Miami Football Practice Report
Dec. 19, 2000
CORAL GABLES, Fla. (www.hurricanesports.com) – The second-ranked Miami Hurricanes practiced for two hours under sunny skies Tuesday afternoon as preparations continued for their upcoming Nokia Sugar Bowl clash with the seventh-ranked Florida Gators. Miami and Florida meet Tuesday, January 2, 2001, at the Superdome in New Orleans, the first renewal since 1987 of one of college football’s most interesting rivalries.
“We’re making good progress this week, installing our game plan and working on what we feel is the best plan to be successful against an excellent Florida football team,” said head coach Butch Davis. “This game will provide plenty of interesting matchups on the field and our team has taken the right mental approach to our workouts thus far this week.”
The Nokia Sugar Bowl matchup marks the 50th time that Miami and Florida will meet in football with the Gators holding a slim 25-24 edge in a series that dates back to 1938. Even though the teams have not met in 13 years, the game figures to have all the usual makings of a rivalry contest as both teams have players who played with, or against, each other in high school while growing up in the state of Florida.
“There are plenty of kids on both sides who know each other well, whether they are former high school teammates or opponents, or even people who played together on all-star teams,” Davis said. “That adds a special flavor to this game and it’s something that really brings out the competitive edge in the players.”
The Hurricanes continue practice Wednesday at 2 p.m. at Greentree. All practices are closed to the public. For ticket information about the Nokia Sugar Bowl, contact the UM Ticket Office at (305) 284-2263 or 1-800-GO-CANES. Tickets may also be ordered online at www.hurricanesports.com.
