Does the situation remind anyone of days gone by?
FSU was undefeated back then, too. It was highly ranked. Its defense was shutting people down.
And it lost to Louisville in overtime. Oops.
It was Sept. 28, 2002, and the Seminoles waded into Louisville for a Thursday night game as the rain from Hurricane Isidore fell. FSU was ranked No. 4 in the nation. Louisville was off to a pedestrian start, losing to both Kentucky and Colorado State. Sports Illustrated later labeled it as the sixth-best upset of the 2000s.
“They were better than we were,” said Seminole Coach Bobby Bowden, who was denied his 328th victory. “Before the season, I was very concerned about this game because they were playing as good as anybody last season.”
But the Cards were better than that with quarterback Dave Ragone. They took over in the fourth quarter in a steady rain and pulled off a 26-20 upset when running back Henry Miller broke a 25-yard touchdown in overtime. A 2014 story by the Louisville Courier-Journal said those goal posts were hacked into pieces and sold off for charities and are still visible around town.
On the first play that FSU ever played in overtime, Chrix Rix threw an interception. Miller then scored, and Louisville fans stormed the field and took the goal posts. It was called the most dramatic victory in Louisville history.
“He just threw it bad,” Bowden said. “It was just a dead duck.”
Louisville almost did it again in 2014, taking a 21-0 lead before FSU rallied for a 31-21 victory.
This year, the Cardinals are in a similar spot. They’re 2-3, and they could use a big win to ignite their season.
This time, the game is at Doak Campbell in Tallahassee.
