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Teams with the most room to grow

Sporting News, The, Sept 27, 2004

Miami. Quarterback Brock Berlin is fantastic in the 2-minute offense but struggles the rest of the game. As the Hurricanes run more shotgun and running back Frank Gore gets back into the swing of things, Miami will be even better than expected,

East Carolina. All that's missing is a visor. East Carolina adopted Florida's old Fun 'n' Gun attack under new coordinator Noah Brindise to try to jump start the John Thompson era. There are early signs this will grow into one of the league's most dangerous offenses.

Toledo. A fringe preseason top 25 team and the favorite to win the MAC title, the Rockets have stunk because of a defense that gives up 21 points during the pregame meal. The experienced offense will be fine, and the defense will improve.

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Air Force. The team was begging to go through rough patches when it started true freshman quarterback Shaun Carney, but he has been solid while running a complex option attack. Once he gets the intricacies down, Air Force will have a great player to build around.

Arizona. Fans were expecting new coach Mike Stoops to instantly recreate the "Desert Swarm" days. That'll take a little while, but the 'Cats have enough young playmakers and good athletes on defense to make a big leap forward this year.

Mississippi. So maybe Eli Manning was more than a last name and a bad haircut. Ole Miss has done nothing so far to show there's life without him. But this still is a strong team that'll be fine once it gets past off-the-field problems and shaky quarterback play.

North Texas. The supposedly loaded Mean Green offense, hurt by injuries to tailback Patrick Cobbs, has hit a snag, and the defense went bye-bye when Brandon Kennedy's eligibility expired. But North Texas always turns it on in the second half of the season.

Hawaii. Quarterback Timmy Chang becoming the NCAA Division I-A all-time passing leader is like Supertramp getting into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, but he's a veteran leading a loaded attack. With its offensive talent, the machine is about to get rolling.

Teams with the most room to grow

Sporting News, The, Sept 27, 2004

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