| In 1986 the NCAA College Football National Title came down to a showdown between 11-0 teams, the Penn State Nittany Lions and the University of Miami Hurricanes. With neither team obligated to a particular bowl, the Fiesta Bowl had won the honor to host the match-up and decided to move the game from New Years Day to prime time television on January 2nd. "The battle for number 1" put the Fiesta Bowl on center stage as the country prepared to watch the first No. 1 vs. No. 2 clash between independents since Army-Notre Dame in 1946. Fueled by Heisman Trophy winner Vinny Testaverde, and an offense that averaged 38-points-per-game, the Hurricanes came into the game as heavy favorites, despite the No.1 vs. No.2 hype. Penn State, however, refused to see themselves as underdogs, and felt very confident that they could shut down the offensive attack that the Hurricanes would bring to the table. Led by an incredible defensive effort, Penn State managed to frustrate the Hurricane offense most of the night, intercepting Testaverde 4 times and holding the explosive offense to just ten points. Despite being held down, Miami still had the ball late in the game with a chance to win. In the final seconds, Penn State's Pete Giftopoulos intercepted Testaverde, the fifth one of the game, to preserve a 14-10 victory for Penn State and earn them the 1986 title. |
