Coral Gables, Fla. ? When Rob Chudzinski draws up plays for No. 2 Miami, he’s always thinking about the tight end.

No matter the down or the distance, whether it’s a run or a pass, the tight end is an integral part of Chudzinski’s offense ” and Miami’s success.

While many programs are turning to wide-open offenses that feature up to five receivers, the Hurricanes (8-0) are using the tight end to perfection ” creating mismatches for defenses and a pipeline to the NFL.

“We’ve tried to make the tight end position lethal, in the passing game and the running game,” said Chudzinski, who played tight end for the Hurricanes from 1986 to 1990. “We’ve had some pretty special guys, but I think we do a good job of utilizing them and taking advantage of those mismatches.

“You really have to look to try to do it. It’s not something where you say you want to throw to the tight end. You have to find ways of doing it and making it work.”

Talent helps, too.

Miami had Bubba Franks in 1999, Jeremy Shockey last season and now Kellen Winslow Jr. ” the son of Hall of Fame tight end and San Diego Chargers great Kellen Winslow.

“I want to be a big-time tight end,” Winslow Jr. said. “I want to be like Shockey or my dad. Both of them. I just have to be patient and it will come.”

Maybe soon. Winslow has a team-high 32 catches for 409 yards and five touchdowns entering Saturday’s game at Tennessee (5-3).

“I’m impressed with Winslow,” Volunteers coach Phillip Fulmer said. “He’s just a really good player. He’s a wide receiver playing tight end who’s also a really good blocker. We’ll have to really work to find a way to scheme around him.”

The tight ends could be the key Saturday. That would be nothing new for Miami.

“We’ve had a great tradition here of tight ends, going all the way back to the early 1980s, and we’ve been successful making them a big part of the offense,” Chudzinski said. “It gives people a lot of problems if you have a tight end that can run, catch and block.”

Miami’s tradition started with Willie Smith in 1984. Smith caught 66 passes that season. In the years since, the Hurricanes have had more tight ends drafted by the NFL than quarterbacks, including two first-rounders in the last three years.

Franks caught 45 passes in 1999, then was taken 14th by the Green Bay Packers. Shockey had 45 receptions last season, then was selected 14th by the New York Giants.