Rose Bowl notebook: Miami safety calls 'Canes best of all time

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PASADENA, Calif. — Miami senior safety Edward Reed said there's no doubt about it — the Hurricanes are the best college football team ever.

He repeated the claim, over and over — the best team ever.

"A lot of people are saying we might be the best in history. If you're asking me, we are," said Reed, who was in on nine tackles. "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."

Win one, lose one

Standout Nebraska cornerback Keyuo Craver intercepted Ken Dorsey's pass early but was victimized shortly after for the game's first touchdown.

Dorsey threw a 49-yard touchdown pass to Andre Johnson, who was alone when he made the reception at the 15. Craver was far behind, on the ground.

"He pulled me down, I went down, there's no excuse for it," Craver said of Johnson. "They're very physical."

Of Johnson, who's only a sophomore, Craver said: "He's fast, physical, he's got good hands. He proved he was a great receiver."

Gone, but not forgotten

Former Miami Coach Butch Davis, who left to coach the NFL's Cleveland Browns last January, says he has no regrets even though the Hurricanes won the national title and the Browns are out of playoff contention.

"No, not one. None whatsoever," he said.

While Davis wasn't on hand for any of Miami's 12 wins this season, he rebuilt the program after the NCAA stripped it of 31 scholarships over a three-year period beginning in 1995.

Davis not only got the program back in the national spotlight, he had a hand in recruiting every player on this year's team.

The Hurricanes have won 22 consecutive games and earned their fifth national championship and first since 1991.

"I'm very proud of them. I know all those kids. I know the type of kids they are. I know the hard work that went into it," said Davis, whose Browns have seven victories this season after winning just five games the last two years combined. "It's not a six-month thing that got them in there. It's a four-, five-, six-year process."

Davis spent six years at Miami, but resigned to sign a five-year contract worth about $15 million with the Browns.

Notes

• The last time the Rose Bowl did not have a matchup between the Pac-10 and the Big Ten was 1946, when Alabama beat Southern California 34-14.

• Miami's three major sports — football, basketball and baseball — have a combined 53-game winning streak after the Rose Bowl.

• The Hurricanes won the baseball championship in Omaha, about 60 miles northeast of the Nebraska campus. The last school to win both the College World Series and a national title in football was Southern California in 1972.

• Los Angeles Lakers star Shaquille O'Neal watched the game from the Miami sideline along with former Hurricane stars Lamar Thomas, Cortez Kennedy, Russell Maryland, Gino Torretta, Dan Stubbs and Damone Lewis.