ESPN, Heather Dinich and the ACC mid-season report

Heather Dinich of ESPN.com released her ACC midseason report earlier today and for anyone who follows the blog, it comes as no shock that HD was again off base.

Crazy how at 2-0 the Miami Hurricanes were media darlings, albeit for a mere five minutes. After a loss to Virginia Tech, the love affair was over – even with an upset win over a top ten Oklahoma a week later and two straight wins after that, propelling the Canes to 5-1 and their own No. 8 ranking.

Miami is currently the highest ranked ACC team in the nation and has endured one of the most difficult schedules in the nation, yet Dinich gave the Canes little love in her mid-season progress report. Miami v. Florida State earned her vote for “best game” but even in that, a dig when she implied the potential game-winning Christian Ponder to Jarmon Fortson drop in the waning moments was a “controversial” incomplete call.

A “controversial” incomplete call where the ruling on the field was unanimously incomplete and the the replay clearly showed the ball touching the ground? Nice call, Heather.

Regarding “Biggest Surprise”, Dinich gave the nod to Boston College – a 5-2 team with wins over Northeastern, Kent State, Wake Forest, Florida State and NC State. The two losses, both blowouts at the hands of Clemson and Virginia Tech. She also gave first-year Eagles coach Frank Spaziani the nod as “Best Coach”, citing that the first-year leader “inherited more problems than he did answers”.

Where was that love and learning curve when Randy Shannon took over a Miami program in shambles?

Dinich hypes Spaziani for having BC in contention to win the Atlantic Division – something the Eagles did the past two seasons – yet in the next breath, calls the entire Atlantic Division the “Biggest Disappointment” midway through 2009. All of which begs the question, how impressive BC’s record based on the poor play of division rivals?

How do you hype a 5-2 team that’s beaten virtually nobody this year, giving them kudos for being ‘in contention’ to win a very weak division? Furthermore, how do you do this when Miami is arguably the surprise team midway through the season?

Sitting at 5-1, Miami beat the same Florida State team that Boston College took down and it lost to the same Virginia Tech squad by a lesser margin (Canes fell by 24, Eagles suffered a 34-point loss). That said, the Canes also beat a good Georgia Tech team and upset an eighth-ranked Oklahoma squad.

Many were calling for an 0-4 start in Coral Gables, promoting their fear mongering regarding Shannon’s job status if and when the Canes face planted out the gate. After opening a surprising 3-1, media folk like Dinich still can’t call it like it is.

Virginia Tech running back Ryan Williams took home “Offensive MVP” honors, event though Miami quarterback Jacory Harris is a legitimate Heisman candidate.

Williams filled in for the injured Darren Evans, helping the Hokies to a solid start. He’s earned ACC ‘rookie of the week’ honors five times this season, which is misleading being that first-year starter Harris saw some playing time last year, taking him out of the ‘rookie’ debate.

As offensive players, check the numbers Production versus specific competition. Harris has 1,518 passing yards and 11 touchdowns over a six-game run. His quarterback rating is 157.29 and he’s shined on both the big and small stage.

Harris passed for 386 yards and two touchdowns at Florida State; the most yards any Canes quarterback has ever put up against the Noles. A week later, a 20-of-25 outing, 270 yards and three touchdowns in a rout of Georgia Tech.

A rough outing a week later at Virginia Tech, Harris responded with a 19-of-28 performance and three touchdowns against Oklahoma stout defense. (The Sooners were giving up an average of less than a touchdown per game; Harris threw for three.)

Florida A&M and Central Florida followed, where J12 put together good enough performances. A 20-of-26 outing, 293 yards and a touchdown were the result against the Knights, even when spotty line play allowed the sophomore quarterback to be sacked six times.

In Williams defense, he has been a workhorse this season. After a slow start against Alabama (13 carries for 71 yards), he’s responded with 100+ yard games in five of the next six outings. Miami and Georgia Tech the toughest foes, Williams padded his stats a bit in wins over Marshall and Duke.

834 yards on 140 attempts and 10 touchdowns is impressive for a true freshman seven games into the season. Respect. But are these numbers better than Harris’? No. Harris has carried Miami this season and the Canes would be a shell of a team without him behind center.

Harris is to Miami what Tim Tebow is to Florida, whereas Williams is simply another back plugged into a run-happy offense. Evans was named Orange Bowl MVP after last year’s BCS win, yet he was easily replaced by a true freshman a few months later.

Williams is a hell of a back and is deserving of the award, but it sounds like any back worth his weight will thrive in that system. Not the same as quarterback who comes along once-in-a-decade for a program.

Harris’ performance at Florida State was his third career start and his first after learning a completely new offense with Mark Whipple now calling the shots.

A first-year starter behind center at Miami – putting together a banner year against toughest early stretch in college football, mentioned in Heisman chatter – and Harris still isn’t good enough to top an ACC blogger’s poll.

Hardly a shock and par for the course. Miami fans know it all too well, while outsiders ignore the bias and claim Canes are hypersensitive. To each their own.

Regardless, ESPN and Dinich aren’t giving the love, so it’s on UM to stay the course. Keep taking care of business. Continue building a legacy and a name by proving doubters wrong and remaining anti-establishment.

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