Miami reclaims top spot; Irish still ranked third
By ERIC CHANOWICH and ERIX SENDELBACH
After five weeks of dancing among the top five, the Hurricanes have finally regained their No. 1 spot in the Sendwich Index. Miami used a solid road win against Tennessee and a loss by former No. 1 Oklahoma to ascend from a distant second.
The Hurricanes' dominating defense thwarted any upset hopes the Volunteers may have had.
Tennessee mustered only 200 yards of offense, more than a third of which came on a 74-yard run by Cedric Houston on the second play of the game. Houston's dash set up Tennessee's lone field goal.
Miami took over and cruised to a 26-3 victory behind Heisman hopefuls Ken Dorsey and Willis McGahee. Dorsey was 19-for-37 for 244 yards and a touchdown while McGahee ran the ball 29 times for 151 yards and a score. Kicker Todd Sievers did the rest, making four of five field goals.
The loss was the fourth of the year for Tennessee, as they settled in at No. 45. Miami was previously No. 2.
Wild Finishes
LSU's Devery Henderson miraculously caught a triple-tipped 75-yard game-winning touchdown against Kentucky with no time remaining. While this may be the play of the year, Virginia Tech and Syracuse likely provided the most exciting game of the year.
In a contest that saw numerous lead changes, Syracuse's Damien Rhodes gave the Orangemen the victory with a 25-yard touchdown and an ensuing two-point conversion in the third overtime. The Hokies were intercepted on the second play of their half of the third overtime to end the game with a 50-42 Syracuse victory. Virginia Tech previously missed a potential game-winning 36-yard field goal in the first overtime.
Both teams usually favor the ground game, but the Hokies, who were without the Kevin Jones half of their elite running back tandem, turned to quarterback Bryan Randall on offense.
Though his team fell short, Randall answered the call with 505 yards and three touchdowns. Syracuse's Troy Nunes accumulated 404 yards and a touchdown.
Despite a disappointing season, the Orangemen won their third game in a row, while handing Virginia Tech its second consecutive loss. Virginia Tech dropped five spots to No. 20, while Syracuse skyrocketed from No. 104 to No. 52.
Bucking Broncos
The Broncos of Boise State have some kick this season. For years, they have been infamous for playing on a blue turf field, but the Broncos are finally getting some recognition for what they do on that field.
Boise State owns a 6-0 record in the WAC and a 9-1 overall record, with their lone loss coming at Arkansas. The Broncos should cruise in their final two games against Louisiana Tech (3-6) and at Nevada (5-5).
With 144 points on 24 touchdowns, halfback Brock Forsey is the nation's leading scorer. Forsey is 38 points ahead of the rest of the pack and he's part of the reason why Boise State's offense leads the nation in scoring, averaging 47.9 points per game.
Despite their prolific numbers and a No. 23 ranking in the coaches poll, Boise State may not be going anywhere for a bowl game this year. The Broncos will likely be playing in the Humanitarian Bowl on their blue home turf where and face the No. 8 team from the Big 12.
The Broncos will probably receive offers from larger bowl games, but the WAC officials, with a likely scenario of only three bowl-eligible teams, would like to keep the Broncos in one of its three bowl ties — the Humanitarian Bowl, the Hawaii Bowl and the Silicon Valley Football Classic.
Boise State is currently ranked No. 33 in the Sendwich Index. They peaked as high as No. 21 two weeks ago.
The views expressed in this column ar those of the authors and not necessarily those of The Observer. Contact Eric Chanowich at echanowic@nd.edu and Eric Sendelbach at esendelba@nd.edu
All Sports Stories for Tuesday, November 12, 2002
