Game Ten : North Carolina 33, Miami 24

A third straight loss to North Carolina and a third straight in heartbreaking fashion. It wasn’t supposed to be like this. Especially not this year. Not only was the motivation there, but talent-wise Miami had a few more pieces in place. Kyle Wright was no longer behind center and Patrick Nix was no longer calling the plays.

This time around it was quarterback Jacory Harris and offensive coordinator Mark Whipple who were supposed to finally stick it to Butch Davis and his stout defense… and had it not been for a turnover marred afternoon, that might’ve been the case.

When discussing a win versus a loss, perception becomes reality. In the season opener at Florida State, had Christian Ponder connected with Jarmon Fortson on the game’s final play, Miami loses. Had that happened, it’d have been an off week debating squib kicks and defensive breakdowns as the Noles racked up 404 total yards and what could’ve been 41 points.

With the 38-34 win in the books, the focus instead remained on Harris’ breakout day and 386 passing yards. At 1-0 and with Georgia Tech on deck, nothing else mattered.

Had Miami not stepped up in the second half against Oklahoma, Harris’ two early interceptions on poorly placed deep passes would’ve been the culprit. Instead, the game is remembered for a huge special teams hit, a forced turnover on a cornerback blitz and a well-executed pass on 3rd and 6 which allowed the Canes to run out the clock.

When you win, the scoreboard seems to negate the majority of the critique. When you lose, it’s open season.

Par for the course, many are again calling for the head of Randy Shannon after this most recent loss. Miami was “outcoached” yet again. This sucks, that sucks and “fire everyone” remains the go-to solution.

For the critics out there, riddle me this – had it been known beforehand that Miami would put up 435 total yards and 24 points against a top five North Carolina defense, wouldn’t that sound like more than enough to get the job done? Harris threw for 319 yards and the Canes amassed 116 on the ground between two backs (including 26 from Matt Bosher on a fake punt.)

Of course those stats leave out the x-factor; four interceptions – two of which were returned for touchdowns. The Canes gave up 17 points off turnovers, while failing to force a turnover of their own against T.J. Yates, statistically one of the ACC’s worst quarterbacks B.M. (Before Miami).

In the end, how does poor execution lie at the feet of the head coach? Shannon may not have called the perfect game (clock management still an issue), but he called a game good enough to beat North Carolina, minus some on the field gaffes which are out of coaches’ hands.

Whipple and Harris have pulled Miami out of some sticky situations this season. Against the Heels, they created the stick.

It doesn’t take an Xs and Os guru to acknowledge that Harris’ deep ball was off or that Whipple went back to that well too many times. On a few occasions this year, Whipple has gone deep inexplicably – most recently, the game-winning drive at Wake Forest where a 4th and 16 pick up was needed after some deep incompletions.

Facing a 23-7 mid-third quarter deficit, Miami finally turned it on. A short pass out of the backfield to Mike James for 13 yards. A Graig Cooper 9-yard rush. Damien Berry a play later for 20 yards. 14 yards to Travis Benjamin, two more with Coop and a 9 play, 58-yard drive resulted in a 39-yard field goal. The Canes had some life.

A quick three and out got Miami the ball back in under a minute. Four of Harris’ next five completions were for 17, 10, 15 and 14 yards. Move the ball. Gain momentum. Put Carolina’s defense on its heels.

10 plays and 59 yards in under three minutes and had it a 23-17 game just before the final quarter. Good coaching. Solid ball control. Great execution. The Canes were on the move.

A few changes of possession with neither offense showing life, Miami found a spark with 11:41 remaining.

Taking over at its own thirty-five, Berry rushed for a quick 11 and a play later reeled in 21 on a reception. A one-yard Cooper rush had Miami at the Heels’ thirty-two before the game’s second pick six; a ninety yard return, including a freakish ‘fumble-lateral’ pushed UNC’s lead to 30-17. Momentum lost. Another scoring opportunity squandered, in a game where every possession mattered.

True to form, Miami battled back. Just as it did against Florida State. Just as it did against Oklahoma. Just as it did against Clemson, in a losing cause. Same to be said for overcoming a late 27-14 deficit at Wake Forest. Year three Randy’s teams have proven that they don’t quit; an ugly trait that started with that 40-3 LSU-style beat down four years back.

The Canes literally needed two minutes to go seventy yards. Cooper and Berry on the ground a few times. Harris to Aldarius Johnson for 23, the drive culminating in a 14-yard strike to Jimmy Graham – a six-point game with 7:21 to play.

The ensuing drive, Miami fell apart. North Carolina put together a 60-yard drive and shaved 5:24 off the clock. Casey Barth drilled a 33-yard field goal on 4th and 1, pushing it to 33-24 and ending all legit hope of a comeback.

On paper, it’s “fail” cubed regarding North Carolina and to Butch. That stings. If there’s one game Miami needs to win once Florida State and Virginia Tech are in the books, it’s against the Heels. Winless in Chapel Hill. 2-4 against North Carolina since joining the ACC. A program that simply has Miami’s number, as inexplicable as that may seem.

Three year in a row, three heartbreak finishes. It doesn’t add up. Miami won this thing just about everywhere but the scoreboard. 435 total yards to 329. 319 passing yards to 213. Better efficiency on both third and fourth downs. The difference maker; Miami’s four turnovers to Carolina’s nil.

Kendric Burney was a one-man wrecking crew, hauling in three poorly thrown Harris passes. He finished with a single-game ACC record 170 interception return yards and proved to be the first Heel with three picks in a game since Dre’ Bly did it thirteen years back.

Again, the Canes make the wrong kind of history.

A few weeks back it was the multi-dimensional C.J. Spiller putting up a school-record 310 all-purpose yards in a 40-37 win against Miami. An overtime thriller where a Clemson wideout called the game’s final play – a would-be 26-yard strike which the Tigers has never run before. How fitting. This was also another heartbreaker where Harris threw a game-changing pick six.

Miami sits at 7-3 with one legitimate beat down on the resume; 31-7 at Virginia Tech. The Canes couldn’t get anything going and were manhandled by the Hokies. A week later, Miami bounced back and upset No. 8 Oklahoma.

These last two losses – a completely different monster. Rip-your-guts-out type losses where one play literally made all the difference in the world. Poor special teams play. Ill-timed turnovers. Poor clock management prior to halftime, leaving points on the field. Interceptions returned for touchdowns.

No disrespect to Clemson or North Carolina, but Miami beat itself as much as both ACC foes beat the Canes.

It’s year three of a rebuilding project for the ages. All of you on the sidelines clamoring for old schooler Tommy Tuberville or flavor of the year Brian Kelly, let the dream die. Lest some of you forget the line for ‘next Miami head coach’ wasn’t a long one in late 2006 when Shannon said he wanted the gig.

Hell, Greg Schiano opted for smoggy New Jersey over sunny South Florida.

Any big name, flavor of the week head coaching option isn’t going to do for the University of Miami what Shannon has signed on to do. The long-time Cane made a commitment to rebuild this from the ground up. This isn’t a stepping stone to a NFL gig – which it would be for just about any other head coaching option. Keep the Canes humming and the big leagues come calling.

Just ask Howard, Jimmy, Dennis and Butch, all lured away from The U for big time pay days.

Furthermore, none of the aforementioned ‘next best thing’ coaching options are going to recruit South Florida the way Shannon and staff have, shutting down both Florida and Florida State’s pipeline to the TriCity area.

It took three years to assemble the type of assistants Shannon needs to bring this thing back. You’re not bringing in the big names year one as an unknown. It might be a one-year gig and no coach worth his weight is signing up for that… which is why you get fifth-choice Nix running the offense and promoted-from-within Tim Walton as the new defensive coordinator.

Walton got the boot year two and was replaced by veteran Bill Young – proving to the Shannon doubters that the second-year head coach wasn’t looking for a puppet to run his plays. Young brought experience to the table and Shannon allowed him to run his own defense. Problem was a lack of personnel to implement said plays.

Young’s dream job opened at Oklahoma State, so it was a short-lived run which opened the door for Lovett – a long-time ACC assistant who would focus on fundamentals. It’s the type of defense that will gel when Miami finally has the players in place to make plays.

Shannon did go ‘next level’ with his hire of Whipple – an experienced OC with NFL experience and a headstrong quarterback coach. Having head coaching experience from his days at UMASS (where he won a national championship), Whipple was also give the title ‘assistant head coach’ as Shannon continues learning his role.

Misuse of timeouts on offense. Stubbornly going long when the deep ball isn’t there. Shannon can’t be your scapegoat for issues of that nature. Head coach? Sure, the buck stops with Randy. But some of this is on assistant head coach Whipple.

When the veteran coach was hired, message boards lit up with Whipple-related threads. Fans were hopped up reading about the ‘Whiplash’ offense and the fact the sometimes stubborn coordinator would go for it on 4th and long deep in his own territory. Great when it works, but disastrous when it blows up in your face.

Same with the deep ball. Great when Harris hits Benjamin in stride, but extremely frustrating to see your play caller continuing to go to the well when that play simply isn’t there or your quarterback’s timing is off.

Ten games it, it’s a 7-3 season – which many of us would’ve been fine with had this been predicted back in August. Remember that as 2009 winds down.

If this thing isn’t back on track by 2011, I’ll be the first to admit change is in order. But I’m not the type to call out a man halfway through the job he took on. It takes time to rebuild depth and to fill years worth of holes created by poor recruiting and development of talent. Miami hasn’t “reloaded” since 2002 and even then, the offensive line wasn’t what it was the year before.

The full cupboard left by Davis was no accident. That was five recruiting classes and while Butch endured probation, he also took over a squad coming off of 10-2 and a No. 3 final ranking after the 1994 season. Hardly the shell of a 7-6 program Shannon took over after 2006.

Patience, people. Employ some logic. Losses to Clemson and North Carolina definitely sting, but figure out where to place all that frustration. It’s not doing anybody any good when it’s misplaced.

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