Canes Need The Real J12 In The Mix

Second chances are one of the better things about this crazy life. Movies. TV. Music. Sports. All are cluttered with storylines of redemption; getting another shot to right a wrong. The subject itself tugs at heartstrings because it’s something we all relate to no matter our walk of life. Redemption is truly relative and applicable.

This weekend marks a make-or-break moment for Miami senior quarterback Jacory Harris. A win won’t necessarily make him a legend and a loss isn’t the final nail in his career coffin, but it’s a pivotal moment nonetheless and Harris will either capture it or will continue chasing success.

As far as a shot at redemption, the stage is set. An egg was laid last September in Columbus as Miami fell to Ohio State, 36-24. Harris threw for 232 yards on the day, but four interceptions was the most memorable part of the game’s box score. Even worse, the latter turnovers seemed to come every time the Canes gained an ounce of momentum.

Two second quarter picks on first downs resulted in ten Ohio State points and a 26-10 Buckeyes’ lead. When attempting to get back in the game, Harris and a solid ground game moved the Canes seventy yards in seven plays before a fourth pick at the OSU five was returned eight yards to the UM fifteen.

Two plays later, the Buckeyes were up 33-17, the Canes had given up seventeen points of interceptions and this one was all but in the books.

And so goes the past up and down season-and-a-half for Harris, who looked so promising as a first-year starter in 2009, with a season-opening win in Tallahassee. The senior was 21-of-34 for 386 yards with two touchdowns and two interceptions in a 38-34 thriller.

Like he did so many times in high school with his Northwestern Bulls, Harris played the come-from-behind game and kept his composure in the process. Down 31-24 early in the fourth, Harris led Miami on a ten-play, 73-yard drive, capped off with a 24-yard touchdown pass to running back Graig Cooper, putting the Canes up, 31-30 with over seven minute remaining.

Florida State quickly settled for a field goal and a three-point lead and again, Harris delivered. A six-play, fifty-nine yard drive was highlighted on a forty-yard pass to Benjamin on 2nd and 5 from the FSU forty-three. Harris completed an NFL-worthy pass to his speedy receiver, securing the ball a millisecond before stepping out of bounds. A play later a three-yard Cooper touchdown put Miami ahead for good.

Ten days later, Harris was 20-of-25 in a 270 yard, three-touchdown, zero-interception performance home against Georgia Tech, which had many in the media prematurely starting Heisman chatter.

Nine days down the road, after much ego stroking, Harris was humbled in a 31-7 loss at Virginia Tech where he was 9-of-25, harassed all day, coughing up a fumble and an interception.

The following week a win over No. 8 Oklahoma where Harris was 19-of-28, overcoming two early interceptions and throwing for 202 yards and three touchdowns. An eight-yard strike to tight end Dedrick Epps on 3rd and 5 allowed Miami to run out the clock, eventually securing the 21-20 upset.

Two wins over Florida A&M and Central Florida followed, but the Harris luster began wearing off late October in an overtime loss to Clemson, where three untimely interceptions were the difference-maker. The loss against the Tigers also showed the two extremes of the erratic Harris.

The third pick of the day came when Miami led 27-24 with just under ten minutes remaining in the third quarter. The interception was returned for a touchdown, Clemson kicked off, Cooper returned it to the UM thirty-one and the minute Harris was back under center, a 69-yard strike to Benjamin to retake the lead.

Touchdowns on back-to-back plays – one for the bad guys, followed by one for the good guys – which would’ve been commendable and equally forgivable if not for earlier sins. A first quarter red zone pick on Miami’s opening drive left points on the field as Harris drove the Canes fifty-six yards to the CU twenty.

A late second quarter special teams gaffe had Miami down 14-10 with 0:46 remaining and with a 2nd and 15 from the CU thirty-seven had the Canes a few yards from another Matt Bosher field goal. Instead another turnover as Harris threw his second pick of the day, again leaving points on the field in a game that never should’ve even seen overtime, where UM eventually lost.

Four interceptions did Miami in at North Carolina weeks later in a 33-24 loss where the Canes out-gained the Heels 435-329 in total yards and 24-17 in first downs.

Down 23-17 after two defensive stands to open the fourth quarter, the Canes had a shot at taking a lead in a game it once trailed 23-7. Harris threw his fourth interception (and second pick-six) on yet another drive where a lead could’ve been claimed and a team could’ve gained some momentum, possibly rallying to a win. Instead of going up 24-23, the Canes blinked an were down 30-17.

When you look at Harris’ body of work over the past three seasons, these scenarios have become commonplace. Winnable games with good play around the board, but lost due to turnovers and points left on the field. The Canes went as far as Harris would take them and experienced a double whammy of failure when not only did then not get good (or merely decent) quarterback play, but many times it was quarterback mistakes that were the ultimate reason for the loss.

Even more frustrating – the fact that the Harris-led Canes didn’t build on 9-4 in 2009, falling to 7-6 in 2010 with the same mistakes plaguing the then-junior quarterback.

The four-interception afternoon game two in Columbus. The two picks weeks later in a 30-21 win at Clemson, making for a closer game than necessary. The mid-season 19-of-47 outing (225 yards, one interception) in a 45-17 beat down courtesy of Florida State.

Weeks later Harris was effective against a depleted North Carolina defense (21-of-32, 217 yards, three touchdowns, one interception) but went down early in a loss at Virginia, missed three games, threw a head-scratching pick late in an eventual overtime loss against South Florida and truly saved his worst for last – a 4-of-7 outing with three interceptions in a bowl loss to Notre Dame. Harris hasn’t seen the field since.

There’s more than redemption against Ohio State on the line this weekend for Harris. This is about proving he belongs at this level and proving that he’s a gamer, not a guy who fades with the spotlight on him.

When you look at the solid early start to his career and the fact that a green sophomore became a broken junior, some blame has to go on a coaching staff that failed. Randy Shannon is out of work while former then-offensive coordinator Mark Whipple is back in the NFL, coaching strong-armed quarterbacks who can chuck it deep every other play.

There were consistent rumors that Whipple preferred the arm of Stephen Morris over the head of Harris and while that can never be proven, game film over the past two seasons will truly show a pass-happy offensive coordinator abandoning a successful ground game and forcing the pass.

Balance was never part of Whipple’s attack. Prior to being hired at UM, a Boston Globe story about his run to the 1998 Division I-AA national title stated the following:

“He is also an offensive nut. He instructed his team to begin the game with an outrageous five-receiver flood set called, ‘Chattanooga.’ He promised the players that they would run that play to begin the game, regardless of starting position. He said he did it to ‘break up the tension’ on the sideline.

Then there is Whipple’s playcalling. He likes to go for it on fourth down, even if he can feel the shadow of his own end zone. Against Lehigh, the Minutemen went for it on fourth and 1 from their own 28. They made it. Yesterday, Whipple was about to go for an onside kick late in the second quarter and his team up 17 points. Georgia Southern coach Paul Johnson noticed this and put his hands team on the field. Whipple was in their heads early. They couldn’t make halftime adjustments because what exactly were they going to adjust to?”

Good coaches work with the players at their disposal instead of asking their players to be somebody they’re not. The more you read about Whipple, the more it sounds like Harris didn’t fit his mold of a quarterback and the easier it becomes to believe the former Miami OC threw in the towel instead of coaching the kid up or playing to his strengths.

If there’s any reason to have blind faith regarding Harris this weekend and season it this; coaching. The more the old regime is in the rearview, the more it appears the Shannon / Whipple combo was disastrous. Across the board players were undeveloped, undermotivated, poorly conditioned and lacked focus. With a new staff in place the past nine months all four areas have been attacked.

Coach Golden is turning around the culture at UM, which will work wonders on the psyche, attitude and mindset of guys like Harris. Physically and decision making-wise, the onus is on first-year offensive coordinator Jedd Fisch to work with what he’s been given. Create a game plan that works for Harris, get the ball to playmakers, rely on the run to open the passing attack and hope that hours in the film room have showed Harris the err in his ways.

Coaches have stated that Harris won the job weeks back and pointed out maturity, leadership, experience and good decision-making as reason’s he’s been named the guy. Of course all that was done on the practice field – meaning no one saw it,  as well as in non-game settings – meaning no one puts any real weight into it. The new and improved Harris will finally debut this weekend. Will it go over like the iPhone or the unveiling of New Coke?

The hope this time around is that Harris can slowly emerge back into “J12” status. Earn it every week and raise the confidence level game-by-game.

Two solid September outings as a sophomore do not earn one the right to pick out crushed velvet Heisman attire, to blow up the Twittersphere with pointless commentary, to rock Oakland Raiders overalls, to carve ‘U SWAG’ into one’s haircut or to sport a sweatervest in an attempt to pay homage / mock an opposing coach. Harris got ahead of things, put himself way too far out there and when adversity hit, he was too far gone to reel anything in.

The same kid who was running point in early 2009 as a team leader was sitting alone on the bench, damn near in fetal position when Florida State was putting some hurt on Miami in 2010.

It’s “us against the world” for Miami, but even more so for Harris as the “world” in his case includes a large portion of this fan base. Many have called for Morris and lost faith in Harris, which is something you hope coaches have taught him how to channel as fuel for his fire. His collegiate career becomes more of a do-or-die situation by the week, but the beauty is in the fact that there are eleven to thirteen more shots at ultimate redemption.

The media certainly doesn’t believe either. Two ESPN critics chimed in earlier this week when giving their big game predictions.

“The main reason I’m picking the Buckeyes is because I simply don’t trust Harris to limit mistakes,” wrote Adam Rittenberg, while Brian Bennett made it clear, “I’d rather purchase snake oil in bulk from a traveling salesman than pin my hopes on Harris.”

Fuel for the fire, Jacory. Fuel for the fire.

When the Canes take the field this Saturday night, Miami needs “J12 v 2.0” under center. The same spirit of the kid who was a local legend at Northwestern and has shown sparks of greatness at UM – but also a kid who has been humbled, has learned from his mistakes, has grown and one who is ready to make the most of another big moment.

Get ready. It’s almost showtime. – C.B.

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