Game Twelve : Miami 31, South Florida 10

A season-opening comeback win over Florida State was huge, as was the thriller against then-No. 8 Oklahoma.

Right after those ranks Saturday’s 31-10 beat down of South Florida, this year’s season finale in Tampa over a lesser program itching to crack the Sunshine State’s “Big Three”. Keep dreaming about the big time, Bulls.

South Florida fans were jacked for this one. The smack talking was at an all time high. Readers of this blog can peruse past ‘comment’ sections where Bulls fans ran their mouths and told the Canes to beware of the November 28th showdown.

Turns out there wasn’t much to be afraid of.

Thankfully for Miami fans, the Canes came to play. Randy Shannon had his team pumped and Mark Whipple called the type of game necessary to negate South Florida’s defense. Right out the gate, a 12-play, 81-yard drive, capped off with an 11-yard strike from Jacory Harris to Leonard Hankerson.

That said, the drive was highlighted by a potent ground attack. First string, second string, third string – no matter. Javarris James carried four times for eleven yards on the opening drive, Graig Cooper got one touch for nine yards and when the Canes needed some tough running on 4th and 1, Damien Berry got the call and picked up six yards.

South Florida then went three and out after strong play from Miami’s defense and the tone was set. The Canes continued to grind it out with Cooper and amassed 43 yards on 10 plays, before punting. A few missed opportunities killed the drive, most notably a halfback pass where Cooper overthrew a wide open receiver on a sure touchdown.

On the second play of South Florida’s second possession, Darryl Sharpton stripped quarterback B.J. Daniels and the Canes had their first forced turnover of the day. Two plays later James ran it in, push the Miami lead to 14-0 late in the first quarter.

In every facet of the game, the Canes came to play. The convincing 31-10 victory proved to be Miami’s best coached and executed outing of the season. Harris was an effective 11 of 21 for 161 yards and two touchdowns. More importantly, the nicked up sophomore didn’t throw an interception – his first interception-free day since a win at Central Florida mid-October.

The Canes had 22 first downs to the Bulls’ 11 and 401 total yards to USF’s 220. The most glaring difference came on the ground, where Miami piled up 240 yards (to South Florida’s 143) and was unstoppable. Berry put up 114 yards on 12 carries while Cooper had an 83-yard outing. James carried 11 times for 37 yards, but proved to be the red zone specialist with two touchdowns.

South Florida made an ounce of noise on their lone sustained drive of the day. Early in the third quarter the Bulls drove 83 yards on 13 plays, a few of them broken and aided by a Miami penalty. Daniels found A.J. Love for a 12-yard score after scrambling throwing a strike on the run. Both squads then traded their share of three and outs before a 19-yard Berry run set up a 33-yard bullet from Harris to tight end Dedrick Epps. 28-10, Canes and no looking back.

After an early fourth quarter field goal, Miami literally ran out the clock with eleven straight hand offs, most of which were to fourth-stringer Lee Chambers. 31-10 could’ve been a lot uglier had Shannon not called off the dogs.

Ordered was restored on Saturday and hopefully the line between a state power and an up-and-comer has been redefined. South Florida wants to be one of the Big Three, but it takes more than a few scattered wins here or there to be considered a powerhouse. The Bulls haven’t even come close to sniffing a Big East title and their win over Florida State was diluted when the Noles stumbled to 6-6 this season.

Jim Leavitt has done a stellar job this past decade and he’s the kind of guy you want to root for. Sadly, it’s the South Florida fan base which makes it easy for a Miami fan to hate their program.

Right out the gate yesterday, a slew of false bravado from Bulls players. Popping off after plays. Getting in the face of Miami players. All hype and no substance. Someone needs to remind those baby Bulls that ‘swagger’ comes from winning games and bringing home championships; not before. If you’re going to try and push the Canes around after a play, at least bring it when the ball is in your hands.

A full stadium, a pocketful of hope and the confidence taken from beating FSU aren’t enough to take down a state power like Miami. The Canes have faced the Bulls twice and have now outscored their in-state foe, 58-17 in eight quarters.

9-3 sounds so much better than 8-4 and is light years better than 7-6 or 5-7. Anyone not celebrating Miami’s run this season needs to have their head examined. The Canes didn’t reach the ACC title game, but no one even had them penciled in as conference champs. Many saw Miami going 0-4 out the gates. Others had Shannon being fired mid-season. The Canes were picked fourth in the Coastal and wound up finishing third, while no one predicted anything close to a three-loss season.

Improvement was the name of the game in 2009. Miami put a better overall product on the field and found a way to win some ball games it wouldn’t have one year one or two in the Shannon Era. The Canes improved in the ACC, going 5-3 this season, and the 3-1 record in November is much more impressive than 1-3 last year or 0-4 in Shannon’ first season.

For all of those who predicted this team would wither down the stretch, hope you’re enjoying your heaping helping of crow this morning. Especially those of you who called South Florida a ‘nightmare’ match up for Miami and predicted a big time beat down.

These Canes have improved as the year rolled on and despite injuries taking their toll, saved their best for last. Dominant on both lines of scrimmage, Miami outplayed South Florida in every phase of the game – further distancing the gap between these two budding programs and proving that Shannon is on track regarding the Canes’ resurgence.

On the recruiting front, the future remains bright. Miami has two dozen verbal commitments and coaches will continue knocking on doors and selling this program these next two months. Shannon continues to keep his thumb on the pulse regarding Miami-style players, in regards to who he’s targeting and who’s already on board.

Case in point, the play of freshman Brandon Washington yesterday, subbing for fifth-year tackle Jason Fox. Sidelined due to illness, Miami’s most experienced player was replaced on a green up and comer – a signee from the Northwestern Bull-heavy class of 2007. The 6’4″ and 330-pound Washington attended prep school last year and is getting his snaps in 2009.

When thrust into a starting role, Washington shined – like so many freshmen and sophomore Canes recruited by Shannon. Just imagine where things will be with two more classes under his belt.

Next up, bowl season. Miami’s third loss of the season knocked them from the BCS at-large list, but a solid bowl game is still in the cards. Right now there’s talk of either the Gator Bowl or Capital One Bowl. Miami could face either Notre Dame or Pittsburgh in Jacksonville or Penn State in Orlando. Whatever the case, both are a step up from the last three seasons – San Francisco, stuck at home and Boise, Idaho.

9-3, Cane fans. Give thanks and gear up for bowl season.

Comments

comments

16 thoughts on “Game Twelve : Miami 31, South Florida 10

  1. I was at the game. We came down from Atlanta to visit family for Thanksgiving and went to the game on Saturday. Let me say this, It honestly felt like a home game for us. There seemed to be just as many if not more UM fans then USF fans. Our section alone in the nose bleed had a 3 to 1 Canes ratio. Every time we scored, all you saw was a sea of orange and green stand up and high fiving each other ha ha – USF fans were dead quiet pretty much the whole game. If you weren't wearing orange and green – you got your ass heckled lol

  2. Great game. I was leery and that angst was for naught. Take away a 10 minute stretch late in the 2nd-early 3rd, and this was probably their most complete game. Even more so than the Ga Tech game.
    Anyhow, I'm eating crow as I thought the U might struggle down the stretch. Again. Glad they proved me wrong.
    Hopefully they can find themselves in a decent bowl game. And more importantly, stomp whomever they play. 10-3 would be a nice exclamation point to the season.
    Anyhow, good job boys. Enjoy the time off and more importantly, get healthy!!

  3. I'd really love it if these shit-talking South Florida fans had the stones to show back up here in the blog after all the trash they talked this year.

    There are literally articles AllCanes wrote and recaps from earlier games where Bulls fans were running their big mouths about yesterday's game.

    After they knocked off the Noles, there were over here saying Miami was next and the day after they got their asses handed to them 31-10, this place is a ghost town.

    Man up you candy-asses. Come take your medicine, just like your pretender football team did yesterday.

    Contenders 31, Pretenders 10

    BWAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!

    Suck it, Bulls.

  4. Ah a nice end to the season. It actually went a lot better than i thought it would.
    My favorite game was against FSU though i couldn't go. I love the look on the fans faces when you say your a Miami fan heh

  5. I am absolutely thrilled with the way this season is ending up, and am getting sick of reading message boards calling this season a disappointment. At times, the 'Canes looked like national title contenders. Who would have guessed that after a 7-6 season, three quarterback transfers, and two new coordinators? Paul Johnson was voted ACC Coach of the Year last year for taking a 7 win team to 9 wins. Where's the love for Coach Shannon?!

    Sure, there were moments of disappointment. There's no doubt in my mind that Miami is a better team than UNC and Clemson, but that is what you get with youth: inconsistency. With a great season under their belts, this team has learned not only how to show up for the big game (FSU, OU, GT), but also what it feels like to lose to an inferior opponent because of stupid mistakes (Clemson, UNC). Those learning experiences are going to prove valuable over the next few seasons as Shannon continues to build Miami into a powerhouse.

    Now we're dealing with jackass message board banter complaining about 9-3, but I guarantee that these same people will be calling anything less than 12-0 next season a disappointment. While this team is starting to look like a contender, there are still plenty of holes to fill. Coach Shannon is doing this the right way, not the fast way. The only way this time returns to its rightful place atop the polls is with a few more solid recruiting classes of depth, and a few more seasons of experience. Before long, Miami is going to be reloading, not rebuilding, and as long as Coach Shannon is around, I see a bright future for the 'Canes.

  6. []_[] Vs. Penn State

    That would be the most watched bowl game of the year"minus NC Game" I live in Cocoa Beach and will attend the Gator bowl or Champs Bowl! Fingers are crossed for the Penn Sate game. Noter Dame is not good enough to play us!

    9-3 Good Year!

    12-0 or 11-1 2010!

  7. With all the injuries and youth the coaches and the players did a great job, 9-3 with a brutual sched is a very good season, lets get a big bowl win and lets Go Canes!!!!

  8. Notre Dame sure ain't good enough for the Canes, Jack; especially with a dismal 6-6 record. Athough, it would be nice to play them in the Gator Bowl.

  9. I'm sure AllCanes means the Champs Sports Bowl, not the Capital One Bowl. The Capital One Bowl (Citrus Bowl in my mind) is traditionally an SEC/Big10 matchup.

  10. Pittsburgh won't be playing in the Gator Bowl. After Cincy beats Pitt this weekend Pitt will be going to the "prestigious" Car Care Bowl in Charlotte because they lost to WVU this weekend and a loss to Cincy would put them in 3rd in the big east. Most importantly, there's no way the Gator Bowl picks Pitt to come to Jacksonville because Pitt fans don't travel well (not even to their own stadium) This is the last year the Gator Bowl has ties with the Big East, so they are only worried about making money, which is why they will choose either Notre Dame or WVU because their fans travel well.

    It's a shame because I'd love to see the Canes kick Pitt's ass just like the good ol days, although a beat down of Penn State would make me feel great as well!

    Yours Truly,

    – Cane in Pittsburgh

  11. Pittsburgh Cane, no worries. We'll kick their ass next September, and you won't have to travel 🙂

  12. Wowwww, a matchup with Penn State would be epic. As of late, the Ohio States, Michigans, and Penn States show they don't belong as one of college footballs elites. Michigan played USC in the Rose Bowl a few years ago only to get their butts handed to them. Ohio State got their asses handed to them twice and Penn State got ripped by USC in the Rose Bowl. If Miami plays Penn State, this should prove whether we are pretenders or contenders. All in all, this game would get A LOT of hype and would be a great matchup for the simple reason that its Penn State and Miami and that is without getting into who is on what team and what not. This game would truly be epic. To be honest, forget the bowl, its who you play in the bowl that matters. Yea, we played in San Fran last year but we played Cal and they are a legitimate foe and as we all saw, it got really high ratings. Just imagine Miami versus a top notch team, think of the ratings and the hype!!! There would be no excuse why not to be fired up. Ohh the excitement. Go Hurricanes!!!

  13. WOW. THATS ALL I CAN SAY ABOUT THESE CANES. I APPLAUD THE HEART THAT THEY'VE SHOWN THIS THIS YEAR. FROM THE HATERS PREDICTING 0-4 AT THE START, TO THE INJURIES, TO THE COMEBACK WINS & THE HEARTBREAKING LOSSES & STILL COME OUT 9-3 IS TO BE APPRECIATED. THIS IS THE BEGINNING OF WHAT I BELIEVE IS MIAMI'S RETURN TO THE TOP. RS IS THE MAN FOR THE JOB. HE'S TAKING US FROM THE WILDERNESS TO THE MOUNTAIN THIS YEAR. NEXT YEAR WE CLIMB THAT MOUNTAIN TO THE TOP & RETURN TO THE BCS. WE WILL GET A GOOD BOWL GAME & I FEEL WE WILL PLAY GREAT WHOEVER WE PLAY. I'M SO HYPED FOR NEXT SEASON ALLCANES WITH ALL THE TALENT ON BOTH SIDES OF THE BALL RETURNING LED BY J12, AN ACC TITLE & BCS BERTH IS OURS FOR THE TAKING. I WAS WATCHING ALL THE TEBOW COVERAGE & I KNOW WHY URBAN LIAR WAS IN TEARS BECAUSE HIS RUN ENDS IN JANUARY. IN THE FAMOUS WORDS OF THE NOTORIOUS B.I.G., "YOUR REIGN AT THE TOP WAS SHORT LIKE LEPRECHANS". GOOD LUCK IN SOUTH BEND URB. I'M OUT

    YUNGCANE21 OF OHIO

  14. I have lots of family and friends who are WVU fans and I would LOVE to play the Mountaineers in the Gator Bowl! WVU fans are the most delusional fans alive and I would love to shut them up! On another note…damn these Canes have made me proud! USF got reminded that they are not ready to [play with the "Big Boys"

  15. I couldn't catch all of the game due to family obligations, but the half I did see was great. Domination. I was worried as hell about Daniels, and he showed why on the one drive, for a TD that had me swearing up a storm. We kept him in check for the majority of the game which was key. I was worried about their two Ends, which can be scary as hell. We shut them down with newbies. Domination. We don't have Urban, Pete or Jim on our sidelines so we ended the game with class and ran out the clock, as Randy does. Like you said Chris, THEY were the ones woofin all game. It seemed they were doing it more to try to pump themselves up than really intimidate us. Comical. Hey BJ, you're down 2 scores….what do you have to talk sh*t about? It was evident you weren't coming back. Even after the game, the punk Bulls refused to give us credit…"On another day we might have won that game. We lost that game because of us; not because they are better than us," the senior running back said (one of the USF players). What game were YOU watching Buddy? Great way to end the regular season!!!

    One question…How in the hell does BYU jump up from #20 in the BCS, need OT to beat a suspect Utah team, and they vault all the way up to #14, OVER Miami who just spanked USF? What the hell is that? Anyway…great finish to the season. Let's see who we play Sunday.
    -Columbus Cane

  16. I'm proud. Thats all I can say. Man, we should be so good next year. I believe we'll dominate in whichever bowl game we play in because we'll have time to get our injured players back to health. RS is here to stay. The U is going to make its official return party next year when we dominate n win a NC.

    btw, this is the best written blog on the CANES i've come across. Very good blog.

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