RUSTON, Louisiana (Ticker) -- Brock Berlin will be on familiar if unfriendly soil when he takes over as quarterback at Miami.
Berlin, a native of Shreveport, Louisiana, replaces Ken Dorsey as the signal-caller at Miami when the third-ranked Hurricanes visit Louisiana Tech on Thursday night in the season opener for both teams.
A transfer from the University of Florida, Berlin won the battle with Derrick Crudup after appearing in 12 games for the Gators in 2000 and 2001.
Thursday also will mark the return of sophomore tailback Frank Gore, who averaged 9.1 yards per carry as a freshman in 2001 but missed all of last season with a knee injury. The injury enabled Willis McGahee to step in and become a star in the Hurricanes' backfield.
Miami saw its quest for a second straight national title end with a loss to Ohio State in the Fiesta Bowl, but the Hurricanes still bring a 32-game regular-season winning streak into Thursday's contest.
Wide receiver Roscoe Parrish and defensive end John Square are scheduled to play for Miami despite being bothered by knee injuries.
Star linebacker Jonathan Vilma, however, will not start due to a right hamstring strain.
Louisiana Tech was 4-8 last year after winning the Western Athletic Conference title in 2001. The Bulldogs are led by senior quarterback Luke McCown, who has thrown for 9,748 yards.
Rick Berlin, the father of the Miami quarterback, played for Louisiana Tech in 1971.
Miami has won both meetings with Louisiana Tech, including a 42-31 win at the Orange Bowl in 2000. The Hurricanes play their first regular season game in the state of Louisiana since defeating LSU in 1988.
