Hurricane strength Miami continues to build

By Eddie Pells ~ The Associated Press

GAINESVILLE, Fla. -- The catchphrase of the week at Miami and Florida is "Talent Gap," as in the one that makes the Hurricanes two-touchdown favorites over the Gators on Saturday.

Clearly, the gap exists, just as it did last season, and the season before, when Miami won lopsided games.

This week, however, it's a touchy subject that is being played differently, depending on whether it's a coach, a player, a 'Cane or a Gator doing the talking.

"You mean experience level?" Florida lineman Max Starks asked. "That's all I see. Not talent gap."

But really, it's more than just experience -- a reality Florida coach Ron Zook conceded last weekend when he said the Gators have "closed the gap a little bit, and we're going to continue to close the gap."

Over the past three seasons, Miami is 35-2 and has played for at least a share of the national title three times. Florida is 28-10 and hasn't played for the national title once, although it was the preseason No. 1 in 2001.

The Gators have three talented quarterbacks -- Ingle Martin, Chris Leak and Gavin Dickey -- all of whom might not be there had another one-time fantastic Gator recruit, Brock Berlin, not left for ... Miami.

Florida is inexperienced in the middle of the defensive line, where freshman Ray McDonald starts, and has holes at linebacker, where senior Reid Fleming, a career special teams guy, starts in the middle.

At cornerback, the Gators start Johnny Lamar, a one-time walk-on. Keiwan Ratliff starts on the other side. He's such a good athlete, he also returns punts and might line up at receiver.

"He has the athletic ability to be as good a corner as I've ever been around," Zook said.

Miami, on the other hand, has plenty of talented players like Ratliff. But coach Larry Coker has enough players that he doesn't even consider playing them on both sides of the ball. Thus, Antrel Rolle plays cornerback and returns punts, but won't get a chance at receiver.

"Nobody is as talented as us," said Miami tight end Kellen Winslow, who caught eight TDs last year. "That's just the honest truth. But it's not always talent that wins the game, as we saw with Ohio State. We beat ourselves in that game."

In other Top 25 games Saturday, it's No. 1 Oklahoma at Alabama; San Diego State at No. 2 Ohio State; BYU at No. 4 Southern California; Houston at No. 5 Michigan; McNeese State at No. 7 Kansas State; Middle Tennessee at No. 8 Georgia; James Madison at No. 9 Virginia Tech; and Kent State at No. 10 Pittsburgh.

Also, it's Maryland at No. 11 Florida State; Marshall at No. 12 Tennessee; No. 13 LSU at Arizona; No. 14 North Carolina State at Wake Forest; No. 15 Virginia at South Carolina; Bowling Green at No. 16 Purdue; No. 17 Auburn at Georgia Tech; Akron at No. 18 Wisconsin; Washington State at No. 19 Notre Dame; Northern Arizona at No. 20 Arizona State; Indiana at No. 22 Washington; Utah State at No. 23 Nebraska; UCLA at No. 24 Colorado; and Navy at No. 25 TCU.

Last year, Miami had no worries when it came to beating Florida. In a 41-16 victory, Miami's lines pushed Florida all over the field. The Hurricanes ran for 306 yards and Gators quarterback Rex Grossman took a beating. He paid for each of his 191 passing yards and saw his Heisman hopes sink dramatically.

When it was over, Zook made it clear he felt Florida was lacking numbers at certain positions.

"I don't know if I was surprised or not," he said. "I think that happens at any program. Teams kind of go through cycles."

His argument was buoyed this summer when Steve Spurrier himself admitted that "we did leave the cupboard somewhat bare" when he left Florida for the Washington Redskins.

Of course, those who argue with the notion that Florida's talent has been down of late point out that with eight players each, Florida and Miami tied for the most players selected in this year's NFL draft. They look at Earnest Graham, Taylor Jacobs and Grossman -- three of the best playmakers in the Southeastern Conference last season -- and wonder how Zook didn't do more with them.

But there is no overlooking the obvious problems. Zook brought five junior college players in this year to plug gaps, mainly in the lines. Five JUCO guys made the roster at Florida in Spurrier's 12 seasons.

Miami, meanwhile, has reaped the benefit of being a powerhouse in one of the most talent-laden areas in the country. The program with five national titles over the past two decades has more than recovered from its probation of the mid-90s.

When Willis McGahee left after last season, he was replaced by Frank Gore, who had been considered the tailback of the future before he tore up his knee and missed 2002. Behind Gore is Walter Payton's son, Jarrett.

Vince Wilfork is the stud on a defensive line that lost six players to the NFL this year.

Coker inherited a talented team from Butch Davis, then put his championship stamp on it.

"I didn't notice quite the talent gap that others noticed," he said, reflecting on last year's game against Florida. "I thought they had outstanding talent. The thing I noticed was that their coaching staff was new and we played them early. I think as the game progressed, that was an advantage for us."