Miami 37
Nebraska 14

Jan. 3, 2002 - 7:20 p.m. Central
Rose Bowl | Pasadena, CA | ABC
1st 2nd 3rd 4th Total
Nebraska 0 0 7 7 14
Miami 7 27 0 3 37 

First quarter
UM: A. Johnson 49 pass from Dorsey (Sievers kick) 6:51
Second quarter
UM: Portis 39 run (Sievers kick) 14:33
UM: Lewis 47 int. return (Sievers kick) 12:52
UM: Shockey 21 pass from Dorsey (kick failed) 10:40
UM: A. Johnson 8 pass from Dorsey (Sievers kick) 3:35
Third quarter
NU: J. Davies 16 run (J Brown kick) 2:38
Fourth quarter
NU: Groce 71 punt return (J Brown kick) 14:28
UM: Sievers 37 field goal, 10:04

                        NU        UM 
First downs             16        18 
  By rushing            14         6
  By passing             2        12
  By penalty             0         0
Rushed-yards        49-197    26-110 
Passing yards           62       362 
  Comp-Att-Int      5-15-1   22-35-1 
Total offense       64-259    61-472
  Avg. per play        4.0       7.7
Sacked-yards lost     3-26       0-0 
Return yards            85        84 
Punts               5-40.6    4-35.8 
Fumbles-lost           4-2       2-0 
Penalties-yards       4-26     12-85 
Possession time      34:27     25:33
Third-Down Conv.      5/15      6/13
Fourth-Down Conv.      1/4       0/0
Sacks By-Yards         0-0      3-26

RUSHING
NU: Crouch 22-114, Diedrick 15-47, Judd Davies 5-16, T Collins 6-10, Zajicek 1-10.

UM: Portis 20-104, W McGahee 2-7, Gore 2-3, Team 2-minus 4.

PASSING
NU: Crouch 5-15-1-62.
UM: Dorsey 22-35-1-362.

RECEIVING
NU: W Thomas 3-36, Wistrom 2-26.

UM: A. Johnson 7-199, Shockey 5-85, Beard 4-41, Portis 4-26, Jones 1-7, R Williams 1-4.

Att: 93,781
Embed from Getty Images
Embed from Getty Images

Coverage

Stats & Recap
COMPLETE STATS

’Canes whip Huskers, take national title

The top-ranked Miami Hurricanes capped off a perfect season with a 37-14 win over fourth-ranked Nebraska Cornhuskers in the Rose Bowl, giving college football the undisputed national champion it desperately wanted.

Fears that a strange season would end in controversy and a split championship proved unfounded as the Rose Bowl turned into a blowout with 12-0 Miami collecting its fifth national title.

Ken Dorsey turned in a clinical performance, throwing for three touchdowns, but it was Miami’s top-rated defense that took credit for the victory, shutting down the Cornhuskers’ Heisman trophy-winning quarterback Eric Crouch and Nebraska’s vaunted running game.

A fumble by Crouch in the first quarter led to Miami’s opening score, Dorsey hitting Andre Johnson with a 49-yard touchdown strike on the first snap after the turnover.

Clinton Portis capped off a five-play drive with a 39-yard run to open the second quarter before the Canes’ defense went back to work, James Lewis picking off Crouch and returning the ball 42 yards for a touchdown.

In control, the Hurricanes refused to let up, Dorsey adding to his record-setting night with touchdown strikes to Jeremy Shockey and Johnson again to send Miami into halftime with a commanding 34-0 lead.

Late touchdowns from Judd Davies and DeJuan Groce on a 71-yard punt return helped keep the score respectable for the Cornhuskers, who finished the season with their first back-to-back losses since 1990.

Recap source: Huskers.com

Omaha World-Herald
Lincoln Journal Star
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Nebraska StatePaper
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Husker Press Box
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Miami Herald
St. Pete Times
South Florida Sun-Sentinel
Inside The U (2020)
National sources
ESPN
Sports Illustrated
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CBS SportsLine
Associated Press
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Denver Post
Orange County Register
Kansas City Star
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Ft. Worth Star-Telegram
New York Times*
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Photos/Audio/Video
Photos
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Pregame & team info
2001 schedule
04/14 Reds 16, Whites 7
08/25 TCU W 21-7
09/01 Troy St. W 42-14
09/08 Notre Dame W 27-10
09/20 Rice W 48-3
09/29 @ Missouri W 36-3
10/06 Iowa St. W 48-14
10/13 @ Baylor W 48-7
10/20 Texas Tech W 41-31
10/27 Oklahoma W 20-10
11/03 @ Kansas W 51-7
11/10 Kansas St. W 31-21
11/23 @ Colorado L 36-62
01/03 Miami L 14-37

Commentary

Colonel Mustard

Why did we continue to run wide against a defense that is the fastest we’ve faced all year?


Colonel Mustard
HuskerMax
Shatel

Nebraska looked overmatched on the biggest stage in college football, and it made you wonder if they should have been in this game at all. In hindsight, they shouldn’t have been.

Tom Shatel
Omaha World-Herald
McKeever

Let there also be no question that Frank Solich’s team was in a mismatch of athletic talent.

Curt McKeever
Lincoln Journal Star
Douglass

In the week leading up to the game, you could tell that the Hurricanes were supremely confident. Turns out, it was for good reason.

Terry Douglass
Grand Island Independent
Red Clad Loon

Nebraska had about as much chance with this Miami Pound Machine as Gerry Faust has in coaching a team to the Super Bowl.

Red Clad Loon
Mabry

Feeling the weight of an entire state, and seeing just about every one of its citizens at the Rose Bowl on Thursday, Crouch made mistakes. He also made plays that no mortal should make.

John Mabry
Lincoln Journal Star
Ayoub

Here’s what Miami did better than the Huskers in the first half: block, tackle, run, pass, catch, cover kicks and drive the team bus.

George Ayoub
Grand Island Independent
Pope

You may never see any more instantly rabid attack than UM’s for three touchdowns in a four-minute span in the second quarter.

Edwin Pope
Miami Herald
Le Batard

There were times you got the feeling poor Crouch was tossing the football to his tailback just because he didn’t really want to be holding it anymore.

Dan Le Batard
Miami Herald
Wojciechowski

If you’ll just explain to me who would have beaten Miami Thursday night I’ll happily hop aboard the anti-BCS train.

Gene Wojciechowski
ESPN
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