Wide Right (Florida State)

"Wide Right" is a term used to describe the series of losses by the Florida State University Seminoles football team to its rival, the University of Miami Hurricanes, resulting largely or in part from missed field goal attempts. This was the case in the games played in 1991, 1992 and 2000. The 2002 game is known as "Wide Left". In the 2005 game, labeled as "The Miami Muff", the Hurricanes lost to the Seminoles due to a botched field goal attempt. Many of these games have had national championship implications in their respective years.

Wide Right I

1991: After being labeled a "key persona" by Keith Jackson for hitting his third field goal of the game, Florida State kicker Gerry Thomas missed a field goal to the right with less than a minute remaining, and the top-ranked Seminoles lost at home in Doak Campbell Stadium to the second-ranked Hurricanes, 17-16. Miami went on to split the national championship with the University of Washington, and Florida State finished the season 11-2, ending it by winning the Cotton Bowl against Texas A&M University.

Wide Right II

1992: Seminole kicker Dan Mowrey missed a field goal to the right, and the Seminoles lost to the Hurricanes in Miami, 19-16. Miami took an undefeated record to the Sugar Bowl and lost the national championship to Alabama. Florida State did not lose again, and finished the season ranked second.

Wide Right III

2000: Miami took a 27-24 lead after a Ken Dorsey touchdown pass to Jeremy Shockey, but Seminole quarterback and 2000 Heisman Trophy winner Chris Weinke moved the Seminoles into field goal range during a last minute drive in Miami's Orange Bowl stadium. Florida State kicker Matt Munyon missed a field goal attempt again to the right to seal the Hurricanes' victory. Controversy erupted later in the season when the Seminoles were ranked higher by the BCS and picked to play in the Orange Bowl against Oklahoma for the national championship despite Miami being ranked higher in both the AP Poll and Coaches Poll. The Seminoles lost to the Sooners 13-2, while the Hurricanes defeated Florida 37-20 in the Sugar Bowl. Miami would finish #2 in the polls that year.

Wide Left I

2002: The defending champion Hurricanes staged a comeback against the underdog Seminoles to take a 28-27 lead with only minutes remaining in the game in Miami. The Seminoles drove down the field to give kicker Xavier Beitia a chance to win the game with a last second field goal. Beitia missed the kick to the left, giving Miami the victory. FSU still won the Atlantic Coast Conference title with a 9-5 overall record, but lost in the Sugar Bowl to Georgia. Miami would finish the regular season undefeated and then lose in the controversial 2003 Fiesta Bowl, to Ohio State, in what is considered to be one of the greatest games in college football history.

Wide Right IV

2004: This contest took place in 2004 at the Orange Bowl Game. In this contest, Beitia missed a field goal that could have given the Seminoles the lead with about 5 minutes remaining in the game. This game was of lesser importance on a national scale compared to the other Wide Right games, but continued the streak of Florida State heartbreaks at the foot of a kicker. With the win, Miami would finish #5 in the polls that year.

The Miami Muff

In 2005 the Florida State Seminoles finally gained some redemption for the past Wide Right heartbreaks. Trailing 10-7, the Hurricanes drove down the field to set up a game-tying field goal with 2:16 left. When the ball was snapped, it was mishandled by holder Brian Monroe and the ball never reached the kicker's foot. This ultimately led to a Florida State victory. Many Seminole fans acknowledged this event as a reversal in the Wide Right curse that had plagued the team in previous contests.

ee also

*Florida State University
*University of Miami
*College football
*College rivalry