Now that the moment has come and gone, in hindsight you truly see what you were asking (re: hoping) the kids would do – and in the end, they almost pulled it off as the Canes were a play away from an impressive comeback after an all night back-and-forth.
A handful of lost starters on the heels of playing the national role of Public Enemy #1 for the past month and in the end, UM truly stepped up in a way frustrated fans aren’t giving the program credit for the morning after.
Miami fell at Maryland, 32-24 and while the focus seems to be on the 0-1 record, ten penalties and four turnovers, that doesn’t fully paint the picture of game one and the kickoff to the Al Golden regime.
This wasn’t 31-8 at UCLA when Butch Davis took over a program that finished No. 3 in the nation the previous season, going 10-2 and falling to eventual national champion Nebraska in the 1995 Orange Bowl before Dennis Erickson jumped ship.
This also wasn’t the 2010 Hurricanes, who finished 7-6 and looked completely lethargic, indifferent and heartless in a bowl game loss to Notre Dame and three-game losing streak to close out a dismal year.
For those refusing to get past an opening season loss, instead choosing to wallow in that disappointment and ignoring any positives, there’s not much to say and this piece won’t be directed at you. This outlook is for the Hurricane who seeks the bigger picture, seeing game one for what it was and realizing that even in a loss, this program took a step forward with a new attitude and real coaching staff.
There are no moral victories in this game college football, but even in a loss you can feel that in time this program will come together under Coach Golden. For the most part Miami looked like a cohesive unit, both focused and ready. Special teams was as solid as it’s been in years, young players made plays in their first start and motivationally, the Canes were one.
You finally saw some unity and guys believing in each other. When behind, Miami never looked defeated. There was genuine emotion – players keeping that bounce in their step despite the circumstances. A true belief that it was always within reach.
In recent years, the Canes have oft looked defeated, lost and seemingly checked out. In the season-ending loss to Notre Dame – the last time Miami took the field before Labor Day – there were rumors of snowball fights and players acting a fool on the sideline, fully checked out and playing grab-ass while the beat down was being delivered.
Far from the case in the 2011 season opener.
Down 7-0, Miami forced a turnover when 14-0 was a play away from being a reality. Should Maryland quarterback Danny O’Brien have walked it in? Absolutely. But he didn’t. He forced the pass and Vaughn Telemaque stepped up an made a play with the interception.
Don’t diminish a big time play in a big time game. UM has been missing moments like that as of late and stealing momentum deserves acknowledgement, even if it came on the heels of a poor decision by the opposing quarterback.
Up to that point, Maryland had run 22 plays for 149 yards and a score in 6:27 of possession. On the 23rd play, Telemaque finally stopped the bleeding.
After an opening possession three and out, Miami’s offense settled in drive two, going 47 yards in 11 plays. Stephen Morris found Mike James in the flat for a sixteen-yard pick up on 3rd and 15. Later on a 3rd and 6, another sixteen-yard pick up, this time to freshman Allen Hurns in his first real career action.
Three plays later, one of those game-altering blunders when running back Lamar Miller whiffed on a block. Morris was sacked for a five-yard loss and fumbled. Miami was on the Maryland 26-yard line with a 3rd and 5, meaning a good chance some points were left on the field in a game where every score was critical due to a depleted defense.
Even without Sean Spence, Marcus Forston, Ray-Ray Armstrong, Adewale Ojomo and Olivier Vernon — five guys who would be starters for Maryland or just about anyone in the nation — Miami still showed fight and resolve. Back ups gave their all. It just wasn’t enough to consistently make plays for sixty minutes. There were holes and those mistakes wound up costing UM. It happened. Deal with it.
Entering the opener, the hope; that the Canes would be able to absorb the blow regarding lost talent. Fans, players and coaches alike were buying into the “next man in” approach, hoping that the newbies could do an all-time one-game impression of some UM veterans. Everyone clinged to a best-case scenario, but at times Miami didn’t just bend, it broke.
The Canes fought back from 10-0, and 13-7, pulling ahead 14-13 with just over four minutes remaining in the first half. Outplayed and out-gained, Miami continued to fight back. Some strong red zone stands resulted in field goals instead of touchdowns, again with the Canes winning some little battles, never giving up or in. The heart that has been missing for years, finally started to resurface.
On paper, another game where fans walked away frustrated regarding turnovers, which is understandable. Still, the turnovers themselves weren’t the same bone-brained mistakes folks saw out of Miami last year (re: Mark Whipple forcing Jacory Harris to hurl it downfield into triple coverage while abandoning an effective ground game.)
The Morris fumble after the Miller non-block was the first real setback, but more crushing was a late first half fluke fumble and recovery for a touchdown.
Up 14-13 and facing a 2nd and 17 with just over two minutes remaining, Morris handed off to James what looked like it’d be five-yard pick up. Statistically speaking, worst case scenario would’ve had Miami punting, Maryland getting the ball back with little to no time and the Canes taking a lead — and momentum — into the locker room.
Instead, out of those deflating turnovers and again, more points given up in a game when points were a premium. The play itself reminiscent of one of those wheels off road games where a fluke moment set a tone.
In November 2003, Miami rode into Blacksburg for a late-season, prime time showdown against Virginia Tech. After a scoreless first quarter where the Canes had a field goal blocked, early in the second quarter UM faced a 2nd and 5 from its own 33-yard line with Roscoe Parrish having a James-like moment where he coughed up a ball that DeAngelo Hall pulled out of thin air and returned for a touchdown.
Moments later, a momentum-less Miami failed to capitalize again when tight end Kevin Everett dropped a sure-thing, game-tying touchdown on a fake field goal attempt.
This year’s Canes didn’t let the fluke mishap get them down. The second half began with a strong kickoff return to the 38-yard line and Miami went 62 yards in nine plays, ending with Morris scampering in for a five-yard touchdown, giving UM the 21-20 lead.
On the ensuing third quarter drive, Morris found true freshman Phillip Dorsett for five yards, After a penalty the Canes faced a 2nd and 10. Morris hit Tommy Streeter for nineteen yards, getting Miami near midfield.
Miller rushed for eight yards on first down and on 2nd and 2, a handoff to fullback Maurice Hagens for three yards and the first down. On 1st and 10, Morris went back to Streeter for fourteen yards and after a time out, four more rushes – running back, fullback, running back, quarterback – and the score.
Bigger than Miami resuming the lead, the fact that offensively the Canes did so with good playcalling. Balance with the ground game and the pass. Good use of the fullback. Even obvious things like receivers running past the sticks on third down and knowing where the markers were. Those fundamental areas where Miami failed in years passed no longer look to be an issue.
There were still too many penalties, but for game one under a new staff, you simply have to vent your frustration and then believe this is something these coaches are going to work tirelessly to clean up. It wasn’t fixed by Monday night, but so many other areas were, you have to give coaches the benefit of the doubt based on what has been turned around.
Offensive playcalling, Special teams returns. Kicking game. Never folding. Even in a loss, UM’s first-year coaches proved that this isn’t the same squad that faceplanted in El Paso. Miami will continue to buy into the Golden way and once that’s the new norm, games like this opener will have a happier ending.
With almost two weeks before game two against Ohio State, there is still much work to be done. The penalties have to stop and smarter football has to be played. The offensive line was supposed to arguably be the Canes’ strongest position but had some lapses on Monday night.
Regarding Morris, he played good enough for Miami to win, but not well enough to put the Canes on his back, leading UM to victory.
Down 26-24 with 1:39 to play, Morris had the ball and the opportunity to be ‘the guy’. Facing a 3rd and 15 after a substitution infraction penalty, Morris found LaRon Byrd for a 17-yard reception and a 1st and 10 just shy of midfield.
A quick pass, run and incompletion had Miami facing a 4th and 4 when Morris threw towards Streeter – who didn’t attack the ball – allowing the defender to jump the route for what turned into a game-sealing pick six.
The interception will go down as the play that defined the night, though it was third down that truly was the play as Miller came out of the backfield on a wheel route, cut up field and was slightly overthrown when Morris was pressured.
With the ball on the money, Miller might’ve scored. At minimum, Canes would’ve faced a first down inside the thirty with just under a minute remaining. There never would’ve been a must-make fourth down scenario.
A Miami win wouldn’t have erased the 499 yards of offense given up, the ten penalties accrued or any game-changing mishaps. Morris would still need to do a better job not locking onto a receiver, the line would’ve needed to protect better and linebackers would still need to find their way out of no man’s land. But in the short-term, the flaws wouldn’t be scrutinized at this capacity.
A win forgives sins that a loss cannot. The ‘W’ brings solace while a loss drives anger and clouds vision, keeping one from employing logic and perspective. One game with lots of ball left to be played.
At 1-0, the focus would be on the win, with talk of mistakes having time to be cleaned up, but there being time as it was only the opener. The flaws and weaknesses would be chalked up to missing starters, most of which will return for Ohio State on the 17th. But with a loss, the sky is falling.
Boo, hiss same ol’ s**t.
Unfortunately, the loss only magnifies the mistakes and conjures up more frustrating emotions as Miami is embedded in a four-game losing streak and after an off-season from hell – reaching critical mass this past month – Hurricane Nation needed to go home happy. Not a moral victory, but a real one. Not a pretty one or an ugly one – just a win.
In the hours after the scoreboard read 32-24, the frustration of another loss is coupled by the bitterness that has surrounded fans of this program since late October.
The culmination of a late collapse against Virginia Tech, an embarrassing overtime loss to South Florida, the firing of a head coach, the snub (or non-interest) that came from Jon Gruden during a coaching search, a disgusting bowl loss to hated Notre Dame (and the indifference players showed), right up to Nevingate and the media bias that has made it even more difficult than ever to be a Miami Hurricanes.
The anger and frustration is understood this morning, but it isn’t right. There was much good to be taken from this new-look Golden bunch if you chose to see and acknowledge it. This also wasn’t a one-game audition for this new staff. It’s about a collective body of work and an entire season. Coaches can’t change years of mistakes and bad habits in four quarters.
Work to see the goo right now. Many of you aren’t there yet and that’s fine, but for those who are, you know what you saw and deep down can admit that when it’s all said and done, that even at 0-1 in 2011, you saw more promise on Monday night than in all of 2010 combined. – C.B.
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Notice how you can see Ed Reed in disgust from that pick 6?
Very well said, my friend. Even though I was heartbroken at the loss (as I am with every loss), I was still pleased with the Canes overall as a team. It's disgusting and idiotic for the message boards to already be calling for heads. Support these Canes, folks. When the finished product comes to fruition, we will all be pleased.
There were times when I thought that the only thing that's changed was the coaches on the sideline.
Penalties and int's. Hopefully, this gets cleaned up.
No doubt, we should have won that game.
One question is, why are we playing zone? Darrelle Revis couldn't help us playing zone.
Nothing we can do now. It's history.
2 weeks to prepare for OSU.
Great perspective as usual. There was a lot to like about that game. First, with the exception of that last two minutes and the first possession, I thought the QB-receiver connection was great. Gone were the busted routes from last season and the dropped passes. You could almost see Morris logically checking down to find the open man all the way from section 302 where I was sitting. I also loved that the Wieclaw and Botts weren't in the position where they had to make the tackles on every kickoff or punt. I loved Bosher could tackle - I was sad I knew how good he was at it. Miller had an awesome night. He gets a little help from the blocking and he's going to be a 1000 yard RB this year without a problem (he's 1/10th of the way there with sub-par blocking). James has seen better days, but he's always been the kind of player that learns and bounces back. The last time Miami had a fullback type who could reliably power through for yardage was Najeh Davenport, so seeing Hagens do some of that to keep drives alive was sweet. Even the young guys on defense seemed to find a groove to make some big stands. Overall, wish it had been a win. But then again, a win where we made that many mistakes maybe means the players gloss over some execution collapses. I think seeing how much that cost them the game will make it easier for them to get better faster... or at least that's what I'm hoping for.
Ive been following this blog and watching all the allcanesaccess footage during the offseason. I remember vividly a clip when Storm broke a long run and the coaches got on him for running with the ball in the wrong hand...(Smash made the same mistake and it proved to be costly), Storm was hammered for not blocking..(Dash made that mistake and the qb fumbled). Not trying to stir the pot, but here's to hoping that these mistakes are corrected ASAP.
On the other hand I truly was impressed that the defense made adjustments to that swing pass Maryland came out with (wouldn't have happened in season's past), also happy to see the D RUNNING TO THE BALL AND WRAPPING UP TO TACKLE, V. T-Mack played out of his mind, and Allen Hurns has a great set of hands!!!!, also don't remember a pass being dropped by the receivers (Wet Ball no less), Dash averging 7+ yard/carry in a conference game. No moral victories, just observations!!
I want to see hope in this, and for the offense there may be some, but the defense never stopped them. The amount of yards Maryland put up was shocking, with most coming on a single type of play. In the third the guys limited the damage done by the bubble screen, but it still got yards and moved the ball.
They have time before Ohio St and players will be back, but the coaches need to do some teaching if they are going to have a chance.
Go Canes ! !
I agree that the big thing that I took away from this game was that the players seemed more focused, motivated and had more heart than in recent years. I actually had been frustrated by their lack of energy and fight since long before the embarrassment versus ND. My frustration went all the way back to the FSU beat down. I remember walking away from that game and making the comment that Telemaque was the only player that was fired up for the game. I mean hell it's FSU at home and the crowd was fired up, so how was the team so blatantly not? I became a fan of this team in the beginning because of their never quit, all or nothing, give it everything you've got on every play attitude. That attitude had been sorely lacking the last couple of years and seemed to peak last year. So I was really happy to see them looking focused Monday night.
I was however disappointed in the carry over of turnovers and penalties from last year. I guess somehow I expected those to be fixed before the attitude was. I didn't expect a win based on situation but I did expect that if we lost it would be due to lapses in a depleted D that at best would hold but become tired and make mistakes towards the end of the game. So it was admittedly aggravating that it was once again the turnovers that ultimately caused the loss. That being said though, I believe that the team I saw on Monday will have the true motivation and desire to fix those issues and improve. They may not improve at the pace an impatient and demanding fan base would like, but it will happen.
So as a fan all I can say to the other fans is while they work on improving as a team that we improve at being fans. Getting on message boards and screaming about everything that went wrong instead of focusing on what is going right isn't supporting the team you claim to love. Don't only show up to games when they are on a winning streak. The worst part of the loss to Maryland for me is that I fear it will deflate the fickle fan base and there will be a really poor turn-out for Ohio State. For once I'd like to see the fans stand strong and show up in force to support their Canes that are fighting to improve. Hell, support Coach Golden who was handed a big pile of someone else's headaches and is working his ass off to turn things around. Like I always tell people. "You don't get to call yourself a fan by just showing up when they're winning". GO CANES!!!!!
While I didn't like the result, I did like a lot of what I saw. After they went down 10-0 I was concerned that the game was about to get real ugly, real fast. It didn't, and they had a chance to win in the 4th qtr. I'm not one to accept a loss, and mediocrity should not be settled for, but with half the defense looking at the game from the same vantage point I was, I think having a chance in the 4th qtr was all that could really be hoped for.
The D should be vastly improved when OSU rolls into town, for obvious reasons, but I am still concerned about the offense as I don't know that we have a QB on the roster that can win when the game needs to be won. The O line play could have been better and I'm sure it will improve, which would the backs to carry more of a load. In the end though, when considered thru the prism of the shapiro allegations, I sure am happy to see that []_[] "flyin around" on those helmets "!
allcanes i agree many bright spots in that game. young guys did make plays but depleted depth especially at corner hurt us. The ground game was solid smash and dash did their thing running the ball like wild men. Smashes numbers weren't mind blowing but he ran hard every time he had it. Miller showed why he is dash. quick first steps and go he had a great evening even with a missed assignment on a block. I thought the offensive line played well but had a few times where communication got jumbled and let maryland get to morris to quickly. I thought the defensive line played well not allowing huge runs and tightening up in the red zone not allowing them to get into the endzone. One can't say enough about how telemaque played. He played over his head. Brandon Mcgee had a great night except for one play and that was just a result of being tired you could tell he was spent and still he went full go. Morris looked good for most the game. Making me who is pro harris want to believe he could do this. And then say what you want about streeter not fightin for the ball but that throw should have never been thrown he should have looked for option two or pulled it down and tried to run. that corner was looking at morris like he was freshman hottie who just got on campus. he knew morris would try to force it there and he made that play. Now streeter and hurns and byrd had solid nights receiving. I was happy to see streeter step up when finally given a chance. must be nice to be out of the dog house. Hurns pleasant surprise for sure. All in all many positives but mistakes and penalties killed. Cant have back to back delay of gamers and that's only on the qb with that one. he has to get his guys in and out of the huddle.
Good post! Yeah, it wasn't the ideal outcome but there were definitely some shining moments that leave me excited about our game with that ohio team. Let's rally around this team and coaching staff and show up in force September 17th for what I expect to be a great game!