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Sporting News, The, Dec 10, 2001 by Steve Greenberg, Matt Hayes, Tom Dienhart

It's 5 o'clock in Blacksburg, Va., and only a steam room on steroids must be hotter than this. Miami offensive lineman Vernon Carey steps out of the shower, having wasted 10 minutes of his young life. First, a tough game against Virginia Tech. Now, an even more oppressive locker room at Lane Stadium. Carey roars, "This is the way they treat us?"

Carey is enormous--a 6-5 sophomore who is listed on two lines of the Miami depth chart, both as a second-stringer, at 346 pounds here and 363 pounds there. The first number is a joke. Carey barely fits between the hash marks when, earlier in the afternoon, he takes the field as All-American offensive tackle Bryant McKinnie limps off with a sprained knee.

Virginia Tech's plan: Drown the Hurricanes in their own sweat--even before they take the field--but the nation's No. 1 team perspires and perseveres, building a 20-3 halftime lead before squeezing out a 26-24 victory. Carey is no McKinnie, but who can compare with the 6-9, 336-pound senior who never has allowed a sack? But Carey is indicative of what makes this Miami team as good as any in the program's history. Like the championship teams under Jimmy Johnson (1987) and Dennis Erickson (1989, 1991), these 'Canes have talent to burn.

In his first year as coach, Larry Coker enjoys an embarrassment of stars. Junior quarterback Ken Dorsey has numbers worthy of Heisman Trophy consideration. The offensive line, led by McKinnie and fellow seniors Joaquin Gonzalez and Martin Bibla, puts all others to shame. The secondary, led by cornerbacks Mike Rumph and Phillip Buchanon and safety Ed Reed, likewise is the nation's best. (Reed's two interceptions against Tech make him the school's career leader with 21).

The 'Canes are this good because Coker's predecessor, Butch Davis, restocked the program with extraordinary depth. Had you heard of Carey? Have you heard of junior defensive end Jerome McDougle?

With Miami leading 7-3 in the second quarter, McDougle pounds Hokies quarterback Grant Noel on a first-down incompletion, crashes down the line to stuff Kevin Jones on a second-down rush, then sacks Noel on third down to force a punt. In the third quarter, McDougle forces a fumble on a sack of Noel, shutting down a drive deep in Miami territory. Later, McDougle blows up a reverse to flanker Richard Johnson that appears bound for a huge gain, dropping Johnson for a 2-yard loss.

On a defense that somehow is overshadowed by Dorsey and the offense, McDougle is one of many players capable of great things. "Our defense is the biggest difference between last year and this year," McKinnie says. "Our offense is about the same. The defense is a lot better."

In fact, the entire team is better. "To go undefeated, you have to be very, very fortunate," Coker says. "We had our quarterback for 11 games; just look at our players that we had healthy. Some of the positions where we lost a player for a period of time, we had depth at those positions."

Last season, the 'Canes felt robbed of a shot at the national title when the Bowl Championship Series poll tabbed them for the Sugar Bowl, on the outside of the Orange Bowl looking in. Now, after beating Virginia Tech to go to 11-0, the 'Canes know they will play in the national title game this season, January 3 in the Rose Bowl.

Will they meet Florida? Texas? Some other team?

Rap music is blaring from a radio in a corner of the locker room, but only a few players are moved by the sound. The rest--especially the cluster of toweled-off offensive linemen, who nevertheless are sweating profusely--are immersed in the ambiguity of what's to come.

McKinnie thinks the 'Canes will have a rematch with Florida, the team they beat last January in the Sugar Bowl. "I wouldn't mind playing them again," he says. "I'm sure they wouldn't mind playing us."

Surely they wouldn't. It's December, and any team with hopes of winning it all now knows Miami stands in the way. Florida's decisive meeting with Tennessee is under way. It's time for the 'Canes to cool off in front of a TV.

It's 5 o'clock in Gainesville, Fla., but Tennessee must be playing Vanderbilt. This certainly can't be Florida, an 18-point favorite and a constant obsession for anyone with Big Orange on the brain. Vols quarterback Casey Clausen completes a 2-yard touchdown pass to running back Troy Fleming for a 7-0 lead early in the first quarter of the SEC's annual game of the year. Less than three minutes later, tailback Travis Stephens zigs and zags into the end zone on a sprint draw for a 14-0 Vols lead before a record crowd of wacko fans at the Swamp can get revved.

This can't be Tennessee, at this point still 2-7 against Florida in Phillip Fulmer's tenure. The script doesn't fit.

The Vols have lost to Florida early; they've lost late. They've lost on improbable comebacks; they've lost with embarrassing meltdowns. What makes them believe they can win now, with Florida just two wins from playing for the national title? The Gators know what happened earlier in the day, when in-state rival Miami escaped from Virginia Tech to clinch a spot to play for it all. The magnitude of the moment must have seeped in, right?