No. 23 Miami Eager For A Victory
Oct. 19, 1999
By MARK LONG
Associated Press Writer
CORAL GABLES, Fla. (AP) – The Miami Hurricanes boarded a bus Fridaynight,rode several miles to a hotel where they were going to stay before Saturday’sgame against Temple, then turned around and went back to campus.
The game had been postponed. So had the team’s hopes of ending athree-gamelosing streak, the Hurricanes’ second such skid in the past 15 years.
Now, several days after Hurricane Irene rambled through South Florida,No.23 Miami (2-3) still is looking for the win it hoped would come against theOwls.
The Hurricanes have not won since Labor Day weekend, a span of morethan sixweeks. That is their longest midseason winless stretch since 1970, leavingcoach Butch Davis and his players eager to play – and hopefully beat – BostonCollege (5-1) on Saturday.
“(The players) are getting edgy to play,” Davis said Tuesday. “It seemslike all we’ve done is practice the last 12 weeks. We just need to go play agame, but a win is very important if you’re going to have any expectations ofputting yourself in a position to not only qualify for a bowl game but to winthe Big East Conference.”
Miami has yet to play a conference game, beginning the season with fivenonconference opponents, including Florida State and Penn State. TheHurricanesupset Ohio State in the Kickoff Classic and hammered Florida A&M the followingweek, but then dropped three straight, including a blown 21-point lead to EastCarolina.
They had hoped to rebound against Temple, but Irene washed out anychance ofthat happening. The game was rescheduled for Dec. 4, and Miami treated thepostponement as an open date, which gave the Hurricanes their third week offsince beating Florida A&M on Sept. 4.
“It seems like forever since we won because of the rainout and the threestraight losses,” wide receiver Andre King said. “But we’re hungrier andwe’re looking forward to going to Boston College and playing a good game andcoming out of there with a victory.”
Miami expects to beat the Eagles, and it might be justified. TheHurricaneshave won 17 of their 20 meetings, including nine straight.
The last time the Eagles beat Miami they needed the last-secondheroics ofquarterback Doug Flutie and receiver Gerard Phelan. That 1984 game is the moststoried in the series.
Though the teams have had some close games since, Boston College had itsbest chance to beat Miami in 1997, when the Hurricanes needed two overtimes toseal a 45-44 win in Boston.
Miami wants to continue its winning streak over the Eagles, and inturn, endits three-game slide.
“In due time, we’re going to get our win,” wide receiver Santana Mosssaid. “And I think it will be this week.”
