Coker pressing on, despite incessant rumors about his job

CORAL GABLES, Fla. - Asked how he reacted to a story suggesting Steve Spurrier was about to replace him at Miami, coach Larry Coker said he chuckled.<br> <br> ``I thought he&#39;d be a good candidate,&#39;&#39; Coker said Monday, ``if this job were open.&#39;&#39;<br> <br> For now, it&#39;s still not open, and Coker insists that nobody has told him the Hurricanes&#39; game Thursday night against No. 18 Boston College will be his last at Miami.<br> <br> So he presses on, trying to find a way for the Hurricanes (5-6, 2-5 Atlantic Coast Conference) to snap a four-game losing streak and become eligible for a bowl game all while acknowledging that a seasonlong run of problems and turmoil has taken its toll.<br> <br> ``I&#39;m proud of what we&#39;ve done here,&#39;&#39; Coker said. ``I don&#39;t know how that&#39;s perceived around the country or whatever. There&#39;s not a hint of NCAA investigation. We graduate our players more now than they ever have at this university. ... And I know how hard we&#39;ve worked.&#39;&#39;<br> <br> The rumor mill has spun around Coker for weeks, and some reports broke Sunday saying Spurrier had been identified as Miami&#39;s top target to replace him. Yet Spurrier the former Florida coach who&#39;s now at South Carolina said he does not expect to change jobs anytime soon.<br> <br> Defensive lineman Teraz McCray who replaced Bryan Pata in Miami&#39;s starting lineup two games ago after the senior was shot and killed outside his apartment Nov. 7 claimed he wasn&#39;t aware of the Spurrier rumors before Monday, adding that he doesn&#39;t think a change is in order even after Miami&#39;s dismal season.<br> <br> ``I already have my coach,&#39;&#39; McCray said.<br> <br> Coker won a national championship in 2001, his first season as head coach, and got the Hurricanes back into the title game a year later. Even after this current four-game skid, his career record is 58-15 the sixth-best record of any coach in the country over the six-season span.<br> <br> But this season has been tough, with a sideline-clearing brawl against Florida International and Pata&#39;s death among the things that the Hurricanes have endured besides the losses.<br> <br> ``This is a great place to live. It&#39;s a great job,&#39;&#39; Coker said. ``And I&#39;m the football coach here. I want to be here for a long time. Who knows? Who knows? There&#39;s rumors out there, speculation out there, but it&#39;s not going to be done by certain fans, it&#39;s not going to be done by the media, it&#39;s going to be done by the proper people in charge.&#39;&#39;<br> <br> Those would include university president Donna Shalala and athletic director Paul Dee, who has repeatedly said Coker will be evaluated at season&#39;s end, as normal.<br> <br> Coker said he respects and understands that timetable, yet acknowledged that he doesn&#39;t know exactly what to tell recruits who are desperate to know if he&#39;ll be around next season.<br> <br> ``Until I know something to tell them,&#39;&#39; Coker said, ``what do you say?&#39;&#39;<br> <br> If Miami loses Thursday, its season will end at 5-7 the Hurricanes&#39; worst record since going 3-8 in 1977. A win could help the Hurricanes end up in in Boise, Idaho for the MPC Computers Bowl on Dec. 31.<br> <br> That, for now, has to be the primary focus, offensive lineman Derrick Morse said.<br> <br> ``All we know is we&#39;re playing Boston College and all our coaches are here,&#39;&#39; Morse said. ``Whatever happens at the end of the season happens, but as far as we know, they&#39;re our coaches from here on out and we&#39;re playing for them.&#39;&#39;