PASADENA, Calif. — Leading up to the Rose Bowl, everybody talked about the speed of the Miami defense.
Afterward, it was much the same, which was annoying to defensive lineman Matt Walters.
"We have the reputation of being fast and a finesse team," Walters said after the top-ranked Hurricanes beat Nebraska 37-14 Thursday night to complete an unbeaten season. "People give us that reputation.
"Nebraska prides itself on being the big, physical team. I think we surprised them. I don't think they thought we'd be as physical as we were."
Nebraska offensive tackle Dave Volk said he wasn't surprised with Miami's physical nature. And that wasn't all.
"Their defense is solid across the board, they don't have any weaknesses," Volk said. "I don't know if they're the fastest we've played. They are the most disciplined. They're very well-coached."
Walters, a 6-foot-5, 263-pound junior, said the Hurricanes worked overtime on stopping the option, and they did a good job save a few big plays that meant little in the end.
"I'd like to say we're the best defensive team in America, and we practice so hard," Walters said.
REED SAYS HURRICANES THE BEST: Miami senior safety Edward Reed, a first-team All-American, said there's no doubt about it — the Hurricanes are the best college football team ever.
"A lot of people are saying we might be the best in history. If you're asking me, we are," he said. "We've got a lot of great players here. We can play with anybody ever on both sides of the ball and special teams.
"We went 12-0. There were a lot of people talking that they should be here. They weren't. We were. And we won big.
"The only team that can beat us is ourselves."
Reed was in on nine tackles in the final game of his college career.
CRAVER TAKES A FALL: Standout Nebraska cornerback Keyuo Craver intercepted a pass from Ken Dorsey early in the Rose Bowl but was victimized a few minutes later, costing the Cornhuskers the game's first touchdown.
And Miami would lead the rest of the way.
On the first play following William Joseph's recovery of a fumble by Heisman Trophy winner Eric Crouch at the Nebraska 49 in the first quarter, Dorsey threw a touchdown pass to Andre Johnson, who was alone when he made the reception at the 15.
Craver was far up the field, on the ground.
"He pulled me down, I went down, there's no excuse for it," Craver said. "They're very physical.
"They talked the talk and walked the walk. They jumped on us early. When you get down early against a good team, it's hard to come back."
Of the first half, which ended with Miami leading 34-0, Craver said, "It reminded me of Colorado," referring to the Buffaloes' 62-36 win over Nebraska on Nov. 23.
NO MIRACLE THIS TIME: Although his team was 34 points behind at halftime, Nebraska's Dahrran Diedrick said the Cornhuskers hadn't given up hope.
And one of the reasons was Ohio State's comeback from a 28-0 deficit against South Carolina two days earlier in the Outback Bowl.
"Miracles happen," Diedrick said. "We just had that mentality of coming back and winning."
It didn't happen, as was the case with Ohio State, which tied South Carolina before losing 31-28 on a last-second field goal.
"We were hoping to get a win to let the critics shut up," Diedrick said. "It's not going to be that way. We deserved to be here."
Nebraska was ranked second in the final BCS standings despite being fourth in both the Associated Press and ESPN-USA Today polls following the regular season. The Cornhuskers finished seventh in the coaches' poll and eighth in the writers' poll.
MIAMI'S VILMA EMERGES AS A FORCE: Jonathan Vilma, a 6-foot-2, 211-pound sophomore who backed up star Dan Morgan in the 2000 season, was a force in the Rose Bowl, making eight tackles, including one sack and two others for losses.
Vilma, who led the Hurricanes with 79 tackles during the regular season, including five for losses, said he learned a lot from Morgan.
"I was up in his face asking him crazy questions all the time," Vilma said with a smile. "People know us as Linebacker U. I wanted to keep that going."
SHAQ ON THE SIDELINES: Los Angeles Lakers star Shaquille O'Neal watched the game from the Miami sidelines along with former Hurricane stars Lamar Thomas, Cortez Kennedy, Russell Maryland, Gino Torretta, Dan Stubbs and Damone Lewis.
"I'm just here having a good time," O'Neal said. "The guys from Miami invited me down."
O'Neal congratulated both Miami and Louisiana State, his alma mater, for their bowl victories. LSU beat Illinois in the Sugar Bowl on New Year's Day.
Florida governor Jeb Bush also attended the game.