Notes from Miami's 33-7 Win over Penn State
Sept. 1, 2001
State College, Pa. (www.hurricanesports.com) – – MIAMI HURRCANES FOOTBALLGAME NOTESMIAMI AT PENN STATE, SEPTEMBER 1, 2001
MIAMI-PENN STATE SERIESTonight’s victory by Miami closes Penn State’s lead in this intersectional series to 7-6. The Hurricanes have won 3 of the last 4 meetings between these two traditional powers. Miami’s victory tonight is the largest winning margin by UM against Penn State, exceeding the old UM best of 17 points accomplished in the first UM-PSU contest, a 25-8 Hurricanes’ victory at the Orange Bowl on September 29, 1961. The contest was the 40th Miami game against a team from the Big Ten Conference. UM improves to 26-14 against the Big 10.
FORMER UM STARS ASSEMBLESeveral prominent former football stars of the University of Miami attended tonight’s game. Among the largest crowd ever to see a UM football game: former quarterback and head coach Fran Curci (working as an analyst for Westwood One Radio), 1992 Heisman Trophy winning quarterback Gino Torretta (working as a color analyst for FOX Sports Net Florida), former offensive lineman Don Bailey, Jr. (who played on the 1979 team that upset PSU here at Beaver Stadium), former UM receiver Lamar Thomas (who played against PSU in Miami wins in 1991 and 1992) and former UM linebacker and current NY Giants star Michael Barrow (also a player on the 1991 and 1992 teams).
RECORD CROWD FOR A MIAMI FOOTBALL GAMETonight’s crowd of 109,313 is the largest ever to witness a University of Miami football game. The previous largest crowd was 105,834 at Michigan on September 17, 1988, (a 31-30 UM victory). Tonight’s game marked the third time a Hurricanes squad has played before a crowd exceeding 100,000. In addition to the aforementioned games, UM played at Michigan on September 8, 1984, before a crowd of 105,403 (a 22-14 Miami loss).
UM HEAD COACHES IN DEBUT GAMESTonight’s game marked the debut of the 19th head football coach in Miami history, Larry Coker. In 75 seasons of football, tonight’s win gives Miami head coaches a mark of 13 wins and 6 losses in debut games. Here’s a closer look at UM head coaching debuts:Coach Season W/L Score OpponentHoward Buck 1926 W 7-0 RollinsJ. Burton 1929 W 6-0 Florida SouthernErnest Brett 1930 W 13-6 Florida SouthernTom McCann 1931 L 7-12 BowdenIrl Tubbs 1935 W 2-0 Southeast LouisianaJack Harding 1937 W 40-0 Georgia SouthernEddie Dunn 1943 W 6-0 Jacksonville NASAndy Gustafson 1948 W 25-0 RollinsCharlie Tate 1964 L 0-14 Florida StateWalt Kichefski 1970 W 18-11 MarylandFran Curci 1971 L 17-20 Florida StatePete Elliott 1973 W 20-15 TexasCarl Selmer 1975 L 23-38 Georgia TechLou Saban 1977 L 0-10 Ohio StateHoward Schnellenberger 1979 W 24-12 LouisvilleJimmy Johnson 1984 W 20-18 AuburnDennis Erickson 1989 W 51-3 WisconsinButch Davis 1995 L 8-31 UCLALarry Coker 2001 W — Penn StateTotals 19 coaches 13 wins, 6 losses
MIAMI CAPTAINSThe Hurricanes’ game captains tonight were senior running back Najeh Davenport, senior cornerback Mike Rumph, junior quarterback Ken Dorsey and senior offensive right guard Martin Bibla.
DORSEY OFF TO HOT STARTJunior quarterback Ken Dorsey, a Heisman Trophy and O’Brien Award candidate, got out to a hot start in the first half of tonight’s game. He completed 12-of-18 passes for 205 yards and three touchdowns with one interception in the opening half. The three scoring passes gives Dorsey 38 in his UM career, just 2 from tying Bernie Kosar (40, 1983-84) for sixth on the UM career TD passes list. Dorsey’s 344 yards passing is a new career high.
McDOUGLE MAKES PRESENCE FELT EARLYJunior defensive end Jerome McDougle, making his UM debut tonight, made two important plays on PSU’s first two possessions of the game. His pressure of PSU quarterback Matt Seneca on a third-down pass play and the ensuing pass deflection, ended the Nittany Lions’ first drive. PSU’s second possession ended with a fumble forced by McDougle when he forced PSU running back Omar Easy to fumble with UM’s James Lewis recovering for Miami at the PSU 40.
SIEVERS MOVES UP CAREER FIELD GOALS LISTJunior placekicker Todd Sievers moved into sole possession of ninth place on the UM field goals made list with a 42-yarder with 3:01 left in the first period. That make was the longest for Sievers in a regular season game at UM, but he did make a 44-yarder against Florida in the 2001 Nokia Sugar Bowl. He had moved into a tie for ninth on the UM list for field goals made in a career with his 35-yarder in the first period. That FG was Sievers’ 12th as a Hurricane, tying him with Mike Burke (1971-72) on the UM career list.
SIEVERS ACCURATE FROM INSIDE 40 YARDSTodd Sievers’ 37- and 35-yard field goals in the first half made the Ankeny, Iowa, native 12-of-13 in field goal attempts from 40 yards or less in his Miami career. His 42-yarder improved Sievers to 2-for-7 from 40+ yards in his Miami career. Sievers once kicked a 63-yarder in a high school game at Ankeny.
SANDS GETS FIRST CAREER TD CATCHJunior receiver Ethenic Sands’ 27-yard touchdown reception of a Ken Dorsey pass with 7:23 left in the first period was the longest catch of Sands’ career and the second TD reception for Sands at UM. Sands’ previous career long catch was also his only other TD grab, a 13-yard catch against Florida A&M in 1999.
ANDREW WILLIAMS GETS A QUARTERBACK SACKJunior defensive end Andrew Williams recorded his first quarterback sack as a Hurricane with a 10-yard stop of Matt Senneca with 6:50 left in the first period. Williams is a transfer from Hinds (Miss.) CC, as is fellow starting DE Jerome McDougle.
SHOCKEY IS ACTIVE EARLYJunior tight end Jeremy Shockey, a first-team All-BIG EAST honoree as a reserve last year and a John Mackey Award candidate this year, was UM’s leading returnee among receivers from 2000 and continued in that vein early in tonight’s game with 6 catches for 64 yards in the first half against PSU, including one touchdown catch. Shockey had three catches for 37 yards in the first period. Last season, Shockey caught 21 passes for 296 yards and three touchdowns.
DORSEY TO JOHNSONAndre Johnson’s 30-yard catch of a Ken Dorsey pass on the final play of the first quarter was the second-longest reception of Johnson’s Miami career. Johnson, a sophomore, caught a 32-yard scoring toss from then-quarterback Ethenic Sands last year versus McNeese State. Johnson had three catches for 57 yards and one score in 2000.
PORTIS RUSHES FOR MORE THAN 100 IN FIRST HALFJunior running back Clinton Portis, a Doak Walker Watch List honoree, was a major factor in Miami’s quick start tonight with 13 carries for 136 yards in the first half and 94 yards on 9 carries in the first period alone. Portis had runs of 34, 21, and 13 yards in the opening quarter of action. He added a 31-yard run to the PSU 18 in the second quarter to set up a touchdown. Portis’s 100-yard effort is the 7th of his Miami career, ranking fourth in UM history. Portis finished with a career-best 167 yards on the ground.
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