Football

November 25, 1998

CORAL GABLES, Fla. – The 19th-rankedUniversity of Miami Hurricanesheld a two-hour practice today in pads at Greentree Practice Field.Miami (7-2, 5-1) travels to No. 21 Syracuse (7-3, 5-1) for a BIG EASTConference showdown Saturday in the Carrier Dome with the winnerclaiming the league title and earning a berth in the Bowl ChampionshipSeries. Miami is 6-1 all-time at Syracuse including a 3-0 recordat theCarrier Dome.

Head Coach Butch Davis waspleased with the physical intensityof the practice. In particular, Davis applauded the challengespresented to the offense by the scout team.

“This was one of our mostphysical Wednesdays all year,” saidDavis. “We got an outstanding look from our scout team defensewhichreally challenged our offense.”

Davis acknowledged the sophisticationof the Syracuse offenseand the challenges presented by SU quarterback Donovan McNabb, the1997BIG EAST Offensive Player of the Year.

“The options that they runand all the things that Donovan(McNabb) does, it presents challenges in that we don’t have anyonewhocan simulate those options as fast as he (McNabb) plays,” said Davis.”So you’re always concerned about adjusting to the speed of the gameinthe first few possessions.

“To prepare for their offense, we have to segment ourentire defensive practice and spend time on each of their differentformations.”

There were no new injuries to report. The Hurricaneswill hold a practice tomorrow at 9:00 a.m. before being dismissed forthe Thanksgiving holiday.