The 1993 Sugar Bowl matched No. 1 Miami against No. 2 Alabama for the national championship. Miami hadn't lost in 29 games. Its quarterback, Gino Torretta, had just won the Heisman Trophy. Oddsmakers made the Hurricanes eight-point favorites, and most of the country assumed the title was theirs.
Gene Stallings's Alabama team was 12–0 and built around a defense that didn't care what anybody thought.
Eleven on the line
Alabama spent the night confusing Torretta. At one point the Tide lined up all 11 defenders on the line of scrimmage and dared him to figure it out. He threw three interceptions, after throwing only four all season.
One of them went to George Teague, who returned it 31 yards for a touchdown.
The Strip
Then came the play Alabama fans still talk about. Miami receiver Lamar Thomas caught a long pass and was running free toward the end zone. Teague chased him down from behind and ripped the ball out of his hands.
It didn't count. Alabama had been offside on the play, so it came back. But if Teague hadn't caught Thomas, Miami would have scored and declined the penalty. The strip saved a touchdown, even though it never shows up in the box score.
Running it down their throats
Alabama's offense did the rest on the ground. The Tide ran for 267 yards. Derrick Lassic scored twice and was named the game's most valuable player. Michael Proctor added two field goals, and Sherman Williams ran for another touchdown.
Final: Alabama 34, Miami 13. The Tide finished 13–0 with the program's 12th national title, its first since 1979 and the first since Bear Bryant's death.