Steve Kim: The Bermuda Triangle

Published Jun 3, 2005

The Bermuda Triangle

Since the early 80's the University of Miami has put out an assembly line of standout linebackers, overtaking the title of 'Linebacker U' from Penn State. Starting with Scott Nicolas and Jay Brophy under Howard Schnellenberger, 'The U' would then produce sideline-to-sideline stalwarts like Maurice Crum, Bernard Clark, Rod Carter, Randy Shannon and George Mira, Jr. to finish off the decade.

By the mid-90's, there was a guy by the name of Ray Lewis, who was then followed by the likes of Dan Morgan and Nate Webster, all of whom earned All-American accolades. By the 21st century the UM 'backer crew was anchored by Jonathan Vilma and DJ Williams. After the 2003 campaign, alongside first-year starter Darrel McClover, the trio would get drafted into the National Football League.

This year's unit figures to be a strength with veterans like Rocky McIntosh and talented youngsters like Tavares Gooden, Romeo Davis and the much-hyped Willie Williams.

But there will never be another trio of linebackers to roam the Orange Bowl quite like the threesome of Michael Barrow, Darrin Smith and Jesse Armstead. They were tagged 'The Bermuda Triangle,' and for good reason: with these three on the field, opposing offenses seemed to vanish as they tried to cross these guys? territory.

There have been better individual linebackers than #56, #45 and Numero Uno, and perhaps better duo's (such as Texas A&M's 'Blitz Brothers' of John Roper and Aaron Wallace of the late 80's) but try and name a better troika.

Don't even try, because you can't.

From their time on campus from 1988 to 1992, 'Three the Hard Way' was the foundation of the nation?s most stout defense. And they will forever be linked as one, much like Tinkers-to-Evers-to-Chance.

Barrow would redshirt in 1988 after an intense recruiting battle with in-state rivals FSU and Florida. He would start a few games his redshirt freshman year in 1989 for a hobbled 'Tiger' Clark, but it wasn't till 1990 that he became a fixture manning the 'Mike' in Miami's 4-3 defense. By his senior year in 1992, despite being overshadowed by a 'Shade Tree' by the name of Marvin Jones in Tallahassee, Barrow would play so well that he would actually garner a few Heisman votes. Who can forget his decapitation of Tamarick Vanover in Wide Right II? Every once in awhile, Miami's fans can still hear the collective gasp of the Orange Bowl crowd as Barrow lit into Vanover. Vanover can probably still feel the hit itself. Then there was his key fourth-down, fourth-quarter stop of Richie Anderson a week later in (un)Happy Valley in the Canes' 17-14 victory. It was performances like these that had many pundits believing that it was he - not Gino Toretta - who was Miami's best baller that year.

Then, there was Darrin 'The Flash' Smith, a local kid out of Miami Norland High, who was probably the least-acclaimed of the trio coming to Coral Gables, but arguably had the best four-year run.

Who can forget Smith's crunching hit as a special-teamer on Alabama's Prince Wimbley late in the 1990 Sugar Bowl? He was part of a unit that gave up an amazing two total net yards on punt returns for the season. (Yes, I said season, not average per game. Forget Joe DiMaggio's 56-game hit streak; see if that mark is ever broken.)

Smith got his nickname for a reason, he was fast as a free safety and could hit like a truck. But for all his great physical gifts, Smith was a technician, equally effective at jamming the tight end in the running game, chasing plays down on the backside and running with receivers in the slot. He was as dependable as the sun coming up. For his efforts, Smith would be a consensus All-American in both his junior and senior years.

Armstead, whose moniker was 'Superman' for his high-flying and reckless style, boldly demanded One as his jersey number upon signing a letter of intent with the Hurricanes. It was befitting his status as the nation?s top recruit coming out of Texas prep powerhouse Dallas Carter. Simply put, Armstead was one of the most heralded recruits of the Jimmy Johnson era and it signaled to recruits across the Lone Star State, that Miami would heed the advice of Horace Greeley, and go west. And he did not disappoint - Armstead was a key member of the Miami special teams in 1989 as a true freshman. Supermen don't wear redshirts. Anyone who saw this precocious young man play early on knew they were looking at something special.

After getting off to a strong start in 1990, disaster struck. Against FSU, early in the second quarter as the Noles ran a draw with Amp Lee, Armstead would plant and attempt to change directions - only his body went one way and his knee another. He would be gone for the rest of his sophomore campaign. He would eventually come back to start every game in the 1991 and 1992 seasons but he never fully regained that explosiveness and burst that was once his trademark. But he still had a knack for making plays when it counted. It was his pass rush that led to Darren Krein's interception and return to the house against Penn St. in 1992 that provided the deciding points in a defensive struggle. Despite being hampered later in his career with a persistent shoulder injury, Armstead was never afraid to throw his body into a pile.

All three were recruited by Johnson and they played a brash brand of hip-hop football that was emulated and vilified at the same time across the country. These guys epitomized the attitude of the UM program - depending on what side of the tracks you came from, they either represented a new era of college football or it's apocalyptic end.

I could recite to you the stats of these three, but then, most of you probably have media guides. There is much more to the 'Bermuda Triangle' than just the numbers they accumulated. I'll say it right now: these three were the most revolutionary group of linebackers ever to play college football.

Yeah, I said it.

Think about it, while Miami's high-tech passing game changed the way offense was played in the 80's and early 90's, the Hurricanes? emphasis on speed and quickness defensively was Xeroxed across the country because of the way Barrow, Smith and Armstead played linebacker. In the past, linebackers were thought of as big, strong, burly types that had to be taken out on passing downs.

At Miami, 'nickel defenses' were as rare as an authentic 'buffalo nickel.? The Canes didn't have nickel and dime packages, they just let Smith and Armstead cover receivers down field with Barrow taking care of things down the middle. Run a wishbone or option offense? The Canes ran their base 4-3. Employ a run-and-shoot? We'll stay in a 4-3, regardless. It didn't matter. Just make sure Barrow, Smith and Armstead were out there and let them play.

It was on this model that programs across the land changed their perceptions of what linebackers should be, how they should look, how they should play and what they ran schematically. These three changed the way the game was played defensively. The original vision of Jimmy Johnson's attacking one-gap 4-3 scheme became the template and prototype for all of football. Defense was once all about size and brute strength. It was now predicated on speed, quickness and pursuit from the flanks.

And nobody did it better than these three. It didn't matter if they had Russell Maryland and Shane Curry in front of them or Anthony Hamlet and Eric Miller. They made one football play after another.

You want some numbers as tangible evidence of their impact? OK, try and comprehend these: In their four years on the field at Miami (89-92), the team?s combined mark was an amazing 44-4, winning two national championships (in 89 and 91) and never finishing lower than third nationally. In '91 they would lead a D that would yield less than ten points per game, leading the nation in scoring defense. Plenty of statistics can be deceiving, but these numbers don't lie.

You can't think of one guy in this trio without invariably thinking of the other two. Barrow, Armstead and Smith will be linked forever to UM fans like Run-DMC and Jam Master Jay are to hip-hop connoisseurs.

Simply put, they are the kings.

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