“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 first edition of “4’s Up Flashbacks,” this piece will cover the Miami Hurricanes 2014 football season. The 2014 season was Al Golden’s fourth year as the head coach of the ‘Canes. Golden had began a slow rise working from 6-6 to 7-5 to 9-4 in the lead up to the ‘14 campaign.
Miami opened the season at Louisville with freshman quarterback Brad Kaaya behind center. Many fans thought Memphis transfer Ryan Williams would get the nod for the ‘Canes, but after an injury Kaaya was pushed into early action.
In ‘14, Kaaya threw 26 touchdowns with 12 interceptions on 8.5 yards per passing attempt. Miami was drubbed by the Cards 31-13 in the Labor Day primetime national game.
On the season, OC James Coley mustered up only 29.2 points per game, good for 62nd in FBS. That’s with future NFL talents in Kaaya, Duke Johnson, Gus Edwards, Phillip Dorsett, Stacy Coley, Braxton Berrios and Clive Walford on offense.
Johnson rushed for 1,652 yards and scored 13 TD’s from scrimmage, while Dorsett averaged 24.2 yards per catch with 10 TD’s. Walford added seven more TD’s, and Edwards pounded in six of his own on the ground.
With a 2-1 record Miami hit the road to Nebraska to face the Cornhuskers in Lincoln. Miami flew home with a 41-31 loss and a 2-2 record to start the season. DC Mark D’Onofrio fared better than Coley on the season. D’Onofrio’s 3-4 defense averaged 24.3 PPG allowed in ‘14, good for 37th in FBS.
Linebacker Denzel Perryman led the defense in a number of categories including tackles, tackles for loss and forced fumbles. Perryman, a future NFL linebacker, also was tied for second in INT’s and PBU’s.
The ‘Canes went on a streak of winning four of five, to push the record to 6-3 before a showdown against the defending National Champions in rival Florida State. The Seminoles edged the ‘Canes 30-26 on Miami’s home turf.
That loss spiraled the Miami season to a four game losing streak with losses at UVA, against Pitt, and in the bowl against South Carolina. Miami finished the season 6-7 and Golden was on the hot seat heading into ‘15.
On the 2014 defense, the ‘Canes had future pros in Corn Elder, Artie Burns, Anthony Chickillo, and Tracy Howard to go with the dozen or so future pros on offense. Al Golden only coached seven games of the 2015 season after a 58-0 loss to Clemson in which Kaaya was knocked out and Miami looked outgunned and unable to get the most from a plethora of future NFL talent.
Flashback Recap
The top song of 2014 was “Happy” by Pharrell Williams, while the top movie at the box office was “Guardians of the Galaxy.” The Academy Award’s “Best Picture” Oscar went to “12 Years a Slave” starring Brad Pitt. Both True Detective and Fargo got their start on television in ‘14 for fans of really strange crime dramas (me).
The highest rated game in 2014 was Grand Theft Auto V for PlayStation 4 and XBOX One. The best selling book of 2014 was The Fault in Our Stars by John Green.
I was in my 11th season on the sidelines as a high school football coach, having finished a Goldenesque 2-7 after a 5-5 season in ‘13. Speaking of my coaching career: Chlamydia topped the charts as the number one STI that year.
The Miami Heat absolutely tanked the 2014-2015 season without LeBron James, and the Miami Dolphins missed the playoffs for the 6th straight season.
The Hurricanes baseball team finished 44-19 under Jim Morris losing the Coral Gables regional with Bryan Garcia as closer, Brad Radziewski on the mound and future MLB player Zack Collins at the plate. The men’s basketball team finished 25-13 under coach Jim Larranaga.
The average home price in Miami-Dade was $227K, compared to $660K in ‘24, while minimum wage in Florida almost doubled from $7.93 in 2014 to $13.00 in 2024.
I hope y’all have enjoyed this little flashback to 2014. Next week: the 2004 season!