INDEPENDENTS

Mike DelNagro

September 05, 1977

It has been 10 years since Hurricanes did any real damage in America—the Miami Hurricanes, that is. In that time four new coaches have come to Coral Gables and the best any could do was whip Miami into a cool breeze. Now into the calm comes Lou Saban, late of the Buffalo Bills by way of a 19-day stopover as athletic director at the University of Cincinnati. Spring practice was never tougher, scholarship holders were dropped, the old slot I was scrapped for a pro set, flashy new uniforms were ordered. Still, real improvement over last year's 3-8 record is probably a year away, largely because of this year's schedule which is a mini-tour of the Top 20. Miami opens at Ohio State, later plays Penn State, Alabama, Florida and Notre Dame. The defense is built around Middle Guard Don Latimer, but offense is where the main problem lies: no depth at quarterback. E. J. Baker missed three games last season with injuries and senior George Mason and freshman Kenny McMillian share a lack of experience. But there are two experienced fullbacks, Woody Bennett and Ken Johnson, and the halfback is Ottis Jerome (O.J.) Anderson, who gained 918 yards as a sophomore. If Anderson can look enough like his namesake, Miami just may smash apart some bowl dreams like real Hurricanes.