Miami left guard Martin Bibla calls the Hurricanes' starting offensive line "a melting pot."

There's no arguing that.

Center Brett Romberg hails from Canada. Left guard Sherko Haji-Rasouli was born in Iran. Right tackle Joaquin Gonzalez is Cuban-American. Bibla's parents are from Poland and Russia.

Left tackle Bryant McKinnie?

"I'm just a guy from New Jersey," jokes McKinnie, before adding, "There's probably no offensive line in the country more diverse than ours."

Or better.

	“	Are they the best? I haven't studied a lot of them, but I like our offensive line. I like our chemistry. ”
		— Miami coach Larry Coker

The Hurricanes entered the 2001 season generally regarded as having the best offensive line in college football and they've done little this season to dispel that notion.

Through Miami's first four games, the line has yet to allow a sack and has opened the way for a running attack that is averaging more than 207 yards a game.

"Are they the best?" said Miami coach Larry Coker. "I haven't studied a lot of them, but I like our offensive line. I like our chemistry."

That chemistry will be tested this weekend when the top-ranked Hurricanes (4-0) travel to Tallahassee for their annual showdown with No. 13 Florida State.

It was in last season's game against the No. 1 Seminoles that Miami's line began to be noticed. Facing one of the nation's top defenses, Miami generated 448 yards of total offense in the 27-24 upset victory, the Hurricanes' first against FSU since 1994.

The most amazing part of the victory was how McKinnie, only five games into his Division I-A career, handled Seminoles' defensive end Jamal Reynolds, the nation's sack leader entering the game.

Reynolds not only failed to register a sack against McKinnie, a 6-feet-9, 335-pound junior college transfer, but his only contribution to FSU's defensive statistics was an assisted tackle.

"There was all this hype about Jamal Reynolds coming into the game," said Gonzalez, a senior captain who has started 41 straight games. "Big Mac completely stopped him. The name Bryant McKinnie was made in that game. Ever since then, he's known everywhere."

Especially by NFL scouts.

McKinnie, who has yet to give up a sack as a collegian, is considered a sure top 10 pick in next year's NFL Draft.

"We've been playing with a guy that has shut out the world for two years," said Miami offensive line coach Art Kehoe.

McKinnie's linemates aren't bad either. Bibla, 6-4 and 300 pounds, is also considered a certain first-round draft choice next year and Gonzalez and Romberg, a junior, are rated among college football's best at their positions.

Along with Haji-Rasouli, the Hurricanes are trying to break the school record for fewest sacks set last season with 8.

Still, Romberg said the offensive line hasn't played nearly as well as it did last season.

"Last year, we seemed more hungry, more aggressive," said Romberg, 6-3 and 293 pounds. "We've been playing pretty good, but we're not as hungry.

"We looked like animals last year. This year, we look like fat cats. We're lazy. We're the No. 1 offensive line in the nation and it's like, 'Thanks for the name. We'll take it.'"

Kehoe also said he's worried about complacency.

"It's like they think they can do no wrong," Kehoe.said.

Hard to blame them. For the past year or so, Miami's offensive line have done just about everything right.

Around the Big East

Boston College
Tailback William Green passed the 100-yard mark for the fifth consecutive game this season, rushing for 113 yards on 25 carries in the Eagles' 33-10 victory over Temple. Green is now sixth all-time among BC rushers with 2,128 yards. ... Sophomore defensive tackle Doug Goodwin registered three tackles for losses against Temple, giving him nine for the season. One of those tackles resulted in a safety -- Boston College's first in seven years. Goodwin also had two sacks. ... Derrick Knight, Green's backup at tailback, was unable to play against the Owls because of a hip pointer. Brandon Brokaw, a true freshman, took Knight's place behind Green and ran five times for 27 yards. ... Senior cornerback Lennie Walls was also unable to play against Temple because of a hamstring pull. His availability for Saturday's game with Virginia Tech hasn't been determined. Redshirt freshman Peter Shean made his first career start in Walls' place.

Miami
Miami is 10-6 all-time at Doak Campbell Stadium in Tallahassee where the Seminoles haven't lost since 1991. ... The Hurricanes could have a problem at weakside linebacker. Starter D.J. Williams missed the Troy State game with a severely sprained left ankle. Howard Clark, Williams' replacement, also sprained his left ankle and finished Saturday's game standing on the sidelines on crutches. Williams should play, but Clark won't. ... Fullback Najeh Davenport left Saturday's game with a slight hamstring pull, but will play against FSU. ... Quarterback Ken Dorsey needs six touchdown passes to break Steve Walsh's school record of 48. ... UM coach Larry Coker isn't worried that the Hurricanes lost ground in the polls last week. "We've played four games and have four blowouts," Coker said. "There's no more that we can do."

Pittsburgh
Coach Walt Harris used both quarterbacks, David Priestley and Rod Rutherford, in the 24-7 loss to Notre Dame. The quarterbacks even alternated plays at one point, but neither played particularly well. Priestley threw two interceptions and Rutherford was picked off once. ... The turning point in the game came in the third quarter when senior receiver R.J. English fumbled without being touched as he was about to cross the goal line for a touchdown. Notre Dame recovered the ball on its own 1-yard line then drove 99 yards for touchdown to take a 17-7 lead. ... The Panthers continued to have problems with the rushing game, running for 50 yards on 26 carries against the Irish. ... Receiver Antonio Bryant had his best game this season with six receptions for 95 yards and a touchdown. Bryant's 32-yard touchdown catch came with only 10 Notre Dame defenders on the field. ... Defensive tackle Joe Conlin and fullback Lousaka Polite, both starters, missed the Notre Dame game with injuries. ... Senior defensive end Bryan Knight has only four tackles for losses after setting the Big East record last season with 26.

Rutgers
With Saturday's loss to Syracuse, Rutgers has lost 18 of its last 19 Big East games and 11 in a row. ... Knights' kicker Steve Barone missed four field goals and an extra point against the Orangemen. Barone sat out Rutgers' first four games this season with a groin injury, but won his job back last week in practice from Ryan Sands, who was 3-for-3 on field goals coming into Saturday's game. ... One bright spot for the Knights: Senior Ravon Anderson rushed 13 times for 163 yards. Anderson came into the game with 28 career carries for 56 yards. Rutgers has had a different leading rusher in each of its five games. ... Tailback Marcus Jones, who ran for 89 yards two weeks ago against Connecticut, did not play against Syracuse because he was too tired from studying, according to coach Greg Schiano. ... The safety Rutgers scored against Syracuse was its first since the 1984 season.

Syracuse
Defensive end Dwight Freeney, who entered the game leading the nation with 10 sacks, picked up a half-sack against Rutgers. That gave Freeney a sack in 14 straight games, but ended his streak of, at least, two sacks in seven consecutive games. Freeney now has 10.5 sacks this season. Virginia Tech's Corey Moore owns the Big East record with 17 in 1999. ... Rutgers' Ravon Anderson became the fifth running back to go over 100 yards against the Orangemen in Syracuse's six games. ... The Orangemen have beaten Pittsburgh, Saturday's opponent, 10 straight times. ... Syracuse's four-game win streak is the longest since the Orangemen won eight straight to finish the 1997 season.

Temple
The Owls sustained several injuries against Boston College. Among those hurt was quarterback Mike McGann, who sprained his left thumb and was unable to return. "I don't know what it is," Temple coach Bobby Wallace said about the run of injuries. "Maybe we're just not tough enough." ... Linebacker Taylor Suman was suspended for his second straight game for what the school is referring to as a violation of team and university rules. ... Defensive end Raheem Brock, the team's leading tackler, played only one down because of a hamstring pull. ... Senior Chonn Lacey started on both sides of the ball, beginning the game at wide receiver and defensive back. ... The Owls have beaten Rutgers, Saturday's opponent, two straight times and three of the last four meetings.

Virginia Tech
Virginia Tech registered its third shutout this season in its 35-0 victory against West Virginia. The three shutouts matched the 1998 team's total for the most in coach Frank Beamer's 15 seasons. The school record is seven shutouts set in 1905-06. ... The Hokies have given up only 24 points in five games, tops in the nation. ... The 35-point differential was the largest in a game between Virginia Tech and West Virginia since 1912, when the teams played for the first time. ... Quarterback Grant Noel threw his first two interceptions of the season. ... Tailback Keith Burnell ran for 102 yards, the first time this season a Virginia Tech runner has gone over 100 yards. ... The Hokies scored a defensive touchdown for the third straight game, this time on defensive lineman Jim Davis' interception return. ... Virginia Tech is first nationally in rushing defense (39.4 yards per game), total defense (175.2) and scoring defense (4.8). The Hokies are tied for first with 12 interceptions and are No. 2 in pass defense (123.8).

West Virginia
Quarterback Brad Lewis was horrible in the 35-0 loss to Virginia Tech, completing 6-of-15 passes for 42 yards and an interception before being benched in the second quarter. Back-up Derrick Jones, a redshirt freshman, didn't fare much better. Jones was 9-of-23 passing 98 yards and two interceptions. Coach Rich Rodriguez said he would not name a starter for Saturday's game against Notre Dame until Thursday. ... Tailback Avon Cobourne gained only 31 yards on 18 carries. Cobourne came into the game averaging 136 yards. ... Before Saturday's game, Virginia Tech had never scored more than 28 points in Morgantown. ... Senior Shawn Terry set the school record for career kickoff return yards with 1,414.

Jorge Milian covers the Big East for the Palm Beach Post.