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Orange Bowl Finale A Rout For Virginia

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By TIM REYNOLDS, The Associated Press

Published: November 11, 2007

MIAMI - There were dozens of former star Miami players in attendance for the Orange Bowl's farewell, including some wearing national championship and Super Bowl rings.

Too bad they weren't wearing uniforms. The Hurricanes desperately needed the help.

No. 23 Virginia ended Miami's 70-year stay at the famed stadium in stunningly one-sided fashion Saturday night - dealing the Hurricanes the biggest shutout loss in Orange Bowl history. Mikell Simpson had a pair of 1-yard touchdown runs and quarterback Jameel Sewell scored twice, as the Cavaliers simply overpowered their way to a 48-0 victory.

Chris Cook had a 44-yard fumble return for a score with 2:26 left, putting Virginia's effort into the Miami history books. It topped the 44-0 beating Notre Dame put on the Hurricanes at the Orange Bowl in 1973.

So how's this for one last piece of Orange Bowl history? It was Miami's first home shutout loss since Oct. 4, 1974, against Auburn, and the Hurricanes' worst defeat since losing 66-13 at Syracuse on Nov. 28, 1998. And the last time Miami lost this badly at home was in 1944, when Texas A&M beat the Hurricanes 70-14.

Safe to say, this one hurt a tad more than those.

Farewell, Orange Bowl. It'll likely be demolished within a few months.

The Hurricanes would prefer memories of this finale get bulldozed with it.

Sewell completed 20 of 25 passes and 288 yards for Virginia (9-2, 6-1 Atlantic Coast Conference).

Virginia did most of its damage with its trio of tight ends, who caught 10 passes for 154 yards.

Kyle Wright completed nine of 21 passes for 94 yards for Miami (5-5, 2-4), which ended its Orange Bowl run on a three-game losing streak and needs a win at either Virginia Tech or Boston College in the next two weeks just to become bowl eligible.

The nostalgia-tinged night started on an emotional high, as actor and former Miami defensive lineman Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson introduced the team before it charged onto the field one last time.

"After 70 years of dominance ..." Johnson began.

If this were one of his Hollywood movies, that line would have ended up on the cutting room floor - because the Cavaliers did all the dominating on this night.

Even after those high-energy pregame festivities, the crowd was silent midway through the first quarter.

The 20-minute ceremony honoring past Canes greats was punctuated by a rendition of Queen's "We Are the Champions." Whoops.

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