University of Washington
Miami Fla
No. 12 Huskies Fall To No. 1 Miami, 65-7
November 24, 2001 | Football
Nov 24, 2001
By MARK LONG
AP Sports Writer
MIAMI - Everything is clear for No. 1 Miami: The Hurricanes need one more victory to secure a spot in the Rose Bowl and play for a fifth national championship.
Ken Dorsey threw three touchdown passes, and Clinton Portis scored three times as the Hurricanes avenged their only loss last season, dominating No. 12 Washington 65-7 Saturday night.
In a week filled with upsets, Miami (10-0) quickly made sure it kept itself on track for the national title game. The Hurricanes, behind three turnovers and a quick-striking offense, scored 30 second-quarter points and led 37-0 at halftime.
Miami cruised from there, sitting most of its starters for the entire fourth quarter and making sure they remained healthy for the season finale next Saturday at Virginia Tech (8-2).
If the Hurricanes beat the Hokies, they will guarantee themselves a berth in the Bowl Championship Series title game Jan. 3 at the Rose Bowl. Who Miami could face is still anybody's guess.
With No. 2 Nebraska and No. 4 Oklahoma losing, third-ranked Florida appears to be in position for a trip to Pasadena. The Gators need to beat No. 7 Tennessee next Saturday and win the Southeastern Conference championship game to have any chance. The Volunteers, No. 5 Texas and No. 6 Oregon also are in the picture.
The Hurricanes have a much clearer path, and most would agree that they belong in the title game - especially after games against Syracuse and Washington (8-3).
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Audio/Video from  |
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VIDEO: Miami's Clinton Portis scores his second touchdown of the day with a 30-yard run.
VIDEO: Washington's Willie Hurst makes an amazing one-hand grab to pull down Cody Pickett's pass.
VIDEO: Ken Dorsey finds Clinton Portis in the end zone for Portis' third touchdown of the day.
VIDEO: Miami smothers Derek McLaughlin in the end zone for a safety after McLaughlin fumbled the snap.
AUDIO: Jerome McDougle picks off Cody Pickett's deflected pass and rumbles 18 yards into the end zone. |
Miami overwhelmed the then-No. 14 Orangemen 59-0 last Saturday and did the same to the Huskies.
Since that first-and-goal play against Boston College, when the ball bounced off Mike Rumph's knee and into Matt Walters' hands to preserve a win over the Eagles, the Hurricanes scored 109 consecutive points without giving up any points.
The Huskies ended that stretch with a third-quarter touchdown Saturday night. But they did little else in the game.
Cody Pickett was 14-of-29 passing for 157 yards. He fumbled twice, threw five interceptions and was sacked four times. He had two more passes fall through the hands of Miami defenders in the first half.
Jonathan Vilma picked off Pickett's pass on the opening possession, setting up a 7-yard touchdown run by Portis. Washington bounced back, though, driving 79 yards, but failing to score on fourth-and-goal.
Miami seized the momentum from there, scoring on three of its next five possessions. Portis had a 30-yard scoring run and a 5-yard touchdown reception. The Hurricanes forced a safety, and Phillip Buchanon returned the ensuing free kick 61 yards to set up Najeh Davenport's 15-yard TD reception.
Two plays later, William Joseph tipped a pass and Jerome McDougal picked it off and ran 14 yards to make it 37-0. It was exactly what Washington coach Rick Neuheisel hoped to avoid - a "flurry of points."
Dorsey finished 14-of-21 for 189 yards. He said earlier in the week that Miami wasn't looking for payback or revenge for Washington's 34-29 win over Miami last season. But the way the game unfolded seemed to say differently.
The Hurricanes had a spirited pregame ceremony for their seniors. Offensive tackle Joaquin Gonzalez gave his teammates an animated pep talk on the bench with 7:28 left in the second quarter and a 37-point lead.
Miami then called timeout with 26 seconds remaining in the third quarter so the seniors could take a bow at midfield and exit to a standing ovation in front of the soldout stadium.
Coach Larry Coker made an even stronger point with five minutes to play, calling a passing play and scoring a touchdown to make it 65-7.
Washington's last trip to the Orange Bowl ended with the Huskies snapping Miami's NCAA-record, home-winning streak at 58 games. This one ended with the Hurricanes extended their winning streak to a nation-best 20 games - one shy of a trip to the Rose Bowl.
