Champs Sports Bowl

By Jorge Bannister
Canes Rising Staff

The Miami Hurricanes have the opportunity to close out this decade 7-2 in bowl games.

Read that sentence again.

In what has been a tumultuous decade, at least the middle-to-late portion of it, the very end of this decade could turn it all around and make it one that any Hurricanes’ fan should be proud of.

Sure, Miami and its fans had to sit and scratch their heads as Larry Coker destroyed the program from within while simultaneously giving every other school in the nation cart blanche when it came to South Florida talent. (Let’s get one thing straight; when the Hurricanes talk about South Florida talent, they don’t simply mean Dade and Broward counties. Nope. South Florida covers from Tampa south to the Keys.) But the emergence of Randy Shannon as a true general getting soldiers from South Florida to once again go to battle for The U has brought success — and pride — back into the program

Let’s not get too far ahead of ourselves, though. Sophomore quarterback Jacory Harris — who is listed as questionable on the official injury report because of his right thumb — and the Hurricanes offensive line struggled against highly ranked defenses (Virginia Tech, Clemson and North Carolina). They did, however, hold their own against Florida State, Georgia Tech and Oklahoma — all games earlier in the season.

One final tidbit
In this decade, the Hurricanes are 6-2 in bowl games, including a 40-3 debacle against LSU in the 2005 Chik-Fil-A Peach Bowl and last year’s 24-17 lost to Cal in the Emerald Bowl.

Conversely, the Badgers are 4-4, winning by a combined 21 points, while losing by a combined 50 points, including last year’s 42-13 drubbing at the hands of Florida State in last year’s Champs Sports Bowl.

Champs Sports Bowl (Orlando) At-A-Glance

Time: 8 p.m.

Date: Dec. 29

TV: ESPN

Miami Hurricanes (9-3, 5-3 ACC)

Last game: Defeated South Florida, 31-10

Last year’s bowl: Lost to Cal in the Emerald Bowl (San Fransico), 24-17

Offensive leaders

• Soph. QB Jacory Harris, 226 of 337, 3,164 yards, 23 TDs, 17 INTs


• Jun. RB Graig Cooper, 129 rushes, 666 yards, 3 TDs


• Jun. RB Damien Berry, 89 rushes, 587 yards, 8 TDs


• Sr. RB Javarris James, 99 rushes, 491 yards, 6 TDs


• Jr. WR Leonard Hankerson, 44 receptions, 773 yards, 6 TDs


• Soph. WR LaRon Byrd, 30 receptions, 431 yards, 1 TD


• Soph. WR Travis Benjamin, 28 receptions, 490 yards, 4 TDs

Defensive leaders

• Sr. LB Darryl Sharpton, 91 tackles (7 for loss), 1 INT


• Jr. LB Colin McCarthy, 88 tackles (9.5 for loss), 1 sack


• Soph. CB Brandon Harris, 52 tackles, 2 INTs


• Jr. DL Allen Bailey, 32 tackles (11 for loss), 7 sacks

Wisconsin Badgers (9-3, 5-3 Big Ten)

Last game: Defeated Hawaii, 51-10

Last year’s bowl: Lost to Florida State in the Champs Sports Bowl (Orlando), 42-13

Offensive leaders

• Jr. QB Scott Tolzien, 192 of 302, 2,445 yards, 16 TDs, 10 INTs


• Soph. RB John Clay, 265 rushes, 1,396 yards, 16 TDs


• Soph. WR Nick Toon, 52 receptions, 779 yards, 4 TDs


• Sr. TE Garrett Graham, 45 receptions, 547 yards, 7 TDs

Defensive leaders

• Sr. O’Brien Schofield, 59 tackles (22.5 for loss), 10 sacks


• Sr. Jaevery McFadden, 69 tackles (8.5 for loss), 1 sack


• Jr. Culmer St. Jean, 60 tackles (3.5 for loss), 1 sack, 1 INT


• Sr. Chris Maragos, 44 tackles (3 for loss), 4 INTs

Who has the advantage?

When the Hurricanes throw the ball:



When the Hurricanes run the ball:



When the Badgers throw the ball:



When the Badgers run the ball:



Special Teams: