Lincoln Journal Star from Lincoln, Nebraska • 28

A Lincoln Journal Star HUSKER EXTRA Sunday, November 10, 2002 Hurricanes back in form and back in BCS driver's seat Jf i xf, few takes down Kansas quarterback Brian Luke (14) on a third-quarter play Saturday. BY RICHARD ROSENBLATT The Associated Press KNOXVILLE, Term. Winning easy is back at Miami, and just in time for the Miami Hurricanes to reclaim the No. 1 ranking. Willis McGahee ran for 154 yards and a touchdown and Todd Sievers kicked four field goals as No.

2 Miami scored on its first five possessions and overpowered Tennessee 26-3 on Saturday. In extending their vvinning streak to 31 games, the 'Canes (9-0) ended a three-game run in which unimpressive victories led voters in the AP media poll to drop Miami from the top spot. But with Texas 30-26 upset of No. 1 Oklahoma earlier Saturday, the Hurricanes (9-0) were poised to return to No. 1 in the new AP poll today.

Of greater interest, Miami should be first or second when the new BCS standings are released Monday. Ohio State (11-0) should also be in the top two after its 10-6 win over Purdue. The top two teams in me. final BCS standings on Dec. 8 will play in the Fiesta Bowl for the BCS national championship.

Miami left no doubt that it's ready to defend the title it won last season. Ken Dorsey, who had an 11-yard TD pass to KellenWinslow Jr. in the third quarter, completed 18 of 35 passes for 245 yards with no interceptions. Both Dorsey and McGahee did nothing to hurt their Heisman Trophy chances, McGahee now has 1,188 yards rushing this season. The Hurricanes' defense shut down Tennessee (5-4) after allowing a field goal on the first series of the game.

The Vols managed 218 total yards 74 on a run by Cedric Houston on the second play of the game. Once the crowd of 107,745 at Neyland Stadium had its one big cheer for the day, Miami took over. Sievers kicked first half field goals of 37, 39, 44 and 25 yards, and Mc-Gahee's 1-yard TD run gave the 'Canes a 19-3 halftime lead. After Dorsey's TD pass to Winslow, the Volunteers were unable to even put up a fight. Quarterback Casey Clausen reinjured his right foot and didn't play in the second half after completing just 5 of 14 passes for 63 yards.

He was replaced by freshman James Banks and later C.J. Leak. The Vols got off to a rousing start, thanks to Houston's 74-yard run to the Miami 4 on the second play of the game. But the Hurricanes held, and Tennessee led only 3-0 after Alex Walls kicked a 21-yard field goal. Once Miami took possession, the game was as good as over.

Drive after drive, the Hurricanes Cushed aside the Vols, with McGa-ee ripping off big chunks of yardage and Dorsey hitting key passes to Andre Johnson, Kevin Beard and Winslow. Miami quickly tied it on Siev ers' 37-yard field goal, which was set up by Jason Geathers' 52-yard kickoff return. Dorsey then hit passes of 12 and 14 yards to Winslow and Sievers Hit a 39-yarder to put the Hurricanes ahead 6-3 after the first quarter. The Hurricanes then reverted to their early-season form of putting away their opponents. Dorsey hit Johnson for 44 yards to the Vols 9, and McGahee scored from a yard out for his school record-tying 17th touchdown of the season.

Two more field goals by Sievers followed, a 44-yarder after a 14-yard punt by Dustin Colquitt, and a 25-yarder at the end of an 82-yard drive that put Miami ahead 19-3. Sievers did miss once a 38-yard attempt to end the half was wide left. The Vols lost for the third time at home this season, the first time that has happened since 1988. keep the defense off the field. We had too many three-and-outs.

"You can't do that against a good Nebraska team, or any team." Nebraska slugged its way to a 24-7 halftime lead on the strength of 229 rushing yards, including 102 by Then the Huskers iced it with a 21-point third quarter. Quarterback Jammal Lord's 12-yard touchdown pass to tight end Aaron Golliday made it 31-7. Lord set up the score with his 42-yard run, at the end of which he had his helmet ripped off by safety Johnny McCoy. After missing last week's game with a concussion, Nebraska rover Lannie Hopkins made his presence felt by deflecting one punt and blocking another. Fellow rover Aaron Terpening returned Hopkins' third-quarter block 30 yards for a TO to push the lead to 38-7.

Reserve I-back Josh Davis completed the scoring with a 4-yard TD run with 3:56 remaining in the third quarter. Freshman cornerback Fabian Washington set up the five-play, 38-yard scoring march with his Split end Wilson Thomas hauls in a 27 Lord in the second quarter, that put the Nebraska's chance of winning in Manhattan will hinge more on Lord's right arm. He'll definitely have to get rid of the 4-for-10 look he displayed against Kansas. And if he finds Ross Pilkington running behind the defense on third-and-14 like he did in the third quarter Saturday, he'd better not leave it short again. That might be the only big opportunity the Wildcats will give "It wasn't good at all," Lord said of Nebraska's air game, which included some protection I RANDY HAMPTONLincotn Journal Star tae Grixby and Troy Hassebroek.

The Huskers, after facing first-and-goal at the Jayhawks' 3, settled for Josh Brown's 27-yard field goal. "Offensively, it wasn't real smooth" Solich said. "But there were a lot of excellent individual plays. On defense, I thought we got stronger as the game went on." It was the third straight game Nebraska held its opponent to fewer than 100 rushing yards. Senior rush end Justin Smith, starting for only the second time, led the way with seven tackles.

A total of 35 Huskers recorded at least one tackle. Nebraska fans were scrambling to consult their rosters late in the game, unfamiliar with all the new faces. It was that kind of day for Big Red. In a season in which wins have been hard to come by, nobody in scarlet and cream was complaining. Reach Steven M.

Sipple at 473-7440 or ssipplejournalstar.com. "This'll be a different deal," defensive coordinator Craig Bohl promised when the subject of Kansas State came up. "This'll be the best running team we've gone against." The first Wildcat to come to cornerback Dejuan Grace's mind is mobile quarterback Ell Roberson. But beware of juke-stepping running back Darren Sproles, who has six straight 100-yard performances, including Saturday's rout of Iowa State. Grace still has reason to believe the defense will continue to shine.

"We've cleaned up some stuff up front with the linebackers," he said. "They understand what their drops are now. You can see the (improvement) week by week." Pointing out the obvious, Solich said his team will have to "operate at full efficiency" in all parts of the game to take Manhattan. He's seen enough signs recently, though, to be able to think that's a possibility. And if it happens, then why couldn't the Huskers come up with something to slow down Colorado's indestructible running back Chris Brown? If they can do that, I'd like their chances to turn the Buffaloes into Thanksgiving leftovers.

Did you nouce how effective CU's defense was against Missouri? "These two games are real important for the seniors," Grace said. "And I'd really like to see Coach Solich get those nine wins to keep that streak going. We just need to go out and have some more fun." Maybe even get in a last laugh or two. Reach Curt McKeever at 473-7441 or cmckeeverjournalstar.com. "If I'm spending all my time worrying about where I'm going to be coaching next year, and this and that," Darlington said, "then I'm not focusing on Kansas State." Remember after the Iowa State loss when Solich said the team would either splinter or come together, that there would be no middle ground? Those concerns are now a distant memory.

"This team will not splinter. They will not fall apart," he said. "If they were going to do that, they would have done it earlier in the season." I'm becoming a believer in this Nebraska team, but I'm guessing there are a million or so Husker fans who are still not sold. The election season ended for politicians last Tuesday, but it's just getting started for college football coaches across the land, particularly right here in Lincoln. NU needs to have strong showings in the Manhattan precinct and against its black-and-gold-party enemies from Boulder to win back voters.

If things don't go well in those two games, the Husker coaches will once again feel as unloved as a Nebraska Democrat. Get ready. Decision 2002 is here. Reach John Mabry at 473-7320 or jmabryjoumalstar.com. Nebraska rush end Trevor Johnson (88) Huskers Continued from Page 1C end a two-game losing skid in Manr hattan.

Kansas, meanwhile, fell to 2-9 overall and 0-7 in the conference with its sixth straight loss. The Jay-hawks played without starting quarterback Bill Whittemore, out with a knee injury. When senior backup Jonas Weatherbie limped off the field late in the first quarter with a torn knee ligament, the Jayhawks turned to freshmen Brian Luke and Greg Heaggans, a defensive back whose only college experience at quarterback was on the scout team. As one might expect, Kansas never had a chance. "It was one of those ballgames where we came out ready to play, but we didn't execute in some parts of our game," Kansas first-year coach Mark Mangino said.

"Our defense gave up some big plays early in the game, but started to buckle down. Then our offense couldn't Mclfeever Continued from Page 1C And maybe those in the majority will still be issuing the I-told-you-so talL Maybe Saturday's 45-7 win against outmanned Kansas will be the Huskers' final feel-good memory of a trying campaign? Funny, though; they weren't exactly doing backflips after bagging the Jayhawks. Solich even chided his bunch for lacking sharpness and having to punt six times against one of the worst defenses you'll see. That's a good thing, too. It means he's planning on taking his bunch.to Manhattan, with guns-a-blazin'.

And then unleash the same artillery force on Colorado. A 9-4 regular season? Impossible? Let's see. Kansas State has one of the nation's top defenses. But so does Texas, and a week ago the Huskers stampeded through the Longhorns for 320 yards rushing. The week before, they made a 38 1 -yard wreck of Texas hyped-up crew.

Were those performances flukes, or an indication that Nebraska has found a secret that no one can uncover before it's too late? "No reason to stop now," said quarterback Jammal Lord, who heaps all of the praise on an offensive line that appears to have made rapid gains. "They're going to keep opening holes and we should keep making plays. They've been eating people up." As impressive as the Husker Hogs have looked, I believe IVIabiy Continued from Page 1C head coach Frank Solich. You now how fast that mo can go, though. It can disappear in the time it took those jets to fly from the north side of Memorial Stadium to the south end before Saturday's game.

If the Huskers don't keep that momentum going by giving Kansas State a battle andor beating Colorado, the vultures will start circling South Stadium again. It's sad. It's unfair. But it's true. I watched a few minutes of that new ESPN "Around The Horn" show last week, and three of the four national sportswriter panelists said Solich would probably be gone after this season.

How ridiculous is that? Solich was the man at this time last year. His team was unbeaten. He had outcoached Oklahoma's Bob Stoops (a feat that is becoming less impressive but remains a nice feather nevertheless). He was headed for the national title game. Now he's got to go? Come oa Yeah, he can go, as long as Stoops, Bobby Bowden, Phillip Fulmer, Frank Beamer, Mack Brown, Gary Barnett and all the other big-name coaches who have blown a Dig game or three this year 3 iiai fourth interception of the season.

Lord, who gave way to sophomore backup Mike Stuntz with 10:48 left in the third quarter, rushed 13 times for 74 yards and completed 4 of 10 passes for 59 yards and two touchdowns, with an interception. With a 7-yard pass to Davis in the second quarter. Lord became the 18th quarterback in NCAA Division I history and the third Husker to both pass and run for 1,000 yards in a season. A junior from Bayonne, N.J., Lord has 1,229 yards rushing and 1,016 passing. "It don't mean anything," said Lord, who joined ex-Huskers Scott Frost (1997) and Eric Crouch (2001) in the elite category.

'All I care about is wins and losses." It became clear Nebraska was on its way to victory when Lord lofted a 27-yard touchdown pass to wideout Wilson Thomas with 9:13 left in the second quarter, pushing the Huskers' lead to 21-7. Nebraska started its next possession at the Kansas 29-yard line after punter Curtis Ansel bobbled the snap and was tackled by DeAn- TED KIRKLincoln Journal Star yard touchdown pass from Jammal Huskers ahead 21-7. breakdowns and receivers running wrong routes on a couple of plays. "If we don't pass the ball, they're going to have eight or nine guys in the box. (But) it's stuff that can be worked out." Hey, why not? Nebraska's defense has been able to work through problems that had crept up against the run.

In the past three games even with rush end Chris Kelsay sidelined by a hamstring pull and with defensive tackle Titus Adams moving to the end the Blackshirts have given up 71, 79 and 53 yards rushing. This week Lost to California 5538 Beat Rorida 24-7 Beat New Mexico St. 32-30 Beat Virginia 35-14 Lost Kansas State 58-7 Beat SW Texas State 47-7 Lost to Colorado 42-35, ot Lost to Texas Tech 49-24 Beat Oklahoma 30-26 Beat Baylor 41-0 Beat Iowa State 58-7 Beat Missouri 42-35, ot Noxt WBOk at Southern Cal vs. Utah State at Troy State at Indiana at Colorado at Northwestern St at Texas at Kansas vs. Missouri at Texas Tech vs.

Oklahoma State vs. Nebraska vs. Iowa State season ends on a sour note. "A lot of that talk is just ignored," Solich said. "I have not visited with anybody about anything other than us getting ready to win the next football game.

That to us is the bottom line." Defensive coordinator Craig Bohl, on the hottest seat in the house, said Solich has given him no indication that his job could be on the line if the defense reverts to Boulder or State College or Stillwater form. You can't blame Bohl for doing his best to keep the focus on his players. He has maintained that stance throughout the season. "Anything that would come back as far as concerns that I have or how I'm perceived is really selling those guys short," Bohl said. That seems to be the take of all the coaches, Darlington included.

Fourth-down pass lifts No. 3 Ohio St past Purdue Trailing on the road and facing fourth-and-l with 1:36 left in the game, Craig Krenzel threw a 37-yard touchdown pass to Michael Jenkins on fourth-and-l with 1:36 left to play as third-ranked Ohio State defeated Purdue 106 in West Lafayette, tb remain unbeaten and keep its national championship hopes alive. The Buckeyes (11-0, 60) are off to their fourth 11-0 start in team history, joining the 1975, 1979 and 1995 teams. More importantly, they will re- main in the top two of the Bowl Championship Series standings, keeping them on course for a trip to the Fiesta Bowl and a shot at the national title. Krenzel had been pressured the entire game by a bruising Purdue de- fense.

The Boilermakers (4-6, 24 Big Ten) were leading 6-3 when Krenzel dropped back and found Jenkins who sprinted down the sideline before cutting in for an over-tfte-shoulder catch in the end zone. Purdue got the ball again, but Kyle Orton's long pass into double coverage was intercepted by Chris Gamble. NO. 5 WASHINGTON STATE 32, NO. 15 OREGON 21: Jason Gesser threw four touchdown passes and Jermaine Green ran for a career-high 180 yards in Pullman, as the Cougars took command of the Pac-10 race.

The Cougars (9-160 Pac-10) moved within a victory of clinching a trip the Rose Bowl. WSU beat Oregon (7-3, 3-3) for the first time since 1996. NO. 6 IOWA 62, NORTHWESTERN 10: Brad Banks threw for three touchdowns and ran for two more in Iowa City, Iowa, as the Hawkeyes won their eighth straight game, Banks, who came in as the nation's most efficient passer with a 159.9 rating, threw for 197 yards and completed all 10 of his pass attempts before leaving in the third quarter of his final home game for Iowa (10-1, 70). NO.

7 GEORGIA 31, MISSISSIPPI 17: The Bulldogs bounced back from their first loss of the year, led by a couple of comeback kids. Terrence Edwards caught a 33-yard touchdown pass and Fred Gibson hauled in a 17-yarder as Georgia rolled to a win in Athens, and moved within a victory of earning a spot in the SEC championship game. SYRACUSE 50, NO. 8 VIRGINIA TECH 42: Freshman Damien Rhodes scored on a 25yard run and ran for the two-point conversion in the third overtime in Syracuse, N.Y., giving the Orangemen a dramatic upset win. Virginia Tech (8-2, 3-2 Big East) lost despite 504 yards passing and a school-record five touchdown passes from Bryan Randall.

Randall's yardage total was the secondbest in school history, behind Don Strock's 527-yard performance against Houston in 1972. NO. 9 NOTRE DAME 30, NAVY 23: Trailing by eight points against lightly regarded Navy late in the fourth quarter, Notre Dame used the nght arm of Carlyle Holiday to avert a second straight shocking upset and pull out a win in Baltimore. Holiday set up the tying score with a 29-yard completion to Omar Jenkins, then hit a wideopen Jenkins for a 67-yard TD with 2:08 remaining. NO.

10 SOUTHERN CAUFORNIA 49, STANFORD 17: Carson Palmer threw four touchdown passes in Stanford, to break a school career record and lead the Trojans past the struggling Cardinal. USC kept alive its conference championship hopes. One more victory by first-place Washington State or one loss by USC (7-2, SI Pac-10) would eliminate the Trojans. NO. 11 ALABAMA 28, MISSISSIPPI STATE 14: Tyler Watts threw for 223 yards and a career-high three touchdowns in Tuscaloosa, to lead the Crimson Tide to a victory.

Watts hooked up with Triandos Luke for two touchdowns, including a 36arder on fourtrvand-11 to give Alabama (8-2, 5- I SEC) the final margin with 4:02 left in the third quarter. NO. 13 MICHIGAN 41, MINNESOTA 24: John Navarre passed for 225 yards and two touchdowns and B.J. Askew ran for 126 yards on just 11 carries Wolverines (8-2, 5-1 Big Ten) gained 478 total yards and took control by scoring 24 straight points over seven minutes of the second half. MARYLAND 24, NO.

14 NORTH CAROLINA STATE 21: In College Park, Nick Novak kicked a field goal with 34 seconds remaining, giving the Terrapins their seventh straight win. The victory moves Maryland (8-2, 4-1 ACC) into second place in the conference. N.C. State (9-2, 4-2) has lost two straight. NO.

16 LOUISIANA STATE 33, KENTUCKY 30: Devery Henderson caught a deflected 75-yard touchdown pass from Marcus Randall as time expired in Lexington, bringing the Tigers (7-2, 4-1 SEC) back for a win against the stunned Wildcats. Kentucky 24) appeared on their way to their a win after Taylor Begley's field goal with 11 seconds left put Kentucky up 30-27. NO. 17 FLORIDA STATE 21, GEORGIA TECH 13: Adrian McPherson threw two touchdown passes, including a 72-yarder to Craphonso Thorpe, and the Seminoles held on for a win in Atlanta. FSU (7-3, 4-1 ACC) has won II straight in the series.

NO. 19 PENN STATE 35, VIRGINIA 14: Zack Mills threw for 227 yards and two touchdowns in State College, and Larry Johnson rushed for 188 yards to lead the Nittany Lions (7-3) to a win. NORTHERN ILLINOIS 26, NO. 20 BOWLING GREEN 17: Michael Turner ran for 192 yards in DeKalb, and Josh Haldi threw two touchdown passes as the Huskies handed the Falcons their first loss of the season. Bowling Green (8-1, SI Mid-American Conference) had won 11 in a row dating to last season, while Northern Illinois (7-3, 60) beat a ranked team for just the second time in 22 games.

NO. 22 PITTSBURGH 29, TEMPLE 22: In Pittsburgh, Claude Harriott returned a fumble 11 yards for the tiebreaking touchdown early in the fourth quarter and the Panthers' defense set up two scores with big plays. NO. 23 FLORIDA 21, VANDERBILT 17: Earnest Graham ran for 125 yards and a touchdown in Nashville, and Rex Grossman added a TD run as the Gators (7-3, 42 SEC) struggled past the Commodores (2-8, 06). CAUFORNIA 55, NO.

25 ARIZONA STATE 38: Kyle Boiler matched his career high with five touchdown passes to lead the Bears past the Sun Devils in Tempe, Ariz. Arizona State lost despite 479 yards passing from Andrew Walter. How Nebraska's 2002 opponents fared Date Aug. 24 Aug. 31 Sept.

7 Sept. 14 Sept. 28 Oct. 5 Oct 12 Oct. 19 Oct 26 Nov.

2 Nov. 9 Nov. 16 Nov. 29 Opponent Arizona State (74) Troy State (4-7) Utah State (2-6) Penn State (7-3) Iowa State (7-4) McNeese State (8-1) Missouri (46) Oklahoma State (54) Texas (64) Texas (9-1) Kansas (2-9) Kansas State (8-2) Colorado (7-3) vs. NU NU 48-10 NU 31-16 NU 44-13 PSU 40-7 ISU 36-14 NU 38-14 NU2413 OSU 21-24 NU 38-31 TEX 27-24 NU 457 are on the same bus to the unemployment office.

Those of us who have said Solich needs to consider some staff adjustments must admit the NU coaches have made a nice recovery from the debacles at Penn State, Iowa State and Oklahoma State. Secondary coach George Darlington thinks it's "idiotic" that changes are even being discussed, "I think that's kind of overreaction," he said. "By the same token, on the other hand, I don't think there's ever a situation where the head coach doesn't have the prerogative to do whatever he wants to do. "We know that as assistants, so what he decides to do is fine. He's the head football coach." Solich said after Saturday's game he has not had any discussions with his assistants about what might happen if the.