The Miami Hurricanes are hitting new highs in every game under Mario Cristobal. It’s no secret that the program has been mediocre (or worse) for much of the past quarter-century, but with this CFP run, things are moving in a positive direction.
If you’re looking for hope for the future, looking to the past is a good option. That’s what we’re going to do today.
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Miami has only been to the Cotton Bowl once before, but I’m sure you’ve heard of or remember this one. Even if you’re a young fan/reader, you know the game I’m talking about: the 1991 Cotton Bowl against the Texas Longhorns.
We cover this game in our article Miami Hurricanes “The Game We Love” feature returns in summer 2018everything we said about the game still stands. The game was a great one, with the Hurricanes wreaking truly epic havoc against a strong but under-talented Longhorns team.
Miami won its second national championship in three years during the 1990 regular season. They just won a ring in head coach Dennis Erickson’s first season, were ranked No. 1 this year, have a ton of talent returning, and have won 3 championships in the last 7 seasons. This was definitely a championship-caliber team…but things didn’t go that way.
The Miami Heat lost to lowly BYU in the opener and lost to Notre Dame midway through the year. They won the remaining games, including a 31-22 victory over No. 2 Florida State (haha, stupid), and finished the regular season 9-2. The Canes missed out on an Orange Bowl berth by Notre Dame (who beat Miami, so they’re legitimately eligible. Sound familiar?!) and thus won’t be in the conversation for another national championship.
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As a consolation, Miami was scheduled to face Texas in the Cotton Bowl. The Longhorns enter with a 10-1 record, their only loss coming against the Colorado Buffaloes, who share the national title with Georgia Tech. With Miami ranked fourth and Texas ranked third, the Cotton Bowl is the biggest bowl game, even if it doesn’t decide the national championship.
The game was over before it even started. Robert Bailey knocked down a Texas returner on the opening kickoff, and the game was clinching from that point on. The Miami Heat won their largest Cotton Bowl victory ever, 46-3.
However, this is not the case. Miami, fuming over the Orange Bowl snub, let their emotions and personalities flow in a regular way. The Canes celebrated every one of their plays that day, totaling 16 penalties and 202 yards, a record that still stands.
The NCAA hates (and hates) Miami and its arrogant attitude, breaking with the CFB’s longstanding establishment by creating a new rule that penalizes celebrations and other “unsportsmanlike conduct.” This became known as the Miami Rule, which still exists in the NCAA rule book today. Have you ever seen a player punished for celebrating? This is the Miami rule that is still in place today.
So, in Miami’s first and only appearance in the Cotton Bowl, they left a top-five opponent hurt, humiliated and humiliated. When Miami returns to the Cotton Bowl (instead of the stadium), they hope to do something similar against Ohio State.
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No, I’m not predicting a 46-3 blowout by Miami in this game (although I’m definitely going to win!), where the Canes will make another big statement in this game that helps solidify their status as college football’s bad boys.
Then, Miami faced the No. 3 team in the country. Now, they face the No. 2 team in the country. Next, they faced Texas, a national brand with championship aspirations. Now, their opponent is Ohio State, a national brand that is the defending national champion and looking to win again.
The one thing holding them both back in the Cotton Bowl is the Miami Hurricanes.
The Miami Hurricanes have put on a legendary performance in the Cotton Bowl that will stand the test of time. Hopefully there will be another one in two days.