Wikipedia

1985 Miami Hurricanes football team

The 1985 Miami Hurricanes football team represented the University of Miami during the 1985 NCAA Division I-A football season. It was the Hurricanes' 60th season of football. The Hurricanes were led by second-year head coach Jimmy Johnson and played their home games at the Miami Orange Bowl. They finished the season 10–2 overall. They were invited to the Sugar Bowl, where they lost to Tennessee, 35–7.

1985 Miami Hurricanes football
Sugar Bowl, L 7–35 vs. Tennessee
ConferenceIndependent
Ranking
CoachesNo. 8
APNo. 9
Record10–2
Head coach
Offensive coordinatorGary Stevens (3rd season)
Offensive schemePro-style
Defensive coordinatorPaul Jette (1st season)
Base defense4–3
Home stadiumMiami Orange Bowl
Seasons
← 1984
1986 →
1985 NCAA Division I-A independents football records
Conf Overall
Team W   L   T W   L   T
No. 3 Penn State   –   –   11 – 1 – 0
No. 9 Miami (FL)   –   –   10 – 2 – 0
Army   –   –   9 – 3 – 0
No. 15 Florida State   –   –   9 – 3 – 0
West Virginia   –   –   7 – 3 – 1
Southern Miss   –   –   7 – 4 – 0
Syracuse   –   –   7 – 5 – 0
Virginia Tech   –   –   6 – 5 – 0
Pittsburgh   –   –   5 – 5 – 1
Cincinnati   –   –   5 – 6 – 0
Notre Dame   –   –   5 – 6 – 0
South Carolina   –   –   5 – 6 – 0
Southwestern Louisiana   –   –   4 – 7 – 0
Navy   –   –   4 – 7 – 0
Temple   –   –   4 – 7 – 0
Boston College   –   –   4 – 8 – 0
Memphis State   –   –   2 – 7 – 2
Rutgers   –   –   2 – 8 – 1
East Carolina   –   –   2 – 9 – 0
Louisville   –   –   2 – 9 – 0
Tulane   –   –   1 – 10 – 0
Rankings from AP Poll

Schedule

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DateOpponentRankSiteTVResultAttendanceSource
September 7No. 5 Florida
L 23–3580,227[1]
September 14at Rice
W 48–2015,411
September 28at Boston College
W 45–1031,864
October 5at East Carolina
W 27–1534,511[2]
October 12Cincinnati
  • Miami Orange Bowl
  • Miami, FL
W 38–030,164
October 19at No. 3 Oklahoma
ABCW 27–1473,102
October 26LouisvilleNo. 15
  • Miami Orange Bowl
  • Miami, FL (rivalry)
W 45–731,761
November 2at No. 10 Florida StateNo. 11
ABCW 35–2761,250
November 9at MarylandNo. 8
CBSW 29–2262,350[3]
November 23Colorado State No. 4
  • Miami Orange Bowl
  • Miami, FL
W 24–335,035
November 30Notre DameNo. 4
  • Miami Orange Bowl
  • Miami, FL (rivalry)
CBSW 58–749,236
January 1vs. No. 8 TennesseeNo. 2
ABCL 7–3577,432[4]
  •  Homecoming
  • Rankings from AP Poll released prior to the game

Personnel

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Roster

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Player Class Pos Summary
Vinny Testaverde* QB 216 Cmp, 352 Att, 3238 Yds, 21 TD
Geoff Torretta QB 11 Cmp, 16 Att, 263 Yds, 3 TD
Alonzo Highsmith* RB 117 Att, 451 Yds, 3.9 Avg
Warren Williams* RB 89 Att, 522 Yds, 5.9 Avg
Melvin Bratton RB 67 Att, 285 Yds, 4.3 Avg
Darryl Oliver RB 66 Att, 264 Yds, 4.0 Avg
J.C. Penny RB 21 Att, 181 Yds, 8.6 Avg
Todd Stanish RB 11 Att, 31 Yds, 2.8 Avg
Steve Staffier RB 2 Att, 8 Yds, 4.0 Avg
Michael Irvin* WR 46 Rec, 840 Yds, 18.3 Avg
Brian Blades* WR 30 Rec, 657 Yds, 21.9 Avg
Brett Perriman WR 14 Rec, 263 Yds, 18.8 Avg
Kenny Oliver WR 5 Rec, 125 Yds, 25.0 Avg
Andre Brown WR 2 Rec, 23 Yds, 11.5 Avg
Willie Smith* TE 48 Rec, 669 Yds, 13.9 Avg
Charles Henry TE 4 Rec, 48 Yds, 12.0 Avg
Alfredo Roberts TE 1 Rec, 4 Yds, 4.0 Avg
Dave Alekna* OL
Paul Bertucelli* OL
Ed Davis* OL
Paul O'Connor* OL
Greg Rakoczy* OL
John O'Neill OL
Matt Patchan OL
Jerome Brown* DL
Kevin Fagan* DL
Derwin Jones* DL
John McVeigh* DL
Victor Morris DL
Dan Sileo DL
Daniel Stubbs DL
Rod Carter* LB
Bruce Fleming* LB
Randy Shannon* LB
Winston Moss LB
Tolbert Bain* DB
Selwyn Brown* DB
Donald Ellis* DB
Darrell Fullington* DB
Bennie Blades DB
Jeff Feagles P
1985 Miami Hurricanes football team roster
Players Coaches
Offense
Pos. # Name Class
QB 14 Vinny Testaverde Jr
RB 5 Melvin Bratton So
RB 43 Cleveland Gary Fr
RB 30 Alonzo Highsmith Jr
RB 24 Warren Williams So
WR 9 Brian Blades So
WR 83 Andre Brown Fr
WR 47 Michael Irvin Fr
WR 33 Brett Perriman So
OL 52 Darren Bruce Fr
OL 75 John O'Neill Fr
TE 87 Alfredo Roberts So
Defense
Pos. # Name Class
LB 91 Rod Carter Fr
DB 19 Darrell Fullington So
LB 22 Randy Shannon Fr
DB 36 Bennie Blades So
LB 45 George Mira Jr. So
DE 96 Daniel Stubbs So
DL 93 John McVeigh Sr
DT 95 Kevin Fagan Sr
Special teams
Pos. # Name Class
K 25 Greg Cox So
P 38 Jeff Feagles So
Head coach
Coordinators/assistant coaches
Legend
  • (C) Team captain
  • (S) Suspended
  • (I) Ineligible
  •   Injured
  •   Redshirt

Recruits

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Jimmy Johnson and his staff had the key recruit in the 1985 class QB Steve Walsh Jimmy also continued collecting talent from Florida, "Ten of the 19 signees are from Florida. Last year, 18 of the 25 high school players who signed letters were from Florida (11 from Dade and Broward), and 19 of 26 who signed in 1983 were from Florida (nine from Dade and Broward)."[5]

Coaching staff

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Name Position Seasons Alma mater
Jimmy Johnson Head coach 2nd Arkansas (1965)
Gary Stevens Offensive coordinator/quarterbacks 6th John Carroll (1965)
Paul Jette Defensive Coordinator/defensive backs 1st Texas (1977)
Hubbard Alexander Wide receivers 7th Tennessee State (1962)
Joe Brodsky Running backs 8th Florida (1956)
Butch Davis Defensive line 2nd Arkansas (1973)
Art Kehoe Assistant offensive line 1st Miami (1982)
Don Soldinger Tight ends 2nd Memphis (1967)
Tony Wise Offensive line 1st Ithaca (1972)
Mike Knoll Linebackers 2nd Missouri Western State (1975)

Support staff

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Name Position Seasons Alma mater
Bill Foran Strength & conditioning 1st Central Michigan (1977)
Tom Ciskowski Volunteer assistant
Mark Gibson Volunteer assistant

[citation needed]

Rankings

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Further information: 1985 NCAA Division I-A football rankings

Game summaries

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No. 5 Florida

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See also: 1985 Florida Gators football team and Florida–Miami football rivalry

At Rice

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See also: Rice Owls football

At Boston College

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See also: 1985 Boston College Eagles football team

At East Carolina

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See also: 1985 East Carolina Pirates football team

Cincinnati

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See also: Cincinnati Bearcats football

at No. 3 Oklahoma

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1 234Total
• Hurricanes 7 7130 27
No. 3 Sooners 7 007 14
Scoring summary
18:44Miami (FL)Michael Irvin 56-yard pass from Vinny Testaverde (Greg Cox kick)Miami (FL) 7-0
16:34OUDerrick Shepard 14-yard pass from Troy Aikman (Tim Lashar kick)Tied 7-7
214:16Miami (FL)Testaverde 3-yard run (Cox kick)Miami (FL) 14-7
38:49Miami (FL)Cox 20-yard field goalMiami (FL) 17-7
34:06Miami (FL)Brian Blades 35-yard pass from Testaverde (Cox kick)Miami (FL) 24-7
32:34Miami (FL)Cox 36-yard field goalMiami (FL) 27-7
410:28OULydell Carr 1-yard run (Lashar kick)Miami (FL) 27-14
See also: 1985 Oklahoma Sooners football team

[6]

Louisville

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See also: 1985 Louisville Cardinals football team

[7]

at No. 10 Florida State

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#11 Miami (FL) at #10 Florida State
1 234Total
• No. 11 Hurricanes 14 0714 35
No. 10 Seminoles 14 1003 27
Scoring summary
110:04FSUHassan Jones 8-yard pass from Chip Ferguson (Schmidt kick)FSU 7-0
17:23Miami (FL)Brian Blades 10-yard pass from Vinny Testaverde (Cox kick)Tied 7-7
17:06Miami (FL)Blades 38-yard pass from Testaverde (Cox kick)Miami (FL) 14-7
10:25FSUBrian Davis blocked punt recovery in end zone (Schmidt kick)Tied 14-14
26:52FSUDerek Schmidt 37-yard field goalFSU 17-14
22:39FSUPat Carter 26-yard pass from Chip Ferguson (Schmidt kick)FSU 24-14
38:15Miami (FL)2-yard fun (Cox kick)FSU 24-21
411:07FSUDerek Schmidt 44-yard field goalFSU 27-21
49:55Miami (FL)Michael Irvin 30-yard pass from Testaverde (Cox kick)Miami (FL) 28-27
43:06Miami (FL)Brett Perriman 2-yard pass from Testaverde (Cox kick)Miami (FL) 35-27
See also: 1985 Florida State Seminoles football team and Florida State–Miami football rivalry

Despite being sacked seven times, Vinny Testaverde passed the Hurricanes to victory with 339 yards and four touchdowns.[8]

at Maryland

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See also: 1985 Maryland Terrapins football team
Miami (FL) at Maryland
1 234Total
• No. 8 Hurricanes 0 1379 29
Terrapins 10 390 22

[9]

Colorado State

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Colorado State at Miami (FL)
1 234Total
Rams 0 030 3
• No. 4 Hurricanes 0 3714 24
  
Scoring summary
2MIAGreg Cox 25-yard field goalMIA 3-0
3CSUDeLine 44-yard field goalTied 3-3
MIAHighsmith 3-yard run (Greg Cox kick)MIA 10-3
4MIABratton 1-yard run (Greg Cox kick)MIA 17-3
MIAOliver 5-yard run (Greg Cox kick)MIA 24-3
See also: 1985 Colorado State Rams football team

Notre Dame

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Notre Dame at Miami (FL)
1 234Total
Fighting Irish 0 700 7
• No. 4 Hurricanes 13 141021 58
Scoring summary
1MIAGreg Cox 39-yard field goalMIA 3-0
1MIAW. Williams 6-yard run (Greg Cox kick)MIA 10-0
1MIAGreg Cox 47-yard field goalMIA 13-0
2MIABennie Blades 61-yard interception return (Cox kick)MIA 20-0
2NDAllen Pinkett 3-yard run (John Carney kick)MIA 20-7
2MIAMelvin Bratton 7-yard pass from Vinny Testaverde (Cox kick)MIA 27-7
3MIAGreg Cox 48-yard field goalMIA 30-7
3MIAMichael Irvin 15-yard pass from Vinny Testaverde (Greg Cox kick)MIA 37-7
4MIAVinny Testaverde 1-yard run (Greg Cox kick)MIA 44-7
4MIAAndre Brown 17-yard pass from Geoff Torretta (Seelig kick)MIA 51-7
44:44MIABill Hawkins recovered blocked punt in end zone (Greg Cox kick)MIA 58-7
See also: 1985 Notre Dame Fighting Irish football team

Miami scored the most points in a game since 1967. The Hurricanes scored on their first four possessions, the fifth was ended when time ran out at halftime, and then they scored the first four times they got the ball in the second half.[10]

vs. No. 8 Tennessee (Sugar Bowl)

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Miami (FL) vs. Tennessee
1 234Total
No. 2 Hurricanes 7 000 7
• No. 8 Volunteers 0 14147 35
Scoring summary
1Miami (FL)Michael Irvin 18-yard pass from Vinny Testaverde (Greg Cox kick)Miami 7-0
2TennesseeJeff Smith 6-yard pass from Daryl Dickey (Fuad Reveiz kick)Tied 7-7
2TennesseeTim McGee fumble recovery in end zone (Reveiz kick)Tennessee 14-7
3TennesseeHenderson 1-yard run (Reveiz kick)Tennessee 21-7
3TennesseeJeff Powell 60-yard run (Reveiz kick)Tennessee 28-7
4TennesseeCharles Wilson 6-yard run (Reveiz kick)Tennessee 35-7
Main article: 1986 Sugar Bowl
See also: 1985 Tennessee Volunteers football team

[11][12]

1986 NFL Draft

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Main article: 1986 NFL draft
Player Position Round Pick NFL club
Kevin Fagan Defensive tackle 4 102 San Francisco 49ers
Reggie Sutton Defensive back 5 115 New Orleans Saints
Willie Smith Tight end 10 265 Cleveland Browns
John McVeigh Linebacker 12 321 Seattle Seahawks

[13]

References

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  1. ^ "Bell passes Gators over Hurricanes". St. Lucie News Tribune. September 8, 1985. Retrieved November 4, 2023 – via Newspapers.com.
  2. ^ "Terrific, terrible Testaverde propels Hurricanes, 27–15". The Miami Herald. October 6, 1985. Retrieved March 5, 2021 – via Newspapers.com.
  3. ^ "No miracles; Terps left with 'what if?'". The Baltimore Sun. November 10, 1985. Retrieved January 31, 2024 – via Newspapers.com.
  4. ^ "Orange crush, but Tennessee, not Miami, does the damage". The Shreveport Journal. January 2, 1986. Retrieved November 4, 2023 – via Newspapers.com.
  5. ^ "Um Gets 10 Floridians, Goes Out Of State For Qbs - Sun Sentinel". Archived from the original on July 20, 2014.
  6. ^ "MIAMI BEATS SOONERS, 27-14". The New York Times. October 20, 1985. Retrieved October 12, 2017.
  7. ^ "UM Pummels Louisville, 45-7". Sun Sentinel. October 27, 1985. Retrieved December 10, 2023.
  8. ^ "Miami's Come-From-Behind Victory Really 'Special'". The Palm Beach Post via newspapers.com. November 3, 1985. Retrieved January 18, 2020.
  9. ^ "MIAMI DEFEATS TERPS, 29-22". The New York Times. November 10, 1985. Retrieved January 18, 2020.
  10. ^ "FAUST ERA AT NOTRE DAME ENDS IN 58-7 HUMILIATION". The New York Times. December 10, 1985. Retrieved January 18, 2020.
  11. ^ "52nd Annual Sugar Bowl Classic ~ January 1, 1986". Sugar Bowl. January 1, 1986. Retrieved August 23, 2019.
  12. ^ "SUGAR BOWL; MIAMI SURPRISED BY TENNESSEE, 35-7". The New York Times. January 2, 1986. Retrieved August 23, 2019.
  13. ^ "1986 NFL Draft". pro-football-reference.com. Archived from the original on December 21, 2007. Retrieved August 23, 2019.
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