Game One: Miami 31, Marshall 3

Miami took it to Marshall yesterday to the tune of 31-3. On paper, an impressive win. Point-wise, the Canes largest margin of victory since a 35-0 against FIU last season.

I don’t really feel a ‘recap’ of the throw down with the Thundering Herd is really necessary. The game was more of a scrimmage than anything else and we all know the real season opener is next Saturday in Norman, OK.

Instead of breaking down Marshall, let’s discuss what worked and where this squad needs to improve in the next few days before a season-defining match up with the #8 team in the land:

Let’s get right out there and say it; Kirby Freeman has a lot of work to do entering next Saturday’s match up. Bar none the biggest foe he’s faced in his tenure at Miami. This is a make or break game for him. Going 9 for 21, with 86 yards, 1 TD and 1 INT isn’t going to cut it against the Sooners.

Granted, there were too many drops by his wideouts and he definitely missed Sam Shields out there, Freeman had a few misfires on Saturday and a few passes which would’ve been picked off by a better secondary.

We all know what’s in store next week. Bob Stoops and staff are going to force Miami – and namely Freeman – to beat them with the passing game. Can he do it? We’ll soon find out.

Anyone being too critical of the Miami offense after one week needs to can all that noise. I’ve actually read some folks calling out Patrick Nix and seen message board thread titles such as, “Should we nix Nix?” after four freakin’ quarters of football.

Nix called the game Randy Shannon wanted him to. Pound the ball with the two running backs, limit the quarterback to less than two dozen pass attempts and attempt to play mistake-free football. The Canes didn’t need to roll up 79 points on a nobody like the Sooners did. Miami needed to shake off the cobwebs, forget 2006, run out that tunnel and implement the new attitude their new coach has instilled in them.

We saw a healthy rushing attack, a well-conditioned team, good offensive line play and Nix called a good game. Gone were the slow-developing running plays and predictability. We opened the game with a pass good enough for a first down and when in the red zone, most expected pass and instead saw Freeman roll right and hit TE DajLeon Farr in the back of the end zone.

One word, you vultures: chill. We have a long season ahead. What did you really expect game one? Had someone told you last week we’d see a 31-3 victory with 260 yards on the ground, seven penalties and four recovered turnovers off of interceptions, everyone would’ve been ecstatic. Have some perspective here. We’re 1-0 with a shot to upset #8 Oklahoma…

… and to all in Sooner Nation calling for a beat down, you better check yourselves. Appalachian State showed last week that ‘giants’ can be toppled at home by teams who want it more. I’ve seen OU fans state their squad wants to pound Miami, etc. To that I say, right back at you.

The difference here is in regards to the program who needs the win more. Miami is hungrier. Unranked and with a chip on its collective shoulder, this is the type of game which shows the world that the Canes are back. Similar to UCLA 1998, Florida State 2000 and Virginia Tech 2005 – and Miami won all three.

The U’s back is to the wall here while OU’s the top ten team expected to win. You can’t fabricate hunger. The Canes are the underdog and needs this game more than the Sooners. I’m not saying that’ll equate to a victory, but I don’t think Miami is as down as their ranking shows – nor do I believe Oklahoma is as good as their top ten billing.

I loved the energy yesterday. The almost 40,000 in attendance were the diehards who give a damn. A noon kickoff was absolutely ridiculous from a scheduling standpoint, but this rabid fan base was ready for some Miami Football and made some noise. With only seven games at the Orange Bowl in 2007, the fan base in 1-0 in regards to representing and making some noise.

Javarris James is a better player because of Graig Cooper. You could see it on the field all day yesterday. There is a friendly rivalry and competition between the two. You saw it on the drive where Miami went up, 24-0. James had a big rush and it was called back. Insert Cooper, who rattled off a 56-yarder, setting up James for the 8-yard scamper. On the sidelines, nothing but backslapping and hi-fives.

James & Coop look to be the best running back duo the Canes have fielded since the 2001 season when Clinton Portis had Frank Gore backing him up. That’s not a slight to Willis McGahee, one of our all time greats. W-Mac just didn’t have as solid a back up in Jarrett Payton or Jason Geathers.

This RB duo is going to take a hell of a lot of pressure off of the passing game, thankfully.

As for Cooper, you saw on his first run that this kid is the real deal. 116 yards on 12 attempts and an average of 9.7 yards per carry? The new #2 has a burst like Devin Hester and can cut on a dime. He’s the perfect compliment to Baby J and a well needed addition to Miami’s roster.

As exciting as it was to watch Coop, the best part was seeing his impact game one. I could help but think back to the old regime and picture this kid on the bench much like a Hester was as a freshman. Shannon threw Cooper into the mix as both a RB (12 carries to JJ’s 14) and a punt returner. Further proving that playmakers will find a roster spot and seniority means nada.

I’ve recently mentioned that I wanted to see two things out of this Miami team which have been missing – defensive turnovers leading to scores and big time offensive plays ending in the end zone. Tavares Gooden picked off an errant Marshall pass and returned it to the 1-yard line before the Canes scored a play later and Cooper was a juke away from his 56-yard run being a sixty-something yard touchdown.

No defensive touchdown or big time run for a score, but close enough for game one.

Not trying to sound like that yahoo Mark May from ESPN, but Calais Campbell is the best defensive player in the country, bar none. Five tackles, one interception and two would-be sacks negated by Marshall penalties. ‘Nuff said. Campbell will take over games this year. Bank on it. As for the double team, bring it on. Courtney Harris did a fine job next to CC and Eric Moncur is ready to disturb the backfield if teams focus too much on Campbell.

More to come this week as Miami preps for Oklahoma. In the meanwhile, soak up the win. True, it was only Marshall but last year six teams found a way to beat The U. A 31-3 win can’t be taken for granted. Not when the team had some bounce in their step, made some big plays and exuded the attitude and confidence of their new leader. It was a big leap in the right direction. This was the best the Canes have looked as a team since their 27-7 win at Virginia Tech in 2005.

Miami has a lot of work to do if they want to pull off the upset next week and with Shannon in charge, we know they’re going to leave it all on Greentree Practice Field the next few days.

.:Canes305:.

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