DEVOTED TO HIS COACH

Hurricanes cornerback Chavez Grant, a senior, said his teammates feel a ``sense of urgency'' going into the Duke game, and one of the reasons is their coach.

``Coach [Randy] Shannon was really disappointed,'' Grant said of the loss at North Carolina. ``The thing that bothers me is he does so much for this team and so much for this university. That's why I bust my butt when I play ball. That's why I don't mind and I do all the right things. I don't mind anything because I know how much he gives up for this university. I feel the only way to repay him is to do whatever he asks.''

INJURIES

Shannon said Tuesday that he was unsure if sixth-year senior defensive end Eric Moncur would play Saturday, but he sounded doubtful. Moncur, clearly talented and a favorite of Shannon's, played in five games this season in his injury-marred career. He said he also would know more about the status of senior tailback Javarris James on Wednesday.

• UM sent out a new injury report Tuesday night saying that safety JoJo Nicolas was on a surgery list and out for the season with an ``upper extremity'' injury. The report lists ``players who will or have had surgery.''

-- SUSAN MILLER DEGNAN