Game Three : Miami 31, Pittsburgh 3

The more things change, the more they stay the same.

For all the preseason hype about Pittsburgh as Big East frontrunners and Dion Lewis being a Heisman candidate, the Panthers looked like the same outmatched bunch they were a decade ago when Miami consistently pounded them as conference rivals.

For the Canes it goes down as a convincing 31-3 win; especially for those who missed the game and simply saw a box score or ticker this morning. Miami’s defense was suffocating, giving up 232 total yards; most of which came on the final two drives in garbage time with the UM’s third stringers in the the game.

Miami forced five straight three and outs to start the game, with the Panthers not registering a first down until midway through the second quarter. Lewis rushed for a mere 41 yards on the night, while quarterback Tino Sunseri spent most of the evening on the run, never given any time to gain composure or build momentum.

The investment in Rick Petri seems to be paying off as the Canes’ defensive line has been living in opponents’ backfields three games into this young season. Miami’s front four looks tougher in the trenches and has a nose for getting to the ballcarrier, leading the national in tackles for loss.

At linebacker, the Canes are finally coming alive, as well and while this unit won’t make anyone forget the names Jon Vilma or D.J. Williams anytime soon, both Colin McCarthy and Sean Spence have stepped up their games and for a program that spent the past few seasons relying on a Romeo Davis or Glenn Cook, the improvement is welcomed.

DeMarcus Van Dyke and Ryan Hill registered interceptions as part of a secondary still coming together, though that collective unit still has a ways to go. There’s talent and potential, but not enough consistency that you always trust the unit to bend and not break. There’s a feel of some upperclassmen who haven’t reached their potential, some guys due for a breakout year and some younger ones still learning the system. It time they’ll jell, but right now there are still some ‘hold your breath’ moments when that ball is in the air and by season’s end we’ll have a better assessment regarding this unit.

As this defense grows and gives fans reason for excitement, question marks still remain with this offense – especially during the first half of last night’s contest. Stats aside, Jacory Harris had another up and down first half. Two early interceptions on deep balls proved forgivable as Miami’s defense didn’t allow Pittsburgh to capitalize, but in the grand scheme of his progression as a player, they were as frustrating as the four thrown at Ohio State two weeks back simply because they keep happening.

More than the turnovers, Harris seems to have lost a little of his his mojo and he needs an assist from this coaching staff in getting that back. Watching highlights from wins over Florida State, Georgia Tech and Oklahoma last year, Harris was a different player. There was bounce in his step whereas these days he appears to have the weight of the world – or at least Coral Gables – on his shoulders.

Hometown kid who wants to put the local program back on the map. Legendary high school success and history to live up to. (Seriously, how many times in 2008 did we hear announcers comment that Harris hadn’t lost a football game since junior high?)

Miami is a tough city with a demanding fan base. (Just ask superfan Douglas Diaz.) It’s chewed up many a player that didn’t live up to the hype. Harris is at a pivotal point in his career and simply needs to take a deep breath, realizing that he doesn’t have to do this alone.

Heisman-winner Gino Torretta stated that he threw many 80-yard touchdowns which were nothing more than a dump off to a running back in the flat or a ten yard slant to a speedy wideout. Ken Dorsey did the same. It’s about utilizing playmakers, finding the open guy and minimizing mistakes.

In the end, Harris got the job done and led Miami to victory, coming alive in the second half, playing mistake-free football and moving the ball. Still, early on the performance didn’t flow and you have to wonder how that will play out against more physical and loaded teams down the stretch. Not every defense will be as decimated by injuries and suspensions as Pitt.

For Harris, shaken confidence at times. Short-arming some passes. Not always on the same page with receivers. Underthrowing or poorly placing a deep ball. That shouldn’t be the case game three into his junior season; not if he’s the elite quarterback many think he is.

Randy Shannon catches a slew of heat from this fan base, but with the defense humming and the offense sputtering, when do the ‘haters’ start putting some heat on Mark Whipple?

Whipple was brought in as offensive coordinator, but was also given the title of assistant head coach and quarterbacks coach. He has head coaching experience, he’s won at that level and spent time in the NFL tutoring two of the bigger names this past decade; Donovan McNabb and Ben Roethlesberger.

This is year two for both Whipple and Harris as ‘starters’ in Miami’s offense and when you’re seeing some of the same mistakes as last season, it’s frustrating as you expect more from both.

Four of Harris’ six interceptions on the season came when he was looking for Travis Benjamin, with some blame being spread around to quarterback, receiver and coordinator. The Harris-to-Benjamin connection seems to work when the speedy wideout has a few steps on a defender, but if it’s a jump ball the defenders usually win out.

Look back at long touchdowns or receptions against Florida State, Oklahoma and Clemson last year, in contrast to the several interceptions when these two attempt to hook up under anything less than perfect circumstances. Benjamin is generously listed at 5’10” and 175 pounds in the media guide and hasn’t proven that he can out muscle errant passes away from the competition. If there’s one play to scrap from the playbook (at least until Harris has better control on the deep ball) this is the one.

Higher-percentage passing plays and more emphasis on the ground game, are the recipe until Harris has that ice water running through his veins again.

After holding Pitt to a quick three-and-out to start the second half, Whipple did just that. The Canes took over mid-field and two quick passes to Benjamin were followed with a quick run with Lamar Miller (on 2nd and 1, looking for the first down) and a 19-yard touchdown strike to Hankerson.

The passes to Benjamin were nearly identical (albeit going opposite directions), moving the pocket, rolling Harris out and throwing ten-yard passes. Build your quarterback’s confidence. Get him and his wideout back on the same page and in a groove. After hitting Benjamin twice, Harris looked much more comfortable floating one to Hankerson for the score.

Same with the ensuing possession; Harris completed an 11-yard strike to LaRon Byrd, endured a sack and after Miami recovered a muffed punt, came to back to hit Benjamin for a ten-yard touchdown, on a well designed roll-out — on the heels of a 27-yard run by Berry which took some pressure off.

Miami hardly played a perfect game and still rolled a quality opponent by four touchdowns – on the road. Whipple helped Harris find a groove offensively and ran for 118 yards with Berry and Miller and had balance (32 passing attempts to 29 rushing).

Defensively there were a handful of misses and mistakes, but generally speaking Miami swarmed, made plays and shut down a few quality athletes.

Three games into the season there are more answers than questions. If this team can get out of its own way, this can be a very successful season and the win at Pitt showed glimpses of what can be in store if guys focus and take care of business. Mistakes did Miami in at Ohio State and with ACC play underway next week, the really are no more mulligans. Three of the next four include Clemson, Florida State and North Carolina – physical football teams that will look to rattle Harris, following the Buckeyes’ blueprint for success, while fielding quality athletes that can go toe-to-toe with the Canes.

Pittsburgh was absolutely a ‘must win’ game and based on that alone, the 31-3 victory provides something to build on. Some questioned how Miami would react to the Ohio State loss, Shannon’s post-game rant and the distractions which came from Twitter-gate and the racist comments Harris received. This team focused, put all that in the rear view and played a complete game – right down to forcing second half turnovers, picking up a few fourth quarter touchdowns and some third stringers on defense keeping the Panthers out of the end zone late.

Next up, a brutal road trip to Clemson. At one point many thought this would be a cinch, with C.J. Spiller moving onto the NFL but after watching the Tigers hang very tough at Auburn last week, this is a physical team that will come to play in their house; a notoriously tough road venue.

If Shannon has his kids ready, Whipple has the offense game plan and the defense again decides to swarm and make plays, there’s not a game left on this schedule that the Canes can’t wait. Again, it’s just a matter of that little two-letter word “if”.

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