Offense:
If not for the Parrish punt return and Taylor interception return, the ‘Canes offense would have had their backs against the wall. The unit failed to have a consistent scoring drive in the first half, and finished the game with only one scoring drive of over 50 yards.

Quarterback:
Berlin missed open targets early in the game. Miami could have put the game far out of reach when the teams entered the locker room for the half. The junior signal caller finished 18-of-30 passing for 151 yards and no touchdowns and threw one interception.

Running Back: B
Gore finished with 74 yards on 16 carries and a touchdown. Gore didn’t seem to have too many holes to find.

Wide Receivers: B-
Winslow’s leaping catch in the 1st quarter that set up a Gore TD seemed to be the only bright spot for the Miami receiving unit. Winslow led the team with four receptions for 41 yards.

Offensive Line: B-
Unit gave Berlin more time to throw than in the three previous games. However, the line did seem to struggle a bit in their run blocking.

Defense: A-
Unit held BC to only 213 total yards for the contest. BC’s positive yards mostly came from UM penalties. The unit must cut down on personal fouls.

Defensive Line: A-
Unit pressured Porter all night and held the dangerous Derrick Knight to only 83 yards on the ground. Baraka Atkins recorded the only Hurricane sack.

Linebackers: A-
Jonathan Vilma made some big plays, including three tackles for a loss. However, the only positive moments for the BC offense were scrambles up the middle by BC quarterback Quinton Porter.

Secondary: A
Unit shut down the Eagle passing game, surrendering only 94 yards through the air. Taylor’s interception return for a TD put the ‘Canes up by 21, essentially putting the game out of reach for BC.

Special Teams: A
The unit continues to make big plays. Parrish’s punt return for a TD set the tone for the game. Brian Monroe had two punts land inside the 20.

The Miami defense once again allowed fans and skeptics to overlook the ineffectiveness of the offense. The defense surrendered only 94 yards in the air – the lowest total by a UM opponent this season. In addition, the Hurricane defense held Heisman candidate Derrick Knight to only 83 yards rushing.
Sean Taylor continued to show off his playmaking abilities. His 67-yard interception return for a TD with 11:55 left in the second quarter gave UM a 21-0 lead. The score was Taylor’s first interception return for a TD at UM, but his third career TD. Taylor returned a punt for a score (78 yards) last year vs. Pittsburgh and caught a pass for a 47-yard score against Syracuse in 2002.
Alfonso Marshall also made a big play, as his interception in the end zone in the beginning of the fourth quarter ended a BC scoring threat. The pickoff was the third of his career and second this season.

School Records
Roscoe Parrish’s 92-yard punt return for a touchdown in the first quarter broke Kevin Williams’ school record of 91 yards. The Williams punt return for a TD came against Penn State in 1991. Miami has now scored seven touchdowns this season via returns, bettering their total from last season. Since 1999, Miami has scored more touchdowns on returns than any other team in the nation. Miami has scored at least one non-offensive touchdown in each game this season.

Lack of Concentration
Miami continued their knack for committing mental errors. The ‘Canes committed 11 penalties for a whopping 95 yards in the game. Four of those penalties were personal fouls. Coach Coker realizes that the team cannot continue to be penalized. “It is a frustrating win because there were still too many errors,” Coker said after the game.
Berlin agreed with his coach, but feels the team can overcome their early troubles.
“It’s pretty frustrating to keep putting ourselves in the wrong situations so we’re going to keep harping on it and hopefully one day we can do it,” Berlin said.

Miami vs. BC Series
Miami is now 22-3 all time vs. Boston College, with 14 consecutive victories dating back to 1985. The last Eagles victory in the series was the memorable “Hail Flutie” game (47-45 BC) at the Orange Bowl in 1984. Since joining the Big East in 1991, Miami is undefeated vs. the Eagles. The victory at Alumni Stadium also extended Miami’s nation best 17-game win streak on the road. Miami’s last road loss came at Washington in 2000.

Miscellaneous
Miami extended its nation-best regular season winning streak to 36 games in a row…BC’s touchdown with 11:28 left in the fourth quarter was the first TD allowed by the UM defense in eight quarters dating back to a Florida TD with 6:10 left in the third quarter on Sept. 6…Jason Geathers’ four receptions were a career high and his 37 yards receiving matched a career high…Brock Berlin continued to spread the wealth, completing passes to eight different receivers…Senior tailback Jarrett Payton scored his third rushing TD of the season and the sixth of his career…Miami has scored first in every game this season…Miami has a bye week this weekend and will resume play next Thursday night at the Orange Bowl against Big East foe West Virginia.

There are not many people who are willing to get up at six o’clock in the morning to go running. In Alex Brutvan’s mind, however, this is commonplace.
Brutvan, along with his teammates, gets up early to run several days a week. If you add together all the training that the runners have done throughout the years, cross-country proves to be a grueling sport.
“It’s a rugged sport and it’s not a spectator sport,” Brutvan said. “If you go to a cross country meet, you might see the pack running by two or three times if you are lucky.”
As a freshman, Brutvan was the third-ranked runner on the team and improved his two-mile time by over 30 seconds last season. At the end of his senior season of high school, Brutvan’s two-mile time was 9 minutes and 50 seconds, which was worked down to 9 minutes and 16 seconds this year.
“He is such a good runner because of training and his body type,” Head Coach Mike Ward said. “He is young too, he actually skipped a grade, so this should be his freshman year age-wise. His build and his ability to train and stay motivated are really big things.”
So far this season, Brutvan has shown how much he has improved. In the first meet of the year, at the Sailfish Invitational, Brutvan earned his first collegiate victory and led the Hurricanes to an easy victory. This win gave the ‘Canes their first ever sweep in school history.
“We are just looking to improve upon what we did last year and then keep moving up the next couple of years,” Brutvan said.
After the first race, there was reason to be optimistic, which turned into excitement after the second race. Again, the Hurricanes earned a sweep, and once again, Brutvan won. As a matter of fact, the ‘Canes’ runners took the top seven spots in this meet in an easy victory.
“You have to build an atmosphere where people are going to want to be a part of your program and are going to try hard to succeed,” Ward said.
Thanks to runners like Matt Mulvaney and Alex Brutvan, the men’s cross-country team is closer than ever to achieving this goal. Brutvan has won two consecutive times, and is becoming one of the leaders of this team.
“I’m trying to become as hard of a worker as I can because the guys I’ve seen come through UM didn’t have as good a high school career as me,” Brutvan said. “So I know if I stay dedicated, I can achieve a lot of big things.”
Brutvan feels that hard work is the essential component to being a great cross-country runner.
“No one starts off being a great distance runner, no one can just go out on their first day ever and run five miles in a five minute pace,” Brutvan said. “It’s the only sport that you get your payback only if you are putting in the work, and you reap the benefits of that work.”
According to his coach, the special thing about Brutvan that sets him apart from the other runners is his drive. He has talent, but he also has the drive to work harder and improve.
“He has the ability to be very good and he has the drive to carry it through,” Ward said. “Other runners don’t have that as much as he does. He is committed to being good. A lot of guys want to be good, but he takes it a step further and is actually making it happen.”
Brutvan’s goal for this season is simple. He is not trying to be the greatest runner in school history. He simply wants to improve individually and help the team get better as a whole.
“I’m not looking to break records this year because I still have two more years here,” Brutvan said. “I’m just trying to have a strong year and lead a strong pack this year, and get the freshman on the right track.”

Darren Grossman can be reached at DRG215@aol.com

Volleyball
The University of Miami volleyball team swept Jacksonville, 3-0 on Saturday afternoon at the Florida State Classic in Tallahassee, Fla.
With the win, the Hurricanes improve to 9-4 on the season and wrap up their final preseason tournament. Jacksonville falls to 1-9 on the season.
The Hurricanes started off strong in the first game, opening with a 10-4 lead. Miami continued to roll, leading by as much as eleven points at 28-17 before overtaking JU, 30-21 to win the first game.
The Dolphins would regroup in the second game, upping UM 9-7 early in the game. JU extended the lead to three at 11-9 until Miami tied the game at 12-12 on a kill by freshman Francheska Savage. Jacksonville bounced back to lead the Hurricanes, 16-14. Not to be outdone, Miami scored five straight points to take a 19-16 lead over the Dolphins. The two schools would swap the lead until the Hurricanes edged JU 30-28 to take a two game advantage going into the third game.
Miami opened the third game with an 11-3 lead. The Hurricanes would not allow JU to within six points, leading by as much as 13 at 26-13 on their way to a 30-17 win to seal the victory.
Savage had an outstanding performance for the Hurricanes with seven kills on 14 attempts, along with three blocks. Junior outside hitter Valeria Tipiana turned in a team-high 12 kills and senior Leyre Santaella Sante had 11 kills and four blocks for the Hurricanes.
Tipiana and Santaella Sante earned All-Tournament honors for their play at the FSU Classic.
Miami will return to Coral Gables to face in-state rival Florida International at the Knight Sports Complex on Tuesday, Sept. 23 at 7 p.m.

Tennis
The men’s tennis team wrapped up day two of the UM Fall Classic Saturday afternoon winning all three doubles matches and a singles match at the Neil Schiff Tennis Center. Tim Krebs teamed with Colin Purcell to beat Chris Gostek and Michael Green of Alabama 8-1 at No. 1 doubles. Eric Hechtman and Josh Cohen defeated F.J. Schofield and Kevin Obletz of FAU 8-6 at the No. 2 spot, while Luis Manrique and John Hoyes II beat Mauricio Paiz (FAU) and Joseph Jung (Alabama) 8-4 at No. 3. Purcell was the only Hurricane to win his singles match beating Mauricio Paiz of FAU 6-2, 6-0 at No. 3 singles.

Krebs has high hopes for tennis
Sophomore leads defending Big East champions into battle

The men’s tennis team will be very happy to have sophomore Tim Krebs back this year. Krebs went down with an awful injury last season in which he tore almost everything he could in his ankle.
“One of my biggest goals for this season is to just stay healthy,” Krebs said.
The team has a long season ahead of them, and Krebs knows better than anyone that it is a must to stay in shape.
“My injury last year was an accident,” Krebs said. “If we get stretched all the time and make sure we’re healthy, everything will be ok.”
Krebs is from Eschborn, Germany, where he was a state champion his senior year, leading his team to a 9-0 record. Tennis is different in Germany than it is here in the United States.
“The guys here play with more emotion,” Krebs said. “In Germany, we just play tennis to play the game; players don’t have the same anger they have here.”
As for this season, Krebs thinks this team has the right stuff to go places.
“The team chemistry is awesome so far, so I’m not worried about that,” Krebs said. “Playing-wise we’re all pretty good, we’re not bad.”
With the hiring of Head Coach Bryan Getz, the team is very excited to have the former interim coach at the helm this year.
“We had him as an assistant here last year, and he’s just awesome,” Krebs said.
Some may think that coming to Miami from Germany is a little far-fetched, but Tim’s reasoning is just as good as those who come from only a few miles away.
“I love this city and I love the program here,” Krebs said. “It is a great balance between academics and athletics.”
Tim had many choices when it came to picking schools to play tennis. San Diego State, Wake Forest, UCF, and Nebraska are just a few that were after the No. 7 player in Germany when he was a junior.
Like many tennis players, Krebs says his favorite player of all time is Pete Sampras. Krebs has won many tournaments throughout his tennis career, but has no plans on going pro until he has earned his college degree. Krebs hopes to maintain the success he had in Germany while here in Miami.
“The greatest moment of my career so far would be the state championship back in Germany,” Krebs said.
The ‘Canes know that they have to work hard in practice to get back to where they finished No.1 in the Big East last year.
“Monday, Wednesday, and Friday we work out for four hours,” Krebs said. “Tuesday, Thursday, and some Saturday’s we’ll work out for three to four hours.”
Miami opened up its season this past weekend in the UM Fall Classic. They defeated NC State in their first match on Saturday. Krebs won his singles match in straight sets, and emerged victorious in his doubles match with Colin Purcell in No. 1 doubles action.

Hurricanes dominate with defense and special teams

Chestnut Hill, Mass. – While Hurricane Isabel didn’t reach far enough north to affect the New England area, the No. 2 Miami football squad brought their own storm, directly hitting the campus of Boston College in their last Big East visit to Chestnut Hill.
Ignoring the jam-packed Eagle crowd at Alumni Stadium, the Hurricane defense and special teams led Miami to a 33-14 victory over BC, extending its nation-best regular season winning streak to 36 games in a row.
A Roscoe Parrish punt return for a TD and Sean Taylor interception return for a score overshadowed the lack of consistency by the UM offense. Miami scored 26 points off of its defense and special teams, while the offense only managed one sustained drive of over 50 yards. Another low point for the ‘Canes were their mental errors. Miami committed 11 penalties for 95 yards.
“It was a very good win for us, and obviously I’ll say that but for us it was a little bit of a frustrating win because there were still too many errors,” Head Coach Larry Coker said. “We really never got into a regular offense, but our defense was outstanding and our special teams were truly special tonight.”
UM quarterback Brock Berlin finished 18-of-30 passing for 151 yards and no touchdowns, while tailback Frank Gore managed 74 yards on 16 carries. The defense was the bright spot, as UM held the Eagles to only 213 yards of total offense.
“We are just not merged as the offensive team that I visualized yet…I think it’s there, we as coaches and players just have to get it done,” Coker said.
Miami started the game with a slight scare by allowing an 18-yard reception by BC wide out Grant Adams on the first offensive play of the game. However, the Hurricane defense responded and forced an Eagles punt that resulted in a UM record 92-yard punt return for a touchdown by Parrish.
“I saw a seam and took it right down the sideline,” Parrish said. “I did break a couple of tackles but my speed got me the score. Special teams are vital to winning and we proved that tonight.”
The ‘Canes would proceed to get favorable field position on their next possession. With 6:33 left in the first quarter, a BC muffed punt gave UM the ball at the BC 29-yard line. A miraculous 17-yard leaping catch over two BC defenders by Winslow set up a one-yard TD run by Gore to give UM a 14-0 lead with 4:44 remaining.
BC got the ball back and moved the ball down the field thanks to a couple of UM mistakes – an offside penalty and a Vince Wilfork late hit gave the Eagles the ball at the 50-yard line. Derrick Knight proceeded with a 13-yard run to the Miami 37. Just when momentum seemed to shift in favor of BC, Eagles second string quarterback Paul Pederson entered the game and threw an interception directly to Sean Taylor (third of season) who ran untouched for a 67-yard touchdown to put UM up three touchdowns with 11:44 left in the first half. John Peattie added a 32-yard field goal with 49 seconds left in the first half to put Miami on top 24-0.
“We as a defense want to make plays to help our team win games,” UM defensive back Al Marshall said after intercepting his second pass of the season in the fourth quarter. “We don’t want to have to rely only on the offense to win games.”
BC proceeded to march down the field with less than a minute left in the first half thanks in part to a UM personal foul and a 22-yard run by quarterback Quinton Porter. However, Eagles kicker Sandro Sciortino failed to connect on a 45-yard field goal attempt as time expired in the first half.
The second half was much of the same for BC. After forcing Miami to punt on the first possession, the Eagles went three and out. On the BC punt attempt, the snap sailed over the head of punter Jeff Gomulinski and out of the end zone to give the ‘Canes a safety and a 26-0 lead. On the subsequent Miami drive, a Jarrett Payton five-yard TD run capped off a seven play, 62 yard drive, widening the BC to deficit to 33 points.
“I think we as an offense know what we can do and know we can play well together,” Berlin said.
BC finally got on the scoreboard with a five-yard touchdown run by Derrick Knight with 11:28 left in the game. The score came after the two teams traded interceptions. The fourth quarter began with a BC drive into the UM red zone, but the Hurricane defense stepped up once again, this time with a Marshall interception in the end zone. However, Berlin and the offense continued their struggles, as BC defensive back Peter Shean picked off a Berlin third down pass, leading to the Knight score.
Backup Eagle running back Horace Dodd added a four-yard TD run with 38 seconds left in the contest, cutting the Hurricane lead to 33-14. Miami received the ensuing kick and took a knee to end the game.
You can reach Brian Poliakoff at b.poliakoff@umiami.edu.