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With heavy hearts, Miami visit Maryland in ACC contest

Nov 7, 2006 - 10:13 PM Miami Fl (5-4) at No. 23 Maryland (7-2), 3:30 pm EST

COLLEGE PARK, Maryland (Ticker) - Four days after the murder of defensive tackle Bryan Pata, Miami will look for solace on the gridiron when it takes on No. 23 Maryland in an Atlantic Coast Conference contest.

On Tuesday, an already difficult season for the Hurricanes took a tragic turn when Pata was shot and killed outside his apartment. A day later, Miami coach Larry Coker announced the team would travel to Maryland for the game, as he believed Pata would want the Hurricanes to play.

While Maryland sits in a tie for first place in the ACC Atlantic Division, Miami is in fourth place in the Coastal Division after suffering back-to-back losses to ranked league foes Georgia Tech and Virginia Tech.

In last week's 17-10 home loss to the Hokies, the Hurricanes (5-4, 2-3 Coastal) limited star tailback Branden Ore to just 79 yards but allowed him to score twice, including a go-ahead touchdown with 1:39 to play.

Tyrone Moss ran for 103 yards and a touchdown but Kyle Wright again struggled behind center for Miami, completing just 14-of-29 passes for 84 yards with a pair of interceptions.

Maryland (7-2, 4-1 Atlantic), meanwhile, has won four straight games and is tied atop the division with Wake Forest with three games to play, including a home meeting with the Demon Deacons on November 25.

Last Saturday, the Terps emerged from "Death Valley" with a 13-12 triumph over then-No. 19 Clemson after Dan Ennis connected on a 31-yard field goal with no time remaining.

The teams are meeting for the first time since a 46-16 Miami home triumph in 1987. The series is tied at 7-7, but this will be just the second all-time matchup here.