Hurricanes enjoy the challenge of a tough Week 1 test

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Posted 2:39PM on Wednesday, August 31, 2005

CORAL GABLES, Fla. (AP) Without question, there are factions of the Miami and Florida State camps that would prefer the schools' annual football showdown not come on the season's opening weekend. Hurricanes coach Larry Coker, for example, really dislikes the idea. But his assistant head coach, Art Kehoe, loves it. Kehoe, Miami's longtime offensive line coach, said having a massive test like a Florida State game awaiting in Week 1 is the perfect elixir for breaking through the monotony and repetition of training camp and that nothing could serve as a better motivator on those arduous, two-practice days in brutal summer heat. ``You've got Florida State waiting for you, that makes all the difference in the world because your kids know, man, everything counts,'' Kehoe said. ``Meeting time counts. Walk-throughs count. Everything counts, because if you're not ready, you're going to get beat.'' No. 9 Miami visits the 14th-ranked Seminoles on Monday night, the second straight year that the two rivals will open the season against one another. It's the 10th time that the schools have squared off in a season-opener: Florida State has won five of the first nine, with Miami prevailing in each of the last three games. There's only two opening-weekend matchups pitting ranked teams against each other: Miami-FSU and 18th-ranked Boise State's Saturday trip to No. 13 Georgia. Of the other 18 ranked teams in action this weekend, 10 are facing opponents who were either at, or under, .500 in 2004. Yet instead of tuning up on a have-not program, the Hurricanes and Seminoles will play one of the year's biggest games. ``It's a great start to the season,'' said Hurricanes receiver Sinorice Moss, who caught a 30-yard, overtime-forcing touchdown pass with 30 seconds left in last year's Miami-Florida State tilt. His team eventually won 16-10. Coker agrees yet has said that if Miami-Florida State is the opener, he'd have preferred getting the chance to play an exhibition or preseason game first. ``It is what it is,'' Coker said. ``Again, it's not my preference, but we take the schedule as it comes.'' Miami's early schedule is decidedly cupcake-free, something that's relatively uncommon among top programs. Following the Florida State game, the Hurricanes then head to Clemson on Sept. 17, and play their home opener against Colorado on Sept. 24. It's a stretch that will set the tone for the year, and may be the hardest opening three-game run in the country. ``Everybody's ready for it. Everybody's pumped,'' Moss said. ``Everybody's hyped up for this game. Yes, we don't have to play the small schools. We're playing a big school right off the bat. But, hey, that's what you come to college for.'' And it's not just the players who enjoy the intensity of the Miami-Florida State rivalry. Kehoe said it's difficult for him not to get swept up in the excitement, too. ``All I know is it's Florida State-Miami, and it doesn't get better than that,'' Kehoe said. ``You'll see some massive hits. You'll see great plays. And I'll be coaching my butt off, but I'll be enjoying it too. It'll be an unbelievable thing.'' (Copyright 2005 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.)