What was your most disappointing loss/hardest-to-take loss as a Canes fan?

Indiana is up there. (Weird sentence to type).

Yes there have been many brutal losses (MTSU, FIU, USF, Clemson, FSU heart breakers, ND, etc.) But Indiana had a chance to be cathartic. We wandered the desert for a generation. We hired leaders. We turned the corner as a progrum. We made a truly magical playoff run that included 4 espn classic games and a few all-time plays (Tourre goal line stuff, Fitz pick, Fletcher bully ball, Scott pick 6, Beck scramble TD, Mali and Mali and Mali and Mali).

And then Indiana. A fairy tale opportunity to reclaim the summit in our own stadium in front of our own families. To tie the loop back to where it started in ‘83 so elegantly.

It never felt like we were in command of that as we had been in the previous games. Yet in spite of ourselves we kept ourselves squarely in the game with an opportunity to win until the very end.

Blocked punt. Under thrown pass. Mendoza. Devastating.

I still am unable to rewatch that game. This season we have the opportunity to erase some of that pain. But until we win it all again, this loss hangs the heaviest.
 
Indiana is up there. (Weird sentence to type).

Yes there have been many brutal losses (MTSU, FIU, USF, Clemson, FSU heart breakers, ND, etc.) But Indiana had a chance to be cathartic. We wandered the desert for a generation. We hired leaders. We turned the corner as a progrum. We made a truly magical playoff run that included 4 espn classic games and a few all-time plays (Tourre goal line stuff, Fitz pick, Fletcher bully ball, Scott pick 6, Beck scramble TD, Mali and Mali and Mali and Mali).

And then Indiana. A fairy tale opportunity to reclaim the summit in our own stadium in front of our own families. To tie the loop back to where it started in ‘83 so elegantly.

It never felt like we were in command of that as we had been in the previous games. Yet in spite of ourselves we kept ourselves squarely in the game with an opportunity to win until the very end.

Blocked punt. Under thrown pass. Mendoza. Devastating.

I still am unable to rewatch that game. This season we have the opportunity to erase some of that pain. But until we win it all again, this loss hangs the heaviest.
I still can’t bring myself to rewatch it either
 
The first loss was 1988 against ND in South Bend where Cleveland Gary was in the end zone.
This was replaced with 1989 in Trailerhasse when we traveled by bus from campus to the game, got beat, almost got arrested because I had the audacity to ask a police officer directions to our hotel, and quote " boy, you aren't talking to me, if you say another world I will take you to jail" and the long depressing bus ride that Sunday to Campus.
This was replaced but the #1 all time ***** job by Terry FN Porter, if I was in the stadium that day I would have been arrested for homicide if I could have reached him.
Honorable mentions / runner up
1. UM @ UNC 2004 - when I realized we sucked and the dominance was over.
2. The final game in the OB, sitting thru that entire game was torture.
3. UM @ SMU 2025 - I was apoplectic thinking we would never get back to playing at a championship level.
4. UM ND in Chicago - freezing cold in the upper deck of Soldier Field and the game was so lopsided ND didn't even attempt a pass in the second half
5. UM @ Cincy we fn lost to Cincinnati, although best sprts trip ever ( Cubs-Red Thursday afternoon, UM Cincinnati Thurday night, OSU Indiana Saturday afternoon and Colts Jaguars on Sunday)
 
Having Kyle Wright come back from injury and watching us get obliterated by Virginia in the final game of the Orange Bowl is literally worse than anything else I’ve ever seen and it’s not even close.

Literally in front of dozens of legends, 70k fans in the stadium and millions watching on TV

The sobering reality that we were truly a dead program that would likely never come back was unavoidable

It was such a collective smack in the face what a joke we had become

Took 20 years to wash that off but we are here now
 
2003 Fiesta Bowl. Just a brutal roller coaster of emotions.

Clarett stripping ball away from Sean Taylor after INT
McGahee injury
Big Roscoe Parrish return
Long FG to send game to OT
The "pass interference" after we thought No 6 was won
 
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Washington ending the streak because of what was
@nd, gary "fumble" because of what should have been
 
Indiana is up there. (Weird sentence to type).

Yes there have been many brutal losses (MTSU, FIU, USF, Clemson, FSU heart breakers, ND, etc.) But Indiana had a chance to be cathartic. We wandered the desert for a generation. We hired leaders. We turned the corner as a progrum. We made a truly magical playoff run that included 4 espn classic games and a few all-time plays (Tourre goal line stuff, Fitz pick, Fletcher bully ball, Scott pick 6, Beck scramble TD, Mali and Mali and Mali and Mali).

And then Indiana. A fairy tale opportunity to reclaim the summit in our own stadium in front of our own families. To tie the loop back to where it started in ‘83 so elegantly.

It never felt like we were in command of that as we had been in the previous games. Yet in spite of ourselves we kept ourselves squarely in the game with an opportunity to win until the very end.

Blocked punt. Under thrown pass. Mendoza. Devastating.

I still am unable to rewatch that game. This season we have the opportunity to erase some of that pain. But until we win it all again, this loss hangs the heaviest.
I get it… it was tough and we should have won it.

For me because I came into the season with zero expectation of winning a Natty each playoff win was just icing on the cake for the season.

‘03 Fiesta has stung the most… haven’t shook that loss yet. Double OT, I believe we had 6 TOs and still took them 2 OTs to beat us, Willis getting hurt, we were the better team and should have been back to back Champs.

Very close second… losing to UVA 48-0 in the last game in the OB. I was ****ed!!! My girl at the time tried to give me some *** to make me feel better and I was too mad to smash. Had to address my fandom after that because ain’t no way I should too angry to smash over a game I didn’t even play in. Never again. Smh 😂
 
2003_ford_fiesta-pic-6656091894605144826-1600x1200.jpeg
 
Aside from a personal loss like @Felonious Monk stated (sorry bro - it ripped my guts out to read that. I lost a brother unexpectedly. It sucks), there are only two possible answers for Hurricane football fans:

1987 Fiesta Bowl
2003 Fiesta Bowl

My personal choice is the latter (2003) because we literally started celebrating back to back natties when all of a sudden a BS flag appeared.
 
Aside from a personal loss like @Felonious Monk stated (sorry bro - it ripped my guts out to read that. I lost a brother unexpectedly. It sucks), there are only two possible answers for Hurricane football fans:

1987 Fiesta Bowl
2003 Fiesta Bowl

My personal choice is the latter (2003) because we literally started celebrating back to back natties when all of a sudden a BS flag appeared.
You expect the parents one day, but a brother. I'm very sorry for your loss.
 
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