Meanwhile, Miami took out its frustrations by handling No. The game marked the end of a 14-year stretch in which the Seminoles won 10-or-more games and finished among the top four in the final AP or coaches polls. A lackluster offensive showing by Heisman Trophy-winning quarterback Chris Weinke and the Seminoles, who were without star receiver Snoop Minnis (ruled academically ineligible), signified the end of an era in FSU football history. The Sooners were poised for a shutout until the Seminoles got on the scoreboard thanks to a safety with under a minute left to play. Defense dominated the Orange Bowl, with top-ranked Oklahoma scoring the lone touchdown of the game on a 10-yard run by Quentin Griffin in the fourth quarter. 2 Miami earlier in the season, the BCS computer rankings were inversed, sending the Seminoles to the Orange Bowl and relegating the Hurricanes to the Sugar Bowl.
#Pro player stadium forecast pro
3, 2001, at Pro Player Stadium.įlorida State was playing for its third consecutive national championship in as many seasons of the Bowl Championship Series. Thatcher (15) and Ontei Jones (11) as they pose with the national championship trophy after beating Florida State 13-2 in the Orange Bowl, Jan. Conn/AP Oklahoma coach Bob Stoops, left, celebrates with players J.T. 1 in the final Associated Press poll, paving the way for the inclusion of the Big Ten and Pacific 10 conferences in determining a bona fide champion beginning the following season.Īmy E. The Cornhuskers were crowned champions by the coaches, but the voters kept Michigan No. It was the final game for Nebraska head coach Tom Obsorne, who retired after 25 seasons. Frost ran for three touchdowns and Ahman Green added two more scores while rushing for an Orange Bowl-record 201 yards. Nebraska took a 14-3 lead at halftime and never relinquished it as quarterback Scott Frost outplayed Manning, who finished second to Michigan cornerback Charles Woodson in the Heisman Memorial Trophy voting. 3 Tennessee and All-American quarterback Peyton Manning. Because top-ranked Michigan was playing in the Rose Bowl, No. The final national championship game of the old Bowl Coalition had Nebraska playing for its third title in four seasons. Susan Walsh/AP Nebraska coach Tom Osborne holds the Orange Bowl trophy after defeating Tennessee, Jan.
A pair of fourth-quarter touchdowns by Nebraska fullback Cory Schlesinger proved to be the difference. Miami led 10-7 at halftime and stretched the lead to 17-7 in the third quarter before the Cornhuskers answered with 17 unanswered points to claim their first national championship in school history. 2, was contractually obligated to play in the Rose Bowl as the Big Ten Conference champion, allowing the Hurricanes the opportunity to stay home on New Year's Day. Penn State, which was undefeated and ranked No. The game was a rematch of the historic 1984 Orange Bowl that gave Miami its first of four national championships (plus a split national championship with Washington in 1991). Top-ranked Nebraska defeated Miami 24-17.īecause of the tie-in with the (now defunct) Big Eight Conference champion, the Orange Bowl served as the national championship game for a second straight season. Jeffrey Boan/AP Nebraska fullback Cory Schlesinger outruns Miami safety Malcolm Pearson to the end zone for the game-winning touchdown at the Orange Bowl, Jan. As just the second national title game since the advent of the Bowl Coalition, which was established in 1992 after co-national champions were crowned the previous two seasons, it was a step in the right direction.
West Virginia also believed it had been unfairly passed over, but the third-ranked Mountaineers were routed in a 41-7 loss to No. Notre Dame, which finished second in both major polls, believed it should have been playing in the Orange Bowl, considering the Fighting Irish had handed the Seminoles their lone loss - a 31-24 decision at Notre Dame Stadium - earlier in the season. Florida State kicker Scott Bentley's field goal with 21 seconds left in the game split the uprights and Nebraska kicker Byron Bennett's last second attempt sailed wide left, giving the Seminoles an 18-16 victory over the previously undefeated Cornhuskers and their first national championship in school history. The Seminoles compiled a 109-13-1 record in the 1990s, the most wins of any team during the decade.
The first true national championship game played at the Orange Bowl involved a Florida school that was in the midst of a dynastic run. The Seminoles defeated the Cornhuskers 18-16. Chris O'Meara/AP Florida State kicker Scott Bentley celebrates in the arms of holder Danny Kanell after he kicked the game-winning field goal against Nebraska in the final moments of the Orange Bowl, Jan.