Florida State will try to exorcise the demons Saturday.
No. 1 FSU meets the No. 3 Miami Hurricanes in another Game of the Year/Decade/Century and beyond. A sold-out Doak Campbell Stadium crowd and national television audience will watch as Miami comes haunting again.
Miami has won three straight against the Seminoles. They have won seven of the last eight. They have broken the hearts of thousands of Seminoles fans. They have ruined too many of FSU coach Bobby Bowden’s Saturdays.
“When I die, they will chisel on my tombstone, `But he played Miami,’ ” Bowden said after the loss two years ago.
This was after Gerry Thomas pushed a 34-yard field goal wide right on the final play of a 17-16 loss. This was before Dan Mowrey pushed a 39-yarder wide right at the end of last year’s 19-16 loss.
Now, Bowden gets another shot to chisel on that tombstone.
“The cycle will change,” Bowden said this week. “At some time we’ll win six in a row. Something good is going to happen.”
But will it be this year? A loss Saturday could be Bowden’s most heartbreaking of all. At 63, Bowden’s molding one of his best teams ever.
These Seminoles (5-0) are steamrolling opponents, winning by a cumulative score of 228-14.
The Hurricanes (4-0) have not looked as good, but they still stand between FSU and Bowden’s first national title. And that’s some roadblock. Miami has won eight straight against teams ranked No. 1. They have won 14 in a row on the road. They have lost only once in Tallahassee since 1980.
