Everyone knows the biggest difference between this year's Hurricanes and the past few classes -- prized quarterback, bevy of receivers, offensive linemen who block, emerging tight ends, and now what appears to be a running game.

New offensive coordinator Mark Whipple hasn't just been embraced, he has been smothered with love by Miami fans who had zero tolerance for former coordinator Patrick Nix.

The Hurricanes are 3-1, having fun and scoring some touchdowns.

They're pretty good, right?

Not according to Whipple.

``Offensively, I don't think we're very good, honestly,'' Whipple said Tuesday. ``I told our guys this morning: `Everybody wants to talk that we're 3-1. We've been outscored. Bottom line: stats are stats.'

``What are we, 85th in the country or something in offense? Jacory Harris is seventh in the conference. I don't see any of our guys playing that well.''

Actually, they're 67th in total offense and 83rd in scoring. They've scored 99 points to their opponents' 102.

And quarterback Jacory Harris is third, not seventh, in the conference in passing.

But if you're not No. 1, you're not good enough. Whipple doesn't want any bowl. He wants a bowl in January -- the later the better.

``If we stay on this track, then hey, we're playing somewhere in December and that's not what we want,'' Whipple said. ``We have to get a lot better. We have to clean up a lot of things from Oklahoma. We've just been inconsistent.''

`HIGH EXPECTATIONS'

No doubt that Whipple, the former Philadelphia Eagles offensive assistant who tutored Donovan McNabb and has a Super Bowl ring from his days grooming Steelers quarterback Ben Roethlisberger, is a perfectionist. Or at least as close to one as you can get.

He's tough, he's intense, and he's hard on his players and himself -- ``The play-calling hasn't been great.

``My expectations have always been high,'' he said. ``These kids have high expectations but I still don't think they have the expectations that I have for them, individually and collectively.''

UM coach Randy Shannon, who seems to have a similar demeanor, said he likes Whipple's approach to the game. ``Same mentality,'' he said. ``We're aggressive-type guys. He demands a lot out of people and players.''

Whipple does the unexpected. He throws when opponents expect a run. He likes motion, involves the running backs in the passing game, uses his tight ends, integrates different blocking schemes.

``He has got ways of being able to get people out of position so he can run the football,'' said defensive coordinator John Lovett, who has coached with Whipple before and has been friends with him for three decades. ``You see a lot of receivers open. He has a very creative mind. He gives defenses problems.

``And he has good players to help him execute. That's the secret to a lot of this stuff.''

The players are responding.

``He actually coaches,'' left tackle Jason Fox said. ``He's not one of those coordinators where his job is just to call plays.''

Fox said he likes the way Whipple ``challenges the defense to adjust or shift or respect what we're doing.''

LaRon Byrd, one of 12 UM players to catch passes this season, said the best thing about the offense is ``we can score a touchdown on any given play. He works with us and keeps us in our comfort level. Whatever is comfortable for us, he'll create the play.''

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