by Mike Mitchell
12/27/06
2:21 pm est
Boise,
Idaho is certainly not where Miami players, coaches and fans
thought the team would be taking their bowl trip. But the Hurricanes
are lucky to be here after a season that produced a 6-6 record
and resulted in the firing of head coach Larry Coker, just four
years after leading the team to back-to-back national championship
games.
In the preseason, ACC media voted Miami as the favorite to win
the conference championship. The Congrove Computer Rankings projected
the 'Canes to be a 10-2 team. Instead, Miami needed a season-ending
upset of Boston College to even gain entry to the postseason.
Despite his dismissal after the BC game, Coker was permitted
to coach the team in the bowl game. His defensive coordinator,
Randy Shannon, was announced on December 8 as his successor.
Additionally, offensive line coach Mario Cristobal was hired
as the new head coach at FIU and chose to skip the bowl game.
The troubling season for Miami included a nasty brawl with nearby
FIU on October 14, and the shooting death of senior defensive
lineman Bryan Pata outside his apartment complex on November
7.
Nevada performed about as expected. The Wolf Pack were projected
by the Congrove Computer Rankings to be a 7-5 club and they finished
8-4. The computer was 12-0 in game-day straight up picks with
Nevada.
In Chris Ault's third season, Nevada has the chance to make a
name for itself by defeating one of the most high-profile schools
in college football. They could care less what Miami's record
is - they are well aware of the Hurricanes' five titles in nine
national championship appearances since 1983.
The Wolf Pack bring a balanced offense to the table. Nevada passed
for 2,229 yards and ran for 2,128 while scoring 30.9 points per
game. Jeff Rowe completed 64.7 percent of his passes but was
sacked 25 times. Robert Hubbard was the leading ground-gainer
with 936 yards and 6 scores. Luke Lippincott had 9 TD's on the
ground. Hubbard had five 100-yard games and Lippincott had two.
But defense, especially against the run, was a Miami strong suit
in 2006. The Hurricanes ranked 3rd against the run, 5th in total
yards allowed and 13th in points scored against. Miami surrendered
just 792 rushing yards all season. The passing department is
a different story, as the 'Canes allowed 2,233 yards through
the air.
Miami has been a disappointment on offense as second-year starter
Kyle Wright had monumental struggles and threw just 8 TD passes
against 7 interceptions. Kirby Freeman took over the last three
games after Wright suffered a broken thumb and will start the
bowl game. Freeman has thrown 5 TD passes and 7 INT's. Still,
the passing game outshone the running game with 2,295 yards versus
1,480.
Nevada's defense was tied for 8th in the nation in interceptions
with 19. On the whole, the Wolf Pack allowed just 19 points per
game.
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