1 AND ONLY HURRICANES SEIZE NATIONAL TITLE IN A ROUT MIAMI 37, NEBRASKA 14.Byline: Billy Witz Staff Writer If there is any debate about who deserved to play in the Rose Bowl, there is none about who should be national champion. The University of Miami This article is about the university in Coral Gables, Florida. For the university in Oxford, Ohio, see Miami University. The University of Miami (also known as Miami of Florida,[2] UM,[3] or just The U made sure of that Thursday night, when it capped a perfect season with a perfect evening, thoroughly thumping No. 4-ranked Nebraska 37-14 before 93,781 mostly red-clad fans. It is Miami's fifth national championship in the past 18 years and the third one it earned by beating the Cornhuskers. The victory completed a climb back from the crippling NCAA NCAA abbr. National Collegiate Athletic Association sanctions of the mid-90s, which only four years ago saw the nation's dominant program of the late '80s and early '90s fall to 5-6. ``I think you have to have breaks along the way to win a national championship,'' said Miami coach Larry Coker Larry Coker (born June 23, 1948 in Okemah, Oklahoma) is the former head coach at the University of Miami from 2001 to 2006. He was fired by the University of Miami on November 24, 2006 following a 6-loss season. He is currently a television analyst for ESPNU. , the fourth Hurricane coach to win a national title and the first rookie coach to do so in 53 years. ``The coaches and players did a phenomenal job this year. It is a great win for our program.'' Miami walked into the Rose Bowl confronted by three-quarters of a stadium filled with Nebraska fans, but soon made it clear it owned the field. While the Hurricanes defense shut down Nebraska's running game, the Miami offense, after a slow start, began burning the Cornhuskers through the air. Nebraska never had an answer for Miami's speed on either side of the ball. On offense, Miami receivers, particularly sophomore Andre Johnson Andre Lamont Johnson (born July 11, 1981 in Miami, Florida) is an American football Pro Bowl wide receiver currently playing for the Houston Texans of the NFL. Early years , ran past Nebraska's cornerbacks all night. The Hurricane defense was so quick, it dropped Miami for 10 tackles behind the line of scrimmage line of scrimmage n. pl. lines of scrimmage Football Either of two imaginary lines extending across the field parallel to the goal line at the ends of the ball as it rests prior to being snapped and at which each team lines up for in the first half. And when Nebraska quarterback Eric Crouch Eric Eugene Crouch (born November 16, 1978 in Omaha, Nebraska) is an American and Canadian football quarterback who played collegiately for the University of Nebraska, and most recently played professionally with the Toronto Argonauts of the Canadian Football League. did have room to run, he didn't make it far. ``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 had a sack and a forced fumble. ``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.'' Miami took a 7-0 lead when Nebraska cornerback Keyou Craver Keyou Craver is an American football defensive back. He played college football at the University of Nebraska and was selected in the fourth round of the 2002 NFL Draft by the New Orleans Saints. He played with the Saints for two years, 2002 and 2003. fell down at the line of scrimmage and Miami quarterback Ken Dorsey Kenneth Simon Dorsey (born April 22, 1981 in Orinda, California) is an NFL quarterback for the Cleveland Browns. Dorsey is a former college football star at the University of Miami, where he was a Heisman Trophy finalist in both 2001 and 2002. lofted a 49-yard touchdown pass to a wide-open Johnson, who caught the ball at the 15-yard line and coasted into the end zone. It was a combination that befuddled Nebraska all evening. Dorsey completed 22 of 35 passes for 362 yards, three touchdowns and one interception. Johnson caught seven passes for 199 yards and two scores. Quarterback and receiver shared the game's MVP (Multimedia Video Processor) A high-speed DSP chip from Texas Instruments, introduced in 1994. Officially introduced as the TMS320C80, it combines RISC technology with the functionality of four DSPs on one chip. honors. The Hurricanes then blitzed blitzed adj. Slang Drunk or intoxicated. Nebraska with 27 second-quarter points. After Clinton Portis Clinton Earl Portis (born September 1, 1981 in Laurel, Mississippi) is an American football running back. Portis currently plays for the Washington Redskins of the National Football League. raced 39 yards for a touchdown with 14:33 left in the second, James Lewis turned in the game-turning play. He picked off a pass by Crouch and returned it 47 yards for a touchdown with 12:52 left in the second quarter. After Miami held Nebraska on three downs, the Hurricanes again answered with a flurry. Dorsey hit Johnson for 45 yards to the Nebraska 21 and on the next play, tight end Jeremy Shockey came out of the backfield and Dorsey hit him in the end zone for a touchdown to put Miami ahead 27-0. ``It was an unpleasant feeling to fall behind at the beginning,'' said Nebraska coach Frank 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 Don't know (DK, DKed) "Don't know the trade." A Street expression used whenever one party lacks knowledge of a trade or receives conflicting instructions from the other party. .'' Nebraska (11-2), which was outgained 472 yards to 259 yards, finally scored on Judd Davies' 16-yard run with 2:39 left in the third quarter. And a half minute into the final quarter, the Cornhuskers fans held out hope for a miracle when DeJuan Groce returned a punt 71 yards for a touchdown to bring Nebraska within 34-14. But all that seemed to do was get Miami's attention. The Hurricanes (12-0) put together an 11-play, 59-yard drive that used up 4:24 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 (1) (The British Computer Society, Swindon, Wiltshire, England, www.bcs.org) The chartered body for information technology professionals in the U.K., founded in 1957. 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 |
|
||||||||||||||
Printer friendly
Cite/link
Email
Feedback
Reader Opinion