Game Nine : Miami 49, Duke 14

It doesn’t take away the sting of losing to Virginia nine days ago, but the Miami Hurricanes got a much-needed win over the Duke Blue Devils this Saturday at Sun Life. Momentum was something UM needed to re-sieze as a road trip to Tallahassee as a showdown with Florida State looms. The Canes did that in a convincing 49-14 beat down earlier today.

It marked another game where Miami’s offense got out to a quick start, scoring early and putting an opponent in a hole. Too many times this season the Canes came out flat and had to play catch up but not the case this weekend as UM was up 21-0 early in the second quarter.

Offensive coordinator Jedd Fisch again came in with a solid game plan, moving the ball around and getting multiple guys touches without turning it over.

Jacory Harris had another solid outing, going 14-of-20 for 202 yards, three touchdowns and no interceptions. Harris got after it immediately, finding Tommy Streeter on the first play from scrimmage, 19 yards to the UM forty-one.

A quick dump off to running back Mike James picked up thirty-six the following play and from there, back-to-back runs with Lamar Miller, for eight and fourteen yards. Facing a 1st-and-Goal from the Duke one, Harris threw a floater to tight end Chase Ford for the game’s first score.

After a quick defensive stand, Miami’s offense was back on the field and this time Stephen Morris was under center momentarily. After a two-yard run, James took a handoff 32 yards to the Duke thirty-one. Harris hooked up with Travis Benjamin a play later and the 21-yard gain gave Miami the ball at the Duke ten. After a few go-nowhere plays, James pounded it in from one out on 4th-and-Goal.

Miami again held strong on defense, forcing another three-and-out. The offense took the field and went sixty-four yards in thirteen plays, ending with a two-yard touchdown pass from Harris to Phillip Dorsett on 3rd-and-Goal, though two misses on the drive were the true standout plays.

On the initial 1st-and-10, Harris went deep for Streeter in double coverage for an incompletion, showing that arm strength on the deep ball is still an issue. Four plays later, Morris threw a fifty-five yard strike to Benjamin, hitting him in stride, though the receiver didn’t reel in the touchdown.

Aside from the obvious, the fact Morris has an arm, the story regarding these two plays has less to do with either quarterback and more to do with the guy calling the shots.

After throwing 14 touchdowns to 15 interceptions in 2010, Harris is a new man in 2011, with 18 touchdowns to 4 interceptions. There was a pick against Georgia Tech two weeks back, though the blame lays on fullback John Calhoun. Prior to that, Harris hasn’t thrown an interception since the first half against Kansas State in game three.

Unlike Mark Whipple before him, Fisch hasn’t tried to make Harris something he’s not. He’s working with the quarterback he has – not the one he dreams of. Harris has a head for the game, knows how to manage it and has relied on shorter passes, talented receivers, a solid ground game and veteran defensive line.

Harris hasn’t had to play the role of hero and because of that, mistakes have been limited. Aside from the lack of turnovers, Miami has produced offensively. The Canes scored touchdowns on its first five possessions against the Blue Devils, including a quality 11-play, 93-yard drive late in the second quarter, answering a Duke score.

After Duke narrowed the lead to 21-7, going 83 yards on 14 plays, the Fisch-led Miami offense went back to work. Harris to Streeter. Miller on the ground. The Canes marched down the field and thwarted out any hope the Blue Devils looked to take into the half.

Duke scored on the opening drive of the third quarter, pulling to fourteen, but again, Miami answered – this time capitalizing on a questionable onside kick attempt.

A twenty-one yard connection between Harris and Benjamin led an an eventual three-yard touchdown run by Miller, who became the true second-half workhorse as Fisch turned to to the run once leading 35-14 with a quarter-and-a-half remaining.

Miller finished 147 yards and two touchdowns on twenty carries, putting him over the 1,000-yard mark on the year. James had a quality outing with 58 yards and two touchdowns, while Eduardo Clements carried five times for 30 yards, showing the true depth Miami has at the position.

In the end, a thirty-five point win and one that feels good for many reasons. Especially when some (who will now go into hiding) were pointing at Duke’s 14-10 “moral victory” loss against Virginia Tech last weekend.

Yes, Miami should beat Duke and on a Saturday when No. 1 LSU takes on No. 2 Alabama, it’s hard to muster up too much excitement for such a lesser match up at Sun Life. Understandable.

That said, for a program who has been unranked all season – one with a new coaching staff, seeking improvement and flushing out bad habits – every win of this nature is a milestone in its own right.

As fans, we all want our team in that spotlight. Everyone wants to pull for either No. 1 or No. 2 tonight, a primetime showdown with national championship implications on the line.

Miami and Florida State used to be those teams, yet enter next weekend’s showdown with seven combined losses, taking much luster off the match up. That said, it’s a cyclical game with both programs working to get back on top and if there’s anything to take from tonight’s monster showdown, it’s the blood, sweat, tears and hard work that the Tigers and Tide put into their 2011 squads.

You don’t become a champion overnight. You build up to it year-by-year, week-by-week, game-by-game and play-by-play.

Al Golden is building something in Miami. You feel it in the air and you see glimmers over it here or there. The complete body of work isn’t what you’d hope for. Not at 5-4. Not with a frustrating loss to Virginia still lingering. Not having come close on a few occasions this season and falling short.

Even in rebuilding mode, losses and mistakes still hurt. Still, take them in stride, see growth and find some solace in the process. Miami’s offense looked great today, the defense took care of business and with Florida State, South Florida and Boston College remaining, you keep working towards 8-4 and go from there.

467 yards on offense is impressive, as are no turnovers, five penalties and going both 6-of-9 on third down attempts and 1-of-1 on fourth. Ray-Ray Armstrong had an interception while Olivier Vernon recovered a fumble. Both led to quick touchdowns.

The not-so-good; your defense giving up 342 yards to Duke, allowing 148 on the ground while starting quarterback Sean Renfree was a more-than-respectable 19-of-25 for 181 yards with a touchdown and interception.

Go back into the lab, figure out what went wrong, get back to work, believe in the process and work to take another step forward next weekend in Tallahassee. – C.B.

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