In 1988 Deon Sanders and his team were rated number one in all the preseason polls. Before the season they made a rap song, the Seminole Rap heavily featured Deon. The Orange Bowl didn't allow banners so I wrote on a sheet "Turn the Seminole Rap Into The FSU Blues. Before the game the TV folks wanted to borrow my sign, I said only if you have me and my friends in the video. That shot opened the JJ show. 9-3-1988 in the Orange Bowl we faced off and the final was 31 to ZERO. It was no contest, we flattened the number one team as if they were a High School team. It's great to be a Miami Hurricane!
2000. 26 years old, I had a sideline pass and was taking photos for HurricaneSports.com.
By second quarter my work polo was off, my Canes tee on full display and I ran up and down that sideline all game watching with intensity. Was back of the open end zone when Shockey caught the game winner; can still see myself under the goal post for the extra point when the game is replayed.
The five years of losing to them was like nothing else in my lifetime. Grew up going to the Orange Bowl since I was five in 1979; Miami always got over on Florida State—1991 and 1992 with Wide Right when I was a high school senior and a freshman in college, 1988 when I was in ninth grade and at that 31-0 season opener as the Canes defended the 1987 natty.
1994 was my favorite-ever Noles game before 2000; revenge after losing to Washington and falling 28-10 in Tally the year prior (which I drove up to with my crew at 19 years old)—for Miami to dethrone the champs 34-20 and to put the Canes back in the mix, as it all felt dismal after the 58 home-game win-streak ended ... 34-20 with the Carlos Jones pick-six and beating Danny Kannel into the ground; epic game. Sapp. Lewis. Marley. Legendary.
2000 took the top spot since, and 2002 is second—that comeback as defending champs, the McGahee run ... Beard and Geathers touchdowns ... unreal. Was sitting just right of the West End Zone and the corner when the team ran out the tunnel ... just before the final kick it's eerily quiet and some dude yelled, "They've never beaten us on a f'n kick like this and that sure as **** isn't gonna happen here or now!!" and the poof; Beitia goes Wide Left and Canestradamus was proven correct.
In the modern era, the 28-27 comeback in 2018 took the cake. Yeah, I get Langham in 2017 and that last-second grab, but that game outside of that play was pretty boring and sloppy.
Getting down big in 2018 and rallying back at home like that—we owed those fools that type of game as it felt like the reverse effect of that 2014 game where Miami had the big lead, blew it late, Dalvin Cook ran all over them, etc.
Worst experience; driving over to Trailerhassee from Gainesville in 1997 when I was 23 years old—just to see IF there was any hope ... only to get curb stomped 47-0.
Had a great night out with the boys; tore up Potbellies and went home with a couple FSU co-eds ... but the hangover the next morning and drive back to Gainesville, reading the Tallahassee Democrat sport page and reliving just how badly the Canes got rolled .... ouch. I still feel that one in my bones.
