OHIO STATE Miami's championship party flier upsets Buckeyes

The Hurricanes said they had nothing to do with the party.
PHOENIX (AP) -- Ohio State's players are angry at a Miami nightclub that's promoting a party to celebrate the Hurricanes' second consecutive national championship -- a week before they play for it in the Fiesta Bowl.
The Hurricanes said Friday they didn't know anything about the controversy.
Thomas Matthews, a third-year backup strong safety for the Buckeyes from Fort Lauderdale, brought a photocopied flier back from a visit home for the holidays.
The handbill shows former Miami player Clinton Portis, now with the Denver Broncos, kissing the national championship trophy after the Hurricanes won it last year at the Rose Bowl.
The ad says doors open at 10 p.m. on Jan. 4, 2003, to celebrate "back-to-back national championships."
None of the Buckeyes knew the name of the club. Even though there was no obvious connection between any current Miami players and the flier, Ohio State's players believed called it just another sign that the Hurricanes show them no respect.
"I can't believe they're doing this," senior free safety Donnie Nickey said. "It makes me excited to ruin their party. I mean, for them to put all that work into it and already have it all planned and then have them have to flush it down the toilet, that would make my day."
Miami won last year's national title game, routing Nebraska 37-14. The No. 1-ranked Hurricanes, who have won 34 games in a row, are favored by 13 points over the Buckeyes. Ohio State has not played in a game for the national championship since the 1980 Rose Bowl, which they lost.
No big deal
Ohio State coach Jim Tressel said he didn't know anything about the flier and downplayed any motivation gained from it.
"I'm sure that there are lots of fliers everywhere," Tressel said after the Buckeyes' workout at Pinnacle High School. "What we've got to focus on is the fliers we're working on -- as far as our game plan."
Miami tailback Willis McGahee was asked about the ad after Miami completed its workout Friday at Scottsdale Community College.
"That's the first time I'm hearing about it," McGahee said. "We're not planning nothing. They can get upset all they want."
Ohio State strong safety Michael Doss said he's not to spending too much energy getting angry about the ad.
"We can't worry about outside interference," Doss said. "We've just got to concentrate on what we have to do."
Miami center Brett Rhomberg said the controversy would have no affect on the Hurricanes.
"If they want to be upset, that's their business," he added.
Funny
Buckeyes tailback Maurice Clarett of Youngstown laughed as he talked about the whole thing.
"Everybody saw the flier," he said. "It said something like, man, they already said they were going to win the national championship. That's crazy."
Clarett said he enjoyed all the emotion generated by the handbill.
"I kind of like it. It's funny. That's the entertainment around football," Clarett said. "They're just having a good time and we're going to have a good time too, trying to upset them."
In the 1980s and 1990s, Miami rose to power in college football with a swaggering approach that sometimes included taunting and intimidation before and during games.
"I don't really get into all that bickering back and forth and talking trash," Clarett said. "I like people to talk trash. I just smile about it, you know what I mean?"