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C14 SATURDAY, DECEMBER 28, 2002 The Arizona Republic FIESTA BOWL TW0-Pf1INUTE DRILL Scouting report Special teams Ohio State: The star of this group is sophomore Mike Nugent (right), one of three finalists for the Lou Groza Award. He set seven school records in 2002, including most consecutive field goals in a season (23, two shy of the NCAA record), a streak that ended when he missed a 37-yarder against Illinois. He had nine field goals of 40 or more yards, with three of those coming against Wachinatnn 5tatA Hk uas 51 varHt acrjiintt Indiana Today's schedule Ohio State The Buckeyes practice from 11:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. at Pinnacle High School.

Practice is closed to the public. Miami The Hurricanes practice from 1:30 p.m. to 3:30 p.m. at Scottsdale Community College. Practice is closed.

Punter Andy Groom is also one of the best in the country. His 44.6 yards on 54 punts led the Big Ten. Although the Buckeyes like their return specialists, none has found the end zone this year nor has proved particularly dangerous. Flankercornerback Chris Gamble returns most punts and some kicks. Tailback Maurice Hall also returns kicks.

Strong safety Mike Doss can do both. Miami: The Hurricanes' kicking game is solid inside the 40, but 1( Todd Sievers has struggled from 40 and beyond (4 of 10). Senior punter Freddie Capshaw has been a boost to field position. Seven times he has pinned opponents inside their 10. By the numbers 161 The number of times out of 163 games that Miami has won since 1985 when leading after the third quarter.

Sophomore safety Sean Taylor (left) returned a punt 78 yards for a touchdown against Pittsburgh and caught a pass on a fake punt and ran 47 yards for a score against Syracuse. He's not even the Hurricanes' main punt returner. That honor goes to wide receiver Roscoe Parrish, who has helped the team rank third in the Big East in that area. Jason Geathers handles most kickoff returns. ILL Gamble a double threat for Ohio St; Wideout, corner a team co-MVP Fouts misses 'MNF' but feels spirit of college Dan Fouts, who laughs easily and often, deserved better.

The NFL Hall of Fame quarterback had a golden opportunity to prove to the nation what he could do as a football analyst on Monday Night Football, only to be derailed by the ill-conceived idea to bring a comedian to the broadcast booth. Fouts did his job, but he was engulfed in the shadow of the Dennis Miller flop and left after only two seasons. It was obvious that the ABC brass knew Fouts got a bad deal, because he was teamed with the definitive voice of college football, Keith Jackson, this season. Jim Gintonio On the Air The Buckeyes are counting on him to do so against top-ranked Miami on Friday. Gamble will likely be lined up across from Hurricanes star receiver Andre Johnson, who enters the game with 48 catches for 1,038 yards and nine touchdowns.

i "He's physical, fast," Gamble said. "I just want to go out there and play my hardest against him. Just play every down and play hard." That approach to defense is sort of a switch for Gamble, who said he used to approach playing Offense as work and playing defense as fun. "But now it's getting serious," Gamble said. "Playing against Miami is going to be serious business." It will be a little strange playing against Miami for the national title, Gamble said, because he grew up in Fort Lauderdale and rooted for the Hurricanes, and all the Florida schools, throughout his childhood.

He recently visited the area for the holidays and got some good-natured ribbing from friends and family about playing, and possibly losing, to Miami. i "I know Miami has a lot of speed, but we can stick it to them." Gamble said. "Anyone who say6 we can't hang with them doesn't know this team." Gamble's ability to make big plays helped earn him the team's co-MVP award. "I'm always looking for him to be breathing hard in the quarterback Craig Krenzel said. "He never is.

I don't know how hi does it." By David Vest The Arizona Republic It wasn't difficult to spot Ohio State's Chris Gamble as he practiced with his teammates Friday at Pinnacle High School. "I feel special," Gamble joked as he looked down and tugged at his black practice jersey, the only one of its kind among a sea of red and green mesh tops. Gamble wears the garment for convenience; it makes it easier for him to switch between playing offense and defense at practice. Playing both ways has been a hobby of his lately. "I get a little tired sometimes, but at long as you keep yourself in good shape, you're fine," said Gamble, a sophomore.

"I just keep drinking water. I'm the type of person who wants to be on the field all the time, so this is ideal for me." Gamble started the season as a flanker and chipped in modestly in Ohio State's first three games. He made nine receptions for 106 yards in wins over Texas Tech, Kent State and Washington State. But his season, and career, changed dramatically the following week when coaches inserted him into the defensive secondary late in the game against Cincinnati. He picked off a pass on the first play.

"It was a surprise to me when they put me in on defense," Gamble said. "I had no idea that they Ironically, Jackson was the first voice of MNF, and he lasted only a year in the zoolike environment of the 1970 season. They will be in the broadcast booth Friday to call the national championship Fiesta Bowl game between Ohio State and Associated Press Chris Gamble is the first two-way player at Ohio State in 39 years. He starts at wide receiver and cornerback. Miami.

"Both teams have to be themselves and play the way they played all year to get here," Fouts said. "It's two distinctive styles." The BCS worked this year since both teams had undefeated seasons, Fouts said. "But I would love to see Fiesta Bowl analyst Dan Fouts, fired from MNF, has landed on his feet. (were) going to I wanted to step up and not let them down. Luckily, I did." Three more interceptions followed, including one Gamble turned into a game-winning touchdown against Penn State, his first start at cornerback.

He has started both ways ever since, the first Buckeyes player to do so in 39 years. Surprisingly, his statistics on offense haven't decreased dramatically. He averaged 35.3 yards per catch before playing both ways and now gets 32.4 yards per grab. His 29 receptions are second-best on the team. "The offensive and defensive coaches kind of fight over him," Buckeyes coach Jim Tressel said.

"He says he can play 125 plays." 1 fit nu. VI 1 teams tested in a playoff system, where it's win and you go on and lose and you go home. We may have it one day, but that's another debate." Fouts, who teamed with Brent Musburger to call a game in the movie The Waterboy, is happy with how things have turned out in his career. "It's something how lucky I've been," he said. "I've been able to work with Keith and Brent, a couple of the all-timers.

"Working with Keith this season has been awesome. We had a little party before our last regular-season game, and I told him I never enjoyed working with a crew as much as I did this year. We had a very enjoyable season." During the season, Fouts provided quality analysis week after week, and Jackson, who has had two knee replacements and is pain-free, gave him all the time he needed. "What happens is there are so many games on now, and so many guys sound alike," he said. "But when you hear Keith, you stop.

You put the clicker down, and you watch. It's a different deal. I found myself at times just marveling at his voice. When he makes a touchdown call, I get goose bumps." Fouts, who became the third player ever to pass for more than 40,000 yards in the NFL, liked the weekly glamour of the MNF gig but admits that the college game has its pluses. Asked how he liked doing college games, he at first wisecracked, "I like working," before answering from a different direction.

"I like 'em both," he said. "The NFL is my life and maybe college is my spirit. There's nothing like the atmosphere of a college game. On campus, you get a feeling. I'm working with Keith at the Pac-10 venues and now doing the Fiesta Bowl.

It's really special." Fouts said he wishes he would have been given the chance to work on the Monday night games for the third and final year of his contract. "I understand the business, and I understand why they did what they did, but that doesn't make me feel good about it," he said. "I think they should have given us the full run of the contract. But saying that, (ABC Sports President) Howard Katz wanted me to stay in a great situation." Fouts said he, Miller and Al Michaels were "a work in progress and I think the improvement from Year 1 to 2 was substantial and significant, and given more time, would have been even better. But it didn't work out, and you move on." No matter what his broadcast future holds, he knows he will never move on from his adopted hometown of Sisters, Ore.

"It's the best of both worlds," he said. "You've got the big city of Bend and the quaintness of Sisters. We have 40 acres on top of a mountain; we see snowcapped mountains, forests. No, I don't know why I stay up here." Reach the reporter at jim.gintonioarizonarepublic.com or (602) 444-8380. Tim KoorsThe Arizona Republic Ohio State coach Jim Tressel talks with his team after its first Valley practice at Pinnacle High on Friday.

The Buckeyes, who had had four days off, had a light workout and focused on strategy. Buckeyes start working off holiday MIAMI Canes aim for title 1 1 From Page CI takes up residence at a resort ill Scottsdale and practices at Scottsi-dale Community College (closed the public). 1 "We need to work hard. We donj want to have all fun," he said. "But we also want to treat this as a reward This is not life or death.

We want it to be a great college experience." Coker said the Hurricanes are perceived well. "We have over a 70 percent gradi-ation rate in eight of the last 1 1 We have character, something that ii special," he said. Thirteeen Hurricanes have graduated, eight in May and five earlier this month. And two defensive start ers senior tackle Matt Walters and junior middle linebacker Jonathan Vilma were named to the Verizon Academic All-America First Team.J A year ago, after the Hurricanes defeated Nebraska to make Cokef the first rookie coach to finish unbeaten and win a national title since Michigan's Bennie Oosterbaan in 1948, Coker said he knew he would have a lot of players coming back. 1 "We talked about what it took to get there.

It was because of unselfishness. That's why we're here he said. For all of their success, the Hurricanes haven't collected many individual awards. Only senior Brett Romberg won the Rimington Award that goes to the country's top center. Sophomore back Willis McGahee firv ished fourth in the Heisman Trophy voting and quarterback Ken Dorsey finished lower on the list.

Some hav said they are using that as motivation. "I was upset more than any of the players," Coker said. "But I'm over and they're over it. The main award is still out there, and there's not going to be a vote. "We have an opportunity to wie that main award." OHIO STATE NOTES of Friday's practice was to touch base with the players and revisit strategy.

"We wanted to get some work done and, you know, just summarize some of the things we'd done before we left (Ohio) and rethink them and so forth," he said. Getting serious Although the game is nearly a week away, linebacker Matt Wil-helm said he noticed increased intensity at the team's first practice in the Valley. "Everyone is stepping up a little bit," Wilhelm said. "Even though we didn't go too hard, we are preparing for a very important game. The mental preparations and going through the motions is really important." Ignoring the line Quarterback Craig Krenzel shrugged off the fact that odds-makers have made No.

1 Miami By David Vest The Arizona Republic Ohio State took the practice field Friday afternoon looking to shed some rust from a four-day break. Make that some tinsel. "We all had to get a little bit of Christmas out of us," Buckeyes coach Jim Tressel said after the two-hour session, the team's first at Pinnacle High in preparation for Friday's Fiesta Bowl. "It was just good to get out." The Buckeyes donned shorts Friday, and there wasn't much contact during their 26 five-minute practice periods. "I think we'll put on pads once this weekend and twice next week," said Tressel, himself dressed in shorts.

I think the worst thing we could do is to go out there and not have simulated gamelike situations at all since Nov. 23. "But we also want to go in there 100 percent healthy." Tressel said the primary goal a 122-point favorite over second-ranked Ohio State. "It doesn't bother us a bit," Krenzel said. "We're going into this game with all the confidence in the world that if we come out and play our game, play well and execute, we feel we have a good shot at coming out on top." Enjoying the view Maurice Clarett has been wowed by the Arizona landscape.

"I've never seen all these mountains and cacti," the freshman tailback said. "I'm just soaking up the experience right now." What is a buckeye? Tressel offered the following when asked how he would define a buckeye to Westerners who are unfamiliar with the term: "A buckeye is a nut," Tressel said. "It's a tough nut and a hard nut. "Something we hope to be next week.".