Mission Statement There's a 78% chance your favorite NFL team has employed a first-round pick from 2001 Miami since an incredible 25 teams have rostered one of them at some point or another. Behind Portis were Gore, McGahee and Payton with Davenport blocking for. He almost had to come out of the game. As one of the younger players on the team, that competition only made me better. Use without license or authorization is expressly prohibited. We could see with our own eyes what made that team go. That atmosphere was crazy. It seems like that every year. When we recruited him in high school, when I actually went to see him in person it was at a basketball game. Little did I know that one line would take on a far more powerful meaning in the years to come. We spread the ball around to a lot of different guys because, at that time, Andre Johnson wasn't a proven commodity -- or Ethenic Sands or Kevin Beard. Guess what: He's still not finished . The nearly hundred-year-old Hurricanes pennant once waved by a member of Miami's original freshman class. That gave us a chance. [4] The final hurdle to the Rose Bowl BCS National Championship Game was at Virginia Tech. 15 Washington 3429 on the road, while the Seminoles' lone loss was on the road to the #7 team in the country by 3. Payton was on campus for five season and waiting his turn to be the starter which came after McGahees departure for the 2003 season. I helped cover that team, too. Though Miami dominated nearly every team it played, it had to survive a close one at Boston College in November. Some felt that Miami got snubbed in a chance to compete for the BCS Championship game. And he comes to me when we're in Pasadena, he's like, "Look, don't worry, it's gonna be easier in the game. That game solidified our quest to dominate. Ohio State beat Miami in the 2003 Fiesta Bowl (2002 BCS Championship Game). Dorsey was also a Heisman finalist, finishing third. Walters The leadership. Our reasoning for presenting offensive logos. The 2001 Miami Hurricanes football team represented the University of Miami during the 2001 NCAA Division I-A football season. / To win a national championship, you have to win some you're not supposed to win. I remember when I recruited him, his coach told me, "You don't really know what you're getting." Miami hasn't won a title since 2001, although the Hurricanes have cause for debate about the next season's Fiesta Bowl loss to Ohio State. I put my heart in this (expletive) dog. 2. Our reasoning for presenting offensive logos. But despite being outgained by the Hurricanes by 134 yards and being dominated in time-of-possession, the Hokies never quit. Like Portis, McGahee was a two-time Pro Bowl player and a national champion in 2001. Miami may have cost themselves an ACC title with their first home loss of the season. The atmosphere was too much for them. It was so scary. Our physicality wasn't good. Davenport was also an effective weapon as a receiver catching 35 balls for 3 touchdowns in orange and green. Download Our App. The eccentric Portis is said to have played mind games with his backups in order to hold them down and keep the football in his hands. They were driven by the snub they all felt the previous year, after Florida State got into the BCS national title game instead of Miami -- even though the Hurricanes won their regular-season matchup. But when you play a team like that, you can't turn the ball over, and I think we ended up throwing four interceptions. / I had to challenge them, because if not, they're looking at you like, "What is this?" I said to our athletic director Barbara Hodges, "Let's reschedule that game for another year," and she was like, "No, We have to go." The 2001 Miami Hurricanes are considered the greatest college football team in college football history. Six players were drafted in the. Gambling problem? It's a really tight locker room, we're getting ready to go out, and I absolutely remember it like it was yesterday, and I remember getting chills from hearing his battle cry, just like coming out in the second half, we're putting this away. Cleveland scored . Privacy Policy As I remember, the fans are standing right over the bench and they were yelling at our coaches, and they were throwing Skittles at us. How many Miami Hurricanes are in the NFL Hall of Fame? In doing so, Portis ran for 1,200 and 10 touchdowns with a 5.5 yards per carry average for the Canes. We were confident. The 2001 Miami Hurricanes are considered the greatest college football team in college football history. It never seemed like Davenport recovered all of his speed after the knee injury, but he did run for 5.3 yards per carry and 13 touchdowns in his Miami career. As a coach and players, you don't want to talk about it too much, but it's hard not to. Rumph Vilma You're gonna to fight. We knew that was going to be a tough game. Players lobbied then-athletic director Paul Dee to elevate offensive coordinator Larry Coker to become head coach. including 17 first-rounders and at least one Hall of Famer in Ed Reed. Internships RBs coach Don Soldinger When Vince Wilfork took their All-American guard Toniu Fonoti and threw him five yards in the backfield and made a tackle for a loss, their whole sideline s--- their pants, and then all of a sudden Vilma started decapitating tight ends, and it became a whole different animal, and they weren't aware, used to it, privy to, they literally thought they were going to come in there and mop the floor with us. The motivation of being upset and disappointed, that played a huge role in going to the Sugar Bowl and what we did against Florida to make a statement that we probably should've been the champs. As did what happened in October, when Miami -- ranked No. If you look at the film, at the last second as he's falling to the ground, he looks up to see if it's Ed, and he lets the ball go. [14] Defeating Virginia Tech earned the top-ranked Hurricanes an invitation to the Rose Bowl to take on BCS #2 Nebraska for the national championship. A total of 38 . But I remain partial to 2001 Miami, and I will let former Miami linebacker Jon Vilma explain why. Everything that we put into this, everything lined up when it needed to. The 2001 Miami Hurricanes are considered by some experts and historians to be the greatest team in college football history. Coker That served as motivation. Ed was somebody that would really talk to players. They could have scored a touchdown or kicked a field goal and that season has an asterisk next to it. This endowed scholarship was created in 1992, in the memory of beloved Hurricanes' Hall of Fame player and coach Walter Kichefski. And when he spoke, the coaches listened. Terms of Service 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. [15] Miami won its fifth national championship in the last 18 years, and put the finishing touches on a perfect 120 season. Everything in Ed wanted to destroy Florida State for so many reasons. We were exhausted. And I felt like I was a chess piece to that. Ask Reed about that 2001 team, and he starts not with the championship but with the leadership that drive created. We win, and we're in that locker room, and when you work for something for so long, and you achieve it, there's a certain sadness. Miami beat opponents by an average of 32.9 points per game, the largest margin in the school's history, and set the NCAA record for largest margin of victory over consecutive ranked teams (1247). Given all the challenges associated with the 2020 season, the Crimson Tide could easily make their case. / Rumph Truly perfected that.". We never got worried. I would have got drafted higher and everything. "I said, 'Our difference is, we were gonna try to outhit you.' I said, "Coach, they're slow as hell.". The ability to handle situations and adversity. It was one of those games. The first quarter, we'd always said, once we got the speed of the option down, we'd get it done. Purchase Tickets. How about 2013 Florida State, a team so loaded with talent all 22 of its offensive and defensive starters that year ended up on an NFL roster? He was leading stuff, telling guys what to do, up and down the court with the ball in his hands, and you could just see this guy had that magical feel for how to play team games. The way we were able to play, come out firing on all cylinders, was huge. Strength coach Andreu Swasey I had to make it tough tough. Employment We want somebody from in-house who knows us, and that's Coach Coker." 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. there was no mention of GOATs or legacies, just one line at the bottom that noted: "This UM team has joined elite company.". Gonzalez Ed Reed, a free safety, is in the Hall of Fame (elected in 2019), and his backup was Sean Taylor, arguably the greatest safety who ever played the game. ACC Network FAQs Every Sports Reference Social Media Account, Site Last Updated: Thursday, March 2, 12:48AM. In addition, Vilma, Shockey, Wilfork, Joseph, Rolle, McKinnie, and Reed have won the Super Bowl. We liked what we had already, and we really wanted to just keep what we had. But I feel like if you look at the history, every team that's won a national title has had a game like that, where it comes down to the last minute and if you lose, your season's over. Syracuse and Washington were not exactly nobodies. After the close win over Boston College, Miami went on to win over #14 Syracuse, 590,[12] and #12 Washington, 657,[13] in consecutive weeks in the Orange Bowl. In 2000, Miami was shut out of the Orange Bowl BCS National Championship Game by the BCS computers. They kept telling us don't listen to our coaches, because we're getting our butts kicked. We'd just beaten Florida in the Sugar Bowl and gone 11-1. That would really talk to players: he & # x27 ; s original freshman class to. Every team it played, it had to survive a close one at Boston college in.... Players lobbied then-athletic director Paul Dee to elevate offensive coordinator Larry Coker to become head coach Wilfork, Joseph Rolle... 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