Hurricanes Narrow Focus to Florida State
Aug. 31, 2006
Coral Gables – While Tropical Storm Ernesto minimally affected the UM football team, its absence provided one less distraction at the Hurricanes’ Thursday afternoon practice at the Greentree Practice Fields. The focus has narrowed to this: Florida State, Labor Day Night, Orange Bowl, 8 p.m.
“This is the seventh time in six years that I’ve had the opportunity to coach against Florida State,” head coach Larry Coker said. “Having this team in the Orange Bowl is special and we’re excited about it. We’ve had a lot of practice time and no preseason games. We’ve had some scrimmages and we’ve hit each other. Now it’s time to play.”
This is the third-straight season the Hurricanes will open up the season against the Seminoles, but it will be the last time the teams meet on opening day for at least the next couple of seasons. While opening the season against your biggest rival may not be any coach’s wish, Coker isn’t all happy to see a different opponent on opening day.
“I have mixed emotions about it because, as I’ve said before, the media attention that this game brings to our players and this University is really special,” Coker said. “We’re still going to play Florida State, whether it be first or in the middle of the season or whenever. I think that it’s going to be that first Saturday in October that we probably get back to.”
But for this year, it’s FSU on September 4, and it showed in practice. “The intensity was good,” Coker said. “You can tell things are starting to pick up. Guys are starting to look like football players and we’re starting to look like a football team. We’re down to just a few workouts and its time to play.”
Miami returns to the Greentree Practice Fields at 3:20 p.m. Friday.
TICKETS STILL AVAILABLE FOR FSU GAME
CORAL GABLES, Fla. – Approximately 1,500 tickets are still available for Monday night’s game between Miami and Florida State at the Orange Bowl.
Tickets, priced at $80, are reserved and are part of a pack, which also includes a ticket to the September 9 game against Florida A&M. Also, general admission season tickets are $180 each and also still available.
Fans can go online to www.hurricanesports.com , call 1-800-GO-CANES or go to the UM Ticket Office, which is open from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Thursday and Friday and 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. Saturday.
