Miami Advice: Follow RedHawks

It’s the best of times and the worst of times for schools named Miami.

Miami (Ohio) is 4-1 after upsetting No. 14 Virginia Tech, 24-17, at Blacksburg, Va. The RedHawks ended the Hokies’ 11-game regular season winning streak and 12-game home winning streak.

Meanwhile, the University of Miami, a four-time national champion, dropped to 1-4 after a 47-0 thrashing by Florida State. The Hurricanes have lost four in a row for the first time since 1977.

It was only last month, after Miami lost to Pittsburgh for the first time since 1976, that Hurricane Coach Butch Davis said about the remaining schedule: “I think we can run the table.”

The dinner table, perhaps.

Florida State handed the Hurricanes’ their worst loss since a 70-14 defeat in 1944 to Texas A&M.; Afterward, Davis modified his earlier statement with a safer prediction.

“If we don’t begin to play better,” he said, “our last six games are going to be a struggle.”

Miami (Ohio) struggled early against Virginia Tech, but used a blocked punt and fake field to overcome a 10-0 first-quarter deficit. Virginia Tech received bowl alliance bids the past two seasons and expected to be off to a 5-0 start for the first time since 1967. Some players were talking about the possibility of an undefeated season because none of the remaining opponents were ranked.

“That was a classic example of what happens when guys spend all week talking about too many other teams and forget the game that is at hand,” Virginia Tech Coach Frank Beamer said.

It was the biggest upset for Miami (Ohio) since 1995, when the RedHawks beat Rose Bowl-bound Northwestern in a season when the Wildcats beat Penn State, Michigan and Notre Dame.

Randy Walker, who is 45-32-5 in his eighth season, moved past Frank Wilton as the winningest coach in Miami (Ohio) history.

ALREADY WACKY

After winless Tulsa lost to Rice, 42-24, in its Western Athletic Conference debut, Tulsa quarterback John Fitzgerald said it was time for the Tulsa offense to step up and do its part.

“We can’t expect the defense to keep carrying us,” he said.

Say what?

In four losses, Golden Hurricane opponents have scored 34, 54, 42 and 42 points.

PAYBACK TIME

Texas thought the worst was over after UCLA tore through the Longhorns, 66-3, a few weeks ago.

But Saturday, Oklahoma State avenged last year’s 71-14 loss with a 42-16 victory at Stillwater, Okla.

The Cowboys scored 22 first-quarter points en route to their fifth consecutive victory and are 5-0 for the first time in a decade and 2-0 in conference play for the first time since 1972.

DOING THEIR PART

Iowa State has lost 12 consecutive games--tied with Northern Illinois for the longest losing streak in Division I-A--and is 0-22-1 on the road since a victory at Missouri in 1991.

But don’t blame the Davis family.

Last year, Troy Davis ran for 358 yards in a 45-31 Iowa State victory. On Saturday, Davis’ younger brother Darren rushed for 130 yards in 18 carries as the Cyclones lost to Missouri, 45-21.

ONE-MAN GANG

West Virginia sophomore Amos Zereoue gained 103 yards in West Virginia’s 48-0 Big East Conference rout of Rutgers. Zereoue, a sophomore, is averaging 150 yards per game and has outgained the opposition in 11 of his 16 career games.

HOW SOON THEY FORGET

Kentucky’s first victory over Alabama in 75 years got a lot of people excited.

Maybe too excited.

“This can’t be put into words,” said Kentucky linebacker Bob Holmberg. “The state of Kentucky is on a high for the first time in 15 years.”

Time flies when you’re having fun, but didn’t hoop-crazy Kentucky go wild after the Wildcats won the 1996 NCAA basketball title?

SPARTAN EFFORT

Twelfth-ranked Michigan State’s 31-10 victory over Minnesota gave the Spartans a 4-0 record, the first time the Spartans have won their first four games since 1966.

Michigan State finished the 1966 season 9-0-1 after a famous 10-10 tie with Notre Dame.

Minnesota quarterback Cory Sauter was impressed with Michigan State: “Their personnel pretty much outmatched us today. They were big guys.”

THANKS FOR THE MEMORIES

Saturday’s game between Kansas and Oklahoma marked the 95th meeting between the schools--the oldest continuously played rivalry in Division I-A. But not for long.

Kansas and Oklahoma won’t meet the next two years because of the Big 12’s rotating schedule between the North and South divisions.

NOTEWORTHY

Eric Vann’s 99-yard touchdown run for Kansas in the Jayhawks’ 20-17 victory over Oklahoma was the fifth 99-yard run from scrimmage in NCAA history, and the second by a Kansas back. Gale Sayers ran for a 99-yard touchdown against Nebraska in 1963 . . . . Kentucky quarterback Tim Couch completed 32 of 49 passes for 355 yards against Alabama. In only his fifth game, Couch broke Bill Ransdell’s school record of 151 completions, set in 1986. Couch has 164. . . . North Carolina quarterback Chris Keldorf passed for 415 yards against Texas Christian, breaking the school record of 406 yards set by Mark Maye against Georgia Tech in 1987.

--Compiled by Gary Klein

(BEGIN TEXT OF INFOBOX / INFOGRAPHIC)

THE PLAYMAKERS RUSHING

*--*

Player, Team No. Yds. TD AHMAN GREEN, Nebraska 20 193 4 STEVE HOOKFIN, Ohio 23 177 3 CHARLIE HIGGINS, Tulsa 23 175 2 JAMAL LEWIS, Tennessee 22 155 1 RASHAAN SHEHEE, Washington 29 146 1

*--*

PASSING

*--*

Player, Team Att. Comp. Yds. TD JOSE DAVIS, Kent 51 32 551 6 CHRIS KELDORF, N. Carolina 41 25 415 3 BRIAN BRENNAN, Idaho 49 34 396 2 TIM COUCH, Kentucky 49 32 355 4 TIM RATTAY, La. Tech 51 24 343 3 PEYTON MANNING, Tenn. 44 25 324 2 DUANTE CULPEPPER, C. Fla. 35 26 322 4 DAMEYUNE CRAIG, Auburn 39 24 321 2 JOHN FITZGERALD, Tulsa 36 22 319 1 JUSTIN VEDDER, California 37 21 314 2 TODD SCHULTZ, Mich. St. 31 19 304 3 CADE McNOWN, UCLA 14 11 297 4

*--*

RECEIVING

*--*

Player, Team No. Yds. TD EUGENE BAKER, Kent 15 238 2 DONNIE HART, Texas Tech 11 181 2 TERRY MURPHY, Pittsburgh 10 138 1 TROY EDWARDS, La. Tech 9 176 0 DAMON SAVAGE, Tulsa 9 151 0 TONY HORNE, Clemson 8 119 3

*--*