Hurricanes shut down Fitzgerald early

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• Miami vs. Pittsburgh

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PITTSBURGH (AP) -- Miami took Larry Fitzgerald out of the game from the start. Not surprisingly, Pittsburgh quickly followed.

Tyrone Moss and Jarrett Payton became the latest running backs to exploit No. 20 Pitt's weak rush defense, running for more than 100 yards each, and No. 10 Miami locked up a share of its eighth Big East title and a BCS bowl with a 28-14 victory Saturday night.

Miami (10-2, 6-1) exited the Big East for the ACC the same dominating way it entered in 1992 -- on top, with everybody else playing catchup. The Hurricanes officially share the conference title with West Virginia (8-4, 6-1), but it's Miami that's heading to a big bowl -- almost certainly the hometown Orange Bowl, where they last played during the 1994 season.

Moss ran for touchdowns of 30 and 6 yards and Payton had a 1-yard touchdown run as Miami scored on three consecutive first-half possessions to turn a 7-0 deficit into a 21-7 lead. Pitt's rushing defense -- 80th among the nation's 117 Division I-A schools -- now has allowed seven 100-yard rushers.

Pittsburgh (8-4, 5-2) was playing its biggest game since the 1982 season, when it last appeared in a major New Year's Day bowl, but the Panthers did almost nothing after driving 74 yards on their first possession for Rod Rutherford's 2-yard touchdown pass to Kris Wilson.

Nothing new there -- Miami has outscored Pitt 205-76 in winning their last six matchups, and is 10-1 against the Panthers in Big East play.

The Panthers, in the Top 10 earlier this season, will settle for a Continental Tire Bowl matchup against Virginia in what will be regarded as a disappointing season for a team that never did figure out how to stop the run. In its last five games, Pitt has allowed two 200-yard rushers and three 100-yard rushers.

On this night, the Panthers also forgot how to do what they do best: get the ball to Fitzgerald, who was enjoying one of the best seasons ever by a major college receiver until being limited to three catches for 26 yards.

Fitzgerald extended his NCAA record to 18 consecutive games with at least one touchdown reception, on an 18-yarder with 2:45 remaining, his 22nd touchdown of the season. Not that it mattered much.

Miami double-teamed Fitzgerald on nearly every play, with cornerback Antrel Rolle often pressuring him coming off the line of scrimmage. Pitt was already down 21-7 when Fitzgerald made his first catch with 13:34 left in the third quarter.

Rutherford was sacked nine times while going 17-for-30 for 206 yards and three interceptions.

With Miami quarterback Brock Berlin coming off consecutive poor games, the Hurricanes understandably did what nearly every team has done against Pitt by running it early and often.

Moss, who began the season as a third-team running back, ran four times for all of Miami's 48 yards on its first scoring drive late in the first quarter, finishing it off with a 30-yard touchdown run.

Moss then carried eight more times for 41 yards, including his 6-yard scoring run, on the first of consecutive 80-yard Miami scoring drives. The long drives turned the momentum and quieted a chilly crowd of 60,486 that withstood a gametime wind chill factor of 20 to watch the final Big East game with the league's current configuration.

Payton had 17 carries for 131 yards and Moss carried 21 times for 115 yards.

The game's biggest play came on the second of those 80-yard drives. With Pitt looking for Miami to throw to the strong side on third-and-9 from its 21, Jason Geathers caught a screen pass from Berlin behind three blockers and turned it into a 78-yard gain to the 1. Payton scored a play later and, with 3:59 still left in the first half, some fans already could be spotted heading for their heated cars.

Right about then, the scoreboard and clock went out and stayed off the rest of the game, depriving the Hurricanes of a visible reminder of how in command they were.