COLLEGE FOOTBALL Miami's first loss has Hurricanes struggling to return to title game

Virginia Tech handed Miami a 31-7 defeat on Saturday.
CORAL GABLES, Fla. (AP) -- Larry Coker's day-after news conference had a vastly different feel Sunday.
There were no jokes, no witty one-liners, hardly even a smile from Miami's 55-year-old, normally upbeat coach.
No one could blame him. After all, Coker was coming off his first regular season loss as a head coach.
Virginia Tech used stifling defense and steady special teams to drub the Hurricanes 31-7 Saturday night, snapping Miami's 39-game regular season winning streak and 27-game Big East run.
"The win streak is gone," Coker said Sunday. "Really and truly, I don't think any of us as coaches or players really think about the win streak. It's a great accomplishment, but now it's over."
Big drop in polls
The Hurricanes (7-1, 3-1) also might have had their hopes of making a third consecutive national championship game dashed at Virginia Tech. Miami fell from No. 2 to No. 6 in The Associated Press poll -- behind fellow one-loss teams Southern California, Florida State, LSU and the Hokies.
The BCS standings tonight will show how much help the Hurricanes need to get to the title game in New Orleans.
"We don't control our own destiny," said Coker, who won his first 30 regular season games after taking over in 2001. "We've had that luxury for the last two years. But we do know this: There are not a lot of undefeated teams out there.
"Let's go ahead and pencil Oklahoma in as undefeated. They still have to win some games, but probably they're going to be there. They're awfully good. And now you have the one-loss teams. If there's going to be a one-loss team in there, why can't it be us?"
The Hurricanes' last regular season loss came at Washington in September 2000.
Berlin struggles
Quarterback Brock Berlin struggled against Virginia Tech's constant blitzes. He was sacked three times and was scrambling on both of his interceptions.
One was returned for a score to make it 17-0 in the third quarter. The other was returned to the Miami 10, setting up a touchdown that made it 24-0.
Derrick Crudup replaced Berlin on the ensuing series.
But Coker said Berlin, who has 12 interceptions and nine touchdown passes this season, would remain the starter against No. 18 Tennessee Saturday.
"We're going to play the best player we feel like gives us an opportunity to win," Coker said. "But we're not going to have a quarterback change. Nothing warrants that."
Berlin wasn't the only problem for the Hurricanes. Backup tight end Kevin Everett failed to catch a sure touchdown on a fake field goal in the second quarter, and freshman Brian Monroe had punts of 11 and 23 yards in the third quarter. Coker said the coaches may have put too much emphasis on Monroe getting the punt off quickly because of Virginia Tech's penchant for blocking kicks.
"Sometimes, maybe as coaches, we put too big an 'S' on the other team's chest," he said.