Miami was trailing 20-14 late in the Sun Bowl, which, despite the name, was played in a blizzard. They had the ball at the 28-yard line, with three minutes left in the season. They ran this play, a halfback pass by Joseph Yearby.
Miami ran a halfback pass with the Sun Bowl on the line in a snowstorm. It didn’t work
We admire the confidence. We’re also not surprised it didn’t go so well.
On the one hand, we admire the gusto of Miami going with the trick play at a critical time. Washington State’s defenders bit on the play, as Miami WR Stacy Coley was wiiiiide open sprinting to the end zone. If Miami’s running back makes a halfway decent throw, they’re in the lead. Bowl games are a team’s last chance to bust out trick plays -- might as well use a play that can get you a touchdown now rather than never. Leave it all on the field, right?
On the other hand... this was a running back throwing the ball in a snowstorm. It is hard to throw in a snowstorm. The ball slipped out of Yearby’s hand, and it was an absolute duck falling to Wazzu DB Shalom Luani. The fact that all WSU’s defenders bit on the fake worked against Miami, because it meant a cloud of Cougars were ready to intercept the pass when they should’ve been downfield with Coley.
Anyway, Miami never got the ball back, and this is the last offensive play Miami would call before the beginning of the Mark Richt era. Hopefully he took notes so he knows what to do the next time Miami has to play in a snowstorm.
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