his first eight years he dropped to
63-29 his last seven. All nine full-time
assistants hired by Richt will be in
their first season with the Hurricanes.
Summary: Richt has a veteran offense,
including second-team All-ACC re-
ceiver Stacey Coley and 1,000-yard
rusher Joe Yearby. Whether Miami
can be a dark horse ACC contender
might rest more on the defense af-
ter finishing 77th in scoring defense
(28.2 points per game) and 69th in
total defense (404.8). The secondary
especially is rebuilding, including
losing junior cornerback Artie Burns
to the NFL as a first-round pick.
"The U" has not finished with a dou-
ble-digit win total since an 11-2 mark
in 2003 under Larry Coker, but its tal-
ent base cannot be underestimated.
VS. NAVY • NOV. 5
AT JACKSONVILLE, FLA.
QB Situation: Gone is Keenan Reynolds,
a four-year stalwart whose 88 career
rushing touchdowns (24 last year) are
the most in NCAA history and led to
Navy retiring his No. 19 jersey. His heir
is 5-10, 201-pound senior Tago Smith.
Following a leg injury to starting
center Blaze Ryder that could hold
him out into the start of next season,
Navy head coach Ken Niumatalolo
actually canceled the last three prac-
Miami junior Brad Kaaya is the most seasoned passer on Notre Dame's schedule, having started 25
games while throwing for 6,436 yards and 42 touchdowns the past two seasons.
PHOTO COURTESY MIAMI MEDIA RELATIONS
