1985 Fiesta Bowl
Encyclopedia
The 1985 Fiesta Bowl, played on January 1, 1985, was the 14th edition of the Fiesta Bowl
. The game featured the UCLA Bruins
, and the Miami Hurricanes
. The game was the fourth highest scoring Fiesta Bowl of all time. Miami was defending national champions, playing with four losses under new head coach Jimmy Johnson
.
. He would finish with 144 yards rushing on 21 attempts, and would be named the game's MVP. Miami responded following a 34 yard touchdown run by tailback Darryl Oliver, knotting the game at 7. 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 third 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 all-American Gaston Green to pull within 21-14. The defense continued the momentum by forcing a safety, bringing the score to 21-16. All-American kicker John Lee
kicked two field goals of 51 and 33 yards before halftime 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 Miami in front 24-22. Quarterback Steve Bono
found wide receiver Mike Sherrard
for a 10 yard touchdown pass to switch the lead to UCLA, 29-24.
In the fourth quarter, Steve 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. Bernie Kosar later found Bratton on a 3 yard slant pass, giving Miami a 37-36 lead. With 2:58 remaining, Steve Bono moved the Bruins down the field. UCLA's all-American kicker John 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 Bernie Kosar to seal the win.
over #6 Ohio State. BYU was the lone undefeated team and was ranked #1 and the end of the year.
Fiesta Bowl
The Fiesta Bowl, now sponsored by Frito-Lay and named with their Tostitos brand, is a United States college football bowl game played annually at the University of Phoenix Stadium in Glendale, Arizona. Between its origination in 1971 and 2006, the game was hosted in Tempe, Arizona at Sun Devil...
. The game featured the UCLA Bruins
UCLA Bruins
The UCLA Bruins are the sports teams for University of California, Los Angeles . The Bruin men's and women's teams participate in NCAA Division I as part of the Pacific-12 Conference and the Mountain Pacific Sports Federation . For football, they are in the Football Bowl Subdivision of Division I...
, and the Miami Hurricanes
University of Miami
The University of Miami is a private, non-sectarian university founded in 1925 with its main campus in Coral Gables, Florida, a medical campus in Miami city proper at Civic Center, and an oceanographic research facility on Virginia Key., the university currently enrolls 15,629 students in 12...
. The game was the fourth highest scoring Fiesta Bowl of all time. Miami was defending national champions, playing with four losses under new head coach Jimmy Johnson
Jimmy Johnson (American football coach)
James William "Jimmy" Johnson is an American former NCAA and National Football League head coach. As of 2010, he is currently an analyst for Fox NFL Sunday, the Fox network's NFL pregame show. He was the first football coach whose teams won both an NCAA Division 1A National Championship and a...
.
Game summary
UCLA took an early 7-0 lead, off a 6 yard touchdown run by halfback Gaston GreenGaston Green
Gaston Alfred Green III is a former professional American football player who was selected by the Los Angeles Rams in the 1st round of the 1988 NFL Draft. A 5'10", 189-lb. running back from UCLA, Green played in 5 NFL seasons from 1988 to 1992 for the Rams and Denver Broncos...
. He would finish with 144 yards rushing on 21 attempts, and would be named the game's MVP. Miami responded following a 34 yard touchdown run by tailback Darryl Oliver, knotting the game at 7. 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 third quarter, quarterback Bernie Kosar
Bernie Kosar
Bernard Joseph "Bernie" Kosar, Jr. is a former American football quarterback in the National Football League. Kosar played for the Cleveland Browns from 1985 to 1993 and then finished his career with the Dallas Cowboys and the Miami Dolphins.-Early life and high school career:A Hungarian-American...
threw a 48 yard touchdown pass to wide receiver Brian Blades
Brian Blades
Brian Keith Blades is a former American football wide receiver in the National Football League.Blades graduated from Piper High School in Sunrise, Florida in 1983....
to increase Miami's lead to 21-7. UCLA responded in a big way, riding a 72 yard touchdown run by all-American Gaston Green to pull within 21-14. The defense continued the momentum by forcing a safety, bringing the score to 21-16. All-American kicker John Lee
John Lee (placekicker)
John Lee is a former two-time All-American placekicker for the UCLA Bruins football team from 1982–1985. He was the 32nd pick selected in the 1986 NFL Draft and later played one year for the St. Louis Cardinals. He was inducted to the UCLA Athletic Hall of Fame in 2001. Lee is the first player...
kicked two field goals of 51 and 33 yards before halftime to give UCLA a 22-21 lead at halftime.
Miami reclaimed the lead in the third quarter, after Greg Cox
Greg Cox (American football)
Gregory Mark "Greg" Cox is a former professional American football safety in the National Football League. He played college football for the San Jose State Spartans. He played four seasons for the San Francisco 49ers and the New York Giants .-References:...
drilled a 31 yard field goal, putting Miami in front 24-22. Quarterback Steve Bono
Steve Bono
Steven Christopher Bono is a former American football quarterback in the National Football League.-Collegiate career:Bono attended the University of California at Los Angeles, where he received a degree in sociology. As a Bruins quarterback, Bono posted collegiate career numbers of 177...
found wide receiver Mike Sherrard
Mike Sherrard
Michael Watson Sherrard is a former professional American football player who was drafted by the Dallas Cowboys in the 1st round of the 1986 NFL Draft. A 6'2" wide receiver from UCLA, Sherrard played in 11 NFL seasons from 1986 to 1996...
for a 10 yard touchdown pass to switch the lead to UCLA, 29-24.
In the fourth quarter, Steve 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
Melvin Bratton
Melvin Bratton attended the University of Miami, where he played running back for the Miami Hurricanes and starred in the national championship game at the 1988 Orange Bowl against Oklahoma, where he blew out his knee...
. The attempted two point conversion failed, leaving the score 36-30. Bernie Kosar later found Bratton on a 3 yard slant pass, giving Miami a 37-36 lead. With 2:58 remaining, Steve Bono moved the Bruins down the field. UCLA's all-American kicker John 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 Bernie Kosar to seal the win.
First quarter
- UCLA — Gaston Green, six-yard run. John Lee converts.
- Miami — Darryl Oliver 34-yard run. Greg Cox converts.
- Miami — Ed Brown, 68-yard punt return. Cox converts.
Second quarter
- Miami — Brian Blades, 48-yard pass from Bernie Kosar. Cox converts.
- UCLA — Green 72-yard run. Lee converts.
- UCLA — Shinnick tallies safety.
- UCLA — Lee, 51-yard field goal.
- UCLA — Lee, 33-yard field goal.
Third quarter
- Miami — Cox, 31-yard field goal.
- UCLA — Mike Sherrard, 10-yard pass from Steve Bono. Lee converts.
Fourth quarter
- UCLA — Mike Young, 33-yard pass from Bono. Lee converts.
- Miami — Melvin Bratton, 19-yard run. Kosar pass failed.
- Miami — Bratton, three-yard pass from Kosar. Cox converts.
- UCLA — Lee kicks 22-yard field goal
Aftermath
Three PAC-10 teams participated in New Year's Day bowl games. #4 Washington won the 1985 Orange Bowl over #2 Oklahoma, and #18 USC won the 1985 Rose Bowl1985 Rose Bowl
The 1985 Rose Bowl Game was a postseason college football bowl game between the University of Southern California Trojans of the Pacific-10 Conference and The Ohio State University Buckeyes of the Big Ten Conference, held on New Year’s Day in the Rose Bowl in Pasadena, California...
over #6 Ohio State. BYU was the lone undefeated team and was ranked #1 and the end of the year.
External links
- http://espn.go.com/abcsports/bcs/fiesta/s/1985.html