Perfect!
Jan. 3, 2002
By MARK LONG
AP Sports Writer
PASADENA, Calif. (AP) – Miami tight end Jeremy Shockey hauled in the 20-yard pass from Ken Dorsey, jumped up from the tackle and started waving his arms from side to side.
Even on the game’s second play, Shockey knew Nebraska was no match for the Hurricanes’ offense.
He was right.
Thanks to Dorsey’s precision passing and Andre Johnson’s unmatched speed, Miami overwhelmed Nebraska on offense, giving the Hurricanes a 37-14 victory Thursday night in the Rose Bowl and a fifth national title.
“There’s no way we could have been beat tonight, not with the way Ken Dorsey, Andre Johnson and Jeremy Shockey played,” cornerback Markese Fitzgerald said. “From the jump, we all knew it.”
It was Miami’s first title since 1991. Dorsey, Johnson and Shockey picked apart the Cornhuskers and helped extend the Hurricanes’ winning streak to 22 games.
“All we have to do is give Dorsey time,” left tackle Bryant McKinnie said. “If we do that, he’ll make it happen.”
Dorsey was 22-of-35 for a career-high 362 yards and three touchdowns. He found Johnson early and often. The sophomore receiver caught seven passes for a career-high 199 yards and two touchdowns.
“That’s the way we need them to play,” running back Clinton Portis said. “Anytime they play like that, we’re going to be tough to beat.”
Dorsey and Johnson set Miami bowl records for passing and receiving yards, and they shared most valuable player honors.
“The entire team deserves to be MVP tonight,” Dorsey said. “Our defense stepped up to the challenge and did a great job. Our offensive line, receivers, everybody did a great job against a great team.”
When Dorsey wasn’t hooking up with Johnson down the sideline, he was usually connecting with Shockey over the middle. Shockey, Miami’s leading receiver this season, had five catches for 85 yards.
Johnson gave Miami (12-0) a 7-0 lead in the first quarter. Cornerback Keyuo Craver slipped at the line of scrimmage, and Dorsey hit Johnson in stride at the 10.
That was an indication of things to come.
Johnson caught a 34-yard pass, setting up Miami’s second touchdown and starting a second-quarter scoring barrage that put the game out of reach for Nebraska’s option-style offense.
The Hurricanes scored three touchdowns in a little less than four minutes and finished with 27 points in the quarter, tying the Rose Bowl record for points in a quarter set by Illinois in 1952.
James Lewis returned an interception 47 yards to make it 21-0, Johnson caught a 45-yard pass that set up a touchdown pass from Dorsey to Shockey and then struck again.
He caught a 24-yard pass on third-and-17, then capped the drive with an 8-yard scoring reception.
“My big thing is just making plays,” Johnson said. “I knew if we made plays we were going to come out on top.”
Miami’s 34 points were one shy of the Rose Bowl record for points in a half. Southern California scored 35 second-half points against Ohio State in 1973.
It was an offensive show that seemed to impress even some old Hurricanes, the ones who used to dominate every year. Several former Miami players – including Gino Torretta, Cortez Kennedy, Russell Maryland, Damione Lewis, Lamar Thomas and Dan Stubbs – lined the sideline.
Even NBA star Shaquille O’Neal jumped on the bandwagon. O’Neal stood on the Miami sideline and slipped on a green and orange Hurricanes jacket with the score 27-0 and the temperature slipping faster than the Cornhuskers (11-2).
“We got up early and we knew that’s what we had to do,” Portis said. “Up like that, you ain’t going to beat us with the option.”
