Can Less Be Moore?

Ryan Moore’s two-game suspension was upgraded to ‘indefinite’ over the weekend.

It seems Mr. Moore got into an altercation with a female patron or companion at The Rathskeller, an on campus bar at The U.

Moore missed last season’s Peach Bowl and was to sit out next Monday’s contest against Florida State, as well as the following game against FAMU. He was slated to return on September 16th when Miami travels to Louisville for its first road game of the season.

One would think that if you’re already in the head coach’s doghouse and eight quarters away from seeing the field again, you’d keep your nose clean. Unfortunately Moore displayed poor judgement and is now out indefinitely.

It’s hard to judge in a situation like this. A game of he said/she said will ensue, but either way Moore will pay the price as it’s his name in the news — when he was already suspended.

This is a situation worth monitoring as the early part of the season unfolds. Veterans such as Darnell Jenkins and Lance Leggett will have to step up, big time. As will Greg Olsen, who’s already being touted as one of the nation’s premier tight ends.

Freshman cornerback Ryan Hill has been moved to wide receiver for the season, while fellow freshman Sam Shields has already grabbed some headlines for his efforts on the practice field. It’s been a while since Miami had to truly depend on a couple of freshmen in this capacity, but that’s fine. All of this has the makings of a new regime in Coral Gables.

Larry Coker and the Canes have recently taken some knocks in the game of recruiting. Fans have felt that some future studs have gotten away, some flat-out turned on Miami at the last second (Antone Smith, Pat Devlin and Derek Shaw come to mind), while others transferred for various reasons.

That said, one of Miami’s highest ranked groups came in 2002 — a month after the Canes won the fifth National Championship in the school’s history. Of all the recent signees Miami has brought aboard, the 2002 class was chock full of 4- and 5-star players. But highly ranked stud players aren’t always the types who find success at The U. Miami thrives when it recruits the 3-star kids with a chip on their shoulder, an intangible and something to prove.

Moore was a key recruit for Miami in 2002. As were Marc Gullion, Devin Hester and Aikeem Jolla. Each class has their hit or miss players, but that’s not the case with the aforementioned names.

Gullion? This Miami QB recruit bolted for the University of Alabama a few seasons back — again, disappointed over a lack of playing time — instead of sticking around and battling Brock Berlin, Derrick Crudup and Kyle Wright for the starting role.

Hester? A journeyman who showed flashes of pure brilliance at The U in the three seasons he saw the field. Still, he never mastered a position and was simply an elusive special teams player. As a result, the potential first-round NFL Draft pick was nabbed by Chicago in the third round after declaring early for this year’s draft.

Jolla? He split for New Mexico State soon after the Peach Bowl. Stories surfaced regarding his mother’s health, but it was also known that he was bothered by a lack of playing time.

Miami did land some studs in that class — Baraka Atkins, Kareem Brown, Darnell Jenkins, Brandon Meriweather, Sinorice Moss and Eric Winston, to name a few. Still, there were a handful of kids that just didn’t see it the “Miami way”, and I hope Moore isn’t one of them.

With Moore suspended indefinitely, that opens the door for several other receivers to step up and never look back. Jenkins, Leggett, Hill and Shields could become a solid foursome. Terrell Walden, Rashaun Jones, George Robinson and Khalil Jones will also have their chance to shine.

College football is cyclical. We know that, yet fans still deny it when their program is in a temporary lull. From 2000-2002, Hurricane Nation couldn’t fathom more than a one-loss season or title game berth.

Over the next three years, Miami lost eight games. It’s been two seasons without a BCS berth and three without the Canes anywhere near the National Championship game. Since the Peach Bowl loss, coaches were fired and new ones were brought in. Freshmen are making an impact on the playing field, and folks are calling kids like Shields or Javarris James a ‘special’ breed of player.

When Miami starts getting production out of special, younger players, you know there’s going to be a shift in power and the Canes will be in the hunt again. The only thing which will hinder that progress are veteran players who are a detriment to the program. If Moore can’t get it together, addition by subtraction will be the best thing for this group of Hurricanes.

Will Moore get back in the mix and be an intregal part of a 2006 team loaded with potential, or did he miss his window? Can he come back and help some young, budding future stars? Or will he sit idly by while they figure it out on their own and surpass him?

We’ll see. Whatever the case, this latest issue with Moore is the last thing anyone needed right now. A week from Monday, Miami and Florida State will throw down in the Orange Bowl and #85 will be on the sidelines. Hopefully the punishment of missing that opportunity will help him work that much harder to get back on track and help this team in the very near future.

.:Canes305:.

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