Coach Butch Davis is keeping his Hurricanes from talking too much this season, but at the end of the year they might have the biggest bragging rights in the state of Florida. Talent like years gone by has come back to Miami again and that spells trouble for everyone on their schedule. Are you listening, Bobby Bowden?

Miami Game Plan

Offense: Loosen them up early -- go deep. Be ready to max protect for new blitzes. Keep Santana Moss in the offense. Defense: Do not over-commit to the option and give up big passes. Keep one safety in middle most of time. Force passing game to go underneath -- no long passes. Kicking: Pressure punters from outside vs. angle kicking. Cover all eligible receivers on punt team. Players: Forget what time it is in Miami. Get into this game right away -- create the tempo. Take nothing for granted. Coaches: Play to your strengths. Take some calculated risks, but don't gamble without reason. Make sure everyone is up and ready to go on time.

Fourteen starters return from last year's team, but after the 61-14 demolition of McNeese State no one is worried about whether the holes would be filled with talented players. This game was a complete dress rehearsal for Washington, and all performers knew their lines.

Kenny Dorsey is the man at the switch this year and his first game came off without a hitch. While throwing three touchdown passes, Dorsey showed he has mastered the Hurricanes' audible system that allows them to get single coverage on Santana Moss and others. Against McNeese State he used audibles almost sixty percent of the time.

Washington is not McNeese State, but there is no getting around the stable of runners that bless this team. James Jackson, Clinton Portis and Najeh Davenport are the best group in the country this year. Defenses must set themselves to stop the running game of Miami first. Good luck!

Reggie Wayne caught two touchdown passes last week and he must be called upon to take some of the defensive attention away from "ole what's his name." Santana Moss is determined to make people forget about Peter Warrick. He will be just as exciting to fans across the country as Warrick, and he might even end up in New York in December. McNeese State had a front row seat as Moss returned a punt 77 yards for a touchdown and also ran an end-around 75 yards for another. Now you see him -- now you don't!

Butch Davis and his defenders take pride in not allowing any runner to gain more than 100 yards rushing against them. With that accomplished, they can turn their attention to pass defense. In 1999 they were the 11th best pass efficiency team in the country. Eight starters return as well as the entire secondary, and this secondary combines their cover abilities with toughness and hitting as tacklers.

Damione Lewis and Adrian Wilson are 300-pounders who anchor a defensive front that is tough to move. While the linebackers may need to adjust after the early departure of Nate Webster, there are experienced players like Dan Morgan and Chris Campbell who will take up the slack and provide leadership.

Miami plays in the Big East and that alone should tell you about their kicking game. They will pressure kickers into bad errors and if anyone misses an assignment, the Canes will block a kick.