A week after being named a semifinalist for the Jim Thorpe Award, UM cornerback Brandon Harris was asked if he was surprised when he heard the news.

``No, I wouldn't say surprised,'' he said. ``It's an honor, but it's something I really don't pay much attention to. When I came to Miami, my main goal was to do whatever I could to help my team win football games. Being nominated for these awards is great and everything, but I feel like you don't enjoy it as much when your team is not playing as well as it should. My main concern is focusing on my team and winning games.''

Harris is tied for the national lead in passes broken up, with 12. His 13 passes defended tie him for fifth in the nation. He ranks fifth on the team with 45 tackles.

Does he ever sneak peeks at how the other Thorpe semifinalists are doing?

``I haven't really had a chance,'' Harris said. ``We're always on the go, getting ready for the next opponent. To be honest with you, I don't even know who the other semifinalists are.''

His competition: Javier Arenas of Alabama; Eric Berry of Tennessee; Barry Church of Toledo; Perrish Cox of Oklahoma State; Joe Haden of Florida; Taylor Mays of Southern California: Tyler Sash of Iowa; Darrell Stuckey of Kansas; Earl Thomas of Texas; Alterraun Verner of UCLA; and Kyle Wilson of Boise State.

UM coach Randy Shannon mentioned how far Harris has come from last season, when he sometimes struggled as a freshman.

``You watched [Arizona Cardinals and former Thorpe finalist] Antrel Rolle come in as a freshman, and he played special teams and all that stuff, but he was never really thrown into the mix,'' Shannon said. ``But his second year, that's when people noticed Antrel.

``Brandon's first year, he was thrown into the mix. You see him do a great job covering. Yeah, he'll get beat sometimes, but the one thing that he and Antrel have is ice water in their veins. If somebody beats [Harris], it's `OK, fine. Let's see if you can do it again.' And that's the maturity I really like.''

On Saturday, UM's secondary will face a North Carolina passing offense ranked 109th, generating 152.6 yards per game. UNC quarterback T.J. Yates is rated last in the Atlantic Coast Conference in passing efficiency.

FAN APPRECIATION DISCOUNT

As a way of rewarding fans for their support, UM's athletic department will offer lower-bowl end zone and all upper-deck tickets to the Duke game on Nov. 21 for $19 each. Various giveaways also are planned for the game -- Fan Appreciation Day at Land Shark Stadium.

Game time for Duke is at noon.

``The fans that have attended our games have played a large role in our success,'' Shannon said in a statement. ``That support and encouragement will be necessary for us to have a strong finish against Duke.''

The $19 tickets will go on sale at 9 a.m. Thursday morning. They can be purchased online at www.hurricanesports.com, at the UM ticket office at Hecht Athletic Center, by telephone at 1-800-GO-CANES (1-800-462-2637) or at Ticketmaster outlets.

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