MIAMI GARDENS, Fla. -- Arkansas State has one of the most experienced defensive backfields in the nation, but that didn't matter much Saturday against Miami.
Phillip Dorsett caught 4 passes for 201 yards and 2 touchdowns to lead the Hurricanes to a 41-20 victory over ASU at Sun Life Stadium.
"Dorsett can fly," said ASU Coach Blake Anderson, who saw Dorsett play the past two years when Anderson was offensive coordinator at North Carolina. "We were scared of him then, and we still are.
"He's one of the fastest guys we will see all year. We had coverages built that would allow us to stay over the top, but we didn't play well."
The Red Wolves (1-2) were in the game through two quarters, trailing 27-14.
Anderson had told his team all week that it would start the third quarter with an onside kick, and the gamble worked. ASU got the ball and picked up a quick first down to reach the Miami 41, but ASU was forced to punt after gaining just 1 yard on a run and two incomplete passes.
On its next possession, still trailing by 13 points and having reached the Miami 31, ASU quarterback Fredi Knighten fumbled when the ball slipped out of his hands while trying to pass.
"Lack of focus. I didn't grip the ball hard enough," Knighten said. "We saw that they weren't getting lined up and we tried to push the tempo button as fast as we could. Mental mistake by me, and they got us."
"Fredi can play better than he did. That was not his best game," Anderson said. "We had a guy open and the opportunity to move the chains [on the fumble]. That was a self-inflicted wound."
Knighten's first turnover of the year was recovered by defensive tackle Olsen Pierre at the Miami 40. Three plays later, freshman quarterback Brad Kaaya hit Dorsett with a 63-yard touchdown pass for the Hurricanes (2-1).
It was one of four touchdown passes thrown by Kaaya, who was sacked 3 times but completed 16 of 24 for 342 yards with 1 interception.
Knighten completed 22 of 40 passes for 217 yards. He also ran for a 1-yard score in the first quarter and caught a 19-yard touchdown pass from wide receiver Tres Houston in the second quarter off a double-reverse pass.
It was the first touchdown reception of Knighten's career and the first thrown by Houston.
Johnston White led ASU with 83 yards and 1 touchdown on 14 carries. He averaged 5.0 per rush, but Anderson said ASU missed injured starter Michael Gordon.
"[Gordon] is one of the few guys on our team who can match speed with [Miami's] speed," Anderson said. "We gave up a matchup without even having him on the field. I thought our other [running backs]battled, but they are not as explosive as Mike. It hurts not having your starting tailback."
J.D. McKissic, ASU's all-time leading receiver, had seven catches for 59 yards but said there were some issues that prevented him from doing more damage.
"Execution played a big factor," he said. "Things didn't work out our way. The quarterback and the receiver -- miscommunication, the guys went too fast and the wideout wasn't lined up at the time. Fredi played [well]. It was just a few missed passes."
One consolation for the Red Wolves is that their schedule should get easier from here.
After losing by 15 points at Tennessee and 21 at Miami, ASU returns home to play host to Utah State on Saturday. Conference play begins the following week with a home game Oct. 4 against Louisiana-Monroe.
"A lot of the teams we play [from here on out] will be evenly matched, or we might be even better," McKissic said. "These two games will get us prepared."
Sports on 09/14/2014