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Miami Eager For West Coast Action In Emerald Bowl

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The Associated Press

Published: December 23, 2008

SAN FRANCISCO - Although Jason Fox knew all about the Golden Gate Bridge and Alcatraz prison from television, the Miami left tackle had never seen them in person before Tuesday, when a boat cruise took him right past the orange bridge and all the way to the Rock.

"That's a part of the bowl experience that's really great," said Fox, a Texan who had never been west of Las Vegas in his life before Monday night. "You get to go places and do things you might never encounter otherwise."

While the Hurricanes adjusted to unfamiliar surroundings on their first day in the Bay Area, their opponents in Saturday night's Emerald Bowl worried less about culture shock and more about Miami's shocking speed.

California is staying home for the postseason, with the advantage of a friendly crowd far outweighing any disappointment in their familiar destination. Cal (8-4) is practicing at Memorial Stadium on its Berkeley campus before its showdown with Miami (7-5) at the San Francisco Giants' waterfront ballpark.

"About the only thing that's different is we get a taste of bridge traffic, because we're usually in practice during rush hour," said Cal linebacker Worrell Williams, whose older brother, D.J., played at Miami. "Other than that, we're very comfortable here, and it's going to be great to have our fans behind us."

The matchup is nearly perfect for the organizers of the 7-year-old bowl, which has thrived in recent years by matching ACC teams with West Coast opponents that otherwise might go decades without meeting.

Executive director Gary Cavalli has long wanted to have Cal or Stanford in his game, both to guarantee a lively sellout crowd and to stoke television interest. Miami's national reputation and championship history also appeal to the organizers.

"Having a great program from just across the Bay is a dream come true for us, and Miami is one of the elite programs in this sport," Cavalli said.

Although rain has frequently affected the Emerald Bowl in its short history, even the projected showers for the weekend should do little to slow down two of the fastest teams in two of the nation's most athletic conferences.

Cal coach Jeff Tedford sees the Hurricanes as a close philosophical match for his Golden Bears, who have thrived this season when they emphasize the speed of tailback Jahvid Best and a four-man corps of linebackers that ranks among the nation's best.

Miami's speed at nearly every position is painfully obvious on tape to Tedford, who has watched Hurricanes coach Randy Shannon's recruiting acumen with envy.

"All the speed on the field is going to be very exciting for the fans," Tedford said. "These are two very evenly matched teams with a lot of speed. They're comparable to any team in our conference for their athleticism."

Shannon is quietly confident his team will overcome Cal's home-field advantage in its first bowl game since he took over the top job at his alma mater last season. Because Miami is a relatively small private school, the players know how to handle being outnumbered on the road — and they didn't hesitate to agree to a cross-country trip to prove it.

"After we lost our last two games, we really wanted to come to this bowl," middle linebacker Glenn Cook said. "This was the best one out of the games we had a chance to go to. We wanted the experience of coming out to California and seeing what it's like."

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