Hurricanes Begin 2001 Quest Against Nittany Lions
Aug 28, 2001
By DOUG FEINBERG
AP MegaSports Writer
Even with a new coach and a tough road schedule, Miami opens the 2001 seasonwith the same expectations – winning the national championship.
The second-ranked Hurricanes begin their quest at Penn State on Saturday.
“Not getting a shot at the title was the biggest disappointment of thewhole season,” linebacker Howard Clark said of 2000. “We’ve made up ourminds: We’re not going to put ourselves in a position for anyone else to decidethis year.
“It’s going to be up to us. There’s going to be no indecisiveness. We’regoing to win it outright.”
The Hurricanes were 11-1 last season, but did not make it into the OrangeBowl, the national championship game, in an omission by the Bowl ChampionshipSeries that was so controversial that it led to a change in the BCS’computer-driven selection formula.
With Miami returning 14 starters, new coach Larry Coker inherits plenty oftalent. Coker, a head coach for the first time at age 53, got the position whenButch Davis left to become coach of the Cleveland Browns.
Coker is trying to become the first coach to win the national championshipin his first season since Dennis Erickson did it at Miami in 1989.
“I know I’m good, and that’s why it doesn’t intimidate me,” said Coker,the Hurricanes offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach since 1995. “Butchdid a great job. He put his stamp on this team, but I really know whatdirection we need to go. I know I’m good at what I do and I’m ready to do it.”
Coker’s first job will be to rebuild a depleted receiving corps that lostSantana Moss and Reggie Wayne to the NFL.
“Those guys were like Superman, they could do things that a lot of otherpeople couldn’t do,” center Brett Romberg said. “But regardless of whatpeople say, receivers aren’t going to be an issue this year. We’ve got just astalented and just as promising (players) as the ones in years previous.
“I’m not worried about the receiving corps. They’re going to do fine.”
Replacing Moss and Wayne are senior Daryl Jones and sophomore Andre Johnson.The duo has a combined 43 career receptions, two shy of Moss’ team-high totallast season.
While the Hurricanes fell just short of the national championship, PennState suffered through one of the worst seasons in school history.
The Nittany Lions were 5-7 and missed going to a bowl game for the firsttime in 12 years. It was only the second losing season for Penn State sincecoach Joe Paterno arrived as an assistant in 1950, and the most losses for theteam since it went 2-8 in 1931.
“I don’t think I did a very good job last year. For the first time in along time I have three new coaches who bring new ideas,” said Paterno, whoenters the season one win shy of tying Bear Bryant for most victories by aDivision I coach.
“I’m not really a record-oriented kind of guy,” he said. “I like thecompetition.”
Penn State will play one of the nation’s toughest schedules. The NittanyLions will face seven bowl teams from last season, including No. 22 Wisconsin,No. 12 Michigan, No. 16 Northwestern and No. 23 Ohio State.
Penn State, unranked in the preseason poll for the first time since 1967,holds a 7-5 edge in the all-time series with Miami, including a 27-23 victoryin 1999.
