At the time, it was the fourth highest-scoring Fiesta Bowl at 76 points. Miami was the defendingnational champion, but had four losses in the regular season under new head coach Jimmy Johnson. Underdog UCLA regained the lead in the final minute to win 39–37.[3][4]
The Bruins had won consecutive Pac-10 championships and Rose Bowl games in their new home stadium in the 1982 and 1983 seasons. In the last game of the 1984 season, they defeated Pac-10 champions and Rose Bowl-bound USC for the third time in a row.
The Hurricanes were the defending national champions. Having defeated top-ranked Auburn, and then Florida, they rose to be ranked number one before their game at Michigan. They remained in the top ten after that loss. They lost again to Florida State. They beat ranked Notre Dame in South Bend to return to the top 10. The Hurricanes earned three more wins, but then suffered two of the most notable losses in college football history.
On November 10 at the Orange Bowl, the Maryland Terrapins defeated the Hurricanes with the largest (at that time) comeback in college football.[5] Down 31–0 at halftime, Frank Reich, who had been injured, came off the bench and led the comeback. At the start of the third quarter, Reich led the Terrapins on multiple scoring drives. Three touchdowns in the third quarter and a fourth at the start of the final quarter turned what was a blowout into a close game. Maryland completed a 42–9 second half, and won 42–40.[6]
The next week at Orange Bowl, the Hurricanes faced the Boston College Eagles in a nationally televised game that has become known as "Hail Flutie." It has been regarded by FOX Sports writer Kevin Hench as among the most memorable moments in sports.[7] The game is most notable for a last-second Hail Mary pass from quarterbackDoug Flutie to wide receiverGerard Phelan to give Boston College the win.
Game summary
The first game of a tripleheader (Rose, Orange) on NBC, the Fiesta kicked off shortly after 11:30 a.m. MST, as did the Cotton Bowl on CBS.
UCLA took an early lead off a six-yard touchdown run by freshman halfback Gaston Green. Miami responded following a 34-yard touchdown run by tailback Darryl Oliver, knotting the game at seven. Later in the quarter, All-American wide receiver Eddie Brown fielded a punt, and took it 68 yards for a Hurricane touchdown, giving Miami a 14–7 lead.
In the second quarter, quarterback Bernie Kosar threw a 48-yard touchdown pass to wide receiver Brian Blades to increase Miami's lead to 21–7. UCLA responded in a big way, riding a 72-yard touchdown run by Green to pull within 21–14. The defense continued the momentum by forcing a safety on punter Rick Tuten, bringing the score to 21–16. All-American kicker John Lee kicked two field goals of 51 and 33 yards to give UCLA a 22–21 lead at halftime.
Miami reclaimed the lead in the third quarter, after Greg Cox drilled a 31-yard field goal, putting them up 24–22. Bruin quarterback Steve Bono found wide receiver Mike Sherrard for a ten-yard touchdown pass to reclaim the lead for UCLA, 29–24.
In the fourth quarter, Bono found Mike Young for a 33-yard touchdown pass, increasing UCLA's lead to 36–24. Miami responded with a 19-yard touchdown run from running back Melvin Bratton. The attempted two-point conversion failed, leaving the score 36–30. Kosar later found Bratton on a three-yard slant pass, giving Miami a 37–36 lead. With 2:58 remaining, Bono moved the Bruins down the field. Lee scored the winning points on a 23-yard field goal, giving UCLA the 39–37 win. Miami mounted one last charge, but Terry Tumey forced a fumble after a sack of Kosar to seal the win. Green had 144 yards rushing on 21 attempts, and was named the game's offensive MVP[3][4]
Three Pac-10 teams participated in New Year's Day bowl games, and all were victorious. #4 Washington won the Orange Bowl over #2 Oklahoma, and #18 USC won the Rose Bowl over #6 Ohio State. BYU of the Western Athletic Conference (WAC) was the lone undefeated team and was ranked first in the final AP poll, after handing unranked Michigan its sixth loss of the season in the Holiday Bowl on December 21. UCLA climbed to ninth and Miami fell to eighteenth.