The Russell Athletic Bowl

18 Louisville vs. Miami (FL)

Bowl Information
Date: December 28th, 2013
Time: 6:45 PM EST
Channel: ESPN
Point Spread: Louisville -3½
O/U: 57
Bowl History
Year Founded: 1990
Location: Orlando, FL
Stadium: The Citrus Bowl
Conference Tie-ins: American #2 vs. ACC #3
Player Swag: Players on both teams were treated to $450 Best Buy shopping sprees.
Per-Team Pay Out: $2,325,000
2012 Season Result: Virginia Tech 13–10 Rutgers “Highlights” (If you can call them that.)
Bowl History: The bowl was founded in 1990 by Raycom and was originally played at Joe Robbie Stadium in Miami. Over the years, it’s gone by many different names: The Sunshine Classic, the Blockbuster Bowl, the Conquest Bowl, the CarQuest Bowl, and the MicronPC Bowl. In 2001, the bowl was relocated to Orlando and renamed the Tangerine Bowl. Then, in 2004, Footlocker, the parent company of Champs Sports, purchased the naming rights and called it the Champs Sports Bowl. This lasted until 2012, when Russell Athletic bought the rights through 2015.
Notabowl Historic Games:

#6 Penn State vs. #7 FSU, 1990 Blockbuster Bowl: The inaugural bowl game was played before a crowd of 74,000 at Joe Robbie Stadium in Miami. This game featured a classic bout between two Hall of Fame coaches, Joe Paterno and Bobby Bowden, and it’s particularly relevant to today’s match-up because Penn State featured a young tight end named Al Golden and a young linebacker named Mark D’Onofrio. Today the pair serves as head coach and defensive coordinator for the Miami Hurricanes. Penn State won the game 24–17.
Texas Tech vs. Clemson, 2002 Tangerine Bowl: This game is notable because it featured a young Kliff Kingsbury tossing TDs to some dude named Wes Welker. Tech demolished Clemson to the tune of 55–15, and Kliff went 32/43 for 375 yards and 3 TDs. (Bonus: The highlight reel above features a delightfully late-90s/early-00’s rock soundtrack.)

Louisville vs. Miami: A Budding Rivalry
Among several story lines headed into this bowl game – will Charlie Strong leave Louisville? Is Bridgewater declaring? Is Miami finally coming back? – it’s easy to forget that, despite geographic separation, Louisville and Miami have a pretty colorful history, as well as the makings of a nice, budding rivalry.
A Man, A Plan, Schnellenberger:
Like many great things, it all began with Howard Schnellenberger. Though Schnelly will always be revered by Miami fans for dragging our program out of the cellar in the early 1980s, it’s possible that Louisville fans might love him just as much. After leading Miami to its first national title in 1984, Schnellenberger parlayed his 41–16 record with the Hurricanes into a job offer with the USFL. Immediately after accepting the position, Miami named Jimmy Johnson its head coach, and the rest in that department is history.
Unfortunately for Schnellenberger, however, the USFL announced that it was switching to a fall schedule immediately after he was hired, and the team that hired him found itself under new ownership in Orlando. The new regime reneged on the prior manager’s agreement with Schnellenberger, and the man was suddenly unemployed.
Disappointed, Schnellenberger found his way to Louisville in 1985, where he took over the reins at a downtrodden program once again. The Cardinals at the time hadn’t had a winning season since 1978, and in the twelve years before that the team had only had two. Nonetheless, Schnelly proudly announced at his opening press conference that Louisville’s football team was "on a collision course with the national championship. The only variable [was] time."
After a bit of a slow start, Schnellenberger guided the Cardinals to a 24–9 record over his fourth, fifth, and sixth seasons. He led the team to its fourth and fifth bowl appearances, winning both of them, and even drubbing Alabama in the 1991 Fiesta Bowl. In 1994, Schnelly left Louisville after ten years with a career record of 54–56–2, but more importantly he had set Louisville up for its present success. It’s also worth noting that because of Schnellenberger’s dogged determination to salvage cellar-dwelling football programs, he is disqualified from admission into the College Football Hall of Fame, owing to a lame rule about a required minimum winning percentage.
A Hurricane Named Hester:
Miami and Louisville have met sporadically over the past seventy years. The teams met twice before 1950, with Miami taking the first contest 26–0, and the two teams tying the second one 13–13. From 1979 through 2004, Miami swept all seven match-ups against the Cardinals. Then, in 2006, the Hurricanes made the ill-advised decision to stomp on the center-field logo of the Cardinals, and the ass-whooping that ensued is still unsettling for any Miami fans that watched TV that day. I remember being a freshman in my dorm’s common room, drowning my sorrow with an entire pizza. Sadness has many flavors. Mine is pepperoni.
Of all the match-ups in the series, though, one stands above the others in terms of excitement: the 2004 game. Simply put, Devin Hester took this thing over. Just watch the highlights. I can’t do it justice with words, for I am merely a mortal.
A Bridge Over Troubled Water:
In recent years, Miami and Louisville have engaged in a form of soft warfare not dissimilar to what the USSR used to wage against America. This has manifested itself chiefly in the form of Louisville coaches recruiting athletes from high schools in Miami’s backyard. In fact, Louisville boasts more Florida players on its roster than any other school not located in the Sunshine State. Of all those players, none has more of a shared history with both teams than Teddy Bridgewater.
Originally recruited to be the heir apparent to Jacory Harris (whom Bridgewater backed up in high school), Teddy was viewed by many as the player that would end Miami’s struggles and finally get us back on track. Then, Randy Shannon was fired, and the Nevin Shapiro scandal broke. (Bridgewater is actually named in the NCAA incident reports several times with regard to his and Shapiro’s relationship.) The result is that the hometown star sailed away to Charlie Strong’s Cardinals. I can’t really fault the guy, but damn would he have looked good in Orange and Green.
The Future:
Adding a little more intrigue to this game is the fact that, since Louisville begins next season in the ACC, both squads might open next season against one another as well. If Teddy Bridgewater declares for the NFL Draft, this will be Miami’s only shot at the former Hurricane commit.
Louisville Cardinals
Bowl Record: 8–8–1

Year	Bowl	Opponent	Result
1957	Sun Bowl	Drake	W 34–20
1970	Pasadena Bowl	Long Beach State	T 24–24
1974	Independence Bowl	Louisiana Tech	L 14–24
1990	Fiesta Bowl	Alabama	W 34–7
1993	Liberty Bowl	Michigan State	W 18–7
1998	Motor City Bowl	Marshall	L 29–48
1999	Humanitarian Bowl	Boise State	L 31–34
2000	Liberty Bowl	Colorado State	L 17–22
2001	Liberty Bowl	BYU	W 28–10
2002	GMAC Bowl	Marshall	L 15–38
2003	GMAC Bowl	Miami (OH)	L 28–49
2004	Liberty Bowl	Boise State	W 44–40
2005	Gator Bowl	Virginia Tech	L 24–35
2006	Orange Bowl (BCS)	Wake Forest	W 24–13
2010	Beef 'O' Brady's Bowl	Southern Miss	W 31–20
2011	Belk Bowl	NC State	L 24–31
2012	Sugar Bowl (BCS)	Florida	W 33–23

Historic Bowl Games:
1991 Fiesta Bowl: Louisville 34 – Alabama 7
The Cards down the Tide in Tempe
In the 20th annual contest at Sun Devil Stadium, Louisville entered this game riding a six-game winning streak in Coach Howard Schnellenberger’s most successful season at the school so far with a 9-1-1 record. Their opponent, Alabama, started 0-3, with those losses coming by a combined eight points before winning the next seven of eight games. In a one-sided affair, the Cards dominated the Tide to win their biggest Bowl game in school history, 34-7. Enjoy the whole game here
2007 Orange Bowl: Louisville 24 – Wake Forest 13
The stars were out for Louisville's first BCS victory
On a historic day for Louisville after a historic 2006 campaign, Louisville traveled down to the Sunshine State to meet the surprise ACC Champs in the Wake Forest Demon Deacons. (Surprise is an understatement) The game was tightly fought between both teams, going into the final quarter tied at 10. Two Cardinals TDs would put the game out of reach, and giving Louisville their first ever BCS win. But it wouldn't be last...
2012 Sugar Bowl: Louisville 33 – Florida 23
On a January Night in NOLA, Touchdown Teddy hit the national stage
No one gave Louisville a chance. The Cards had an impressive 2012, starting 9-0 before dropping two games in a row to Syracuse and UConn. The Sugar Bowl still selected Louisville as its at-large representative. They took on the top five ranked Florida Gators, who's defense was touted as one of the best in the nation, allowing only 12.9 points per game. Oddsmakers saw this, and put the Gators as a 13.5 favorite in the game. The Cardinals set the tone early, picking off Jeff Driskel on the first offensive play for a 32-yard Pick Six. Louisville scored two more times and nailed a FG to take a 24-10 lead going into the break. Teddy Bridgewater starred on the national stage, throwing for 266 yards and two scores, good for MVP on the day. Full game here.
2013 Schedule/Record: 11–1, 7–1 AAC

H/A	Opponent	Result
vs.	Ohio	W 49–7
vs.	Eastern Kentucky	W 44–7
@	Kentucky	W 27–13
vs.	FIU	W 72–0
@	Temple	W 30–7
vs.	Rutgers	W 24–10
vs.	UCF	L 35–38
@	USF	W 34–3
@	UConn	W 31–10
vs.	Houston	W 20–13
vs.	Memphis	W 24–17
@	Cincinnati	W 31–24^OT

Key Players this Season:
OFFENSE
Going into this season, most considered this the most talented offensive team Louisville had ever had. An already strong running back corp was bolstered by the arrival of the former BCSNCG MOP Michael Dyer, The WR’s had 3 members who many expected to be drafted in the first few rounds of the draft, and of course our QB wasn’t that bad either.
Teddy Bridgewater: Possibly the best player ever to put on the Louisville uniform, and a popular pick for #1 overall pick in next year’s NFL Draft (assuming he goes…). After a break-out season last year, Theodore has had (by most metrics) an even season this year. So far this year Teddy has chalked up 3523 passing yards with a completion percentage of 70.2. He’s thrown for 28 TD’s with only 4 INTs.
Season Summary:
Coming in to the season, the narrative was that Louisville would steamroll everyone they played, and after going undefeated, probably be passed over for the national title game. For the first 6 games, that seemed like it might be the case. the Cards steamrolled over all of their competition by a combined 246-22. Their 7th opponent, the UCF Knights appeared to be heading towards a similar fate, trailing 28-7 midway through the third quarter before a ~~lucky~~ ~~miraculous~~ hard-fought comeback left the Cards with their first loss of the season, 38-35.
Miami Hurricanes
Bowl Record: 18–16 (2–1 in Russell Athletic Bowl)
(Note: National Championship victories and BCS appearances are bolded below.)

Year	Bowl	Opponent	Result
1935	Orange Bowl	Bucknell	L 0–26
1946	Orange Bowl	Holy Cross	W 13–6
1951	Orange Bowl	Clemson	W 14–15
1952	Gator Bowl	Clemson	W 14–0
1961	Liberty Bowl	Syracuse	L 14–15
1962	Gotham Bowl	Nebraska	L 34–36
1966	Liberty Bowl	Virginia Tech	W 14–7
1967	Bluebonnet Bowl	Colorado	L 21–31
1981	Peach Bowl	Virginia Tech	W 20–10
1984	Orange Bowl National Championship	Nebraska	W 31–30
1985	Fiesta Bowl	UCLA	L 37–39
1986	Sugar Bowl	Tennessee	L 7–35
1987	Fiesta Bowl	Penn State	L 10–14
1988	Orange Bowl National Championship	Oklahoma	W 20–14
1989	Orange Bowl	Nebraska	W 23–3
1990	Sugar Bowl National Championship	Alabama	W 33–25
1991	Cotton Bowl Classic	Texas	W 46–3
1992	Orange Bowl National Championship	Nebraska	W 22–0
1993	Sugar Bowl	Alabama	L 13–34
1994	Fiesta Bowl	Arizona	L 0–29
1995	Orange Bowl	Nebraska	L 17–24
1996	Carquest Bowl	Virginia	W 31–21
1998	Micron PC Bowl	NC State	W 46–23
2000	Gator Bowl	Georgia Tech	W 28–13
2001	Sugar Bowl	Florida	W 37–20
2002	Rose Bowl BCS National Championship	Nebraska	W 37–14
2003	Fiesta Bowl BCS National Championship	Ohio State	L 24–31^2OT
2004	Orange Bowl	Florida State	W 16–14
2004	Peach Bowl	Florida	W 27–10
2005	Peach Bowl	LSU	L 3–40
2006	MPC Computers Bowl	Nevada	W 21–20
2008	Emerald Bowl	California	L 17–24
2009	Champs Sports Bowl	Wisconsin	L 14–20
2010	Sun Bowl	Notre Dame	L 17–33

Historic Bowl Games (aka, “Sorry, Nebraska”):
1984 Orange Bowl: #5 Miami 31 – Nebraska 30
Papa Schnelly Introduces America to the Miami Hurricanes
This nail-biter of a game is considered one of the greatest college football games ever played, not least of all because it announced the beginning of Miami’s period of dominance in college football. After blasting to a 31-17 fourth quarter lead against Tom Osborne’s dynastic Cornhuskers, Howard Schnellenberger’s Hurricanes squad weathered a late rally by breaking up a last-second two-point attempt at the end of regulation. The final score was 31–30, and overnight Miami established itself as a national power; the school would go on to earn two more national titles before the end of the decade. It was also Coach Schnellenberger’s final game with Miami.
2001 Rose Bowl: #1 Miami 37 – #2 Nebraska 14
The Greatest Team
This game earned Miami its fifth and most recent national championship, and it’s notable because it featured arguably the greatest college football team ever assembled. This squad averaged 42.6 ppg while only allowing 9.75, and it set the NCAA record for largest margin of victory over consecutive ranked teams (124–7 over #14 Syracuse and #12 Washington). 38 members of this team were selected in the NFL Draft – including 17 first rounders – and as of 2012, that group has earned 41 trips to the Pro Bowl.
2013 Season Record: 9–3, 5–3 ACC

H/A	Opponent	Result
vs.	FAU	W 34–6
vs.	Florida	W 21–16
vs.	Savannah State	W 77–7
@	USF	W 49–21
vs.	Georgia Tech	W 45–30
@	UNC	W 27–23
vs.	Wake Forest	W 24–21
@	FSU	L 41–14
vs.	VT	L 42–24
@	[TOO ASHAMED TO SAY]	L 48–30
vs.	Virginia	W 45–26
@	Pittsburgh	W 41–31

Key Players this Season:
OFFENSE:
Miami lost its leading rusher and arguably one of the best running backs in the country when Duke Johnson suffered a broken ankle at the end of the FSU game. The team also lost one of its main receiving targets when Phillip Dorsett suffered a partial MCL tear early in the UNC game. As such, two underclassmen stepped in to fill their shoes, and they’ve since grown into their roles as two of our most impactful players on the offensive side of the ball:

Stacy Coley WR, true freshman: Coley began his career at Miami by dropping two sure-fire TD passes against FAU. That feels like years ago. Since then, Coley has gotten over his jitters to become one of the most dynamic weapons in all of college football. He is the only player in FBS this season to boast TDs by way of kick returns, punt returns, pass receptions, and rushes. Look for him to get the ball in lots of different ways against Louisville. (Bonus: Coley did a Reddit AMA back when he was in high school.)
Dallas Crawford RB, sophomore: Crawford is a real bruiser compared to Duke Johnson. His running style reminds me a lot of Marion Barber from back in his Minnesota days. Even before Duke was injured, it was very common to see Crawford used in short yardage and goal line situations. The guy just has a nose for the end zone. On the season, he has 12 rushing TDs. Look for him to take the lion’s share of the backfield carries against Louisville; he’ll be spelled by true freshman Gus Edwards as well as Eduardo Clements.
Allen Hurns WR, senior: By far the most consistent performer on offense this season has been Allen Hurns, who’s really emerged as a leader on this team. Hurns has been a scoring machine, but more than anything else, he’s been there for clutch catches in third and long situations. He’s drawn the admiration from some all-time greats along the way. And, quietly, he’s put together one of the greatest receiving seasons in Hurricanes history. He needs only 19 yards against Louisville to have the highest single-season yardage total of any Miami wide receiver – more than Santana Moss, Andre Johnson, Reggie Wayne, Michael Irvin, and etc. Look for him to get that total, as he enters Saturday’s contest riding a four-game streak of 100-yard performances.
Stephen Morris QB, senior: Oh, Stephen. We had such high hopes for you after the 2012 season. Projected by some to be among the best QBs in the coming draft class, Morris was hobbled early in the year by an ankle injury that he just couldn’t shake. It clearly impacted his ability to plant his foot, and as a result he occasionally reminded us of He Whose Swag Shall Not Be Named. Fortunately, that injury looks to be mostly behind him, and he’s shown flashes of his former brilliance against Virginia and Pittsburgh. Hopefully for us he can stay healthy and keep his mind right in this game against Louisville, because he’s going to have to keep pace with one of the best QBs in the nation for us to have a chance.

DEFENSE:

Denzel Perryman LB, junior: I could regale you with stats about The Bone Collector, aka The President, aka DP52, or I could simply show you this GIF illustrating the kind of savagery and determination Denzel brings to our defensive front seven. The dude is a monster, and I’ll be sad to see him depart for the NFL next year. (He hasn’t officially declared, but he just had a daughter, so I can’t imagine him sticking around.)
Tracy Howard CB, sophomore: Howard shocked the world when he picked Miami over Florida in the eleventh hour as a recruit coming out of high school, and he showed that he was a capable role player last year. This year, though, is when he really started cooking with gas. Howard leads the secondary in takeaways with 4 INTs, and he’s been a solid defender all year long. He’s got a bright future ahead of him and I can’t wait to see what he can do against a top-tier offense like Louisville’s. (Bonus: His mom has an awesome Twitter.)

Biggest Plays this Season:

Stacy Coley takes over the Pittsburgh game with three touchdowns – consisting of receptions for 32 and 34 yards, as well as a blazing fast “Sportscenter top play” rush of 73 yards.
Dallas Crawford leads Miami on a 90-yard drive in the fourth quarter for a come-from-behind victory on the road against North Carolina. Crawford took over rushing duties in this game after Duke Johnson suffered a minor concussion in the first quarter. Earlier in the week, UM great Clinton Portis had addressed the entire Hurricanes team about approaching each game as if you were going to be the starter. “You’re one play away,” he told everybody. Clearly, Crawford took Portis’s words to heart. He put the team on his back to the tune of 33 carries for 137 yards and two TDs, and when he scored in the final minute, who cheered loudest? None other than Southeast Jerome himself.
Tyriq McCord strip sacks Florida QB Jeff Driskel, cementing Miami’s upset win over the Gators. In all honesty, the entire defense deserves “notable plays” love for this game, as they successfully grabbed four red zone turnovers from the feckless Gators. (Oh wait, no, those turnovers were given to us. That’s how that works. Gotcha.) In any event, it’s hard to tell which sack is nearer and dearer to my heart: McCord’s game-clincher against Driskel, or his world-shattering blast of Georgia Tech’s QB.

Season Summary: 2013 was undoubtedly a step in the right direction for Al Golden and the Miami Hurricanes. Since taking over the program in 2011, Coach Golden has led Miami through the uncertainty of an NCAA investigation, the limitations of self-imposed bowl bans and scholarship reductions, and a whole heap of negative recruiting from our in-state rivals. In that time, his teams have posted records of 6-6, 7-5, and now 9-3. The program is positioned to earn its first 10-win season since 2003 and its first bowl win since 2006. On top of this on-field success, our incoming recruiting class for the 2014 season is currently ranked third in the nation by ESPN.
The Miami Hurricanes began the 2013 season unranked, but that changed with a 21-16 upset victory over the then-ranked #12 Florida Gators. While the Gators are a joke right now (and aren’t they always?), it’s worth noting that their team was at full strength for this game, and the Fighting Tebows had not yet been plagued by the calamitous ACL curse from which they’re still recovering. No doubt Will Muschamp incurred the wrath of a voodoo priestess, and that’s why his team fell apart like a wet paper bag. Come to think of it, it’s perhaps possible that some Hialeah residents inflicted a Santeria curse ahead of UF’s game against Miami – perhaps as punishment for the fact that UF refuses to play us every year like we’ve always asked. The truth is out there.
Following the UF upset, Miami surged up the polls. Despite a series of lackluster performances against stout but ostensibly weaker ACC opponents – and despite having to come from behind in the final minutes against UNC and Wake Forest – Miami continued to rise in the rankings due mostly to a string of losses for the teams above them. By November 2nd, Miami found itself ranked #7 as it headed to Tallahassee to take on a red hot FSU team. The game was only the second top-ten match-up between the perennial rivals since Miami joined the ACC in 2004.
Unfortunately, Miami was outmatched in that game, and the loss begat a three-game skid for the Hurricanes. (I should point out, though, that the halftime score was 21-14, so there’s that, I guess…)
The following week, Miami lost to Virginia Tech despite wearing its really cool “The Smoke” alternates, and then the week after that Miami suffered a [REDACTED DUE TO HOW HUMILIATING THIS IS] for only the second time in the program’s history, effectively eliminating the team from ACC Coastal contention.
So where are we now? Hopefully, we’re on the upswing. Since falling to 7-3, Miami has gone on to win convincingly over Virginia and Pittsburgh.
Why we are going to win: Obviously we’ll win because we’re better singers than they are.
But seriously: there are so many South Florida players on the Louisville roster that, in a lot of ways, this game is going to be similar to a match-up against one of our in-state rivals. They may as well have held it at Traz Powell for that reason.
And with that familiarity comes enhanced competition. Both squads are very excited to play against each other. The Miami guys who stuck with the Hurricanes through the Nevin Shapiro fiasco are no doubt chomping at the bit to face off against Bridgewater, who is viewed by some as having abandoned his city. Meanwhile Louisville’s players are no doubt excited to stick it to their hometown team.
I predict that this game will be extremely close, but in one of two ways. It will either be a shootout in the form of a true quarterback duel (::God willing that the right Stephen Morris shows up::), or it will be a grinder and a low-scoring affair. I do not predict a blow out on either side.
May the best bird win.
Related Subreddits:
/miamihurricanes
/AllHail
Contributors:
nemoran
TheTurner, Addyct
For more info on the 35 Bowls Project, go here.

Gmac overnight

[35 Bowls in 17 Days] The Russell Athletic Bowl

18 Louisville vs. Miami (FL)