The Road Game Journal feature will detail our excursions to various Miami Hurricanes road games over the years. Hide the children, because when you wear orange and green to an opposing team’s stadium, well, they tend to not take to it kindly. The below article details our trip to Clemson in 2005 to see the Canes take on the Tigers:
Miami 36, Clemson 30 3OT (2005): I was pretty excited to make my first trip to Clemson as I had heard good things about the place. I round up Khalil and we hop in the car for the 2 hour drive from Atlanta. As we’re driving through the town, I feel like I’m in ‘Back to the Future.’ Well, back to the 70s, at least. ‘People live out here?’ I think. I see convenience stores that look like they haven’t been altered since 1982. I walk into one and see some cans of Tab. There’s a Max Headroom poster and a Ms. Pac Man machine (thankfully)…truth be told there was no Max Headroom poster or Tab…but there was a Ms. Pac Man machine for me to set the high score on. Woo!!. Finally, we park on the side of the road along side a bunch of other cars and make the mile plus trek to the stadium. We’re early, and starving, and are lookin for a place to eat. There’s orange everywhere. And then more orange. We walk up to this family havin a little picnic under a tree and ask if there’s a restaurant or food court around. That’s when they wave off that idea, dig into their picnic basket and give Khalil and I – two strangers wearing Hurricanes shirts – sandwiches and bottles of water. “No, no, thanks, but we’re just looking for some place to eat,” I say. They insist and not only that, refuse my multiple offers of money. I was shocked. I’m used to people telling me to go F myself in visiting stadiums and here these people give us free food. That, combined with the overall generosity we encountered, makes Clemson the kindest fan base out there, hands down. They’re the anti-Gator fans, if you will.
So, we sit up on a hill and start chompin on our sandwiches. Not bad. And, like a f’n Macy’s parade, there is blonde after toned blonde. It is unnnnnreal. My head was like a sprinkler goin back and forth. Khalil started to doubt his recent decision to get engaged. I couldn’t believe how hospitable everyone was, too. It was surreal. Then, as we were making our way to the stadium, a drunk hillbilly yelled ‘F**k Miami!!” at us and I said, “Ah, I’m glad to be back to reality. I was getting worried there for a while.” We get to our seats in the Miami section and it is hot as balls. That stadium is kinda sunken down and it adds to the heat. And, it is pretty loud as well. Other than The Swamp in Gainesville, it was the loudest stadium I’ve been to.
Game starts off and it seems like it is going to be a low scoring affair. Peattie kicks a field goal, then Clemson scores. Tigers lead 10-6 at the half. I have a bad feeling. Coker’s got the team in a downward spiral. Quad Hill and Ty Moss score to put Miami up 20-10 in the 4th quarter and I start breathing a little easier. There, that’s more like it. Then, with 3 minutes remaining, Clemson QB Charlie Whitehurst scores to make it 20-17. Ugh. I know Coker. That f’er is gonna get conservative and punt and give them the ball with plenty of time. Sure enough. Rush, no gain. Rush, 3 yards. Sack on 3rd down. Clemson calls timeout with 1:27 left. They drive the field and have a 1st and Goal at the 10 with half a minute left. Great. Three incompletions later, they’re lining upor a tying field goal, which they make. We’re headin to OT.
First OT, Miami gets the ball and find themselves facing a 3rd and 11 at the Clemson 26. Kyle Wright hits Sinorice Moss for 20 yards and two plays later Ty Moss scores. Clemson comes down and has a 3rd and 1 at the Miami 5. Stopped for a one yard loss! Brings up 4th down. Whitehurst scrambles…and scrambles…surely they can’t find anyone with Miami dropping back so many men….and then he hits a receiver in the end zone for the tying score. Ugh. Second overtime.
Heart is rrrrracin. It would be devastating to lose a second ACC game (Miami lost to FSU in the opener) this early. D holds the Tigers to a field goal. Miami drives down to the Clemson 2 and has a 3rd and 1. Let’s see what Coker can pull out from his bag of goodies. What’s that? A rush up the middle? Cool. Peattie’s field goal ties the game and we go to a third overtime. I’ve lost about 7 pounds of water weight and would drink my own urine if I had any.
Miami gets the ball to start the third overtime. Reverse for no gain. Then, Ty 
Moss sprints to the outside, turns the corner (right in front of us) and dives for the end zone. Touchdownnnnn!! We’re goin crazy. They are forced to go for two and don’t make it, which tempers our excitement. Clemson gets the ball. After a 1st down incompletion, quarterback Charlie Whitehurst drops back and fires a ball over the middle. Miami safety Kenny Phillips leaps up and at the apex of his jump, snares the ball for the game winning interception. Woo!!! What a relief. What a game.
{ 1 trackback }