“4’s Up Flashbacks” is a mini-series on all seasons ending with a four. 2014, 2004, 1994, 1984 and 1974 will all be covered in the series.
“4’s Up Flashbacks” is a mini-series on all seasons ending with a four. The 2014, 2004, 1994, 1984 and 1974 seasons will be covered in the series.
Welcome to the second installment of the “4’s Up Flashbacks” series- the 2004 season. The 2004 Hurricanes were led by Larry Coker and finished 9-3 including a 27-10 Peach Bowl victory over the Florida Gators on New Year’s Eve.
Coker was in fourth season (just like Golden) in ‘04, having won the BCS National Championship in 2001, and posting one loss in 2002, and two losses in 2003. One thing Coker had over Butch Davis, besides the ring, was his dominance over rivals in his first three seasons. Coker was a smooth 6-0 against the Gators and ‘Noles, and 2-1 against Virginia Tech.
Florida transfer Brock Berlin was in his second years as the ‘Canes starting QB. 2004 was a much improved year for Berlin over 2003. In ‘04 Berlin threw 22 TD’s with six INT’s on 7.7 yards per attempt.
Miami played five ranked opponents in ‘04 including kicking off the season against the team they ended 2003 defeating, the FSU Seminoles. The game was delayed by Hurricane Frances and actually played on a Friday night instead of Monday. Miami they defeated FSU 16-10 in overtime to push Coker to 7-0 vs. in-state rivals.
The ‘Canes scored 16 points in the 4th quarter and OT with a Moss screen for a TD and Gore rushing TD to seal the win. The ‘Canes special teams blocked a field goal while the defense picked Chris Rix off twice and forced him to fumble on a sack.
The ‘Canes then went on a run starting the season 6-0 with RB’s Frank Gore and Tyrone Moss splitting the load in the backfield. The duo combined for 1500 rushing yards and 14 TD’s. OC Dan Werner’s first Miami offense scored 31.7 points per game, good for 21st in FBS. The offense was loaded with NFL talents like Berlin, Gore, WR’s Roscoe Parrish and Sinorice Moss and TE’s Kevin Everett and Greg Olsen.
Miami then dropped back-to-back games for the second season in a row. Miami lost to UNC 28-31 on a 42-yard Connor Barth field goal and 24-17 in OT to Clemson. Coker’s ‘Canes then beat no.10 UVA and Wake Forest before a 16-10 loss to no.10 Virginia Tech.
The Hurricanes did complete the season with the bowl win over the Gators. Coker was now 8-0 vs. UF and FSU, but only 2-2 vs. VT in four seasons.
DC Randy Shannon, the future Hurricanes head coach after Coker’s departure, held opposing offenses to 17 PPG (13th in FBS). Future NFL Hall of Fame specialist Devin Hester scored on one kick return, three punt returns, and intercepted four passes in ‘04.
The ‘Canes defense remained loaded, even after losing Sean Taylor, Vince Wilfork, and Jon Vilma to the NFL Draft. The ‘Canes defense had brought in no.1 recruit Willie Williams, and featured Calais Campbell, Leon Williams, Rocky McIntosh, Antrel Rolle and Kelly Jennings.
Larry Coker lasted two more seasons in orange and green before being fired following a 7-6 season in 2006.
Flashback Recap
The top song of 2004 was “Yeah!” by Usher featuring Lil Jon and Ludacris. The top movie at the box office was “Shrek 2,” while the Oscar for Best Picture went to “The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King.”
The only thing more likely than a Chris Rix turnover versus Miami would be chlamydia taking the top spot on the STD list. CSI was the top rated TV show in 2004, the Miami Dolphins finished 4-12 after Ricky Williams retirement, and the Stan Van Gundy led Miami Heat lost the ECF to the Detroit Pistons.
The Miami Hurricanes baseball team reached the College World Series in 2004, only a few seasons off of National Championships in 1999 and 2001. The ‘Canes were managed by Jim Morris and led on the mound by Danny Gil and Chris Perez. Future MLB players in Ryan Braun, Gaby Sanchez, and John Jay were also stars of the ‘04 ‘Canes. The Men’s Basketball team finished 16-13 under Frank Haith.
The top selling video game in the US in 2004 was Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas on the Playstation 2. The top selling book of 2004 was The Da Vinci Code by Dan Brown.
I was a lowly second year high school coach in Orlando while in undergrad probably thinking I should be a varsity DC but knowing about as much as a JV parent yelling, “Block some bodeee” from the cheap seats.
The average home price in Miami in 2004 was $279K, compared to $227K in 2014 and $660K in 2024.
Minimum wage in 2004 in Florida was $6.15 per hour compared to $7.93 in 2014 and $13 in 2024.
I hope y’all have enjoyed this little flashback to 2004. Next week: the 1994 season!