This Date in College Football Belt History – September 1

September 1, 1984

Miami vs Florida

The 17^th ranked Florida Gators of coach Charley Pell traveled to Tampa to meet the 10^th 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 1^st quarter with Miami’s PK Greg Cox hitting from 29 yards while Florida’s PK Bobby Raymond hit from 44 yards.  Early in the 2^nd 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 3^rd 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 4^th 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 18^th nationally while the Gators finished 9-1-1, SEC Champions & ranked 3^rd nationally.  Pell was fired/resigned after the 3^rd game of the season & the SEC Championship was forfeited for NCAA violations.  Florida would play for The Belt again in 1986.

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