web.jpg&height=300&type=webp)
No. 1 Miami Defeats Syracuse, 49-7
11/29/2002 3:26:40 PM | Football
SYRACUSE, N.Y. – Miami senior quarterback Ken Dorsey completed 16 of 25 passes and threw for 345 yards and two touchdowns as the No. 1 Hurricanes extended their 33-game winning streak with a defeat of Syracuse, 49-7 on Saturday, Nov. 30 at the Carrier Dome. Sophomore Willis McGahee rushed for another two touchdowns and 134 yards in the game.
Syracuse sophomore Walter Reyes passed Floyd Little on the Syracuse season rushing yards list on a 23-yard run that gave him 1,066 yards for the season. In the third quarter, Reyes passed Larry Csonka's 1965 mark to move up another spot on the list. He now ranks fourth on the single-season rushing yards list with 1,134 yards.
SU won the pregame toss and elected to receive. On the opening kickoff, junior receiver Johnnie Morant completed the longest kick-off return of his career. Morant returned the ball 40 yards to SU's 47-yard line.
The Hurricanes jumped out to a 7-0 lead less than two minutes into the game. McGahee rushed for 61 yards for the touchdown. In that rush, McGahee broke the Miami single-season records for touchdowns (20), points scored (120), and all-purpose yards (1,737). Later in the quarter, he set the season record for rushing yards (1,419). He finished the quarter with four carries for 72 yards.
Miami extended its lead to 14-0 with 1:01 remaining in the quarter. Ethenic Sands caught a 23-yard pass from Dorsey to put the Hurricanes up 13-0 and Todd Sievers added the extra point. The TD was Sands' fourth of the season.
Dorsey connected with Andre Johnson in the endzone with 10:15 remaining in the quarter to give the Miami its third touchdown of the game and a 21-0 lead. It was Johnson's team-leading eighth receiving TD of the season.
Early in the second, junior Jamel Riddle left the game with an injury to his right shoulder. With two catches on the day, he is now tied for ninth place on Syracuse's single-season receptions list. Riddle has 57 receptions for 963 yards through three seasons.
With 6:11 remaining in the half, the Orangemen tried to get on the board, but Collin Barber's 34-yard field goal attempt went right of the upright.
Steve Gregory blocked a Hurricane field goal attempt with 2:28 left in the half. It was his third blocked field goal of the season, including one against Temple and another against Central Florida. He is now tied for the SU single-season record for blocked kicks (David Tyree, 3 in 2000; Andre Brinson, 3 in 2001).
With 39 seconds left before halftime, Reyes dove into the endzone from one yard out to put the Orangemen on the board. The touchdown gave Syracuse its first points against Miami since the 1999 season.
Miami's fourth touchdown of the day came after Johnson caught a 68-yard pass from Dorsey at Syracuse's two-yard line. On the ensuing play, Quadtrine Hill broke through the SU defenders to give the Hurricanes a 28-7 advantage at 12:41 of the third.
McGahee scored his second touchdown of the game with 7:51 to play in the third quarter. The 51-yard rush brought his total for the game to 134 yards.
The Hurricanes pulled away with less than six minutes left in the game. Miami faked a punt, and senior Freddie Capshaw threw a 47-yard pass to Sean Taylor for the touchdown and a 42-7 Hurricane lead.
With three minutes on the clock, Maurice Sikes intercepted a Troy Nunes pass and ran it 53 yards for Miami's seventh touchdown of the game to make the final score 49-7.
Syracuse is now 1-8 against teams ranked No. 1, and is 1-2 against top-ranked teams in the Carrier Dome. Miami now holds a 14-7 advantage in the series.
The Orangemen finish the season with a 4-8 record (2-5 BIG EAST). The Hurricanes improve to 11-0 on the year.
