1993 Sugar Bowl

The 1993 Sugar Bowl took place on January 1, 1993, in the Louisiana Superdome in New Orleans, Louisiana. It was the final game of the 1992 college football season and served as the first ever National Championship game selected by the Bowl Coalition, predecessor to the Bowl Alliance and later the Bowl Championship Series. The game featured two unbeaten teams in the Alabama Crimson Tide and the Miami Hurricanes.

1993 USF&G Sugar Bowl
National Championship Game
Miami Hurricanes Alabama Crimson Tide
(11–0) (12–0)
Big East SEC
13 34
Head coach: 
Dennis Erickson		 Head coach: 
Gene Stallings
APCoaches
11
APCoaches
22
1234 Total
Miami 3307 13
Alabama 310147 34
DateJanuary 1, 1993
Season1992
StadiumLouisiana Superdome
LocationNew Orleans, Louisiana
MVPAlabama RB Derrick Lassic[1]
FavoriteMiami by 8
RefereeRogers Redding (SWC)
Attendance76,789
United States TV coverage
NetworkABC Sports
AnnouncersKeith Jackson and Bob Griese

Teams

Miami Hurricanes
Main article: 1992 Miami Hurricanes football team

Miami, out of the Big East conference, was led by Heisman Trophy-winning quarterback Gino Torretta, and was playing for back-to-back undefeated seasons and consecutive National Championships.

Alabama Crimson Tide
Main article: 1992 Alabama Crimson Tide football team

Alabama also entered the matchup undefeated, following their 28–21 victory over the Florida Gators in the inaugural SEC Championship Game.

Game summary

Though Miami were favorites to claim the victory, Alabama's defense held the Hurricanes to just 13 points, while intercepting Torretta three times, en route to a 34–13 victory to claim their 12th National Championship. Alabama rushed for 267 yards—67 more yards than the Hurricanes had allowed all season. At one point, the Tide lined up all eleven players up to the line of scrimmage, confusing Torretta, which led to an interception returned for a touchdown.[2]

A legendary play in Alabama football lore, known as "The Strip",[3] occurred when Miami wide receiver Lamar Thomas caught a deep pass from Torretta and was sprinting for what seemed like would be an 89-yard touchdown, when Alabama's George Teague caught him from behind, stripped the ball from him, and started running the other way before being tackled.[4] The play became famous following Thomas's pre-game comments regarding the SEC, the superiority of the Miami receiving corps, and the manhood of the Alabama defensive backs.[5] The play was negated by an Alabama offside penalty, but the strip was still successful in preventing a Miami touchdown, as Miami would have simply declined the penalty had the strip not taken place.[4]

Following the poor performance, some reporters began to question whether Torretta deserved the Heisman.[6]

Scoring summary
Quarter Time Team Scoring Information[7] Score
AlabamaMiami
110:56 Alabama 19–yard field goal by Michael Proctor 30
7:49 Miami 49–yard field goal by Dane Prewitt 33
210:48 Alabama 23–yard field goal by Michael Proctor 63
6:09 Alabama Sherman Williams 2–yard touchdown run, Michael Proctor kick good 133
0:00 Miami 42–yard field goal by Dane Prewitt 136
310:12 Alabama Derrick Lassic 1–yard touchdown run, Michael Proctor kick good 206
9:56 Alabama George Teague 31–yard interception return for touchdown, Michael Proctor kick good 276
412:08 Miami Kevin Williams 78–yard punt return for touchdown, Dane Prewitt kick good 2713
6:46 Alabama Derrick Lassic 4–yard touchdown run, Michael Proctor kick good 3413
Final Score 3413

References
  1. "Tide Washes Away Miami Mystique -- Sweet Sugar Victory For Alabama". The Seattle Times. Associated Press. January 2, 1993. Retrieved December 29, 2008.
  2. "ROLL TIDE ROLL". www.angelfire.com. Retrieved April 20, 2018.
  3. Lieser, Jason (August 13, 2008). "Lamar Thomas brings fiery spirit to job as Boynton Beach football assistant". Palm Beach Post. Retrieved December 29, 2008.
  4. "The Sugar Bowl 1993". Archived from the original on September 8, 2008. Retrieved September 9, 2008.
  5. Murphy, Austin (January 11, 1993). "The End Of The Run". Sports Illustrated. Archived from the original on September 5, 2008. Retrieved September 9, 2008.
  6. Mizell, Hubert (January 2, 1993). "Alabama Speaks Loudest". St. Petersburg Times. p. C1. Retrieved December 29, 2008. ... I thought it correct to label Gino "good, and successful" but not "great, and best player in the land."
  7. "1993 Game Recap / Allstate Sugar Bowl". Retrieved April 7, 2012.
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