allCanesBlog.com : Q&A

Over the course of the summer, Canes305 and The Beast will be answering your questions regarding some of the hottest topics surrounding Hurricane Nation. The latest question comes from Jim in Gainesville:

“Do you guys think Jacory Harris, under new offensive coordinator Jedd Fisch, can return to what we saw in his late freshman / early sophomore years?”

The Beast : Here’s the real deal. It’s only up to one person and it’s not Jedd Fisch; it’s Jacory Harris.

I believe Jacory has the physical and mental tools to be a good college quarterback. We’ve seen flashes of it, but the question remains – does he have the determination to work hard enough to turn those glimpses of greatness into solid and consistent play? I don’t know.

I’m a glass-half-full kind of guy when it comes to a talented playing finding his way to success and I’m going to guess that with Harris, a fire will be lit under him by this new coaching staff and that will bring him closer to reaching his potential.

The offense will be different this year, meaning Mark Whipple won’t be on the sidelines encouraging Jacory to chuck it downfield every other play. There will be safe passing in this new offense and short throws to playmakers who are expected to get yards after the catch.

In no way will this be an air-it-out offense. The scheme that is being implemented is being utilized, in part, to limit mistakes from the quarterback position. If Harris can play with the system and trust his receivers and running backs, it should make for a much more error-free year.

Canes305 : The difference between can and will is an ocean apart and it’s the difference between success and failure.

I believe that Harris has the ability and skills to be the guy fans saw lighting up the Noles as a sophomore, but the biggest question is the now-senior’s mental state. Does he truly understand that this ride is coming to an end? Twelve more games will determine his collective fate and future career path.

Beast feels the onus is on Harris and I understand that take, but I believe there’s more pressure on the coaching staff to get his head right. At his best, Harris has proven he’s a gamer. He showed moxie as a true freshman, leading a 95-yard game-tying drive at Virginia and throwing a game-winning touchdown in overtime and early in his sophomore season, a 3-1 record win solid wins over Florida State, Georgia Tech and Oklahoma.

Last year, a disastrous 5-5 record in games started and 14 touchdowns to 15 interceptions. Harris never looked worse than the Sun Bowl where a 37-yard, 4-0f-7 passing day ended with no touchdowns and three interceptions. (The good news? No incompletions.)

Harris is a twenty-one year old playing for a coaching staff of highly paid thirty- and forty-somethings. Men who earned degrees, are professionals and have climbed the ladder en route to jobs at the University of Miami, rewards for previous success.

Any coach worth his or her weight knows that you have to get inside a player’s mind to figure out what makes them tick and anyone who watched the Canes over the past two seasons saw that Coach Whipple was in Harris’ face more than he was in his head.

How will Harris and Fisch mesh? How will new head coach Al Golden and his new offensive coordinator get the best not only out of their up and down quarterback, but all players on this team who have been inconsistent or haven’t reached their potential?

As fans, we are quick to put it on the players. They need to ‘step up’. They need to ‘show heart’. They need to ‘take care of business’. While all that is true, there’s no mystery that the best teams don’t necessarily have the most five-star athletes; they have the best coaches who create a group that finds it’s voice and plays like a cohesive unit, each kid going beyond his ability, not settling and play beneath his talent level.

Look at the Randy Shannon era. Highly-touted kids rolled on to campus, part of the top recruiting class in 2008 and many have since underachived. That became the way under Larry Coker as well, with the wrong kids coming to UM for the wrong reason — wanting to ride the wave of recent success instead of getting on board, ready to put in the work it takes to climb that hill.

I’m from the school of thought where I believe it’s on the coaches to get the most out of kids. I remember being twenty-one and I needed guidance. As much as I acted like I had all the answers, deep down I knew I didn’t. I wanted a someone older – a mentor – to help guide my path. To hold me accountable. To hold me accountable, to make sure I watched out for pitfalls, but even more than that, to pat me on the back when for a job well done. There’s tremendous satisfaction in knowing that you did something good and made someone proud of your efforts.

At twenty-one you cannot fathom the end of the line. You can’t picture being in your thirties, looking back at a dream unrealized and wishing you had a ‘do over’.

Harris’ collegiate career is 75% in the rearview and if there isn’t a drastic turnaround between September and December, he’ll most likely have thrown his last pass as a football player. The game he’s played his entire life hangs in the balance and if he wants to do this for a living, it will take a tremendous 2011 season to make up for 2010 – and that’s not being said as a scare tactic, it’s the simple truth.

Even bigger than a professional career, a collegiate legacy for a hometown hero. Harris found success at Miami Northwestern, but hasn’t made his mark in Coral Gables. Hopefully Coach Golden and Coach Fisch can push the right buttons, motivating Harris – while putting him in the best situation to succeed.

The Canes have a tremendous offensive line and the best left tackle since Bryant McKinnie was blocking for Ken Dorsey. No. 11 wasn’t chucking it downfield every other play; he was making heady plays and getting the ball to his playmakers.

When remembering that epic comeback against Florida State in 2002, the game’s standout play – a swing pass from Dorsey to running back Willis McGahee that went for 58 yards, setting up the 11-yard go-ahead touchdown run by Jason Geathers.

The touchdown before, a quick pass to Andre Johnson went for 42 yards, McGahee picked up twelve on two runs and Dorsey threw a three-yard pass to Kevin Beard to bring it within six.

Rarely was Dorsey asked to work miracles in his 38-2 career. Strong ground game, solid line play, yards after the catch by wideouts and a defense that created turnovers, leaving the offense with a short field.

Get back to that style of ball this year and either Harris or sophomore Stephen Morris will have a successful, sneak-up-on-you type season.

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