[33] Harding was succeeded by Andy Gustafson, who introduced a "drive series" offense, which featured an option-oriented attack from the Split-T formation that relied on zone blocking and either a fullback fake or carry on every play.

[47] 1966 brought the arrival of defensive end Ted Hendricks, the only three-time All-American in school history,[48] and the Hurricanes won eight games, earning a trip to the Liberty Bowl, where they defeated No.

[13] The Hurricanes won only three games in 1977, but Saban was able to put together a well-regarded recruiting class that included future Pro Football Hall of Fame quarterback Jim Kelly of East Brady, Pennsylvania.

[62] At the outset of his tenure, Howard Schnellenberger announced to his staff and players his intention to win a national championship within five years, a bold claim for a program that was seemingly on its last legs.

[49] The Hurricanes rallied by winning their next 10 games, including a 20–0 early-season shutout of Notre Dame,[73] and earned a berth to the 1984 Orange Bowl to play the undefeated, top-ranked Nebraska team that had both Mike Rozier and Turner Gill.

Facing the nation's top-rated defense, Testaverde amassed 270 yards passing and threw touchdowns to Michael Irvin and Brian Blades, while also running for an additional score, in a 27–14 win over the Sooners.

[87] Before an estimated television audience of 70 million people, Penn State upset the heavily favored Hurricanes 14–10 to win the national championship, forcing seven turnovers, including Pete Giftopoulus' game-sealing interception of Testaverde in the end zone in the game's final seconds.

Florida State responded with a touchdown in the final minute, but Seminoles head coach Bobby Bowden opted to go for two points and the win rather than kick the extra-point for a tie, and Miami's Bubba McDowell broke up the conversion pass in the end zone to preserve the 26–25 victory.

[92] Hopes of a repeat national championship were dashed, however, in the so-called Catholics vs. Convicts game, with Miami dropping an emotional 31–30 loss to eventual-national champion Notre Dame on a failed two-point conversion pass in the final minute.

[96][49] Despite having the support of students, players, and even the Miami police and fire departments, offensive coordinator Gary Stevens was bypassed for the head coaching job and athletic director Sam Jankovich chose Dennis Erickson of Washington State to succeed Jimmy Johnson instead.

Miami quarterback Gino Torretta, who started the game in place of injured Craig Erickson, told ESPN, "Even if we weren't bad boys, it added to the mystique that, 'Man, look, even their mascot's getting arrested.

[106] On one play, Randal Hill scored on a 48-yard touchdown reception and continued to sprint out of the end zone and up the Cotton Bowl tunnel, where he then pretended to shoot at the Longhorns with imaginary pistols.

[49] The program was widely criticized for its conduct, with Will McDonough of the Boston Globe likening the Cotton Bowl Classic display to a "wilding" and Bill Walsh calling it "the most disgusting thing [he'd] ever seen in college sports".

[108] The 1991 Hurricanes finished 12–0 and captured the program's fourth national championship in nine years behind quarterback Gino Torretta and a linebacking corps that featured Jessie Armstead and Micheal Barrow.

2 Hurricanes leading 17–16 in the final minute of the game, Florida State kicker Gerry Thomas' potential game-winning field goal attempt sailed "wide right" of the uprights.

[133][134] In late 1995, the NCAA concluded that, in addition to the fraudulent Pell Grants facilitated by Russell, the university had also provided or allowed over $400,000 worth of other, improper payments to Miami football players.

The NCAA also found that the university had failed to wholly implement its drug testing program, and permitted three football student-athletes to compete without being subject to the required disciplinary measures specified in the policy.

The Hurricanes went into the 2001 Nokia Sugar Bowl as the Big East champions and, after much pregame antics including a brawl between members of the two teams on Bourbon Street in New Orleans, Louisiana,[152] defeated Florida 37–20.

[174] Behind a high-powered offense led by senior quarterback Ken Dorsey, new starting running back Willis McGahee,[175] and a stout defense anchored by Jonathan Vilma,[176] the Hurricanes completed their regular season schedule undefeated.

[180] Miami would finish 12–0 and clinch a berth in the Fiesta Bowl BCS National Championship Game after a wild 56–45 victory over Virginia Tech in which McGahee rushed for 205 yards and a school-record six touchdowns.

[198] The Hurricanes went 7–6 during a 2006 season[199] that included an on-field brawl against Florida International,[200] the shooting death of Miami defensive tackle Bryan Pata,[201] and a four-game late-season losing streak.

[204] After a search that lasted two weeks, Miami athletics director Paul Dee named defensive coordinator Randy Shannon, a starting linebacker on the 1987 national champions, as the Hurricanes' 22nd head coach on December 8, 2006.

Afterwards, the tension between the two teams was heightened when Shannon accused Florida coach Urban Meyer of trying to run up the score with an unsuccessful deep pass into the end zone in the game's final minute.

[215] The visiting Hurricanes were 221⁄2 point underdogs in the nationally televised game but only trailed 9–3 heading into the fourth quarter, leading some to wonder whether Meyer was trying to compensate for his team's unimpressive performance before kicking a field goal with :25 remaining".

[230] The 2009 season began on a poor note after two back up quarterbacks, Taylor Cook and Cannon Smith, both transferred out during fall practice, leaving the young Hurricane team with only one serviceable backup in true freshman Alonzo Highsmith Jr..[231] Sophomore Jacory Harris directed the newly implemented offense.

To make matters worse, starting defensive end Adewale Ojomo suffered a broken jaw in a locker room fight that led to a season-ending injury, causing the already young Hurricane team to go into their season short handed.

Turnovers, missed opportunities and stand-out back C. J. Spiller led the Tigers to a 40–37 overtime win against the Hurricanes, knocking them out of BCS contention and putting the ACC Championship Game in serious jeopardy.

However, due to likely pending NCAA sanctions from the Nevin Shapiro scandal, the university's administration preemptively chose to forego post-season play for the second consecutive year.

The 2024 team saw significant improvements over recent years and finished with a 10-3 record, but experienced disappointment after missing out on both the ACC Championship Game and losing the 2024 Pop-Tarts Bowl to Iowa State 42-41.

Miami quarterback Gino Torretta, who started the game in place of injured Craig Erickson, told ESPN, "Even if we weren't bad boys, it added to the mystique that, 'Man, look, even their mascot's getting arrested.