Wide Right I Wide Right I is the colloquial name for a 1991 college football game between the Miami Hurricanes and Florida State Seminoles . The game is one of the most significant in the history of the Florida State – Miami football rivalry , and its name is a reference to its dramatic ending : With 29 seconds remaining in the game , Florida State kicker Gerry Thomas missed a 34 - yard potential game - winning field goal " wide to the right . " It was the 26th meeting between the first - and second - ranked teams in the AP Poll and only the second between top - ranked teams from the same state ( the other being the 1968 Purdue - Notre Dame game ) . Miami ' s win represented the fourth time in five years that the Hurricanes knocked Florida State out of national championship contention . The game was also the first of a peculiar string of five over the next 12 years in which Florida State lost to Miami due to a late missed field goal that would have won or tied the game , often with national championship implications at stake . Florida State suffered an immediate case of deja vu when kicker Dan Mowrey missed a field goal wide right on the final play of the 1992 meeting between the schools , a 19 - 16 Miami win known as " Wide Right II . " In later years , two additional " Wide Rights " and a " Wide Left " ensued . Background . The November 16th No . 1 vs . No . 2 showdown between Sunshine State rivals was described as " the most highly anticipated regular season clash " since the 1971 Nebraska - Oklahoma game . Top - ranked Florida State entered the game with a 10 - 0 record and a quarterback , Casey Weldon , who was undefeated as a starter . The Seminoles featured a high - flying offense that was averaging 41 points per game ( third in the nation in scoring ) and had earlier in the season shocked the college football world by scoring 51 points in a blowout win over the then - No . 4 Michigan Wolverines at Michigan Stadium . Meanwhile , second - ranked Miami had raced to an 8 - 0 record on the strength of a defense that was ranked first in the nation in scoring and had not allowed a first - half touchdown all season . The Hurricane defense had surrendered just 58 points all season , and Miami carried a 7 - game winning streak against top - ranked opponents into the clash . Miami was outscoring its opponents by an average of 28 . 9 points per game ; Florida State , by 25 . 9 . The Seminoles entered with a then - school record 16 - game winning streak , while the Hurricanes had won 14 straight . In the struggle between the proverbial unstoppable force and immovable object , host Florida State was installed as the favorite . The game . The game occurred before a record crowd of 63 , 442 at Doak Campbell Stadium . Miami received the ball first and went on an impressive 74 - yard opening drive that featured a 30 - yard run by running back Stephen McGuire and a critical third - down scramble by quarterback Gino Torretta . McGuire capped the drive with a 2 - yard touchdown run to give the Hurricanes the early lead , 7 - 0 . Florida State answered with a 51 - yard completion from Weldon to Amp Lee , the longest play Miami ' s vaunted defense had allowed that season . The play set up a first - and - goal from the Miami 1 - yard line . The Hurricane defense stiffened and , after a pair of penalties , Florida State was forced to settle for a 25 - yard field goal from Gerry Thomas . The rest of the quarter showed missed opportunities on both sides , with Miami receivers dropping three deep passes from Torretta while Florida State ' s offense short - circuited with penalties . Momentum swung to Florida State in the second quarter thanks to three Miami turnovers . The first came early when the Seminole defense recovered a fumble by McGuire at the Hurricane 24 - yard line . After Weldon completed a pass to Edgar Bennett to bring the ' Noles down to the 5 - yard line , the Hurricane defense again toughened , forcing a fourth - and - goal from the 1 . Florida State opted to play smashmouth and backup fullback Paul Moore powered his way into the end zone to give Florida State a 10 - 7 lead . Miami drove inside the Florida State 30 - yard line twice more in the quarter , but Torretta was intercepted each time , first by Terrell Buckley and later by Marvin Jones . Miami got the ball back when Weldon , under pressure from All - American Rusty Medearis ( 2 sacks for the game ) , was intercepted by Charles Pharms . The Hurricanes could not convert the turnover into points , as Carlos Huerta ' s 41 - yard field goal attempt was blocked , preserving a 10 - 7 halftime lead for Florida State . Florida State dominated the third quarter statistically , racking up huge advantages in yardage ( 158 to 38 ) and time of possession ( 10 : 04 to 4 : 56 ) , but was mostly unable to convert that dominance into points . After briefly getting the wind knocked out of him by Miami linebacker Corwin Francis , Weldon led the ' Noles 58 yards in 13 plays on their first drive of the second half . Florida State drove down to the Miami 9 - yard line , but the Miami defense hardened once again and the Seminoles settled for a 31 - yard field goal for the only points of the quarter , pushing their lead to 13 - 7 . Later in the third , Florida State embarked on a time - consuming 11 - play , 90 - yard drive that culminated early in the fourth quarter with Thomas ' third field goal of the day , extending the Seminoles ' lead to 16 - 7 . Miami answered with a 10 - play , 44 - yard drive that ended with a 45 - yard field goal by Huerta . Florida State punted on its next possession and Miami took over trailing by 6 with 7 minutes remaining . On second - and - 16 , Torretta completed a 22 - yard pass to an outstretched Coleman Bell , bringing the Hurricanes to the Seminole 41 - yard line . A series of runs by McGuire , who finished with 142 yards rushing , brought Miami inside the red zone , but the Hurricanes soon faced a crucial fourth - and - 6 . Torretta found Horace Copeland for his only reception of the game , giving Miami a first down at the Florida State 3 - yard line . The Florida State defense stopped Miami on first and second down , but backup fullback Larry Jones made the end zone on third down from 1 yard out to put the Hurricanes back in front , 17 - 16 , with 3 : 01 left to play . Florida State responded by promptly marching down to the Miami 46 - yard line . There , Bennett bulled his way forward for 7 yards to convert a critical fourth - and - 1 . A pass interference call in the end zone against Miami ' s Ryan McNeil moved the Seminoles to the 18 - yard line . On first down , Lee ran wide to the left side for 1 yard . Out of timeouts , Weldon spiked the ball on second down , bringing up third - and - 9 with 29 seconds remaining . Weldon had lost his shoe on the previous play and Florida State head coach Bobby Bowden elected to have Thomas , who was 3 - for - 3 on the day , attempt a field goal one down early , reasoning , " An interception , a bounced ball and you lose the ball game . You ' d kick yourself in the rear for the rest of your life . " With both Miami ' s and Florida State ' s national championship aspirations riding on the outcome , Thomas came on to attempt a 34 - yard , potential game - winning field goal . Keith Jackson , broadcasting the game for ABC , made the call : The snap . . . it ' s up . . . missed it to the right ! Miami players are all over the field . They ' re going to get penalized for it , but " So what ? " I ' m sure is their attitude . Prior to the 1991 season , the NCAA narrowed the width of the uprights by 4 feet 10 inches ; Thomas ' kick missed by the length of the football . Miami players threw their helmets in the air and rushed the field to celebrate , while Bowden , hands on hips , gazed at the goalposts , stunned . After taking a knee to run off the remaining few seconds , Torretta tossed the ball skyward in triumph and Miami emerged from the contest with a 17 - 16 victory . Aftermath . After the game , Bowden expressed regret about not passing the ball on a third - and - goal from the Hurricane 4 - yard line early in the fourth quarter and famously bemoaned his repeated misfortune at the hands of Miami , saying , " I think the curse is they ' re on our schedule . They ' re going to chisel on my tombstone , ' At least he played Miami . ' " With the win , Miami ascended to number one in the AP Poll and kept that ranking for the rest of the season . The Hurricanes won their final two regular season games and blanked No . 11 Nebraska 22 - 0 in the Orange Bowl , en route to their fourth national championship . Miami would share the national championship with the Washington Huskies , who finished first in the Coaches ' Poll . Florida State was upset in their final regular season game two weeks later by Florida , 14 - 9 . The Seminoles would rebound to beat Texas A & M by a score matching their regular season record , 10 - 2 , in the Cotton Bowl Classic , finishing ranked fourth in both the AP and Coaches ' Polls .