Miami-BC Complete Game Notes
Nov. 10, 2001
CLINTON PORTIS’S DAY
Junior tailback Clinton Portis rushed for 160 yards on 36 carries today, the 11th 100+-yard rushing performance of his Miami career and his fifth of the 2001 season. Portis’s previous career high was a 164-yard performance earlier this season at Penn State. The 36 carries is also a career-high for Portis and ranks as the second-most in Miami history, ranking only behind a pair of 39-rush days by Edgerrin James vs. UCLA in 1998 and Ottis Anderson vs. Florida in 1978.
REED IN THE RECORD BOOK
Senior free safety Edward Reed etched his name further in the Miami record book today on the game’s clinching play. On the interception by Matt Walters of a deflected BC pass in the game’s final seconds, Reed was credited with 80 interception return yards after taking the ball from Walters, who had caught the ball at the 10 and advanced it to the UM 20 before Reed took over. With the 80 yards and the touchdown, Reed sets a UM single season record with 195 interception return yards and also breaks the UM career record for interception return yards with 278. Also, the 90-yard interception return (Walters – 10, Reed – 80) is the sixth longest in UM history and the longest since Selwyn Brown returned an intercepted pass 100 yards in a 45-10 win at Boston College on Sept. 28, 1985.
BIG DAY FOR SIEVERS
Junior placekicker Todd Sievers kicked four field goals in today’s game. That production upped his season totals to an impressive 16-of-18. Sievers, who has made his last seven attempts of the season, moves into 7th ahead of Danny Miller on the field goals made in a season list. Miller made 15 in 1980. The record is 21 field goals by Carlos Huerta in 1988.
SIEVERS MOVES UP CAREER FIELD GOALS CHART
Junior placekicker Todd Sievers made four field goals today to up his career total of field goals made to 27. That moved him into 7th on the Miami career list ahead of Jeff Davis (1980-83). Chris Dennis (1974-77) is sixth with 31 field goals made. Sievers’ 47-yarder in the fourth quarter is his career-long at UM, the previous being a 44-yarder against Florida in the 2001 Nokia Sugar Bowl. Sievers, who also made a 43-yarder today, made a previous long of the 2001 season with a 42-yarder at Penn State in the season opener on Sept. 1.
TOUGH DAY FOR DORSEY
Despite having a respectable passing yardage day, junior quarterback Ken Dorsey set a dubious career mark today with four interceptions, the most he has thrown in a single game as a Miami Hurricane. Dorsey’s previous interception-high was a three-interception day suffered in a 42-31 win over Louisiana Tech last on Oct. 28, 2000. With the 4 interceptions today, Dorsey has thrown 15 interceptions in his Miami career against a school-record 50 touchdowns.
DORSEY MOVES UP CAREER PASSING YARDS LIST
With 222 yards passing today, Ken Dorsey moved into 6th place on the Miami career passing yards list with 5,548 yards. Dorsey passed Steve Walsh (1986-88) who passed for 5,369 yards in his UM career. Bernie Kosar (1983-84) is next in Dorsey’s sights on the passing yards list with 5,971 yards.
MORE DORSEY NOTES
Junior quarterback Ken Dorsey threw for 222 yards today, his 18th outing of 200+ passing yards as a Hurricane…Dorsey was held without a touchdown for the first time as a starter at Miami, a span of 23 games…Dorsey’s only other appearances without a TD pass before today were a brief appearance against Pittsburgh in 1999 and a relief appearance at Virginia Tech in 1999.
SCORELESS FIRST QUARTER A RARITY FOR MIAMI
The Hurricanes were held without a point in the first period today, scoring their first points on a Todd Sievers field goal on the first play of the second quarter. The futile first quarter is the first time this season that UM has been held scoreless in a first quarter of a game and is only the third time this season that UM has failed to score in a quarter of play (3 scoreless periods in 30 quarters of action).
MIAMI DEFENSIVE SCORELESS STREAK ENDS
Until BC scored a touchdown on a 9-yard pass from Brian St. Pierre to Sean Ryan with 5:50 left in the third period, Miami’s defense had not allowed a score of any kind since a 26-yard field goal by Brendan Rauh of West Virginia with 17 seconds remaining in the first quarter of UM’s 45-3 win on Oct. 27 at the Orange Bowl. The score by BC ended a span of 1 hour, 43 minutes, 27 seconds of game time that the UM defense had gone without allowing a point. The touchdown was the first allowed by the UM defense since the third quarter of the 49-27 win at Florida State on Oct. 14 in Tallahassee. That play, a 57-yard pass from Chris Rix to Talman Gardner, came with 9:56 remaining in the third quarter. Miami went 2 hours, 8 minutes, 23 seconds of playing time before allowing another touchdown.
PREVIOUS TIME UM DID NOT SCORE AN OFFENSIVE TD IN A GAME
Miami failed to score an offensive touchdown today for the first time since a 47-0 loss at Florida State on Oct. 4, 1997, a span of 52 games. Prior to the first half today, Miami had not been held without a touchdown for a half since the second half of the Syracuse game of last season on Nov. 18, 2000. Miami led, 23-0, at the half of that contest on the way to a 26-0 victory but scored only a fourth-period field goal in the second half against the Orangemen. The last time UM did not score a TD in an opening half was in the loss at Washington on Sept. 9, 2000. Miami trailed, 21-3, at halftime of that game and eventually fell, 34-29, in their most recent loss.
MIAMI MISCELLANY…
The Hurricanes wore all-white uniforms today with orange and green trim. Since the advent of their current uniforms in 2000, today’s game is only the second contest in which the Hurricanes have worn all-white. In the previous all-white appearance, Miami defeated West Virginia, 47-10, at Morgantown on Sept. 23, 2000…Today’s 18 points by UM is the lowest UM points total since scoring 10 in a 43-10 loss at Virginia Tech on Nov. 13, 1999.
