1 AND ONLY HURRICANES SEIZE NATIONAL TITLE IN A ROUT MIAMI 37, NEBRASKA 14.

Byline: Billy Witz Staff Writer

PASADENA - If there is still debate about who should have been in the Rose Bowl, there is none about who should be national champion.

The University of Miami made sure of that Thursday night, taking the computers, Oregon and everyone else out of the equation by capping a perfect season with a perfect evening in a 37-14 thumping of No. 4-ranked Nebraska before 93,781 in the Bowl Championship Series title game.

If the Hurricanes arrived unbeaten but with questions about how they'd play outside of Florida, they left neither a doubt nor a hanging chad.

It's Miami's fifth national championship in the past 18 years and the third one it's earned by beating the Cornhuskers.

It also completed a steep climb back from crippling NCAA probation of the mid-90s that as recently as four years ago left it with a losing record.

``Obviously, it is a very exciting moment for us,'' said Miami coach Larry Coker, the fourth Hurricanes coach to win a national title and the first rookie coach to do so in 53 years.

``I'm extremely proud of them for the obstacles they have overcome. And to win it decisively makes it special. The coaches and players did a phenomenal job this year. It is a great win for our program.''

While Miami was confronted by a stadium that was three-quarters full of Nebraska fans, the Hurricanes soon made it clear they owned the field.

Miami swarmed Nebraska's option game, rendering Heisman Trophy-winning quarterback Eric Crouch moot. And instead of making Nebraska's problems against Colorado look like a mirage, the Miami offense merely confirmed them.

Miami quarterback Ken Dorsey completed 22 of 35 passes for 362 yards and three touchdowns, sharing MVP honors with his favorite receiver, Andre Johnson, who caught seven passes for 199 yards and two touchdowns.

One series into the third quarter, the Miami defense had 12 tackles behind the line of scrimmage.

At the heart of Miami's dominance was its speed.

``We knew going into this game that we were going to have to be patient against the option,'' said Miami linebacker D.J. Williams, who forced a fumble and had a sack. ``We knew that with our speed, if (Crouch) did break one, we were going to catch him. Against other teams, those might have been touchdowns but not against us.''

Nebraska players' ears were red after listening to critics for the past month wonder why the Cornhuskers, who were ranked No. 4 in the Associated Press poll, could leapfrog No. 2-ranked Oregon in the BCS standings. They soon had faces to match.

One play after Williams forced a fumble from Crouch, Miami took a 7-0 lead with 6:51 left in the first quarter when Nebraska cornerback Keyou Craver fell down near the line of scrimmage and Dorsey lofted a 49-yard touchdown pass to a wide-open Johnson.

When the Cornhuskers kept bumbling, Miami (12-0) blitzed them with 27 points in the second quarter.

After Clinton Portis broke two tackles on a 39-yard touchdown run 36 seconds into the second quarter, safety James Lewis made the game-turning play when he intercepted a pass by Crouch off the fingertips of tight end Tracey Wistrom and raced 47 yards for a touchdown to make it 21-0 with 12:52 left in the second quarter.

Another three-and-out by Nebraska was followed by another quick Miami score. Dorsey hit Johnson for 45 yards on the first play and on the next he found tight end Jeremy Shockey for a 21-yard score to make it 27-0 less than 20 minutes into the game.

``I was more nervous in the second quarter than any time this season because I thought we had too much momentum,'' Lewis said. ``I kept looking over at the side of the field and thinking, 'That's the Big Red over there.' ''

Nebraska coach Frank Solich said the turnovers spelled doom for the Cornhuskers.

``It was an unpleasant feeling to fall behind at the beginning,'' said Solich, whose team has been outscored 99-50 in its last two games. ``We felt if the turnovers continued, it would be a ridiculous game. It seemed like the game was slipping away.

``We didn't play well enough to make it a competitive game at the end, or even by the end of the first half. Certainly it was not the matchup that everyone dreamed of. Whether or not a matchup with anyone else would have been different, I don't know.''

Nebraska (11-2), which was outgained in total yardage 472 to 259, crept within 34-14 on Judd Davies' 16-yard run late in the third quarter and DeJuan Groce's 71-yard punt return a half-minute into the fourth.

Groce's run buoyed the Nebraska fans' hopes for a miracle, but all it seemed to do was get Miami's attention. The Hurricanes responded with an 11-play, 59-yard drive that used up 4 1/2 minutes and ended with Todd Sievers' 37-yard field goal.

As the final minutes wound down and a stadium full of Nebraska fans emptied, Coker drew the standard bucket of ice water and the Miami players danced to Kool and the Gang's ``Celebration.''

Having rendered all the talk of the BCS moot, the Hurricanes savored their moment - and their place in history.

``I think we may go down as one of the best teams in Miami history,'' said offensive tackle Bryant McKinnie. ``I definitely thought this was going to be tougher than it was. Sorry, Oregon, there's only one national champion.''

CAPTION(S):

3 photos, box

Photo:

(1 -- color) Miami coach Larry Coker, on the shoulders of his players, expresses joy over beating Nebraska and claiming the national championship.

Tom Mendoza/Staff Photographer

(2) Nebraska's Dahrran Diedrick (30) is pulled down in the first quarter of the Rose Bowl.

Greg Andersen/Staff Photographer

(3) Miami quarterback Ken Dorsey finished with 362 yards passing and was named Rose Bowl co-MVP.

Andy Holzman/Staff Photographer

Box:

MIAMI 37, NEBRASKA 14