The 17th ranked Florida Gators of coach Charley Pell traveled to Tampa to meet the 10th ranked, 1-0 Miami Hurricanes with coach Jimmy Johnson in their annual battle & this time the game included The Belt. Florida again had an array of stars including All-American OT Lomas Brown, All-SEC players C Phil Bromley, NG Tim Newton, & LB Alonzo Johnson. Miami scored 2 touchdowns in the final 0:41 to retain The Belt with a 32-20 win & claim the Seminole War Canoe. Each team got a field goal in the 1st quarter with Miami’s PK Greg Cox hitting from 29 yards while Florida’s PK Bobby Raymond hit from 44 yards. Early in the 2nd quarter, Florida’s RB Lorenzo Hampton took a pitchout & ran 64 yards for a Gators’ touchdown giving Florida a 10-3 lead. Cox’s 20-yard field goal came before RB Darryl Oliver’s 21-yard touchdown run gave the Hurricanes a 13-10 lead. Another field goal by Cox, this one from 27 yards, sent the teams to intermission with Miami leading 16-10. Cox & Raymond again traded field goal in the 3rd quarter as Cox hit from 25 yards while Raymond’s kick was good from 30 yards leaving the score Miami 19 Florida 13. The Gators then missed 2 opportunities to take the lead. After Florida’s QB Kerwin Bell hit WR Gary Rolle for a 26-yard gain, Rolle fumbled the ball when he was tackled at the Miami 1-yard line & Miami’s S Ken Calhoun recovered the ball with 11:50 left in the game. Florida got another chance when Miami’s P Rick Tuten fumbled while attempting to punt giving the Gators the ball at the Miami 31-yard line. The Hurricanes’ defense stiffened & Raymond missed a 46-yard field goal attempt. Miami punted again giving the Gators the ball at their own 48-yard line with 4:27 left in the game. Florida drove the 52 yards, converting two 4th down plays to keep the drive alive, & Bell hit WR Frankie Neal for a 5-yard touchdown pass with 0:41 left giving Florida what appeared to be a 20-19 win. Kosar drove the Hurricanes 72 yards, including a 36-yard pass to TE Willie Smith, in 0:34 hitting All-American WR Eddie Brown on a 12-yard touchdown pass with 0:07 left in the game. The final points came when Miami’s CB Tolbert Bain intercepted Bell with 0:01 left & returned it 59 yards for a touchdown. Kosar finished with 300 yards passing with a touchdown as he tied the Miami school-record for completions in a game with 25 & Smith tied the school-record for receptions in a game with 11 catches for 152 yards. Bell threw for 159 yards with a touchdown & an interception in the loss. Miami finished the season 8-5; ranked 18th nationally while the Gators finished 9-1-1, SEC Champions & ranked 3rd nationally. Pell was fired/resigned after the 3rd game of the season & the SEC Championship was forfeited for NCAA violations. Florida would play for The Belt again in 1986.
Pickin' Splinters
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