Hurricanes Blow Away Aztecs : College football: Torretta passes for 310 yards, and Miami scores 35 third-quarter points to win, 63-17.

San Diego State, historically like the guy who gets caught crashing a party and is quickly escorted to the door, did it again Saturday night.

A Heisman Trophy showdown turned into a national embarrassment for the Aztecs when they were cold-cocked by No. 1 Miami, 63-17, in a game featuring:

-- No Marshall Faulk.

-- Plenty of Gino Torretta.

-- Two bench-clearing brawls.

In front of 52,108 in San Diego Jack Murphy Stadium, the Hurricanes won their 29th consecutive game and held SDSU to seven yards rushing.

Faulk, nursing a sprained right knee, gained his yardage walking up and down the sideline dressed in white pants, a black SDSU sweat shirt and a white SDSU baseball cap. Torretta checked out after the third quarter, having completed 19 of 35 passes for 310 yards and one touchdown.

“It wasn’t going to be me against (Faulk), from my standpoint,” Torretta said. “It really didn’t matter if he played, because I would have done the same thing.”

Faulk quickly left the stadium without talking to reporters. Aztec trainer Brian Barry said that SDSU officials examined Faulk during pregame warm-ups and determined the knee was too stiff for him to play.

“Once he warmed up, there was no question as to our decision,” Barry said. “It was a mutual thing--Coach, Marshall and I.”

It was a night on which the Aztecs (5-5-1) name-dropped Fresno State quarterback Trent Dilfer into the Heisman mix. During all the Heisman talk this week, SDSU Coach Al Luginbill said that Dilfer, not Torretta would be the best quarterback the Aztecs faced all season.

A few Aztecs backed up Luginbill, and the Hurricanes had all the extra motivation they needed.

“Sure,” said Miami Coach Dennis Erickson, who received a death threat via telephone call sometime in the fourth quarter. “You don’t make statements like that. How ridiculous is that? Keep your mouth shut and play the game.

“The one thing I’ve taught this team is to keep your mouth shut and compliment your opponent. I don’t want to give anybody any fuel, and we got some fuel, to be honest with you.”

Although Faulk didn’t play, SDSU officials were distributing both his 1992 and career accomplishments by the end of the first quarter.

Faulk ended the season with an average of 163 yards per game, making him only the fifth major college player in NCAA history to lead the nation in rushing for two consecutive seasons. The last player to do so was Cornell’s Ed Marinaro in 1970 and 1971.

Faulk also became the second player in NCAA history to rush for 3,000 or more yards in his first two seasons. Georgia’s Herschel Walker first accomplished that feat.

Torretta, meanwhile, improved his record as Miami’s starting quarterback to 26-1.

He is Miami’s career leader in yards passing, total offense, attempts and completions.

Against an inept Aztec defense, Miami (10-0) took a 28-3 halftime lead, then laid 35 third-quarter points on the Aztecs to turn it into a laugher. By then, a couple of records were in jeopardy.

Miami’s school record for points is 75, set against Fordham in during a 75-7 victory in 1954. The Aztec defense, though, came within six points of setting a school record for points allowed. SDSU gave up 68 to Pacific during a game in 1958.

The Hurricanes passed around touchdowns like M&Ms.; Larry Jones and Steve McGuire rushed for two apiece and Lamar Thomas caught two scoring passes--one for 68 yards from tailback Kevin Williams.

“We dominated the game from the start,” Erickson said. “We dominated on defense. We ran the football pretty successfully and I think the biggest thing was when we scored near the end of the first half. It kind of got the momentum going.”

That came on a 24-yard pass from Torretta to Thomas, capping a three-play, 72-yard, 18-second drive to make it 28-3.

“This one right here was a nightmare,” Luginbill said. “Obviously, we got outplayed in every respect. We didn’t expect that, and it starts with me.”

An SDSU season that once looked so promising ended in disgraceful fashion, with two brawls and Miami running up 581 total yards to SDSU’s 225.

It was the Aztecs’ second consecutive loss and third time players from both sides have rushes the field to participate in a scuffle in the past two games.

Asked where the Aztec program now stands, Luginbill replied: “I need time to evaluate that.”

The first brawl started with 8:42 to play in the first quarter when Miami linebacker Jessie Armstead tackled Aztec quarterback David Lowery near the Hurricane sideline. SDSU’s Tony Nichols, thinking Lowery was out of bounds, shoved Armstead.

The second started with 7:06 left in the third quarter and SDSU trailing, 42-10. Miami defensive lineman Mark Caesar tackled Lowery. Then Caesar and SDSU’s Carlson Leomiti started shoving.

“That happened to them last week, too,” Erickson said. “Funny. We played 10 football games and don’t get in a fight, then we get into a fight in this game.”

Using an inconsistent rushing game ranked 92nd nationally, Miami jumped out to a 35-3 lead before finally allowing the Aztecs a touchdown.

Without Faulk, the SDSU offense was as quiet as a library--but much less active. Larry Maxey, the third-team running back, had five rushes for eight yards.

“I didn’t anticipate (Faulk) playing,” Lowery said. “Larry Maxey is a good running back. He went in there and played his heart out.”

Miami started the night ranked eighth nationally in total defense, holding its opponents to an average of 273 yards per game. At halftime, trailing, 28-3, the Aztecs had only 76 yards passing and minus-10 yards rushing.

This from an offense ranked eighth nationally with an average of 455 yards per game.

Representatives of the Fiesta and Sugar Bowls attended the game. Miami is expected to go to the Sugar Bowl if undefeated Alabama beats Florida next week.

The only place the Aztecs were headed was back to the kennel.

Perhaps the most telling moment from this game came on the last play of the first half, after Miami scored a touchdown to run the score to 28-3. The Hurricanes were offside on the ensuing kickoff but, by then, most of the Aztecs were on their way to the locker room.

Rather than take the penalty and make Miami kick again, thus grasping at the straw of a possible touchdown on the return, the Aztecs simply declined the penalty and went passively into halftime.

“This was a complete shock,” Lowery said. “I kept looking at the scoreboard like, ‘You’ve got to be kidding me. I can’t believe this.’

“It was like one of those games you’re watching on TV and they flash a score and you say, ‘Holy cow, look at all those points.’ ”