Miami’s Offensive Roll Continues in 46-23 Win

Miami’s fall from the ranks of college football’s elite appears to be short-lived.

Edgerrin James and James Jackson ran for two touchdowns each as the 24th-ranked Hurricanes routed North Carolina State, 46-23, Tuesday night.

Scott Covington threw for 320 yards and two touchdowns, including an 80-yarder to Santana Moss, as Miami (9-3) rolled up 594 yards of offense to complete its comeback season from three years of NCAA sanctions.

“We did it. This program did it,” said Covington after completing 17 of 24 passes without an interception. “Starting last January, when we hit the weight room, we’ve done everything as a team that we’ve been asked to do.”

James rushed for 156 yards in 20 carries, his seventh consecutive 100-yard outing. His two touchdowns gave him 19 for the season, 15 in the last seven games.

“It means an awful lot,” James said. “The coaches called the right plays and we just did our thing.”

Miami’s defense also limited All-America wide receiver Torry Holt, who had eight 100-yard receiving games this season, to only 52 yards in seven catches.

North Carolina State (7-5) did manage 498 yards of offense, including 201 yards passing by Jamie Barnette, but two potential scoring drives were thwarted deep in Miami territory. One ended on Danny Deskevich’s first missed kick of the season and the other on an interception of a pass that bounced off an official’s head.

“When you have to score every time you touch the football, it’s tough against a team like Miami,” Wolfpack Coach Mike O’Cain said.

The Hurricanes, who won four national titles between 1983 and 1991, were penalized more than 30 scholarships in 1995 for the misuse of Pell Grant funds in the early 1990s.

Things bottomed out last year when Miami went 5-6, its first losing season since 1979.