On January 1, 2004, The Big East Champion Miami Hurricanes met the ACC Champion Florida State Seminoles in the 2004 FedEx Orange Bowl. The clash of these arch-rivals pitted two of the best college football programs for the past two decades in an in-state showdown. Miami struggled early and got behind 14-3 but managed to pull within 1 at the half, trailing only 14-13. Miami`s dominating second half defense shut out the Florida State offense and held the FSU passing game to only six completions and 96 net yards for the entire game. Meanwhile, the Hurricanes stayed on the ground, punishing Florida State`s defense by grinding out 218 yards to become the 2004 FedEx Orange Bowl Champions.