Football

University of Miami senior linebacker Jonathan Vilma named to the Verizon Academic All-America Team, the College Sports Information Directors of America announced Monday. A first-team Verizon honoree in 2002, Vilma was named to the team’s second team this season.

Vilma is a two-time Big East All-Academic Team honoree and was named to the Provost’s Honor Roll in 2001, 2002 and 2003. Vilma, who leads the Hurricanes in tackles with 108 this season, also is a finalist for the Butkus Award and has started at middle linebacker for UM the last three seasons. He was recently named to the 2003 class of National College Football Scholar-Athletes, which represents 15 of the nation’s finest college football student-athletes from all divisions of college football.

Vilma also is a finalist for the Draddy Trophy as the top scholar-athlete in the nation. Miami offensive lineman Joaquin Gonzalez was the winner of the Draddy Award, also known as “The Academic Heisman”, in 2001.

Vilma also has earned several academic honors at UM including: Dean’s List Arthur Ashe Scholar Athlete and the Athletic Director’s Honor Roll. On the field, he also was a Freshman All-American by Rivals.com in 2000, led UM in tackles each of the last three seasons and was a first-team All-Big East selection in 2001 and 2002. Vilma is studying finance at UM and will graduate on time in May, 2004.

Also, University of Miami senior linebacker D.J. Williams was named the Big East Conference’s Special Teams Player of the Week, the league office announced Monday. Williams led the Miami defense in the Hurricanes’ 28-14 win at Pittsburgh. The senior linebacker recorded three sacks for 20 yards, while finishing with five tackles for loss. He had nine tackles overall, as UM limited the Panthers to 232 total yards. Williams shared the honor with West Virginia’s Adam Jones. Running back Brian Leonard was named the league’s Offensive Player of the Week and return specialist Lance Frazier of West Virginia earned the league’s Special Teams Player of the Week honor.

Finally, University of Miami junior tight end Kellen Winslow, Ben Troupe of Florida and Kris Wilson of Pittsburgh are the three finalists for the 2003 John Mackey Award honoring college football’s top tight end, the Nassau County Sports Commission announced. The winner of this season’s John Mackey Award will be announced Tuesday, December 9. The 2003 Mackey Award will be presented to the winner at the NCSC’s Annual Awards Dinner at the Chateau Briand in Carle Place, New York, on April 19, 2004. The John Mackey Award was created by the NCSC under the guidance of board member Don McPherson, a county native and former NFL and Syracuse University All-American quarterback. Mackey, also a Nassau County native, is regarded as one of the best athletes to have played the position of tight end. In addition to being an NFL Hall of Famer, he is also a Super Bowl winner and was the first President of the NFLPA. The John Mackey Award selection committee is composed of national sportswriters, commentators and outstanding NFL players.

In order for the ‘Canes to win their fourth consecutive Big East title, they needed to overcome a hostile crowd, cold weather, and Heisman candidate Larry Fitzgerald. The Hurricanes easily passed all three tests in a dominating victory.

The 28-14 win clinched the Big East Championship for the ‘Canes and puts them in a BCS Bowl game. The Hurricanes will leave the Big East conference as champions four years in a row, but will not be able to defend their title next season because of their move to the ACC.

“That’s our fourth Big East Championship in a row and our seniors have won four in a row,” Head Coach Larry Coker said. “That’s exciting.”

The victory will likely place the ‘Canes in the Fed Ex Orange Bowl. If that happens, the seniors will have been to all four major BCS Bowl games, becoming the only senior class to do so. In addition, the victory means that the seniors have won the Big East title every year of their career, which includes a national championship. Overall, the seniors lost only four games in their four seasons.

The victory against Pittsburgh marked the team’s six straight victory over the Panthers. The game time temperature, which was in the 30s, was the coldest that the Hurricanes have won a game in since the 1966 Liberty Bowl, when Miami defeated Virginia Tech 14-7 with a temperature of 36 degrees.

The victory against Pittsburgh can be attributed to two factors: a solid running game and a stellar defensive effort.

The running game jumpstarted the Hurricanes’ offense, as both Jarrett Payton and Tyrone Moss rushed for over 100 yards. Payton had a career-high 131 yards on 17 carries and scored a touchdown. He also had the longest run of his career when he scampered 55 yards in the third quarter. His backfield mate, Moss, had 115 yards rushing on 21 carries and scored twice. Overall on the day, the ‘Canes amassed 280 yards on the ground and three touchdowns.

The success of the running game opened up the passing lanes for quarterback Brock Berlin, who completed 12 of 17 passes for 195 yards with one touchdown and one interception. The 78-yard screen pass to Jason Geathers was the longest play from scrimmage for the Hurricanes’ offense all season and set up Miami’s third touchdown when Payton scored from the one-yard line. It was also the longest catch or run for Geathers in his UM career.

Berlin had other big plays through the air as well. His 45-yard touchdown pass to Roscoe Parrish in the third quarter put the ‘Canes ahead 28-7.

“There were a lot of things we wanted to attack,” Berlin said. “The running backs played tremendously and when something works, you stick with it.”

Another reason the ‘Canes were able to come out on top was the great play of the defense that intercepted Panthers quarterback Rod Rutherford three times on the evening. The defense held Pittsburgh to just 72 yards of total offense in the first half, which actually was six yards fewer than Geathers gained on the screen pass in the second quarter. Overall, the Panthers gained just 232 yards of total offense, which was over 190 yards below their season average of 422.7 yards. The key to the success on defense was stopping Larry Fitzgerald. The All-American and Heisman Candidate did not have a catch in the first half of the game, and only managed to pull in three receptions for 26 yards and one touchdown for the entire contest. Fitzgerald has 87 catches for 1,595 yards and 22 touchdowns on the season, but the ‘Canes managed to hold him to his lowest output of the season. In addition, Miami had constant pressure on Rutherford, sacking him nine times on the evening.

Along with several graduating seniors like Jonathan Vilma, DJ Williams, Kevin Beard, and Jarrett Payton, the ‘Canes will likely lose a few juniors to the NFL draft as well. Sean Taylor and Kellen Winslow have indicated that this is probably their last game in a Hurricane uniform, and Vince Wilfork is expected to depart as well. Antrel Rolle may also opt to leave school early, though early indications are pointing to Rolle returning for his senior campaign.

So now, the Hurricanes have to play the waiting game and watch what happens to USC, LSU, and Oklahoma before their bowl plans become official. The Orange Bowl seems to be the likely destination and would be a nice end for the Hurricanes players who will be appearing in their final collegiate game.

Darren Grossman can be reached at DRG215@aol.com

1

Berlin’s late heroics swamp former team
For almost three quarters, it appeared that the Hurricanes and the Gators had switched jerseys. Brock Berlin had thrown a pair of costly interceptions and lost a fumble as state-rival Florida jumped out to a 23-point lead in the third quarter.
Berlin, a Florida transfer, responded by finding Kevin Beard for a 26-yard touchdown to cut the ‘Canes’ deficit to 15 points. Beard had a career game with 164 yards receiving. After the defense forced a three and out on the next Gator possession, Frank Gore dove in the end zone for a one-yard touchdown that was set up by a 62-yard reception by Beard. A Ryan Moore touchdown brought the Hurricanes within one point at 33-32 with 11:08 left in the fourth quarter. The ‘Canes got the ball back once again, and Gore scored a 12-yard touchdown with 1:44 left in the game to finish off the remarkable comeback. Gore finished with 127 yards rushing.
Florida had one last chance to make something happen, but freshman quarterback Chris Leak forced a pass that was picked off by Al Marshall, and the Hurricane fans began celebrating a victory that will be remembered forever.

2

Women’s soccer shocks Connecticut
The women’s soccer team pulled off their biggest victory in program history on September 26 by upsetting then No. 10 UConn 3-1 in their Big East opener. The win marked the first time the Hurricanes knocked off the Huskies and a Top Ten opponent. Sophomore Lindsey Yach scored the first two goals of the game and assisted on the third. Britney Butcher tallied the final score after the Huskies’ Jessica Gjertsen scored to make it a one-goal game.
Freshman goalkeeper Alex Alford had one of her finest performances of the season, allowing only one goal out of four chances. The win had improved the ‘Canes to 6-4 overall. The Hurricanes would end up losing to Notre Dame in the Big East Tournament, finishing the season with a 9-9-1 record.

3

Miller wins Cougar Invitational
Junior golfer Tina Miller, one of the most underrated athletes at the University of Miami, fired a 75 on the final day of the Cougar Classic to win her first title of the season. Miller posted a three-round total of 214 (70-69-75) to edge Notre Dame’s Noriko Nakazaki by three strokes. She was the only golfer to finish under par for the tournament.
The win was important for Miller because it improved her national ranking to No. 4 and put the Hurricanes at No. 7 overall. Miller won the Big East title last year and is a favorite to do so once again in 2003-04.

4

Bradley knocks off two Top 20 players at the All-American
Junior tennis player Megan Bradley enjoyed one of her finest performances as a Hurricane on October 10 when she upset two Top 20 players at the Riviera/ITA All-American Championships in Pacific Palisades, California. The UCLA transfer was ranked No. 34 at the time.
Bradley defeated No. 19 Dea Sumantri of Washington in the first round of the consolation bracket by a score of 7-5, 6-3. In the second round Bradley stunned No. 5 Chloe Carlotti of Fresno State in straight sets 7-5, 6-2.
Bradley is expected to lead the Hurricanes to the NCAA Tournament this spring.

5

Winslow saves the day against West Virginia
Facing a fourth-and-13 from their own 25-yard line, the Hurricanes needed a miracle to keep their national title hopes alive. Trailing West Virginia 20-19, Brock Berlin threw a high pass over the middle of the field that appeared to be out of the reach of tight end Kellen Winslow. Winslow somehow came up with the catch, however, and the ‘Canes marched down the field to set up a 23-yard Jon Peattie field goal with 11 seconds left to give the Hurricanes a 22-20 victory.
Winslow finished the game with 10 catches for 104 yards in his best effort of the season, and his fourth down catch may go down as the best individual play of 2003.

The Miami Hurricanes proved to many critics Tuesday that they are not the one-man team everyone made them out to be.

The ‘Canes defeated the Stetson Hatters 91-70 at the Convocation Center to improve to 3-2 on the season after a disappointing Thanksgiving in Las Vegas.

Miami was led by Robert Hite, who had a game-high (as well as a career high) 20 points in 24 minutes and Guillermo Diaz, who contributed 19 points and 7 rebounds in 23 minutes off the bench. Diaz has quickly become a crowd favorite in the three home games thus far.

Diaz drew huge cheers during one sequence in which he brought down a defensive rebound with one hand, drove down the court and missed a lay-up, but then stole the ball from behind the Stetson guard and hit a jump shot. This is just one example of the energy that the freshman brings to the court when he comes off the bench.

“(Diaz) really picked it up and gave us a big boost in the second half,” Head Coach Perry Clark said.

The star of the Hurricanes, Darius Rice, was held to 5-for-14 shooting and 14 points in 29 minutes. The Hatters did a formidable job containing the ‘Canes’ big man.

“With his reputation we made a couple of adjustments,” Stetson Head Coach Derek Waugh said. “In the post he is in favor of the turnaround jump shot, so we bodied him in that way.”

Rice was the Hurricanes’ third leading scorer on a night that showed the team has more depth than people think.

“We’ve got so many offensive weapons,” Hite said. “Anybody could have a big night any night.”

“We’ve got so many offensive weapons. Anybody could have a big night any night.”

-ROBERT HITE

Miami shot 52 percent from the field, including 48 percent from 3-point range. The ‘Canes put up 25 three pointers as Hite led the squad with four treys.

“It was a good victory for us,” Clark said. “I thought it was a team win and I felt a lot of people contributed.”

Stetson opened the game on an 8-0 run before Diaz came in and jumpstarted the Hurricanes to a 15-5 run. Stetson cut into a 15-point Miami lead with an 11-0 run of their own near the end of the first half.

After being up by seven at the half, the Hurricanes took control of the game in the second half with Diaz and Hite scoring 21 of Miami’s final 37 points. The win extended the Hurricanes non-conference home winning streak to 22 games.

E. J. Gordon led Stetson with 15 points and 10 rebounds. Miami had 24 assists on the night compared to only nine for the Hatters. Gary Hamilton had a game-high four blocks and Rodrigue Djahue was a perfect 4-for-4 from the field with eight points and six rebounds.

Miami returns to the court Saturday night at 7:30 against cross-town rival Florida International at the Convocation Center.

Miami (6-0) took care of cross-town rival Florida International (1-4) 78-58 Tuesday night at the Convocation Center. While FIU is off to its slowest start since the 1990-91 season, the Hurricanes are enjoying their best start in school history.

The schools have met 48 times, and FIU has come out victorious in the last three contests. Miami would have none of it this time.

“It was very important [for us to beat them],” said senior forward Chanivia Broussard. “They got to talk all the trash the last couple of years.”

Miami shot 52.5 percent from the field and 44.4 percent from three-point range. The ‘Canes converted only 60 percent of their free throw attempts but held the Panthers to a mere 40.4 percent from the field and 22.2 percent in three pointers. Sophomore guard Tamara James led Miami with 23 points, six rebounds, and two blocks. Senior forwards Broussard and Shaquana Wilkins each posted 15 points with Broussard adding four steals. Junior forward Melissa Knight led the ‘Canes with 10 assists and added two blocks. Sophomore Tatjana Marincic added six rebounds off the bench.

Broussard converted a three-point play to start the game. The ‘Canes shot ahead to an 8-0 lead in the first two minutes of play. FIU was heavily penalized in the opening of the half, and hecklers from the newly formed Hurricane Force student section appeared to take their toll on the opponents. A combination of offensive dominance by Miami and passing errors on the FIU side allowed the Hurricanes to retain a large lead throughout the half, entering the locker room ahead 42-27.

In the second half, the tables turned and the Hurricanes began making mistakes. McCormick appeared to be having trouble as the Panthers started to close in, trailing by a score of 45-38 after five minutes. Knight then missed a crucial opportunity and FIU’s Milena Tomova put the Panthers within two.

“We know they’re not supposed to be this close,” Broussard said. “This year we have so much heart and we’re fighting together as a team…We’ve been down that road before and that’s a road we don’t want to take anymore; having a team back 20, 25 points and then in the end we’re losing.”

A much-needed time out got the ‘Canes back on their feet, however, as they increased the lead with a James three-pointer, two shots by Broussard, a McCormick three, and a Hutashi Wilson lay-up. They slowed down the pace with two minutes remaining in order to preserve their lead. The Panthers tried to take advantage but were unsuccessful, finding themselves behind by 20 points as the final buzzer sounded.

“I think that one of the things that we’ve accomplished so far is that we know we have the ability to win on the road, we know that we can play a tight game and be successful,” said Head Coach Ferne Labati. “You know, we just have to build on that. We’ve got a lot of growing and a lot of learning to go through…we haven’t really arrived. Every single day we need to work on getting better.”

Miami faces Florida next Friday at the Convocation Center.

Labati is not worried about overconfidence from her players or too much down time between games.

“They’re not [cocky] like that,” she said. “I think it [the break] is good because number one-the coaches can look at film, number two-the players can rest a little bit.”

The step-by-step attitude of not getting caught up in wins is catching on with the rest of the squad.

“We’re in the Top Ten I think,” James said. “We have a lot of talent on the team. We’ll just have to take it day by day.”

Melissa Teich can be reached at melissateich@hotmail.com.