Hurricanes Preparing For No. 5 Florida
Sept. 2, 2008
UNIVERSITY OF MIAMI HURRICANES at No. 5 UNIVERSITY OF FLORIDA GATORS
Miami-UF Game Notes in PDF Format 
Date: Saturday, Sept. 6, 2008
Location: Ben Hill Griffin S tadium – (Natural Grass) (88,548) in Gainesville, Fla.
Kickoff: 8 p.m. (ET)
TV: The game will be broadcast nationally on ESPN, with Brent Musberger (play by play), Kirk Herbstreit (analysis), Lisa Salters (sideline reporter) and Erin Andrews (sideline reporter).
Tape Delay Telecast: On CSS, Tuesday Sept. 9 at 1 p.m. and 9 p.m.
Local Radio: The Hurricanes Radio Network (WQAM 560 AM) will carry the game live with Joe Zagacki (play by play), Don Bailey Jr. (analysis) and Brian London (sideline reporter). Fans can also listen online at www.hurricanesports.com) and Florida (www.gatorzone.com)
The University of Miami Hurricanes will hit the road for the first time in 2008 when they travel to Gainesville to face No. 5 Florida Saturday night at 8 p.m. in a nationally-televised game on ESPN. It will be the Hurricanes first trip to “The Swamp” since the 2002 season when UM won, 41-16.
The Hurricanes are coming off a season-opening win over Charleston Southern, 52-7. Freshman quarterback Jacory Harris became the first freshman quarterback since Bernie Kosar in 1983 to start a season opener for Miami. Harris threw for 190 yards, going 16-of-26 with a touchdown. He also ran for a touchdown. Sophomore running back Graig Cooper also added a pair of TD’s – a 14-yard rushing TD and a 66-yard punt return. Miami played 18 freshmen in its season opening win.
Redshirt freshman quarterback Robert Marve will make his first collegiate start against the Gators – marking the second straight week that a freshman quarterback has made his debut for the Hurricanes, an obvious rarity. UM last opened a season with two freshmen quarterbacks as the starter and a backup in 1983 when redshirt freshmen Bernie Kosar started and was backed up by true freshman Vinny Testaverde.
Defensively, the Hurricanes held Charleston Southern to 126 total yards. Linebackers Colin McCarthy, Darryl Sharpton and Sean Spence each had five tackles while linebacker Spencer Adkins added two sacks.
THE OPPONENT
Florida is ranked No. 5 in both the Associated Press and USA Today’s Coaches’ polls. The Gators defeated Hawaii, 56-10, in its season opener last Saturday. Junior quarterback and reigning Heisman Trophy winner Tim Tebow accounted for 174 yards of total offense in the win over Hawaii, while the Gator offense gained 406 yards. Florida scored all 56 of its points in the second and third quarters. The Gators also scored three non-offensive touchdowns in the win – a punt return and two interception returns. Defensively, the Gators held Hawaii to 241 total yards – 60 yards coming on the ground. Safety Ahmad Black picked off two passes to lead a defense that forced six turnovers.
THE SERIES
Miami leads the all-time series, 28-25, having won the last six meetings with the Gators. UM last lost to Florida during the 1985 season, 35-23, in the Orange Bowl. Miami last lost in Gainesville in 1983, 28-3. Miami has won the last two meetings in “The Swamp.”
THE COACHES
Randy Shannon is 6-7 and is in his second season at Miami. Florida’s Urban Meyer is 32-9 in his fourth season with the Gators.
BEEN THERE, DONE THAT
Despite 53 meetings all-time between UM and UF, only three current University of Miami football players have ever played against the Gators. Seniors Glenn Cook, Romeo Davis and Anthony Reddick all played in UM’s 27-10 Chick-fil-A Peach Bowl win over UF on Dec. 31, 2004, with Reddick collecting six tackles and Davis and Cook adding two and one respectively. Cook will be facing the Gators for a third time on Saturday after having been a true freshman at UM in 2003 when the `Canes beat the Gators, 38-33, in the Orange Bowl.
FLORIDA MR. FOOTBALL
The last three Florida Mr. Football award winners will be in uniform and will likely all see action Saturday night in Ben Hill Griffin Stadium. Florida’s Tim Tebow (2005 – Nease HS) and Miami’s Robert Marve (2006 – Plant HS) and Jacory Harris (2007 – Northwestern HS) have won the last three awards given annually to the top high school football player in the state of Florida. Tebow — the 2007 Heisman Trophy winner — will likely start opposite of Marve, who is expected to make his first career start. Harris, who started UM’s opener against Charleston Southern, will likely see time behind center at some point during the contest.
DID YOU KNOW?
• Of the 23 seniors on this year’s squad, 13 have already earned degrees, while the remaining 10 are all on course to graduate either in December of 2008 or May of 2009.
• Last spring, the NCAA released its annual Academic Progress Report (APR) and the Hurricane football team scored a 969, the eighth-highest mark out of the 119 Bowl Sub-division football programs. Miami’s score – also the third-highest mark in the 12-team Atlantic Coast Conference – put the team in the 80th-90th percentile nationally based on its performance in the classroom.
• Miami’s punt return for a touchdown by Graig Cooper against Charleston was UM’s first since Devin Hester had a 48-yard punt return against Temple on Oct. 15, 2005.
