Erickson Region: #2 2001 Sugar Bowl vs. Florida

Miami Madness Bracket

Erickson Region Winner:
#2 2001 Sugar Bowl vs. Florida

Path to the Final Four:
Defeated #15 1966 Liberty Bowl vs. Florida; defeated #7 2002 at Florida; defeated #6 2003 vs. Florida; defeated #1 1992 Orange Bowl vs. Nebraska

How’s this for a college resume?

• Miami Hurricanes’ all-time tackle leader with 532
• First player in college football history to win the three major national defensive awards
• Consensus BIG EAST Defensive Player of the Year and consensus NCAA All-America

Not bad, right?

Well, more than any of those personal accolades, Dan Morgan remembers one thing in particular about his final collegiate season: the feeling of being snubbed.

Miami was excluded from the 2001 BCS National Championship Game in favor of a Florida State team the Hurricanes had toppled earlier in the year.

That Miami drew in-state rival Florida in the Sugar Bowl, meaning Morgan would be playing his last game against a longtime rival, was nothing more than a secondary storyline for the Hurricanes.

“We were all disappointed that we weren’t able to play in the national championship game, so we didn’t care who we played,” Morgan said this week. “We just knew that whoever we played, we were going to prove a point that we were the best team that year.

“I don’t think it was so much about the Gators. We didn’t feel like they could beat us. We didn’t care about playing them, we just cared about, whoever we played…kicking their ass, basically.”

It didn’t always look like a sure thing.

The Gators opened the scoring on a first-quarter touchdown pass, and Miami’s lead was a slim 13-10 heading into the halftime locker room – the lone touchdown coming on a pass from Ken Dorsey to Jeremy Shockey with less than a minute left in the opening quarter.

Florida even regained the lead, 17-13, with 13:10 remaining in the third quarter.

No matter, though – Morgan and his teammates were sure of the game’s outcome.

“Honestly I remember not feeling that stress,” Morgan said. “I never felt like we were going to lose that game. Even when it was close, I don’t think any of us ever felt like we were going to lose that game. I think we were hitting on all cylinders.”

In front of a crowd of 64,000-plus, the Hurricanes outscored the Gators 24-10 in the game’s second half.

Dorsey threw for 270 yards and three touchdowns to earn Most Outstanding Player honors. Wide receiver Santana Moss caught six passes for 89 yards, Reggie Wayne added 49 yards receiving and Clinton Portis rushed for 97 yards on 18 carries in a dominating effort.

“Going into that game, we just wanted to end it the right way. We came to the program as underdogs and we left where we felt like we put the program back on the map,” Morgan said. “We just wanted to leave the right way. Myself, Reggie, Santana – we just wanted to leave on a good note, and obviously that’s what we did.”

Morgan made a team-high 12 tackles in the victory and clinched the 37-20 win when he picked off a pass from Jesse Palmer with two minutes remaining in the game.

“I remember feeling exhausted at the end of the game,” Morgan said. “We played our butts off and gave it our all. My last play was the interception which sealed the game – that’s really what comes to mind.

“That ending moment, hugging [defensive line coach] Greg Mark who recruited me to come down there. That was really a special moment and a special way to end my career.”