Orig.CaneSawMassacre
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For Miami Hurricanes fans, Florida State week brings back entire generations of memories: Michael Irvin racing down the sideline, a field goal drifting wide, Ed Reed demanding more from his teammates, and an unlikely hero catching a touchdown with six seconds remaining.
In 2026, the men who helped build that history are still explaining what it meant—and why it matters.
“The intensity and passion of the fan bases. I believe it’s unmatched,” Mario Cristobal said during his October 12 media availability. Before coaching Miami, Cristobal experienced the rivalry as a Hurricanes offensive lineman. His assessment comes from both sides of the sideline. (roundtable.io)
Former Miami linebacker D.J. Williams offered an even more personal measure of success. WQAM highlighted his message in the title of its October 2026 rivalry-week interview: “I never lost to a Florida school. Not a Seminole nor a gator.” His appearance revisited the games that helped make those bragging rights possible. (audacy.com, player.amperwavepodcasting.com)
Those memories belong to a rivalry in which Miami’s greatest victories often became turning points for the entire program.
In 1987, the Hurricanes trailed Florida State 19–3 in Tallahassee before launching one of their most celebrated comebacks. Steve Walsh and Michael Irvin helped transform the afternoon, with Irvin’s 73-yard touchdown becoming an enduring image of Miami football. A defensive stop on Florida State’s late two-point attempt preserved a 26–25 victory and kept the Hurricanes moving toward an undefeated national championship. (miamihurricanes.com, staging-aws.sports.yahoo.com)
The following year, Miami delivered a statement that required no last-second escape. Its 31–0 victory over preseason No. 1 Florida State in 1988 overwhelmed a Seminoles team featuring Deion Sanders. In a rivalry famous for close finishes, the shutout remains one of the Hurricanes’ most satisfying demonstrations of superiority. (themiamihurricane.com)
Then came 1991, when Miami defeated top-ranked Florida State 17–16 in the game remembered as Wide Right.
The missed kick became the headline, but Miami’s execution created the opportunity. Gino Torretta found Horace Copeland on a crucial fourth-down completion before Larry Jones scored the go-ahead touchdown. The Hurricanes survived Florida State’s final possession and continued toward another national championship.
A year later, Torretta’s touchdown pass to Lamar Thomas helped Miami prevail 19–16. Another missed FSU kick gave the rivalry its next unforgettable chapter: Wide Right II. (miamihurricanes.com)
Success, however, was never guaranteed. The difficult years that followed gave Miami’s next generation a different introduction to Florida State.
Speaking on The Vault in an interview covered September 21, 2026, Ed Reed recalled watching the Seminoles’ 47–0 victory in 1997. What particularly angered him was Florida State sending its first-team defense back onto the field when Miami threatened to score.
“This is the rivalry,” Reed recalled. “That was total disrespect.”
That memory helps explain the emotion behind Miami’s eventual response. Reed had experienced the humiliation before becoming one of the leaders who helped reverse it. (on3.com)
The breakthrough arrived in 2000. Ken Dorsey’s decisive touchdown pass to Jeremy Shockey helped deliver a 27–24 victory, ending five consecutive losses to Florida State. For Hurricanes fans, the celebration carried the weight of years spent waiting to beat their rival again. (stateoftheu.com)
Yet the victory came with lingering frustration: Florida State received the national championship opportunity that Miami believed it had earned.
Reflecting on that disappointment in the August 27, 2026, edition of The Vault, Bryant McKinnie explained the lesson:
“The whole thing was controlling your own destiny. You don’t have the opportunity to lose one game.”
Miami had beaten Florida State and still watched the Seminoles play for the title. The following season, its players intended to remove any room for debate. (on3.com)
Clinton Portis, appearing in the same series in September 2026, described the team’s response in equally direct terms:
“The whole mindset was controlling your own destiny and not losing no game.” (on3.com)
That determination came alive in 2001 at Tallahassee. With Miami leading 21–13 at halftime, Reed delivered the emotional challenge that remains part of Hurricanes lore. Miami responded with four third-quarter touchdowns, won 49–27, and ultimately finished the season as undefeated national champions. Reed’s famous speech belongs to 2001; his recent reflections reveal the experiences that gave it such force. (news4jax.com, on3.com)
The next two seasons added more signature performances. In 2002, Willis McGahee turned a screen pass into a 68-yard gain, setting up Jason Geathers’ winning touchdown in a 28–27 victory remembered as Wide Left. In 2003, Sean Taylor intercepted two passes, returning one 50 yards for a touchdown, as Miami won 22–14 in Tallahassee. (miamihurricanes.com, miamihurricanes.com)
Later generations found their own heroes.
In 2017, Malik Rosier connected with Darrell Langham for a 23-yard touchdown with six seconds remaining. The 24–20 victory ended seven straight losses to Florida State. In 2018, Miami erased a 27–7 deficit to win 28–27. In 2020, the Hurricanes delivered a 52–10 rout, giving fans an evening of celebration without the familiar anxiety of a final possession. (miamihurricanes.com, miamihurricanes.com, miamihurricanes.com)
Miami added another victory in 2025, winning 28–22 behind four Carson Beck touchdown passes and a 107-yard, two-touchdown performance from Malachi Toney. The result extended the Hurricanes’ series advantage to 37–33 entering the 2026 meeting. (miamihurricanes.com)
The reflections from Reed, McKinnie, Portis, Williams and Cristobal explain why these games endure. They remember the pride, the frustration, the preparation and the responsibility of answering what came before.
For the Hurricanes taking the field in 2026, that history is waiting for another name, another play and another moment worth remembering.
In 2026, the men who helped build that history are still explaining what it meant—and why it matters.
“The intensity and passion of the fan bases. I believe it’s unmatched,” Mario Cristobal said during his October 12 media availability. Before coaching Miami, Cristobal experienced the rivalry as a Hurricanes offensive lineman. His assessment comes from both sides of the sideline. (roundtable.io)
Former Miami linebacker D.J. Williams offered an even more personal measure of success. WQAM highlighted his message in the title of its October 2026 rivalry-week interview: “I never lost to a Florida school. Not a Seminole nor a gator.” His appearance revisited the games that helped make those bragging rights possible. (audacy.com, player.amperwavepodcasting.com)
Those memories belong to a rivalry in which Miami’s greatest victories often became turning points for the entire program.
In 1987, the Hurricanes trailed Florida State 19–3 in Tallahassee before launching one of their most celebrated comebacks. Steve Walsh and Michael Irvin helped transform the afternoon, with Irvin’s 73-yard touchdown becoming an enduring image of Miami football. A defensive stop on Florida State’s late two-point attempt preserved a 26–25 victory and kept the Hurricanes moving toward an undefeated national championship. (miamihurricanes.com, staging-aws.sports.yahoo.com)
The following year, Miami delivered a statement that required no last-second escape. Its 31–0 victory over preseason No. 1 Florida State in 1988 overwhelmed a Seminoles team featuring Deion Sanders. In a rivalry famous for close finishes, the shutout remains one of the Hurricanes’ most satisfying demonstrations of superiority. (themiamihurricane.com)
Then came 1991, when Miami defeated top-ranked Florida State 17–16 in the game remembered as Wide Right.
The missed kick became the headline, but Miami’s execution created the opportunity. Gino Torretta found Horace Copeland on a crucial fourth-down completion before Larry Jones scored the go-ahead touchdown. The Hurricanes survived Florida State’s final possession and continued toward another national championship.
A year later, Torretta’s touchdown pass to Lamar Thomas helped Miami prevail 19–16. Another missed FSU kick gave the rivalry its next unforgettable chapter: Wide Right II. (miamihurricanes.com)
Success, however, was never guaranteed. The difficult years that followed gave Miami’s next generation a different introduction to Florida State.
Speaking on The Vault in an interview covered September 21, 2026, Ed Reed recalled watching the Seminoles’ 47–0 victory in 1997. What particularly angered him was Florida State sending its first-team defense back onto the field when Miami threatened to score.
“This is the rivalry,” Reed recalled. “That was total disrespect.”
That memory helps explain the emotion behind Miami’s eventual response. Reed had experienced the humiliation before becoming one of the leaders who helped reverse it. (on3.com)
The breakthrough arrived in 2000. Ken Dorsey’s decisive touchdown pass to Jeremy Shockey helped deliver a 27–24 victory, ending five consecutive losses to Florida State. For Hurricanes fans, the celebration carried the weight of years spent waiting to beat their rival again. (stateoftheu.com)
Yet the victory came with lingering frustration: Florida State received the national championship opportunity that Miami believed it had earned.
Reflecting on that disappointment in the August 27, 2026, edition of The Vault, Bryant McKinnie explained the lesson:
“The whole thing was controlling your own destiny. You don’t have the opportunity to lose one game.”
Miami had beaten Florida State and still watched the Seminoles play for the title. The following season, its players intended to remove any room for debate. (on3.com)
Clinton Portis, appearing in the same series in September 2026, described the team’s response in equally direct terms:
“The whole mindset was controlling your own destiny and not losing no game.” (on3.com)
That determination came alive in 2001 at Tallahassee. With Miami leading 21–13 at halftime, Reed delivered the emotional challenge that remains part of Hurricanes lore. Miami responded with four third-quarter touchdowns, won 49–27, and ultimately finished the season as undefeated national champions. Reed’s famous speech belongs to 2001; his recent reflections reveal the experiences that gave it such force. (news4jax.com, on3.com)
The next two seasons added more signature performances. In 2002, Willis McGahee turned a screen pass into a 68-yard gain, setting up Jason Geathers’ winning touchdown in a 28–27 victory remembered as Wide Left. In 2003, Sean Taylor intercepted two passes, returning one 50 yards for a touchdown, as Miami won 22–14 in Tallahassee. (miamihurricanes.com, miamihurricanes.com)
Later generations found their own heroes.
In 2017, Malik Rosier connected with Darrell Langham for a 23-yard touchdown with six seconds remaining. The 24–20 victory ended seven straight losses to Florida State. In 2018, Miami erased a 27–7 deficit to win 28–27. In 2020, the Hurricanes delivered a 52–10 rout, giving fans an evening of celebration without the familiar anxiety of a final possession. (miamihurricanes.com, miamihurricanes.com, miamihurricanes.com)
Miami added another victory in 2025, winning 28–22 behind four Carson Beck touchdown passes and a 107-yard, two-touchdown performance from Malachi Toney. The result extended the Hurricanes’ series advantage to 37–33 entering the 2026 meeting. (miamihurricanes.com)
The reflections from Reed, McKinnie, Portis, Williams and Cristobal explain why these games endure. They remember the pride, the frustration, the preparation and the responsibility of answering what came before.
For the Hurricanes taking the field in 2026, that history is waiting for another name, another play and another moment worth remembering.
