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Davis Downplays Miami Connection

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The Associated Press

Published: October 6, 2007

Updated: 10/06/2007 12:33 am

CHAPEL HILL, N.C. - Ask Butch Davis whether there's any added significance to leading North Carolina against his former Miami program and you'll probably be disappointed with the response.

'To be honest with you, not particularly,' the coach said.

Still, it's clear that while Davis is all about the present, his six years coaching the Hurricanes play an integral part in how he tries to lead the downtrodden UNC program back to the prominence it enjoyed a decade ago.

And with Miami in town, he knows a win would help his young team immensely as it fights through a difficult midseason schedule.

There's plenty to play for in the Atlantic Coast Conference for both teams, with Miami (4-1, 1-0) closing the easiest part of its league schedule and North Carolina (1-4, 0-2) trying to end a four-game losing streak. But the storyline of Davis facing Miami and former assistant coach and player Randy Shannon makes for more interesting fare.

Davis took over a Miami program hindered by NCAA sanctions that limited scholarships his first three seasons, but he brought UM back to the nation's elite.

His last team went 11-1 and finished ranked No. 2 nationally in 2000. Then, after Davis left to coach the NFL's Cleveland Browns, his former players went unbeaten in 2001 and won a national title.

Davis refuses to compare the challenges of rebuilding North Carolina to the job he did at Miami. But his success with the Hurricanes clearly has bolstered his reputation as a winner who was part of Super Bowl teams as an assistant with the Dallas Cowboys and a national title winner with Jimmy Johnson at Miami during the 1980s.

'You might want to listen to him when he talks about how to get to the next level,' freshman defensive tackle Marvin Austin said.

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