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Miami-Ohio St. Preview

Sep 7, 2010 - 6:21 PM By BRETT HUSTON STATS Senior Writer

No. 15 Miami (FL) (1-0) at No. 8 Ohio State (1-0), 3:30 p.m. EDT

Ohio State's stunning upset of Miami in the 2003 Fiesta Bowl didn't just give the Buckeyes their first national title in 32 years, it helped one of college football's flagship programs return to perennial powerhouse status.

The Hurricanes are hoping a win in Columbus can have the same effect.

Second-ranked Ohio State will be a clear favorite when it faces No. 12 Miami for the first time since that double-overtime championship thriller, but the Hurricanes can pave their own path to BCS contention with a victory Saturday.

The Buckeyes (1-0) went 21-15 from 1999 to 2001 before a surprising 12-0 regular season in 2002, but it was the finale of Jim Tressel's second season on the sidelines that was particularly memorable.

As two-touchdown underdogs to a Miami team that had won 34 straight games, Ohio State didn't blink. A controversial pass-interference call in the first overtime kept the Buckeyes alive, and Maurice Clarett's five-yard score in the second OT gave Tressel's team a 31-24 victory.

Ohio State has been a January bowl fixture since, playing in six BCS games - including two national championship contests. The Hurricanes (1-0) made the Orange Bowl in 2004 and haven't played in a BCS game since.

"All the alumni who comes back to train, they all leave us with that note," Miami cornerback Brandon Harris said. "'Go get 'em for us. We owe them one.' So we feel this game isn't just for us. It's going to be for the fans and the former players who played in that game."

Both teams have had a little extra time to prepare for their fourth meeting, the first in Columbus since 1977.

Heisman Trophy hopeful Terrelle Pryor got the Buckeyes off to a good start by throwing three touchdowns - two to junior DeVier Posey - in a 45-7 rout of Marshall last Thursday. That same night, Miami's Jacory Harris tossed three TD passes - two to senior Leonard Hankerson - in the first 19 minutes of a 45-0 win over Florida A&M.

"You get the feeling (Miami) feels like they're back on the rise like they were in the early 2000s," said Ohio State linebacker Brian Rolle, who returned an interception for a touchdown against Marshall. "We've got to play our brand of football, and at the end of the game next week we'll be able to assess where we are."

Miami fans certainly remember Rolle's name. His cousin, current New York Giant Antrel Rolle, was a standout cornerback for the Hurricanes in that national title game seven years ago.

Perhaps as soon as April, Pryor could join Rolle as one of the 80 first-round NFL draft picks to play at Miami or Ohio State since 1985. The junior built upon his excellent Rose Bowl effort by going 17 of 25 for 247 yards against the Thundering Herd.

"Every game is about maturity," Pryor said. "It's 12 weeks in a (season). Let's see what happens next. I'm excited to play Miami."

Harris, who led the ACC with 3,352 yards passing in 2009 but also tossed a conference-high 17 interceptions, didn't have any in his opener. He threw three incompletions in 15 attempts, passing for 210 yards before sitting out the second half.

He'll have a chance to join Pryor in the Heisman discussion the next few weeks. After facing Ohio State, Miami visits Pittsburgh and Clemson before returning home.

The Hurricanes never punted in their first shutout since 2006.

"At least Ohio State doesn't know what we do in the punt game," coach Randy Shannon said.

Miami hopes to exploit the Buckeyes' veteran offensive line Saturday. The Hurricanes had only 24 sacks in 2009 - their lowest total in two decades - but recorded eight against Florida A&M, a career-high 3 1/2 coming from sophomore defensive end Olivier Vernon.

While Shannon doesn't plan on reliving the national championship meeting - he was the Hurricanes' defensive coordinator at the time - Vernon, a Miami native, isn't hesitant to bring it up.

"I was a little young, but I remember it," he said. "It's revenge time. Nobody's forgotten about it. I feel like I was playing that game."