Friday Flashback: Canes Crush LSU in Baton Rouge
By David Villavicencio
HurricaneSports.com
CORAL GABLES, Fla. – The Canes open the 2018 season against LSU on Sunday in a top-25 matchup that has the college football world brimming with excitement.
Sunday will be the first time the two teams meet in the regular season since 1988. Thirty years ago, the Canes dominated LSU, 44-3, before a crowd of 79,528 at Tiger Stadium in Baton Rouge, La.
Both teams entered the contest on Nov. 19, 1988 with major motivation. The Hurricanes, who were ranked third, were the defending national champions and had been rolling after a heartbreaking 31-30 loss at Notre Dame on Oct. 15. Miami won its next three games by a combined score of 122-13, including a 57-3 thrashing against Cincinnati, proving they were among the most dominant teams in the country that season.
LSU was ranked No. 11 and riding a five-game winning streak ahead of its meeting with the Canes. After victories over Auburn, Kentucky, Ole Miss, Alabama and Mississippi State, the Tigers were making a push for the SEC title. But they ran into a relentless Miami team that gave them their worst home loss since 1948.
”We did an exceptional job in all phases of the game,” Hurricanes coach Jimmy Johnson said following the win. ”Defensively, we took away most of what LSU wanted to do. And offensively, we did a good job moving the ball in the adverse conditions.”
The Canes wasted little time announcing their presence in Baton Rouge, scoring on their first two possessions. Wide receiver Randal Hill scored the first points of the game, recovering a Cleveland Gary fumble in the end zone less than five minutes into the game. Three minutes later, Carlos Huerta connected on a 37-yard field goal.
Gary then scored on a 31-yard run eight seconds into the second quarter to give the Canes a 17-0 lead just over 15 minutes into the game.
Miami’s defense was even more impressive. A unit led by defensive end Bill Hawkins and defensive back Bubba McDowell did not allow LSU to get a first down on its first three possessions.
The Hurricanes led 20-0 before LSU could get even on the scoreboard. David Browndyke hit a 27-yard field goal just before halftime, but Miami’s imposing advantage led to LSU trying to convert fourth-down play deep in Miami territory instead of kicking the field goal three separate times and each time the Canes’ defense thwarted the Tigers’ effort.
The third quarter was scoreless for both teams, but Miami exploded for 24 points in the fourth to seal the dominant victory.
Steve Walsh led a talented and deep Hurricanes offense, completing 16-of-29 passes for 220 yards and two touchdowns on the night. Andre Brown hauled in four catches for a team-high 109 yards.
Gary added a second touchdown with 14:09 left in the game and finished the night with 45 rushing yards on six carries and five catches for 38 yards.
Huerta’s second field goal of the night, a 22-yarder, gave Miami a 30-3 lead with 7:49 remaining.
Roland Smith picked off a pass from LSU’s Tom Hodson and returned it 47 yards for a touchdown to increase Miami’s lead to 34, 37-3. Hodson struggled mightly against the Canes’ defense, completing 18-of-40 passes for 226 yards and throwing two interceptions.
Miami’s last score of the night came with a minute remaining in the game, as Alex Johnson rushed to the goal line from 16 yards out to finalize the 44-3 win.
The Hurricanes’ defense was led by linebackers Maurice Crum and Randy Shannon, who combined for 25 tackles.
Shannon, who had 10 tackles (five solo) and two tackles for loss, recovered a fumble in the second quarter that led to Huerta’s field goal. That was one of four fumbles recovered by Miami.
The Hurricanes continued their momentum from the big victory in Baton Rouge, finishing the regular season with wins over Arkansas and BYU before earning a 23-3 win over Nebraska in the Orange Bowl to finish the year 11-1.
