COLLEGE FOOTBALL : Miami Enjoys Another Fling, 45-13 : Testaverde Leads 7-0 Hurricanes to Their Best Start Ever

Quarterback Vinny Testaverde threw two touchdown passes, fueling a 31-point first half that carried the No. 1-ranked Miami Hurricanes to a 45-13 victory Saturday night over Cincinnati.

The 7-0 Hurricanes, off to the best start in school history, extended their regular-season winning streak to 17 games by scoring two touchdowns in the opening two minutes and coasting from there.

Testaverde completed 24 of 35 passes for 262 yards to move past George Mira into third place among Miami’s all-time passers with 5,136 yards. His two touchdown passes leave him one shy of Bernie Kosar’s school mark of 40.

Cincinnati (3-4) couldn’t get closer than 11 points after Miami’s opening two-touchdown explosion.

Testaverde, a senior, drove the Hurricanes 47 yards in just four plays after the opening kickoff, lobbing a five-yard scoring pass to halfback Warren Williams.

Thirty-seven seconds later, defensive back Bubba McDowell blocked a punt by Shaun Burdick, scooped the ball and returned it 34 yards for a touchdown.

Phil Insalaco got Cincinnati its first points on its next possession, kicking a 20-yard field goal. It was the first time Miami had allowed a first-quarter score in 10 games.

After the Bearcats forced the only Miami punt of the first half, quarterback Danny McCoin fumbled the ball away on the Cincinnati 36. Three plays later, Alonzo Highsmith’s three-yard touchdown run gave the Hurricanes a 21-3 lead.

Testaverde, getting plenty of time to pass, found flanker Michael Irvin free for a 16-yard touchdown pass and a 28-3 lead 62 seconds into the second quarter. Irvin’s eighth touchdown catch of the season extended his school record to 17.

Later in the quarter, Cincinnati’s Reggie Taylor ran one yard for a touchdown. It was the third rushing touchdown allowed by Miami this season.

Miami’s start surpasses the 6-0 starts by the 1941 and 1954 teams as the best in the school’s history.

The crowd of 29,546 was the largest to see a football game at Nippert Stadium on the Cincinnati campus, dedicated in 1924.