Prior to the 1983 National Championship for the Hurricanes, there are several games and moments that you can point out to and say where blocks were being laid for a future winning team.
One of those games was in 1981, when Miami hosted the #1 Penn State Nittany Lions, on Halloween Night in the Orange Bowl.
The Hurricanes, under coach Howard Schnellenberger, jumped out to a 17-0 lead, before Penn State rallied furiously in the fourth-quarter.
Quarterback Todd Blackledge and the Nittany Lions had the ball late in the game, trying to either tie with a field-goal, or go-ahead with a touchdown.