The second half of Miami’s season begins tomorrow, and according to head coach Larry Coker and several other Hurricanes, the team is “right where they want to be.”

That statement might be attributed to the ‘Canes 6-0 record, and a No.1 spot in both the AP and Coaches polls, a spot the team has held on to from the beginning of the regular season. All of that is on the line tomorrow afternoon, though, as the Hurricanes take on upstart West Virginia in Morgantown. The Mountaineers are 5-2 this season, and Coker says Miami is going to have to be on their toes throughout the duration of the contest.

“They are as balanced on offense and defense as anyone is,” Coker said. “Both complement each other real well.”

The Hurricanes enter the game with the benefit of a bye-week following the narrow 28-27 victory against Florida State. The Hurricanes were forced to come back from a 13-point deficit in the FSU contest due to an uncharacteristic 14 penalties for 109 yards, something the team spent a lot of time working on.

“We have really been trying to take what we learned from the first six games,” said offensive lineman Chris Myers. “We are trying to learn from the penalties, and we want to come out thinking no more penalties.”

Practice during the off-week was as intense as it has been all season. Coker and the Hurricanes coaching staff matched up the offensive line against the Miami defense, resulting in hours of hard labor, and according to Myers, should help the ‘Canes come game time.

“This has been the best practices we’ve had,” Myers said. “They [the defense] are probably the best guys we’ll face all season.”

The events of practice were muted last week, though, as linebacker Buck Ortega had to be rushed to the intensive care unit due to complications following arthroscopic surgery on his left shoulder. Ortega was released from HealthSouth Doctors Hospital on Saturday, but the incident had some lingering effects on the team during their preparation for West Virginia.

“It was a terrifying event and we were very concerned about it,” Coker said. “Fortunately, Buck’s mother and father were in control but it certainly had an effect on the team.”

The Mountaineers enter Saturday’s contest averaging nearly 442 yards of total offense per game. A large part of that number is due to the play of senior tailback Avon Cobourne, who has already amassed 1,000 yards this season, becoming only the fifth collegiate running back to reach the century mark each of his four years.

Coupled with Miami’s inability to stop the run against the Seminoles, Cobourne’s presence has given Coker something to worry about.

“Anytime you don’t stop the run, you have to be concerned about a lot of things,” Coker said.

Although Cobourne represents West Virginia’s most talented player on the offensive side of the ball, freshman quarterback Rasheed Marshall has been behind WVU’s 5-2 record, including victories against East Carolina and Syracuse. Marshall has thrown just a pair of interceptions this season, and has also gained 331 yards on the ground to go along with his passing statistics.

“Rasheed Marshall is doing an outstanding job,” Coker said. “He throws the ball a lot better than I would like and is a great runner.”

On defense, the Mountaineers haven’t let up, surrendering just over 284 yards per contest. According to offensive lineman Sherko Haji-Rasouli, much of that is due to a unique defensive formation.

“They have a real weird defense,” Haji-Rasouli said. “They play a 33 stack defense, something I had never heard of before. All you can do to prepare is look at the film and study their formations.”

The Hurricanes certainly have the advantage when it comes to the players on the field. Miami has matched the Mountaineers gaudy numbers, averaging 478 yards on offense while allowing just 264 yards on defense. However, the ‘Canes must come out with a much better first-half performance than they showed against the Seminoles, if Miami wants to continue their climb towards a spot in the Fiesta Bowl.

“We have to play well every week,” Coker said. “We’ve got to handle our trips well and prepare throughout the week. It doesn’t matter where we play, we want to be who we are.”

You can reach Jeremy Marks-Peltz at jmp310@hotmail.com.

Computers Miami
Anderson & Hester 4
Richard Billingsley 2
Colley Matrix 6
Kenneth Massey 4
NY Times 4
Jeff Sagarin 6
Peter Wolfe 6
Computer Average 4.33

Junior middle linebacker, Jonathan Vilma, has emerged as a proven leader for the Hurricane defense.

Vilma leads the Hurricanes with 49 total tackles, 24 solos, and 25 assisted, after six games in the 2002 season. Two weeks ago against FSU, he compiled a career high 15 tackles. It was the second time in the last three weeks that Vilma has had double-figures in tackles, as well as the sixth time in his career.

Vilma has won Big East defensive player of the week two times this season.

“You just want to get to the ball and make sure when you go down, he’s going down with you,” said Vilma. “If you play with a lot of emotion, passion and intensity, you will get to the ball. If you get to the ball, obviously you’re going to bring them down. 75% of that is just pure heart.”

Frustration haunted Vilma and his teammates after the game against Florida State. If someone would have told him that the ‘Canes were going to give up 300 yards rushing against FSU, he would have thought they were crazy.

“It wasn’t anything specific,” Vilma stated. “It was just that mentally we were making so many mistakes. We watched the film this week; we were basically just giving them points. It was just technique things, and we had the bye week, and even the rest of the season, to get it corrected.”

Even as a veteran, Vilma realizes that he personally had mistakes along with the new comers. It was a collective effort by the team that caused the ‘Canes to struggle for their last victory.

“We were just taking bad angles towards them. There were just silly mistakes being made, things we have been going over since two-a-days, and it just showed,” said Vilma.

FSU’s offense made plays and the bottom line was, Miami’s didn’t.

“Mental mistakes” seem to be the re-occurring phrase when the players explain what went wrong. Some admitted that they under-estimated the game against the ‘Noles, while concentrating on upcoming more challenging games. However when they wanted to stop FSU or score on them, they did. That shows how much character and drive the ‘Canes have, and they just need to hold that intensity for four quarters of a game.

“It wasn’t like anyone was getting run over or getting blown off the line of scrimmage, it was just being out of position mentally and stuff like that,” assured Vilma. “That’s just what really hurts right there. We really don’t do those things. It was just like, ‘I can’t believe we had a bust like that.’ It was more like us not doing what we needed to do to get them down on the ground.”

The coaching staff was frustrated as well because they were just unintelligent mistakes. On the flip side, that is comforting because these were small things that can easily be corrected. It wasn’t as though the team would need to take a whole summer to get stronger in order to fix these blunders.

In the third quarter, Vilma established his leadership, along with his teammate Jerome McDougle, as they gave the ‘Canes a mini pep talk. They gathered up the team and told them to focus and get on the same page so the errors they were making could be eliminated.

After the close victory, the Hurricanes were not satisfied. Last week’s bye week was not a walk in the park for them. The ‘Canes were glued to the TV watching tape, and their minds were refreshed with all the fundamentals.

“We’re going to be better when we play the rest of our season, and especially Virginia Teach to end the season- no doubt about it,” said Vilma. “We’re going to be smarter when we get into the game and not have the same mental mistakes that we had against FSU. So when they or any other team tries to run the ball, hopefully we’ll be in position to make the plays.”

By practicing together everyday, Vilma and the rest of the ‘Canes become one big family. He enjoys spending free time additionally with his teammates, as he often takes up a friendly game of pool with sophomore tailback Willis McGahee.

Vilma assures that there will be a re-match, after winning a few and loosing a few, referring to not only the pool game, however the ‘Canes game as well, to illustrate their skills and show what the outcome is when they play up to their ability.

“You learn that you can come away with a ‘W’ and you still have mistakes,” Vilma said. “There are still things you have to learn and need to correct, it’s just a learning process that you go through during the season. We’re just glad we got the ‘W’ and we’re going to keep moving on.”

You can reach Dana Strokovsky at Hoopg1rl6@aol.com.

Intramural Reminders
Ultimate Frisbee Mini-League is brand new this year. The entry deadline is TODAY! The season will last one week beginning Monday and the single elimination tournament will be held next Saturday, November 2. Intramural Soccer deadline is also quickly approaching and the deadline is next Tuesday, October 29! Be sure to sign up for these events in the Wellness Center!

Intramural Scores

Flag Football Playoffs – 1st round of the Co-Rec Bracket:
Biohazard – 28
Jerry’s Kidz – 0
Smaller Unit – 13
Alpha Q – 0
We Bring the Whoopin – 12
College Republicans – 9

1st round of the Greek Bracket:
Phi Delta Theta – 14
Sigma Chi – 0

Elite Eight of the Greek Bracket:
Pi Kappa Alpha – 30
Phi Delta Theta – 0

Sigma Phi Epsilon – 20
Sigma Alpha Mu – 18

Lambda Chi Alpha – 13
Zeta Beta Tau – 7

Alpha Sigma Phi – 32
Kappa Sigma – 0

Final 4 of the Co-Rec Bracket:
Gomez’s Girls – 25
Biohazard – 0

Smaller Unit – 24
We Bring the Whoopin – 0

Final 4 of the Greek Bracket:
Pi Kappa Alpha – 26
Sigma Phi Epsilon – 0

Alpha Sigma Phi – 13
Lambda Chi Alpha – 6
Final 4 of the Men’s Bracket:
#5 Outkast – 18
#17 UMSM 2 – 7

#2 Soo Tough – 34
#11 The Phenoms – 7

Final 4 of the Women’s Bracket:
Wahine – 35
Scalpels – 0

WT Eight – 20
Scrubs – 12

Final 4 of the Panhellenic Bracket:
Delta Phi Epsilon – 19
Kappa Kappa Gamma – 0

Delta Phi Epsilon – 7
Zeta Tau Alpha – 6

Women’s Independent Championship:
Wahine – 43
WT Eight – 0

Panhellenic Championship:
Delta Phi Epsilon – 20
Delta Delta Delta – 0

Floor Hockey Playoffs:

1st round of the Greek Bracket:
Sigma Alpha Mu – 5
Lambda Chi Alpha – 0

Sigma Phi Epsilon – 1
Sigma Chi – 0

Final 4 of the Greek Bracket:
Sigma Alpha Mu – 2
Zeta Beta Tau – 1

Sigma Phi Epsilon – 2 (OT)
Pi Kappa Alpha – 1

Final 4 of the Men’s Bracket:
Puckheads – 1
Furze’s Mom – 0

Blades of Steel – 5
Colonel Cathcart’s Armada – 1

Men’s Independent Championship:
Puckheads – 2
Blades of Steel – 0

One word perfectly describes Vonda Matthews’s style of soccer: versatile.

“In high school I never had one set position,” Matthews said, which would explain why the move from defense to forward hasn’t fazed last year’s most valuable player on the team.

Matthews, a junior from Oklahoma, knows success well. She led her high school team to a State Championship, and her club team, the Oklahoma Outrage, to a National Championship. A First Team All-American coming out of high school, most of the nation’s elite programs, including UNC and Notre Dame wanted Matthews to play for them, but instead she chose an up and coming University of Miami program where she knew she could make an immediate impact.

Matthews has certainly lived up to expectations, being named to the Big East All-Rookie Team her freshman year, as well as the Big East Second Team her freshmen and sophomore years.

Matthews’s versatility has developed throughout her UM career as she continues to rack up goals and assists while helping to lead the team with her defensive skills as well. The player that Matthews said has helped her develop the most while at Miami is red shirt junior Allison McWhinney, another explosive and versatile player for UM.

“She really took me under her wing and taught me a lot when I got here,” said Matthews

Even though Matthews majors in Business Management at UM, she wants to pursue a career in soccer, either as a player or a coach after she graduates, which makes sense for a player with so much talent who has had such success throughout her career.

But don’t think for a second that all this success has gotten to Matthews head. When asked about the strongest aspect of her game, she said that she most enjoys giving her teammates a chance to score, which she has proven with her team leading six assists. Although she has given her teammates plenty of chances to score, Matthews had not scored all season going into last week’s game against Rutgers.

“My teammates make fun of me that I can’t score this season,” Matthews said with a laugh.

However, she broke her dry spell by scoring two goals against Rutgers in a game the ‘Canes lost 6-5 in double overtime.

That renewed ability for Matthews to score will boost the team’s already explosive offense as they finish up the regular season and head into the Big East Tournament.

“The team had three goals for the season,” said Matthews. “The first was to host a Big East Tournament Game, which we accomplished, the second is to win the Big East Tournament, and the third is the NCAA tournament.”

If the team has a chance at reaching these next two goals, Matthews’s versatility and leadership will play a huge role in the team’s success, just as it has since Matthews arrived at Miami.

Catch Mathews and the Hurricane soccer team in their last home game of the season against Central Florida tonight a 7:00 PM at Cobb Stadium.

You can reach Nate Johnson at NPJ44@aol.com.

The South Florida Bulls came into the Knight Sports Complex Monday Night a confident team that had beaten ranked opponents and played No. 8 Pepperdine very tough. They were completely unprepared for the Hurricane that was about to run over them in the form of the women’s volleyball team.

The ‘Canes, who were sitting at 17-2 and first place in the Big East, were not expected to beat a very good South Florida program who had been receiving votes to be ranked in the national polls. However, the ‘Canes got maybe their biggest victory of the season when they beat South Florida 3-1.

“It was a huge victory for us. We beat a team that is first in their region and undefeated in Conference USA…South Florida has been receiving votes in the top 25 poll. They have done a lot,” said head coach Nicole Lantagne Welch.

The ‘Canes had the daunting task of dealing with Bulls outside hitter Michelle Collier, who had a team leading 30 kills and 16 digs. However, the ‘Canes had the answer for her all day. Miami spread the ball around, with four players recording double digit kills. Valeria Tipiana and Elizabeth Tyson led the way with 17 kills apiece, while team leader Marcela Gamarra had 15.

“Marcela being third in kills shows our team is growing. It takes the pressure off Marcela and gives us a lot more balance,” said Lantagne Welch.

The ‘Canes sit in first place in the Big East conference, but still have some tough games ahead, including a meeting with Notre Dame. This may have been the biggest victory of the season, but the ‘Canes know that they still have a lot of important games ahead.

“Notre Dame will be a really big test. All the Big East games will be very tough,” said Jamie Grass, who had a team leading 12 digs in the match.

Grass has made the transition from hitter to defensive specialist nicely.

More than anything, this victory showed that the Hurricanes can compete with top teams and win. Despite being first in the Big East, the ‘Canes have not been ranked in the top 25, and they were thought to be a team that would struggle against top programs. They proved that they could beat a good team on Monday.

“This victory shows everyone we are a really good team and that we can compete with the best,” said Grass.

The victory gives the Canes some momentum going into the home stretch of Big East conference play. The team was coming off a bad loss to FIU, and it was important for them to bounce back. Miami showed resilience on Monday with the impressing victory.

“This win was a great confidence builder. I hope we can take this win and build from it, against Virginia Tech on Saturday,” said Lantagne Welch.

If the Canes can keep rising to the occasion in big games, they will retain their No. 1 seed in the Big East conference and have a great chance to celebrate a conference championship and an invite to the NCAA Tournament in November.

You can reach Darren Grossman at drg215@aol.com.

The historically not so Miami Hurricane friendly Bowl Championship Series standings were released on Monday, and the ‘Canes see themselves ranked No 2. This marks the third consecutive season in which Miami appears to have been given the shaft, at least in the initial standings.

Miami, ranked No. 1 by both the Associated Press and the ESPN/USA Today coaches’ polls since the preseason, is ranked second with 6.41 points. Oklahoma heads the first BCS standings of the season for the second consecutive year with 3.92 points, while the surprising Fighting Irish of Notre Dame are right behind the ‘Canes in third place with 7.07 points.

“If we take care of our own business and win, things will work out,” said Miami head coach Larry Coker. “The system is designed to have the top two teams meet at the end of the year and I am confident that will be the case.”

Big East foe Virginia Tech is ranked fourth with 8.63 points, followed in the top ten by Georgia, Ohio State, Washington State, Michigan, LSU and Texas.

The BCS rankings are a point system based on a formula that incorporates the combined rank of the AP and coaches’ polls, an average of seven computer rankings, strength of schedule rating, won-loss record and a bonus-point system. New this year is the elimination of margin of victory from the computer raking process. Teams are arranged in order from lowest to highest points.

The bonus award is based on a sliding scale from 1.0 points for beating a first place team to a .1 for a win over the 10th place-team.

“There’s still a long way to go,” new BCS coordinator Michael Tranghese told the AP. “The strength-of-schedule component will come into play, and so will the bonus points. The biggest surprise is there are still so many undefeated teams at this stage, halfway through the season.”

Miami’s strength of schedule as of now is rated 27th. The best ranking Miami had in the computer rakings was one second-place ranking in the Richard Billingsley poll. However, ‘Canes fans should not worry, as the Miami schedule strength will improve with upcoming games against Tennessee and Virginia Tech.

“It really doesn’t matter at this time of the year and it’s something you don’t take to heart,” said Miami offensive lineman Sherko Haji-Rasouli. “The system has the two best teams playing for the national championship.”

Notre Dame, No. 6 in the AP poll, has the No. 1 ranked schedule and seemed to be the favorite of many of the computer rankings, receiving a computer raking average of 1.33. However, the Irish don’t have a walk in the park left on their schedule either, facing FSU (No. 12 in the BCS) tomorrow and ending the season at USC, a team that is extremely underrated.

Oklahoma stands atop the initial BCS poll for the second straight year. The Sooners have the 13th ranked schedule and that ranking will not improve mightily as the Oklahoma’s only tough remaining games are against No. 20 Colorado and at unranked Texas A&M and Oklahoma St.

A problem may arise if Oklahoma, Miami, and Notre Dame all finish undefeated. If Notre Dame finishes the season without a loss, then they would probably finish atop the BCS. Then if Miami and Oklahoma are also both undefeated, then they would be in an ever so close battle for the No. 2 standing. This would put the BCS under scrutiny for the third consecutive season.

Last season, Miami was ranked No. 4 in the first BCS standings, despite being ranked No. 1 in both the AP and ESPN polls. Despite the early shaft, the three teams ahead of Miami wound up losing and the ‘Canes finished the regular season atop the BCS.

However, the BCS was criticized when Nebraska got the nod to play Miami in the National Championship. Nebraska lost their final regular season game to Colorado, 62-36, and didn’t earn a chance to play in the Big 12 title game. The Cornhuskers still finished ahead of once-beaten Oregon and twice-beaten Colorado in the BCS.

Two season’s ago, Miami was robbed by the BCS, as the ‘Canes finished third in the BCS rankings behind Florida State and Oklahoma. Both the Seminoles and ‘Canes had one loss – FSU’s loss was to Miami.

In short, the BCS is a perfect system only if the season ends with two undefeated teams, or if only a single team finishes with one loss. This is yet to happen under the BCS format, and the public outcry for a college football playoff system will continue.

You can reach Brian Poliakoff at b.poliakoff@umiami.edu.