Columns

Unlikely hero rescues Miami

By JOHN ROMANO, Times Columnist
Published October 21, 2007

TALLAHASSEE - He thought about getting up, but his body disagreed.

He did not notice the 21 players nearby in various stages of euphoria or despair. There was a crowd the size of a small city surrounding him, but he paid no attention to them, either. At the moment, he was concerned mostly with breathing.

So Kirby Freeman laid on his back with his eyes fixed on the stars above.

In the trained opinion of University of Miami team physician Dr. John Uribe, Freeman had been knocked goofy by Florida State linemen.

Uribe could tell the Hurricanes quarterback was struggling to catch his breath when the medical staff arrived near the 20-yard line, so the good doctor offered his young patient a dose of good news.

"Hey, Kirby, guess what? You completed the pass. It was a touchdown."

And that was the moment Freeman realized he'd made history.

Miami had just finished off an 83-yard drive in 90 seconds, taking a last-minute lead against FSU on Freeman's 13-yard touchdown pass to Dedrick Epps.

The Hurricanes would score again 11 seconds later to eventually win 37-29.

It might have been the least consequential game played by Miami and FSU in the past 20 years, but that did not keep it from being one of the more entertaining games the series has ever known.

There were lead changes and coaching gambles. There were defensive touchdowns and trick plays. There were hits that will be felt for days and mistakes that will be remembered for years.

And, in the end, there was an unlikely hero wobbling off the field.

Just minutes earlier, Miami coach Randy Shannon had chewed Freeman a new one for failing to convert a quarterback sneak on fourth and inches near the goal line. At the time, it looked like the game's deciding moment.

So, now, with 82,728 watching at Doak Campbell Stadium and a regional television audience tuned in on ABC, the player and coach shared a special moment on the field.

"Do you love me?" Shannon asked.

"Get away from me," Freeman said.

These are the laughs shared only by victors. The bond understood best by those who have known worse. This was the moment that was a long time in coming for Freeman.

You have to realize, there was no reason to believe the junior from Brownwood, Texas, had this comeback in him. He might have begun the season as Miami's No. 1 quarterback, but he had slipped down the depth chart before the end of the second game.

And when Freeman entered Saturday's game after Kyle Wright turned an ankle, it appeared as if he would be the one shouldering the blame for what was looking like a Miami loss.

The Hurricanes were running the ball. They were keeping the Seminoles out of the end zone. They even scored a touchdown on a fake field goal. But Freeman was not holding up his end in the passing game.

When Miami got the ball at its own 17 with 2:45 remaining and trailing 29-24, Freeman was 1-of-9 with two interceptions. The Hurricanes say they had faith in their quarterback, but their play-calling didn't show it. Freeman completed a shaky 16-yard pass to begin the drive, but then Miami called four straight running plays.

"I guess the coaches thought we couldn't pass it," tackle Reggie Youngblood said.

When the running game finally slowed down at the FSU 34, Freeman completed a 21-yard pass on the sideline to Darnell Jenkins. That left the Canes 13 yards and one clutch play from another UM-FSU classic.

Miami's last drive had stalled on this same end of the field when Freeman had failed to get low enough to propel himself the few inches needed on fourth down from the FSU 1.

"I was pretty sure the coaches were going to dispose of me properly after not getting that fourth-down conversion," Freeman said. "I'm just glad they didn't give up on me and my teammates didn't give up on me."

And so it was that Freeman was back in the pocket on first down from the 13. He pump-faked to get the cornerback to hesitate before he let loose the pass to Epps in the corner of the end zone just as he was sandwiched by FSU defenders.

"I knew Dedrick was in the end zone where he was supposed to be," Freeman said. "I just didn't know if I got the ball where it needed to be."

So it was that Freeman was flat on his back as the greatest achievement of his career was unfolding around him.

And for Freeman, the stars will never look the same again.

John Romano can be reached at romano@sptimes.com.

[Last modified October 20, 2007, 23:24:40]