With Win, Miami Settles for State Bragging Rights

The Miami Hurricanes were eliminated from the national championship early in the season and missed out on the conference championship late.

They settled for the state title Friday night.

Devin Hester returned a blocked field goal 78 yards for a touchdown, Roscoe Parrish returned a punt 72 yards for a score and the No. 14-ranked Hurricanes beat No. 20 Florida, 27-10, in the Peach Bowl.

“Those guys are playmakers,” Miami Coach Larry Coker said. “Team speed is one thing, but to have the ability to make people miss and score touchdowns is a knack that Roscoe and Devin have.”

Miami also earned a third consecutive “state title” by beating Florida and Florida State in the same season, spoiled interim Coach Charlie Strong’s debut and extended its winning streak against the Gators (7-5) to six games.

This time, the Hurricanes (9-3) didn’t need a strong performance from Brock Berlin. The senior quarterback who transferred from Florida in January 2002 torched his former team in a 38-33 victory last season and mocked fans after the game.

Berlin completed 13 of 23 passes for 171 yards Friday and had a 20-yard touchdown pass to Ryan Moore in the third quarter that made it 24-3.

But Miami’s special teams and defense did more damage.

“In big games like this, you can’t give up big plays,” Strong said. “Miami ended up getting big plays. They got the two big plays in the kicking game.”

Just four plays after a blocked punt gave the Gators great field position, defensive lineman Thomas Carroll blocked Matt Leach’s 32-yard field goal attempt. Hester picked up the loose ball and sprinted the other way for a score.

The momentum swing set the tone for the Hurricanes, who sacked Chris Leak on the next two plays and intercepted a pass late in the second quarter. Miami put constant pressure on Leak and finished with five sacks.

“Chris was never able to get comfortable in the pocket,” Strong said. “They got tons of pressure and a lot of sacks.”

Strong said the special teams breakdowns might not have happened had fired coach Ron Zook been around. Zook also was Florida’s special teams coordinator. “That’s what we missed,” Strong said.

Zook was fired Oct. 25 after a 4-3 start and an embarrassing loss at Mississippi State.

Leach missed a 41-yard field-goal attempt in the waning seconds of the first half that could have sparked the Gators.

Berlin’s touchdown pass early in the third silenced the partisan and packed Georgia Dome.

“We woke up a little bit on offense in the second half,” Coker said.

Still, Leak’s best pass of the game got the Gators back in it. He faked a handoff, had plenty of time and found Jemalle Cornelius wide open on a post pattern for a 45-yard score.

Leak was 19 for 39 for 262 yards with a touchdown and two interceptions.

The comeback was short-lived. Miami capped a 65-yard drive with Jon Peattie’s 32-yard field goal, making it 27-10 early in the fourth.

The Gators couldn’t mount another rally.

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*--* Conference Report The Big 12 and Conference USA have three wins W L each in bowl games: BIG 12 3 1 BIG TEN 2 1 BIG EAST 2 1 CONFERENCE USA 3 2 ATLANTIC COAST 2 2 PACIFIC 10 2 2 WESTERN ATHLETIC 2 2 MOUNTAIN WEST 1 1 INDEPENDENT 1 1 MID-AMERICAN 2 3 SOUTHEASTERN 0 2 SUN BELT 0 2

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