North Carolina State University Athletics
NC State
#4 Miami
Wolfpack Falls To No. 4 Miami, 45-31
10/24/2004 12:00:00 AM | Football
Oct. 23, 2004
By KEITH PARSONS
AP Sports Writer
RALEIGH, N.C. - The top-ranked defense in the country? Brock Berlin made North Carolina State look downright average.
The Miami quarterback tied a school record with five touchdown passes and Devin Hester returned the opening kickoff 100 yards for another score, helping the No. 4 Hurricanes hold off the Wolfpack 45-31 Saturday night.
The Hurricanes (6-0, 3-0 Atlantic Coast Conference) allowed 440 yards - 299 in the first half alone - but remained the only team in the conference without a loss. They took advantage of numerous miscues by the Wolfpack (4-3, 3-2), who were trying to beat a top-10 team for the first time since 2001.
They went deep in their playbook, too. Kicker John Deraney recovered an onside kick in the first quarter, and later, tailback T.A. McLendon took a direct snap and ran for 13 yards out of the first of two unusual formations used by the Wolfpack.
Also, taped messages of encouragement from former N.C. State stars Torry Holt and Philip Rivers played on the scoreboard.
It wasn't enough. Miami used two dominating drives just after halftime to take a 38-17 lead and cruised from there, thanks mostly to Berlin. In Miami's previous game against Louisville, he helped the Hurricanes rally from a 17-point deficit in the final 20 minutes in what coach Larry Coker called the best performance of Berlin's career.
He was even better in this one.
Two of his scoring tosses went to Roscoe Parrish, including a 27-yarder early in the second quarter on the first play after N.C. State's Bobby Washington fumbled on a kickoff return. Sinorice Moss, Quadtrine Hill and Lance Leggett caught the other touchdown passes, and Moss later dropped another sure score.
Berlin finished 15-for-30 for 265 yards and added a couple of clutch third-down runs to keep drives going. Bernie Kosar, Steve Walsh and Ken Dorsey are the other players with five TD passes at Miami, which piled up 416 yards. N.C. State had been allowing only about 204 a game.
McLendon ran for 145 yards, but the Wolfpack still lost for the second straight time when he reaches triple figures. They had been 8-0 until the recent skid.
Jay Davis threw four touchdown passes for N.C. State, which couldn't overcome Washington's fumble and three other turnovers in the first half.
The first came as the Wolfpack were trailing 14-10 and driving. On third-and-6 from Miami's 34, Davis lofted a pass into double coverage, and Anthony Reddick made a diving interception at the 13.
Then, after N.C. State had great field position following a blocked punt, McLendon burst through the secondary on his way to the goal line. He got just inside the 10 before he fumbled, and the ball rolled through the end zone for a touchback.
Davis also gave up the ball as he was sacked by Kareem Brown late in the first half, and Brown returned it all the way to the N.C. State 18. But after an incompletion by Berlin, Jon Peattie hooked a 36-yard field goal, leaving the Hurricanes with a 28-17 lead.
