Game One : Maryland 32, Miami 24

Another situation where as a Miami fan you were hoping for the best while still preparing for the worst. You wanted to believe that the loss of seven key players could somehow be overcome. Hurricane players adopted the “next man in” mantra but the youth and inexperience still showed at times, often at critical, game-defining moments. Believing in the next man versus living it out is easier said than done.

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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