‘Canes Need More Than New Image Miami Has At Least Three Challengers In Battle For Supremacy In The East

They’re probably the best of the Big East Conference, but the Miami Hurricanes no longer want to be the beast of the East.

Pell Grant fraud, drug allegations, police assaults, pay-for-play schemes and whip-off-the-helmet celebrations - all became as closely linked to Miami football as big-bowl trips and national championships.

National champs? To many, these bad-citizen ‘Canes were national chumps.

“One of the saddest parts about this is the public perception outside the fish bowl of Florida of the image of the players on and off the field,” Miami coach Butch Davis said. “Obviously, there’s been incidents that we’ve been embarrassed about. We’re going do everything we can to change that one perception.”

Some Hurricanes said the trash talk - not by them, but about them - was nothing more than a bad rap. Still, Miami’s reputation got trashed again as rapper Luthur Campbell threatened to yap to the NCAA rules infractions committee last spring if senior quarterback Ryan Collins didn’t start.

Collins will start, but Miami administrators insist the cantankerous ‘Canes are history. Worried about the football program’s badder-than-bad reputation, they even sought out squeaky-clean Penn State coach Joe Paterno as a possible successor when Dennis Erickson left for the Seattle Seahawks.

Paterno didn’t pursue the job, and Davis, a longtime assistant to former Miami coach Jimmy Johnson, wasn’t the first choice. But Davis has willingly begun the image-cleansing of one of the nation’s most vilified, and most successful, programs.

The riotous end-zone celebrations were ruled verboten even before the NCAA declared them off-limits, and two players were suspended (tight end Syii Tucker, marijuana use; linebacker James Burgess, assault). Davis also instilled more discipline in practices, and ordered several starters to shed weight.

Whoa! Is college football ready for the kinder, gentler ‘Canes?

“From day one in spring ball, it’s been great,” center K.C. Jones said. “Coach Davis respects all of us and everybody’s a lot more excited with this new system we have.”

The fans are more excited about the return of senior quarterback Ryan Collins and receivers Jammi German, Yatil Green and Trent Jones to a 7-0 Big East championship team. Regardless, the offense won’t be the typical hurricane; Davis’ two-back system will regard the run as something more than an afterthought.

However, Miami’s overall talent doesn’t compare to the best teams of the Howard Schnellenberger-JohnsonErickson eras, and Boston College, Virginia Tech and West Virginia could challenge for Eastern supremacy.

Boston College lacks Miami’s explosiveness on and off the field, but an offensive line led by left tackle Pete Kendall is one of the nation’s best. Of course, the Eagles’ schedule is one of the nation’s toughest: Michigan, Miami, Notre Dame and Ohio State.

Virginia Tech finished 8-3 the last two seasons, but coach Frank Beamer must replace multidimensional quarterback Maurice DeShazo and repair a defense that was blitzed for 121 points in its final three games.

West Virginia coach Don Nehlen, in his 16th season, returns NCAA Division I-A interceptions leader Aaron Beasley; quarterback Chad Johnston, who threw for 1,863 yards; and running back Robert Walker, who rushed for a school-record 1,250 yards in 1993 before badly injuring an ankle last fall.

West Virginia’s 1-4 start in 1994 was anything but divine, but its 6-1 finish was almost heavenly. This time, look for a quicker start; the Mountaineers’ first five opponents are Purdue (in Morgantown), Temple, Maryland, Kent and East Carolina.

“Miami is good,” Nehlen said. “But we always think we’ve got a chance.”

Pitt returns Big East offensive player of the year Billy West, who probably would have been a backup if Curtis Martin hadn’t injured an ankle after gaining 256 yards against Texas.

The Panthers will miss star tackle Ruben Brown, the Buffalo Bills’ first-round draft pick, but quarterback John Ryan and his top target, Dietrich Jells, are back.

But will Syracuse be back? The Orange started 6-1, then lost three of its final four. They lack a proven quarterback or runner, and the defensive line must be rebuilt.

Rutgers can score against anybody, but can it stop anybody from scoring? Terrell Willis rushed for 1,080 yards and three-year starting quarterback Ray Lucas leads a 4,000-yard offense, but the secondary ranked 106th - or next-to-last nationally - in pass defense.

Former Penn State assistant Ron Dickerson has recruited well at Temple, despite home-game crowds that number in the low thousands and an apathy in Philadelphia to any football teams not named Eagles or Penn State.

But won’t somebody please give him a more sympathetic schedule than one with seven (count ‘em) 1994 bowl teams?

The same for Army (vs. Notre Dame on Oct. 14) and Navy (at Notre Dame, Nov. 4). At least they have each other - and, after this season, virtually no one else. Next year, Army and Navy will be among just six remaining Division I-A independents.

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