1989 Florida State Seminoles football team

American college football season

1989 Florida State Seminoles football

Fiesta Bowl champion
Fiesta Bowl, W 41–17 vs. Nebraska
Conference	Independent
Ranking
Coaches	No. 2
AP	No. 3
Record	10–2
Head coach	Bobby Bowden (14th season)
Offensive coordinator	Wayne McDuffie (7th season)
Offensive scheme	No-huddle spread
Defensive coordinator	Mickey Andrews (6th season)
Base defense	4–3
Home stadium	Doak Campbell Stadium
Seasons ← 1988 1990 →

1989 NCAA Division I-A independents football records
v t e	Conf			Overall
Team	W	L	T	W		L		T
No. 1 Miami (FL)		–		11	–	1	–	0
No. 2 Notre Dame		–		12	–	1	–	0
No. 3 Florida State		–		10	–	2	–	0
Northern Illinois		–		9	–	2	–	0
No. 15 Penn State		–		8	–	3	–	1
No. 17 Pittsburgh		–		8	–	3	–	1
No. 21 West Virginia		–		8	–	3	–	1
Syracuse		–		8	–	4	–	0
Southwestern Louisiana		–		7	–	4	–	0
Akron		–		6	–	4	–	1
South Carolina		–		6	–	4	–	1
Virginia Tech		–		6	–	4	–	1
Louisiana Tech		–		5	–	4	–	1
Army		–		6	–	5	–	0
Louisville		–		6	–	5	–	0
East Carolina		–		5	–	5	–	1
Tulsa		–		6	–	6	–	0
Southern Miss		–		5	–	6	–	0
Tulane		–		4	–	8	–	0
Navy		–		3	–	8	–	0
Rutgers		–		2	–	7	–	2
Boston College		–		2	–	9	–	0
Memphis State		–		2	–	9	–	0
Cincinnati		–		1	–	9	–	1
Temple		–		1	–	10	–	0

Rankings from AP Poll

The 1989 Florida State Seminoles football team represented Florida State University in the 1989 NCAA Division I-A football season. The team was coached by Bobby Bowden and played their home games at Doak Campbell Stadium.

Schedule

Date	Time	Opponent	Rank	Site	TV	Result	Attendance	Source
September 2	12:30 p.m.	vs. Southern Miss	No. 6	Gator Bowl Stadium Jacksonville, FL	TBS	L 26–30	48,746	^[1]
September 9	7:30 p.m.	No. 10 Clemson	No. 16	Doak Campbell Stadium Tallahassee, FL (rivalry)	ESPN	L 23–34	61,897	^[2]
September 16	7:30 p.m.	at No. 21 LSU		Tiger Stadium Baton Rouge, LA	ESPN	W 31–21	75,524	^[3]
September 23	7:00 p.m.	Tulane		Doak Campbell Stadium Tallahassee, FL		W 59–9	61,613
October 7	1:30 p.m.	at No. 17 Syracuse	No. 22	Carrier Dome Syracuse, NY		W 41–10	49,832
October 14	12:00 p.m.	at Virginia Tech	No. 19	Lane Stadium Blacksburg, VA	SUN	W 41–7	41,832	^[4]
October 21	7:30 p.m.	No. 11 Auburn	No. 14	Doak Campbell Stadium Tallahassee, FL	ESPN	W 22–14	62,711	^[5]
October 28	8:00 p.m.	No. 2 Miami (FL)	No. 9	Doak Campbell Stadium Tallahassee, FL (rivalry)	ESPN	W 24–10	62,602
November 4	2:00 p.m.	South Carolina	No. 6	Doak Campbell Stadium Tallahassee, FL		W 35–10	61,852	^[6]
November 18	2:00 p.m.	Memphis State	No. 5	Doak Campbell Stadium Tallahassee, FL		W 57–20	57,511
December 2	7:30 p.m.	at Florida	No. 6	Florida Field Gainesville, FL (rivalry)	ESPN	W 24–17	75,124	^[7]
January 1	4:30 p.m.	vs. No. 6 Nebraska	No. 5	Sun Devil Stadium Tempe, AZ (Fiesta Bowl)	NBC	W 41–17	73,953
Homecoming Rankings from AP Poll released prior to the game All times are in Eastern time

^[8]

Personnel

1989 Florida State Seminoles football team roster

Players

Coaches

Offense

Pos.	#	Name	Class
WR	`8`	Terry Anthony	Sr
WR		Shannon Baker
RB	`22`	Edgar Bennett	So
OL		John Brown
RB	`13`	Dexter Carter
TE		Johnny Clower
WR		Lawrence Dawsey
OL		Hayward Haynes
QB	`14`	Brad Johnson	So
TE		Reggie Johnson
WR		Bruce LaSane
RB	`42`	Amp Lee
WR	`7`	Ronald Lewis	Sr
OL		Kevin Mancini
RB		Paul Moore
OL		Mike Morris
RB		Chris Parker
RB		Maurice Pinckney
TE		Dave Roberts
OL		Robert Stevenson
OL		Michael Tanks
QB, P		Charlie Ward
QB		Casey Weldon
QB	`4`	Peter Tom Willis	Sr
OL		Tony Yeomans

Defense

Pos.	#	Name	Class
CB	`27`	Terrell Buckley	Fr
S	`6`	LeRoy Butler	Sr
LB	`45`	Kirk Carruthers	So
DL		Keith Carter
LB		Howard Dinkins
DB		Dedrick Dodge
DB		Leon Fowler
LB	`97`	Reggie Freeman	Fr
OLB		Kevin Grant
DL	`53`	Odell Haggins	Sr
DT	`78`	Eric Hayes	Sr
DB		Errol McCorvey
LB		Anthony Moss
DL		Henry Ostaszewski
DB		Bill Ragans
LB		Kelvin Smith
LB		Shelton Thompson
DB		John Wyche

Special teams

Pos.	#	Name	Class
K	`9`	Richie Andrews	Jr
K	`43`	Bill Mason	Jr

Head coach

Bobby Bowden

Coordinators/assistant coaches

Chuck Amato (DL)

Legend

(C) Team captain
(S) Suspended
(I) Ineligible

Injured
Redshirt

Rankings

Ranking movements
**Legend:** ██ Increase in ranking ██ Decrease in ranking
— = Not ranked т = Tied with team above or below ( ) = First-place votes
	Week
Poll	Pre	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	10	11	12	13	14	15	Final
AP	6 (2)	16	—	—	25	22	19	14	9	6	5	5	5	6	5	5	3 (2)
Coaches	6 (1)	16	—	—	20	20 т	16 т	13	8	5	4	5	5	6	5 (1)		2 (7)

Game summaries

Southern Miss

Florida State vs. Southern Miss

	1	2	3	4	Total
#6 Seminoles	10	0	13	3	26
• Golden Eagles	3	14	0	13	30

Date: September 2
Location: Gator Bowl Stadium, Jacksonville, FL
Game start: 12:30 p.m. EDT
Game attendance: 48,746
Television network: TBS

Scoring summary

Q1		FSU	Dexter Carter 11-yard run (Mason kick)	FSU 7–0
		FSU	Bill Mason 24-yard field goal	FSU 10–0
	0:17	USM	Chuck Davis 22-yard field goal	FSU 10–3

Q2		USM	Eddie Ray Jackson 3-yard run (Davis kick)	Tied 10–10
Q2	0:11	USM	Alfred Williams 4-yard pass from Brett Favre (Davis kick)	USM 17–10

Q3		FSU	Lawrence Dawsey 23-yard pass from Peter Tom Willis (Mason kick)	Tied 17–17
		FSU	Dexter Carter 9-yard run (kick failed)	FSU 23–17

Q4		USM	Rickey Bradley 10-yard run (Davis kick)	USM 24–23
	6:57	FSU	Bill Mason 27-yard field goal	FSU 26–24
	0:23	USM	Anthony Harris 2-yard pass from Brett Favre (pass failed)	USM 30–26

^[9] ^[10] ^[11]

Clemson

Clemson at Florida State

	1	2	3	4	Total
• #10 Tigers	7	21	0	6	34
#16 Seminoles	0	10	6	7	23

Date: September 9
Location: Doak Campbell Stadium

^[12]

At LSU

Florida State at LSU

	1	2	3	4	Total
• Seminoles	0	10	7	14	31
#21 Tigers	3	3	8	7	21

Date: September 16
Location: Tiger Stadium
Television network: ESPN

^[13]

Tulane

Tulane at Florida State

	1	2	3	4	Total
Green Wave	0	0	6	3	9
• Seminoles	17	14	21	7	59

Date: September 23
Location: Doak Campbell Stadium

^[14]

At Syracuse

Florida State at Syracuse

	1	2	3	4	Total
• #22 Seminoles	10	7	17	7	41
#17 Orangemen	0	3	7	0	10

Date: October 7
Location: Carrier Dome

^[15]

At Virginia Tech

Florida State at Virginia Tech

	1	2	3	4	Total
• #19 Seminoles	7	17	10	7	41
Hokies	0	0	0	7	7

Date: October 14
Location: Lane Stadium

^[16]

Auburn

Auburn at Florida State

	1	2	3	4	Total
#11 Tigers	3	0	0	11	14
• #14 Seminoles	3	16	3	0	22

Date: October 21
Location: Doak Campbell Stadium

^[17]

Miami (FL)

#2 Miami (FL) Hurricanes at #9 Florida State Seminoles

Period	1	2	3	4	Total
Miami (FL)	10	0	0	0	10
Florida St	14	0	7	3	24

at Doak Campbell Stadium, Tallahassee, Florida

Date: October 28, 1989
Game time: 8:00 p.m. EST
Game attendance: 62,602
TV announcers (ESPN): Ron Franklin and Kevin Kiley
Recap/Box Score

Game information

First quarter

FSU – Dexter Carter 37-yard run (Richie Andrews kick), 14:37. Florida St 7–0. Drive:
MIA – Randal Hill 8-yard pass from Gino Torretta (Carlos Huerta kick), 9:57. Tie 7–7. Drive: 80 yards.
FSU – Edgar Bennett 1-yard run (Richie Andrews kick), 5:11. Florida St 14–7. Drive: 82 yards.
MIA – Carlos Huerta 44-yard field goal, 1:09. Florida St 14–10. Drive:

Third quarter

FSU – Amp Lee 1-yard run (Richie Andrews kick), 2:20. Florida St 21–10. Drive:

Fourth quarter

FSU – Richie Andrews 41-yard field goal, 14:18. 'Florida St 24–10. Drive:

Top passers

MIA – Gino Torretta – TD, 4 INT
FSU – Peter Tom Willis – 7/20, 129 yards, INT

Top rushers

MIA –
FSU – Dexter Carter – 21 rushes, 142 yards, TD

Top receivers

MIA –
FSU – Ronald Lewis – 3 receptions, 77 yards

^[18]

Prior to the Miami-FSU game, University of Miami mascot Sebastian the Ibis was tackled by a group of police officers for attempting to put out Chief Osceola's flaming spear. Sebastian was wearing a fireman’s helmet and yellow raincoat and holding a fire extinguisher. When a police officer attempted to grab the fire extinguisher, the officer was sprayed in the chest. Sebastian was handcuffed by four officers but ultimately released. 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.'"^[19]

South Carolina

South Carolina at Florida State

	1	2	3	4	Total
Gamecocks	0	7	0	3	10
• #6 Seminoles	7	14	14	0	35

Date: November 4
Location: Doak Campbell Stadium

^[20]

Memphis State

Memphis State at Florida State

	1	2	3	4	Total
Tigers	6	7	0	7	20
• #5 Seminoles	17	34	0	6	57

Date: November 18
Location: Doak Campbell Stadium

^[21]

At Florida

Florida State at Florida

	1	2	3	4	Total
• #6 Seminoles	7	3	7	7	24
Gators	3	7	0	7	17

Date: December 2
Location: Florida Field
Game start: 7:30 p.m. EST
Game attendance: 75,154
Game weather: 61 °F (16 °C)
Television network: ESPN

Scoring summary

Q1	3:22	FSU	Anthony 62 yard pass from Willis (Andrews kick)	FSU 7–0
Q1	0:20	FLA	Francis 46 yard field goal	FSU 7–3

Q2	8:21	FLA	Simmons 3 yard run (Francis kick)	FLA 10–7
Q2	2:50	FSU	Andrews 24 yard field goal	Tie 10–10

Q3	8:00	FSU	LaSane 22 yard pass from Willis (Andrews kick)	FSU 17–10

Q4	8:05	FSU	Roberts 10 yard pass from Willis (Andrews kick)	FSU 24–10
Q4	4:08	FLA	E. Smith 2 yard run (Francis kick)	FSU 24–17

Peter Tom Willis 20/32, 319 Yds
Terry Anthony 4 Rec, 126 Yds

^[22]

Nebraska (Fiesta Bowl)

Nebraska vs. Florida State

	1	2	3	4	Total
#6 Cornhuskers	7	3	0	7	17
• #5 Seminoles	0	21	20	0	41

Date: January 1
Location: Sun Devil Stadium, Tempe, AZ
Game attendance: 73,953
Game weather: Clear
Referee: Jimmy Harper (SEC)
TV announcers (NBC): Charlie Jones and Merlin Olsen

Scoring summary

Q1	11:19	Neb	Morgan Gregory 9-yard pass from Gerry Gdowski (Barrios kick)	Neb 7–0

Q2		FSU	Terry Anthony 14-yard pass from Peter Tom Willis (Andrews kick)	Tied 7–7
		Neb	Chris Drennan 39-yard field goal	Neb 10–7
		FSU	Reggie Johnson 5-yard pass from Peter Tom Willis (Andrews kick)	FSU 14–10
		FSU	Dexter Carter 10-yard pass from Peter Tom Willis (Andrews kick)	FSU 21–10

Q3		FSU	Paul Moore 1-yard run (kick failed)	FSU 27–10
		FSU	Reggie Johnson 8-yard pass from Peter Tom Willis (Andrews kick)	FSU 34–10
		FSU	Terry Anthony 24-yard pass from Peter Tom Willis (Andrews kick)	FSU 41–10

Q4		Neb	Mickey Joseph 2-yard run (Drennan kick)	FSU 41–17

References

^ "S. Mississippi surprises Florida State". The Charlotte Observer. September 3, 1989. Retrieved March 28, 2021 – via Newspapers.com.
^ "Clemson hands FSU a 34–23 'routrooskie'". The Tampa Tribune. September 10, 1989. Retrieved February 3, 2024 – via Newspapers.com.
^ "Seminoles overtake Tigers 31–21". The Palm Beach Post. September 17, 1989. Retrieved November 12, 2023 – via Newspapers.com.
^ "Seminoles hand VPI crushing setback". Winston-Salem Journal. October 15, 1989. Retrieved February 2, 2024 – via Newspapers.com.
^ "Sweet repeat for 'Noles". The Tampa Tribune. October 22, 1989. Retrieved November 11, 2023 – via Newspapers.com.
^ "A porous defense, not a poor offense, betrays Gamecocks". Anderson Independent-Mail. November 5, 1989. Retrieved February 2, 2024 – via Newspapers.com.
^ "FSU air attack down Gators 24–17". Press Journal. December 3, 1989. Retrieved November 11, 2023 – via Newspapers.com.
^ "1989 Football - Year in Review".
^ "EAGLES GET A BREAK VS. SEMINOLES (FSU ISN'T ANGRY OVER A LOSS TO UM)". Sun-Sentinel. September 2, 1989. Retrieved December 30, 2018.
^ "Florida State Is Upset At Finish". The New York Times. September 3, 1989. Retrieved December 30, 2018.
^ NoleFan.org. Retrieved 2018-Oct-19.
^ NoleFan.org. Retrieved 2018-Oct-19.
^ NoleFan.org. Retrieved 2018-Oct-19.
^ NoleFan.org. Retrieved 2018-Oct-19.
^ NoleFan.org. Retrieved 2018-Oct-19.
^ NoleFan.org. Retrieved 2018-Oct-19.
^ NoleFan.org. Retrieved 2018-Oct-19.
^ "Miami Undone By Turnovers". The New York Times. October 29, 1989. Retrieved December 30, 2018.
^ "The true story of Sebastian the Ibis, a fire extinguisher and a near arrest". October 30, 2019.
^ NoleFan.org. Retrieved 2018-Oct-19.
^ NoleFan.org. Retrieved 2018-Oct-19.
^ NoleFan.org. Retrieved 2018-Oct-19.

v t e Florida State Seminoles football
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