CORAL GABLES, Fla. — After Miami running back Graig Cooper burst into the end zone for the winning touchdown against Florida State, he had a problem.
CORAL GABLES, Fla. — After Miami running back Graig Cooper burst into the end zone for the winning touchdown against Florida State, he had a problem. Cooper found himself unable to stop. "My legs, they just kept going," he said. Which seemed fitting, after a night where Cooper returned kickoffs for 177 yards, made an acrobatic catch of a Jacory Harris pass for one fourth-quarter touchdown, broke through the Florida State defense for a critical third-down pickup on Miami’s final drive and then capped the Hurricanes’ 38-34 win with a 3-yard TD rush with 1:53 left. His momentum spun him to the turf after that score. At that point, Cooper didn’t mind being on the ground. "We’ve watched people do a lot of things at Miami, but Cooper did a great job of getting big plays in that game to help us move the offense," Miami coach Randy Shannon said. "I think that’s the one thing that you can see from Cooper. He can catch the ball, he can run the football and he can do things on special teams to give you big plays. He’s a rounded athlete … he can help you win a lot of games." Cooper helped set the tone for Miami’s night with a 28-yard kickoff return on the opening drive, then fired up the Hurricanes’ sideline with his second runback. On that one, Cooper went straight upfield, getting drilled at the 26-yard line by hard-charging Florida State defender Nick Moody. The collision was one-sided. Moody went backward, falling on his right knee. Cooper merely bounced off, changed direction and went past three more Seminoles on his way to 17 more yards. "Cooper’s an amazing returner," said Miami receiver Travis Benjamin, who returned kicks for 185 yards against Florida State last season. "He’s got running back skills, and kick return is like a running back position. You’ve still got to hit your holes. It’s just a long running play." Cooper was one of only three players to score touchdowns four different ways in major college football last season, and he finished both his freshman and sophomore campaigns as Miami’s leading rusher. He flirted, briefly, with the 2009 NFL draft, which he would have received early entry eligibility for since he was three years removed from high school. Instead, he quickly turned his attention to getting better at Miami. So he took the always-brutal conditioning program laid out by Miami strength coach Andreu Swasey and made it tougher, challenging himself to get stronger, faster and lighter — all at the same time. The result? Even Cooper, who can be his own toughest critic, was thrilled with the difference. And after scoring the last two touchdowns of the back-and-forth epic in Tallahassee on Monday night, it seemed like Cooper was the freshest player left on the field in the final minutes. "Coach Swasey, man. He’s the one who makes sure to work us real hard all the time, a lot of running, a lot of winning and making us a lot more explosive," Cooper said. "I guess it paid off." It paid off in a lot of ways after the Week One win. Miami got back into the AP Top 25 — checking in at No. 20, virtually assuring it’ll be ranked when it next plays Georgia Tech on Sept. 17. Cooper had the fourth-best kickoff return yardage in the country on college football’s opening weekend, and he got a huge influx of confidence heading into a game that already looms as vital to the Hurricanes. Georgia Tech has beaten Miami four straight times, including a 41-23 laugher — it was 41-10 at one point — a season ago, a loss that kept the Hurricanes out of the Atlantic Coast Conference championship game. "It’s one game, but it could make a big change for us," Cooper said. "Florida State’s over. We had 24 hours to enjoy that one. It’s all Georgia Tech. Straight business, Georgia Tech now. We remember what happened last year." ______ In photo: Miami running back Graig Cooper, center, is congratulated by teammates following his fourth-quarter touchdown that gave Miami the 38-34 win over Florida State during an NCAA college football game Monday, Sept. 7, 2009, in Tallahassee, Fla.(AP Photo/Phil Coale) Copyright 2009 Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
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