Hurricanes Fired Up by Luginbill’s Words

They got here on Thanksgiving night, well fed and feeling relaxed. They had a little time to kill.

So No. 1 Miami’s Hurricanes checked into their hotel and picked up a couple newspapers.

And then the resting became restless.

Among the pre-game stories were bold statements by San Diego State football Coach Al Luginbill. The coach called Fresno State’s offense better than Miami’s offense and Bulldog quarterback Trent Dilfer better than the Hurricanes’ Gino Torretta.

That’s just what the Aztecs needed--Luginbill raising Cain with the ‘Canes.

Miami probably didn’t need much motivation to beat SDSU here Saturday. But Luginbill’s remarks apparently were the impetus for a 63-17 crushing.

“We had to go out there and show them that Fresno State’s offense isn’t better than us,” said Torretta, who grew up in the small Northern California town of Pinole, about two hours northwest of Fresno. “I kind of took it personal when he said their quarterback was better than me.”

Torretta, considered a Heisman front-runner along with Aztec running back Marshall Faulk, tattooed Luginbill’s defense with 310 passing yards but exhibited restraint in the touchdown department. He only threw one--despite completing 19 of 35 passes. He was generous, too.

He let wide receiver Kevin Williams throw a 68-yard strike to Lamar Thomas when the game was still a game: 14-3, Miami late in the first quarter. Then he departed in the third quarter, turning over the reins to Frank Costa.

“I’ve been surprised a lot by college football coaches,” Torretta said in reference to Luginbill. “This is another time.

“It gave us more of an edge. We were kind of mad. I think we took it upon ourselves to put a lot of points on the board.”

Despite leaving the game early, Torretta made sure 34 points were tacked up in the third quarter.

“I think it was unfair (to SDSU’s players) for him to say something like that,” Miami receiver Horace Copeland said of Luginbill. “I mean, to be honest, it was really not even close. It could have got worse, you know.”

The two-time defending national champion Hurricanes--who haven’t lost a game in two seasons--sat on the ball and chose not to insult SDSU further in a scoreless fourth quarter.

For the players who hadn’t caught up on their pre-game reading, Miami Coach Dennis Erickson brought up Luginbill’s comparison to Fresno State in a lecture before Saturday’s kickoff. Luginbill had also said Fresno State had a superior running attack.

“Coach Erickson was kind of fired up about the statement, and that fired (up) the guys on offense,” Copeland said. “We especially wanted to establish the running game first. Once we did, it was hard to stop us.”

Added Copeland: “I don’t even feel like they’re in the same league as us. I think we’ve taken college football to another level.”