Game Twelve : Miami 31, South Florida 10

A season-opening comeback win over Florida State was huge, as was the thriller against then-No. 8 Oklahoma.

Right after those ranks Saturday’s 31-10 beat down of South Florida, this year’s season finale in Tampa over a lesser program itching to crack the Sunshine State’s “Big Three”. Keep dreaming about the big time, Bulls.

South Florida fans were jacked for this one. The smack talking was at an all time high. Readers of this blog can peruse past ‘comment’ sections where Bulls fans ran their mouths and told the Canes to beware of the November 28th showdown.

Turns out there wasn’t much to be afraid of.

Thankfully for Miami fans, the Canes came to play. Randy Shannon had his team pumped and Mark Whipple called the type of game necessary to negate South Florida’s defense. Right out the gate, a 12-play, 81-yard drive, capped off with an 11-yard strike from Jacory Harris to Leonard Hankerson.

That said, the drive was highlighted by a potent ground attack. First string, second string, third string – no matter. Javarris James carried four times for eleven yards on the opening drive, Graig Cooper got one touch for nine yards and when the Canes needed some tough running on 4th and 1, Damien Berry got the call and picked up six yards.

South Florida then went three and out after strong play from Miami’s defense and the tone was set. The Canes continued to grind it out with Cooper and amassed 43 yards on 10 plays, before punting. A few missed opportunities killed the drive, most notably a halfback pass where Cooper overthrew a wide open receiver on a sure touchdown.

On the second play of South Florida’s second possession, Darryl Sharpton stripped quarterback B.J. Daniels and the Canes had their first forced turnover of the day. Two plays later James ran it in, push the Miami lead to 14-0 late in the first quarter.

In every facet of the game, the Canes came to play. The convincing 31-10 victory proved to be Miami’s best coached and executed outing of the season. Harris was an effective 11 of 21 for 161 yards and two touchdowns. More importantly, the nicked up sophomore didn’t throw an interception – his first interception-free day since a win at Central Florida mid-October.

The Canes had 22 first downs to the Bulls’ 11 and 401 total yards to USF’s 220. The most glaring difference came on the ground, where Miami piled up 240 yards (to South Florida’s 143) and was unstoppable. Berry put up 114 yards on 12 carries while Cooper had an 83-yard outing. James carried 11 times for 37 yards, but proved to be the red zone specialist with two touchdowns.

South Florida made an ounce of noise on their lone sustained drive of the day. Early in the third quarter the Bulls drove 83 yards on 13 plays, a few of them broken and aided by a Miami penalty. Daniels found A.J. Love for a 12-yard score after scrambling throwing a strike on the run. Both squads then traded their share of three and outs before a 19-yard Berry run set up a 33-yard bullet from Harris to tight end Dedrick Epps. 28-10, Canes and no looking back.

After an early fourth quarter field goal, Miami literally ran out the clock with eleven straight hand offs, most of which were to fourth-stringer Lee Chambers. 31-10 could’ve been a lot uglier had Shannon not called off the dogs.

Ordered was restored on Saturday and hopefully the line between a state power and an up-and-comer has been redefined. South Florida wants to be one of the Big Three, but it takes more than a few scattered wins here or there to be considered a powerhouse. The Bulls haven’t even come close to sniffing a Big East title and their win over Florida State was diluted when the Noles stumbled to 6-6 this season.

Jim Leavitt has done a stellar job this past decade and he’s the kind of guy you want to root for. Sadly, it’s the South Florida fan base which makes it easy for a Miami fan to hate their program.

Right out the gate yesterday, a slew of false bravado from Bulls players. Popping off after plays. Getting in the face of Miami players. All hype and no substance. Someone needs to remind those baby Bulls that ‘swagger’ comes from winning games and bringing home championships; not before. If you’re going to try and push the Canes around after a play, at least bring it when the ball is in your hands.

A full stadium, a pocketful of hope and the confidence taken from beating FSU aren’t enough to take down a state power like Miami. The Canes have faced the Bulls twice and have now outscored their in-state foe, 58-17 in eight quarters.

9-3 sounds so much better than 8-4 and is light years better than 7-6 or 5-7. Anyone not celebrating Miami’s run this season needs to have their head examined. The Canes didn’t reach the ACC title game, but no one even had them penciled in as conference champs. Many saw Miami going 0-4 out the gates. Others had Shannon being fired mid-season. The Canes were picked fourth in the Coastal and wound up finishing third, while no one predicted anything close to a three-loss season.

Improvement was the name of the game in 2009. Miami put a better overall product on the field and found a way to win some ball games it wouldn’t have one year one or two in the Shannon Era. The Canes improved in the ACC, going 5-3 this season, and the 3-1 record in November is much more impressive than 1-3 last year or 0-4 in Shannon’ first season.

For all of those who predicted this team would wither down the stretch, hope you’re enjoying your heaping helping of crow this morning. Especially those of you who called South Florida a ‘nightmare’ match up for Miami and predicted a big time beat down.

These Canes have improved as the year rolled on and despite injuries taking their toll, saved their best for last. Dominant on both lines of scrimmage, Miami outplayed South Florida in every phase of the game – further distancing the gap between these two budding programs and proving that Shannon is on track regarding the Canes’ resurgence.

On the recruiting front, the future remains bright. Miami has two dozen verbal commitments and coaches will continue knocking on doors and selling this program these next two months. Shannon continues to keep his thumb on the pulse regarding Miami-style players, in regards to who he’s targeting and who’s already on board.

Case in point, the play of freshman Brandon Washington yesterday, subbing for fifth-year tackle Jason Fox. Sidelined due to illness, Miami’s most experienced player was replaced on a green up and comer – a signee from the Northwestern Bull-heavy class of 2007. The 6’4″ and 330-pound Washington attended prep school last year and is getting his snaps in 2009.

When thrust into a starting role, Washington shined – like so many freshmen and sophomore Canes recruited by Shannon. Just imagine where things will be with two more classes under his belt.

Next up, bowl season. Miami’s third loss of the season knocked them from the BCS at-large list, but a solid bowl game is still in the cards. Right now there’s talk of either the Gator Bowl or Capital One Bowl. Miami could face either Notre Dame or Pittsburgh in Jacksonville or Penn State in Orlando. Whatever the case, both are a step up from the last three seasons – San Francisco, stuck at home and Boise, Idaho.

9-3, Cane fans. Give thanks and gear up for bowl season.

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