Jan 2, 2003
By MARK LONG
AP Sports Writer
PHOENIX (AP) – Miami and Ohio State made final preparations for the FiestaBowl on Thursday.
Coaches Larry Coker and Jim Tressel held their final pregame newsconferences, both teams walked through drills at Sun Devil Stadium and thetop-ranked Hurricanes changed hotels the day before the national championshipgame.
With fans, family and former players having flooded the hotel in the pastfew days, Miami packed up everything and left its resort in nearby Scottsdale,isolating players so they can concentrate solely on the game – something theteam does before every home game.
“Our focus has to be on Ohio State,” Coker said. “That’s the only thingwe can control. As families come in and friends come in, the hotel gets to bereally a bus station. We want to move our players away from that at least onenight before the game.”
The second-ranked Buckeyes, meanwhile, remained at the hotel they’ve been inall week.
Coker said the night before the game the players would watch a highlightvideo set to music from the last game – something they have done before each ofhis 24 games as head coach. “They don’t know that if we lose, they don’t getone of those.”
Tressel was stoic and much more serious, adding to the perception that OhioState is more uptight and not as loose as Miami.
He was asked what it would take to get him outwardly excited.
“I guess I have always taken the approach that I don’t have time to beoutwardly excited because we need to be thinking three plays later orwhatever,” he said. “I suppose when all the plays are done, maybe we cansneak in an outwardly excited moment. I don’t know; we’ll see.”
LULLED LINEBACKER: Miami linebacker D.J. Williams peeked around a corner,spotted a few reporters and a throng of autograph seekers and said, “Oh no.”He turned around and found an alternate route to the team buses after practiceWednesday.
Williams, second on the team with 100 tackles, began his career in 2000 byrefusing interviews but had become more accommodating this season – until thisweek. He refused several interview requests and spent Tuesday’s media daylaying face down on the bleachers with music blaring out his headphones.
“What you see on the field is what you get,” Coker said. “D.J. isn’t amedia hound, and he doesn’t relish the spotlight.”
SINGALONG SONG: Ohio State will keep with its tradition of singing theschool’s alma mater “Carmen Ohio” the night before the game. Tresselinitiated the tradition when he took over two years ago.
“At first, we thought it was corny. Now every one wants to do it,”defensive lineman Darrion Scott said. “It’s like a superstition. We do itbefore every game.”
Scott said he hangs in the back during the singing, letting some of theteam’s better crooners get up front. So who leads the charge?
“Cie Grant, of course,” Scott said of the Ohio State linebacker. “He’sour lead singer all the time.”
STATING HIS CASE: The way Miami running back Frank Gore sees it, if theHurricanes can stop him, they should have no problem with Maurice Clarett. Gorewas supposed to be the team’s starting tailback this season, but a knee injuryhas sidelined him since March. He is playing the role of Clarett in practice.
Gore said he is better than Clarett.
“He’s a good back, but if our defense can stop me in practice, they canstop anybody,” he said. “I’m quicker and have better moves than him. He’sgood, but I’m better.”
His teammates might agree.
“Sometimes it’s harder to stop him than people on Saturdays,” defensivetackle Matt Walters said. “You will really see how good of a back he is nextyear when he’s healthy and running the ball as much as he can.”
FIRSTHAND KNOWLEDGE: Ohio State tight end Ben Hartsock was asked if he hadever experienced a hard hit from teammate Michael Doss, a three-timeAll-American at strong safety.
“I have been knocked unconscious by Mike Doss,” Hartsock said. “It wastwo summers ago and we were doing 7-on-7 drills. I just caught a little outroute and he came up. It’s usually two-hand touch in 7-on-7 drills during thesummer, but we hit heads and 35 or 40 seconds later I came to. It was like hegave me a pleasant night’s rest.
“I woke up refreshed, not knowing where I was. They took me off the fieldbleeding out of the ear.”
DUELING MAYORS: The mayors of Miami and Columbus have wagered some greenon the outcome of the Fiesta Bowl. No money is involved, though.
Columbus mayor Michael B. Coleman is betting a buckeye tree that Ohio Statewill win. Miami-Dade County mayor Alex Penelas has a Miami palm tree riding onthe game.