College Football Old School Game of the Week: Kosar Leads Miami to Win over Florida in Furious Finish

Bernie Kosar completed 25 of 33 passes for 300 yards and threw one touchdown in the Hurricanes' win over the Gators.

 Anytime the Miami Hurricanes and Florida Gators play each other, emotions are always high as the two intra-state schools vie for superiority in the Sunshine State.

But their 1984 meeting had emotions ramped up for different for the two schools as they meet in Tampa Bay to play in Tampa Stadium on September 1, 1984.

The Hurricanes entered the game ranked #10 in the country having played a game already as they defeated the Auburn Tigers 20-18 in the Kickoff Classic in East Rutherford, New Jersey.

The Hurricanes were the defending national champions following their legendary 31-30 upset win over  the Nebraska Cornhuskers in the Orange Bowl led by quarterback Bernie Kosar and head coach Howard Schellenberger.

However, Schellenberger would resign as Miami head coach to become the president and head coach of a Miami franchise in the USFL, which never materialized, and was replaced by Oklahoma State head coach Jimmy Johnson.

Despite the chance at head coach, the Hurricanes hoped to repeat as national champions and defeat the Gators for the first time since 1981 as Florida handed Miami its only loss of the 1983 season, a 28-3 drubbing in Gainesville.

Things were not so sunny in Gainesville as the Florida Gators football program was in turmoil as the NCAA was investigating the team for violations such as paying players and spying on other teams' practices.

Shortly before the start of the season, head coach Charley Pell announced that he would step down at the end of the 1984 season as Florida was prepared to get its season underway when four days before their first game, quarterback Dale Dorminey, who was set to be the team's starting quarterback, suffered a serious knee injury and was lost for the season.

This led to Pell to call on redshirt freshman Kerwin Bell to be inserted as the Gators quarterback as he would lead an offense which featured future NFL running backs Neal Anderson, Lorenzo Hampton, and John L. Williams as well as offensive tackle Lomas Brown, anchoring the offensive line which was nicknamed the "Great Wall of Florida".

The Gators would get the ball to start the game but they would mishandle the opening kickoff as  Hampton would take it out from four yards deep in the end zone only to be tackled at the Florida five-yard-line.

The Gators would go three-and-out to punt the ball to the Hurricanes who would take over at the Florida 43-yard-line and drive 31 yards in six plays to set up a 29-yard field goal by Greg Cox to give Miami a 3-0 lead with 9:59 left in the first quarter.

Following an exchange of punts, the Gators got the ball at their 29-yard-line as Bell would complete his first pass of his collegiate career on the drive, a nine-yard pass to Anderson, on a drive which saw Anderson run for 22 yards and Bell complete a 14-yard pass to Ricky Nattiel to give Florida a 1st & goal at the Miami three-yard-line.

However, the Gators would go backwards as a clipping penalty and a quarterback sack by Hurricanes defensive lineman Joe Kohlbrand would push Florida back to the Miami 27-yard-line as Bobby Raymond would come to on to kick a 44-yard field goal to tie the game 3-3 as the first quarter came to an end.

The Hurricanes would go three-and-out on their ensuing possession to give the ball back to the Gators at their 36-yard-line when Hampton took a handoff from Bell to the left side of the field with the help of some great blocking, ran untouched for a 64-yard touchdown to give Florida a 10-3 lead just 71 seconds into the second quarter.

The Hurricanes would respond by driving down to the Florida three-yard-line as Kosar completed five consecutive passes until he threw an incomplete pass on 3rd & goal forcing the Canes to settle for a 20-yard field goal by Cox that cut the Gators' lead to 10-6 with 9:46 left in the second quarter.

The Miami defense would force the first turnover of the game on the Gators' next offensive possession as Hurricanes linebacker John McVeigh knocked the ball loose from Bell when the freshman quarterback was trying to scramble, leading to a fumble recovery by fellow Miami linebacker Bruce Fleming at the Florida 45-yard-line.

Five plays later, the Hurricanes were in the end zone as running back Daryl Oliver took a pitchout to the right side and broke three tacklers on his way to a 21-yard touchdown to give Miami a 13-10 lead with 6:37 to go in the second quarter.

After another Florida punt, the Hurricanes would again drive down the field on the right arm of Kosar as he completed five passes in a row during the 10-play, 80-yard drive which culminated with another Cox Field goal, this one from 27 yards out with 16 seconds left before halftime to increase the Miami lead to 16-10.

In his first collegiate start, Florida quarterback Kerwin Bell completed 15 of 30 passes for 159 yards.

The Hurricanes would get the ball to start the second half as they drove from their eight-yard-line to the Gators' two-yard-line thanks in large part to four Florida penalties for 30 yards where they had a 3rd & goal when Kosar was sacked by Florida defensive end Patrick Miller, forcing Miami to settle for another Cox field goal, a 25-yarder which increased the Hurricanes' lead to 19-10.

Having giving up 16 unanswered points, the Gators' offense needed to respond which they did as they relied on their running game to drive down the field on its next possession as Anderson and Williams combined to run for 45 of the 59 yards on the 17-play drive which ended with a 30-yard field goal by Raymond to cut the Miami lead to 19-13 with 46 seconds left in the third quarter.

Following a Miami punt, the Gators would drive to the Hurricanes' 27-yard-line as Bell completed a 16-yard pass to wide receiver Frankie Neal and Williams ran twice for 17 yards to put Florida in position to retake the lead with a touchdown and an extra point.

It looked like the Gators were going to get that touchdown when Bell completed a 22-yard pass to Gary Rolle only to have Calhoun strip the ball loose as Darrell Fullington would recover the fumble at the Miami one-yard-line to end the Florida scoring threat with 11:50 left in the fourth quarter.

The Hurricanes would drive to their 31-yard-line until they were forced to punt when disater struck as punter Rich Tuten dropped the snap and tried to run for the first down to only be knocked out of bounds at the Miami 29-yard-line to give the Gators a golden opportunity.

However, the Miami defense would not allow a yard on the next three plays, leading Pell to call on Raymond to attempt a 46-yard field goal that cut the six-point in half to three.

But Raymond's kick was short which kept the score at 19-13 in favor of Miami with 6:09 remaining in the game.

The Florida defense would force the Hurricanes to punt on their ensuing possession to give their offense the ball at their 48-yard-line with 4:27 left in the game with a chance to drive down for the winning score..

After a false start penalty pushed the Gators back five yards, Bell completed a 16-yard pass to Ray McDonald to give Florida a 1st down at the Miami 41-yard-line.

Bell would then hand the ball off to Williams who picked up six yards to set up 2nd & 4 when Anderson was stopped for no gain which was followed by an incomplete pass to set up 4th & 4 when Bell connected with McDonald again this time for eight yards to give the Gators a fresh set of downs at the Miami 27-yard-line.

A holding penalty on the Hurricanes would give Florida 10 free yards to the Miami 17-yard-line as a five-yard run by Anderson and two incomplete passes later would force a 4th & 5 situation when Bell kept the ball himself and seven yards for the 1st down as the Gators would have a 1st & goal situation at the Miami five-yard-line.

That is when Bell lofted a pass to the right corner of the end zone where a wide open Neal made the catch for the touchdown to tie the game at 19 as Raymond would come on to kick the go-ahead extra point to give Florida a 20-19 lead with 41 seconds to play in the game.

Oliver would return the ensuing kickoff 16 yards to the Miami 28-yard-line as Kosar and the Hurricane offense came onto the field with 36 seconds left on the clock and all three timeouts in their pockets.

The drive would begin with Kosar finding tight end Willie Smith for 36 yards as he was able to get out of bounds with 28 seconds left after catching his 11th pass of the game to put the Hurricanes at the Florida 36-yard-line.

Kosar would then hit Eddie Brown for 17 yards as the Hurricanes would spend their first timeout with 22 seconds remaining.

Then, Kosar would complete a short four-yard pass to Oliver, who stepped out of bounds at the 15-yard-line with 17 seconds to go, then carried for three more yards to set up 3rd & 3 at the Florida 12-yard-line when Miami spent its second timeout with 12 seconds remaining.

It seemed like that the Hurricanes were just going to run the ball one more time, then call timeout and call on Cox to win the game with a last-second field goal.

However, Kosar convinced his coaches on the sidelines to try and score the winning touchdown with a pass into the end zone.

The Miami coaches complied as Kosar would throw a pass toward the left corner of the end zone for Brown who made the catch for the 12-yard touchdown to complete the stunning five-play, 72-yard drive in 29 seconds as the Hurricanes took a 26-20 lead with seven seconds to go.

Florida would get one last play at the end of the game but Bell's desperation pass was picked off by Tolbert Bain who would return the interception for a 59-yard touchdown as time expired to make the final margin of victory a little deceiving of how close the game really was and Miami came away with the 32-20 win.

Pell would not survive until the end of the season as he hoped as he was fired following the third game of the season after the NCAA announced that the Gators had committed 107 infractions.

Pell was replaced by offensive coordinator Galen Hall who led the Gators to an eight-game winning streak as Florida would finish the regular season as SEC Champions with a 9-1-1 overall record.

However, the Gators would be ineligible to play in that year's Sugar Bowl and to make matters worse would have to vacate the SEC title a few months later as it would not be until 1991 when Florida officially won its first SEC championship with Spurrier as the head coach.

Meanwhile in Miami, the Hurricanes would vault from #10 to #1 in the country following their win over Florida, only to lose the following week to the Michigan Wolverines 22-14, the first of what would be five losses in the season which included a 42-40 loss to Maryland after blowing a 31-0 halftime lead and a 47-45 loss to Boston College in the famous "Hail Flutie" game.

Kosar would finish the season with 3,642 yards and 25 touchdowns as he would finish 4th in the Heisman Trophy race as Bernie would be selected by the Cleveland Browns in the 1985 NFL supplemental draft where he led the Browns to three AFC Championship game appearances in four years.

As for the series between the Gators and the Hurricanes, their annual matchup would end following the 1987 season as the two teams have played seven times since then as of 2024.

NFL Old School Game of the Week: Browns Prevail over Jets in the "Marathon By The Lake"

When it comes to the Cleveland Browns and the NFL playoffs, they think of the excuriating losses the franchise has endured like "Red Right 88" when Browns quarterback Brian Sipe was intercepted in the end zone by Oakland Raiders safety Mike Davis in the final seconds when Clevland was in field goal range for a game-winning field goal as they lost their 1980 AFC Divisional Playoff 14-12 or the Browns blowing a 17-point lead to the Pittsburgh Steelers in the 2002 AFC Wild Card Round to lose 36-33.

But on January 4, 1987, the Cleveland Browns would find themselves on the winning end of an epic playoff game that would become known as the "Marathon By The Lake" as they faced the New York Jets in the Divisional Round.

The Browns came into the playoffs with a 12-4 record to earn the #1 seed in the AFC and home field advantage throughout the AFC playoffs.

The Browns were led by head coach Marty Schottenheimer who was in his second full season as the Cleveland head coach after taking over from former head coach Sam Rutigliano midway through the 1984 season.

The Browns also had one of the top young quarterbacks in the league in Bernie Kosar who was in his second year in the league and had led the Browns to the 1985 AFC Central Division title in his rookie year.

However, the Browns were blow a 21-3 lead and lose to the Miami Dolphins 24-21 as Kosar criticized Schottenheimer after the game for their conservative, run-oriented attack while holding a 18-point lead.

This would lead to a change in offensive philosophy for the Browns in 1986 as Kosar threw for 3,854 yards during the regular season as the Browns won eight of their last nine games to earn the top seed in the AFC.

While the Browns came into the playoffs on fire, the Jets came ice cold as they had dropped their last five games of the regular season to finish with a 10-6 record and a Wild Card spot.

A slew of injuries to starting quarterback Ken O'Brien, defensive end Mark Gastineau, and defensive tackle Joe Klecko had led to a five-game losing streak to end the regular season as the Jets were outscored 183-61 as head coach Joe Walton's team limped into the playoffs, the team's fourth in six seasons.

In the AFC Wild Card Game, Pat Ryan started in place of O'Brien, where the backup quarterback's 24-yard run on a 4th down quarterback draw in the 1st quarter sparked the Jets to a 35-15 win over the Kansas City Chiefs and send them on the shores of Lake Erie to take on the Browns in a Divisional Playoff game for the ages.

After the Jets went three-and-out to start the game, the Browns got the ball at their 44-yard-line where on 2nd & 9, Kosar connected with tight end Ozzie Newsome for nine yards and a 1st down which became a 24-yard play when New York defensive end Marty Lyons was called for a personal foul penalty, giving the Browns 15 extra yards as they had a 1st down at the Jets 31-yard-line.

The Jets' defense would stiffen and hold the Browns to just two yards on the next three plays to force a 46-yard field goal attempt by Mark Moseley, which fell short of the uprights and no good to keep the game scoreless.

Following an exchange of punts, the Jets had the ball at their 18-yard-line when Ryan connected with Al Toon for 28 yards on the first play of the drive to give New York a 1st down at their 46-yard-line.

Then after picking up another 1st down, the Jets went into their bag of tracks as Ryan handed the ball off to McNeil, only to have the running back throw a backwards lateral back to Ryan, who then fired a pass for a wide open Wesley Walker, who made the catch for a 42-yard touchdown to put New York on top 7-0 with 5:05 left in the first quarter.

The Browns would then get poor field position for their next possession as Gerald McNeil mishandled the ensuing kickoff, leading to Cleveland to begin the drive at its own two-yard-line.

However, Kosar would get the Browns out of the jam quickly as he connected with Newsome for passes of 21 and 23 yards to get Cleveland to midfield.

A nine-yard pass to Harry Holt and an offsides penalty gave the Browns a 1st down at the Jets' 37-yard-line when Kosar dropped back and found Herman Fontenot for a 37-yard touchdown to tie the game at 7 with 1:44 to go in the opening period.

Browns quarterback  Bernie Kosar would throw for a then Playoff record 489 yards on 33-of-64 passing.

The score remained 7-7 in the second quarter when on a 3rd & 6 from the Jets eight-yard-line, Ryan would be sacked by Browns linebacker Chip Banks and defensive end Reggie Camp for an one-yard-loss which forced an New York punt, but even worse led to Ryan limp off the field with a pulled groin.

The Jets would punt the the ball back to the Browns who took over at exactly the 50-yard-line when Kosar hit three passes in a row: a 13-yarder to Newsome, a 3-yarder to Fontenot, and a 25-yarder to Mack to give Cleveland a 1st & goal at the New York nine-yard-line.

But an holding penalty would push the Browns 10 yards back and eventually kill the drive as Moseley was forced to come on and kick a 38-yard field goal to give Cleveland a 10-7 lead with 5:51 left in the second quarter.

When the Jets' offense come onto the field for their next possession, O' Brien came onto the field with them, replacing Ryan. 

O'Brien's first pass was complete to Toon for 11 yards but the Jets would be forced to punt again when McNeil was dropped for a three-yard loss on 3rd & 1.

The Jets would get the ball back at their 31-yard-line with 89 seconds left in the first half and a chance to pick up some points before halftime.

O'Brien scrambled for nine yards to begin the drive, then after a sack by Camp that dropped him for a three-yard loss, found McNeil for 12 yards and a 1st down at the Jets' 49-yard-line.

Soon, the Jets would be faced with a 4th & 4 at the Cleveland 45-yard-line when Walton decided not to punt the ball away and go for the 1st down.

The gamble paid off as O'Brien scrambled for 16 yards to set up Pat Leahy's 46-yard field goal that tied the game at 10 as the first half came to a close.

The Browns would get the ball to start the second half but would go three-and-out, giving the ball back to the Jets who took over at the Browns' 41-yard-line.

From there, McNeil would carry the ball three straight times, gaining 23 yards until he was dropped for a two-yard loss on his fourth straight carry.

Two incomplete passes would force the Jets to settle for another Leahy field goal, this one from 37 yards out to give New York a 13-10 lead with 10:57 left in the third quarter.

The Browns would get the ball back at their 28-yard-line but would quickly be in New York territory as Kosar connected with Holt for a 33-yard completion on 3rd & 1 to give Cleveland a 1st down at the Jets' 30-yard-line.

But the Jets' defense would hold to force a 44-yard field goal attempt by Moseley which sailed wide left to keep the score 13-10 in the Jets' favor.

The two teams would trade punts into the fourth quarter when the Browns got the ball at the 50-yard-line when one play after Mack was dropped for a two-yard-loss on 1st down, Kosar found Newsome for 34 yards and a Cleveland 1st down at the Jets' 18-yard-line.

The Browns would pick up another 1st down when Jets cornerback Russell Carter was called for pass interference to give Cleveland a 1st & goal at the 10-yard-line.

After two runs by Mack that picked up eight yards, Carter would atone for his mistake as he intercepted a Kosar pass intended for Webster Slaughter in the corner of the end zone to stop the Browns from at least tying the game and giving the ball back to the Jets who took over at their 20-yard-line with just over nine minutes left in the fourth quarter.

The Jets would drive to the Cleveland 43-yard-line before punting the ball back to the Browns who took over at their 17-yard-line with 4:31 to go in the fourth quarter.

But on 1st down, Kosar was intercepted again, this time by the Jets' other cornerback, Jerry Holmes on a pass intended for Fontenot to give New York the ball at the Browns' 25-yard-line.

That is when O'Brien handed the ball off to McNeil, who took it around the right side for a 25-yard touchdown to increase New York's lead to 20-10 with 4:14 left and leading Jets radio broadcaster and future ESPN anchor Charley Steiner to declare "The Jets are going to win this football game! The Jets are going to the AFC Championship Game!"

It certainly appeared that way as the Browns needed at least 10 points in the final four minutes of regulation to force overtime and had only one timeout left in their pocket.

Cleveland would begin its next possession at its 32-yard-line when an holding penalty pushed the Browns back 10 yards for 1st & 20 when Kosar was sacked by Lyons for a four-yard loss to set up 2nd & 24 at the Cleveland 18-yard-line.

The next play would see a pair of offsetting penalties forcing the two teams to replay 2nd & 24 when the turning point of the game.

Kosar would drop back and throw an incomplete pass only to have Gastineau dropped his helmet down and hit Kosar in the back to draw an roughing-the-passer penalty to not only give the Browns 15 yards but an automatic 1st down.

So instead of 3rd & 24 from the 18-yard-line, the Browns had a 1st & 10 from their 33-yard-line.

Mark Gastineau's late hit on Bernie Kosar gave the Browns new life as they trailed 20-10 with over four minutes left in regulation.

After two more incomplete passes, Kosar would get rolling as he hit Reggie Langhorne for 10 yards and a 1st down at the Browns' 43-yard-line, then connected with Langhorne again, this time for 13 yards and a 1st down at the Jets' 44-yard-line.

Kosar would then complete passes to Brian Brennan of 22 and 19 yards to set up 1st & goal at the three-yard-line where he connected Curtis Dickey for two yards before handing the ball off to Mack who punched it in for the one-yard touchdown to make it 20-17 with 1:57 left in regulation.

The Browns would attempt an onside kick but the Jets' Marion Barber recovered it at the Cleveland 45-yard-line as New York needed just one 1st down to ice the game.

But the Jets would lose three yards on three straight running plays to force a punt with 1:13 left that was downed at the Cleveland' seven-yard-line, only to have it nullified by a holding penalty on Barber to push the Jets back 10 yards and force them to re-kick.

This time, the punt traveled 36 yards and was returned by McNeil for 11 yards to give the Browns the ball at their 33-yard-line, a 26-yard chance in field position, with 51 seconds left and no timeouts remaining.

Kosar would throw a pass to Brennan which fell incomplete but drew a pass interference penalty on Jets defensive back Carl Howard, resulting in a 25-yard gain for the Browns and a 1st down at the New York 42-yard-line.

That is when Kosar dropped back and fired a deep pass for Slaughter, who made a sliding catch at the Jets' five-yard-line for a 37-yard completion to give Cleveland a 1st & goal.

As the Browns celebrated Slaughter's catch, Kosar tried to get the team lined up for a shot at the end zone which almost backfired as Kosar's pass for Slaughter was almost intercepted by Carter, who got one hand on the ball but could not complete the catch.

Following this near disaster, Schottenheimer sent in the field goal unit as Moseley kicked a 22-yard field goal to tie the game at 20 with seven seconds left in regulation.

Miraculously, the Browns had scored 10 points in the final two minutes to send the game into overtime.

The Jets won the coin toss and elected to receive but would go three-and-out to punt the ball back to the Browns who took over at their 26-yard-line.

Kosar would complete a six-yard pass to Fontenot to begin the drive which was followed by a five-yard run by Mack to pick up a 1st down at the Cleveland 37-yard-line.

After an incomplete pass on 1st down, Kosar would complete his next three passes for 23 yards to set up 2nd & 1 at the Jets' 40-yard-line when Kosar lofted a deep pass that was caught by Langhorne for a 35-yard gain to set up 1st & goal at the five-yard-line.

Schottenheimer decided to send in the field goal unit as Moseley would attempt a 23-yard chip shot to send the Browns to the AFC Championship Game.

But shockingly, Moseley's kick sailed wide right and no good keeping it 20-20 and giving the ball back to the Jets at their 20-yard-line.

Seemingly have found no life, the Jets' drive began with back-to-back passes from O'Brien as he hit tight end Mickey Shuler for seven yards and Toon for 12 yards for a New York 1st down at their 39-yard-line.

But a sack of O'Brien by Browns defensive end Carl Hairston, one of the Browns' playoff record nine sacks, for a seven-yard loss killed the drive and forced the Jets to punt the ball away.

After both teams went three-and-out on their ensuing possessions, the Browns would get the ball at their 31-yard-line with 2:38 left in the overtime session.

But since it was a playoff game, the Browns would have more than 2 1/2 minutes to win the game as NFL rules dictate that a postseason game must have a winner, so if more than one overtime period is needed, then so be it.

On this drive, it was time for the running game to take over as Mack picked up four yards on 3rd & 1 at the Cleveland 40-yard-line, then ran for eight more on 2nd & 4 to give the Browns a 1st down at the Jets' 42-yard-line.

An seven-yard run by Fontenot set up 3rd & 4 at the Jets' 35-yard-line as the second overtime began when Mack busted through to run for 15 yards and a 1st down at the New York 20-yard-line.

Mack would run the ball two more times gaining 11 yards before Schottenheimer called on Moseley again to attempt a 27-yard field goal.

This time, Moseley's kick sailed through the uprights 2:02 into the second overtime period to give Cleveland a 23-20 double overtime win and their first trip to the AFC Championship Game after winning the third longest game in NFL history.

Mark Moseley kicks the game-winning field goal in double overtime.

The loss to the Browns would begin a precipitous decline for the Jets as they would finish with only one winning season and one playoff appearance over the next decade.

As for the Browns, the high from their win over the Jets would be followed by a crushing low as they would lose to the Denver Broncos 23-20 in overtime with Broncos quarterback John Elway leading the Broncos on a 15-play, 98-yard touchdown drive in the final five minutes of regulation that would become known as "The Drive".

The two teams would meet again in the following year's AFC Championship Game where the Browns' hearts would be broken again when Byner looked to be on his way to the game-tying touchdown, only to have the ball knocked loose and recovered by Broncos defensive back Jeremiah Castille at the Denver' two-yard-line in a play that would go to be known as "The Fumble" as the Broncos would come away with the 38-33 victory.

After another playoff loss in 1988, Schottenheimer was fired by the Browns and replaced by Bud Carson who helped lead the Browns back to the AFC Championship Game, only to lose again to the Broncos, this time by the score of 37-21.

Since then, the Browns have only made the playoffs three times and won only one playoff game.

College Football Old School Game of the Week: Miami Preserves Title Hopes With Walk-off FG Win over FSU

Jeff Davis kicks the game-winning field goal as time expires in Miami's 1983 game with Florida State.

When it comes to field goals in the rivalry between the Florida State Seminoles and the Miami Hurricanes, what is remembered most by college football fans and experts are the missed field goals by Florida State in the final seconds of numerous games with the "Wide Right" trilogy where the Seminoles lost on last-second field goals that went wide right in the 1991, 92, and 2000 games, which is followed by a wide-left miss on the final play of their 28-27 loss in 2002.
But there is a successful field goal in the final seconds of the game between these two intra-state rivals that not only decided the game but also paved the way for a national championship.
In 1983, the 9-1 Hurricanes traveled to Tallahassee to take on the 7-2 Seminoles in a game which could determine where Miami was going to play in the postseason.
Since Miami was not affiliated with a conference in 1983, they could almost play anywhere in the country like the Cotton Bowl in Dallas or the Sugar Bowl in New Orleans.
But the Hurricanes had their sights set on home as an invitation to the Orange Bowl to take on the Big 8 champion Nebraska Cornhuskers seemed possible if the Hurricanes could knock off the Seminoles in Tallahassee.
The Hurricanes had come a long way from their embarrassing 28-3 loss to the Florida Gators in the first game of the regular season to win nine games in a row as they were led by head coach Howard Schnellenberger and redshirt freshman Bernie Kosar at quarterback.
But the biggest reason for the Hurricanes' winning streak and their #6 ranking entering the FSU game was their defense which had given up only 62 points during their nine-game winning streak, which averaged out to under a touchdown per game.
If the Hurricanes were going to beat the Seminoles, they would need their defense to stop the Seminoles' rushing attack which had running backs Greg Allen, Cletis Jones, and Roosevelt Snipes combine to rush for over 2,000 yards amongst the three players during the 1983 season.
Florida State was coached by Bobby Bowden, who was in his eighth season in Tallahassee and had the Seminoles on a four-game winning streak entering the Miami game.
The Hurricanes got the ball to start the game as they began their first drive of the game from their 38-yard-line following a 29-yard-return by Daryl Oliver on the opening kickoff.
Kosar would hit tight end Glenn Dennison for 17 yards on the game's first play, then after a six-yard run by Albert Bentley, connected with Eddie Brown for 19 yards to put Miami at the FSU 20-yard-line.
Then on 3rd & 9 from the 19-yard-line, Kosar fired a pass for Stanley Shakespeare in the end zone, only to have Seminoles safety Brian McCrary interfere with Shakespeare on the play to give Miami a 1st & goal at the one-yard-line.
That is when Kosar handed the ball off to Bentley, who busted through for the one-yard touchdown to give the Hurricanes a 7-0 lead just 2:01 into the game.

FSU"s David Ponder blocks Rich Tuten's punt for a safety late in the first quarter.

After forcing Florida State to punt on their opening possession of the game, the Hurricanes got the ball at their 30-yard-line as Kosar lead the Miami offense to the Seminoles' 29-yard-line, thanks to a seven-yard pass to Bentley on 3rd & 6 from the Canes 36-yard-line, then connected with Brown on a 21-yard completion.
But at the 29-yard-line where he was facing 3rd & 3, Kosar was picked off by McCrary to stop the Hurricanes' drive and give FSU the ball at their one-yard-line.
The Seminoles would flip the field position as they drove to midfield before punting the ball back to Miami who took over at their three-yard-line and only gained three yards on three plays before calling on Rich Tuten to punt the ball back to the Seminoles.
But Tuten never got the kick away as FSU defensive tackle David Ponder, father of future FSU quarterback Christian and father-in-law to future ESPN broadcaster Samantha, blocked the punt which went into the back of the end zone for a safety to give the Seminoles two points and the ball as the Hurricanes would kick off from their 20-yard-line with 57 seconds left in the first quarter.
The Seminoles would get the ball at their 47-yard-line but would go no further as they went three-and-out to end the first quarter trailing 7-2.
Following the FSU punt, the Hurricanes would get the ball at their 31-yard-line and drive to the Seminoles' 30-yard-line as Kosar hit his first three passes on the drive for 34 yards.
The drive would stall at the 30-yard-line as Kosar threw three straight incomplete passes, forcing the Hurricanes to settle for a 46-yard field goal attempt by Jeff Davis which he missed giving the ball back to the Seminoles at their 30-yard-line.
From there, the Seminoles would drive 70 yards in 12 plays, culminating in an three-yard touchdown run by Allen on the ninth straight running play of the drive, to give the Seminoles a 9-7 lead midway through the second quarter.
Following a Miami punt, the Seminoles would get the ball back at their nine-yard-line with 1:52 left before halftime when they began a drive which went 63 yards in seven plays with Snipes carrying the ball four times on the drive and running for 50 yards to set up a 44-yard field goal attempt by Phil Hall with only a few seconds to go.
Hall would miss the kick only to get a retry as Miami was offsides, giving Hall another chance and five yards closer to make the field goal.
But Hall could not take advantage of the second chance as his 39-yard attempt was no good as the first half came to a close with the Seminoles clinging to a 9-7 lead.
After the Seminoles went three-and-out on their opening possession of the second half, the Hurricanes would drive 39 yards in 11 plays to set up a potential go-ahead field goal by Davis from 41 yards out.
However, Davis' kick would be no good, keeping the Seminoles in the lead at 9-7.
Following the missed field goal, the Seminoles put together a 12-play, 76-yard drive that was capped off with an one-yard touchdown run by quarterback Bob Davis to extend the FSU lead to 16-7 with 3:23 left in the third quarter.
Now facing their biggest deficit since the loss to Florida, the Hurricanes responded with a seven-play, 64-yard drive that was capped off with a 37-yard touchdown pass from Kosar to Brown which cut the FSU lead to 16-14 with 31 seconds left in the third quarter.

Miami quarterback Bernie Kosar would complete 21 of 35 passes for 243 yards and throw one touchdown as well as an interception.

The Seminoles would begin the 4th quarter with a 15-play, 50-yard drive which saw the Seminoles travel from their 20-yard-line to the Miami 30-yard-line before calling Hall on to attempt a 47-yard field goal.
But for the third time in the game, Hall could not connect as his 47-yard attempt fell short, keeping it a 16-14 game with over 10 minutes to go in the game.
The two teams would trade punts until the Hurricanes got the ball at the Seminoles' 49-yard-line following a 19-yard return by Brown on the punt to give Kosar and the offense a short field as they had 2:12 to drive into field goal range.
The drive would began with a 10-yard pass from Kosar to Shakespeare followed by another 10-yard pass to Shakespeare to put Miami at the FSU 29-yard-line.
That is when the Hurricanes crossed up the Seminoles with a draw play as Keith Griffith took an handoff from Kosar and proceeded to run 20 yards to the FSU nine-yard-line to give Miami a 1st & goal.
From there, Schnellenberger kept it conservative as he had his offense ran the ball three straight times, picking up seven more yards, before calling on Davis to attempt a 19-yard field goal with three seconds left.
Bowden called timeout in hopes of icing the kicker but it was to no avail as Davis calmly sank the 19-yard field goal as time expired to give Miami a 17-16 victory and extend their winning streak to 10 wins in a row.
The Seminoles had three weeks to stew over the Miami loss before playing their regular season finale where they were crushed by the Florida Gators 53-14.
Despite their 7-4 record, the Seminoles would be invited to the Peach Bowl where they easily took care of the North Carolina Tar Heels with a 28-3 win as they ended the 1983 season on a positive note.
As for the Hurricanes, they would be invited to play in the Orange Bowl where they would take on the #1 Nebraska Cornhuskers, who came into the game averaging 52 points per game.
But thanks to a 300-yard, two-touchdown performance from Kosar, the Hurricanes, who were a 10 1/2 point underdog, took a 31-17 lead into the fourth quarter when the Cornhuskers scored two touchdowns to draw within a point at 31-30 with 48 seconds left when Nebraska head coach Tom Osborne decided to go for two instead of a tie.
That is when Miami defensive back Kenny Calhoun deflected Nebraska quarterback Turner Gill's pass intended for Jeff Smith to preserve the 31-30 victory for the Hurricanes.
With their monumental upset of the Cornhuskers along with losses by #2 Texas in the Cotton Bowl and #4 Illinois in the Rose Bowl and a lackluster performance by #3 Auburn in a 9-7 win over Michigan in the Sugar Bowl, the Hurricanes were voted #1 in the final AP and UPI polls to give the Hurricanes their first national title.
But while the stop on the two-point conversion in the Orange Bowl is what remembered most for the Hurricanes winning the national championship in 1983, it wouldn't have been possible if not for Jeff Davis' heroics against Florida State.