After losing a coach, Miami's top-ranked defense may be tested

CORAL GABLES, Fla. (AP) Enduring a significant midseason change probably isn&#39;t optimal for any team, especially one with the nation&#39;s top-ranked defense.<br> <br> And that perhaps is why Miami coach Larry Coker and other school officials spent some of Tuesday trying to swing the focus away from the surprising firing of defensive line coach Greg Mark, who was ousted one day earlier in a move that some Hurricane players described as shocking.<br> <br> Coker brushed away questions, reiterating that the Mark firing was an internal matter and would not be publicly discussed. Mark again did not return telephone messages, but some Miami players acknowledged that the situation was troubling largely because the team hasn&#39;t gotten an explanation for the firing.<br> <br> ``It&#39;s only disruptive because really no one knows what&#39;s going on,&#39;&#39; linebacker Jon Beason said. ``But other than that, I think we&#39;re focused about the game and I don&#39;t think it&#39;s going to be that big of a deal when it comes to Saturday.&#39;&#39;<br> <br> Weather permitting, the sixth-ranked Hurricanes (5-1, 2-1 Atlantic Coast Conference) are scheduled to play Georgia Tech (4-2, 2-2) on Saturday at the Orange Bowl. Forecasters at the National Hurricane Center in Miami said Hurricane Wilma could strike much of the southern Florida peninsula over the weekend and necessitate a change in the game schedule.<br> <br> ``That&#39;s going to be monitored. It&#39;s early to tell,&#39;&#39; Coker said.<br> <br> It&#39;s not too early to tell, however, that Miami&#39;s defense is clearly one of the nation&#39;s elite units.<br> <br> Miami leads the country in total defense (227.2 yards per game), pass defense (127.2), and defensive pass efficiency rating (75.4 points), plus ranks second in scoring allowed (10 points per game, 1 fewer than Virginia Tech).<br> <br> None of Miami&#39;s last four opponents have managed more than a touchdown, with the Hurricanes winning each of those games by at least 20 points. Opponents are completing 43.9 percent of the passes they attempt against Miami, which has allowed 60 points all year 30 of those coming in a triple-overtime win over Clemson.<br> <br> In the four games since, Miami has allowed three, seven, seven and three points, respectively.<br> <br> ``The word on the street is, in a lot of categories we&#39;re still the No. 1 defense in the country,&#39;&#39; Beason said. ``So whether it&#39;s a shutout, three points, seven points, we&#39;re still No. 1. You can&#39;t do any better than that. So we&#39;re happy about it.&#39;&#39;<br> <br> Much of the defensive momentum is coming from the defensive line, the unit formerly coached by Mark and now under the direct supervision of defensive coordinator Randy Shannon and strength and conditioning coach Andreu Swasey who was on the practice field with the linemen on Tuesday.<br> <br> ``I&#39;m just jumping in right now, taking it one day, one step at a time,&#39;&#39; said Swasey, who has filled in as a defensive backs coach previously for Miami. ``I&#39;m just filling in where needed.&#39;&#39;<br> <br> The Hurricanes are allowing 3.2 yards per run, and have given up only three rushing touchdowns a testament to the defensive line play.<br> <br> Now, the challenge for that group is upholding that standard.<br> <br> ``I was shocked at first and disappointed,&#39;&#39; offensive lineman Tony Tella said of Mark&#39;s firing. ``To lose a guy like that kind of hurts, but we have a lot of the season left and we&#39;ve got to keep going.&#39;&#39;<br> <br> Yet the Mark situation isn&#39;t the only storm brewing around Miami these days. The looming Wilma means playing the game on Saturday is far from a certainty.<br> <br> Officials from Miami, Georgia Tech, the ACC and both ABC and ESPN each network plans to show the game will confer Wednesday morning to determine when the game will be played.<br> <br> Options include Friday night, or Nov. 17 or 19; that could mean the Miami-Wake Forest game scheduled for Nov. 17 gets moved to Nov. 12.<br> <br> ``A lot is on the table,&#39;&#39; said Miami athletic director Paul Dee. ``We&#39;ll make the decision based on the best information we have available.&#39;&#39;<br> <br> (Copyright 2005 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.)