Game Seven : Miami 33, North Carolina 10

Ignore the fact or accept it, but it’s still truth. This win over North Carolina was huge.

Doesn’t matter if the Tar Heels were depleted. Doesn’t matter if only 43,584 showed up to witness the game in person. Doesn’t matter if you personally don’t want to revel in the win, instead finding more reasons to complain while wasting time predicting where this team will stumble next.

As has always been the case, you’re either with Miami or against it. It’s a mindset the team has embodied for decades and for those fans who choose to believe, I suggest adopting that attitude as well. You’ll never sell the detractors on your vision, so don’t waste the time.

Conversely, those against this current regime, you’re not going to ratting this team or staff anytime soon, so why do you drone on? Randy Shannon isn’t going anywhere right now and for better or worse, this is your team so get on board or get out.

For the record, a 23-point victory against a good-not-great ACC team in late October will never be confused with a conference title, BCS win or national championship.

Still, every journey begins with that initial step and that’s just what happened this past weekend. Where it goes, completely dependent on this team’s focus, but after pulling together against North Carolina, they’ve re-earned your benefit of the doubt until proven otherwise.

Coach Shannon finally showed that emotion fans have been calling for. Individual players have stepped up and assumed a leadership role. Former players were back on campus this week, advising, motivating and listening.

A once-stubborn offensive coordinator even devised a game plan that worked for his rattled, banged up quarterback — reliant on a stable of running backs and full of shorter, high-percentage, chain-moving passes.

The defense created turnovers and played with a bounce in their step while the offense line continued jelling and holding its own, despite youth and inexperience.

Even bigger than that, the North Carolina monkey has been removed from the program’s back and Shannon doesn’t have to hear about being ‘owned’ by Butch Davis anymore.

Anyone who doesn’t think that matters must’ve missed the part where Jacory Harris and his teammates handed Shannon the game ball, post game in the locker room.

“You worked hard coach, we believe in you (and) you deserve this game ball for your first win against North Carolina,” Harris told Shannon.

Jaded fans will waste time theorizing that suspensions and injuries made this a lesser victory.

To the Canes, this is the stepping stone they’ve spent all season searching for, whether you want to give them the credit or not.

A meaningful win is in the books yet some still are choosing frustration over optimism. Even with Virginia and Maryland on deck.

If you can’t find some enjoyment in this one, turn in your fan card and seriously, find something better to do with your time. College football will never bring you joy if the only thing that’ll make you smile is a national championship.

The Canes have five in the cabinet, left some on the field and haven’t played for one in eight seasons. So in other words, find a way to see the good in this recent win.

Instead of arguing if this team is or isn’t “back”, enjoy the small battles won along the way en route to getting there again.

This was as necessary a win as this program has seen in a while. 5-2 is a lifetime from 4-3 and beating a team that’s had your number three straight years; priceless.

The fact that some of you were actively ‘rooting’ against Miami, feeling that another loss would stack the deck against Shannon. Hopefully you’ve changed your tune. Not for Randy. He could care less what you think. He knows he has a job to do and won’t waste a second on his critics.

Change your attitude because you saw how bad these kids wanted it and because as fans you’ve earned the right to be happy this morning.

While many folks were pissing and moaning on message boards, this program was hard at work preparing.

While fans complain about Shannon’s sideline demeanor, former Canes defensive back Antrel Rolle dropped by this week to tell these guys how to pull their head coach out of his shell. Rolle knew a different Shannon as his one-time coordinator and let this current bunch know how to bring that guy to the surface.

Former offensive lineman Eric Winston reached out to the fourth-year coach, reminding everyone that they’re supposed to be having fun and letting Shannon know that it’s alright to crack a smile.

The same day Vaughn Telemaque, Sean Spence and Brandon Harris supposedly united and called a players only meeting. Some grievances were aired, but the team left with a better understanding regarding accountability. It was time to show some emotion and to finally rise up, choosing to do something about the current situation.

Leading by example was on the agenda and as fate would have it, the three who rallied the troops all walked the walk. B-Harris hauled in a third quarter interception and Telemaque recovered an early first quarter fumble, jarred loose by Spence.

While you critics were busy talking, the Canes were busy doing.

Miami didn’t start strong, but held strong. Telemaque’s recovery came with the Canes down a field goal and the Tar Heels headed in the end zone, pushing their lead to ten.

1st and goal from the Miami nine, T.J. Yates finds Anthony Elzy, who rumbles towards the end zone. Every fan is thinking the same thing; somebody make a play and this time somebody did.

Miami didn’t get seven, but 9 plays and 59 yards later, a Matt Bosher field goal tied it.

Two weeks ago a Bosher miss deflated a squad looking to strike first against Florida State. This week a made kick kept momentum on the Canes side. For a moment, at least. A play later, the defense buckled and gave up a 76-yard touchdown run. 10-3. Just like that.

To his credit, Mark Whipple chipped away at the stone. After weeks of trying to make J-Harris something he wasn’t, Whip went with an attack reliant on a solid ground game, peppered with high percentage, shorter passes.

A ten-play, 48-yard drive ending with another Bosher field goal. 10-6 and ready to go, despite an imperfect start.

Defense stands strong, Canes get another crack and it’s Lamar Miller time. Damien Berry got his carries the previous drive, so Miami went with the fresh legs and after setting up the Heels defense with run after run, J-Harris found tight end Asante Cleveland for a 25-yard gain on 4th and 2.

Cleveland had two grabs on the night – the other on a 3rd and 6 – both first downs equally as exciting as the playcalling was solid, as was the fact that the Canes seem to have found their tight end of the future.

All those backbreaker plays that have seemed to go against Miami as of late? The Canes finally got theirs and did so with creativity. (A far cry from two deep balls on fourth and short last week at Duke.)

1st and 10 from the eleven, fresh legs again with Mike James in the game, a quick incomplete pass to Leonard Hankerson and on 3rd and five, J-Harris put it up there for LaRon Byrd to pull down.

ESPN’s Bob Davie made excuses about you in Carolina’s secondary, but that wasn’t the story. This one was about Miami wideouts making plays, getting physical and finally taking balls away.

Byrd went up for his, as did Hankerson (both feet in, NFL-style), but Benjamin had the play that defined the new attitude from this veteran group of receivers.

Early third quarter, up 13-10 and trying to capitalize on the second half’s first possession, J-Harris went to his speedy wideout on 2nd and 1.

Benjamin, the target of some early season criticism, pulled the pass out of the sky, rolled over the back of a Tar Heels defender, avoided the tackle and sprung loose for a 24- yard touchdown.

Miami ‘finished’ and this 33-10 victory is a great stepping stone, but shouldn’t spark any premature talk of the Canes being “back”. ‘The U’ is back when we’re all celebrating a BCS victory. Not before. This was simply an exciting step in the journey and a reminder that you judge the entire body of work – not game by game.

Had you checked out on this team after the Florida State loss, you’d have missed something special this past weekend. An intangible that you would’ve have seen on a highlight reel or read in the box score the following morning. Miami finally came together and showed that ‘it’ factor necessary to succeed.

As the year roll on, college football proves even more to be a fickle game. Look at the past few weeks. It’s been upsets galore. Teams have no-showed, there have been colossal beat downs, boneheaded plays and imperfection. Undefeated squads are falling weekly. Last year’s powerhouses are losing to lesser foes and losing often. (Florida and Texas, we mean you.) Title contenders are quickly being exposed as pretenders.

Miami fans developed a sense of entitlement due to following a big time program that had tremendous success over a a nine-year (’83-’92) and four-year (’00-’03) span.

Like Florida fans who’ve lost faith in Urban Meyer after a recent 26-2 run and two titles over three years, a bar is set unattainably high and people begin to expect instead of learning to appreciate.

Live your season game-to-game and week-to-week, or expect nothing but misery. Revel in a win and allow yourself time to be frustrated after a loss – but assess the situation, hold your final verdict until after the bowl game and grade things out from there. No point getting hopped up every Saturday night as things really do change on a dime.

However you react, again, realize that when this team employs that ‘us against the world’ mentality – it’s directed at fans just as much as it is as next week’s opponent. These players and coaches exist in a bubble and know you’ll knock them down just as quickly as you prop them up.

If the players and coaches associated with this program turned on each other the way the fans have, there’d be no team left to field this weekend. The ugliness displayed by the fans – in the crowd, on the message boards, with sports talk radio – it’s abhorrent and it’s why the words fall on deaf ears. Emotional, knee-jerk reactions to situations that deserve logic, patience and understanding.

Being part of a team requires you sticking to your game plan, ignoring the critics, bonding together and growing as a unit.

Maybe these guys could’ve and should’ve got the message sooner and maybe Randy’s way isn’t your way, but this is our team, Shannon is our coach and the fact that they are getting it greatly outweighs your personal timeline.

It may have been one game, but it only takes one to turn around a season.

Enthusiasm is sky high right now. Ride the wave instead of raining on the parade.

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