Miami Has Florida State’s Number : College football: Seminoles’ championship dreams ruined again by Hurricanes, 17-16. Possible winning field goal misses with 29 seconds to play.

Chunks of broken ceiling tile and thick swatches of insulation, the products of a Miami victory celebration gone berserk, littered the floor of the visitors’ locker room.

Kids.

Meanwhile, in the near-silent Florida State locker room, where the late-great No. 1-ranked Seminoles resided, the damage was more severe. There were broken hearts, broken dreams and the cold realization, as cold as the thought of Saturday’s 17-16 loss to the Hurricanes, that yet another precious national title chance had slipped away.

“We’ve got the best team in the country, the best talent, but we just can’t win the national championship,” said Florida State linebacker Kirk Carruthers, who wore dark-blue sunglasses to hide his tears. “I can’t understand it.”

Not to worry. Linebacker Micheal Barrow of the No. 2-ranked Hurricanes was more than happy to provide Carruthers with a succinct explanation of the afternoon’s events.

“As far as I’m concerned, we got the W and he got the L,” Barrow said. “And he can take that to his grave.”

Speaking of graves, the Hurricanes have planned a brief but spirited burial ceremony scheduled for Monday. In the grand tradition of Florida State’s celebrated Sod Cemetery--where pieces of opponent’s turf are laid to rest--the Hurricanes have picked out a final resting place for bits of the Seminole field. They would have taken more from the ground, but hands can do only so much.

“We were looking for a shovel,” Barrow said. “If we would have found one, they would have had to get a new field.”

Barrow and the Hurricanes should consider themselves lucky. Had Florida State’s walk-on kicker Gerry Thomas, who had made three earlier attempts, not missed a 34-yarder with 29 seconds remaining, there would have been no need for shovels. His kick, plenty long, nearly grazed the outside of the right upright as it passed by.

Last season, before the NCAA shortened the distance between the goal posts, the kick would have been good.

“I don’t blame them if they (his teammates) are mad at me,” Thomas said. “I didn’t do all my job.”

He wasn’t the only one. The Seminole defense, which had played so magnificently for much of the game, blinked when it mattered most.

The Hurricanes cut a nine-point lead to six with 9:48 to play on Carlos Huerta’s 45-yard field goal.

Then, with 3:01 left, the Seminoles were forced to backtrack as Miami drove 58 yards in 11 plays for the go-ahead touchdown, fullback Larry Jones’ one-yard run.

Of course, Jones would have never scored had the Hurricanes not converted a fourth and six from the Florida State 12. Or if All-American cornerback Terrell Buckley had played up on Hurricane receiver Horace Copeland on the crucial play. Instead, Buckley, obeying the orders of his coaches, gave Copeland a comfortable cushion, comfortable enough for quarterback Gino Torretta to find his target wide open.

Still, the Seminoles needed only a field goal to win. A field goal would preserve their undefeated season, their No. 1 ranking, their invitation to the Orange Bowl and their chances at a championship.

As Thomas prepared to jog onto the field, the Doak Campbell record crowd of 63,442 on its feet, he was stopped by Florida State Coach Bobby Bowden. The message was short and sweet.

“You can make it,” he told Thomas.

Thomas thought he had.

“When I went on the field, I wasn’t nervous,” he said. “It was just another kick.”

Not exactly. It was the difference between the Orange Bowl, which pays $4.2 million, or the Cotton Bowl--Florida State’s secondary choice--which pays $3 million. It was the difference between an opportunity for perfection or another Seminole summer spent wondering what if. It was the difference between in-state bragging and recruiting rights and a chance at a first-ever national title.

“I’m sure it will haunt us forever,” Carruthers said.

Maybe so, but Bowden said he had no regrets about sending Thomas out for the kick on third down and those 29 seconds left on the clock. The Seminoles didn’t have any timeouts remaining, but a sideline pass or safe toss into the end zone certainly wasn’t out of the question.

Bowden chose to play it safe.

“An interception or a bounced ball and you’d kick yourself in the rear end for the rest of your life,” Bowden said.

And a missed field goal, the kind that prevents you from wearing a championship ring?

“That don’t kill me,” he said. “Losses do.”

For those keeping count--and they are at Florida State--Miami has now cost the Seminoles (10-1) at least three shots, and maybe more, at a national title in the last five years. The Hurricanes (9-0) have beaten Florida State six of the last seven seasons, nine of the last 11 overall and 10 of the 12 in Tallahassee.

Mind you, it wasn’t a fluke. Counting Saturday’s victory, which guaranteed Miami a trip to the Orange Bowl on Jan. 1, the Hurricanes have defeated No. 1-ranked teams eight consecutive times.

“This one deserved all the hype,” Barrow said. “Ten years from now I’ll tell my children I played in this game.”

As for the Seminoles, who knows how they will explain this one a decade, or even a day, from now. They sacked Torretta six times . . . and lost. They outgained the Hurricanes . . . and lost. They intercepted two passes by Torretta and recovered one fumble . . . and lost. They led for most of the second, third and fourth quarters . . . and lost.

Florida State did almost everything right, except score enough points. Torretta wasn’t able to complete a long pass--his trademark--all day. He finished with 14 completions in 27 attempts for 145 yards and no touchdowns.

Miami return specialist Kevin Williams, ranked second in the country in punt returns, was no factor.

In fact, no Hurricane wide receiver caught more than two passes.

Hurricane players limped off the field all day, including snapper Tom Patterson. But on a charmed Miami day, Patterson was replaced by starting defensive end Rusty Medearis, who snapped the ball on Huerta’s game-winning extra point.

It was the first time Medearis had snapped the ball in a game this season. Shortly thereafter, he hobbled off with an ankle injury.

“Yeah, we feel like we should have won,” Buckley said, “but you always don’t get the things you’re supposed to get.”

And this from Carruthers, who said he “hated” the Hurricanes, but respected them for one simple reason: “They’re the true champions. They know how to pull it out.”

Miami still has work to do. The Hurricanes face Boston College at Boston next Saturday and then take on San Diego State at the Orange Bowl. After that, they face the Big Eight Conference champion (Nebraska or Colorado) on New Year’s Day.

But count on one thing happening before they reach 1992. Count on a bill, courtesy of the Florida State athletic department,to repair the locker room

damage.

“I’m sure we’ve got enough money now,” Barrow said. “The Orange Bowl pays what, $4.2?”

* BOWLS: A look at the probable matchups. Spotlight, C3.

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* ROSE BOWL: No. 4 Michigan defeats Illinois, 20-0, to clinch the Big Ten championship and a date with Washington in Pasadena on Jan 1. C4