Hurricanes Efficient In 90-Minute Practice

Dec. 30, 2000

NEW ORLEANS (www.hurricanesports.com) – With temperatures in the mid-30s, and a steady northerly wind making the day much colder, the Miami Hurricanes produced an efficient practice Saturday morning at Tad Gormley Stadium in New Orleans’ City Park. The practice was the focal point of Miami’s fourth full-scale workday since arriving in The Crescent City for Tuesday night’s matchup with the Florida Gators in the Nokia Sugar Bowl.

Miami moved its workout outdoors because the Superdome was hosting the National Football League Wild Card Playoff game between the New Orleans Saints and the St. Louis Rams. The Hurricanes will return indoors for Sunday’s practice and are not scheduled to return to the outdoor workouts for the remainder of their Sugar Bowl preparations.

“It was a productive workout,” said Miami head coach Butch Davis. “We went about a half hour less than normal, but we accomplished everything we needed to today. I’m very pleased. The weather really wasn’t too uncomfortable, but we want to minimize the risk of our players getting over-exposed to the cold weather.”

Davis described Miami’s practice as a fine-tuning day. The Hurricanes, with their game plan in place, are focusing on honing their skills and working on the basics. “We’re not re-creating the wheel here,” Davis said. “We’ll keep doing what we’ve been doing and I think we need to remain concerned only with playing our game and minimizing mistakes. If we do that, we should be able to deal with what will be a great challenge.”

The Hurricanes continue their preparation with a practice on Sunday, tentatively slated for 1 p.m. in the Superdome.

Miami and Florida will meet in the Superdome at 8 p.m. Eastern Time on Tuesday, January 2, 2001, with a possible national title on the line for the Hurricanes. The game will be televised live by ABC and can be heard on ESPN Radio and via the Miami Hurricanes Network flagship station on WQAM (560 AM) radio in the Miami area.