University of Miami president Donna Shalala, a huge sports fan, arrived at Dolphin Stadium with UM chief financial officer Joe Natoli well in advance of the 7:30 p.m. kickoff.

''I'm thrilled that we're finally here, that we're recharging,'' said Shalala, who planned to watch the game from several areas in the stadium. ``New field, new stadium, new freshmen, new energy. It's going to be a lot of fun.''

Shalala said UM coach Randy Shannon ''wanted to control the end zones'' by putting Hurricanes fans on both sides.

''We wanted the students where the players run out,'' she said of the west end zone.

The most packed area of the stadium at kickoff -- in fact, the only packed area of the stadium at the start -- was the student section, near where the Hurricanes entered the field through the smoke.

Shalala said 1,500 freshmen were expected at the game, most of them riding on buses that departed from the Hecht Athletic Complex on campus.

More than 3,000 students attended, and the crowd grew considerably as the first quarter progressed.

PRESENCE MADE

All seven of the players suspended for Charleston Southern -- running back Damien Berry, receiver Kayne Farquharson, linebacker Eric Houston, long snapper Chris Ivory, quarterback Robert Marve, defensive end Adewale Ojomo and safety Randy Phillips -- came onto the field in orange UM warmups about 90 minutes before kickoff.

Marve, Ojomo and Farquharson tossed a ball with tight end Daniel Adderley. Adderley was not suspended, but he was not in uniform for the game for an unspecified reason. They remained on the sideline during the game.

RUTLEDGE INJURED

Starting right tackle Chris Rutledge sustained an apparent back injury on UM's second drive of the game.

Rutledge, who was starting in place of an injured Reggie Youngblood, did not return in the first half and was replaced by senior Tyrone Byrd.

FRESH FACES

Quarterback Jacory Harris and defensive end Marcus Robinson were the only true freshman to make their first career starts. But a total of 14 true freshmen saw in action in the first half.

The others: receivers Aldarius Johnson, Thearon Collier, Kendal Thompkins, Laron Byrd, Travis Benjamin and Davon Johnson; defensive linemen Andrew Smith, Marcus Forston and Gavin Hardin; defensive backs Brandon Harris and Vaughn Telemaque; and linebacker Sean Spence.

THIS AND THAT

The night of firsts at Dolphin Stadium included some funny moments and some flops, too.

Right guard Joel Figueroa was the first player to get his helmet knocked off. It rolled 10 yards downfield during a play in the second quarter.

Figueroa kept blocking on the play and didn't pick the helmet up until after the play was over.

The first malfunction happened right before the Hurricanes came out onto the field for the first time. The team's big inflatable helmet did not inflate. Instead, the Canes ran onto the field from under an inflatable green tunnel.

• UM's 21 first-quarter points were its most since it scored 21 against Florida A&M on Sept. 9, 2006.

• UM's captains for the opening coin flip were left tackle Jason Fox, linebacker Glenn Cook and cornerback Chavez Grant.

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