MIAMI -- Miami's Ken Dorsey has as many career touchdown passes as Steve Walsh and Vinny Testaverde.

Dorsey wants as many national championship rings, too.

He threw two touchdown passes, tying the school record of 48 held by Walsh and Testaverde, and top-ranked Miami overcame a slow start and a sloppy field to beat West Virginia 45-3 Thursday night for their 16th consecutive victory.

Frank Gore comes off the bench for Miami to rush for 124 yards and two long touchdowns. (AP)

"Winning is all that really matters, but it's a great honor for me because that record is held by such great players, people who have proven themselves time and time again," Dorsey said.

Walsh, who was on hand Thursday night, led the Hurricanes to the 1987 title. Testaverde earned a ring as part of the 1983 championship team.

"To be mentioned in the same sentence as those guys is a great honor," Dorsey said.

The Hurricanes, fourth in the Bowl Championship Series standings, hoped to win impressively and possibly gain ground on the leaders.

"The world was watching and we wanted to make a good impression as a great team and a contender for the national championship," safety Ed Reed said.

Miami did, but it needed more than a quarter to get on track.

West Virginia's Avon Cobourne ran for 95 yards in the first half as the Mountaineers held tough. The game was tied at 3 after one quarter, and West Virginia was looking to tie it at 10 when James Lewis intercepted a pass and returned it 74 yards for a score.

The Hurricanes (6-0, 3-0 Big East) ran away from there, scoring 28 second-half points behind backup running back Frank Gore and dominating the Mountaineers (2-5, 0-3) defensively.

Gore, a freshman from Miami, had six carries for 124 yards and two touchdowns. He had a 45-yard run in the third quarter and added a 49-yarder in the fourth.

"I know he had several 300-yard rushing games in high school, and I remember reading all the stats last year," Miami coach Larry Coker said. "After having been around him for a few weeks, I don't see how they held him under 300. The guy is a phenomenal football player. He can do it all. He can catch and he can run."

Clinton Portis had 76 yards and a touchdown on 21 carries before giving way to Gore. With the game in hand, Portis sat out most of the fourth quarter -- as did most starters, including Dorsey.

Dorsey didn't look particularly sharp in the steady rain. He was 16-of-27 for 192 yards and threw an interception. He also fumbled once.

"I don't think Ken was in a good rhythm in the first half," Coker said. "He made some plays, but when we look at the first half, it won't be one of his better first halves. He was a little off balance and he was rushing some throws. It wasn't a typical Ken Dorsey first half."

Miami's defense -- led by Reed -- picked up the slack. Reed had two interceptions for the second consecutive game and recovered a fumble. Reed had two interceptions against Florida State on Oct. 13 and blocked a punt that Miami returned for a touchdown in the 49-27 win.

The Hurricanes, who finished with seven sacks and six turnovers against the Seminoles, had five sacks and six turnovers against West Virginia.

"Our defense was very opportunistic," Coker said. "There are more ways to score on defense than on offense, so we're very happy with the way we created turnovers."

With the game tied at 3, Reed intercepted Derek Jones' pass and set up Miami's first touchdown.

Dorsey hit tight end Jeremy Shockey in the flat on third-and-goal, and as Shockey was being tackled by two defenders, he stretched the ball across the goal line with his right hand for the score.

Six plays later, the Hurricanes scored again -- this one coming on Lewis' interception. Linebacker D.J. Williams hit Jones, causing his pass to float across the middle. Lewis picked it off, then worked his way down the sideline to make it 17-3.

"We're not a real good football team," West Virginia coach Rich Rodriguez said. "We need to get better."

Jones entered the game in the first quarter when starter Brad Lewis injured his neck. Lewis, being driven to the ground by 346-pound defensive tackle Vince Wilfork, hit his head on teammate Tim Brown's knee.

Lewis stayed on the ground for several minutes, then was helped off the field. He had precautionary X-rays during halftime.

Miami took advantage of his absence, pressuring Jones into four interceptions.

"We know how we need to play to win," Coker said. "In the second half, we really opened it up and played well and scored and played great defense. Hopefully that impresses the BCS or the people that make those decisions."

Audio: Dorsey talks about tying the Miami record for TD passes Real | Windows Media

Audio: Larry Coker says Miami came alive in the second half Real | Windows Media

Audio: Coker says he was happy to see Dorsey tie the record Real | Windows Media