Canes trounce Aggies, 41-23…

It wasn’t a perfect game, but it was another step in the right direction and enough of an offensive showing to quiet the haters… at least for this week.

The Miami Hurricanes descended upon College Station and laid a 41-23 beatdown on the Texas A&M Aggies, in a game with a little bit of everything for the success-starved U-enthusiast.

The Canes are starting to look ‘complete’ for the first time in a long time. Quarterback. Running game. Receivers reeling in the ball and getting those coveted yards after catch. A defense that’s again swarming, gang-tackling, creating turnovers and scoring. As well as a special teams that once again emphasizes speed, made up of shifty players who make the other guys miss.

Welcome “almost back”, Miami. The Canes are still young, but that young talent looks scary-good. The win at aTm was another step forward for this growing team and each week this season should be an adventure. Every remaining game is winnable, if the right team shows up.

How realistic that is, we’ll see as the season progresses.

Where are all the Patrick Nix haters this week? I’m sure they’re saying, “it’s just one game” but Florida was “just one game” and it had the critics out in full force, trashing the second-year offensive coordinator who kept it conservative against the then fifth-ranked Gators.

Against aTm, Miami passed for 239 yards and rushed for 159. Balance was the name of the game with 29 attempts in the air and 28 on the ground.

Nix mixed a little bit of everything into Saturday’s game plan. Passing on first down. Deep balls thrown to talented receivers. A running game more diverse than handing off up the gut. Rolling out Robert Marve, allowing him to be a threat with his arm or his feet.

Nix also took a page out of last year’s playbook against aTm, sticking with plays that worked against the Aggies defense. In 2007, it was the direct snap to the running back which proved effective. This year, it was the middle screen and short passes to speedsters like Travis Benjamin and Thearon Collier, which aTm had no answer for.

One game does not define Nix, for better or worse. This is a long season with a lot of ball to be played and new stars surfacing every week. Regarding the Aggies, Nix had the right game plan and got the right playmakers the ball at the right time. Such was the case last year and a few weeks later, Miami is on the wrong end of a 27-0 halftime deficit against North Carolina and lost six of it’s final seven games.

Be patient. Let Nix do his job, let the players play and evaluate this team as a whole come December.

It didn’t come until :20 left in the second quarter, but Marve finally connected on his first career touchdown – a 26-yard pass to a wide open Collier – officially kicking off the Robert Marve Era at The U.

There’s a little thing in sports called the “it” factor. You either have “it” or you can’t find “it” with a map. Marve has “it” in a way that some recent Miami signal callers never found “it”.

Early in the second quarter, Marve showed he possesses that instinctive trait which you either have or spend your sports career searching for.

On a 1st-and-10 from the aTm 43-yard line, Marve faked the handoff to Derron Thomas and dropped back, alluding two aTm defenders and a would-be 10-yard sack. Marve scrambled right, picked up a few blocks and delivered the ball to Thomas.

The result was a six-yard pick up and 2nd-and-4 instead of 2nd-and-20; a 16-yard swing.

Four plays later, Miami faces a 3rd-and-8, with Marve finding Kayne Farquharson for a 21-yard pick up and first down. Marve hung in the pocket, took a helmet in the sternum but delivered a clutch pass to Farquharson, keeping the drive alive, resulting in a field goal and stretching the then-lead to 17-10.

This type of play hasn’t been seen at Quarterback U in years and is a welcomed site. All the five-star accolades and post-season high school awards don’t amount to a hill of beans if you lack “it”. Marve has “it” and this program will benefit from that the next few seasons.

Some folks are saying Bill Young took a step back with his defense this week. I disagree. I saw good playcalling most of the game, but some poor execution. Fundamentals were lacking at times – simple stuff like wrapping guys up and being in the right position, instead of overpursuing.

Miami’s defense was swarming and playing with a purpose. Early on when the Canes were beat, much of the time it was due to a mobile quarterback making something happen on the fly.

Jerrod Johnson may have been the talented, up and coming second stringer, but he proved much more effective than would-be sitting duck Stephen McGee. McGee lacks Johnson’s wheels, which proved to be a big difference maker. The Canes got to McGee with ease last year and would’ve done it again with a faster, more aggressive defense this season.

Miami allowed 275 passing yards and 87 on the ground. The 362 total yards were too many for a team of aTm’s caliber. Young’s Canes need to tighten up a secondary that looked occasionally out of place and didn’t make the big plays breaking up the passing game.

The goal for next week will be to finish off an opponent, if the opportunity is presented. Up 41-10 late in the third quarter, Miami was outscored 13-0 in the final 17 minutes of play.

A visibly frustrated Shannon let his team have it in the fourth quarter and will obviously drill his point home all week.

Who’d have expected Miami’s first interception of the season to come from a defensive lineman? Eric Moncur picked off an errant Johnson pass, after a Darryl Sharpton blitz rattled the aTm quarterback. For a kid not slated to play on Saturday, Moncur logged the Canes lone interception of the season and a clutch sack on 3rd-and-7, when it was still 17-10.

Moncur dealt with a sports hernia operation this past summer, the death of his mother this past month and has been a bit nicked up since the Florida game. No better kid to wear the ‘hero’ cap for a bit the third game of the season…

… except for the equally-deserving Glenn Cook, another upperclassmen who deserves some kudos for his tenacity and leadership. In August 2007, Cook tore ligaments in his foot and it looked like the end of a collegiate career for the then-fifth year senior linebacker.

Cook spent all last season on the sidelines, donning some headsets and helping coaches send in plays while ‘coaching’ his teammates. After petitioning for a sixth year of eligibility, Cook received the good news this summer and suited up for one last season.

Up 34-10 late in the third quarter, Cook participated in the second defensive turnover of the day, batting the ball out of Johnson’s hand and recovering it for a touchdown.

Cook coined the phrase ‘no excuses’ for this year’s team, making the wristbands player have been sporting since the pre-season. He’s taken some grief for not always wrapping up or making the play, but Cook is more than making up for it with leadership skills, effort and heart.

Jacory Harris saw some action, but not to the degree he saw in Gainesville two weeks ago. Shannon stated Marve would see three series at Florida, with Harris getting the next two. Such was the case and even though Marve seemed to have the hot hand, Harris wound up playing the majority of the second quarter against the Gators, but never again in the game.

What might Marve have done in that second half against UF – a game that didn’t break wide open until early in the fourth? We’ll never know.

Against aTm, Harris’ first action came when Marve was knocked out for a few plays midway through the second quarter. Harris got the ball on the 22-yard line and went 2-of-4 for 22 yards, with Miami settling for a field goal. He ended the day 4-of-7 for 27 yards, with his last action coming in the game’s waning moments.

Marve enthusiasts can finally rejoice that ‘their guy’ has the quarterback race locked up. While Shannon will continue to give Harris some playing time during the game, it seems Canes coaches know who their starter is and who is the capable back up.

Look no further than Marve re-entering the second quarter with just over a minute to play and leading the Canes on a 41-yard touchdown drive in less than a minute; 3-for-3 and flawless.

Next up, a season-changing game for Miami. Charleston Southern was a pushover, Miami was too green at Florida and Texas A&M is proving to be on the decline, while a visiting North Carolina team looks to be on the rise.

The Canes found themselves down 27-0 at the half of last year’s October showdown in Chapel Hill, en route to a 33-27 loss. Miam had a defensive collapse in the first half and a tremendous second half offensive effort which almost proved good enough for the comeback.

North Carolina struts into Dolphin Stadium, like Miami, as an improved bunch. After hanging on against McNeese State, UNC upset Rutgers, 44-12 last week and dropped a heartbreaker against Virginia Tech this past weekend, 20-17.

This week’s game in Miami will be the homecoming of former Canes coach, Butch Davis – who not only spurned the Canes in early 2001, but also took some heat for negative recruiting tactics this past season.

It’s cliche to use the term “statement game” as every game this year holds so much meaning, but there’s a lot on the line against the Tar Heels this weekend. Bragging rites. Revenge. ACC Coastal Division standings.

Quarterback T.J. Yates is questionable, which might have r-freshman Mike Paulus behind center against Young’s tenacious D. A huge advantage for an up and coming Canes team if this is the case.

Last year, the teacher bested the pupil. This time around, Shannon and staff have homefield advantage, a better defensive coordinator, stronger quarterback play than a year ago, as well as a mindset that should prevent the type of letdown seen last year in Chapel Hill.

More on game four as this week progresses.

One last parting though… there’s a lot of focus on the polls and the fact that Miami remained unranked, while Florida State snuck into the top 25 after starting the season 2-0.

Who. Freakin. Cares. It’s late September, polls don’t matter and as we saw Saturday night, things have a way of working themselves out.

Sporting faux confidence after punking Western Carolina (69-0) and Chatanooga (46-7), Florida State got their first test of the season against a Wake Forest team that’s beat them two in a row – including a 30-0 skunking at Tallahassee in 2006.

Prior to the game, newbie QB Christian Ponder ran his mouth a bit.

“I’ve got to say we’re not going to lose this game. It’s going to be tough. I think everybody is going to be prepared and everyone is going to be excited, so I think it’s going to be tough for us to lose this game. I’m not guaranteeing anything, but … I think we’re going to make a statement”, said Ponder.

Statement made, big guy. Florida State’s in trouble.

After fooling the voters with a 155-7 scoring output games one and two, the Noles faceplanted on the main stage Saturday night in a turnover-marred 12-3 loss to the Demon Deacons – a game nowhere near as close as the final score.

For all the woofing Ponder did, he went 6-of-18 for 52 yards and three interceptions. Back up D’Vontrey Richardson put together a similar 6-of-18 campaign for 66 yards and two picks.

The Noles might get more media love for Bobby’s sake, but at day’s end the proof is in the results. Miami is on the rise, while Florida State’s tailspin continues. Bowden has no control of his squad, fails to develop talent, hasn’t had a legit quarterback since 2000 and the immediate future looks clouded for the once-proud program.

For the sake of the rivalry, Florida State remains a dangerous game for Miami – but after watching both teams this past weekend, it’s very obvious the opposite directions these two programs are headed.

Let the Noles get the kudos early on. The Canes will get theirs when and where it counts.

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