"They're very comparable to the days of Cortez (Kennedy), Russell (Maryland) and Warren (Sapp)," said Syracuse coach Paul Pasqualoni. "I don't know how many teams in America have that kind of defense."

The short answer is none. The Hurricanes have given up only 10 touchdowns this season. No one else in Division I-A has allowed fewer than 13. Miami is also the only team in college football permitting less than 10 points a game, Nebraska is next at 11.5.

The most surprising aspect of Miami's performance is that none of this was really expected. The Hurricanes played well defensively last season, but there figured to be some dropoff following the departure of NFL first-round picks Dan Morgan and Damione Lewis.

There was also a question of how the players would respond to rookie defensive coordinator Randy Shannon, who took over when Greg Schiano left to coach Rutgers.

But instead of going backwards, the Hurricanes' defense has improved.

"They have alot of guys that are going to be playing on Sundays," said West Virginia coach Rich Rodriguez. "They're not out of position often and, when they are, they have the speed to make up for it."

With the possible exception of safety Ed Reed, Miami's defense has few nationally recognizable names. Most of the attention received by the Hurricanes recently has gone to the team's offensive stars.

"People don't realize how good we are because of our offense," said senior cornerback Markese Fitzgerald. "We don't complain about that. We know how good we are."

The top-ranked Hurricanes (9-0, 6-0 Big East) may get their biggest test of the season on Saturday night when they meet No. 12 Washington in a nationally-televised game. UM must win to keep its national championship hopes alive.

"This is a much better offense than we've faced this season," said Miami coach Larry Coker. "This is not a one-dimensional team."

The Huskies enter the Orange Bowl averaging 30.3 points and 288 passing yards per game. Washington will challenge Miami's secondary, which has lived up to its preseason billing as the nation's best. Through nine games, the Hurricanes are ranked third in pass defense (138.3-yard average) have allowed just five touchdown passes. Miami defensive backs have scored nearly as many touchdowns (4) on interceptions as they've given up.

The Hurricanes have also been strong against the run despite starting a front seven without a single senior. Only one player, West Virginia's Avon Cobourne, has rushed for more than 100 yards against Miami this season.

"We probably have one of the best front sevens in college football," Fitzgerald said. "People just don't know about them. But, they will."

So, is this Miami's best defense ever?

"It's hard to compare players and defenses as you're going through (a season)," Coker said. "But, maybe in a few years when you look back, if this defense holds up, then maybe, they will be compared to some of the really good defenses that they've had at the University of Miami."

Around the Big East

Boston College
Tailback William Green showed no rustiness following his one-game suspension. The junior ran for 223 yards and two touchdowns in Boston College's 38-7 victory against Rutgers. It was the fourth 200-yard game of Green's career and his second against the Scarlet Knights. "I really didn't think about that too much," Green said of his suspension for violating team rules. "I came to peace with it with my teammates. It's not something I'm going to dwell on. I put it behind me, and I'm looking to move forward." ... Green has gained 1,377 yards, which ranks No. 3 on BC's all-time single-season list. Green is only 10 yards behind Chuckie Dukes (1992). Mike Cloud is the school leader with 1,726 yards in 1998. ... Sandro Sciortino took over place-kicking duties for Kevin McMyler, who will concentrate solely on punting. Sciortino made a 39-yard field goal, but had another attempt blocked. ... Boston College registered a season-high eight sacks against Rutgers. Linebacker Scott Bradley and defensive end Sean Guthrie had two apiece. BC had only 19 sacks coming into Saturday's game. ... If the Eagles beat Syracuse on Saturday then win their bowl game, it would give BC its first nine-win season since 1993.

Miami
Syracuse defensive end Dwight Freeney proved no match for Miami offensive left tackle Bryant McKinnie in the Hurricanes' 59-0 win on Saturday. McKinnie held Freeney, the nation's sack leader, without a sack or a tackle. "Bryant definitely shined," said Miami center Brett Romberg. "This was his big-money game." ... Tailbacks Frank Gore (153) and Clinton Portis (132) each ran for more than 100 yards against Syracuse, becoming the first pair of Miami runners to do so since Edgerrin James (151) and James Jackson (115) did it against Arkansas State in 1997. ... Portis moved into fourth place on the school's rushing charts with 2,294 yards. Ottis Anderson is first with 3,331 yards. ... Portis, a junior, now has 12 career 100-yard rushing games, third all-time at Miami. ... Cornerback Phillip Buchanon had a huge game against the Orangemen. Buchanon, a junior, returned an interception 76 yards for a touchdown, returned one punt 59 yards, caused a fumble than led to a touchdown and registered a sack. ... Attendance continues to be a disappointment at the Orange Bowl. A season-high crowd of 52,896 attended the Syracuse game. That's still a mediocre crowd considering the stakes involved. This Saturday's game against Washington is expected to be sold out. ... Quarterback Ken Dorsey bounced back from his four interception-no touchdown nightmare against Boston College to throw for four touchdowns and no interceptions against the Orangemen. Dorsey improved his career record as a starter to 23-1.

Pittsburgh
The Panthers must beat West Virginia on Saturday and Alabama-Birmingham on Dec. 1 to become bowl eligible. Pittsburgh could still get shut out of a bowl berth if Notre Dame becomes bowl eligible with wins in its last two games. Notre Dame and the Big East have an agreement that allows the Irish to be selected for the Gator, Insight.com or Music City bowls if they do not earn a BCS berth. ... The Panthers are playing West Virginia for the 59th consecutive year. Pittsburgh leads the series, known as the 'Backyard Brawl'. 56-33-3. Since the Big East was formed, the Panthers are only 3-7 against the Mountaineers. ... West Virginia ruined Pittsburgh's bowl hopes in 1999 with a 52-21 victory.

Rutgers
With Saturday's 38-7 loss to Boston College, Rutgers finished 0-7 in the Big East for the third time in five seasons. It was also the Scarlet Knights' 15th consecutive conference loss and 22nd in 23 league games. ... The Scarlet Knights set a single-season conference record for fewest points in league games with 36. That broke the old mark held by Temple's 1993 team which scored 56 points. Rutgers did not score an offensive touchdown in five of seven conference games this season. ... Losing by only 31 points to BC kept Rutgers from setting a conference mark for margin of defeat in league games. Rutgers finished with an average margin of 41.3 points, trailing Temple's 1993 team which lost by an average of 42.6 points. ... Saturday's announced crowd of 13,012 at Rutgers Stadium was the lowest since 11,717 turned out to watch the Knights play Wake Forest in 1997. ... Quarterback Ryan Cubit's third quarter interception was his 18th this season, surpassing the previous school record of 17. Cubit has accounted for 25 of Rutgers' 40 turnovers this season.

Syracuse
Defensive end Dwight Freeney was completely dominated by Miami left tackle Bryant McKinnie in Saturday's game. Freeney, the nation's leader with 16.5 sacks, did not register a sack or, even, a tackle. "I might have bumped him one time," Freeney said of Miami quarterback Ken Dorsey. "But, I didn't get in there too much." ... The 59-0 loss to Miami was Syracuse's second worst of the modern era. The Orangemen were defeated 62-0 by Virginia Tech in 1999. ... Since beating Miami 66-13 in 1998, the Orangemen are 0-3 against the Hurricanes and have lost by a combined 130-13. ... Quarterback R.J. Anderson is 9-0 in starts against teams other than Miami, but is 0-2 and has not generated a point against the Hurricanes. ... Syracuse is 7-2 all-time against Boston College, Saturday's opponent, in the Carrier Dome. The Orangemen have won 10 of the last 14 games in the series. ... Tailback James Mungo needs 14 yards to reach 1,000.

Temple
Starting quarterback Mike McGann did not play in the 17-14 victory against West Virginia because of a broken thumb. Senior Mac DeVito made his third career start in place of McGann. ... Temple's victory over West Virginia was its first in 11 games against the Mountaineers. ... Tailback Tanardo Sharps ran for a season-high 172 yards, including 123 in the second half. ... The Owls finish their season on Saturday against Connecticut, the team that is replacing Temple in the Big East beginning with the 2005 season. ... The last time Temple finished the season with two straight victories was in 1990. The Owls are 5-1 all-time against UConn.

Virginia Tech
Freshman Kevin Jones had his second big game in as many starts, running for 181 yards against Virginia. Jones ran for 155 yards in his first career start last week against Temple. ... Receiver Andre Davis finally had his breakout game, catching 3 passes for 126 yards and two touchdowns in the Virginia victory...Cornerback Ronyell Whitaker, suspended for the Temple game, was back in the starting lineup on Saturday. ... The Hokies registered a season-high six sacks against the Cavaliers. ... Virginia Tech gets a week off before playing No. 1 Miami in the regular-season finale. The last time the Hokies had a bye week, they lost to Syracuse. Coach Frank Beamer wonders how much the week off will help his team. "It's an advantage, but sometimes, momentum is a bigger than any advantage you might get," Beamer said. ... The Hokies have beaten Miami in Blacksburg three straight times.

West Virginia
West Virginia coach Rich Rodriguez said that freshman Rasheed Marshall is likely to start the Mountaineers' season finale against Pittsburgh instead of senior Brad Lewis, who has started 13 straight games. Marshall replaced Lewis in the first quarter of West Virginia's 17-14 upset loss to Temple and played the rest of the game. Marshall rushed 11 times for 95 yards and completed 16-of-32 passes for 128 yards and two interceptions. He led the Mountaineers to both of their touchdowns. ... West Virginia was flagged 10 times for 120 yards on Saturday. Seven personal fouls were called against the Mountaineers, although two were nullified by off-setting penalties. "We made alot of stupid penalties, penalties that cost us," Rodriguez said. ... The last time West Virginia (3-7) won less than four games was in 1978 when it finished 2-9. ... Kicker Brenden Rauh, who had made 11 straight field goals, was forced to sit out the game after spraining his ankle during practice on Thursday. Todd James, Rauh's replacement, missed field goal attempts from 24 and 38 yards. Rauh could miss the Pittsburgh game with the injury. ... Starting guards Brad Knell and Ken Sandor missed the Temple games with injuries. Sandor is expected back, but Knell isn't. ... Tailback Avon Cobourne rushed for 103 yards, his fifth straight game with more than 100 yards rushing.

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