You hated to label it a do-or-die, must-win game this early in the season, but Miami and Clemson was a big one for a slew of reasons. Another huge road challenge at a rowdy venue. A team – and quarterback – that got the better of the Canes last season. The first conference game of the year as well as a measuring stick regarding where this squad is headed as the Tigers are a formidable ACC foe.
A world of difference between No. 13 and 3-1 than 2-2 and unranked with Florida State on deck. Momentum is everything for a team on the rise and this Miami machine can keep on chugging after this big time road win. It may have been an imperfect victory as there were still some glaring flaws, but coming out of Death Valley on the right side of a 31-20 victory is something that simply can’t be taken for granted. Not after all this program has been through as of late.
Some will choose to harp on the interceptions (two) and penalties (12 for 105 yards) and while both must be cleaned up moving forward, this truly was a ‘turning point’ game that should finally have this fan base excited again.
Whenever I hear from the harshest critics (usually our own fans), I suggest everyone to pop in some game film from early 2007, when Oklahoma took Miami to the woodshed in Norman. Check out the talent and depth – or lack thereof. The undisciplined play. The coaching woes, both with then-first timer Randy Shannon as well as assistants (Tim Walton was running the defense and Patrick Nix the offense).
Watch the ups and downs of that 5-7 season and then rewatch this most recent win at Clemson. Miami may still be its own worst enemy, but based on things have been these past few years, that’s a welcomed and correctable issue.
Fans need to step back and take a deep breath, remembering we’re only 25% of the way through the season. This team is yet to hit on all cylinders, yet got through a rough stretch with a 3-1 record. A win over arch-rival Florida State would have the Canes at 4-1 and based on how the rest of the weekend plays out, could have UM back in the top ten right when the schedule finally eases up. (@Duke, North Carolina, @Virginia and Maryland are the next four.)
As long as this team and coaching staff continues working tirelessly, improvement will come – just as it has each of the past few seasons.
Miami’s defense is finally swarming again. Making big plays and bouncing around after doing so. That side of the ball has become a difference-maker, instead of a liability. Six forced turnovers against Clemson set the tone and made up for a few offensive blunders, penalties and blown calls by the officials.
A year ago Clemson quarterback Kyle Parker set the tone, leading his squad to an overtime victory behind 326 passing yards, three touchdowns and one interception. This time around, a paltry 149 yards, three interceptions and just another guy under center.
Outside of the three picks, Miami forced three fumbles – two by running back Andre Ellington and one by Parker. Even more impressive, how Hurricane defenders laid the lumber, found their way to the football and flat out took it from the other guys at times. Cliche as it sounds, it seemed UM truly wanted this one more. At least defensively where everybody seemed to be making plays.
Offensively, the Canes still seemed out of rhythm and change can’t come soon enough. Harris’ turnovers were dwarfed by four clutch touchdowns, but that won’t be the case every week. Mark Whipple needs to earn his check as quarterbacks coach, making sure his star guy continues breaking down film and learning from his mistakes as the day will come when Harris’ arm will need to return the favor, bailing a struggling defense out.
To Whipple’s credit, he stuck with the ground game early and set the tone, running two different backs behind an unbalanced line. A dose of Damien Berry out the gate, with two quick runs on Miami’s first possession, though an incomplete pass to Berry on 3rd and 2 forced the Canes to punt. The defense forced a quick three-and-out and UM’s offense was back on the field within minutes.
Whipple remained run-happy the ensuing possession, going with Berry three straight times (for 33, 4 and 12 yards) and from there, three straight with Lamar Miller for 11, 9 and 4 yards – the third a would-be touchdown, but called back for holding.
A play later Harris was sacked and when facing an unexpected 3rd and 14, he hit Leonard Hankerson for his first of three touchdowns on the day; this time a wide open 22-yard strike.
The Canes’ offense line played tough in the trenches while manchild freshman Seantrel Henderson showed what he’ll do down the road at left tackle, while getting broken in at right tackle this past weekend.
Miami’s ground game is proving what a force it can be and hopefully it’s something Whipple sticks with both to take the pressure off Harris, while also wearing down opponents. The lone knock at this point would be the lack of rhythm, where at times it seems like Whipple is attempting to pacify or silence critics by ‘forcing’ the run.
Run, run and a short pass to the same running back on the first possession, followed by six straight runs with two different backs a possession later. Even the simple-minded armchair quarterback understands that the art of this complex game is to keep the opposite coordinators on their toes.
Mix it up. Keep the other guy off balance and guessing. Set up the pass with consistency on the ground. Especially when you have upwards of five capable backs who can provide fresh legs, with the ability to tear off a long run at any given moment.
Whipple proved he could do that, at times absolutely catching Clemson defensive coordinator Kevin Steele off guard.
At 14-14 it could’ve been game-changing had the Miami defense not stepped up on the ensuing possession. Faced with a 3rd and 7 from the Clemson 19, Parker’s pass was batted by Allen Bailey and reeled in by Marcus Forston. A solid, albeit rare play that you won’t see from two defensive linemen every given week.
A play later, Whipple pulled a solid one out of his bag of tricks, faking the end around, running a wheel route, forcing the defense to bite and letting Harris hitting wide open running back Mike James for the score.
With the game still tied and Miami on the Clemson 19-yard line with both James and Berry in the backfield, logic said a running play was on deck. When James broke for the right side of the end zone, three defenders were in pursuit, though none were within five yards when he hauled in the pass.
Whipple obviously gets “it” and has a brilliant offensive mind. The key moving forward is simplicity. Don’t over-think or outsmart oneself. Keep it basic and lean on a reliable and sturdy ground game, while pulling out the pass when a defense has bent all day and is ready to break.
Thus far we haven’t seen a complete game out of this offense. A slow start at both Ohio State and Pittsburgh, followed by a lack of production in the second half at Clemson. Inconsistency and outscored 7-3, it still thankfully proved to be enough as Miami got the drive it needed late in the fourth quarter, pushing the lead to nine after a 29-yard Matt Bosher field goal.
That final scoring drive began on the Miami 20-yard line, shaved 5:40 off the clock and went 69 yards in ten plays – the back-breaker being a 17-yard scramble from Harris on 1st and 20 after a holding penalty on Orlando Frankin.
From that point on, Whipple called six straight runs, relying on the fresh legs of James. Clemson knew Miami’s agenda and still couldn’t stop it – a testament to the play of the offensive line, vision of the backs and discipline of a pass-happy coordinator who stuck with the much-needed ground game.
The biggest thing to take from this past weekend? Solace in the fact that the Miami Hurricanes will be an utterly dangerous team if and when it finally puts everything together.
The heavy lifting has been done and now it’ll come down to the fine tuning. The talent and depth have returned and guys are both healthy and stepping up. Everything currently plaguing this team – interceptions and penalties – they’re all fixable, be it through more discipline on the field as well as this coaching staff staying on top of guys.
Next up, another annual showdown with Florida State – this time in Miami and under the prime time lights. ABC is carrying this one and while it’s no longer the ‘game of the decade’ it is arguably the ‘game of the week’ as two ranked, one-loss teams are looking to make a statement.
What they say remains to be seen. Tune in Saturday night to find out if the Canes take another giant step towards an ACC title game and a successful season.
That was an ugly win, but I will take it.
We move up the AP poll a little bit, which is a good thing.
Better than that though is that after sending their JV team to play the Tide's varsity team, the mighty fightin' Gators of Tebow college find themselves lower ranked than the U.
I like that.
I was there it was such an amazing game and much love to all the Canes fans from all over the place who made noise all the way to end. I'm from Greenville (30 mins from Clemson) and I've never been prouder to wear my allcanes "I Like" shirt amongst all those orange one's. Keep up the momentum boys and take it straight to the Noles.
Each game that's won, the bigger it is and the closer the boys are to being 'back'. I've gotta say though (and I think I speak for most of us when I say this), I'm a little bit annoyed with the INTs. I guess that's putting it mildly for some, but Coach Shannon can't possibly blame the receivers for those turnovers in the RedZone. Other than that, I think you've gotta give a bunch of props to Hankerson, I mean it's refreshing to see his complete transformation from a freshman, to such an impact player for the receiving corps.
Defensively, aside from the long run from Ellington, another solid performance. You can't be mad at forcing 6 turnovers. Aside from Spence, I believe that Brandon Harris is the best player on defense (I just wish we can finally end the Van Dyke experiment and let McGee get those reps). I'm telling you, if Brandon comes out, UM will have a tough time replacing him. If the defense continues this type of dominance, FSU has no chance.
The ONLY team in the nation that can beat this Hurricanes team? This Hurricanes team. This team is SCARY talented. In terms of pure, raw talent, this Hurricanes team has no equal in this nation. This defense might be the fastest defense in the world. However, with that said, the penalties/turnovers HAVE TO STOP. If this team wants to be a championship team(which they can be) they have to stop shooting themselves in the foot. I dont think the opposing defenses have taken the ball away once, they have all been due to our offense GIVING the ball away. Every one of Jacory's throws that went the other way shouldn't have been thrown, there has yet to be a great defensive play on any of his throws, they have all just been poor tosses. The holding calls are becoming laughable. I think its time to sit Mr Figueroa on the bench. His play has been pathetic at best, largely in part because he doesnt know how to throw a block without getting two fat fists full of jersey.
Yet again, we sit here and say, "if this offense would cut out the nonsense the game wouldn't of been close" and once again thats absolutely true. The fans in attendance Saturday were damn lucky they didnt witness a complete blow out. Clemson escaped with just a 9 pt loss, the game could of easily been out of hand by the start of the 4th, but when you have 3 straight penalties on kickoffs, a total of 100 plus penalties yards, your going to have to settle for just beating the opponent by 9. This Hurricane team has the talent to rout EVERY opponent they have played this year. its damn time we start seeing that.
I gotta say, I am very disappointed in many Hurricane fans! We have pulled off back to back road victories against quality opponents, but all some fans can see is the negative! I was at the game and what I saw was a Miami team that was clearly better than Clemson! We left 3 TDs on the field and aside from the one big run and one other sustained drive, Clemson could not move the ball consistently! I will say that J12 is making some AWFUL mistakes (throwing into double and triple coverage and throwing crazy backward shovel passes) but he is still making great throws too! We have survived 8 ints in 3 games and gone 2-1 in that stretch…I refuse to believe that Jacory is never going to get out of this slump, and when he does, this can be a VERY dangerous team! Our defense finally looks like a Miami defense and our offense is mistake prone, but still explosive. I really think that this team is going to hit a grove and become a real nightmare for opponents! As for FSU this week, I think the Canes are going to inflict some serious pain on the Noles!
@SCCANESGIRL; I live in Greenville also but unfortunately had to miss the game bc I had to attend my great aunt's funeral in Alabama. I saw so many cars heading to Clemson with 'U' nalia on them that I was proud and it almost made me shed a tear. I will definitely make the drive to ATL for the tech game, where we should curbstomp the bees.
I watched the replay of the game on CSS and it almost seemed as if the refs tried to keep Clemson in the game on a few occasions. The most notable one to me was the kick-catch interferene call on Tommy Streeter(the first one) where it was clear the Clemson player bobbled the catch, making it a live ball. Other penalties were just stupid mistakes resulting from players' heads not being in the game. As for J. Harris, i dont think this is some sort of slump he is in, this is who he is. He is the Brett Favre of college football. He doesn't read defenses well, he has that gunslinger mentality and tries to make plays/force throws that arent there instead of taking care of the ball. I hold my breath whenever he throws it deep bc there is a 50/50 chance of the pass being picked off. If he can keep his INTs at 2/game or under then we have a great shot of winning games. It is funny to see his reaction after throwing a pick, he has this look of utter bewilderment on his face as if he didnt do anything wrong. Clearly this kid just doesn't get it. I still think he should be benched for a few series just to be taught a lesson. Also, I am worried about Teddy Bridgewater coming in as he is from the same school/system as Jacory Harris. Will we have another 3 or 4 years of a Miami NW int-prone qb? I shudder at the thought. All in all defense was again strong and B. Harris/Sean Spence are playing like men amongst boys.
The entire team and coaching staff did an outstanding job, but the INT's are becoming a serious problem (just review how INT's last season made the CANES 9-4 instead of 11-2, CLEMSON and UNC).
This may just be opinion but, I think J12 will have an outstanding game against the Noles. In the last 2 games against the Noles he played Great!!!!
I say he does it again.
Bring on the Garnet and Gold and beat it black and blue. Let's GO CANES
After the Clemson game I was left with a overwhelming feeling how bright our future as Canes fans is.. They say say that the blueprint for winning football games is too run the ball effectively, while stopping the run on defense.. Well, last I checked, coach Petri,s D-Line is a major reason that The U leads the Nation in tackles for loss, while the talent at the running back position that Miami displayed on Saturday is nothing short of amazing..Berry, Miller, and James were more than effective, while we got to see a glimpse of Clemments, and Johnson on special teams..J12 had 2 more poor choices in the red zone, but made up for it by firing 4 td passes and overcoming quite a few drops that made his final stat package look worse than he actually played..And last but not least, Six friggin turnovers is going to beat dang near everyone much less on our schedule..Lots of football to be played, and still lots to play for..All goals are intact….Time to bring the pain to the Noles!!..GO CANES!
While I also am pleased to be 3-1 the noles will capitalize on turnovers and we cannot afford to not finish drives especially by giving the ball away in the red zone! Whipple needs to be adjusting, and that said the way to beat fsu this week is no turnovers. with 3 ints vs 8 we are undefeated and blew out clemson just like pitt. i will take the 2 at pitt and with only 1 at osu we win. enough said the past is just that the past. now is what must be focused on. Oklahoma beat fsu with quick passes and the run. where is Miami's run game? no deep balls this week and we win.
Gritty, tough performance against a talented opponent to end a long road stretch. The defense is playing lights out, and DVD FINALLY did something right with the big strip at the end of the game (that said…. he's by far our biggest liability on defense). The future is very bright, BUT….
I'm extremely disappointed with the receivers (sans Hank). Not only the drops, but I just don't see these guys going up to get the ball and securing possession. The talent is way too good for coaching not the be the excuse. Special teams/tight ends is equally disappointing. How did we not break off a long return with the talent we have? I'll call the blocked PAT a fluke, but all season we've cut it REALLY close on punt protection and we're going to have one blocked soon. The tight ends are horrible. Great one-handed grab by Gordon, but Ford shouldn't even be on the field with those drops. Pannunzio is not the right coach.
Watching that game, I really felt like it was the sloppiest we've played in quite some time (and the stats back me up). That said, the defense is lights out, and I get a warm fuzzy feeling every time I watch Miller run the ball. Kid is a STUD.
By no means am I defeatist or unloyal, and I think this is a very good football team, but we're not playing anywhere near our potential. If the mistakes we continue to see aren't fixed, we're going to remain an also-ran.
Go 'Canes!
GREENVILLE,SC CANES!!!! I didn't think there was anybody here but me that's into the Canes. We must start getting together to cheer these boys on. I'm headed to Mia this weekend but there are many more weeks ahead.
Any canes fans in the Greenville, SC area drop me a line at keithantonio@yahoo.com. im going to miss the fsu game bc i have to go to Alabama for business for a few weeks but do plan on hitting the Ga Tech game