Seminoles Blow Past Stumbling Hurricanes

Miami’s once-proud Hurricanes, owners of four national championships since 1983, hit rock bottom Saturday.

No. 4 Florida State (4-0) handed Miami its worst loss since World War II, routing the Hurricanes, 47-0, at Tallahassee, Fla., as freshman Travis Minor scored two touchdowns and Thad Busby passed for two.

“Miami is down right now,” Florida State Coach Bobby Bowden said. “They just do not have the maturity and depth they usually have. We had a lot of advantages.”

Miami, which won its last national championship in 1991, has lost four consecutive games for the first time since 1977. The Hurricanes (1-4) also have lost three consecutive games to Florida State and it was their worst loss since a 70-14 defeat in 1944 to Texas A&M.;

Miami won by the identical 47-0 score in 1976--Bowden’s first season at Florida State. And the ‘Canes had dominated this series as recently as the early 1990s, winning seven of eight times between 1985 and 1993--wiping out possible Seminole championships four times in that span.

Miami’s offense was almost invisible against a swarming Florida State defense that turned in its first shutout against the Hurricanes in 33 years.

“It’s tough when you can’t run or throw,” Miami quarterback Ryan Clement said. “You are not going to do very well.”

Clement completed five of 14 passes for only 52 yards and had two intercepted while backup Scott Covington completed nine of 12 for 112 yards.

“Our defense really did not give Miami much of a chance,” Bowden said.

Florida State’s defense, ranked second nationally going into the game, gave up only eight first downs and 131 yards. Miami was held to minus-33 yards running and their leading rusher, Trent Jones, had eight yards in three carries.

The shutout was preserved in the final two minutes when Samari Rolle intercepted Covington’s pass inside the Florida State 10.

“They were dominating,” Clement said. “It was not a question of opportunities, but a case of getting beaten by a better football team.”

Clemson 39, Texas-El Paso--Nealon Greene snapped the Tigers out of their doldrums with three second-half touchdown passes, including two to Tony Horne in a romp of the Miners at Clemson, S.C.

Greene finished with four touchdown passes on the day and 28 in his career, both tying Clemson marks as the Tigers (3-2) snapped a two-game losing streak. Horne wound up making three scoring catches, also tying a school single-game record.

UTEP’s lone score came on a five-yard run by Elzie Johnson in the second quarter. The Miners (1-4), who broke a 364-day winless stretch with last week’s victory over New Mexico State, lost for the 11th time in their last 12 outings.

Maryland 16, Duke 10--Kevin Kopka kicked three field goals and Eric Ogbogu forced a fumble with 3:49 left to preserve the victory at College Park, Md.

It was the second consecutive victory for the Terps (2-3, 1-2). Duke, which had won two consecutive games, fell to 2-3 and 0-2.

Duke was driving when Ogbogu knocked the ball away from Bobby Campbell. Linebacker Erwyn Lyght fell on the fumble his 35, and the Maryland offense held the ball the rest of the way.

Virginia 21, Wake Forest 13--Aaron Brooks ran 25 yards for a touchdown with 5 1/2 minutes left at Charlottesville, Va., and the Cavaliers overcame a stumbling effort to win for the 14th consecutive time in the series.

Brooks, who has taken much of the blame for Virginia’s poor start in his first year as the starting quarterback, completed three consecutive passes in the winning drive, then capped it by scrambling for the decisive touchdown.

Wake Forest (2-3 overall, 1-2 in the Atlantic Coast Conference) has been beaten twice by one point and once by two.

Joe Williams, beaten earlier for a touchdown, provided some insurance for the Cavaliers (2-2, 1-1) with 24 seconds remaining, intercepting a pass from Brian Kuklick and returning it 32 yards for a touchdown to close the scoring.