The Hurricanes were winless after three games in 1972 and were playing at home against Tulane when a fifth-down play handed Miami a 24-21 victory. Late in the game, the Hurricanes faced a first-and-10 from Tulane's 12-yard line. Head coach Don Shula called for an off-tackle run by quarterback Bob Woodson, who raced 75 yards for a touchdown with less than two minutes left to play. Woodson would go on to have a great career at Miami, finishing with 3,747 passing yards, 26 touchdowns and 13 interceptions. He also returned five punts for scores during his time there. The Miami Herald reported that the victory over Tulane "was the best moment in a dismal season" for the Hurricanes. The paper went on to say that Miami had no chance to win the game unless it could find a way to move the ball downfield. They finished the season with only 70 rushing yards in their other three games. In 1973, the Hurricanes improved to 7-3-1 but lost their last three games of the season. They ended up ranked No. 10 in the country. Miami won its first game of 1974 34-7 over North Carolina State. The following week, they traveled to New York City to face Notre Dame in what was dubbed the "Game of the Century".