Miami’s Passing Is Too Good for No. 3 Oklahoma

The University of Miami played a perfect football game Saturday, according to Oklahoma Coach Barry Switzer.

“We got beat by a very good football team today,” Switzer said after No. 3-ranked team lost, 27-14. “They played a perfect ball game--no turnovers, no interceptions.”

Miami quarterback Vinny Testaverde did most of the damage, passing for 270 yards and two touchdowns and running for another as the unranked Hurricanes improved their record to 5-1. The Sooners are now 3-0.

“We couldn’t get to him with our pass rush, and they won with the big play,” Switzer said.

Testaverde, who completed 17 of 28 attempts, threw touchdown passes on plays covering 56 and 35 yards. He also scored on a four-yard bootleg in the second quarter. Miami’s other scoring came on field goals of 20 and 36 yards by Greg Cox.

“Maybe people thought we didn’t show as much emotion out there near the end of the game as we should have,” said Miami Coach Jimmy Johnson. “But the reason was that we’ve known ever since watching the OU films that we were the better football team.”

Johnson said he and his staff “felt all along we could hit their soft spots” with the passing game. “Testaverde was really fantastic.”

Testaverde said the Hurricanes felt Oklahoma’s pass defense had not been challenged previously. “We tested them and were successful,” he said. “We thought going into the game that we could be.”

Miami’s pro-style offense had few problems against Oklahoma’s defense, which came into the game ranked first in the nation in total defense. The Hurricanes finished with 375 yards in total offense--about 250 more than the Sooners had allowed their previous three opponents.

The Oklahoma offense suffered a major setback in the second quarter when quarterback Troy Aikman broke his left ankle. Aikman had completed six of seven passes for 131 yards and a touchdown before the injury.

Miami broke things open after halftime with 13 third-quarter points, including Testaverde’s 35-yard touchdown pass to split end Brian Blades on a third-and-19 play.

Oklahoma never led in the game and tied the score only once, when Aikman’s 14-yard pass to Derrick Shepard made it 7-7 at 6:34 of the first quarter.

The Sooners did not score again until the 10:28 mark of the fourth quarter, when fullback Lydell Carr went in from one yard out.