The guys suffer their worst loss of the season, but can still win the ACC. Walters ran ten yards with the ball before teammate Ed Reed grabbed the ball out of his hands at around the Miami 20-yard line and raced the remaining 80-yards for a touchdown. The 2001 Miami Hurricanes football team represented the University of Miami during the 2001 NCAA Division I-A football season. I went to a JUCO in Scranton, Penn. We hadn't been there. He made things happen. But despite being outgained by the Hurricanes by 134 yards and being dominated in time-of-possession, the Hokies never quit. They embraced it, and that's when I learned the great ones want to be driven. But the number of great players, first-round draft choices and players who got drafted, it's amazing really. Hell, nah. You may win one, but we're gonna win 20 of them, and it's not gonna stop.'". The fourth quarter was fun for us, because at that point, the game was kind of in hand, and everybody got to enjoy and be part of it: first, second, third string guys, everybody was getting in and getting to play. Employment I told Mike they ought to bronze your knee and put it in the Hall of Fame, because if that didn't happen, we wouldn't have played for a national championship. But with a chance to tie the game with another two-point conversion, Virginia Tech sophomore Ernest Wilford dropped a pass in the endzone. In an article I wrote in the South Florida Sun-Sentinel that October, quarterback Ken Dorsey said, "People around the country don't really respect our talent or our capabilities as a team. That was it for Miami. When Miami offensive coordinator Rob Chudzinski wanted a more versatile player he went with Davenport. Gore has added another 77 rushing touchdowns on his way into the NFL record books. We lost the year before, and it kept us out of the national championship game. Being from California, playing in the Rose Bowl was special for me. We didn't want to have to change and have to learn a new offense, defense, or anything. In doing so, Portis ran for 1,200 and 10 touchdowns with a 5.5 yards per carry average for the Canes. You grow up with the Rose Bowl and watching the parade and those games. That openness allowed us to truly get to know the players and coaches, and develop a rapport with them, so we could tell their stories in a deeper way -- and share a fair narrative as the season unfolded. I remember just sitting there like, "Damn.". I'd agreed to a contract before Thanksgiving and my plan was to stay at the University of Miami for decades. "Because you're trying to recruit the foundation of what's to come for the next four years. As of 2013, they had earned a combined total of 43 trips to the Pro Bowl: Ed Reed (9), Andre Johnson (7), Frank Gore (5), Vince Wilfork (5), Jeremy Shockey (4), Jonathan Vilma (3), Willis McGahee (2), Chris Myers (2), Clinton Portis (2), Antrel Rolle (2), Sean Taylor (2), Bryant McKinnie (1), and Kellen Winslow II (1). A lot of people doubted if they should have made the championship. "It was literally, you're doing the same thing that I'm doing. But I wasn't leaving these guys. Everybody's fired up. Sponsorship Opportunities I played with Richie Incognito with the Rams, and he told me when they saw us get off the bus at Disney [during the week], they started laughing. Take Ed Reed. Miami took a 34-0 halftime lead before cruising to a 37-14 victory, winning the school's fifth national championship. College Football at Sports-Reference.com Blog and Articles. The first quarter, we'd always said, once we got the speed of the option down, we'd get it done. I mean, he was pretty much automatic for them. That's how it goes in those games. And we're in the buses going right through this wave of red, and it seemed like they all flipped us off in unison. Sure enough, they run a slant, I go in to pick it off, and I spread my fingertips, and had my hands below my knee. It was a competitive culture and accountability was huge and he built a family environment. So I think that describes how good they were.". The Pro Football Hall of Fame class will be inducted during NFL Honors, which airs on ABC at 9 p.m. Everything in Ed wanted to destroy Florida State for so many reasons. Its hard to say in the case of Willis McGahee. We let them drive right before the half and Ed Reed wasn't in that drive because he had dinged up his shoulder. People were literally afraid to let the person next to them down. Nobody was too "big time" for anything. You go into the locker room and everybody is just elated. If you don't drive them, you're going to be in trouble. That goes for everybody. That gave us a chance. We just knew we were going to win it all. Call 1-800-GAMBLER. We've got one goal in mind. How good is that? When he spoke, the team listened. We dominated those guys from start to finish, and Happy Valley wasn't so happy. Join our linker program. Romberg Every one of those games was a physical, physical affair. But nobody wanted to waste the opportunity in front of them, either: A shot at the school's first national championship in 10 years. Reed has been inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame. Miami jumped on Virginia Tech early, leading 203 at halftime, and 2610 in the fourth quarter. Miami clinched a spot in the national title game against Nebraska at the Rose Bowl in Pasadena, Calif., and felt confident this game would be its crowning achievement. Chudzinski They just accumulated so many good players that everybody was looking at them as like, 'How have they done this? Read more about our data coverage. [6] [7] The Hurricanes have had at least one former player make the Pro Bowl every season since 1985, 31 years in a row. The atmosphere was too much for them. Former Miami Dolphin and Pro Football Hall of Famer Jason Taylor and defensive ends coach Rod Wright talk on the field during practice at Greentree . Romberg They knew he was the straw that stirred the drink. That roster included 38 players who went on to . As did what happened in October, when Miami -- ranked No. He was right. To learn more or opt-out, read our Cookie Policy. It took that extra X Factor. McKinnie Romberg I think the next year, we had the mindset that, no matter what happens, we have to take care of business. Davis But the defense came through, as Mike Rumph, Matt Walters and Reed combined to save the day with one of the most iconic plays in Miami history -- a Walters interception, deflected off Rumph's knee, that ended up in Reed's hands for the defensive score. Soldinger A lot of people don't realize the rivalry between Miami and Virginia Tech. The deck was loaded. So I continue to stick with Miami as the greatest team of all time. Butch did a great job recruiting and developing and building the culture. It's not the individual talent. At fullback the Canes used two starters in Najeh Davenport and Kyle Cobia. If we needed to win it on defense, let's go win it on defense. Dorsey There was a rumor that we were going to get that coach from Wisconsin, Barry Alvarez, and we were like, "We don't want him. The Hokies, ranked No. We watched that, perfected that. Gore then injured his knee, which would become a tragic and common theme for one of the most universally loved Hurricanes in program history. You had Phillip Buchanon and Mike Rumph, and you had Antrel Rolle behind them. And I did that, and I was like, "Oh, man, that felt good." When I caught it, I wasn't thinking about running it back for a touchdown. As a coach and players, you don't want to talk about it too much, but it's hard not to. All I could think as I looked on from the press box was, "I can't believe they're about to blow this," knowing full well a trip to the national championship and the Rose Bowl was on the line. He didn't want it to be close at all. Gore finished his Miami career with 1,975 yards and 17 touchdowns on the ground. The players coming to my backing was a big asset in me getting the job. There are currently 44 players in the NFL who were brought up at the "U." One NFL team has quite a collection of Miami alumni. In interviews with players and coaches, here . I wanted to win the national championship -- we wanted to win the national championship. / ", Flashback: Ed Reed strips ball from teammate for Hurricanes pick-six (0:44), 'It's the most talented team to ever play': An oral history of the 2001 Miami Hurricanes, Breaking down the latest in 2024 football recruiting, from top commits to March visits, The Turnover Luck Index: Rating every 2022 team, from USC to Rutgers, ACC boss: Rule changes backed by FBS leaders, Top draft prospect Carter charged in fatal crash, Stoops: QB Leary (pec) 'close to full go' for UK, Hall of Fame coach Ault named to CFP committee, New NCAA president readies for NIL, legal issues, Ex-Vols staffers agree to show-cause penalties, UNC hires ex-Browns HC Kitchens as assistant, Kiper's updated NFL mock draft: Who's moving up for a QB? Rumph Gonzalez However, in the final minute of the fourth quarter, with Miami clinging to a 127 lead, BC quarterback Brian St. Pierre led the Eagles from their own 30-yard line all the way down to the Hurricanes' 9-yard line. On the field in front of me, Alabama beat down Ohio State to close a 13-0 season with three Heisman Trophy finalists on offense -- including winner DeVonta Smith. We look at each other, like how the hell did we do this? Like, literally none. Were the backups better than the starter? The Houston Texas took him third overall in the 2003 NFL draft. The offense was terrible. All rights reserved. He didn't want it to be close. They hated to lose. It was one of those things where it was kind of like inevitable for us, you know what I mean? 2 behind Florida -- the team they dismantled in the Sugar Bowl to close out the 2000 season. The Canes became arguably the greatest team in CFB history 20 years ago, finishing 12-0, winning the national title and producing 38 NFL draft picks. Oh, absolutely I was scared. Miami (2001) Michigan (1947) Notre Dame (1947) Oklahoma (1956) How many NFL players came from Miami? It is only now, with the perspective of history and time that those who suited up in 2001 understand -- and brag about -- what they accomplished in one magical season. You're sweating, you're bleeding, you're laying everything on the line for the guy next to you, and there was no envy." In interviews with more than two dozen players, coaches and opposing coaches, here is the story of the 2001 season, told in their own words. Adversity hit shortly after the calendar turned to 2001, when coach Butch Davis left to become head coach with the Cleveland Browns. Despite Miami beating Florida State head-to-head that season and being higher ranked in both human polls, it was Florida State, and not Miami, that BCS computers selected to challenge the Oklahoma Sooners for the national championship (Oklahoma would win, 132). 14 Syracuse, 59-0", "No. Kenny was the perfect guy. The Hurricanes were led by first-year head coach Larry Coker and played their home games at the Orange Bowl. I remember four or five guys jumped on me and next thing you know I'm looking at the ground and by the time I roll over and look up, I see Ed going. It was the Hurricanes' 76th season of football and 11th as a member of the Big East Conference. They listened to us. The Canes became arguably the greatest team in CFB history 20 years ago, finishing 12-0, winning the national title and producing 38 NFL draft picks. Miami beat Florida State 49-27 to remain undefeated, but a bigger test awaited Nov. 10 on a cold day at Boston College. This Week in Miami Hurricanes Basketball: 2/27 Edition. Guys rallied behind him. As did what happened in October, when Miami -- ranked No. Davenport went on to a seven year NFL career with the Packers, Steelers, and Colts, while averaging 4.6 yards per rush and scoring 13 touchdowns as a pro. QB Ken Dorsey Miami didn't have that edge. From the 2001 Miami Hurricanes football team alone, 42 players went on to be drafted into the NFL from (2002-2006), including 17 1st round picks. That drive starts with where this team started: in 1997, when Miami was at its lowest point as a football program, in the midst of NCAA sanctions that reduced its scholarship total to 15 in that signing class. 14, proved to be a formidable opponent. .mw-parser-output .hatnote{font-style:italic}.mw-parser-output div.hatnote{padding-left:1.6em;margin-bottom:0.5em}.mw-parser-output .hatnote i{font-style:normal}.mw-parser-output .hatnote+link+.hatnote{margin-top:-0.5em}. It was the perfect storm for us. 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