Scuffle aside, Alex Brown insists he'll keep his cool against Miami.(Knight Ridder Newspapers)

NEW ORLEANS _ There's no question that the Florida player with the most motivation to play well against Miami is Alex Brown.

His most recent inspiration was the battle on Bourbon Street, where Brown was struck in the eye during a scuffle between Florida and Miami players.

The punch left a cut above his left eye and serves as a reminder each time he looks in the mirror. Brown wants retaliation on the playing field on Tuesday night, though he insists he'll keep his cool.

"If we come out mad, they're gonna come out and whip us," Brown said. "But we have another plan in mind."

Those words seem tame in comparison to what Brown reportedly told a reporter late Wednesday night, saying if he found out who had struck him he would "kill him."

Heralded as the top defensive threat for the Gators during the preseason, to some the 1999 first team All-American has fallen short of expectations, though defensive coordinator Jon Hoke said the goals many set for Brown were unrealistic.

"I don't know if he was ever gonna match the year he had with the Tennessee and Georgia games a year ago, but I thought probably this year he got off to a little bit of a slow start for whatever reason," Hoke said. "I thought the last five or six games he played extremely well and extremely hard. I thought he had a solid year."