CORAL GABLES, Fla. — Miami coach Larry Coker benched tight end Kellen Winslow on Tuesday, punishing the team's top receiver for his behavior on the field.
Coker also benched center Joel Rodriguez and quarterback Brock Berlin, meaning the 14th-ranked Hurricanes (7-2) will have a total of six offensive players in new positions Saturday against Syracuse.
Winslow was benched for committing two unsportsmanlike conduct penalties in losses to Virginia Tech and Tennessee. Rodriguez was benched for committing a critical holding penalty in the fourth quarter against the Volunteers. And Berlin was benched after throwing 14 interceptions and fumbling three times in nine games.
"We're doing everything we can to address any problems we have on our football team," offensive line coach Art Kehoe said. "If it means somebody's got to get benched or we've got to start somebody else, we're going to do whatever it takes to get this ship right.
"The bench has always been the coach's best vehicle throughout sports history. Has it not? It's the best thing I know of."
Winslow and Rodriguez will not start against Syracuse (5-3), but Coker said they will play in the game. Berlin could play, too, but Coker said it will depend on how backup Derrick Crudup performs.
Winslow was penalized 15 yards in the fourth quarter of Saturday's 10-6 loss to Tennessee for taking off his helmet. After the game, Winslow said his helmet was ripped off. He then lashed out at the officials in a profanity-laced tirade that ended with him referring to football as war and himself as a soldier.
Winslow apologized a day later.
He also nearly got flagged for celebrating a hard-hitting block on safety Corey Campbell in the third quarter.
In a 31-7 loss to Virginia Tech, he was flagged 15 yards for punching linebacker Brandon Manning.
"We've got to understand we can't have that," Coker said. "It hurts our football team. The most pain you can inflict on a player is playing time, so I am going to take away some playing time."
Kevin Everett will start in place of Winslow, who leads the team with 51 catches for 527 yards.
Rodriguez was flagged for his fifth holding penalty of the season against the Vols. It came on first-and-10 at the Tennessee 30 with Miami trailing 10-6 early in the fourth quarter.
The 10-yard penalty took the Hurricanes out of field-goal range, and the drive ended three plays later when Berlin fumbled.
"It is embarrassing," Rodriguez said. "It would be worse if it was just me, but the fact that it's me and Kellen eases the tension a little bit because Kellen is such a marquee player. It's unsettling, but that comes with the territory of starting at a big-time program like this and not doing things that coaches have addressed."
Without Rodriguez, the Hurricanes will move right guard Chris Myers to center, shift left tackle Eric Winston to left guard and insert Rashad Butler at left tackle and Joe McGrath at right guard. The moves are also necessary because left guard Vernon Carey is likely out with a sprained right ankle.
The only linemen who remains unchanged is right tackle Carlos Joseph.
"We're just trying to make a statement that if you're going to make a lot of penalties, you're going to sit along the sideline with me and watch the game," Kehoe said.
Berlin threw four interceptions and fumbled once in the two losses. Even more glaring, the offense managed just one touchdown in the two games.
"I'm not happy about being on the bench," Berlin said. "I don't want to be on the bench, and I'm going to work very hard and just as hard as I've been doing to get back on the field and get my job back."
SOLICH NOT WORRIED: Nebraska coach Frank Solich is not worried about his job security as his Cornhuskers enter the final stretch of their season.
The 18th-ranked Huskers play Kansas State on Saturday in Lincoln, with the winner getting the inside track to the Big 12 North championship.
Solich told The Associated Press on Tuesday that he is not concerned about his future beyond this season.
"I do my job. I do it the best that I can," he said. "I like the staff we got in place. I love the way our players have responded. That's all I can control."
Solich coached the Huskers through their worst season since 1961 last year, finishing 7-7. Then he orchestrated a major staff overhaul, replacing six assistants.
Although the team is 8-2, the Huskers' two losses were ugly. They had a fourth-quarter meltdown against Missouri and lost 41-24, then played an uninspired game in a 31-7 loss to Texas two weeks ago.
Athletic director Steve Pederson said through a spokesman that he would not comment on Solich's status during the season.
Cornerback Fabian Washington said he knows Solich is on the hot seat but doesn't understand why.
"Why anybody would be talking about Coach Solich's job when he's 8-2 — you don't see that in any other program in the country," Washington said. "If their coach is 8-2, they're having a good season. Eight and two here, that's not a great season, but it's a good season."
Solich, hired as an assistant by Tom Osborne in 1979, is in his sixth season as head coach. He has a 57-18 record for a .760 winning percentage, ranking him fifth among active coaches with at least five years of service.
But the 59-year-old Solich was widely criticized last season for being unable to motivate the Huskers one year after they played Miami in the Rose Bowl for the national championship.
Before losing the title game 37-14 to Miami, they were embarrassed 62-36 by Colorado. Last year, they had road losses of 40-7 at Penn State, 36-14 at Iowa State and 49-13 at Kansas State.
The Huskers have lost nine of 10 road games against nationally ranked opponents since Solich took over in 1998.
CARROLL HOPES FOR BETTER: The last time the Southern California Trojans had a week off, they also were off in their next game.
The second-ranked Trojans' only loss this season, a 34-31 triple-overtime defeat at California on Sept. 27, came after the first of their three byes this year.
Coming out of the second, they again will be heavily favored when they travel to Arizona to face the Wildcats this weekend.
USC coach Pete Carroll hopes the Trojans learned something when they lost to Cal, ending an 11-game winning streak that stretched back to last fall.
"The big lesson is that you're capable of playing poorly. When you get your mind thinking otherwise, and get arrogant about it, you're capable of going out and not performing at your best," Carroll said Tuesday.
"That's clear and always a strong message for our team."
The players seem to be getting the message.
"After our last bye week, I believe our attention will be where it should be this time," cornerback Marcell Allmond said.