Dorsey Poised To Set Records Against Mountaineers
Oct. 25, 2002
By JOHN RABY
AP Sports Writer
MORGANTOWN, W.Va. (AP) – Ken Dorsey always seems to reach new heights against West Virginia.
He can set school records for completions, yards passing and total offense when top-ranked Miami (6-0, 2-0 Big East) plays the Mountaineers (5-2, 2-0) on Saturday.
It would give Dorsey every Miami passing record except completion percentage.
“When I first came here, I never anticipated breaking all these records. But what I’m most proud of are the victories,” said Dorsey, who is 32-1 as a starter.
Last year, Dorsey had two touchdown passes in a 45-3 victory over the Mountaineers to tie a school record for career TD passes, 48, then held by Steve Walsh and Vinny Testaverde. He now has 74, and three more would tie the Big East mark of 77 set by Syracuse’s Donovan McNabb from 1995-98.
He needs 14 completions, 89 yards passing and 164 yards of total offense to break Gino Torretta’s school records.
“It means a lot to me,” Dorsey said.
He is coming off one of his best games of the year with season highs for yards (362) and completions (20) in a 28-27 win over Florida State.
Yet Dorsey has endured criticism because his statistics haven’t improved. His completion percentage is down to 54.2 percent from a high of 58.4 two years ago, and he already has seven interceptions, two fewer than all of last year.
The Mountaineers are not among his critics.
“He makes the right decisions and he wins games,” linebacker Grant Wiley said.
Defensive back Lance Frazier added, “We’ve just got to be prepared for a high-powered quarterback.”
The game also features the Big East’s top two running backs.
Miami sophomore Willis McGahee averages 122.5 yards a game, which ranks second in the league behind West Virginia’s Avon Cobourne.
Cobourne is third in the nation with a 143.1-yard average, and last week he became the fifth Division I-A running back to have four 1,000-yard seasons. The Mountaineers are second in the nation averaging nearly 300 yards rushing per game.
West Virginia’s passing game has been lethargic the past three weeks, but it may not matter if Miami’s defense struggles against the run again. The Hurricanes allowed 296 yards on the ground to Florida State, including 189 yards to tailback Greg Jones.
“I don’t see this as a game where we’ll have to throw it more,” quarterback Rasheed Marshall said.
Linebacker Jonathan Vilma said the defense is eager to get back on the field.
“We’re not going to lay down for anybody,” he said. “We want to hit some people and show that we didn’t lose a step from last year. It’s just a matter of focusing again.”
