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Florida A&M-Miami Preview

Aug 30, 2010 - 6:15 PM By MATT BECKER STATS Senior Writer

Florida A&M (0-0) at No. 15 Miami (FL) (0-0), 7:30 p.m. EDT

An impressive start to the 2009 season had Miami thinking about the national championship while quarterback Jacory Harris' name was being mentioned for the Heisman Trophy.

There's already similar talk this season, and Harris and his teammates feel better prepared to deal with the lofty expectations after falling short.

With a daunting portion of the schedule looming, the 13th-ranked Hurricanes look for a fast start when they open against Florida A&M on Thursday night.

Following the opener, Miami plays its next three on the road against second-ranked Ohio State, No. 15 Pittsburgh and Clemson. The Hurricanes then return home to face No. 20 Florida State.

"We're not trying to look at any of that now," said wide receiver LaRon Byrd, whose team is projected to finish third in the ACC's Coastal Division.

Although the schedule appears intimidating, the Hurricanes faced a similar challenge a year ago and nearly came out unscathed.

Miami opened 2009 with games against top-25 foes Florida State, Georgia Tech, Virginia Tech and Oklahoma. The Hurricanes took three of four to go from being unranked to No. 11.

They climbed as high as No. 8, but losses to Clemson and North Carolina cost any chance at playing for the ACC title and a berth in the Orange Bowl. Miami, which hasn't won a national championship since 2001, fell to Wisconsin in the Champs Sports Bowl and finished 9-4.

"I think that's what hurt us last year," Byrd said. "Last year, we looked at the first four games as our hardest games, and when we went 3-1, it was like, 'Oh, we're going to go to the national championship.' And that kind of hurt us down the road."

Harris also felt as if he bought into all the hype. He led the ACC with 3,352 passing yards and was third with 24 touchdowns, but also threw 17 interceptions, second-most in the Football Bowl Subdivision.

"I'm better suited to deal with it all now," Harris said. "The Heisman, it's just a great feeling to have your name mentioned. Of course you want to win it, but at the same time, you have a team that you have to help win. You can't win the Heisman if your team isn't winning."

Harris also should be healthier after undergoing surgery on his thumb and sitting out the spring practices to rest and heal. Teammates now say his passes have more zip than ever.

"I don't know how else to say it," said Randy Shannon, who enters his fourth season as Miami coach. "Jacory's ready."

Harris also should benefit from lining up with several of the same skill position players from a year ago.

The Hurricanes return their top four receives from 2009 in Leonard Hankerson, Travis Benjamin, Aldarius Johnson and Byrd. Hankerson led the way with team highs of 45 catches, 801 yards and six touchdowns.

Damien Berry is also back to shoulder the ground game after rushing for 616 yards and eight TDs last season. The senior ran for a career-best 162 yards and a touchdown on 14 carries while Harris passed for 217 yards with two TDs and two interceptions in a 48-16 win over Florida A&M on Oct. 10.

The Hurricanes have won seven straight over the Rattlers since losing in their first meeting in 1979. Miami has been ranked in each of the four meetings since 1999, outscoring Florida A&M 219-46.

The Rattlers finished 8-3 last season, but need to replace Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference player of the year Curtis Pulley, who amassed 2,705 total yards of offense and 18 touchdowns as a senior quarterback.

Sophomore Martin Ukpai will take over under center, but the offense will revolve around senior running back Philip Sylvester.

The 5-foot-9 Sylvester, who has rushed for 2,030 yards and 22 touchdowns in his career, finished with 24 yards on 12 carries against the Hurricanes last season.

"We're really going to feature him a lot more this year," said third-year Florida A&M coach Joe Taylor, who also wants Sylvester to take direct snaps. "Last year the offense when through Pulley. This year it's going through Sylvester."