It came down to the Miami Hurricanes defense needing to make a goal-line stand. The Iowa State Cyclones were at the Miami 2-yard line, 6 feet away from taking the lead in the final minutes of the Pop-Tarts Bowl. First and goal, 1:41 left on the clock, direct snap to running back Carson Hansen. No gain.

In the new age of college football with the 12-team playoff, there were concerns over whether the bowl games would still mean anything.