Jacory Harris was back to his old self Tuesday, smiling and laughing and playing with the media gathered for the University of Miami's news conference in preparation for No. 8 Oklahoma.

After Virginia Tech's 31-7 dismantling of the Hurricanes last Saturday, the quarterback probably needed some levity.

``I guess in the media I've been a little bit too arrogant, some people say, because I'm a very confident person,'' Harris said. ``So I'm going to change it up and be like, `You know, it is going to be a challenge. They're a wonderful team and I might be a little nervous coming into this game.' ''

Harris laughed when a reporter joked that he was going ``from arrogant to sarcastic.''

Hardly.

Harris knows what his offense will face at 8 p.m. Saturday at Land Shark Stadium:

• The nation's No. 1 run defense, allowing 40.6 rushing yards per game.

• The nation's No. 1 scoring defense, allowing 4.6 points per game.

• The No. 4 sack attack, averaging four per game.

• The No. 1 team in tackles for loss, averaging 11.3.

He knows about defensive tackle Gerald McCoy, a top NFL prospect in his junior year. He knows about linebacker Ryan Reynolds, already with three sacks, a forced fumble and interception. He knows about linebacker Travis Lewis, the team leader in tackles with 29.

``They have a lot of talent and depth,'' Harris said of OU (2-1). ``It's probably going to be one of the hardest defenses we face this year.''

BRING ON THE BEST

The offense isn't too shabby, either. When asked who No. 17 UM (2-1, 2-1 Atlantic Coast Conference) would rather face, injured Heisman Trophy quarterback Sam Bradford or redshirt freshman replacement Landry Jones, Harris replied, ``I don't have to face him. So it doesn't matter.'' He paused. ``We want to play against the Heisman [winner]. We want to play against the best.''

On Tuesday, Oklahoma coach Bob Stoops wouldn't say if Bradford's separated throwing shoulder is healed enough for him to start Saturday. Jones tossed a school-record six touchdown passes in his second-career start against Tulsa.

NO DECISION ON QB

``I'd love to give you an answer so I don't have to answer it the entire week,'' Stoops said of Bradford's status, ``but it's too early in the week and I'm not able to give the answer yet.''

Stoops said he wouldn't announce the quarterback until ``Thursday or Friday [or] maybe Saturday.''

For now, the Sooners' defense is enough for Harris to worry about. Harris was sacked three times and harassed many more times in a driving rain in Blacksburg. He completed 9 of 25 passes for 150 yards, with one interception.

Saturday' forecast calls for isolated thunderstorms, likely in the afternoon, and temperatures in the mid 80s. Harris refused to use last week's rain as an excuse, but said it was so bad that his ``shield fogged up'' and he had to take it off.

``I missed some reads, did a couple of things I wished I could have taken back,'' Harris said. ``We're not perfect. Nobody said we were. It's just that the media and ESPN amped it up so much to be something that it wasn't. Because even in practice our coaches would tell us, `You know we only won two games. Where did all this hype come from?'

``Last year we didn't have too good of a season. We wound up being 7-6. So out of nowhere we won two games and now everybody thinks the `U' is back, or we're going to do this, or we're going to win the national championship after two games. Maybe in our mind-set we think that's what we're going to do, but at the same time you don't know how a lot of people take that on the team.''

SHARING THE BLAME

UM coach Randy Shannon said several balls were dropped Saturday, and blamed an entire offensive collapse. UM's rushing offense is 93rd in the country, but Shannon said it was a combination of Harris, his linemen, receivers and running backs. Shannon said the Hokies ``did some blitzes they had never seen,'' and sometimes players failed to pick up their blocks.

``The first blitz, Jacory needed to get the football away instead of trying to hold it,'' Shannon added. ``Get rid of it. He didn't. For the most part the line held in there pretty tough.''

Center A.J. Trump said it was painful watching Harris tumble into the muddy mess.

``You don't like seeing that,'' he said, ``especially Jacory because he's our guy. That's our job. that's what we're here for. Yeah, it hurts. It hurts real bad.''

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