No. 1 Hurricanes Tame Rattlers, 63-17
By MARK LONG
AP Sports Writer
Final Stats|Photo Gallery | Notes | Quotes
MIAMI (AP) – As Miami Hurricanes assistant coach Art Kehoe jogged off theOrange Bowl field, he turned to the emptying bleachers and started doing the”Gator Chomp.”
After disposing of Division I-AA Florida A&M 63-17 Saturday night, thetop-ranked Hurricanes think they’re ready for The Swamp.
Ken Dorsey threw three touchdown passes and became the winningestquarterback in school history as the ‘Canes overwhelmed Florida A&M in theirseason opener.
Dorsey improved to 27-1 as a starter and moved past Gino Torretta (26-2) onthe school’s career victory list. The Hurricanes also extended the nation’slongest winning streak to 23 games.
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That’s the way we wanted to open our season Head Coach Larry Coker |
No. 6 Florida will provide a much tougher challenge next Saturday,especially considering how convincingly the Gators beat Alabama-Birmingham.
“It’s a huge game, obviously,” Miami coach Larry Coker said. “They havegreat talent. We’re playing at their place. It’s going to be a tremendouschallenge for us, but at the same time, it’s what our players are looking for.
“National championships seem to come through the state of Florida, so it’scertainly a very important game for both of us.”
Dorsey played a little more than a quarter, spending part of the first halfwith his hands on his hips, a towel around his neck and former Miamiquarterback Bernie Kosar by his side.
Dorsey probably wasn’t getting any tips from Kosar on how to win inGainesville. Although Kosar led the Hurricanes to their first national title in1983, he lost 28-3 at Florida in the opener of that season.
Miami looks much more prepared for the Gators this time. It’ll be the firstregular-season meeting between the teams since 1987. The Hurricanes were sharp,efficient and almost error-free against Florida A&M.
“It’s not about Florida; it’s not about FAMU,” defensive tackle VinceWilfork said. “It’s about us. If we go out and play like we practice, there’sno one who can beat us.”
Even players at positions of concern played well. The offensive line, whichlost All-American tackle Bryant McKinnie and four-year starter Joaquin Gonzalezto the NFL, kept Dorsey’s uniform clean.
The young, inexperienced and injury-depleted secondary, which is trying toreplace four NFL draft picks who helped Miami lead the nation with 28interceptions last season, prevented the Rattlers and quarterback CaseyPrinters from making any big plays.
And the running game, which lost Clinton Portis to the NFL and Frank Goreand Jarrett Payton to injuries, gained more than 300 yards, including 199 frombackup tailback Jason Geathers.
The ‘Canes cruised from there.
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Willis McGahee is congratulted by Quadtrine Hill after scoring in the first quarter. |
“We made a statement as a team,” guard Sherko Haji-Rasouli said. “Thefirst game is a stepping stone, and we need to use it that way. Anytime you’replaying a Division I-AA team, you expect a lopsided score, but we wanted to seta precedent for the year, and I think we did that.”
The Hurricanes have outscored the Rattlers 256-23 in the last five meetings.Saturday’s game was over early, with Miami taking advantage of excellent fieldposition to score on six of its first eight possessions. The Hurricanes startedseven of those drives in Florida A&M territory.
“The Miami Hurricanes, that’s what was wrong with us,” Rattlers coachBilly Joe said. “We were truly outmatched.”
Although Dorsey threw an interception on the first drive, he quickly made it28-0 on his next 10 snaps.
Willis McGahee scored from 19 yards out. Dorsey hit Kellen Winslow Jr. for a12-yard touchdown, then connected with Andre Johnson for a 7-yard score, andRoscoe Parrish took an end around 46 yards to cap a 28-point first quarter.
Dorsey hit Ethenic Sands on a crossing route, and Sands twisted and turnedbetween tacklers for a touchdown and a 35-0 lead. Dorsey and many of the otherstarters were done for the night.
Dorsey finished 8-of-13 passing, McGahee ran six times for 60 yards andJohnson caught three passes for 44 yards.
Geathers, who moved from receiver to running back this fall, had TD runs of20 and 62 yards in the second half.
The Rattlers scored three times in the second half against mostly freshmenand non-scholarships players as the Hurricanes cleared the bench. The firsthalf, though, is what the Hurricanes hope will carry into Gainesville.
“That’s the way we wanted to open our season,” Coker said.
