - with that Cockeyed T kind of a mystery to most opponents. But the big thing was we had those young coaches working their heads off. We had a lot of spirit.
• Taking over a team that included a number of older military veterans, Don also invoked a no-swearing rule. Veller: It was a rule I picked up playing for Bo Mc­Millin. .... Bo's rule was that anyone that swore had to take a lap around the prac­tice field. It wasn't so much the lap as the embarrassment. The rule worked just great at Florida State, and I was real proud of it. That first year we had a lot of laps run. Then each year the laps decreased until there were practically none. I think the rule sort of set the pace for other favorable things, training generally.

With the support of FSU President Doak Campbell, the new coach quickly developed the football program.

• After going 0-5 in '47, FSU won seven and lost only one in Don's first season.
• The Noles did even better in '49, winning eight of nine to earn the right to play in the school's first bowl game, the Cigar Bowl in Tampa, where they defeated Wof­ford 19-6. Watch video of the Cigar Bowl...
• Players took note of FSU's success, high schoolers as well as transfers from other schools, including Indiana.

• The brainchild of FSU AD Danforth, the conference was formed in May 1948.
• The original nine members were Florida State, Stetson, Tampa, Mississippi College, Millsaps, Mercer, Howard, Lambuth, and Oglethorpe. The last three schools did not play football.
• League bylaws prohibited athletic scholarships but allowed freshmen to play varsity sports and transfers to be eligible immediately at their new school.

Centennial Field, Tallahassee

FSU's gridiron success provoked demand for a football stadium.

• Home games the first three seasons were played at Centennial Field between the campus and the state capitol. Veller: Centennial Field was made for baseball, and the lights were always poor. There were parts where you could not see - where players were just about in the dark. Then, too, we never had any dressing room faci­lities there.
• President Campbell, about whom Veller later said, Had it not been for Dr. Camp­bell, I would have resigned within my first three years, formulated plans for a 15,000-seat stadium on campus. Campbell said, We don't know what the future holds, but we are determined to give amateur football every chance.
• The Chamber of Commerce spearheaded the fund-raising drive, forming the Tal­lahassee Athletic Council to coordinate the effort. A large portion of the money came from the sale of five-year season tickets for $50 each. Over 1,000 tickets were sold in six weeks.
• Built at a cost of $250,000, the stadium was ready in time for the 1950 season. The players helped paint the stadium, working for $1 an hour. Veller convinced the Council to name the stadium after Campbell.
• However, the field was hardly ideal. Veller: The turf that first year had not had time to grow properly. They put down sod from the university's dairy farm, and that stuff just got harder and harder. There were several injuries.
• Another problem at the beginning was a lack of dressing rooms. Veller: Before the game and at halftime, we would huddle the team underneath those stands. There would be people running around those steel stands up above while you were trying to talk to the team. The noise was terrible - sometimes really deafening.
• Still, compared to Centennial Field Doak Campbell Stadium was heaven.
  

Florida State began the 1950 season September 30 on the road at Troy State Teach­ers College.

• The game set the tone for the season: defense. The Seminoles held the Red Wave to seven points while scoring 26 themselves. The FSU offense was typical of the day - mostly runs with passes interspersed to "keep the defense honest."
• Midway through Q1, "little" Jim Arnold, a 152 lb freshman, turned the tide in fa­vor of FSU by blocking a punt to give FSU the ball on the Troy 13. Three plays later, Tommy Brown, who had starred on some of Army's best teams, took a reverse and sped in from the 2. Ernie Huggett converted to make it 7-0.
• Seven plays later it was 13-0 as FSU forced a punt and took over on their 47. Senior HB Dick Peterson fired a pass to Brown for a 49y TD. Troy blocked the PAT.
• Mac Huey's INT set the Seminoles up in Q2 at the Wave 23. FB Mike Sellers, one of the long line of Indiana transfers, pushed up the middle for repeated gains, but a series of offside penalties proved to much to overcome and Troy finally took over on the 4. But FSU took the subsequent punt at the Troy 31 and got the TD, Sellers bulling the last 24y in one rambling run. Another blocked EP try kept the score 19-0 with two minutes left in the half.
• The FSU defense continued to dominate, not letting the Red Wave out of their territory until the last minute of Q3. In the meantime, Arnold struck again, block­ing another punt. A quick 20y drive culminated in a 1y dive by FB Dick Turk. Hug­gett managed to get his kick through the uprights for a 26-0 lead.
• The Seminoles drove to the Troy 10 in the final period before an INT halted them. Brown's 40y dash highlighted the thrust. The home team finally cranked up a scoring drive, covering the 90y methodically until a 1' plunge avoided the shutout. FSU drove 63y after the kickoff until time ran out on the Wave 1.

Now came the first game in the new stadium. The opponent was Randolph-Macon College from Ashland VA.

• A record crowd of 9,676 fans saw the Seminoles thoroughly outclass the visitors 40-7. The victory ran Veller's record at FSU to 18-2.
• The Indians (as the Tallahassee Democrat writer referred to the Noles) rolled up four TDs in eight scant minutes of play in Q2.
• FSU led 6-0 after the opening 15 minutes. After the teams traded three turn­overs in the opening minutes, the Tribe went 61y after a fumble recovery to break the scoring ice. Sellers and Brown did the heavy lifting, with Mike doing the honors from the 7.
• After forcing a punt, FSU started a drive from their own 43 that carried over into Q2. Sellers continued to blast the middle, and Peterson passed to HB Eddie Gray from Leon HS in Tallahassee to the 4. Sellers cracked over RG from there. Huggett converted to make it 13-0 two minutes into the period.
• The Yellow Jackets no sooner received the kickoff than they fumbled it away on their 31. Turk rambled for 10, Gray for 14, and Peterson for 7, and just like that it was 20-0 after Huggett's kick.
• Before you could draw a deep breath it was 27-0. On the first play from scrim­mage, T Dwight Osha from Lincoln IN flopped on a fumble on the 17. Turk took care of business in two runs of 15 and 2. 27-0 with 10 minutes to go.
• But FSU wasn't through yet. HB Harry Bringger snared an errant pass on the third play after the kickoff on the RM 48. Sub backs Preston Bradley and Nelson Italiano did the work this time, Nelson wriggling over from the 1' line. 34-0 with five minutes to go in the half.
• The visitors finally struck gold when Ted Keller ran 66y to pay dirt after going back to pass and failing to locate a receiver. 34-7 at the intermission.
• With Veller flooding the field with subs, the second half saw only one more TD which came on FSU's drive with the kickoff. Gray covered the last 25 of the 70y on a screen pass from Peterson, running wide to the right and cutting back sharply up the middle.
• The Noles outgained their guests 438-191, including 348 on the ground. Sellers topped the ball carriers with 110y on 14 carries.

Nelson Italiano (42) runs against Randolph-Macon in first game in Doak Campbell Stadium.

Continued below ...

The 2-0 Seminoles hosted Dixie Conference foe Howard College of Birmingham (now Samford) on October 14, 1950.

• The 5,537 fans who gathered after sundown for the second game in brand new Doak S. Campbell Stadium saw the lightly regarded invaders take a 6-0 lead in Q2 before the Seminoles finally began to roll.
• Q1: Facing Howard's seven-man defensive line, the Noles took the kickoff and drove smartly to the enemy 22 before T. Smith intercepted Bill Driver's pass.
  Another INT stopped the next FSU advance on the Howard 39.
  QB Bobby Bowden hit H. Foote on the Seminole 30, but 5'8" Jim Arnold grab­bed the next heave on the 24 to end the threat.
  An exchange of kicks found the visitors taking over on their own 41 in the last minutes of the period. The Bulldogs immediately moved into FSU territory on a Bowden-Banks pass to the 41. Two successive 15y penalties moved the pig­skin to the 10, and Simms gained 2 as the period ended.
• Q2: After two plays netted nothing, Bowden, in a move that portended his gambling ways as FSU coach decades later, took the 4th down snap on the 8 and completed a pass to Cutcliffe who fought to the 2 1/2 for first-and goal. George Pappas dove into the EZ from there. The conversion sailed wide to leave the score 6-0.
  FSU bounced back to tie the score with the aid of a pass interference penalty in the EZ. The crucial play was set up by Dick Peterson's 25y completion to Eddie Gray to put the ball on the Howard 33. After a gain of 2, Gray threw a high, wobbly pass toward Norman Eubanks in the back of the EZ. DB "Spud" Wallace interfered with the big Indian E, giving the Noles the ball on the 2. Mike Sellers bulled to the 1, took a breath in the huddle, and smashed over on the second try. Ernie Huggett's kick failed to break the tie.
  FSU stopped the Dogs and started their next possession from their own 41. Peterson swept the ends for 13 and 15y to the 28. Three plays later, Gray's 7y run earned a first down at the 12. Soon after, FSU faced 4th down and 9 at the 11. Nelson Italiano, behind great blocking, ran wide to the right, then cut back to the 1. Nelson dove over the top of the pile on the next snap to break the tie. Huggett's PAT mde it 13-6.
  The half ended on Bowden's 17y run to the 11 after being trapped trying to pass.
• The Florida State band put on a lively halftime show. Lacking a fight song, the band used the "Notre Dame Victory March" and "On Wisconsin" as spirit rousers. (However, someone was busy creating a unique tune for FSU that would be unveiled at the next home game.) Students carried a banner around the field proclaiming, "Bring on Florida."
• Q3: An INT gave the Seminoles possession on their own 43. Another Peter­son-Gray connection gained 43y to the 7. But a penalty slowed the drive, which fizzled out on the 15.
  After an exchange of punts, FSU got a break when E Ted Hewitt intercepted Cutcliffe's pass on the Bulldog 27. But the Seminole air attack failed, and Howard took over on the 23.
  T Duke Maltby fell on a third-down fumble on the 28 to put FSU back in busi­ness again.
  After a 2y loss on first down, the Noles gave the ball to Sellers five times, and he gained 28 of the 30y to pay dirt, the final lunge coming from a mere foot shy of the goal line. Huggett converted to make it 20-6 with two minutes to go in Q3.
• The only FSU excitement of the final period came on the first play when Itali­ano raced 52y to the EZ. But a 15y penalty negated the score.
  Later, Bowden hit Russ Banks with a completion good for 26y to the FSU 31. The same combo struck again to the 18. But when two passes into the EZ failed to connect, FSU took over on the 14.
  Howard forced a punt and came right back knocking on the door again. But the drive ended when Bowden, back to pass, was smothered on the 25.
  The Noles then ran out the clock.

Florida State next traveled to Newberry SC for a non-conference game against Newberry College, a small Lutheran liberal arts college founded in 1856.

• A steady drizzle that produced a muddy field slowed down the Seminoles as did 190y in penalties (probably not home cooking since Newberry was set back 110y), but a solid defensive effort shut out the Wolves and spoiled homecom­ing for the crowd of 1,200.
• Q1: Taking the kickoff, the Noles overcome two penalties to score on an 80y pass play. Italiano faded back and spotted Gray breaking behind the secon­dary. Taking the ball over his shoulder on the 45, Eddie outraced the opposi­tion to pay dirt. Hewitt's kick split the upright, but the Noles were penalized back to the 17. The try from there missed. Generating a little steam of their own, the home team drove to the FSU 40. But Wayne Benner stole a pass on the 12 and returned it 7y to halt the threat. Neither team mounted a threat the rest of the period.
• Q2: FSU drove 75y to the 8 before a penalty set them back; they turned the ball over on downs on the 10. The Wolves kicked out to Harry Bringger on the 45, and he returned it to the 33. Italiano sliced off RT, shook off two tack­lers at the 20 and 17, and galloped into the EZ. Huggett's wide boot left it 12-0 in the waning minutes of the half.
• Q3: FSU immediately forced a punt, Bringger bringing back the boot from his 25 to the enemy 40. Italiano and FB Dick Turk alternated thrusts through the line to the 5. It took several tries, but Turk slammed over from the 1. Huggett again missed. FSU 18 Newberry 0
• Q4: Nothing much happened until a few minutes into the final stanza when Don Linton intercepted a pass on the Wolf 20 and returned it 5y. Still another penalty moved the Noles back to the 30. Three plays later, a penalty nullified an INT and put the ball on the 20. Italiano then threw to E Clint Thomas in the EZ for the final TD of the evening. Huggett finally made a kick only to have a penalty nullify it. His placement from the 17 fell short. The game ended shortly afterwards with the scoreboard reading Florida State 24 Newberry 0.

The Seminole defense had allowed only 20 points in four games.

Continued below ...

References: Tallahassee Democrat articles reproduced on nolefan.org

Dedication Day at Doak Campbell Stadium

Dedication Parking

Bob Wodrich

The Seminoles took a 4-0 record into the game with Sewanee on October 28, 1950. The contest was significant for several reasons.

• It was homecoming.
• Doak Campbell Stadium was officially dedicated.
• The FSU band took the field for the first time under their new name of the "Marching Chiefs" after a name the band contest. They also introduced the new fight song written by Professor Tommy Wright that replaced "On Wisconsin" and the "Notre Dame Victory March" that had previously been used to rouse the fans.
• A record crowd of 12,033 turned out on a beautiful afternoon.

The 1-3 Purple Tigers didn't play in the first half like a team rated as a three- to four-TD underdog.

• Q1: FSU's Ernie Huggett kicked off to Jones who returned 6y to the 31. The Bengals started moving immediately. McKeithan completed two straight passes for first downs to the FSU 39. But Ted Hewitt stole the next pass at the 25 to end the thrust.
  The Seminole attack couldn't get in gear, with junior HB Nelson Italiano throwing an INT.
  The home team finally gained their initial first down on Italiano's 14y ramble around RE.
  After another pass for the visitors' third first down before another INT, this time by Jim Arnold to give FSU possession just 17y from the goal. But the drive died at the 9.
• Q2: The Noles moved the chains for the second time when Mike Sellers threw a jump pass to E Norman Eubanks on the Sewanee 30. But four snaps failed to produce another first down.
  After attaining one first down, the visitors punted. A 15y penalty gave the Tribe a first down. But three long passes fell to the turf, forcing still another punt.
  DB Wayne Benner secured FSU's fourth pick of the half, but the turnover led nowhere.
  The half ended scoreless.
  
• Q3: The Noles caused a buzz with a jump pass on their first play from scrimmage, Italiano to Eubanks to the enemy 42. When Nelson gained 5, the crowd began to think their real team had arrived. But a penalty killed the momentum.
  FSU moved to the 29 on their next possession, but an INT took the air out of the balloon.
  The next Sewanee punt brought disaster. Wakefield kicked a high spiral that Harry Bringger tried to field at the 9. But the ball got away from him into the EZ. When he went in to retrieve it, he fell down for a safety.
  Late in the period, Hewitt intercepted another Tiger pass on his 46 and raced 54y to put FSU in front 7-2 after Huggett's perfect placement with three minutes left.
  The fired up Seminoles kickoff team got the ball right back, Bob Wodrich recovering a fumble on the Tiger 35. But the offense could advance no further than the 23.
• Q4: The Seminoles churned out three more first downs before the defense braced and took over on their 12.
  After one first down, Sewanee punted to Wayne Benner who took it on the 45 and hauled it back to the 20. It took FSU only two plays to take advantage of the great field position. Reserve FB Dick Turk knifed off tackle for 7. Then Italiano skirted LE, picked up a nice block from Turk on the 6, and dove into the coffin corner, barreling through a defender at the goal line. Huggett promptly made it 14-2.
  But the Tigers didn't fold. After failing to gain ten, they punted to Hewitt who broke off a good return from his 26 to the Sewanee 48 where he fumbled and TB Dave Wendel recovered. Dave then went to the airways starting from his 42, completing four in six plays to score. Dave connected with E Bill Porter who snatched the ball from two Indians for a 33y gain to the 5. From there, Wendel threw to Caywood Gunby from DeLand FL, who caught the ball in the EZ after it had deflected off the hands of a Seminole.
  The hard-fought 14-8 triumph, FSU's tenth in a row over two season, ended right after the kickoff.
  The game produced an incredible nine turnovers, seven of which were INTs.

Hatters QB Bill Johnson

Don Veller

• Q1: For the second game in a row, the Noles played in front of a record crowd, in this case 6,000, 1,500 more than Stetson had ever drawn.
  Learning from their sluggish start against Sewanee, FSU bolted out of the starting gate with two TDs in four minutes.
  Eubanks returned the opening kickoff from his 15 to the 36. Using some new plays installed during the off week, the Noles spread out flankers and caught the Hatters' defense bunched in.
  Italiano fired to Bill Driver for 22y on the flank to the Hatter 42. Then Nelson slashed off tackle for 22 to 20. He kept the momentum going with a 15y pass to Eubanks, then threw again to Driver on the left flank, and he angled into the EZ. Huggett converted. 7-0 only 2 1/2 minutes into the fray.
  On the third play after the kickoff, Hewitt intercepted a pass from highly-regarded QB Bill Johnson and raced all the way to the 1. Sellers bulled through RG for the score and, presto, it was 13-0 with only 4 1/2 minutes elapsed.
  The Mad Hatters came back before the period ended after Tommy Brown fumbled a punt on the FSU 27. With Johnson's deft ball-handling confusing the Noles defenders, Stetson scored on three straight runs, the last from the 14 by Jerry Gallagher. The PAT made it 13-7.
• Q2: Stetson roared to the 14 but failed to score. They also recovered two fumbles but couldn't take advantage.
  Finally, the Seminoles scored on the last play of the half. Brown set up the score by intercepting Bowden's pass on his 12 and running it to the FSU 43.
  With time running out, Italiano nailed Bringger on the 22, from where he outran two pursuers to pay dirt. Huggett's kick made the scoreboard read 20-7 at intermission.
• Q3: Apparently content to rest on its lead. FSU reverted to "straight" football, failing to threaten during the quarter.
  Meanwhile, the Hatters drove twice, once to the FSU 31 and again to the 7. On the latter thrust, Johnson lofted three passes over the EZ so that big E Jim Yonge could leap and snare. But none connected.
• Q4: Early on, a punt put FSU in a hole to their 1.
  But the Noles not only got out of danger but made it all the way to the Stetson 21 before running out of gas.
  On the first play after taking over on downs, Johnson launched a pass that Brown snared at midfield and returned to the 14. Driver, lined up at TE, took an end around to the 2. Sellers, perhaps as a reward for making 16 tackles, got the call and pushed over from there. 27-7 FSU
  Before the game ended, Brown snagged his third INT of the evening.

It was no coincidence that the Seminoles played good defense.

• Coach Don Veller: I always loved defense and devoted more time to it. Some members of our staff, wanting more offensive time, used to complain of too much attention to defense. And I would say, "Well, how are we doing winning and losing?" The fun of the game was defense. I loved to scre up offenses.
• His club had surrendered only five TDs in six games and had snared eight INTs in the last two games.

Continued below ...

Gary Folsom

Cliff Powell

Dub Kendrick

Don Gladden

Holland Aplin

Bob Schmelz

The Seminoles finished the 1950 season with two home games.

• First came Mississippi College, whom FSU had defeated the previous two seasons.
• The Choctaws came to town riding a six-game winning streak.

The chilled crowd of 5,000, including three Gator Bowl scouts, saw the Choctaws play a spirited first period.

• Q1: With MC employing a seven-man line, FSU did most of its damage through the air.
  The Seminoles took the lead on a 76y screen pass from Nelson Italiano to Harry Bringger, who took the ball 4y behind the line of scrimmage, broke to the sidelines, and outran the defenders.
  Led by 168 lb FB David Lee, the visitors mounted a 76y advance that car­ried to the 8 before dying out.
• Q2: Tommy Brown's 45y punt return to the 8 set up the second tally, which Mike Sellers scored on a bull run on the next play.
  Late in the half, the Italiano-Bringger combo struck again, this time for 49y. Harry gathered in the ball over his shoulder on the 20 and continued to the Promised Land.
  
• Q3: Brown again showed his kick return prowess, weaving 24y to the MC 35. FSU drove methodically to the 2, from where Dick Turk crashed over.
  Coach Don Veller started clearing his bench, playing 51 lads altogether. Still, the onslaught didn't stop.
  Gary Folsom's 16y wobbler to a diving Cliff Powell in the EZ ended a 66y drive.
• Q4: Even with the Tribe reserves playing, most of the action early in the period took place in enemy territory.
  Finally, the Chocs mustered a 58y drive that reached the 10 before time expired.

The victory clinched a third straight Dixie Conference title and ran the Noles' streak to 11 dating back to 1949.

• However, it was costly. Three FSU regulars were injured - E Norman Eu­banks (separated shoulder), T Dub Kendrick (knee), and QB Don Gladden (knee).
• Any or all might miss the finale.

The crowd of 2,500 assembled on a frigid 16° afternoon.

• Coach Veller recalled: There was ice everywhere. I remember an old water tower, by the railroad tracks down there near the stadium, had huge icicles hanging down.
• Tampa coach Frank Sinkwich, a Heisman Trophy QB at Georgia, proposed that the game be canceled and shifted to Tampa. Naturally, Veller declined the offer.

Whether it was the weather or the inspired play of the Spartans, FSU couldn't pull away until the final period.

• Q1: The Seminoles received but, after one quick first down, were thrown back to the 16 and had to punt. With a strong wind at his back, Brown boomed a kick that hit the ground on the Tampa 30 and bounced all the way to the EZ. The 84y boot remains to this day as the longest in Florida State history.
  After an exchange of punts backed up the visitors on their 8, disaster struck the Spartans when Ray Jackson , trying to spin away from a tackle, fumbled, and FSU's Bob Schmelz fell on the oval at the 5.
  Sellers made fans' hearts flutter by fumbling on the first play, but Bill Dri­ver recovered back at the 10. Sellers made up for his bobble, first blasting into RG to the 5, then bulling his way into the EZ on the next snap. Ernie Huggett's PAT made it 7-0 with 5:32 remaining.
  Tampa's next possession produced a strange play. Facing 4th-and-8 at the 32, big E Holland Aplin dropped back to punt. But his try into the find went straight up to the 26 where a Spartan caught the ball on the fly. That brought a 5y penalty and gave FSU the ball at the 21.
  But two runs and two passes failed to gain 10y, and Tampa took over on its 17.
• Q2: The Spartans reached the FSU 39 before Aplin again went into punt formation. But he tried to turn RE but was stopped well short.
  The Noles couldn't move and punted to the 33. Two plays later, they got another break, Brown recovering a bounding fumble on his own 45.
  However, the Tampa D forced a punt to the 11. After three futile snaps, Aplin tried another punt, this time with the wind. But the ball went out on his 31.
  From there, FSU struck swiftly for its second score. Sellers gained 4, then Italiano hit Bringger at the 3 as he headed into the EZ. Huggett missed the try to keep it 13-0 with 5:19 remaining in the half.
  That was plenty of time for Tampa to get back in the game. Three plays after the kickoff, Jackson fired a pass to Aplin near the west sideline and he raced 64y to pay dirt. The try failed, making the score 13-6 at the half.
  Veller: At halftime we went to our bus because it was warm. We had the bus there to go over to old West Campus later, where we still dressed.
  
• Q3: Receiving the kickoff again, FSU started a drive that ended with Itali­ano losing a fumble at his 43.
  Deciding that the airways offered a better chance to advance the ball, the visitors quickly tied the score. Jackson hit Aplin for a first down on the 32, and Lou Sequella gained 5. After an incompletion, Jackson threw toward the corner of the EZ where Brown jumped for an INT only to have the ball bounce off his hands and into the waiting arms of Charlie Harris for a TD. The EP made it 13-13 with 11:19 on the clock.
  The crowd got more nervous when the Noles stalled after driving from the 16 to the 41. Brown picked a bad time to shank a kick, the ball heading out of bounds only 5y beyond the line of scrimmage at the FSU 46.
  Jackson eluded the rushers for a first down at the 35. After two more plays put the ball on the 25, the Spartans were penalized 15y for unne­cessary roughness. That led to Aplin's punt into the EZ.
  After the Noles punched out a first down on the 32, Italiano broke loose over T on a fake pass play and ran 60y to the 8 before being run down from behind. But three plays gained only 3y, and Italiano was smeared on the 8 while trying to skirt RE.
  The Noles received a punt and worked to the Tampa 34 as the period ended.
  
• Q4: Now began one of the most explosive final quarters in FSU history - 28 points between the two teams.
  On the second snap, Italiano shot a pass over the middle that went off a defender's fingertips into the hands of Bringger who took it on the 12 and raced to pay dirt. The play gave Harry an unusual record - all five of his receptions during the season went for TDs. Huggett split the uprights to make it 20-13 only 16 seconds into the final 15 minutes.
  The Spartans had trouble with the kickoff and started their possession from their 8. After three plays gained only 2y, Aplin punted into the wind to Brown who returned 5y to the 30.
  After a 3y gain, Italiano burst off RT, cut back, and ran to the EZ. 27-13
  Again, Tampa started deep in their territory, this time at the 13. Jackson was trapped at the 5 trying to pass. Then Aplin got off another high but short punt to the 11 where Wayne Benner grabbed the bounding ball on the sideline and streaked to pay dirt. 33-13 just like that.
  Huggett got off another good kickoff to the 8, but this time Vince Chicko, who had trouble with the earlier ones, swung to the sidelines, sped upfield to the 35, then cut to the opposite side on a journey to the EZ. 33-19 after four TDs in the first 5:37 of the period! Tampa had now scored more points on FSU than any other team all season.
  The game settled down as the teams traded punts.
  Finally, with the ball on the Spartan 20, ill-starred Mr. Aplin tried to punt, but Bob Wodrich blocked it. Aplin ran back and picked up the pigskin in the EZ but was tackled by Schmelz for a safety to make it 35-19.
  Two plays after the free kick, the game ended.
  

The Seminoles thus became the first college eleven in the state of Florida to complete an "official" season undefeated and untied.

• Both the Tangerine Bowl in Orlando and the Cigar Bowl in Tampa, two bowls that annually pitted "small schools," extended bids to FSU.
• They also received bids from the Refrigerator Bowl at Evansville IN and the Pythian Bowl at Salisbury NC.
• School officials postponed a decision on any post-season game until a squad meeting the following Tuesday afternoon.
• When the team met, the players voted 31-10 to turn down all bids. They preferred to go home for Christmas and/or work during the holidays rather than stay on campus and train for a bowl game. Remember that none of the players was on an athletic scholarship.
• Also, the players had been promised watches for winning the Cigar Bowl the previous year, but none were forthcoming.

Bobby Bowden with Burt Reynolds

Jimmy Johnson

Danny McManus

Sammie Smith

Dexter Carter

Deion Sanders

Warren Williams


Brent Musburger

Ronald Lewis

Marty Riggs

McManus and Shannon chase bad snap on FG attempt

Derek Schmidt

Dayne Williams

Bubba McDowell

Steve Walsh

Jeff Feagles

Martin Mayhew

Alphonso Williams

Daniel Stubbs

Pat Tomberlin

Lawrence Dawsey

Edgar Bennett

Bennie Blades

Dedrick Dodge

Herb Gainer

Pat Carter


Mickey Andrews

John Dockery

Sports Illustrated cover the following week

• Both teams entered the fray undefeated:
  Florida State had downed Texas Tech (40-16), @East Carolina (44-3), Memphis (41-24), and @Michigan State (31-3).
  Miami had taken the field just twice but won convincingly both times, over Florida (31-4) and Arkansas (51-7).
  The slaughter of Arkansas - Johnson's alma mater no less - raised questions again about his running up the score on opponents. He received widespread condemnation for the Canes' 58-3 thrashing of Notre Dame in 1985, hapless Jerry Faust's last season as Irish head coach. Some suspected Jimmy want­ed to punish his former school for passing over him as their head coach not once but twice.
• Miami wouldn't be intimidated playing in Doak Campbell Stadium since they held an 8-1 advantage there.

An article in the Miami News the morning of the game gave an insight into what made Bobby Bowden an outstanding coach.

• The piece focused on Art Baker, who became FSU's offensive coordinator in 1984. Baker described his meeting with the head coach before the first game of the season.

The other assistants call it "The Iffy Meeting." Whoever calls the plays from the press box meets with coach Bowden and he hits you with every situation known to man.
He wants to know, "What are you going to do on third-and-10 from deep in your territory? What are you going to do when we have to have a touch­down on fourth-and-goal from the five?" I had to be prepared, because I'd have been there all night if I wasn't.

• QB Danny McManus talked about Bowden also. He's not one of those guys who's going to come out and do the same things every week. He'll throw it when you think he's going to run and run it when you think he's going to throw. Then, when you don't know what to expect, he'll run a reverse.
  McManus spent part of the week of the Miami game practicing his passing motion in his apartment from the feet up. He had completed only 53 of 106 passes in the four games with six TDs and three INTs. Right now, things aren't going that well for me, he explained. I'm the weakest part of the passing game.
• Averaging 39 points per game, the Seminoles had yet to meet a defense of the caliber of Miami's, which had allowed only one TD in their two games.
• Many considered the 1987 Seminoles the school's best team ever to that point, with an excellent chance of winning the national championship. Bow­den didn't downplay the important of the contest. I don't think there has been any game more important than this. Whoever get this one is going to be really visible in the polls.

The two coaches fell over themselves praising the other's team.

• Bowden figured he knew how the game would be won. This game will be won by some great athlete making a great play. Causing a fumble, making an inter­ception, breaking a long run, catching a long pass ... a great play will make the difference. I just don't know who it will be because there are so many great ath­letes playing. He summarized the Canes succinctly. They look like a pro team out there. He added, It will be a hitting contest. They really come after you ... I think Miami deserves to be ranked where they are. ... this is basically the same team with a new QB. They're beating people so bad you wonder if they're beat­able.
  The 1986 Hurricanes won all eleven regular season games, including a 41-23 thumping of the Seminoles, before losing to Penn State 14-10 in the de facto national championship game in the Fiesta Bowl.
• Bowden knew playing at home didn't carry much weight in this annual matchup. I never thought much of the so-called home field advantage. Usually the home field advantage is most effective when the home team has the best team. I don't think I'm the first person to say that.
• UM coach Jimmy Johnson sounded the same theme. When I look at Florida State and I see players like Sammie Smith on the second team, Chip Fergu­son, the MVP of the Gator Bowl, on the second team, that tells you how much depth they have. They have a multitude of backs - so many I can't remember them all. He added: Florida State rushes the passer as well as any team we'll face all year. On top of that outstanding rush, they have some outstanding players in the secondary, so they're able to cover receivers better than most teams we play.
• After suffering a knee injury 10 days before the opener, Smith took a back seat to sophomore Dexter Carter when the game started. Despite not starting, Sammie led the Noles in rushing, averaging almost 9y per carry.
  21 players on the roster of the 1987 Seminoles and 30 Hurricanes from that season would play in the NFL.

The game held special meaning for a pair of players, one on each side.

• FSU junior DB Deion Sanders and UM's senior RB Warren Williams were teammates at North Fort Myers High School.
• Naturally, they talked about the annual clash when they met up during the summer.
• Williams: He told me they were really pumped up for us this year and that we better be ready when we come up there. I told him we're always ready to go.
• Our high school coach has a big picture of Warren and me in his office, said Deion, whom some regarded as the best athlete ever to take the field for FSU. It's a pride thing. I get pumped up to play against him because I want to have bragging rights when I go home. Unfortunately, Miami had won both games since Sanders joined the Seminoles.
  Williams served as a prime example of the adage that "the only thing a 'Cane fears is an injury." When you went down, you might not get your job back. Williams hurt his leg during preseason practice in 1985. Miami was so loaded at RB that Williams didn't get a chance to be a feature back until he played for the Pittsburgh Steelers.

You couldn't ask for better weather for game day - sunny, 78°, but with a 15-20 mph north wind that would affect play.

• Brent Musburger, CBS's main announcer for the nationally televised game, talked to both coaches before the game. He asked both coaches the same question. Would you play for a tie or go for two if the game came down to a conversion attempt?
• Both Bowden and Johnson gave the same answer - kick the point. Jimmy, whom Musburger had chastised for running up the score on Notre Dame, told the broadcaster that Miami wasn't very good at two-point plays. Bow­den no doubt was influenced by what Tennessee coach Johnny Majors' de­cision a week earlier to kick for a tie against Auburn in a battle of nationally-ranked teams. After Majors was subjected to criticism, Bobby phoned him to assure him he had made the right decision.
  FSU's defensive backs had warned the Hurricane receivers to show up with their seatbelts fastened. But Michael Irvin shrugged off the baiting and stay­ed mellow. He walked through his warmups with boom box in hand. His atti­tude typified Miami's approach, which seemed too relaxed for a big game.

Many in the record Doak Campbell Stadium crowd of 62.561 wonder what tricks Bow­den has up his sleeve for the Hurricanes.

• Q1: Bobby's first gamble doesn't pay off. FSU faces 3rd-and-3 at the Miami 45 after running the ball from its 17 behind the surprise starter at TB, Sam­mie Smith, on the game's opening possession. Bobby calls for one of his patented reverses. But WR Ronald Lewis, who rambled 56y to a TD against Michigan State the week before, gains only 1y, and FSU has to punt.
  
  Sammie Smith gets outside LB George Mira Jr.
  After forcing a three-and-out, the Seminoles hurry Jeff Feagles's punt, which goes out of bounds on the UM 41.
  However, the Noles can't take advantage of the excellent field position, stall­ing at the 22. So reliable senior kicker Derek Schmidt comes in to attempt a 33y FG. But as McManus kneels to receive the snap, C Marty Riggs hikes the ball prematurely. It sails into FSU territory, where DB and future Miami coach Randy Shannon tries ti scoop it up on the dead run at the 45. But he never has possesion of the ball and bobbles it into the hands of McManus hustling up from behind. Before Danny can get turned around to head the other way, he stumbles and falls at the 26 for a 51y loss!
  Neither the kicker, snapper, or holder could explain what happened. Schmidt: Our signal is "set," and Marty Riggs then waits a second and snaps it. Riggs said: I looked back and heard somebody say "Set." It sounded like Danny; so I snapped the ball. McManus: I was looking at the tee, waiting for Schmidt to give me the OK when I heard him yell. I looked up and the ball was bouncing down­field. Marty said he heard someone yell "Set." I have no idea who did it.
  The Canes make a first down before stalling at the 16. So Greg Cox boots them into an early lead - a six-point turnaround. Miami 3 FSU 0 (2:58 left in the period)
  Undaunted, the Noles ride the power running of Smith to take the lead. On 3rd-and-11 from the 19, Sammie starts up the middle, breaks two tackles, jukes another defender, and zig-zags 64y before being tackled from behind by DB Bubba McDowell. Three plays place the pigskin on the 1 as the period ends.
  The Noles end the period outgaining Miami 84-19 but trail by 3.
• Q2: 230 lb junior FB Dayne Williams musclee into the EZ on the first play. FSU 7 Miami 3
  Mickey Andrews's defense continues to throttle QB Steve Walsh and his offense. Only once in the half do the Canes cross midfield on their own.
  Late in the period, Sanders returns a punt 17y to the UM 48. Shortly after­ward, Schmidt connects from 36y out with the wind. FSU 10 Miami 3 (2:37)
  The Hurricanes moved downfield before the half and reached the FSU 23. But the Noles stuffed Walsh for a 9y loss. Then an illegal procedure penalty nullified a 19y pass completion. Against the wind, UM decided against trying a long FG.
  At the break, the Noles have held Miami to a measly 8y rushing. If not for the botched snap, the lead would be 13-0.
  FSU ran the ball 31 times in the first half to only seven passes.
  Irvin chilled out at halftime. Was I worried? he asked after the game. No way. I came in and put my headphones on. I listened to a little music, "I'm bad. I'm bad ..." That's what I was thinking. I was partying a little bit. I was enjoying it.
  Johnson noticed the contrast between this team and his '86 squad. With the bunch we had last year, it would have been more likely for one of them to get up at halftime and make a speech. This year's group isn't like that. Last year, we would have relied on Vinny (QB Testaverde) to do it. This year, it's more of a team coming together and doing it together.
• Q3: FSU's dominance continues. Electing to receive while Miami chooses to take the wind, the Noles come out running and push to Miami's 12 but again can't crash the EZ. So Schmidt sets up for a chippie. However, his boot into the wind drifts to the right after another low snap.
  Miami again goes nowhere thanks to Blades dropping a pass on 3rd down. So Jeff Feagles comes in to punt. But senior CB Martin Mayhew blocks the kick, and SS Alphonso Williams snags the bouncing ball on the 5 and run into the EZ. It is the Noles' fourth block in the last five games against Miami.
  
  Alphonso Williams tracks down the blocked punt for a TD.
  Schmidt misses the PAT to the left, his first failed conversion since his junior year of high school. FSU 16 Miami 3
  Schmidt swears to this day that his PAT try was good. It was ridiculous, he said right after the game. You kick 108 in a row, and you ought to know what they look like. He would finish his senior season as the NCAA's all-time leading scorer.
  Still no life from the UM offense as Walsh fails to connect on his first four second half aerials. With Miami concerned about another block, Sanders returns the punt 34y to the UM 44. Aided by a roughing the passer penalty, FSU moves inside the 10. But again they have to settle for 3 points with 2:45 on the clock. FSU 19 Miami 3 (2:45)
  At this point, the visitors have gained just 90y (only 17 rushing) on 30 offen­sive plays and gone 3-and-out on five of their seven possessions. Pat Hay­den wonders on the tv broadcast whether Johnson will go to his highly-touted freshman QB Craig Ericksen.
  On Miami's next possession, Sanders tells Irvin, Michael, you might as well quit running so hard and blocking so hard 'cause it's all over for today. Take it easy, Mike. Don't hurt yourself.
  Irvin replied, Oh, no. We play Hurricane football all day. We're going to keep balling all day.
  The Canes finally crank up a drive. Six plays cover 76y. Walsh throws 11y to Brian Blades to the UM 35. Then an offside penalty against FSU on 3rd down gives Miami a first down at the 46. On 3rd down from the 49, Walsh, seeing double coverage on both flanks, throws over the middle to FB Melvin Bratton who splits the secondary and runs to the EZ. Walsh lobs a pass to Blades in the left corner of the EZ for a two-point conversion with less than a minute left in the period. FSU 19 Miami 11 (1:49)
  
  Odell Haggins sets his sights on a Miami ball carrier.
• Q4: On the third play of FSU's next possession, McManus fails to loft a screen pass high enough, and LB Daniel Stubbs intercepts, returning 9y to the FSU 40. RT Pat Tomberlin failed to cut Stubbs on the play.
  McManus: The screen pass was just a pitiful pass on my part.
  Six snaps later, Walsh beats the blitz with a 26y loft to Irvin running doen the middle from the slot for the TD. Michael shakes loose from a third-string redshirt freshman, John Wyche, playing in the nickel secondary after Eric Williams hurt his foot. The Canes again go for two and make it again. This time, Walsh finds Warren Willliams, Sanders' high school buddy, wide open on a pass into the right flat to tie the score. FSU 19 Miami 19 (11:37)
  
  Melvin Bratton jumps over the top on 3rd-and-3 to keep the tying drive alive..
  FSU responds, driving into UM territory when Lawrence Dawsey hangs onto a 23y completion despite a hard hit by S Selwyn Brown. But four plays later, the Canes escape trouble when Schmitt misses his third kick of the after­noon, this one staying wide right from right hash at the 31 with 6:17 remain­ing. Hayden wonders why FSU didn't run the previous play toward the left hash, Schmidt's favorite angle.
  The Garnet and Gold defense forces a punt from the 26 and starts another drive from its 41. McManus opens with a 21y aerial to freshman RB Edgar Bennett. Three plays later, the Noles have a first down at the 26 - once again in range to take the lead with at least a FG. Smith gains 9 on 1st down. But the scoring opportunity is squandered when McManus mishandles the snap and kicks the ball forward to S Bennie Blades, leader of "Benny and the Jets" as the Miami secondary was called, at the 11 with 3:29 left.
  McManus on the fumbled snap: That's something we work on every day. You don't even think of fumbling at a time like that, but I guess it happens.
  Williams runs for 12, then 4. After an incompletion, Miami faces 3rd-and-6 from the 27. Walsh uses hand signals to change the play at the line from a 10y out to a deep one and hooks up with Irvin who runs past CB Mayhew, who fails to check him, and FS Dedrick Dodge, who takes a bad angle, down the right sideline for a 73y TD. Cox's PAT gives UM its first lead since 3-0. Miami 26 FSU 19 (2:22)
  
  Irvin outruns Dodd for a 73y TD to put Miami ahead.
  McManus atones for his fumble by leading a 73y, 8-play march. After two incompletions and a run, McManus finds Herb Gainer for 10 on 4th-and-8 from the 28 to move the chains. Danny then connects with Dexter Carter for 12 and for 31 to the 18. Next, McManus throws to Lewis, who makes a leap­ing catch in the back left corner of the EZ to pull within one with 0:42 on the clock.
  In today's football, the TD may have been overturned because replay shows that the toes of Lewis's left foot landed on the back line of the EZ.
  Bowden calls the last of his timeouts to decide what to do. He thinks back to 1980 when a failed two-point conversion at Miami in the final seconds pro­duced FSU's only loss that season. So he sends in the kicking team to tie the score.
  As the kicking team runs on the field, they tell the departing McManus, Tell him to go for two.
  By the time Danny reaches the sideline, Bowden has already changed his mind, as he explained in the dressing room a few minutes later. I was going to kick it. I was determined to take the tie. But then I got to thinking about missing all those field goals and missing those extra points. If we would have gone out and missed the thing, it would have been really awful.
  So Bowden sends the two-point unit onto the field. The play calls for McMan­us to roll to the right and look for 6'5" Pat Carter in far right corner of the EZ. As FSU lines up, Johnson calls his own timeout.
  The UM staff noticed that Smith wasn't lined up in the backfield with a two TE set. So they figured FSU planned a rollout to the strong side of the formation.
  The Noles stay with the call. Lewis lines up with Carter on the right side. McDowell has Lewis man-to-man. On the snap, Lewis runs to the middle of the EZ to pull McDowell away from the intended target. But the DB, noticing McManus looking to the right side for Carter, forgets about Lewis and moves over to help SS Brown with Carter. Not noticing Lewis running free, Danny follows the plan and lofts the pass toward his big TE. But the QB doesn't put enough loft on the ball, and it comes down short. McDowell jumps in front of Brown and knocks the ball down. Miami 26 FSU 25
  The Noles try an onside kick, but the Canes recovered. Walsh takes a knee twice to end the game.

As soon as the game ends, Sebastian the Ibis, Miami's mascot, holds up a sign proclaming STATE CHAMPIONS. Irvin takes a turn walking the field with the sign.

Video of the game - 1st Half | 2nd Half

Statistics

• Offensive plays: FSU 84 Miami 53
• Time of possession: FSU 40:32 Miami 19:28
• First downs: FSU 25, Miami 11
• Rushing yards: FSU 225 Miami 52
• Total yards: FSU 426, Miami 306
• Return yards: FSU 187, Miami 27

The 426y the Hurricanes allowed is just 3 short of the combined total gained by Florida and Arkansas in the first two contests.

The victory extended Miami's nation-best regular season winning streak to 24 and its road winning streak to 17.

Florida State

• Bowden immediately gathered his players in the locker room. The first thing I need to do is apologize to you. But his men overwhelmingly refused to accept the apologize.
  Nearly 20 years later, Pat Carter, the target of the errant pass, told Bowden biographer Mike Freeman: There is not a player I played with, still to this day, that regrets going for it. Coach Bowden did exactly what we wanted to do as a team, and you know unfortunately the play just didn't work.
  LeRoy Butler, a sophomore FS in '87, concurred. Going for it was the right call. I wouldn't have changed a thing. (Not even the play call?)
  But Bobby still regretted the decision. Knowing what I know now, I'd kick it. Back in those days, I had never gone for a tie, and I let that get the best of me. If we had kicked, we might have won a national championship. I ain't tying, and I ain't ever going to tie. It was just a macho kind of thing.
  On his apology: I felt like I had let them down. And they said, "Oh no, we want­ed to go for it." They made me feel a little better.
  Bowden also said of the 1987 Miami game: I've never been involved with a game where there was more talent on a college football field. Ten first round draft choices played in the game.
• Bowden: I really don't know how we lost this one. I didn't think we deserved to lose it. If you would have told me Miami would have beat us because of the kicking game, I wouldn't have believed it. ... Our field goal and extra point teams did not produce. We would have wrapped up the ballgame if they had. I don't care how well Miami played, we could have wrapped it up where they couldn't have come back. Asked about the 2-point, the FSU coach immediately second-guessed himself. If I had it to do over, I'd kick it for the tie.
• But McManus supported the decision. We don't practice ties. I didn't spend all that time sweating during two-a-days to play for a tie. Danny praised his unit. Our offense is a high-caliber offense. We were able to run, and we were able to throw, and we did that against them last year. Miami has a great defense ... But we have a great offense, and people sometimes forget that.
• Smith, one of the players on the sideline who persuaded Bowden to change his mind: I know all the guyson this team would much rather have a win than a tie. It was the right decision, the only one to make. After gaining 189y on 30 carries, Sammie looked on the bright side. We proved a lot of things today. People said you couldn't run on Miami, but we showed we can run on anybody. I don't know where some of those holes came from, but there were some big ones today.
• Schmidt: I was having a lot of trouble with the wind. I should have made all those I missed. But it's not something you can dwell on. If you do, you'll kill yourself. The wind was coming in strong from the open end, and I as having trouble judging it.
• Mickey Andrews: We had three major mistakes, and they came away with 23 points. He was referring to the two Irvin TDs and the Braxton TD.
• Dodge, victimized on Irvin's first long TD reception that turned the game around: It was like someone turned the lights off and turned them back on.
• Mayhew, also burned by Irvin: Our defensive philosophy is just to make sure no team breaks the big play against us. No team is going to drive up the field on us. But Miami broke the big plays, and that's all they needed. We've got nothing to be ashamed. We played a good football game. We prove we are a real good football team, and we're going to be 10-1. We're not going to get down because of this loss. It'll just make us work harder.

Miami

• Johnson: I'm so proud of our guys. They would not quit. We were down and pulled together. When that happens, no one can beat us. For the last three years, Florida State has had the lead on us at the half, and we've come back to beat them in the fourth quarter. ... I don't think about championships yet. But I know this win puts us on a different plateau. After FSU moved the ball on his team like no other this season, Jimmy rated his team's defensive perform­ance "way below par." I didn't have to look at the films to tell. When someone moves the ball on you like that, you know someething is wrong.
• Irvin: There is no star syndrome on this team this year. This game is a confi­dence-builder and a character-builder for us. When we're down, we're up. We play so together - like a family. ... When they got ahead like that, the crowd was get­ting real wordy. But I just kept telling Steve to get me the ball. Steve's an in­telligent QB; he got me the ball. I know Steve has a lot of confidence in me. We worked out together all summer, and he knows what I can do.
• Walsh: Every game I get a little more confidence. This win shows us a lot about this team. We've got a lot of good athletes on offense. It's just a matter of ma­king the plays. We all knew it was just a matter of time before things started going our way. Michael came through with the big plays.
• Bratton: We knew this would make or break our season. If we lost, it would have been a big hump to get over in our other games.
• Bennie Blades: We like playing under adversity. I just hope we don't get this much of it again for awhile.

Florida State did not lose another game in the regular season to make Mayhew's prediction come true.

• Ranked #3, they defeated #5 Nebraska in the Fiesta Bowl 31-28.
• The Hurricanes completed their regular season undefeated and ranked #1. They then beat #2 Oklahoma 20-14 in the Orange Bowl.
• When the post-bowl poll came out, the Canes were a unanimous #1 while the Seminoles finished #2. This marked the first time since the Associated Press poll began in 1936 that the top two teams in the final rankings hailed from the same state.
• We'll never know what would have happened if Bowden had kicked the point to end the game with a tie. Perhaps the Canes and Noles would have met again in the Orange Bowl for the national championship.

When Florida State met Alabama in the "River City Showdown" in Jackson­ville September 29, 2007, many story lines connected the two teams.

First of all, FSU Coach Bobby Bowden grew up in Birmingham and idolized the Crimson Tide as a boy.

• Alabama was my school. I moved away from Alabama 40-something years ago, but that's always been my team, explained the 77-year-old coach.
• After a standout prep career at Woodlawn High School, where he threw jump passes like Bama All-American Harry Gilmer, Bowden played freshman football for UA before moving to Howard College (now Samford). Later, as Howard's head coach (1959-62), he often visited Bear Bryant's practices.
• In 1986, after Bobby spent ten seasons as head Seminole, the Ala­bama job came open when Ray Perkins, Bear's successor, left for the NFL. Bobby was strongly interested in the job, but the school administration looked elsewhere.
  Bobby felt his record at Florida State since taking over a moribund program in 1976 qualified him for the Alabama job. I was from there. I just thought that's where I was supposed to go. I thought that's the way God meant it to be, to end up back at my home. He told a promi­nent Tide booster that he would accept the position if offered but would not go through an interview process. When the UA president insisted he interview for the job like all the other candidates, Bobby said "Thanks, but no thanks." Recalling his unprecedented run of 14 straight 10-win seasons from 1987-2000, Bobby considered his in­terest in the Alabama job "the best move I never made." I was al­ways reluctant to follow Bear Bryant. I knew Alabama would never lose the Bryant thing. That's his. This is different down here. This is mine. Bobby's wife, Ann, added: Even today, look in the stands at an Alabama game. Whose hat is everyone wearing? It's Bear Bryant's checkered hat. ... They have not gotten over Bear Bryant. That will always be Bear Bryant's team, his program, and nobody will ever surpass it. (Ann could not know then that new coach Nick Saban would do just that.)
• Adding to the interschool connections, Bowden's long-time D-coordina­tor Mickey Andrews played for the Bear.

A number of the Alabama players grew up as Florida State fans - and not just the ones from Florida.

• Receiver D. J. Hall, from Fort Walton Beach FL, said, I grew up watching Florida State. I was a die-hard Seminole. But he went to Tuscaloosa when his beloved team didn't offer him a scholarship.
• FSU also ignored returner Javier Arenas, a Tampa native. He said he didn't hold any grudges but wanted his performance in the upcoming game to stand for itself.
• LT Andre Smith, widely regarded as Bama's best player, lived in a Florida State room in his Birmingham bouse. Heavily recruited by the Noles, he nearly committed there until his mom advised him to take all his visits. C Antoine Caldwell, from Montgomery, tried to emulate Pe­ter Warrick's moves. I enjoyed everything they did at Florida State - the colors, the spirits. But don't get me wrong. Alabama is where I want to be. DE Wallace Gilberry, from Bay Minette AL, who did the toma­hawk chop in his living room, expressed similar sentiments. To have the opportunity to play against these guys is definitely an honor, he admit­ted, but you never let that get in the way of the task at hand. LB Darren Mustin, a Brentwood TN native, explained: We were born in the '80s and started growing up in the '90s. It was Nebraska and Florida State. Nebraska's way out there, but Florida is, "Whoo, that's where we go on vacation." So we wanted Florida State (to win). When I was little, I ran around the house doing the tomahawk chop.

Although the 2007 Crimson Tide and Seminoles did not resemble the jug­gernauts of the Bryant or 1980s-90s Bowden eras, a record crowd was expected for the fourth meeting between the two schools.

• Two years after a 21-0 defeat in Tuscaloosa, the 1967 Seminoles surprised the word by tying Bryant's Crimson Tide 37-37 in the sea­son opener. Bama also won an 8-7 struggle in 1974 on a FG with 33 seconds left after FSU took an intentional safety.
  Bowden had never coached against Alabama, although it wasn't for lack of trying. He told the press that one of the first things he did when he arrived at FSU in 1976 was to invite Bear Bryant to Talla­hassee for a round of golf. The idea was to get a game with Alabama, Bobby remembered. We were an independent back in those days. But coach Bryant said, "No, I'm not playing Florida State. As long as I'm the athletic director, I'll never play Florida State." So the Seminoles never got another game with the Tide until 24 years after Bear's death.
• The two Shootout coaches had captured three national championships between them. Nick Saban, in his first year at the Capstone after a two year dalliance with the Miami Dolphins, had won the 2003 BCS Championship with LSU while Bowden's teams had finished #1 in the polls after the 1993 season before winning the 1999 BCS Champion­ship and losing in the title game two other times.
• The '07 edition of the Seminoles started with a 24-16 loss to Clemson, then defeated UAB 34-24 and Colorado 16-6 before enjoy­ing an off week. Saban's bunch sported a 3-1 record and #22 ranking, the loss having come to Georgia 26-23 in Game 4.
• The betting line listed FSU a 2-point favorite.

Pregame discussion centered on Florida State's stagnant offense and off­the-field distractions.

• The Seminoles had reached ten wins only once in the past six sea­sons and was trying to rebound from a difficult 2006 season when Bowden's son, Jeff, was forced to resign as offensive coordinator in the face of relentless criticism from restless Seminoles boosters.
• Further, news had just broken several days before the game that 23 FSU athletes were implicated in cheating on online tests. Two athletic department academic assistance employees resigned. (The scandal would eventually force the university to vacate eleven victories of the 2006 and 2007 football seasons.)
• The Seminole offense had averaged only 22.6 points in the first three games.
• Junior QB Drew Weatherford had started all three games but hadn't played well at Colorado, completing only 8-of-18 for just 126y. The Seminoles garnered just 10 first downs to 21 for the Buffaloes and converted just one of 13 third down opportunities. But the Garnet and Gold defense held UC to just two FGs and -27y rushing.
• Alabama QB John Parker Wilson, also a junior, had not experienced that great a game in his last outing either. He had also completed less than 50% of his passes against Georgia (17-for-35) with 0 TDs. The Tide was a painful 3-for-15 in 3rd down conversions.
• Which offense would shake the doldrums in Jacksonville?

Throughout the first half, the answer was, "Neither."

• Q1: The Tomahawk Chop defense attacked from the beginning, con­trolling the line of scrimmage and stuffing the Bama rushing game. The pressure caused Wilson to throw too high to his receivers or to dump the ball off for short gains.
  The Tide went three and out on their first four possessions and punt­ed on their first ten. The eleventh ended with a fumble. Punter P. J. Fitzgerald would set a single-game personal high for kicks with 10.
  Unfortunately, the Seminoles didn't do much better, causing O-coordi­nator Jimbo Fisher, who had been Saban's coordinator at LSU and who turned down Nick's invitation to be his coordinator at Bama, ex­perimented at QB. Weatherford started, but, after the Noles gained a first down, freshman D'Vontrey Richardson took the shotgun snap and tried a draw for -1y. Late in the quarter, receiver Preston Parker took a shotgun snap and ran for a first down.
  With Alabama facing a 20 mph wind that affected passing and punting during the first 15 minutes, FSU had good field position throughout the period. With 4:47 left, after the Noles gained their second and third first downs, Gary Cismesia tried a 47y FG that sailed wide right.
  FSU ended the period with just three first downs but that was three more than the Crimson Tide.

• Q2: Bama finally got its initial first down on their first possession of the period.
  When FSU received a punt with 10:34 left, 6'4" 234lb Xavier Lee took over for Weatherford, who was 7-for-11 for only 42y. With two weeks to prepare him, Fisher had tailored a spread offense for Lee, who hadn't played a down since his mistake-prone performance against Wake Forest the previous No­vember.
  Lee had been a 5-star recruit from Daytona Beach in 2004. After redshirting his first season, he played sparingly for two years, completing 89-of-178. That didn't prevent the Seminole faithful, frustrated with Weatherford's mediocre production, from calling for the dual-threat Lee to take over.
  Knowing that FSU had a QB controversy, Alabama had prepared for Lee. S Rashad Johnson: We were sure we'd see him. We definitely knew when he came in the game, he was a guy they ran the option with, the type to keep it instead of pitching it. We did some things and knew what he could and couldn't do.
  But Xavier didn't set the world on fire the rest of the half. His best play was a 9y run with 40 seconds left.
  Alabama finally crossed midfield late in the period but ended the half with three first downs and 78y. That was just 11 less than FSU.
  Interviewed as left the field, Bowden said, If neither team makes a mistake, the game's going to end up nothing-nothing.

• Q3: Receiving the kickoff with the wind (Saban electing to have the advan­tage in Q4), Lee completed back-to-back passes to De'Cody Fagg and Greg Carr for 14 and 28 to put the pigskin on the Bama 25, FSU's deepest pene­tration thus far. Three more plays made it 1st-and-10 at the 15. Lee ran for 8, then, after a no gain play, fired a pass to Fagg in the left EZ to break the ice.
  FSU 7 Bama 0 (10:50 left in the period)
  During the drive, CBS commentator Gary Danielson pointed out that FSU took more precautions to hide their sideline signals to the QB. Three large players screened the Bama sideline while an assistant holding up a towel to block the view of anyone in the press box.
  Terry Grant ran for 13y on the first play after the kickoff, but the next three snaps gained only 6.
  On the first play after the punt, Lee fired a beautiful pass to Carr, who took it in stride down the right sideline for 58y to put the Noles back in business at the 29. But Xavier showed his inexperience three plays later when he threw a pass down the middle right into the hands of LB Prince Hall at the 7 to end the threat.
  The Tide then embarked on their longest drive of the game so far. Nine plays moved them to the FSU 25. But an 8y sack on 3rd down put them out of FG range against the wind, and Fitzgerald kicked into the EZ.
  At the end of the period, Alabama's offensive production consisted of seven first downs and 147y.

• Q4: After the teams traded punts, a sequence of four bad plays led to FSU's second TD. First, Arenas fumbled Graham Gano's punt out of bounds at his 13. On first down, Wilson was sacked for a 5y loss. On the next snap, he threw too long for Mike McCoy. Then came the most fateful mistake of all. FSU's Everette Brown beat RT Mike Johnson off the ball and flushed Wilson out of the pocket to his left. He had time to throw the ball away as he ran to his left until Brown caught up with him and forced a fumble that DT Letroy Guion covered at the 5.
  It took only one play to double the lead. Antone Smith ran past LB Hall around LE to pay dirt.
  FSU 14 Bama 0 (9:03)
  Somehow, the Crimson O finally came to life on the next possession even though it didn't start auspiciously. Arenas fumbled the kickoff and was tackled at the 9. In desperation, 29-year-old O-coordinator Major Apple­white went to a hurry-up, two-minute attack that produced a 13-play TD drive. Wilson completed 6 of 7, including a 7y connection on fourth down to DJ Hall, who leaped to snare the ball and just barely get one foot down in the back of the EZ to put Bama on the board.
  FSU 14 Bama 7 (5:04)
  The Seminoles put the dagger in the Tide on the first play after the kickoff. With the secondary in man-to-man defense, Lee threw a "hitch route" to Fagg. RCB Marquis Johnson went for the ball and missed. That allowed the receiver to stiff-arm him and sprint down the left sideline for a 71y TD.
  FSU 21 Bama 7 (4:46)
  Wilson moved his team to midfield But a 4th down pass misfired to turn the ball over. FSU went three-and-out but forced Alabama to use its three timeouts. Gano got off a terrible punt that bounced backwards for only 12y net.
  With FSU playing a "prevent defense" with only three rushers, the Tide drove 60y for a score in eight plays, Wilson connecting with Keith Brown at the goal line for the final 17.
  FSU 21 Bama 14 (1:06)
  Alabama fans got excited when Kareem Jackson recovered the onside kick and ran to theBama 49. But, alas, the ball hit Jimmy Johns' helmet before it traveling 10y. The penalty gave the ball to FSU, which ran out the clock as the Seminole fans in the crowd of 85,412, knowing how much this game meant to him, chanted "Bobby Bowden."

Richard Goodman reaches for a pass.

Antone Smith runs in Q1.

Drew Weatherford pitches out to Smith.

John Parker Wilson runs in Q2.

Wilson throws Q2 pass.

Xavier Lee runs.

Lee throws a Q3 pass.

Smith tackled by Lorenzo Washington and Mike Johnson

Guion celebrates his Q4 fumble recovery at the 5.

Smith scores FSU TD #2.

Fagg outruns Marquis Johnson for FSU TD #3.

Saban and Bowden meet at midfield.

Weatherford and Wilson talk after the game.