ROSE BOWL LOCAL: CALIFORNIA CONNECTION PLAYERS FROM GOLDEN STATE CONTRIBUTE FOR HURRICANES.

Byline: Louis Johnson  Staff Writer

PASADENA - In a stadium filled with an unusual blend of 93,781 red, green and orange-clad patrons, the 88th Rose Bowl game certainly didn't have a California feel to it despite the contest was played in the backdrop of the San Gabriel Mountains.

But just because Thursday night's BCS national championship game featured teams from Nebraska and Miami, it didn't preclude the handful of players on the field from California - especially those who played for the Hurricanes - from making their presence felt as well.

Two of those performers, quarterback Ken Dorsey and linebacker D.J. Williams, marked a triumphant return to the Golden State by leading top-ranked Miami to an impressive 34-17 victory over Nebraska that gave the Hurricanes their first national title in 11 years and fifth overall.

While Miami's roster is loaded with talent from Florida and the South, there are five Californians on the team. And there wasn't a single performer that stepped on the field Thursday night who had a bigger impact in the contest than Dorsey.

The 6-foot-5, 200-pound junior who prepped at Miramonte of Orinda (East Bay) completed 22 of 35 attempts for a career-high 362 yards and three touchdowns to earn co-Most Valuable Player honor.

``Winning this in the Rose Bowl, it means a lot,'' Dorsey said. ``Growing up in California, you dream about playing in this game. And to win a national title on this field ... nothing is sweeter.''

Williams, a 6-2, 241-pound weakside linebacker from famed Concord De La Salle, had four tackles, including a sack and another for a loss, and he forced a fumble that led to a touchdown. He also delivered several big hits on Heisman Trophy-winning quarterback Eric Crouch on option plays, helping the Hurricanes hold him to just 176 yards of total offense.

``This is what it's all about,'' Williams said. ``I came here to win a national championship, and to accomplish that goal in only two years is amazing. This is the greatest feeling in the world and I wouldn't trade it for anything.''

Some questioned their decisions to shun West Coast schools and travel about 3,000 miles to South Florida. But any doubts about their collegiate decisions were left scattered on the Rose Bowl field.

Williams made the first big play of the game when he eluded a blocker and stripped Crouch at the Nebraska 49-yard line with 6:58 to play in the first quarter. On the ensuing play, Dorsey hooked up with sophomore wideout Andre Johnson on a 49-yard scoring play to give Miami a 7-0 lead.

``That play D.J. made was huge for us,'' Hurricanes defensive coordinator Randy Shannon said. ``Those are the types of things we emphasize defensively, and everything started clicking for us on both sides of the ball after that sequence.''

Dorsey and the Hurricanes offense seized the momentum at that point and all but ended any suspense of an upset by rolling through the Cornhuskers' defense en route to taking a commanding 34-0 halftime lead.

The junior, who threw touchdown passes of 21 yards to Jeremy Shockey and 8 yards to Johnson during Miami's 27-point second quarter, completed 12 of 20 passes for 258 yards in the opening half.