No. 1 Miami 28, No. 17 Pittsburgh 21

Friday, November 22nd 2002, 12:00 am

By: News On 6

MIAMI (AP) _ Pittsburgh cornerback Torrie Cox walked off the field, into the tunnel, took off his helmet and slammed it to the concrete floor. Broken pieces flew everywhere as Cox repeatedly screamed in frustration.

Cox and No. 17 Pitt took little solace in playing top-ranked Miami tough Thursday night. The Panthers, having won 14 of 16 games and nine straight in the Big East, thought they could beat Miami, played like they could beat Miami and almost beat Miami.

Almost.

Heisman Trophy hopefuls Willis McGahee and Ken Dorsey bailed out the Hurricanes once again. McGahee ran 19 times for 159 yards and two touchdowns, and Dorsey led Miami on two second-half scoring drives in the 28-21 victory.

``We're tough to hold down for an entire game,'' Dorsey said.

Miami (10-0, 5-0) extended its winning streak to a nation-best 32 games, pushed its Big East-record winning streak to 22 games and moved two victories away from a berth in the Fiesta Bowl to play for another national title. The defending champions finish the season at Syracuse and at home against struggling Virginia Tech.

``Our goal's in sight, but no team's going to give it to us,'' Dorsey said. ``We proved that last year against Boston College and Virginia Tech. No team is going to just hand it to us.''

The Panthers (8-3, 5-1) certainly didn't.

After falling behind 28-14 in the fourth quarter, the Panthers had a chance to tie in the final minutes. Rod Rutherford, Pitt's pesky and resilient quarterback, scored on a 3-yard run with 4:37 to play, cutting the deficit to a touchdown. The Panthers then forced Miami to punt, getting the ball back with 2:12 left.

They drove to the Miami 25, and Rutherford misfired on two consecutive passes. Then he connected with Yogi Roth for a 5-yard gain to set up a fourth-and-5 from the 20. Roth was wide open again, this time on a slant pattern at the goal line, but Rutherford's pass sailed past his outstretched arms and through the end zone.

Meltdown avoided.

``We gave a championship-type effort, and we were very close to getting it done,'' said Pitt coach Walt Harris, whose team gained 343 yards to Miami's 315. ``It was a tough game to lose.''

Rutherford was sacked four times, all in the first half, but he kept the Hurricanes off-balance with a good mix of running and passing. He finished with 68 yards rushing and completed 17 of 38 passes for 150 yards and two touchdowns.

It just wasn't enough.

``He hung in there, made some good throws down the stretch and gave us a chance to win the game,'' Harris said.

Luckily for the Hurricanes, winning is all that matters anymore. Ranked first in the Bowl Championship Series standings and with just two undefeated teams remaining, all Miami has to do is win out to guarantee a trip to Tempe.

Winning big doesn't matter. Winning pretty doesn't matter. Nonetheless, the Canes have to be concerned with another slow start and the frantic finish.

Dorsey, wearing a soft cast on his sprained left wrist, struggled in the first half. He was 5-of-15 for 13 yards with an interception that led to Pitt's first touchdown. Miami scored twice in the first half, once on a 78-yard punt return and once on a long run.

Dorsey bounced back in the second half, though, and threw two perfect fade passes to Andre Johnson _ one for a touchdown and another that led to a score. He finished 14-of-26 for 163 yards, but may have lost Heisman votes to McGahee in the nationally televised game.

On Miami's first play after Pitt took a 14-7 lead late in the second quarter, McGahee ran left, turned upfield, broke through two tacklers and sprinted 69 yards for the tying score.

The run put McGahee over 100 yards for the eighth time, tying the single-season record held by Ottis Anderson (1978) and Clinton Portis (2001).

McGahee also scored from 7 yards out in the fourth quarter, giving Miami a 14-point lead. His two TD runs gave him 19 and broke the team record of 17 set by Edgerrin James in 1998.

``McGahee was great. He was the key guy in this game,'' Harris said.

After McGahee's second score, he placed his fingers in the shape of a diamond _ a pop-culture symbol that represents a dynasty. The gesture might have been appropriate for the Hurricanes, but it definitely was premature _ for the game and maybe for the season.

Pitt proved that.

``We're not into moral victories,'' Harris said. ``These guys are too serious about football to be excited about getting it close. We were close but didn't get over the hump.''