Ohio State football’s 2002 national championship still sticks in the craw of an NFL and and University of Miami legend.
The 2002 Buckeyes finished off a 14-0 season with a 31-24 win over the favored Miami Hurricanes in the Fiesta Bowl. Miami entered the game as the defending national champions with a 34-game win streak. After two overtime sessions and a controversial pass interference call, they left Tempe having been knocked from their perch atop college football.
Pro Football Hall of Famer Michael Irvin still hasn’t forgotten the way his alma mater lost that fateful Fiesta Bowl. In a tweet posted Monday, Irvin shared a picture of himself on campus at Ohio State and posing next to a sign for the university, preparing to stomp on the ground.
“This is me @OhioStateFB stumping on the grave of that PASS Interference ghost (RIP-my a–) that cheated us out of our fam (@CanesFootball ) CHAMPIONSHIP !!!!THATS TWO RINGS I LOST ON BAD P.I. CALLS!!!!” Irvin wrote.
This is me @OhioStateFB stumping on the grave of that PASS Interference ghost (RIP-my ass) that cheated us out of our 🙌🏾 fam (@CanesFootball ) CHAMPIONSHIP !!!!THATS TWO RINGS I LOST ON BAD P.I. CALLS!!!! pic.twitter.com/L80WBjIrKs
— Michael Irvin (@michaelirvin88) March 31, 2025
If you’re unfamiliar, Irvin is talking about the questionable pass interference call on Miami’s Glenn Sharpe on 4th-and-goal from the 7-yard line in the first overtime.
In real time, it appeared that Sharpe cleanly defended Craig Krenzel’s pass to Chris Gamble, batting it away to seal the victory.
However, a late flag gave the Buckeyes new life and a first down at the Miami 1. Krenzel then rushed for the game-tying touchdown on a quarterback sneak, and Ohio State went on to win in double OT.
To this day, Miami fans are livid about the call, and the Hurricanes have never come close to capturing another national title.
Ohio State, meanwhile, went on to win it all in 2014 under Urban Meyer before duplicating the feat last season under Ryan Day.
Michael Irvin hasn’t forgotten or forgiven.
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