Hurricanes getting their swagger back

BLACKSBURG -- Miami starting quarterback Jacory Harris did an interview this summer during which the sophomore described the outfit he wanted to wear to the Heisman Trophy ceremony.

"I'm gonna wear a pink suit to the ceremony, pimp cup and all," Harris told local radio host Dan LeBatard.

Whether Harris was kidding or not, the comment captured the brash spirit of Miami's program -- an attitude bruised the past three years by a lull it hadn't experienced since the late 1970s.

The Hurricanes went 7-6 last season, 5-7 in 2007 and 7-6 in 2006. They did not play in a bowl in'07, the first time that had happened in a season free of NCAA sanctions since 1979, their first year under coach Howard Schnellenberger, who laid the foundation for four national championships between'83 and'01.

A .500 record in a three-year span left everyone wondering what happened to the Miami bravado. This is, after all, the team that is remembered more for arriving at the'87 Fiesta Bowl wearing combat fatigues than actually losing the game to Penn State.

So far this season, Harris is making the Hurricanes matter again. They are ranked ninth nationally heading into tomorrow's 3:30 p.m. game at No.11 Virginia Tech. Miami, which was 2-9 the past three seasons against ranked teams, is 2-0 this season, with wins over No.18 Florida State and No.14 Georgia Tech.

Harris has completed 69.5 percent of his passes for 656 yards, five touchdowns and two interceptions. Opposing defenses have sacked him just once.

"We still got more in store," Harris said this week. "We don't want No.9. No.9 is nine spots away from being No.1. That's where we're trying to get."

He "never thought" he'd have this much success this early, even if he was 30-0 with two state championships in two seasons as a starter at Miami Northwestern High. Hometown recruiting fueled the Hurricanes' success in the '80s and '90s, and they currently have seven players from Harris' Northwestern class. Three are starters, three second-stringers.

Last season Harris split time with redshirt freshman Robert Marve, who transferred to Purdue during the offseason. Harris' completion percentage in 2008 was 60.8 percent, and he threw for 1,195 yards, 12 touchdowns and seven interceptions. He peaked in the Emerald Bowl loss to California, his second start. With Marve suspended for academic reasons, Harris was 25 of 41 passing for 194 yards, two touchdowns and an interception.

With full possession of the starting spot this season, he announced himself to a national-television audience on Labor Day with a 38-34 win over Florida State. Harris was 21 of 34 for 386 yards, two touchdowns and two picks. As he walked off Florida State's field, he placed his thumbs end-to-end and raised his palms toward the crowd, making the shape of Miami's "U" logo.

But now that he is getting some of the Heisman attention he seemed to crave this summer, Harris shies away -- at least publicly.

"I've seen it and people have shown it to me, but I try not to pay attention to that because I don't want to get into that," he said. "I really don't think I have done anything yet. I'm just trying to win all the games."

And now comes another challenge that Harris plans to meet head-on: playing in Lane Stadium.

"People saying you're going to hear all the turkey noises," he said, referencing the sound effects at Lane. "Who doesn't want to play in a hostile crowd? Who doesn't want to go out there and have fun? So I'll just go out there, relax and just be cool."