South Florida Sun Sentinel from Fort Lauderdale, Florida • Page 57

-n 0 Sun-Sentinel, Sunday, November 21, 1993 Section DAVE HYDE Staff Columnist 'haJkmp ant ttflii top IT. "Ternary 1 -its 1 I Vw III West Virginia sends Miami plummeting mm ii i a m. m. a mmi QOQQU llKllL Mountaineers expose the myth of Miami V. Hi By RANDALL MELL Staff Writer MORGANTOWN, W.

Va. The Mountaineers knocked the Miami Hurricanes from the mountain top. ORGANTOWN, W.Va. The ugly truth about Quarterback U. slipped out early, after the second series, when West Virginia linebacker Darrick Miami West Virginia stands alone atop the Big East Conference after rocking the 'Canes 17-14 on a biting cold Saturday before a raucous record crowd of 70,222 at Mountaineer Field.

The ninth-ranked Mountaineers (10-0) also climbed closer to gaining a shot at the school's first national championship. Bowl on New Year's Night. They swarmed the field in a festive aftermath, ripped out the goalposts and paraded around the field. "I think we all wanted to prove something," West Virginia linebacker Darrick Wiley said. "Everybody talks like nobody can play with Miami.

We wanted to show we could." It was the 'Canes' first loss to a Big East team since joining the conference three years ago. They began the day as the undisputed Big East power, winners of 10 straight conference games. They began the day pursuing the school's fifth national title. By day's end, it was clear the 'Canes may not even win the Big East title. They may not go to a major New Year's Day bowl.

They could be headed for the CAR-QUEST Bowl and out of the Top 10 for the first time since 1985. UM linebacker Rohan Marley wore this team's somber face as he limped through the mayhem in search of the locker room. He didn't see the oranges splattering at his feet. He was hurting inside and out. 31 West Virginia I j.

Jf I The upset of fourth-ranked Miami (8-2) was quickly hailed as the greatest since West Virginia began playing football in 1891. "As those last seconds were ticking down, I thought we had just pulled off the biggest upset in West Virginia history," nose tackle Barry Hawkins. West Virginia fans tossed oranges on Moments after Miami went down, the goalposts at Mountaineer Stadium went down, too. West Virginia upset No. 4 UM the field.

They want a shot at the nation's likely new No. 1, Nebraska, in the Orange PLEASE SEE MOUNTAINEERS 9D BC field goal topples Irish in frantic finish Sun-Sentinel wire services SOUTH BEND, Ind. The madness of this entire autumn was frozen late Saturday afternoon on a patch of worn grass in the north end of none other than Notre Dame Stadium. Gathering darkness, November chill, gold helmets "Football at its finest," said Boston College quarterback Glenn Foley, and he did say that and the rich, sweet flavors redemption and shock. I Eight days ago, not 5 yards from this spot in the Game of the Century, no less the mortal lock Heis-man Trophy winner could not beat Notre Dame on the last play of an epic game.

Florida State's speed and talent, Charlie Ward. not enough. And Notre i i i I it Dame became Wiley skipped off the field to a noise that shook the foothills and jumped into the arms of teammate Wes Richardson. "Overrated," Wiley said. "Way overrated," Richardson said.

Saturday everyone saw that. Miami's offense was exposed for what it is in a 17-14 loss to West Virginia, which is good enough against the good teams but not reliable against the better teams. No first-quarter first downs. No first-half points. No title reservations.

"We play for next season," quarterback Ryan Collins said, and there should be no shame in that, not for this program and especially not on this Saturday when the rankings rattled to the point that (gasp!) Nebraska is expected to be handed No. 1. If Nebraska can be crowned king based on its undefeated record, why not West Virginia? Nebraska hasn't beaten anyone above No. 16 UCLA. West Virginia handled No.

4 Miami, and unlike Nebraska has such little history to shoulder that it barely knew how to handle the big time. As the game ticked away, the public address announcer went from demanding fans to stay off Mountaineer Field (no one listened), to cautioning them not to tear down the goalposts (heh-heh, fat chance) to finally saying as it all began, "Please be careful not to hurt any fellow fans while celebrating." Miami's offense wasn't home The only ones hurting Saturday on this field were Miami's offensive players. The myth about Quarterback U. for a while now has been that the offense is the dynasty's engine. That's myth-ing the mark entirely.

Miami hasn't scored more than 19 points in any of its past five games against Top 10 teams. And Saturday the offense hurt as much as helped. Four times West Virginia had the ball inside the Miami 41 in the first quarter, twice thanks to Hurricanes turnovers. Miami's defense gave up a measly field goal out of that. But when it was the defense that needed help, Miami's offense wasn't home.

With six minutes left, and West Virginia up by three, Miami started from its 26 and after three plays ended up at its 20. Lost six yards. "Great teams would've made a drive there," Collins said. "We didn't." Collins will catch some grief now, the way Frank Costa did. He became quarterback after the Florida State loss, just as he should have, and he showed why Saturday by scrambling away from two West Virginia tacklers and standing long enough to allow A.C.

Tellison to get open for a catch to the West Virginia 2. West Virginia vs. Nebraska? That set up Miami's second touchdown. That's the type of offense Miami has become against tip-top teams. That's not the way titles are won.

"They're not as good as they were, obviously," West Virginia's Wiley said. "They were big kids, but they didn't play as tough as they talked. They try to talk you out of the game." 1 Miami might have the same tongues, but it doesn't have the same receivers, or linemen, or most of all experience it needs. Guard Tir-rell Greene is the only senior starting. Collins was asked about the weather, and the fans, but he waved them all off.

The problem, he kept saying, was what was happening on the field. "We had to make things happen, and we didn't," he said. "No excuses. I thought the whole game we were going to win it, but we just didn't make the plays when we had them." West Virginia sure did. Give them credit, as well as its shot at Nebraska, because if the Cornhuskers belong up there, so do the Mountaineers.

But think of it: Nebraska vs. West Virginia in the Orange Bowl for the national title. Would we have to watch? One thing for sure, Miami will be watching, its nose pressed to the door, unable to get to it wanted because as Saturday again showed its offense couldn't move when that was needed. 1 No. 1.

So Saturday, David Gordon, a wai-fish preppie who Was MVP of two high school teams BhiiiiifiXiHWi'tfnlltf 'I Notre Dame Boston College (soccer, tennis), and who, according to Foley, two years ago, "Couldn't even get the ball off the ground," kicked a low knuckleball 41 yards as time expired, giving Boston College a 41-39 victory over Notre Dame. Gordon's kick had silenced the Notre Dame fans, who had seen the Fighting Irish rush back from a fourth-quarter deficit to a take a 39-38 lead pa Kevin McDougal's 4-yard, fourth-down TD pass-to Lake Dawson with 69 seconds to play. "We are all absolutely in shock right now," said Notre Dame defensive tackle Jim Flanigan, who just two days ago was featured in celebration on the cover of Sports Illustrated. -j The fallout was thick and substantial. Primarily, this: 4, Notre Dame (10-1, and finished for the regular season), which held the national title in its sacred little mitts 24 hours ago, is now all but out of it.

Boston College (8-2), which came in ranked No. 17, now plays West Virginia Friday for a share of the Big East title and a place in some prominent bowl. And most of all, they answered the immeasurable humiliation of losing here last year, 54-7. It was an embarrassing loss that stained BC's 7-3-1 -resurgence. "I went home last January and people would say to me, 'Yeah, you guys had a pretty good season, but PLEASE SEE UPSET 9D ii 4 AP photoJOE RAYMOND David Gordon (14) celebrates after kicking a 41 -yard field goal to beat No.

1 Notre Dame. Gators cruise to East title, but there's no celebration FSU makes its points vs. North Carolina St. By MIKE DAME Orlando 8entlnel GAINESVILLE Empty seats- By CRAIQ BARNES Staff Writer Much had were 1 across Florida Field on Saturday for game in which No. 8j TALLAHASSEE been made about Florida State be ing ranked No.

2 after its 31-24 loss to Notre Dame. The Seminoles Florida State Florida clinched as championship. the Seminoles came on a day when the No. 1 Irish was upset by Boston College 41-39 and No. 4 Miami lost at No.

8 West Virginia, 17-14. "We were playing the late game," wide receiver Kevin Knox said. "It was our chance to show the nation and the other teams that we're still national championship material. "What we did in this game was get ourselves back on track. We showed the rest of the nation we're worthy of a chance.

We bounced back Impressively from a tough loss, but we still have to prove it next week at Florida." The Seminoles complete the reg- Florida mony with the scoreboard as a backdrop. Even the obligatory post-game chant of "SEC! SEC!" was half-hearted among the few who re-mained of the original 83,818. Florida's agenda simply is too long to get worked up about a cham- pionship as trivial as the SEC East. The victory sets up a rematch" against Alabama in the SEC Cham-; pionship Game on Dec. 4 in Bir- mingham, Ala.

"It's a big deal and everything io win the East, but we're expected tot do more this year," senior right; guard Jim Watson said. "To win the East last year was a miracle after a 1-2 start. We were content to just! get to the championship game. This PLEASE SEE GATORS 10D Think that would- IN SPORTS CAPITAL LOSS Panthers edge Washington Capitals 4-3 on Brent Severyn's breakaway goal with 2:42 left. 1C CAPITAL GAIN Washington Bullets drop Heat 104-102 on Kevin Duckworth three-point play with 5.

1 seconds left. 1C did everything they could Saturday night to show America why they deserved the consideration as they dominated North Carolina State 62-3 before a Doak Campbell Stadium crowd of 73,123 and a national television audience. have been the case five years ago? Not hardly. But these days, a 52-0 victory over Van-derbilt to repeat as Eastern Division champs in the Southeastern Conference Isn't cause for celebration. There was no curtain call for the Gators.

There was no picture cere The impressive performance by PLEASE SEE 8EMINOLE8 1 1D ic i.