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MIAMI PREVIEW UNPREDICTABLE FORECAST An explosive offense makes the Hurricanes a dangerous opponent BY WES MORGAN T he Miami Hurricanes packed about as much punch as a slight breeze through three games in 2012, with issues on offense compounded by top-to-bottom problems on defense. The holes second- year head coach Al Golden had to fill — which included the loss of wide receiver Tommy Streeter and offensive lineman Brandon Washington to the National Foot- ball League — remain gaping, and the inexperience on defense has been and will continue to be a liability. But after a 6-6 campaign in 2011, the Canes are off to a 4-1 start this fall. Miami squeaked past Boston College 41-32 in the opener, got jackhammered by Kansas State 52-13 in week two and beat up on ✦ GAME FACTS SIRIUS Satellite Radio (channel 129). Coaches: Notre Dame — Brian Kelly (20-10, third season), Miami — Al Golden (10-7, second season). Series Facts: This year's installment of the Shamrock Se- Date: Oct. 6, 2012 Site: Soldier Field (61,500) in Chicago Kickoff: 7:39 p.m. ET Television: NBC Radio: This broadcast can be heard live on True freshman running back Duke Johnson ranks fifth in the nation in all-purpose yardage (184.0 yards per ries, which is Notre Dame's annual home game away from home, matches the Fighting Irish with the Hurricanes for the 25th time. Notre Dame has a 16-7-1 record against Miami ning back Duke Johnson is averaging 71.8 rushing yards per game, has five rushing touchdowns, a receiving TD and a 95-yard kickoff return for a score. He currently ranks fifth in the nation in all-purpose yardage, racking up 184.0 yards per game. Defense — Sophomore linebacker Denzel Perry- man was off to another strong start after earning Freshman All-America honors last year with his 69 stops, 6.5 tackles for loss and one sack. A leg injury caused him to miss wins over North Carolina State and Georgia Tech, but he has 16 tackles, three stops behind the line of scrimmage and an dating back to 1955. The Irish beat the Hurricanes 33-17 in the last meeting between the two schools in the 2010 Sun Bowl in El Paso, Texas. Prime Personnel: Offense — In five starts, freshman run- game) and has scored seven touchdowns (five rushing, one receiving and one on a kickoff return) in five games. PHOTO BY JC RIDLEY/COURTESY MIAMI OCT. 3, 2012 Football Championship Subdivision foe Bethune-Cookman 38-10 in week three. The results over the last two weeks, how- ever, are what make Miami's trip to Chi- cago's Soldier Field Saturday to take on No. 9 Notre Dame more dangerous than initially expected. The Hurricanes have rolled up more than 600 yards of offense in each of its last two games, putting up a combined 86 points in victories over Georgia Tech and North Carolina State. At the same time, though, they allowed a combined 1,083 yards and 73 points in those two contests. Miami's offense is buoyed by true fresh- man running back Duke Johnson, who was expected to contribute some as a rookie but has instead taken the offense and put it on his shoulders. His production leveled off in recent weeks, but he still has five rushing touchdowns, a receiving score and a 95-yard kickoff return for a TD to go with his 184.0 all-purpose yards per game (which ranks fifth in the nation). "I certainly didn't expect Duke John- son to make as quick of an impact as he interception that he returned 41 yards for a score against Boston College. For The Record: This will be the 12th time the programs have met when it is a home game for Notre Dame or at a neu- tral site. The Irish have lost to Miami just once under those circumstances, a 31-13 defeat in South Bend in 1984 when Notre Dame was ranked 17th and the Hurricanes were 14th … Back in 1979, Notre Dame knocked off Miami, 40-15, in the Mirage Bowl in Tokyo, Japan. It wasn't actually a bowl game, but rather a regular-season contest. The Mirage, known as the Dodge Colt in the United States, was a four-cylinder car being heavily promoted by Mitsubishi at the time, but was discontinued in 2002. The Mirage Bowl was later renamed the Coca-Cola Classic before its run ended in 1993.