Penn State Picks Off Miami, 14-10 : Testaverde Intercepted Five Times

The game commonly understood to be the Greatest College Football Game of All Time, at least the greatest money can buy, descended to such depths of workmanship Friday night that the sponsors might consider calling for a rebate.

The team that passed, suddenly couldn’t. The team that couldn’t pass, still couldn’t. And both teams, which had declared standards of precision from midseason when they set their collision course for the national championship, made entire eras worth of mistakes.

Except for a dramatic drive by Miami in the final seconds, the Game for No. 1 between the top-ranked Hurricanes and second-ranked Penn State had none of the tension associated with national championships, or even good football games. Interceptions, fumbles, missed field goals and penalties were the game’s hallmark.

In the end, you must know, Penn State survived that drive to win, 14-10, to cap 100 years of proud football with a national championship. But even that exciting climax came on a note of failure.

Quarterback Vinny Testaverde, whose Heisman Trophy was subject to recall after a long night of interceptions and general futility, had driven the Hurricanes 71 yards, completing 6 consecutive passes for 65 yards. The brief glimpse of greatness reminded that, with Testaverde throwing the ball, Miami (now 11-1) is never out of a ballgame.

And then he was sacked for a loss of seven yards. And finally, after an incompletion, he was intercepted at the one-yard line.

Perhaps the enduring freeze-frame from the prime-time show is of Testaverde, staring numbly into the end zone after that interception, his fifth of the night. He stared a long time as Penn State players swarmed around Pete Giftopoulos, huddled on the ground, the ball and victory finally safe. And then three security officers led Testaverde back to the sideline.

It is hard to say what Penn State (12-0) did that was sensational enough to earn victory in a rare national championship matchup, not to forget the $2.4 million per team that bowl sponsors had to come up with to make the game. Quarterback John Shaffer, who wins 66 of every 67 games he plays, was a modest 5 for 16 with 1 interception and a fumble, his lone glory a 4-yard touchdown run. He did provoke a swing from Miami linebacker Randy Shannon early in the game. But that is no distinction. D.J. Dozier was business as usual, gaining 99 yards in 20 carries, twisting and turning for an extra yard each attempt. Punter Steve Bruno nailed Miami within the 11-yard line 3 times early in the game.

On the other hand, you have to say it was splendid defense on Penn State’s part. The kids with the black shoes put on their black hats and hit with a wild abandon. It wasn’t what Penn State did but what Penn State prevented Miami from doing that earned the Nittany Lions this game.

Penn State didn’t let Testaverde pass. Coach Joe Paterno, who gained national championship No. 2 with his fourth undefeated season at Penn State, said it all had to do with keeping pressure on the passer, keeping a fresh defensive front in at all times. In Miami’s big win of the year, over previously top-ranked Oklahoma, Paterno noticed that Oklahoma had just gotten tired up front.

Penn State managed that pressure, sacking Testaverde four times, and still dropped off a secondary pass coverage of baffling excess. Testaverde, answering a question about why he seemed to be standing in the pocket for such lengths of time, exposing himself to that rush, said: “They were probably dropping eight or nine guys. They covered everybody.”

And apparently covered them with a violence never dreamed of St. Joe’s boys. Penn State linebacker Shane Conlan, who returned two interceptions for 46 yards, one of them setting up Dozier’s go-ahead touchdown, said: “I don’t think Vinny should be blamed for this. I’ve been talking all week about how hard our secondary hits. Those receivers have never been hit that hard by those little guys. They did not want to catch the ball.”

In truth, there were an amazing number of drops by Miami’s normally sure-handed receivers. Testaverde completed 26 of 50 to them for 285 yards, but so many more bounced harmless off fingertips.

Penn State cornerback Duffy Cobbs, who recovered a fumble and made an interception, said: “The main thing we did was to knock the receivers out of their routes. All the games they played this year, they did not get pressure on the receivers. He gets all the time in the world to throw. Once we started knocking off his receivers, Vinny got out of whack.”

Once that happened, Miami had little recourse. Little Alonzo Highsmith had a splendid night of running, rushing 18 times for 119 yards, the only such 100-plus performance allowed by Penn State this season. But poor field position and drive-killing interceptions made any kind of offense difficult.

The game began with a hint of hard feelings, Miami’s All-American defensive tackle Jerome Brown appearing at the coin toss with a Rambo head band. Battle fatigues had been part of Miami’s “We’re on a mission” fun all week. Shaffer tried to shake his hand and couldn’t.

But then Shaffer, whose lone lifetime loss came in a bowl that might have given Penn State a championship last season, got somewhat more of a taste of Miami defense. He was sacked twice on the first drive.

The game appeared to be taking form early. Even though Miami receivers recorded a couple of quick drops, Testaverde was moving the ball. But then, on fourth and three, Testeverde throw to tight end Charles Henry. It bounced off his hands.

Two teams that both averaged more than 30 points scoring this season, showed a peculiar aversion to the end zone. Testaverde appeared to be driving his team again with a sharp cross-field pass to Michael Irvin. Irvin coughed it up on the hit and Cobbs gathered it in.

Penn State was doing a lot of three runs and punt, but as Miami couldn’t keep its hands on the ball, it didn’t suffer as it might.

Finally, in the second quarter, it was Penn State’s turn to make a mistake. Brown shot through the middle and keelhauled Shaffer even before he could drop back. Shaffer bent over and dropped the football right into Bill Hawkins’ waiting hands. It was ruled a fumble on offense, an interception on defense. Either way, Miami had the ball. Melvin Bratton got to take it the final yard for what would be Miami’s only touchdown.

Amazingly, Penn State roared back. Sort of. Shaffer, who has a strong arm if not quite an accurate one, passed the Lions down field and would have passed them into the end zone. Except as he was looking for a receiver at the four, he saw neither receiver nor defender. He ran it in.

The two teams drifted, tied, into the fourth quarter, the only excitement being Shaffer’s interception. It was a tipped pass collected by Selwyn Brown, disheartening for Shaffer but still not reminding him much of last year’s debacle when he was intercepted three times in defeat. But Miami linebacker Randy Shannon cuffed him from behind as Shaffer left the field. That was about as far as it went.

What else happened? Oh, Testaverde threw another interception.

Even when Miami got benefit of a pass-interference call, placing the team on the 17-yard line, it couldn’t cash in. Mark Seelig’s 29-yard field goal attempt, after a bad snap, went awry. This was the game nobody would win.

Finally, this after Penn State’s Massimo Manca blew his field goal (although from 49 yards), Seelig made a 38-yarder. Miami led, 10-7.

Penn State continued to be ineffectual. And then what happened? Let’s see. Testaverde was intercepted again. Conlan, who had been surprised on the first one, had to reach for this one. He tiptoed down the sideline and put Penn State on the Miami six. Dozier got the call, the ball and the points. He stayed, knee down there, for nearly a minute.

Testaverde threw the ball and, let’s see, what happened? Oh, Roberts fumbled the catch.

Eventually, Testaverde had the opportunity to erase all memory of failure. Six completions in a row. the rally was magnificent. And then what happened? He threw an interception.

“If I could have one play back,” he kept repeating afterward, “that interception is all I’d change.”

Later, Miami Coach Jimmy Johnson, whose team held a total yardage advantage of 445 to 162, said he didn’t really know what happened but that he’d “have to go look at the films.” For once, though, it is too late.

The bowl loss is somewhat reminiscent of last year’s when Miami, after Penn State’s loss, had the chance to win a national championship playing Tennessee. But it was humbled in that one. And like Penn State, vowed to come back from a season-ending defeat, strong and determined.

It did, for much of a very long year. And then Penn State, which had been squeaking by Ivy League teams in those awful black shoes, collected the payoff Miami made possible. But that is why Penn State agreed, even wanted this match, for the chance to perform another of those years-in-the-making miracle.