5 of the bowl games’ most unforgettable finishes
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Likes of Tom Brady, Joe Namath have played in memorable Orange Bowl games.
The Orange Bowl is one of the oldest bowl games in college football. The first Orange Bowl capped off the 1934 college football season with the Bucknell Bison defeating the Miami Hurricanes 26-0 on New Year’s Day. Since then, the Orange Bowl’s 88 games have featured more than 50 different teams.
The Oklahoma Sooners have the most Orange Bowl appearances and wins all-time with 20 and 12, respectively. The Orange Bowl’s been the designated national championship game in five college football seasons: 1993, 1994, 1997, 2000, and 2004. It’s also been a College Football Playoff semifinal game three times.
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As one of the longest-running bowls, there have been many memorable Orange Bowl games. Here’s five of the most memorable Orange Bowls in history:
1984 Orange Bowl: Miami 31, Nebraska 30
The 1983 Nebraska Cornhuskers and their offense, dubbed “The Scoring Explosion”, were widely considered one of the best college football teams of all time leading up to the game. Legendary coach Tom Osborne’s team averaged 48 points per game and rolled to 12 straight wins after finishing 1982 on a 10-game winning streak. Miami made a bowl game for just the second time in the prior 15 years thanks to an 11-1 regular season. A 28-3 loss to Florida in the opener and a one-point win over Florida State bookended the regular season.
With those two results in mind and Nebraska’s dominance, the Hurricanes were heavy underdogs ahead of the game. But Miami didn’t play like one.
The Hurricanes jumped out to a 17-0 by the end of the first quarter. Nebraska answered in the second with two scores, including one on a “fumblerooski” trick play. A 17-14 game at halftime became a 31-17 contest in Miami’s favor entering the fourth quarter.
Nebraska scored halfway through the quarter to make it 31-24 and drove down to score another touchdown with less than a minute to go. Osborne then made an incredible decision to go for a two-point conversion instead of tying extra point.
Miami held on to win and, with a few other upsets, earned the title of national champions for the first time in program history. It turned the Hurricanes into household names and began a run of five national championships over a two-decade span.
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1965 Orange Bowl: Texas 21, Alabama 17
The first Orange Bowl played at night featured legends on the sideline. Hall of Fame coach Paul “Bear” Bryant coached the Crimson Tide led by future NFL Hall of Fame quarterback Joe Namath. Alabama’s perfect regular season included big wins over ranked teams including Florida, LSU, and Georgia Tech. Defending champion Texas’ sole loss to future national champion Arkansas by one point was the only blemish on an outstanding resume.
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