Aug. 10, 2004

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2004 Miami Football Preview

The Hurricanes won their final four games of the 2003 season, including a 16-14 win over Florida State in the Orange Bowl to finish 11-2 overall. Miami finished 6-1 in the Big East and shared the conference crown with West Virginia, the fourth straight league crown (and eighth overall) for the Hurricanes.

Miami became the first team in the history of Bowl Championship Series to play in all four BCS bowls, having done so in four consecutive years.

Larry Coker is 35-3 (.921) in his first three seasons as the Hurricane head coach. The 35 wins rank Coker third all-time among third-year Division I-A head coaches.

Four Miami players earned freshmen All-America honors a year ago -- PK Jon Peattie and WR Ryan Moore were accorded first team recognition, kick returner Devin Hester was a second-team choice and Baraka Atkins earned third-team honors.

Brock Berlin completed his first season as the Hurricanes' starting quarterback throwing for 2,419 yards and 12 TDs. He was third among Big East quarterbacks with a .599 completion percentage. Berlin threw for a career-high 352 yards against West Virginia (O2) and 340 against Florida (S6).

Freshman WR Ryan Moore was second on the team in receiving a year ago. Moore had at least one catch in all 13 games, finishing with 44 receptions for 637 yards and tied for the team lead with three TD receptions.

Thou shall not Pass -- Miami has led the nation in pass defense in each of the past two years and finished second in 2001. Over the past three years, the Hurricanes have allowed only 132.7 yards per game -- the lowest per game total in the nation -- while intercepting 56 passes.

Miami returns three players -- OT Eric Winston, CB Antrel Rolle and PK Jon Peattie -- who earned first-team All-Conference honors a year ago. Winston started all 13 games and was named Miami's offensive lineman of the Year. A two-year starter, Rolle ranked fifth on the team in tackles (51), including 3.5 tackles for loss. Peattie led Miami in scoring with 103 points, making 22 of 28 field goals attempts.

ACC Football Preview Schedule | More Miami Info From ACC Media Guide

QUOTES FROM 2004 ACC FOOTBALL KICKOFF

Larry Coker, Head Coach, entering 4th season
"Brock (Berlin) is a tremendously hard worker, and his teammates a great deal of respect for him. They know how hard he works, they know what he invests, so they're really into it with him and I think that gives him a lot of confidence. Plus with another year under his belt ... he's got that year's experience, and I think he's ready for a great year this year."

"We didn't create enough big plays last year, and we've got to do that. We have speed at Miami, we have big-play people. We have quarterbacks with outstandings arms. We've got to get the ball downfield more than we did a year ago, whether it be by the pass or by creating long runs."

"We're going to be a fast defense. We're going to have some holes to fill -- we lost four first-round draft choices off that defense -- that's pretty scary there for us. But I think we have some good talent coming back, the linebacker position is going to be very key for us because they're going to be all new. But we expect to have a good defensive football team."

Brock Berlin, Quarterback, Senior
"I have year under my belt in this offense. I feel very comfortable in this offense, and not only me but a lot of the guys on my offense last year were rookies. We have a great feel for each other now, we've had a great offseason. We know what it takes to go out there and win and play in the big ballgames, and we're very excited about that."

"To be in a new league, to travel to new places, see new stadiums, to play in front of new crowds because they've never seen us play before in person. Most fans and most teams haven't played us, so it's going to be very exciting, and we're looking to playing those teams and getting into a new league."

"Obviously we knew we were going to play (Florida State) this year, and we always get up for that game, but being the first game, we don't have Louisiana Tech first game, we have them second game. We've got Florida State in that first game, and it's been a huge motivator for us throughout the summertime and spring to know that 'Hey, we've got Florida State first game. We've got to be ready to play.'"

Orien Harris, Defensive Line, Junior
"We have a chance to play a whole different lineup of teams, and they all have great athletes on their teams. We're all competitors down here at Miami and we look forward to going to different stadiums and having warm welcomes at different stadiums."

2004 Miami Football Schedule
Sept. 6	Florida State
Sept. 18	Louisiana Tech
Sept. 23	at Houston
Oct. 2	at Georgia Tech
Oct. 14	Louisville
Oct. 23	at NC State
Oct. 30	at North Carolina
Nov. 6	Clemson
Nov. 13	at Virginia
Nov. 20	Wake Forest
Dec. 4	Virginia Tech

OFFENSE - Returning Starters
QB Brock Berlin, Sr.
FB Quadtrine Hill, Jr.
SE Ryan Moore, So.
T Eric Winston, Jr.
C Chris Myers, Sr.

OFFENSE - Starters Lost
TB Jarrett Payton (985 yards, 7 TDs in `03)
WRKevin Beard (19 catches for 249 yards)
TE Kellen Winslow (Consensus All-America)
T Carlos Joseph (9 starts)
G Joe McGrath (started final 7 games)
G Vernon Carey (2nd-team All-Big East)

DEFENSE - Returning Starters
DE Thomas Carroll, Jr.
DT Orien Harris, Jr.
DE Baraka Atkins, So.
CB Antrel Rolle, Sr.

DEFENSE - Starters Lost
DT Vince Wilfork (1st-team All-Big East)
LB D.J. Williams (1st-team All-Big East)
LB Jonathan Vilma (1st-team All-Big East)
LB Darrell McClover (37 tackles, 2 sacks)
CB Alfonso Marshall (12 starts in 2003)
SS Mo Sikes (2nd-team All-Big East)
FS Sean Taylor (Consensus All-America)

Larry Coker Bio

Presiding over what has been perhaps the most successful three year stretch in Miami football history, Larry Coker has quickly earned a reputation as one of college football's top coaches as he enters his fourth season as head football coach at the University of Miami. Coker has led the Hurricanes to one national championship, two Bowl Championship Series title game appearances, three consecutive BIG EAST Conference championships and a remarkable 35-3 record in three seasons as the head man in Coral Gables, one of the most successful starts of any coach in the history of college football.

Miami notched its fifth football national title in 2001 and made it back to the championship game in 2002. In 2001, Coker not only took the Hurricanes all the way to an undefeated season and a national championship, he led the team to the most dominant season in Miami's rich football history. His 2002 team went unbeaten until a controversial and dramatic loss in the Fiesta Bowl.

Coker's 2003 Hurricanes racked up a fourth straight Big East title and became college football's first team to make appearances in all four BCS bowl games in successive years. In 2001, Coker and Maryland's Ralph Friedgen were named the Paul "Bear" Bryant National Co-Coaches of the Year while in 2002 Coker was named National Coach of the Year by American Football Monthly.

Prior to becoming Miami's head football coach, Coker served under Butch Davis as the Hurricanes' offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach since Davis' first season in 1995. Prior to his arrival in 1995, Coker spent two seasons at Ohio State (1993-94) coaching the defensive backfield. From 1990-92, Coker was offensive coordinator at Oklahoma, assisting the Sooners to two bowl victories.

Before heading to Norman, Coker spent seven seasons as offensive coordinator at Oklahoma State in Stillwater. Coker first made the jump to Division I with Tulsa from 1979-82 as the offensive backfield coach.