Miami-Florida A&M Game Notes
Sept. 4, 1999
TONIGHT’S CAPTAINS: Tonight’s captains were sophomore offensive tackle Joaquin Gonzalez, senior linebacker Rod Mack, senior linebacker Michael Smith, junior wide receiver Reggie Wayne, and junior linebacker Nate Webster.
ON A DIME: Miami opened the game in its dime defensive package with one linebacker (Dan Morgan) and six defensive backs (Leonard Myers, James Lewis, Edward Reed, Jeff Popovich, Mike Rumph, and Phillip Buchanon). As a result, Buchanon and Lewis made their first career starts.
BIG FIRST HALF: The 40 points scored in the first half marked the most points scored by the Hurricanes in a first half since scoring 49 points vs. Rutgers on October 14, 1995.
PORTIS DELIVERS: True freshman Clinton Portis’ one-yard touchdown came on his second career carry and in his first career game. Portis has become UM’s second-string tailback in place of sophomore Najeh Davenport (right ACL).
QUICK STRIKE: Six of Miami’s seven touchdown drives were less than two minutes in duration. Thus far in 1999, nine of UM’s 10 TD drives have been less than two minutes in duration.
ACTION JACKSON: James Jackson’s 43-yard touchdown run in the first quarter marked the sixth time that the junior tailback has rushed for 40 or more yards in his career. Four of those six runs of 40 or more yards have resulted in touchdowns. All six of Jackson’s long runs have some within his first 10 carries of a game. Today’s rush of 43 yards came on Jackson’s 10th carry.
MORE ON JACKSON: Jackson’s 96 yards in the first quarter marked the most yards in a single quarter since Edgerrin James ran for 102 yards in the second quarter vs. UCLA on December 5, 1998. Earlier in his career, Jackson rushed for 112 yards in the 4th quarter of UM-VT on 11/8/97.
JACKSON’S HALF: Jackson’s 103 yards in the first half marked the most rushing yards in a half since Edgerrin James ran for 173 yards on 22 carries in the first half of the Miami-UCLA game on December 5, 1998.
JACKSON GOES OVER 100, AGAIN: With the 100-yard performance, Jackson has now rushed for 100 or more yards on five different occasions in his career. Jackson’s five 100-yard rushing performances ranks in a tie for third on the UM’s career list.
SAFETY RECORDED: Miami’s safety with 1:14 left in the first half marked the first safety of the Butch Davis era. The last time the Hurricanes recorded a safety was October 3, 1992 vs. Florida State when Corey Sawyer was tackled in the end zone by Malcolm Pearson. Tonight’s safety came on a blocked punt by Aaron Moser that rolled out of the back of the end zone.
BLOCKED PUNT: The blocked punt by Aaron Moser with 1:14 in the first half marked the 31st blocked kick in Coach Butch Davis’ 47 games at Miami. It also marked UM’s first blocked kick in six games. The last time the ?Canes blocked a kick was on 11/14/98 vs. Temple, a locked punt by Nick Ward.
PARTICIPATION: Sixty-nine Miami players saw action in the first half. Ten players (Ethenic Sands, Ken Dorsey, Clinton Portis, Phillip Buchanon, Jarrett Payton, Maurice Sikes, Ken Dorsey, Freddie Capshaw, Anthony Fisher, James Scott, Julio Gimenez, Bill Bannard, Joe Fantigrassi, Jim Wilson) all saw their first career action.
PORTIS, SANDS MAKE MARK: True freshman Clinton Portis scored two touchdowns and freshman wide receiver Ethenic Sands each scored a touchdown tonight in their first career games.
TRUE BLUE: By playing tonight, true freshman Ken Dorsey became the first true freshman since Ryan Clement in 1994 and only the fifth true freshman since 1979 to play in a regular season contest. With his third quarter touchdown pass to Ethenic Sands, Dorsey became the first true freshman to complete a TDpass since Craig Erickson threw two TD passes in his third career game in a 46-16 win over Maryland on October 10, 1987. Dorsey is the first true freshman to complete a touchdown pass in his first career game in the modern era (1979–).
True Freshmen in First Career Game:
Player Date Opponent Outcome Cmp-Att-Yds-INT-TDKen Dorsey 9/4/99 Florida A&M UM, 57-3 4-12-44-0-1Ryan Clement 9/3/94 Georgia Southern UM, 56-0 0-0-0-0-0Craig Erickson 9/5/87 Florida UM, 31-4 1-2-11-0-0Vinny Testaverde 11/6/82 @ Maryland MD, 18-17 0-1-0-0-0Kyle Vanderwende 10/2/82 @ Louisville UM, 28-6 2-3-3-0-0
ATTENDANCE NOTES: – Tonight’s attendance of 54,147 is the largest crowd at the Orange Bowl since a crowd of 63,617 vs. Florida State on October 10, 1998. Tonight’s – Tonight’s attendance is the largest home crowd for a non-Florida State game since a crowd of 57,721 vs. Florida A&M on September 9, 1995.- Tonight’s attendance is the largest crowd in a home opener since Florida A&M on September 9, 1995 (57,721).
LARGE POINT TOTAL: The 57 points scored posted by the Hurricanes ranks in a tie for ninth all-time for total points scored by the Hurricanes.
