No. 12 Football Rolls Over West Virginia, 47-10
Sept. 23, 2000
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By JOHN RABY
AP Sports Writer
MORGANTOWN, W.Va. – It will take time for Ken Dorsey to drawcomparisons with Miami’s long tradition of great drop-back quarterbacks.
The sophomore is off to a great start.
Dorsey threw two touchdown passes to Reggie Wayne and Miami’s defense scoredthree times in a 47-10 victory over West Virginia on Saturday.
Dorsey took over this season after Kenny Kelly left school to pursue abaseball career. Two weeks ago at Washington, Dorsey rallied Miami for 26second-half points and that confidence carried over to Saturday.
Dorsey completed 22-of-33 passes for 291 yards.
“Kenny Dorsey gave me an excellent performance,” Miami coach Butch Davissaid. “I thought his composure was great and I think the game in Washingtonreally helped him grow as a player.”
In six career starts, Dorsey has completed 63 percent of his passes(118-of-187) for 1,472 yards, 15 touchdowns and just one interception.
“We knew we had to throw the ball today to be successful,” Dorsey said.”We ran the right routes and made the right reads. We were able to spread theball around and get a lot of different guys involved.
“I was happy with my performance today, but there’s always room to improve.I’m anxious to get back on the practice field and work on some things.”
Miami (2-1, 1-0 Big East), which allowed 34 points in a loss at Washingtontwo weeks ago, held the Mountaineers to 95 yards in the first half and 317overall.
It didn’t help West Virginia (2-1, 1-1) that quarterback Brad Lewis had hisworst outing and Avon Cobourne, the Big East’s leading rusher, sat out the gamewith a sprained ankle.
Lewis, also making his sixth career start, was just 11-of-31 for 113 yards.
“He wasn’t quite as good but he had an awful lot of pressure, too,” WestVirginia coach Don Nehlen said. “It was a combination, not just Brad. Hedidn’t have a lot of folks open and the defensive backs just destroy yourtiming.”
Miami broke the game open with 17 third-quarter points.
Howard Clark returned an interception 29 yards for a 28-10 lead midwaythrough the period.
On the Mountaineers’ next possession, Leonard Myers, who earlier returned asecond-quarter interception 25 yards for a score, stripped the ball from WestVirginia receiver Phil Braxton. Miami’s Al Blades recovered at theMountaineers’ 31 to set up the first of Todd Sievers‘ two field goals.
“It was a big knockout blow,” Myers said of his effort. “Our defense wasrelentless in stopping the running game. We created just enough negative playsto keep them out of synch.”
Wayne caught a 38-yard TD pass in the first quarter and added a 47-yarderlate in the third quarter to make it 38-10.
With seven catches, Wayne now has 146 career receptions, breaking the schoolrecord of 144 set by Lamar Thomas from 1989-92. Wayne, who had 127 yardsreceiving, has caught a TD pass in five straight regular season games.
Philip Buchanan’s 77-yard fumble return late with 1:38 left capped thescoring.
“That was a good football team,” Nehlen said. “Offensively, we just madetoo many mistakes and about everything that could go wrong went wrong.”
West Virginia’s lone bright spot was the play of Cobourne’s backup, CooperRego, who rushed for 107 yards. However, a half-dozen of his 25 carries wentfor negative yardage.
“I know they missed Avon Cobourne,” Davis said. “We caught a break withhim being out.”
Miami took the sellout crowd of 63,735 at Mountaineer Field out of the gameearly and its 21-10 halftime lead should have been greater.
West Virginia’s defense got a goal-line stand at the 1-yard line. Miami’sSantana Moss fumbled a punt that led to West Virginia’s opening touchdown – a1-yard run by Rego – and Moss fumbled the ball away after a catch with Miamidriving at the Mountaineers’ 32.
