Miami would like to be remembered in 1998 for its final performance or maybe its final two performances. Tuesday the Hurricanes picked up where they left off three weeks ago and buried North Carolina State 46-23 in the Micron PC Bowl before 44,387 at Pro Player Stadium. The victory lifted No. 24 Miami to a 9-3 season helped erase bitter memories of last year's 5-6 collapse. Miami closed the season with a flurry, winning six of its final seven games. The victory followed a 49-45 upset of then-No. 3 UCLA on Dec. 5 at the Orange Bowl. Miami didn't let up against the Wolfpack (7-5), which knocked off two teams _ Florida State and Syracuse _ that beat Miami this year. Miami applied the same fast-forward throttle on offense as it did against UCLA. Said coach Butch Davis: "This game was a real tribute to the energy and effort these guys have put in for the last 12 months. It's all related to the perseverance these players have had." Running back Edgerrin James, playing perhaps his final game for the Hurricanes, rushed for 156 yards on 20 carries. He scored touchdowns on runs of 5 and 2 yards. James, considering passing up his senior year to turn pro, followed his 299-yard effort against UCLA with a UM bowl record for most rushing yards. He said he will make his decision about the draft next week. "It's hard to resist the money, but it's also hard to leave a place that has been so good to me," he said. "I'm not leaning either way. I worked hard this season to get us back to where we are now. I know what next year is going to be like for Miami. It will be something special. The decision is tough because this is like my second family." James has proven to be a better college running back than former Miami greats Ottis Anderson, Chuck Foreman and Pete Banaszak. James is one of just three Miami players to rush for more than 1,000 yards in a season and the only one to do it twice. His 1,416 yards rushing this season broke Anderson's 20-year-old school record by 150 yards. "He has to be the best," running backs coach Don Soldinger said. "He's broken just about every record here." James' heir apparent, sophomore James Jackson, took over in the second half, scoring on runs of 13 and 25 yards. He finished with 99 yards on 11 carries. "Their running backs were unbelievable," N.C. State coach Mike O'Cain said. "When you can't stop the run, you're not going to win at any level. "The game turned into a track meet, and we felt as if we had to score every time we had the ball. You're not going to beat a team like Miami doing that." Miami quarterback Scott Covington, selected the game's MVP, completed 17 of 24 passes for 320 yards and two touchdowns. The TDs went to Andre King (4 yards) and Santana Moss (80 yards). N. C. State's Torry Holt, considered among the nation's top receivers, wasn't a factor. Holt (1,604 receiving yards this season) had seven catches for 52 yards. Miami marched 71 yards on nine plays on the opening drive. Covington's 4-yard pass to King gave the Hurricanes the lead. "I was worried," O'Cain said of the drive. "Then, when they did it the second time, I was even more worried, and then a third time more than that. We just weren't flying around. That has a lot to do with them. They attack you. "They ran inside of our ends, inside of our tackles, just about anywhere they wanted to." The Wolfpack answered with an 84-yard drive, most of it conducted on the ground. Quarterback Jamie Barnette scored from the 1, tying the score at 7. But Miami scored on its second possession, with James getting over from the 5 for a 14-7 lead. North Carolina State's Danny Deskevich missed a 30-yard field goal, and Miami struck for a touchdown on the next play. Covington hooked up with Moss for the score, and Miami had a 20-7 lead with 12:49 left in the half. The Hurricanes were penalized for celebration on the touchdown, resulting in a 33-yard point-after kick, which was blocked. Deskevich nailed a 28-yarder, cutting the Wolfpack's deficit to 20-10 with 1:37 left in the half. But the Hurricanes struck for a quick touchdown after that. James ran for 29 yards and followed with a 24-yard catch and a 9-yard run to North Carolina State's 15. James scored from the 2, pushing Miami's lead to 27-10 with 43 seconds left. N.C. State running back Rahshon Spikes (24 carries, 176 yards) fumbled on the next series, with linebacker Nate Webster recovering for the Hurricanes. The turnover led to Crosland's 31-yard field goal, padding Miami's lead to 30-10 with 10:05 left in the third. Miami was on the move again when Moss fumbled after a 13-yard reception to N. C. State's 29. The Wolfpack turned the mistake into a touchdown. Spikes broke through a hole and scored on a 30-yard run, chopping Miami's lead to 30-17 with 5:03 left in the third. Jackson helped put the game away in the fourth quarter, scoring on runs of 13 and 25 yards in 2{ minutes. HURRICANE WARNINGS: Miami can expect to be among the teams to watch next season, despite losing Covington and possibly James. The Hurricanes will return enough firepower to contend for a Big East title: 18 of 22 starters and 39 of 47 on the two-deep chart. If James leaves, the running game would fall upon Jackson and Najeh Davenport. ROSTER SHUFFLE: Miami had some lineup changes: Michael Boireau started for Tampa's Quincy Hipps at defensive end, freshman Mike Rumpf started ahead of Leonard Myers at cornerback, and Nate Brooks got the nod over St. Petersburg's Markese Fitzgerald at cornerback. WORTHY SCHEDULE: Five of Miami's opponents are in bowl games this season: Florida State (Fiesta), Syracuse (Orange), Virginia Tech (Music City), West Virginia (Insight.com) and UCLA (Rose). Next season the Hurricanes play Ohio State on Aug. 29 or 30 in the Kickoff Classic at East Rutherford, N.J. Their non-conference schedule includes Florida State and a home game against Penn State. BOWL CHRISTENING: Youth was definitely served for the Hurricanes. It was the first bowl game for 72 of the 83 players on the roster. Only 11 players went to the Carquest Bowl in 1996. GAME NOTES: The 80-yard touchdown pass from Covington to Moss was the longest scoring pass play in Miami's bowl history. . . . North Carolina State lost backup tailback Ray Robinson, the ACC's Rookie of the Year, with a broken forearm in the second quarter. . . . The Hurricanes played in the same bowl game for the second time in three seasons. Two years ago, They played Virginia in the Carquest Bowl, played at then-Joe Robbie Stadium. _ Information from other news organizations was used in this report. Miami bowl history 1933 Palm Festival _ Miami 7, Manhattan 0 1934 Palm Festival _ Duquesne 33, Miami 7 1935 Orange _ Bucknell 26, Miami 0 1946 Orange _ Miami 13, Holy Cross 6 1951 Orange _ Clemson 15, Miami 14 1952 Gator _ Miami 14, Clemson 0 1961 Liberty _ Syracuse 15, Miami 14 1962 Gotham _ Nebraska 36, Miami 34 1966 Liberty _ Miami 14, Virginia Tech 7 1967 Bluebonnet _ Colorado 31, Miami 21 1981 Peach _ Miami 20, Virginia Tech 10 1984 Orange _ Miami 31, Nebraska 30 1985 Fiesta _ UCLA 39, Miami 37 1986 Sugar _ Tennessee 35, Miami 7 1987 Fiesta _ Penn State 14, Miami 10 1988 Orange _ Miami 20, Oklahoma 14 1989 Orange _ Miami 23, Nebraska 3 1990 Sugar _ Miami 33, Alabama 25 1991 Cotton _ Miami 46, Texas 3 1992 Orange _ Miami 22, Nebraska 0 1993 Sugar _ Alabama 34, Miami 13 1994 Fiesta _ Arizona 29, Miami 0 1995 Orange _ Nebraska 24, Miami 17 1996 Carquest _ Miami 31, Virginia 21 1998 Micron PC _ Miami 46, N.C. St. 23