The Hurricanes kick off in classic style

Sporting News, The, Sept 6, 1999 by Mark Blaudschun

It was just one game, one win. "Doesn't prove a thing," Miami coach Butch Davis says. "We're 1-0." But make no mistake, Miami's 23-12 victory over Ohio State in the Kickoff Classic last Sunday wasn't your usual season opener.

Miami football has not been much of a factor in the world occupied by Ohio State, Florida State, Tennessee, Nebraska and Florida, the primetime college football players of the 1990s.

The Hurricanes suffered mightily from the NCAA probation placed on the program in 1995. At times during the last five rebuilding seasons, Davis would look out on the practice field and wasn't sure if he was coaching a I-A team. As recently as two years ago, Miami had only 56 scholarship players, a formula for disaster for any program with national championship hopes.

Even now, finally back at full strength with 85 scholarships, Miami is loaded with youth. Davis has 56 scholarship players who are either freshmen or sophomores. The difference is those players are high in star quality, such as sophomore quarterback Kenny Kelly, who made his starting debut a winning one Sunday.

Instead of having walk-ons as backups, Davis can use scholarship players. He can mix and match as he sees fit.

With due apologies to Virginia Tech, which has carried the flag for the Big East as standard bearer for most of the past five years, the league needs Miami to be good, if not great, in order to establish itself among the elite conferences such as the Big Ten and SEC.

"There is no question that Miami's success is good for the league," says Big East commissioner Mike Tranghese, who now must worry about a league like the ACC coming in and cherry-picking teams such as Miami and Syracuse. "For them to be back--and I think they are probably a recruiting class away from being completely back--is good for us, but it's better for Miami."

Tranghese does not think Miami will ever achieve the dominance it had in the 1980s when it was winning four national championships from 1983 to '91.

"Too much has changed, with scholarship limitations and the balance of power," Tranghese says. "But Miami can certainly expect to compete with anyone in the country. And if they get good, that helps everyone else in our league."

Miami's win over Ohio State was a marquee game, played before a national TV audience. It is the kind of win Miami and its fans took for granted a short time ago.

In winning, the Hurricanes showed some of their old flair. They displayed a tenacious defense that completely throttled the Buckeyes after a first quarter in which Ohio State took a 9-7 lead.

They made big plays on offense with a flair and a style. They successfully ran 2-point conversions. They ran the ball against a good defense.

Solid, basic stuff.

But more important, as Davis and Kelly and several other players suggest, the win proved to the 'Canes that they can play with anyone. "We're good, very good," says Kelly, who threw a touchdown, ran for one, but also tossed an interception and fumbled twice. "But for us to be like the Miami teams of the past, we have to be 13-0 and win in the Superdome (site of the BCS title game in New Orleans). If we do that, then I'll tell you we're back."

Whatever happens, Miami, for the time being at least, has confidence in itself. That is probably the biggest benefit.

"Win one game and it helps you with the next," Davis says. "That's why this was a big win. Now our kids go into the next game thinking they can do things."

Miami has the tools. It has the skill players. It is close to having the depth. A win against Penn State in two weeks would give the program tremendous confidence. Also looming is a game October 9 at Florida State.

Few people expected the Hurricanes to run the table on their three big early matchups. Truth be told, Miami still may be a notch behind Virginia Tech in its own conference.

But sometimes perception is reality. And as this college football season begins, the perception is that Miami is close to being where it once was.

As Davis said after the game, last Sunday's win over Ohio State makes the Hurricanes only 1-0. But it is a much different 1-0, than say a win over Florida A&M, which would have been the team's normal opener this week were it not for the Kickoff Classic.

RELATED ARTICLE: Delicate situation in Ann Arbor

Michigan coach Lloyd Carr continues to juggle his delicate situation at quarterback, where both Drew Henson and Tom Brady expect to play this season.

Going into Michigan's opener against Notre Dame this week, Carr was remaining quiet about his final decision. Brady is the starter for now, deservedly so after last season, in which he guided the Wolverines back from an 0-2 start and into contention for the Big Ten title.

Henson is the baseball phenom who doesn't need football, other than for the sheer joy of playing the game. He already has money and a future in baseball in the Yankees' organization. Now he wants to play quarterback at Michigan.

What's Carr going to do? Split the difference. Look for both quarterbacks to play as Carr tries to win games and keep everyone happy. History suggests it won't work, but Carr can afford to gamble, at least for a few weeks. --M.B.