University of Miami defensive tackle Antonio Dixon said there is no reason to be afraid of big, bad Tim Tebow.

Cornerback Bruce Johnson said there is no reason to worry about fifth-ranked Florida having too much speed for the Hurricanes.

And safety Anthony Reddick said he is that insulted some people think UM will get blown out at The Swamp on Saturday night, even though the Canes are three-touchdown underdogs.

Instead, Miami's defense -- full of youth and inexperience -- believes it is the Gators who ought to be fearful of them: ''Are they going to be able to match up with our defense -- that's going to be the question,'' Reddick said Tuesday. ``We're not too much worried about them.''

Worried, scared or not the slightest-bit intimidated, the Hurricanes still have a huge task on their hands. The Gators' offense averaged more than 42 points a game last season, and the team routed Hawaii 56-10 last week.

So, what's Miami's plan? Surprisingly, it doesn't start with stopping the Gators' 6-3, 240-pound, dual-threat, Heisman-winning quarterback. It's stopping a collection of Tebow's toys, according to UM coach Randy Shannon, that will make or break Miami's chances of pulling off an upset.

''I don't think you control him,'' Shannon said of Tebow. ``You have to understand what they're trying to do on offense. They do a great job of running the football with him. If they can establish the running game, the big plays come off play-action. . . .

``It's the other players they have on their team -- Percy [Harvin], [Jeffrey] Demps, [Brandon James] and [Chris Rainey] -- those guys are able to be electrifying. If you can shut down the run and get him to throw the ball a little bit more than they want to run, then you got a shot at beating them.''

SHANNON KNOWS BEST

Shannon looks like he did his homework. In UF's nine victories last season, the Gators averaged 222 yards on 40 carries. In their four losses, the Gators averaged 151 yards on 32 carries. Tebow's passing numbers, meanwhile, weren't nearly that far off.

In UF's losses, Tebow still completed 59 percent of his passes for an average of 190 yards and two touchdowns. In the wins, his percentage moved up to 65 percent, his yardage up to 276 and his average touchdowns remained the same at two.

''He can try to knock guys over,'' defensive end Allen Bailey said of Tebow. ``We'll just keep bringing the pounding. We feel comfortable with him running the ball. We just have to handle our keys and make plays.''

Another key in Florida's losses was that its opponents controlled the clock late in the game -- something the Gators failed to do without an established power running back.

While UF has an array of electrifying players it uses in its backfield, none of the primary workhorses will be mistaken for bulldozers, except Tebow.

The sprinter Demps, who had a 62-yard touchdown run last week, is 5-8, 176 pounds. Rainey, who had a 33-yard touchdown run and has all of seven carries in his career, is 5-9, 185.

James, who moved from punt returning to scoring last week in a goal-line situation, is 5-7, 186. And the do-it-all threat Harvin, who led the team with 764 yards last season and returns this week from heel surgery, is 5-11, 195 pounds.

CANES MUST TACKLE

But the reason they are effective is because in Florida's spread offense, they have plenty of space to work with. UM linebacker Glenn Cook said that puts a premium on open-field tackling.

''They just take advantage of mistakes,'' said Cook, who is one of two players on UM's roster who played against the Gators in the 2004 Peach Bowl.

The problem for the Canes is they have a lot of young players and even veterans who have to prove they can tackle. And while UM will receive a boost this week from the return of defensive ends Eric Moncur and Bailey, both are not expected to play more than 20-25 snaps, according to Shannon. Cook said Bill Young has been harping on creating turnovers this week, and Johnson said Miami's new defensive coordinator has implemented some new schemes to try to surprise the Gators.

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