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Defending champion 'Canes still dominant despite holes

First off, an apology.

While many of the nation's gridiron powers were sweating it out on the practice field last month, I was up to my ears in brackets and baskets and unable to deliver any spring football columns.

But now comes the chance to make up for lost time, with a new column every week over the next month. And what better place to start on the catching up than at the top?

Since winning the national championship in the Rose Bowl some three months ago, it seems like there's been a new headline coming out of Miami nearly every week.

First it was the tragic death of senior linebacker Chris Campbell. Then budding star running back Frank Gore went down with an ACL tear. And most recently, there was the stolen playbook getting posted on the Internet.

None of this, however, can change one reality: The 'Canes are still the best team in the country headed into next season.

"We're as No. 1 [preseason] as anybody," second-year head coach Larry Coker says. "I'm not really too concerned about that. We probably won't change much from last year. [This year's team] resembles it some, but there are some holes to fill."

For the nation's other aspiring Fiesta Bowl participants, those few chinks in the armor Coker refers to are providing a glimmer of hope. They include the loss of All-Americans Bryant McKinnie and Joaquin Gonzalez along the offensive line, stalwart tight end Jeremy Shockey and all four starters in the secondary. And, for now, Gore.

Depending on your perspective, you might say the 'Canes' spring game last Saturday exposed a few of those flaws. Their normally potent running game produced only 60 yards on 57 carries. Their blockers, after giving up only four sacks all of last season, allowed nine in one afternoon.

Then again, one must consider the offense was going up against a defensive front that returns six of its seven starters.

"I don't think they have to question themselves too much," said linebacker Jonathan Vilma, last seen making two bone-crushing hits in Pasadena. "They're not going to face too many front sevens like us. I don't mean to brag."

Yep. He's right. And it's a front seven that became even deeper this spring with the emergence of redshirt freshmen linebackers Leon Williams and Roger McIntosh. Only one of the two will be able to start, what with Vilma and D.J. Williams manning the other two spots, but their quick impact has become a common theme among the 'Canes' vaunted 2001 recruiting class.

Besides Williams and McIntosh, several other current freshmen emerged into starting jobs or significant roles this spring, including Shockey's tight end successor, Kellen Winslow II, receiver Roscoe Parrish, fullback Quadtrine Hill, defensive end Orien Harris, cornerbacks Antrel Rolle and Kelly Jennings, safety Sean Taylor and Gore.

That's right, Gore. The same Gore who, as a true freshman last year, ran for 562 yards -- 9.1 per carry -- in relief of 1,200-yard runner Clinton Portis. And the same Gore who, just six practices into his first spring as the starter, tore his ACL and was feared lost for the season.

But following surgery performed by Dr. John Uribe on March 20, Coker says there's no reason to believe Gore won't be back at full speed by fall. Which is good, because the 'Canes, with Willis McGahee and Jarrett Payton starting, were beginning to look merely decent at running back, rather than ridiculously loaded in the backfield like we've come to expect in past years.

"We're going to need them all," said Coker, listing tailbacks Gore and McGahee, combo-back Hill and fullbacks Payton, Kyle Cobia and Talib Humphrey. "We're probably better off than most. Some people don't have one."

Miami needs its running backs to be productive again to take some pressure off senior QB Ken Dorsey, who, with the offensive line in transition, may actually have to scramble some this year.

It is realistic to think Dorsey will make another bid at the Heisman, what with nearly every receiver returning plus the emergence of Parrish, Winslow, Jason Geathers and the incoming Devin Hester. And his offense won't have to produce all that many points if, on defense, the rebuilt secondary can even half-approach the front seven in terms of consistency.

Only time will tell whether all that equates into another Sears Trophy. For one thing, that chip on the 'Canes shoulder about being snubbed by the BCS the previous year is gone. And it's easy to get complacent when you've won 23 consecutive games, something they won't be able to do against a non-conference schedule on which Florida, Tennessee and Florida State somehow all appear.

"We're going to have to be a better team than we were last year to compete," Coker said. "The thing they do realize is that the national championship is over, now this is their team. We don't want to stay the same. We have play better than we did last year."

ASU's competition in the air

Despite last season's starter Jeff Krohn transferring to UMass, second-year Arizona State coach Dirk Koetter appears close to finding a quarterback capable of leading the high-powered offense he brought from Boise State.

The question is, which one?

The Sun Devils have been waging a fierce three-man race this spring between sophomore Andrew Walter, who started two games in place of Krohn last season (38-of-86, 546 yards, 3 TDs, 2 INTs), Andy Goodenough, considered the No. 1 juco quarterback in the country last season, and redshirt freshman Chad Christensen.

Christensen, the underdog coming into spring, has actually taken a leg up, going 19-of-29 for 307 yards, five touchdowns and just one pick through two scrimmages.

Whoever emerges won't have time to dally in the fall, as ASU opens in the Aug. 24 Black Coaches Association Classic at Nebraska. Theoretically, if Koetter's offense -- which averaged 491 yards his last year at Boise State -- is clicking, it could cause severe headaches for the Huskers, whose recent woes against the pass (see: Rose Bowl) have been well documented (though NU has been working to install a new zone this spring).

The real problem with playing Nebraska, of course, is stopping their offense, but ASU appears fairly sound on defense with 10 returning starters, led by All-American DE Terrell Suggs. Not to get too far ahead of ourselves .... aw, what the heck, it's only spring! .... remember that the last time Arizona State played Nebraska, in 1996, the Sun Devils won 19-0 and wound up in the Rose Bowl.

Fant-alizing possibilities at MSU

Fans in Starkville, Miss., have increasing reason to believe last year's 3-8 disaster -- coming on the heels of three straight bowl appearances -- was an aberration.

For one, the Bulldogs' offense did finally awaken late last season when Kevin Fant took over at quarterback, including a 36-28 win over rival Ole Miss and a last-second, 41-38 loss to then-12-0 BYU. Fant appears to have picked up where he left off, dazzling onlookers at MSU's spring game with an 18-of-22, 201-yard, four-touchdown performance.

Furthermore, spring offered some much-needed time to jell for a defense that relied heavily on newcomers last fall. Among them were starting cornerbacks Korey Banks and Demetric Wright, tackle Tommy Kelly and DT Kahlil Nash, all, in the Jackie Sherrill tradition, junior college transfers.

They join potential All-America LB Mario Haggan, emerging star LB T.J. Mawhinney and impressive basketball player-turned safety Michael Gholar to form a typically potent unit for coordinator Joe Lee Dunn.

Worth noting

The first-team offense scored 49 points and gained 579 yards at Ole Miss' spring game. Eli Manning was 25-of-38 for 378 yards, 187 to senior receiver Jason Armstead, on eight catches ... The two noticeable holes on Georgia's otherwise loaded roster are running back, where starter Musa Smith is recovering from a groin injury, and the secondary. But the Bulldogs got impressive spring-game performances in those areas from unheralded sophomore tailback Ronnie Powell (15 carries, 81 yards) and junior cornerback Decory Bryant, who shut down all-freshman receiver Fred Gibson. ... Offensive coordinator Norm Chow came to USC last year with a reputation for producing high-efficiency passers, but QB Carson Palmer still struggled much of the season. At a recent scrimmage, however, Palmer was an impressive 12-of-15 for 137 yards. ... North Carolina picked up a notable transfer last week from Rutgers running back Rikki Cook. The Gatorade New Jersey prep player of the year in 2000, Cook was one of Scarlet Knights coach Greg Schiano's most heralded recruits his first year.

Stewart Mandel covers college football for CNNSI.com.

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