Colleges

20 years erase regrets over passing up tie

By BRIAN LANDMAN, Times Staff Writer
Published October 18, 2007

TALLAHASSEE - Florida State coach Bobby Bowden isn't haunted by the decision.

His Seminoles had just scored a touchdown to close to within 26-25 of visiting Miami with just 42 seconds left in the showdown on Oct.3, 1987. His immediate thought was to kick the extra point and take the tie. He even had sent the kicking team out on the field.

"But my boys seemed so dejected," he recalled. "They wanted to go for the thing, so I called timeout and put the offense in and called a play. And it didn't work."

Danny McManus' pass to tight end Pat Carter on the two-point try was knocked down by Miami safety Bubba McDowell. The Hurricanes won and went on to win the national title. A once-beaten Seminoles team settled for No.2, the first of an unprecedented 14 consecutive Top 5 finishes.

"It doesn't haunt me, but if I had to go again, I'd kick," Bowden said. "I don't dream about it and wishing I hadn't. ... That's only 20 years ago. I've had a lot of time to think about it. I ain't worried about it, but I have thought about it."

"We felt it was the thing to do; we don't have any regrets," said assistant Odell Haggins, then a standout defensive lineman. "Why should you have regrets? You're out there to win the game."

FSU didn't, but the players recognize what that particular game meant historically.

First, there might never have been a collection of more future NFL players than between those teams. According to school rosters, 62 players went on to the NFL from the 1987 teams, including Deion Sanders, LeRoy Butler, Martin Mayhew, Sammie Smith, Edgar Bennett and Dexter Carter for the Seminoles. Some of the 'Canes you might have heard of were Michael Irvin, Bennie and Brian Blades, Melvin Bratton, Steve Walsh and Daniel Stubbs.

"I don't think I've ever been in a game where there was more talent on the football field between the two ballclubs," Bowden said, adding that the parity in today's game makes a duplication unrealistic.

The game also marked the arrival of FSU-Miami as a championship maker or breaker. From 1987-96, both teams carried Top 10 rankings into their annual game a remarkable eight times. The two meet again Saturday afternoon and, for the first time since 1977, neither is ranked.

"Too bad we didn't play last week, we were ranked," deadpanned Dexter Carter, in his first year on FSU's coaching staff. "But if we go through the process and we prepare and we play the way we prepare, that's a natural process, we'll get back there."

IN THE MIX?: Had FSU enjoyed more of a cushion than seven points last week against Wake Forest, you likely would have seen redshirt freshman quarterback D'Vontrey Richardson to take advantage of his running skills and keep the defense off balance. He has a live arm, too.

"We gave him a lot of work last week and had him ready," Bowden said. "We sure would have liked to use him some; maybe it will present itself here before long."

FANTASY NUMBERS: With 108 yards receiving, junior Greg Carr has gone over the century mark in three straight games. The last FSU receiver to do that was Snoop Minnis in 2000; he was a first-team All-American and FSU played for the national title.

BAY AREA IMPACT: Freshman Marissa Kazbour, a former soccer standout from Bloomingdale, has started the past six games on the left side of midfield. The team is 4-1-1 in the stretch, with the loss coming against North Carolina and the tie at Virginia. Coincidence? No way.

"I came in thinking I was going to give it my best shot and play every day as hard as I could," said Kazbour, who has two goals and three assists. "That's all I could control. I don't take my starting position for granted."

The Seminoles (9-3-2, 4-1-1 ACC), ranked No.15 by Soccer Buzz, end their home schedule on Sunday with a critical league game against Miami (8-3-3, 4-1-1).

Brian Landman can be reached at landman@sptimes.com or (813) 226-3347. Check his blog at blogs.tampabay.com/seminoles.

[Last modified October 17, 2007, 19:24:50]