Pitt
Miami
Pittsburgh Falls To No. 1 Miami
9/27/2001 12:00:00 AM | Football
Sept 27, 2001
By ALAN ROBINSON
AP Sports Writer
PITTSBURGH - Clinton Portis scored on three short runs set up by Ken Dorsey's precision passing and No. 1 Miami, showing no rust from a nearly three-week layoff, came out with its accustomed first-quarter flurry to beat Pittsburgh 43-21 Thursday night.
Miami's second trip to Pennsylvania in less than a month ended just as its first, when an overwhelmed Penn State couldn't keep up with the Hurricanes' speed and size in a 33-7 victory Sept. 1.
This victory - Miami's 12th in its last 13 meetings with Pittsburgh - came just as fast and just as furious during a 20-point first quarter, with Portis scoring twice and Dorsey throwing an 18-yard TD pass to Andre Johnson on a fade pattern one play after a Pitt fumble.
Portis, constantly eluding defenders with his cutback running, ran for a career-high 131 yards on 24 carries, with two touchdown runs of 1 yard and another of 4 yards. Dorsey failed to throw for 300 yards for the first time in three games and missed a few open receivers, but still was 18-of-32 for 208 yards and a touchdown.
Miami led 43-7 in the fourth quarter before Pitt backup quarterback Rod Rutherford, who accounted for all three Panthers scores, threw for a touchdown and ran for another in the closing minutes.
Pittsburgh (1-2, 0-1 Big East) actually led for a brief few minutes, something it didn't do in its 35-26 upset loss to South Florida on Sept. 8, the last day either Miami (3-0, 2-0) or Pitt played before Thursday.
But Pitt's 7-6 lead off Rutherford's 2-yard scoring run 3:48 into the game didn't hold up long against Miami, which has outscored its three opponents 47-7 in the first quarter.
Portis had scored from the 4 with 2:14 gone as Miami needed just seven plays to drive 62 yards on its opening drive, started by Dorsey's 23-yard swing pass to Najeh Davenport and highlighted by Portis' 22-yard run to the 6.
Dorsey then had completions of 11, 16 and 15 yards during a 62-yard, 13-play drive, including an 11-yard throw to Portis on a third-and-9, to set up Portis' 1-yard scoring run that made it 13-7.
From that point, the rout was on as Pittsburgh stayed winless for the last half-century against No. 1 teams. The Panthers are 0-10-1 against top-ranked teams since 1950, tying Army 14-14 in 1958. Miami also beat Pitt as a No. 1 team in 1986, winning 37-10 in Pittsburgh.
Pitt welcomed back eight of its former stars, including Dan Marino, Tony Dorsett and Mike Ditka, and All-American receiver Antonio Bryant, who missed all but one play of the first two games with a sprained ankle. But the big names didn't help and neither did Bryant, who for the third year in a row against hometown Miami, wasn't a factor with three catches for 39 yards.
Pitt turned the ball over twice in slightly over a minute later in the first quarter, with Miami failing to convert the first time but striking immediately for the Dorsey-to-Johnson scoring pass play after Panthers quarterback David Priestley fumbled.
Pitt blocked a Miami punt early in the second quarter but couldn't capitalize, and Todd Sievers later kicked the first of his three field goals.
Miami started the second half by needing only nine plays to drive 80 yards for Portis' 1-yard misdirection run on a fourth-and-goal play, once again after a Dorsey-to-Davenport throw - this one of 32 yards - covered big yardage.
Miami shouldn't have any trouble in going to 4-0 next week, when it plays Troy State, then plays at rival Florida State on Oct. 13.
