Miami Expects the Good Huskers Defense to Show Up In Rose Bowl
Jan 2, 2002
By RICHARD ROSENBLATT
AP Football Writer
LOS ANGELES (AP) – Art Kehoe throws away past performances when Miami playsNebraska.
The Hurricanes’ offensive line coach has been a part of four Orange Bowlsinvolving the teams, and on Thursday night, it’ll be a Rose Bowl matchup in theBCS national title game.
Miami’s key to victory is its ability to focus on the good Nebraska defense,not the one that showed up in a 62-36 loss at Colorado on Nov. 23.
“All the other stuff before is out,” Kehoe said. “In a game like this,we’re going to have to play our tails off and find a way to win. We have greatrespect for them. They have a great team. I know we’re in for a big-timescrap.”
He’s probably right. Top-ranked Miami (11-0) is favored by eight points, butthe Hurricanes upset the 17-point favorite Cornhuskers in the Orange Bowl towin the 1983 national title.
While All-American left tackle Bryant McKinnie figures the ‘Canes canduplicate Colorado’s domination, right tackle Joaquin Gonzalez is a bit morerealistic.
“The ends are their best defensive players and we’ve got to contain them onthe pass rush,” Gonzalez said, referring to DeMoine Adams and Chris Kelsay.”They also have some great linebackers, so we’ll definitely have to takeadvantage of their secondary.”
Which is what McKinnie expects to happen.
“Once you get through their front seven, the secondary looked like it hadtrouble tackling,” McKinnie said. “We’re going to open some holes, there’sgoing to be some big plays made. … Our backs, Frank Gore and Clint Portis,will have fun.”
These days, it’s easy to bash the Blackshirts, the name given to Nebraska’sstarting defensive players.
Rolling to 11 straight wins by an average margin of nearly 29 points, theHuskers (11-1) broke down in Boulder. The 62 points were the most allowed by aNebraska defense, with Colorado piling up 592 total yards, 380 on the ground,and reserve Chris Brown running for six touchdowns.
It’s been a humbling experience for a proud program.
“To be a part of that is disappointing and embarrassing to an extent,”Kelsay said. “We have guys all over the nation watching every game we play. Welet them down, we let ourselves down, it’s a huge disappointment.”
“I don’t think most people on this team can get over the loss until afterthis game,” cornerback Keyuo Craver said.
Portis, who ran for 1,200 yards and 10 touchdowns, says going against theBlackshirts is “scary and exciting.” Scary because he knows adjustments havebeen made and he doesn’t know what they are, exciting because “maybe we can dowhat Colorado did and expose them.”
Thanks to the wacky world of the Bowl Championship Series, at least Nebraskahas a chance at redemption.
After the loss to Colorado, the Huskers appeared out of the national titlechase. But an extraordinary string of upsets allowed them to end up secondbehind Miami in the final BCS standings, just five hundredths of a point aheadof Colorado. Oregon, which defeated Colorado 38-16 in the Fiesta Bowl onTuesday, was fourth.
If the Huskers win, there’s a strong chance Oregon (11-1) will grab a shareof the national title by finishing first in the AP media poll.
In the two polls that crown champions, the top four teams are Miami, Oregon,Colorado and Nebraska. The Rose winner is automatically crowned champions inthe USA Today-ESPN coaches poll.
“Right now, we’ve got a lot to prove to the nation,” Kelsay said. “We’vegot to show them the type of team we really have.”
The task is formidable, as coach Frank Solich knows all too well. As aNebraska assistant under Tom Osborne, he watched Miami win two national titleswith Orange Bowl wins over the Huskers – 31-30 in the ’84 game, and 22-0 in the’92 OB.
“Miami’s not an easy team to play, they generally move the ball againstanybody they play,” Solich said. “The idea is to slow them down, not let themget out of control.”
While the Huskers hope their defense rebounds, Heisman Trophy winner EricCrouch must find ways to score on Miami’s aggressive defense. Led byAll-American safety Ed Reed, the ‘Canes held opponents to a national-low 9.4points per game, and finished first in turnovers (45) and interceptions (27).
“They react pretty fast to pretty much everything,” Crouch said. “Thebiggest thing we have to do is get bodies on bodies and not miss blocks. Bephysical, make contact. That’s the biggest way to attack their speed.”
Crouch is certainly capable. He ran for 1,115 yards and 18 TDs, and threwfor 1,510 yards and seven more scores.
“What scares me most about him is when he drops back and scrambles,” Miamicornerback Phillip Buchanon said. “He has a lot of running ability. He’s aplayer.”
