It ain’t the Butch Davis Show…

Miami plays North Carolina at 12pm ET on Saturday and I’m seeing a lot of ink regarding Butch Davis, as the current Tar Heels coach spent 1995 thru 2000 as head coach of the Hurricanes.

No offense, but to hell with Butch the Heel. No disrespect to the former Miami coach, but this game has nothing to do with the past. Davis will tell you the same, oft quoted this past week downplaying his time spent at The U.

When asked if he felt at all nostalgic regarding his ties to this week’s opponent, Davis said, “To be honest, not particularly. It’s not like Tom O’Brien, who had to play Boston College two weeks ago and virtually every kid on the field was one he’d recruited in their homes. At UM, it’s all new players.”

“My wife and I spent close to 12 years in South Florida. Some connection will always be there, but little by little it diminishes,” said Davis.

Thankfully coach, the feeling is mutual.

I’m not a Butch basher. If anything, I’ve always backed the guy outside of his cowardice exit in January 2001. I believe in absolutes and value a man based on his word as well as his ability to carry it out through his actions. Before bailing The U, Davis was adamant that he wasn’t leaving and went so far as to say he planned to retire at Miami and had no desire to go anywhere else.

Days later, “Adios Miami”.

I can appreciate the lure of the NFL money and prestige a head coaching position brings. Because of that, I never faulted Davis for leaving. He had the NFL bloodlines, following Jimmy Johnson from Coral Gables to the Dallas Cowboys in the late 1980s as a defensive coordinator. His boss succeeded at that level after coaching the Canes and now it was Davis’ turn to make his run. Still, I never respected the way he said goodbye. It was wrong.

Entering tomorrow, this match up is being dubbed “Butch Bowl I” by a few fans – to which I ask, why? This game isn’t about Davis. It’s not even about his former pupil Randy Shannon, Miami’s current boss. This one is about Miami and North Carolina. A 4-1 squad-on-the-rise playing a road game against a 1-4 bunch better than their record indicates.

The Canes are on the climb, getting better week-by-week. Miami sits at 1-0 in ACC play and Saturday is about improving that record to 2-0. Nothing more, nothing less.

Miami is a little more than two weeks removed from a 34-17 pasting of then #20 Texas A&M and grinded one out a week ago against a feisty Duke team, 24-14. Still, the Canes are yet to put together that perfect game – not finishing against the Aggies and needing a productive fourth quarter against the Blue Devils to put that one in the books.

That said, this season has been about improving week in and week out and Miami has truly grown each week since the 51-13 pasting Oklahoma sent their way.

The Canes haven’t traveled to Chapel Hill since October 2004 when North Carolina knocked off then #3 Miami on a last second field goal, 31-28. Some have dubbed this a ‘revenge game’ – a term fans love anytime their team faces a first after a heartbreaking loss. Miami is 2-0 against North Carolina since, but with the first return to the scene of 2004’s crime, it’s taken on the ‘revenge’ tone.

The only important stat entering Saturday is 1-3; the Canes’ ACC road record dating back to November 2005. Miami’s last conference road win was a 47-17 win at Wake Forest almost two years ago.

Davis and Shannon are nothing more than a sub plot entering this weekend – and a minimal one at that. These Canes are trying to grow as a team each and every game. Unhealthy players are getting healthy, providing depth and entering the sixth game of 2007, Miami is expected to gel even more come game time tomorrow.

Beat North Carolina. Not as revenge for 2004 and not because a former Canes is wearing the visor on the opposing sideline. Get this win because an ACC title is the new goal. This is one final tune up game before teams like Georgia Tech, Florida State, NC State, Virginia, Virginia Tech and Boston College are on deck.

Work out any last kinks because the meat of the ACC schedule is on deck and Miami needs to strut in 5-1 with chests puffed out, not 4-2 with a boat load of question marks.

Miami 34, North Carolina 16

.:Canes305:.

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