I’ve made the comment the past few years that while Miami continued rebuilding, there’d be a few types of games; inexplicable wins and equally inexplicable losses. Clemson obviously falls into the latter category, while Oklahoma fans are left wondering how Miami eked out that one-point win a few weeks back.
Welcome to Miami Hurricanes football in 2009; year three of a five-year rebuilding project. Close to being back, but not quite there. As strong and able as the depth chart will allow, but still having to change a game plan or scheme based on one or two in-game injuries.
My inbox has been flooded since Saturday, fans venting and rivals gloating. I still marvel that at 5-2 so many people are abandoning ship. The same Randy Shannon who was a hero in the wee hours after an early October win against Oklahoma, is now back to being the goat after an overtime loss.
Welcome to Miami, eh?
The Clemson loss was ugly. No doubt about that. Everyone knew the Tigers had the athletes, but that doesn’t excuse not having an answer for C.J. Spiller. The senior is a hell of a back and a special teams demon, but that doesn’t excuse a school-record 310 all-purpose yards. Save those stats for Duke. How does a Miami defense and special teams get torched at that capacity?
Even more frustrating, the Canes letting freshman quarterback Kyle Parker look like a Heisman contender. Instead of planting the newbie on his back and bringing the house, Miami let Parker go 25-of-37 for 326 yards and three touchdowns – including the game-winner in overtime.
Jacory Harris was a respectable 17-of-27 for 256 yards and two touchdowns, but three interceptions proved to be the difference. As frustrating as the turnovers were, the timing and overall result were ever worse.
Late in the second quarter, Harris goes 4-of-5 for 53 yards, the drive capped by a 23-yard Damien Berry touchdown run. Up 10-7 with under five minutes to play, a poorly placed Alex Uribe kickoff put the ball in Spiller’s bread basket and resulted in a 60-yard kickoff return. 14-10, Clemson.
Two solid Graig Cooper runs put Miami on Clemson’s 37-yard line with a first down. A field goal should’ve been the worst case scenario, but an errant Harris throw turned the ball over in the end zone. Half over.
Both squads traded scores and turnovers throughout the third quarter, making for a 24-24 tie entering the fourth quarter and after a 51-yard Matt Bosher field goal, Miami quickly shut down Clemson and took possession at the Canes 15-yard line. An errant Harris pass later, gone was the momentum and a 27-24 lead.
DeAndre McDaniel picked off a pass Harris rifled into traffic and returned it for a 23-yard touchdown. 31-27, Clemson.
As schizophrenic as this game proved to be, Harris’ first pass after the interception proved to be a 69-yard strike to Travis Benjamin. 34-31, Miami. Hi, I’m Jacory. Meet my other friend, Jacory.
Clemson put together a 65-yard drive, ending with a Randy Phillips end zone interception and from that point on, Miami coaches went conservative, having lost faith in Harris and the passing attack. Or at least that’s the current take.
Did Shannon handcuff Mark Whipple, or was the first-year offensive coordinator relying on a ground game he felt could provide a few first downs? Javarris James was the big bodied back in the game, but three straight runs are inexplicable. 1-yard, six yards and 1-yard, setting Miami up with a 4th and 2 from the Canes 28.
Like it did against Florida State, the Miami defense made a stand when it needed to, holding Clemson to three. The clock kept ticking and the Tigers needed to force overtime.
Miami’s missing ground game reappeared on the first play in the extra period. Cooper rushed for 19 yards, to the Clemson six-yard line. 1st-and-goal from the six, James was stifled for one, Cooper was stopped for no gain and on third down, an inexplicable passing play. Harris seemed to be looking for Leonard Hankerson up top, but there didn’t appear to be a good second or third option. A forced pass to Tevaris Johnson fell incomplete and was almost intercepted with Johnson blanketed by three Clemson defenders. Miami was forced into kicking a field goal.
On the ensuing possession, Parker’s first pass fell incomplete and on second down, Spiller was stuffed. Facing a 3rd and 11, wideout Jacoby Ford called for a passing play that hadn’t worked all week in practice. Coaches were sold, pulled the trigger and within seconds Parker hit Ford for the 26-yard game winning touchdown. For added emphasis, two Miami defenders crashed into each other, allowing Ford to waltz in untouched. Game. Set. Match.
I don’t have the authority to question the play calling, nor do I pretend to be in the know. Amazing what I’ve read on message boards this morning about Shannon, Whipple, the run versus the pass, etc. No one really knows the inner workings of a big time college football program – especially folks in the media, bloggers or message board know-it-alls.
A win against Oklahoma didn’t make this staff infallible, the same way an overtime loss to Clemson doesn’t mean heads need to roll. Fans need to have the wherewithal to look at the bigger picture here. Step outside of this most recent game and look at the overall state of the program.
Look at the talent which is returning, but isn’t quite there. Depth-wise, Miami is still relying on too many freshmen to carry the load. Shots some fans have taken against strength and conditioning coach Andreu Swasey, take inventory.
When established programs and humming along as they should be, you get your underclassmen on a program and in a regime that will put some ‘man weight’ on them. By junior or senior year (especially if you had the luxury to redshirt), your players are closer to resembling NFL talent than looking jacked up high schoolers.
It’s one thing for a Southern Cal or Florida to rely on a true freshman here or there, but the Canes are an army of underclassmen right now and that will be the case until next season. Year four, the depth will be one step closer to being back. Last year’s freshmen will be juniors and the latest crop of incoming freshmen won’t be thrown into the fire.
Miami’s sideline again looks like a MASH unit, meaning more underclassmen will be relied upon as the year rolls on. Gone are the days of the Canes relying on an Eric Moncur to provide that senior leadership and experience. Instead, it’s a defensive line chock full of underclassmen filling holes.
Blame Shannon all you want, but championship caliber teams aren’t so reliant on underclassmen. Until the depth and talent return, the Clemsons of the college football world are due for their day against a Miami. Even at 3-3, no one doubted the Tigers didn’t have the athletes – and the will – to hang with the Canes.
Talent and depth aside, Shannon faces arguably his biggest challenge of this season; getting his team out of the toilet. An overtime loss when sitting on a top ten record and 5-1 ranking – it’s crushing. All the talk about Miami’s brutal four-game opening stretch, to get through virtually unscathed and then to lose a heartbreaker weeks later? A crushing blow.
Wake Forest is on deck and Miami needs to quickly pick its collective head back up or 5-2 will be 5-3 before you blink.
It’s not about the BCS or ACC right now; it’s about keeping things together year three. It’s the halfway point of a five-year rebuild. Take inventory, right the ship and save this season. A two-loss season would’ve been more than welcomed when 2009 kicked off. Right now it still remains a reality, if Miami can get back on track. Focus. Don’t let Clemson beat you two weeks in a row. Take down Wake, get to 6-2 and press on.
I have a lot to say about this game but, I will keep it short. The most basic thing I saw in this game is that they played not to lose instead of trying to win. What I mean by this is run run run with 5&1/2 minutes to go won't win, where is the open playbook that got it done at the end of the Oklahoma game. Also and just as big of a problem like Allcanes says, you need to go after the young quarterback. Each time the canes blitzed the youngster had no answer.
In essence the Canes need to be and stay aggressive!!
Dude great insight! I will gripe about that defensive game plan. Back ups or not bring some pressure, worked with Oklahoma sure as hell would have worked against that QB. Also, why would you have a linebacker on Spiller. Don't understand that one.
Good write up allcanes. I too have been amazed at some of the reaction by supposed "fans" on some of the other message boards. After the first 4 I took a look at the schedule and this one definitely had me concerned more than any other. Clemson is a better team than their record shows and they made us pay dearly for some costly mistakes. Here is the one thing that bothers me most. Special teams have been inconsistent at best the last few years and don't seem to be getting any better despite the weekly "focus" on them. At what point do we cut bait with our special teams coach? Clearly NOT getting it done and I don't buy for one second that missing Jordan Futch (while a great special teams player thus far) is the reason for that debacle Saturday. Find 11 guys that can fly down the field and lay a dude out and get them in the game.
ml – The "playing not to lose" stuff makes sense for the final minutes of the fourth quarter and OT… but that wasn't the case the majority of the game.
Even after the Harris pick-six, coaches still turned to him a play later and went deep to T. Benjamin. That's not 'playing to lose'.
Miami scored 34 in regulation. That should've been enough to beat Clemson. I know people don't want to blame specials teams and defense… but that really did the Canes in.
How does C.J. Spiller — bar none the BEST player on Clemson's roster — amass more all-purpose yards than ANY OTHER PLAYER IN TIGERS' HISTORY???
The ONE guy you know you have to stop and you let him run roughshot on you all day long. No excuse for that.
A frustrating game, but one to put in the rearview. A 5-1 start was exciting, but let's be honest… Miami isn't a championship caliber team this year.
It's a good team and winning the ACC should've been/should still be attainable… but dreams of an at-large or getting to Pasadena — this team hasn't paid it's dues. It takes time to build a championship caliber team and Miami can be a dark horse next year and a contender in 2011… but not 2009.
Not with a rookie quarterback making rookie mistakes. Not with a depth-challenged offensive line. Not with issues at linebacker and in the secondary. Even a d-line that should've been a strength is now banged up and underclassmen are being asked to carry the load.
Miami needs more maturity… and sadly, that can't be rushed or fast-tracked.
Two more recruiting classes until the Canes are back.
ml – The "playing not to lose" stuff makes sense for the final minutes of the fourth quarter and OT… but that wasn't the case the majority of the game.
Even after the Harris pick-six, coaches still turned to him a play later and went deep to T. Benjamin. That's not 'playing to lose'.
Miami scored 34 in regulation. That should've been enough to beat Clemson. I know people don't want to blame specials teams and defense… but that really did the Canes in.
How does C.J. Spiller — bar none the BEST player on Clemson's roster — amass more all-purpose yards than ANY OTHER PLAYER IN TIGERS' HISTORY???
The ONE guy you know you have to stop and you let him run roughshot on you all day long. No excuse for that.
A frustrating game, but one to put in the rearview. A 5-1 start was exciting, but let's be honest… Miami isn't a championship caliber team this year.
It's a good team and winning the ACC should've been/should still be attainable… but dreams of an at-large or getting to Pasadena — this team hasn't paid it's dues. It takes time to build a championship caliber team and Miami can be a dark horse next year and a contender in 2011… but not 2009.
Not with a rookie quarterback making rookie mistakes. Not with a depth-challenged offensive line. Not with issues at linebacker and in the secondary. Even a d-line that should've been a strength is now banged up and underclassmen are being asked to carry the load.
Miami needs more maturity… and sadly, that can't be rushed or fast-tracked.
Two more recruiting classes until the Canes are back.
We lost by 3 points in OT and you would think that Clemson crushed us by 50! Cane fans are suicidal again, members of media (Like Heather Dinich of ESPN, who was especially brutal)are making us out as a flavor of the month special, and other fans are once again enjoying our mistakes. I think we are losing site of what is important. How many Cane fans would have thought that Miami would be 5-2 afer 7 games? At the beginning of the year I predicted losses to OU and Clemson and a 10-2finish, so this loss is not that big of a shock for me. We are a young team and CJ Spiller is the type of player who punishes young players. The rest of our schedule is very managable, we won't see the speed of Clemson or the Defense of VT again this year, so we can buckle down and win out. Get a good bowl victory and start 2010 as a sexy pick for some! Personally, I am thrilled with 5-2 and I think we will win out and get to 10 wins! Let's get behind this team and stop jumping ship everytime we hit a wave! Personally, I am going to pack up my crutches and head to Winston-Salem (broken foot and all) and cheer on my Canes!
Hey folks….if the critics and "experts" had been right, we would be sitting at 2-5 right now !!! I gladly take 5-2 with the current bunch of young people we are playing. Did I appreciate the coaches not making necessary adjustments on the defense, no I did not. I'm still shaking my head….but I'm not trying to sell my Miami/NC tickets I bought off of stub hub either ! Seen ups and downs before. We are heading in the right direction. If you don't agree, I suggest you roll when you hit the ground after jumping off the bandwagon, and mind the wheels too !
Hated by many, loved by few, WE are the U
All Canes thank you for being a "realist" and telling it how it is, US true cane fans knew that this season was going to be tough especially in the beginning but Randy and Whip enlightened us and gave us hope to dream of BCS berths,ACC Championships blah blah blah. I still believe we're a contender but truth be told our defense is hurting w/ injuries,inexperience and then some but we'll regroup I still believe in Randy yeah he makes mistakes but so do all the coaches out there a BIG mistake would be letting go of Randy "Miami" Shannon and Mark "Miracle" Whipple and hoping someone that doesn't know the U and the Miami scene to come in and turn around something that is already turning the corner but then again some fans just dont Understand the U. People that don't know the U the MIAMI FOOTBALL VAULT SOLD AT ALLCANES IS A STARTING POINT. EDUCATE YOURSELVES!!!!!
this game drove me nuts…and i am not sure where to place blame…but i know this we are young but we are too good lose games like this at home…this was a game we should have won by 20…like coach shannon said…the canes played sloppy..they looked flat and sloppy…i dont understand it…are we not going over things and coaching them up on game day as well?…the play calling the entire game was questionable on both sides of the ball, i felt like i watching a game from last year…i was just hoping for a big play…instead of knowing we could do it…almost like a feeling of lets get lucky on one…it was borderline pathetic
i am tired of everytime miami has a game they get a game plan together to stop a particular player and make someone beat them…i swear everytime that happens that player beats us and looks like a first round draft pick doing it…we just let that kid sit back there all day and throw darts all over the field looking like he should be in the running for the heisman…shit was nuts
and how do we lose to a team and give up 40 to a team that literally uses two players on every offensive possesion…if they did not run the ball with spiller or ford then they threw the ball to spiller or ford…are we really not good enough or coached enough or cannot scheme enough to stop two players…shit is crazy
bottom line, we need to somehow fix the secondary fast…like now..and blitz different or find four guys who can get pressure on the QB…now..i dont care if they are walk ons from the street corner..if they can get pressure..sign them up
i know the depth is not there and we are injured…but come one this is a game we should have had…we made that sorry ass QB look like he was all world…pathetic
we score 34…we should win..period..the rest is details..
canes, handle your business, stop thinking so damn much and play the game, stop with the bullshit penalties, especially at key times in the game, let your testes drop and stop turning the fucking ball over jake…shit throw the damn ball away , not picks!!!
i just watched us beat ourselves, i am sick of seeing that crap
VA CANE
Great insight! A few observations though:
First, it is inexcusabe that Uribe kicked it to Spiller and that belongs squarely on the coaches – there is NO excuse for miscommunication, which was the reason put forth after the game – give them the ball at the 35 but never put it in his hands in that situation.
Secondly, I read a comment by Shannon that the coaches never second guess their play calling – he was stating this in regard to the so called "conservative" play calling at the end of the game. WHAT????? I love Shannon but that defies reality! If this staff never reevaluates the play calling then we are in for a long road ahead. Good coaches always admit mistakes and learn from them – I agree that the players failed to check off and execute but play action or a roll out had a far better chance to work in that situation than three up the middle.
Lastly, Jacory has got to stop making such glaringly poor throws in key situations – throw the ball away ot take the sack. Along those lines, he seems to lose the football every time he gets sacked – that has got to end, along with ten to twelve penalties a game – we will never win the close ones playing like that.
Everyone stay the course – go Canes!
First, it is inexcusabe that Uribe kicked it to Spiller and that belongs squarely on the coaches – there is NO excuse for miscommunication, which was the reason put forth after the game – give them the ball at the 35 but never put it in his hands in that situation.
… was that really "miscommunication" or did Uribe just blow the kick? Sounded like coaches were pissed and sent him to the bench after that mishap.
Secondly, I read a comment by Shannon that the coaches never second guess their play calling – he was stating this in regard to the so called "conservative" play calling at the end of the game. WHAT????? I love Shannon but that defies reality! If this staff never reevaluates the play calling then we are in for a long road ahead. Good coaches always admit mistakes and learn from them – I agree that the players failed to check off and execute but play action or a roll out had a far better chance to work in that situation than three up the middle.
… deep down Shannon knows he and his staff got conservative. He might not admit it to the media (re: stubborn, doesn't embrace the media, etc.), but he knows.
… and VA, I agree that this team needs to stop beating itself with boneheaded plays, penalties and turnovers. I really expected that type of crap to be cleaned up at this point of the game.
That has nothing to do with a lack of depth, etc. and everything to do with a lack of focus. No excuse for that stuff. The coaches drive it home, but come game day the kids have to execute.
All Canes thank you for being a "realist" and telling it how it is, US true cane fans knew that this season was going to be tough especially in the beginning but Randy and Whip enlightened us and gave us hope to dream of BCS berths,ACC Championships blah blah blah. I still believe we're a contender but truth be told our defense is hurting w/ injuries,inexperience and then some but we'll regroup I still believe in Randy yeah he makes mistakes but so do all the coaches out there a BIG mistake would be letting go of Randy "Miami" Shannon and Mark "Miracle" Whipple and hoping someone that doesn't know the U and the Miami scene to come in and turn around something that is already turning the corner but then again some fans just dont Understand the U. People that don't know the U the MIAMI FOOTBALL VAULT SOLD AT ALLCANES IS A STARTING POINT. EDUCATE YOURSELVES!!!!!
Anonymous, you sound like you're on the payroll with the end of that little rant. Nice. (Agree, the Miami Football Vault is an incredible history on Miami Football.)
Trying to be a realist… but at day's end, it's simply about being logically minded. We all WANT this team to roll again and to be a top the polls… but it takes time to rebuild.
This program bottomed out in 2007. You don't go from that to title contender in two years.
I truly believe Miami is a dark horse next year and is a legit title contender in 2011.
Canes fan since '79, iam very dissappointed in last weeks game but 5-2 and 18th in the ap isn't all bad, 10-2 or 9-3 and a real good bowl game is still possible. I would like to see better time mgmt and timeout usage and without a doubt the Canes will have to get bigger and tougher at the lb and dl positions still getting puhed around way too much.
Right on allcanes! UM WILL be a LEGIT top 10 team in 2010 with a REAL chance to win the NC.
9-3 in 09 my preseason Prediction
10 wins with the bowl win is a DAMN GOOD SEASON!!!!
Eh i think everyone bitching about the runs after the Phillips INT are just looking for something to whine about. Had we of passed there and not completed the passes, the same ppl would be bitching that we didnt run. Shannon and Co. cant win. Damned if ya do, damned if ya dont. They made the right calls, the players didnt execute. No excuse for not being able to get 3 yards with a back like James. NO excuse. If you cant get 3 yards, you dont deserve to win. We couldnt get three yards….
This team should finish out the season with 10 wins. We wont see another team with the talent this Canes team possesses. Learn from the mistakes made against Clemson and keep rolling.
One of the things that has been a CONSISTENT problem this season, and that I keep seeing again and again, are clock-management issues. There is no excuse for how poorly we use the clock. We burned through our timeouts in the 2nd half so fast it was ridiculous – we called our last timeout with 12:28 to go in the 4th quarter!!!!
This falls squarely on the coaching staff. Keep the game organized, make sure the players know where they need to be, when they need to be there. It is not that hard. Burning though time outs on a consistent basis speaks to chronic poor game management. And that is inexcusable at a school of Miami’s caliber.
I sincerely hope that we don’t ever have to talk again about how we lost a game because we were too conservative with the play-calling. That was a major problem last year, and I was hoping it would be a thing of the past but it showed up yet again in Saturday’s game. If you are going to lose a game, lose a game with no bullets left in the gun, knowing that you did everything you could to win. I think we might have the best receiving corp. in the nation and we need to play to that strength, especially to put a game away. Not to say that you can’t go to your running game. We have some great runners in Coop and now D. Berry, and it is imperative to maintain a balanced offense. But run, run, run, punt is NOT a balanced offense (five min. to go). Neither is run, run, run, pass, field goal (overtime).
This is a game we should have had, and one of the things that is so frustrating is that for all that went wrong, there were also amazing “Poetry in Motion” moments as well. The 69-yard bomb to Benjamin. The scoop and scramble by Marcus Robinson. The clutch INT by Randy Phillips.
In summary, three things need to be fixed, immediately:
1) Clock management needs to be resolved. Randy Shannon needs to keep the game and players organized. We need to save those time-outs and keep them for the ends of games when we might need them.
2) No more conservative play-calling. Play to your strengths and let the chips fall where they may. If we lose, we lose, but at least you don’t have to worry about wondering what might have been.
3) Jacory needs to improve on his decision making and throw a lot less interceptions.
Let’s win this season out guys. Go Canes!
P.S. My apologies to Sara Linn and any of the other girl Canes who read my comments when I took a shot at Heather Dinich. I know that their are alot of girls that know their stuff when it comes to sports and football. 🙂
Carl Garcia
Great job All Canes, I have been a fan of Miami since birth watching the Bernie Kosar years… My problem with saturday is the play calling of the defense and offense at times. I know you can't complain when your team scores 34, but like you said when we have teams down we have to put our foot on their throats and stop playing so passive on offense. Defensively, we have to come up with a better game plan to stop one player, in any sport you play, you go in to take away your opponents best player! How does Ford and Spiller beat you time and time again??
I'm not going to lie, I was pissed and shaking my head for the rest of the weekend after catching the end of the game. Inexcusable loss AT HOME.
One quick thing: Watching the replay on ESPN U and the turnout for the game was embarrassing to me. No crowd advantage, no home field advantage, no nothing. It looked like a GD spring game crowd. It's easy to complain from here I guess, but we no longer have an advantage for home games for the most part. So I DO give the players credit for playing through that disgusting showing by the fans.
As everyone else has said, Clemson has TWO players to key on:Spiller and Ford. Stop them and you win. The defense starts up front and we got no pressure on the QB for most of the night. Behind them, the secondary was lost and left guys wide GD open all day, especially in the cover two or whatever the hell play they were in. I'll just say this for the team: It's mid-season and there's no more excuses for pre-snap penalties, turnovers, blown assignments, wasted time-outs, and especially letting inferior teams beat us.
Once again the ACC title was there for the taking and we let it go and choked -AT HOME. AGAIN. Yeah, I know people say before the season if we were 5-2 at this point they'd take it, but guess what? As the season goes on, you adjust your expectations. This loss is inexcusable. I know we're hurt, and still 1st and 2nd year dominated, but that doesn't change my frustration with both the team and the coaches. I am pissed because I DO care. I AM a fan. I DO demand more. I know we will be better next year and the year after, but I'm focused on this year and don't want to see another second half season slide like the last two years. Do you really think it's likely that this team right now will end up 10-2? 5 games in a row? Not the way they're playing right now unless they get their sh*t together. Let me tell you, Wake Forest and NC are no pushovers, let alone any other team left on the schedule. We can do it but these guys need to take the next step. Time to focus on Wake Forest and Wake Forest alone. We're not good enough to worry about making any hotel reservations for a BCS bowl for yet another year. HOw the hell either of the Techs will come out on top of the conference is beyond me. Take care of the GD ball, play to win and crush the other team.
-Columbus Cane
5 year rebuilding job? lol, I'm starting to think you're related to randy shannon.
The rest of your schedule looks liks this…
Clemson L
@ Wake W
Virginia W
@ NC L
Duke W
USF L
8-4
Go away little swagger thugs…
Great piece once again. My hopes for this year was just win the ACC. Even when I got hyped up about being in the top 10 all I cared about was the ACC championship game.
I was at the game on Saturday and watched us fall apart. It was heart breaking knowing that we are better than Clemson and we beat ourselves. Anyone who watch that game can agree. Spiller is good, but he's not that good. He just did not stop him. We literally watched them throw all over us. We put zero pressure on their QB and our seconardy did not cover very well at all.
We need to take a deep breath now that the 4 game fury is over and focus on winning our games. We need to not play like crap and focus on making sure next year we can win the damn ACC. I am very happy with 5-2, but I am not happy about being virtually knocked out of the ACC championship game. These guys had that in the bag and blew it. They need to show all the haters out there what the U is all about. Now let's hope we can win our games and make it to a decent bowl game.
IT'S ALL ABOUT THE U!!
Manny Navarro of the Miami Herald made some great points and provided good insight on things that went wrong. I am in full agreement with the following assessment.
1) Three times the Canes took over on offense with the lead (following a defensive stop) and three times they looked uncomfortable having it. The sign of a great team is that when it has its opponent reeling, it goes for the jugular. Even against UCF two weeks ago, you didn't get that sense from this Miami team. Ditto in the Oklahoma game and ditto against Georgia Tech. If you want to really be the best, you have to have that attitude. This Miami football team is improved. It is Top 25 worthy. But it still isn't back to Canes standards. And Randy Shannon knows it.
2) Enough with the Kool-aid drinking. Miami is flat out weak when it comes to pass blocking and not nearly deep enough at linebacker. In fact, other than running back and receiver, this team really has no real depth right now.
3) Spence! He came back out in the third quarter (50 percent at best) and only got pulled after he got burned for the 56-yard score. What else does it say when the Canes would prefer to have a banged up Spence instead of a 100-percent Ramon Buchanon?
4) Anytime you give up a kickoff return for a score, you've had a bad day. But aside from Alex Uribe's mental gaff — he was supposed to squib kick it instead of giving CJ Spiller a head start in a foot race — Miami's special teams was very, very good. By that I mean Matt Bosher. He had two long field goals and did a great job on kickoffs and punts. He got plenty of hangtime to negate the punt returns (Clemson didn't have any) and he even was able to salvage good field position despite having to kickoff from his own 15.
**per Shannon**
5) The timeout with 20 seconds remaining before halftime, when it looked on TV as if offensive coordinator Mark Whipple was shouting angrily at Shannon: “No,'' Shannon said. “Coach Whipple is very emotional on the football field. We just called timeout, and he was upset that he didn't have the right personnel on the field. The media blows it out of proportion.''
6) Kickoff specialist Alex Uribe, who was replaced by Matt Bosher after he kicked straight to C.J. Spiller, who returned the ball 90 yards for a touchdown: “Uribe wasn't placing the ball where he was supposed to place it . . . and it cost us.'' Shannon said Uribe “was in another world. So you've got to go with the next guy and move on.” “Bosher started doing a great job, squibbing and kicking in the corner. That's what our game plan was.''
I’ve always been realistic about this season. I called for 8-4, obviously hoping for better. My four loses: Virginia Tech – Oklahoma – Clemson – North Carolina. I still hope they prove me wrong as they did against Oklahoma, but with the youth movement and injuries piling up, throw in conservative coaching, it’s not looking to good.
Just got out there and beat the $hit out of Wake Forest!
Shannon, if we’re winning 35-3 with 10 minutes left in the 4th, go for 3 more touchdowns you p uss y. Stop holding these guys back. Case in point, this dink and dunk offense Mark Whipple (and You) had Harris in Saturday doesn't play up to his strengths or Miami's big and fast receivers. Harris finished 17-of-27 for 256 yards, 2 TDs and three picks. But he might have done a little better if he hadn't thrown the ball just six times after UM scored on the opening possession of the second half. Yes, he threw the ball just six times. It goes back to that lack of aggression talk earlier.
Eh no, i disagree with piling up the score. Shannon isn't that classless. There is no need to run up the score just to show up your opponents. Get a big lead, play good defense and run the clock out. No excuse to keep adding insult to injury. With that said, the Canes haven't even been in that situation this year so its all moot anyway.
So I guess what everyone seems to want is for the OC to call more pass plays even while in the same breath they are complaining because J12 throws interceptions….I am confused….
Hated by many, loved by few, WE are the U
If your up by 6-20 points, it's not piling up points! When you let your foot off the gas you never seem to get it back. I said that during the G.Tech game and the CFU game. In any sport you play, it comes back to bite you, maybe not that day but down the road. There is no excuse for not running your offense when your only up by one score! If Jacory throws a pic, so be it, you have to trust him…
I think a lot of this 'running up the score' stuff is being blown out of proportion:
FSU: A dogfight to the end. First stringers needs to stay in the game until final play.
GT: Canes up 33-10 entering fourth quarter. Game out of reach. Tech never moved ball all day. Bosher missed an early 4th quarter field goal and Canes ran the ball the rest of the game. No need to 'run it up' when sitting on a three-touchdown lead. GT got a gimmicky score late to make it seem closer.
VT: Blow out loss.
OU: Dogfight to the end. First stringers in. Aggressive on 3rd down pass to put game out of reach.
FAMU: 31-3 at half. Great game for back ups to see action.
UCF: Close until third quarter. Pulled away late. No option to 'run up score'.
CU: Shootout with Tigers that went to OT.
I don't get all the 'put a foot on the throat and end em' stuff we're hearing here. When has Miami truly been in that position this year? When has Shannon really "let up" on an opponent?
Chris' and Manny Navarro's observations are on point. Here are mine.
1. Miami played with little aggression and little interest. The difference between the great UM teams of the past and this team is the ability to get up for a game it should easily win and blow out the other team. This UM team is not there. Execution was poor (i.e. interceptions, bad decisions, misassignments, penalities, the Uribe kick). Not enough leadership, not enough depth, not enough of a winning tradition. It might be there next year or the following one.
2. Some decisions made the coaches were (in retrospect) also poor (i.e. going TOO conservative, not enough blitzing, not taking out CJ Spiller and letting the other 9 players beat you, etc.). I question going conservative in part because after J12's last interception, he came back and threw a 69 yard touchdown, showing he was "on the right positive track again" and that he can switch from poor to excellent in one pass. UM moves the sticks a couple of times, and the game is over (yet the defense was at fault for not stopping clemson on the last 4th quarter drive).
3. UM is now at the same point as it was last year after the Virginia Tech game (which UM won). At that juncture Miami was 7-3 and had won 4 in a row, with the final one a significant victory over Virginia Tech at home. At that juncture, like now, UM players were tired and hurt and the result was that UM lost three in a row: GT rolled over UM, a terrible North Carolina State beat UM and Cal beat UM with a meltdown at the end. Following the loss at Clemson, UM again is tired and hurt. The first 4 games showed that UM was significantly better than last year's team. We will now see whether they can respond and beat three team they should destroy (Wake Forest, Virginia and Duke) and two teams they should comfortably beat (UNC and USF). Depth and better coaching should help this UM team pull through. Time will tell.
4. UM is ahead of itself in respect of its rebuilding schedule. Let's keep things in perspective. We need a few good recruiting classes, particularly at OL, LB and DB.
5.Shannon needs to improve his media skills. Dont get me wrong, I think he is great and I'd like to see him here for 20 years (as long as UM is winning). But that is a weak point "of his game" that needs to improve.
RSA Coral Gables
It amazes me how Harris can make such a bone headed play by throwing a terrible ball and have it picked off and returned for 6.
Then the next play he hits TBenj for 69 yards and a TD.
Ice water in his veins? I guess so. But the last few weeks he's been making the same mistakes. And that concerns me
All canes, It hasn't happened yet, but if you watch the G-tech game and Clemson game. There are moments were you can see Miami starting to get away from who they are. The tech game was a blowout but you could see the moment change after the missed field goals. I know we are banged up on D, so why do you run three straight up the middle? All I'm saying is play your game and things will take care of themselves. If Jacory is the man, why are you running three straight times up the middle? In the overtime, they looked very conservative. If he throws a pic, so be it, he is your best weapon, use him!
if the canes can win out we may still have a shot at the acc, but the canes have to win out, it is a long shot, but still a shot
va tech lost tonight to unc 20-17 at va tech
ga tech only has wake forest and duke left as acc opponents, if they can somehow manage to lose one of those games and we win out we would be golden
long shot , but a shot, keep the faith in these young men
go canes!!!!
va cane
Damn, it's really cold and quiet on this blog. I don't get it, allcanes! When the hurricanes win a game, there are blogs galore. But, now that duh U just lost a game, I haven't seen a blog yet. If you can't take a loss, why aren't you blogging about it? I haven't seen a blog all this week.
Damn, it's really cold and quiet on this blog. I don't get it, allcanes! When the hurricanes win a game, there are blogs galore. But, now that duh U just lost a game, I haven't seen a blog yet. If you can't take a loss, why aren't you blogging about it? I haven't seen a blog all this week.
I write 2-4 times a week depending on my schedule. I recapped the Clemson game Sunday night and today is Thursday. I don't get this "if you can't take a loss" crap. How much more do I need to write about the overtime loss? Cover it. It's done.
A Wake preview will be ready tomorrow.
Aside from my blog, I committed to writing for the Raycom ACC blog this fall. Penned this last night – http://miami.raycomsports.com/blog/2009/10/29/two-loss-miami-hurricanes-still-taking-heat/
Disagree that it's "blogs galore" here when Miami wins. If anything, there's usually more writing after a loss… when others in the media are ripping the Canes… etc.
chris, i enjoyed the raycom piece–it's detached analysis trumps the histeria and doomsayers on other boards.
5-2 is more or less where the canes were expected to be and if they end up with 10-3, then they've improved dramatically and are on or slightly ahead of schedule in the rebuilding process. each year, we cannot win the ACC nor the NC. those days might be gone. in a few years' time, we should be competing for both almost every year.
one final observation that perhaps you can shed light on. why the unusually high number of injuries, and most of them on defense. do other programs suffer the same incidence of injury? is it that the players are playing every down?
RSA Coral Gables
Dear Author http://www.allcanes.com !
What magnificent words