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MIAMI (Ticker) -- This time last year, No. 24 Miami was trying to figure a way to quickly heal its wounds from a 62-13 defeat against Syracuse because No. 3 UCLA, trying to reach the national championship game, was coming to town. The reason the Hurricanes are playing this late in the season --they host Temple in the Big East Conference finale -- is the same as last year. For the second straight season, the threat of a hurricane in the Miami area forced the postponement of a game until the weekend reserved for conference championships and the Army-Navy contest. Miami and Temple were scheduled to meet October 16. The UCLA game turned out to be one of the best in college football in recent years. Unranked at the time, Miami came away with a 49-45 victory as a pair of NFL first-round draft choices, Hurricanes running back Edgerrin James and UCLA quarterback Cade McNown, had career games. James ran for 299 yards and three touchdowns and McNown threw for 513 and five. The tables are turned in this game for Miami (7-4, 5-1 Big East), which smashed Syracuse, 45-13, and plays an opponent against which it has dominated. Miami has won five of its last six games after dropping consecutive heartbreakers to Penn State, East Carolina and Florida State. Its only loss since was a 43-10 defeat at Virginia Tech. Florida State and Virginia Tech are likely to meet for the national championship. With a win, Miami is expected to receive an invitation to the Gator Bowl on New Year's Day against Georgia Tech. For the third straight game, Miami will start a true freshman backfield of quarterback Ken Dorsey and running back Clinton Portis. Quarterback Kenny Kelly has a partially torn MCL in his left knee and is out at least one more game, possibly for the postseason contest. Running back James Jackson has a thigh bruise and has been hampered this season by ankle, knee, shoulder and hip ailments. Dorsey has been amazing in wins over Rutgers and Syracuse, completing 41-of-57 passes (71.9 percent) for 430 yards and five touchdowns without an interception as Miami has outscored the opposition 100-13. Portis, the youngest player on the team, extended his school single-season freshman rushing record to 777 yards with 98 against Syracuse. Classmate Jarrett Payton, the son of late NFL legend Walter Payton, has contributed 181 yards on 44 carries, playing behind Portis during Jackson's injury. Temple (2-8, 2-4) lost its first five games of the season before surprising Boston College, 24-14, and was primed to pull off a second straight upset when the hurricane wiped out this game. Miami coach Butch Davis likened the Owls' situation to that of Louisiana State, another 2-8 team which, with nothing on the line, beat bowl-bound Arkansas last weekend. With a victory, Temple can tie Syracuse and West Virginia for fourth in the conference. A loss would tie the Owls with Pittsburgh for sixth. After running for a season-high 174 yards in a 56-28 victory over Rutgers, Temple has just 10 yards on 45 rushing attempts over the last two games, losses to Syracuse and Virginia Tech. Miami holds a 7-1 record in the all-time series and has not lost to the Owls since a 34-0 defeat in the first meeting between the schools, back in 1930. In the wins, Miami has scored no less than 36 points and allowed more than 15 only once, outscoring them 310-81. They Hurricanes have an average margin of victory of 32 points, have notched 508 yards per game and 25 first downs per win.
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