Alabama Coach Bill Curry was convinced - Miami made the key plays to win the Sugar Bowl and should be ranked No. 1.
"I guess Miami is Number 1," Curry said after the No. 2 Hurricanes beat No. 7 Alabama 33-25 Monday. "They beat Notre Dame, and Notre Dame beat Colorado. "They ran their offense and beat us ... I thought we could stop the running game better than that. They stopped our running game. Those were the keys to the game."About a half hour before Miami's victory, No. 4 Notre Dame knocked off top-ranked Colorado 21-6 in the Orange Bowl. Miami beat Notre Dame 27-10 Nov. 25.
"There's not a doubt in my mind who's Number 1 - that's us," said Hurricane quarterback Craig Erickson, the Sugar Bowl's Most Valuable Player.
Erickson was 17 of 27 for 250 yards and 3 touchdowns in guiding Miami to its 11th win of the season against one loss. Alabama finished 10-2.
"The people still have to vote," Hurricane Coach Dennis Erickson said. "I think we are the best, but that's up to the people to decide."
While Alabama was shut down on the ground - limited to 38 yards - the Hurricanes rolled up 227.
Miami saved its best defensive performance of the year for the second half, limiting the Tide to 4 yards on the ground and 85 in the air.
"Everybody pulled together in the second half," Miami linebacker Bernard Clark said. "When I walked out after halftime and saw the (Notre Dame-Colorado) score, I got pumped up. I knew we had a chance."
Alabama tried running its offense with no huddle and quarterback Gary Hollingsworth spent much of the game in the shotgun formation in an effort to confuse and disrupt the Miami scheme. Curry admitted the new wrinkles didn't work.