I want to go on record saying that I am a fan of Jacory Harris. I dig the bravado and overall aura. I appreciate that he’s a hometown kid who wants to do good by the hometown program. I like that he’s a winner from a winning program and I think the laid back attitude and sense of humor are positives. He can be the real-deal if he can get it together.
The clock is ticking and it’s a fine line between being the next Ken Dorsey or the next Kyle Wright.
What I’m not a fan of are interceptions, big talk not backed up and high expectations crashing down when on the main stage. For all the talk, Harris is yet to truly rise to the occasion and until he does, the chatter needs to stop.
Twitter accounts are now banned for all Miami football players, but Harris’ whole “J12” alter ego needs to go on hiatus, as well. At least until we see him working his magic on the field and not just for the media.
Legends are made, not born. Harris’ pre-Cane legacy started at Miami Northwestern, where the quarterback never lost a game. Closest he came was the 6A state semifinal back in 2007 against Deerfield Beach. In the final minute, Harris led the Bulls on a 99-yard drive that culminated in the winning touchdown.
Harris was eventually named Florida’s Mr. Football, a title previously held by Florida quarterback Tim Tebow. The Miami product held a then state-record 49 touchdown passes.
Upon his arrival in Coral Gables, Harris battled then first-year starter Robert Marve for playing time. Marve was under center for the better part of 2008, but Harris had glimpses of greatness when given the opportunity to shine.
Down 17-7 at Duke in 2008, Harris led Miami on an 8 play, 68-yard drive in under ninety seconds, pulling within three at halftime. True to form, Harris’ first pass of the third quarter was an interception but on the ensuing possession he’d put the mistake behind him and rushed for a 15-yard score – a play after Travis Benjamin threw to Harris on a 17-yard reception. Harris threw two more third quarter touchdowns and finished with five total on the day.
Two weeks later, J12 surfaced again – this time at Virginia, where Miami spent just about all of the second half in a 17-7 hole.
It took a Harris-led, 95-yard, 15-play march – including a 3rd and 13 and 3rd and 15 pick up along the way. In overtime, Harris found former Northwestern teammate Aldarius Johnson for the eventual game-winner on 3rd and 5.
A season later, the troubled Marve took his talents to the Midwest, transferring to Purdue. Harris was now “the guy”, though the former starter and eventual Boilermaker wasn’t the only Miami quarterback to shuffle along. Back up Cannon Smith transferred to Memphis while Taylor Cook left for Rice. Both wanted immediate playing time and didn’t like the notion of playing behind a true sophomore, who many expected to lock down the starting the next three seasons.
Depth at quarterback became and immediate issue due to the three transfers, but the problem started long before Shannon’s inaugural season, which is why the first-time head coach was forced to sign four quarterbacks in two seasons, leaving him with four underclassmen on the roster at once.
Entering 2011, Harris will be a senior, Spencer Whipple a senior A.J. Highsmith a junior, Stephen Morris a sophomore and should he sign in February, Teddy Bridgewater, a true freshmen. The depth will finally be staggered, though that doesn’t bode well for competition this season as none of the quarterbacks can give the talented Harris a true run for his money.
Competition is what always set the University of Miami apart from the other guys. Tales from the ‘Decade of Dominance’ era are still told, where seniors were afraid to get hurt (or played through injury) because they didn’t want a younger guy to take their job, for fear of not getting it back.
When veteran George Mira Jr. was suspended for the 1988 Orange Bowl, his back up was true freshman Bernard “Tiger” Clark … who wound up being the game’s MVP.
Harris shone as a true freshman, usually when coming off the bench and relieving Marve. There was less pressure as he didn’t need to be ‘the guy’ and he was oft called upon when the starter was flailing. Much easier to slide into the role of ‘hero’ when flying under the radar and little is expected.
The post-Marve era kicked off in Tallahassee last September for Harris. The result; 21 completions, 386 yards, three touchdowns and two interceptions. Masked in that victory, the fact that Mark Whipple was calling his first game at Miami and Florida State coaches had no film on the new offensive coordinator.
Once opposing defense coordinators caught on a bit, Harris no longer made things look so easy. One more easy go against Georgia Tech, as the Hurricane defense dominated the game, providing smooth sailing for the offense. (20 of 25, 270 yards, three touchdowns, no pics for Harris against the Yellow Jackets.) Nine days later, the buzzsaw at Virginia Tech, where Bud Foster’s defense came at Harris all day, holding him to nine completions for 150 yards and an interception.
Harris made some clutch plays against Oklahoma and finished the day with three touchdowns, but two interceptions put Miami in a hole that required climbing out of. The Canes rallied, down 10-7 at the half, but a mistake-free day it wasn’t. Harris had two more picks a week later against lowly Florida A&M.
A serviceable outing against Central Florida the following week was followed by the season’s first true disaster; a three-interception effort in a loss to Clemson, one of which was returned for a touchdown in what was eventually an overtime loss.
Deja vu all over again weeks later when Harris had a four-interception outing at North Carolina, two returned for scores in a nine-point loss. Harris posted 319 yards against a top-five Tar Heels defense, but one touchdown to four turnovers doesn’t put you in a position to win, which brings us back to last week’s loss at Ohio State.
This past off-season fans heard that Harris was studying film, bulking up and expected more year two in Whipple’s offense. Harris was a year older, wiser and ‘rookie’ mistakes were supposed to be a thing of the past.
Four interceptions when on the road against No. 2 in the land is unforgivable in its own right, but the nature of the turnovers is even more frustrating. Throwing to a wideout who wasn’t looking for the ball. Off the mark on a crucial third down when trailing by nine and looking to narrow the gap. True, Harris’ receivers didn’t help him out and he’s not fully to blame – but as the quarterback he onus is on you. Harris knows this as he assumed all responsibility after the game. He had a chance to shine and didn’t. That’s on him.
Great quarterback are supposed to rise to the occasion and at times Harris has. But in Miami’s biggest moments the past as of late, he’s fallen short. The loss to North Carolina last season arguably cost the Canes an at-large BCS bid while a missed opportunity in Columbus keeps Miami a middle-of-the-pack team early in the year, instead of a top five front-runner and in the nation spotlight.
Last weekend’s loss, while disheartening, simply proved that Miami is talented and almost there … but not quite. ESPN analyst Kirk Herbstreit echoed that sentiment on a recent radio show.
“I looked at Miami and I looked at a team that was physical, I looked at a team that was athletic,” Herbstreit said. “I looked at a team that, if Ohio State’s number two in the country, then how can Miami be a team that’s not considered a top 10 team? Because, if you eliminate those mistakes, Miami’s playing right there with Ohio State. Athletically, maybe more gifted than Ohio State. There’s no reason that this team should not have a chance to win every single game they play the rest of the season.”
Many felt the same last year after a 3-1 start for Miami, but Harris never channeled his inner Kenny D and helped his team rise above. For every two steps forward, a huge step back. Clemson was a winnable game, as was North Carolina. Eliminate those seven interceptions (still leaving Harris with eleven on the year) and you’d have been looking at an 11-1 regular season and an ACC title-game berth (as Miami would’ve won the tiebreaker with Georgia Tech).
Some, including Herbstreit, might feel the same about last weekend’s loss at Ohio State, but alas you can’t just erase turnovers. Only Harris can do that moving forward.
As much as Harris and some wideouts are to blame, the onus is on Coach Whipple to nip this in the bud immediately.
A huge selling point when Whipple was brought on board; the fact that his tutelage helped make both Ben Roethlisberger and Donovan McNabb better quarterbacks. Miami pays Whipple to run the offense, but he’s also on board to help groom quarterbacks, turning boys into men.
Harris threw 18 interceptions last season and over the course of three quarters last Saturday threw four more. Year two of the Whipple/Harris partnership, that is absolutely unacceptable and must be corrected immediately.
Harris has big play ability and it’s been notice that he doesn’t get rattled – even after a mistake. An interception one drive could be followed with a long touchdown the next possession. That said, when you average the good with the bad it still puts you in the middle of the road. Mistakes must be eliminated if Miami is going to make that jump from ‘good’ to ‘great’ this season.
Pittsburgh is on the docket and for Harris’ sake, here’s hoping Whipple employs some baby steps for his junior quarterback. Strong emphasis on the run game, letting a stable of running backs wear down defenses and keeping them honest, while building Harris’ confidence possession-by-possession.
Miami doesn’t need Harris to put this entire team on his shoulders. Not yet, at least. The offense line hung very tough – tougher than expected – last week at Ohio State; arguably the biggest challenge the Canes will face all season. Focus on the running game, give Harris some high-percentage passes to complete and break him down so he can be built back up.
It’s time for J12 to hit the ‘reset’ button. Go back to square one. Clean slate and fresh start. Reprioritize. Shannon is spot on regarding putting the kibosh on Twitter. Especially when Harris was letting it go to his head.
“I have fun with it,” Harris said weeks back. “It’s something fun for me. Twitter, I think it’s a new way to build your brand.”
Build your ‘brand’ with on the field success, not 140 characters at a time online. Social networking is now in the rear view and some humility is needed. Yes sir, no sir, eyes forward and all business. No more joking with reporters. No more alter ego. No more funky haircuts or Spongebob references.
If Jacory wants to be ‘the guy’ in South Florida, he doesn’t have to say a word. He just has to remain interception-free.
Win ball games and you’ll be revered in Coral Gables. It really is that simple.
Agreed! Get to work son!
Great article, Chris. My sentiments exactly. I believe in Jacory. He is the leader of TEAM. That being said, the key player can't turn the ball over as much as Harris has last season and so far this one. The first pick, ok, it was deflected but why throw that ball? The second, never double-clutch and throw anyway when a WR is run blocking. Third wasn't his fault at all, with the ball being taken away/going right from Benjamin to Chekwa's hands. The last pick was a true game sealer. Inside the 10, Jacory led a RB, not a WR, but a RB (Berry) too much and the ball went right into heyward's mitts. Awful. Why are we throwing in that situation in the first place? Bad execution, yes, but I disagree with the play-call in the first place. We can be dynamic on offense and still be a good running team. I like looking for the backs over the middle on the pass and letting them do their thing, but there comes a time when it has to be man on man, power running.
At no time is 4 INTs acceptable, but especially on the road and especially against the #2 team in the country. Were they really that much better than we were? I was 30 yeards from the field and I can honestly say no. but guess what? No team is going to win with and 4 vs 0 turnover comparison. Whicvh begs the question….Can we get a turnover please Defense? The were picks there for the taking and we drop them.
Let me tell you, if Harris throws 4 picks against Pitt, we will lose that game too.
At this point there are no gimme's. We have to take each team as they come. Until we stop beating ourselves, we will not beat others. Take care of the GD ball and we win all our games. Last weekend was a game we could have won. OSU is where we are trying to get to as far as being a perrenial Top 5 team and we showed we are not there. Disappointing.
-Columbus Cane
I'm not too worried about INT's unless they are thrown so pourly. tip'd balls can go anywhere. A mistake by a RB, TE, or the WR may run the wrong route and BINGO a pass goes the other way. Not to mention if you happen to play a top notch defense. That creates their own IT's So im not a fan of your blog. The QB maybe wrong but not all the time… Give the kid a break and stand behind him win or lose. THAT'S THE REAL SIGN OF A TRUE FAN
Decent article. But dude, you are so preachy. You either talk down to the fanbase in just about every article or you try to come off as such an authority that your point is lost. No doubt you are passionate, but you aren't a better or smarter fan than anyone that reads this blog. I appreciate some of the insights you provide, but chuckle when you belittle the RS haters or cherrypick certain stats or whatnot to strengthen your argument.
Anyhow, I do enjoy this blog, but wish you would tone it down just a tad.
I agree with your opinions on Harris. He's a junior now and needs to rise to the occassion. What he does is simple, anyone can see it. Instead of throwing it away, or taking a sack, he tries to squeeze the ball into "more than tight" coverage. He seems to do this best, when he's inside his own 30, giving our defense a short field to work with. In his defense, If you look at the Ohio State game, here's what I saw : 2 int's that should have been completions deep in our own territory, dropped by recievers. A dropped touchdown pass by byrd in the corner of the end zone and drops by recievers all day long. 4 turnovers that lead to 20 points, and 1 inside the opponets 10, defense with TOO MANY mistackles to count. A missed field goal and a blocked one. Coverage on special teams, HORRIBLE. Everyone's quick to point the finger at Jacory for this game, but there were many factors. They hardly played like veterans. Not to mention, needed a more effective running game and more pressure on Pryor. Just my opinion
It is clear that Jacory Harris is plagued by his own immaturity and inflated sense of pride.
In part of his final tweet, he stated…
"To the fans that's here only when things go right. Thank you. We loved you while you were here. Just know if everything goes as planned Don't come back."
If I just threw 4 INTs I wouldn't be taking a shot at fans who are critizing me and my team. I would double-down and watch more film, and work even harder.
Its what the great ones like Ken Dorsey did. Dorsey would never post a comment like the one above. When you win say little, when you lose say less.
I am troubled by our lack of depth at QB. This is QB U, but doesn't look like it. We haven't been able to pull in quality QB's from out of state, and that is as much a part of the formula for success as the "state of Miami" gameplan. Jim Kelly, Steve Walsh, Kenny Dorsey… The Canes need to handpick the best pocket passers from across the Nation, don't just settle for getting QBs from South Florida. There really isn't strong competition at the QB position and that is a shame and needs to change – and fast.
In all fairness to Jacory, he's supposed to be throwing to a "veteran" group of recievers, isn't he? I seen Laron Byrd miss a touchdown in the corner, I seen 2 int's comming off of incompletions that hit benjamin right in the hands. I seen numerous mis-tackles, a dropped interception and DVD get smoked more than once. Blaming Jacory for every faulter this team has would be ridiculous. The coverage on special teams gave up a 45-50 yard line start a couple of times. The only crucial mistake by Jacory was the INT inside the Buckeye's 10. The fact they let Heyward rumble for 80 was worse- Josh Boule CANES!!!
Ok first of all there will never be another ken dorsey. Secondly kyle wrights downfall came through changing oc like changing underwear. Harris has all the tools but I think in order for him to shine there has to be a better effort in running the ball. Remember kenny had portis and mcgahee to lighten his load. Run the ball and harris will shine no question.
Good post, one of the better I have read recently. When guys talk about having some alter ego it drives me crazy because that means they think their own ego is not worthy enough? Jacory just needs to be Jacory, not J-12 or some other myth of his imagination.
I also really agree that the offense needs to change. Even when we were a spread team, great running backs fueled the offense like James Stewart and Danyell Ferguson. Establish the run and good things will happen in the passing game.
Ken Dorsey had 2 losses as a starter.
Even though he was thin, you never really worried about him. He hardly ever got touched.
JH looked like the same skinny QB from last season.
I don't believe he put on any weight at all.
There is no excuse for that.
Sam Bradford put on 15 lbs. after his shoulder surgery.
How can JH not be hitting the weights. Doesn't the U have a trainer to make that happen?
so true. Wish the backups didn't transfer. Always knew it would come back to haunt us.
Bullseye! You nailed the issue with Jacory Harris! Work your talent and your mind, not your mouth and your funny bone.
Put away the swagger until you learn to use the dagger.
Win an ACC Championship and people will say Miami is back. Beat a top-five team on the road and you will be elite.
Shut up and play!
I am still physically sick over the loss at Ohio. 4-INTs, I don't see any growth from this young man. He bird-dogs his receivers. Man, I bleed Orange&Green, I want Harris to the man, but this team will not be able to win many games allowing 4-INTs per game. I rather have Highsmith in there, could he do any worse?
Great post….I agree totally its time for Harris to man up and become the great quaterback that i saw at the OB against Deerfield. It's Time!!!! Go Canes!! Oh and by the way all you bandwagon fans thanks for jumping off and giving us real fans some room to sit.
"Four interceptions when on the road against No. 2 in the land is unforgivable in its own right, but the nature of the turnovers is even more frustrating."
All great QBs have had these type of games. Jacory needs to get over it and "Stop hittin those chilli peppers up the fairway" (Cheech Marin)
What I mean is opportunity is knocking again this week and the rest of the season. In Collage Football if you are going to lose, it is better to do it early in the season. That way you can climb back up the polls.
J12 step up, the deep receiving core step up, O-line and Backs and D-fence Keep it up. Roll into Pitt and Roast the Panthers
Decent article. But dude, you are so preachy. You either talk down to the fanbase in just about every article or you try to come off as such an authority that your point is lost. No doubt you are passionate, but you aren't a better or smarter fan than anyone that reads this blog. I appreciate some of the insights you provide, but chuckle when you belittle the RS haters or cherrypick certain stats or whatnot to strengthen your argument.
Appreciate the honesty.
I don't try to talk down to anyone. I simply try to create an argument, choose a side and build my case.
I'm not smarter than anyone. (I'm actually a full-blown idiot at times, too.)
Regarding my attitude towards the anti-Randy contingent … it just gets tiring. You have no idea how many emails I receive with the same argument regurgitated. People hating to hate. Fans who refuse to admit how far the program slipped (which justifies a 4-5 year rebuild). A mindset that "we" need to be that team we were in the 80s and all this revisionist history for a once-in-a-lifetime era that is an unreachable benchmark these days.
When you have the same debate over and over and over again for years on end, you eventually get tired of repeating yourself. I don't mean to come off like an authority. I'm just another passionate fan with an opinion.
Chris- Awesome as usual! I agree that the INT's have to stop,but at the same time can't blame Jacory for all of them. Every needs to step up to the next level. I know this loss hurts but to lose early in the season & to a non conference team is a HUGE wake up call. Hoping the boys & coaches use it wisely. But you all have to admit there were bright spots. I can't ever begin to tell you that at times all I was yelling was"Hold the Line"! Very happy to see improvement on the Oline…for years this has been a weakness…
Thanks to all & tha you so much for this blog!!Go Canes!
Oh what a difference a week makes.
Prior to the season I distinctly remember allcanes boasting that Jacory could be the lead man of the most explosive 'Canes offense "in forever." And just a few weeks later the clock is ticking? Must his path be that of Wright's or Dorsey's? The loss to the Buckeyes was a difficult one to swallow, but all things considered it was not the downfall of J12.
Jacory was never supposed to be an elite quarterback. He's good, and he'll get the Canes headed in the right direction, but it was always apparent he wasn't a next-level guy. Even the games in which he shined there were several tell-tale signs of his limited ceiling. If Travis Benjamin had known the play or any of the numerous dropped balls had been caught (on offense or defense) then who knows what would have happened.
Let's let the season develop a little more before we place those two all-or-nothing paths in front of him.
Oh what a difference a week makes.
Prior to the season I distinctly remember allcanes boasting that Jacory could be the lead man of the most explosive 'Canes offense "in forever." And just a few weeks later the clock is ticking? Must his path be that of Wright's or Dorsey's? The loss to the Buckeyes was a difficult one to swallow, but all things considered it was not the downfall of J12.
Jacory was never supposed to be an elite quarterback. He's good, and he'll get the Canes headed in the right direction, but it was always apparent he wasn't a next-level guy. Even the games in which he shined there were several tell-tale signs of his limited ceiling. If Travis Benjamin had known the play or any of the numerous dropped balls had been caught (on offense or defense) then who knows what would have happened.
Let's let the season develop a little more before we place those two all-or-nothing paths in front of him.
Oh what a difference a week makes.
Prior to the season I distinctly remember allcanes boasting that Jacory could be the lead man of the most explosive 'Canes offense "in forever." And just a few weeks later the clock is ticking? Must his path be that of Wright's or Dorsey's? The loss to the Buckeyes was a difficult one to swallow, but all things considered it was not the downfall of J12.
Jacory was never supposed to be an elite quarterback. He's good, and he'll get the Canes headed in the right direction, but it was always apparent he wasn't a next-level guy. Even the games in which he shined there were several tell-tale signs of his limited ceiling. If Travis Benjamin had known the play or any of the numerous dropped balls had been caught (on offense or defense) then who knows what would have happened.
Let's let the season develop a little more before we place those two all-or-nothing paths in front of him.
Respect the opinion, but the point of the article was to focus on Harris' persona and off the field bravado which hasn't matched his on the field results. 14 interceptions in his last nine starts is overkill and there have been too many distractions.
Twitter this year. Joking with media last year about injury. The J12 alter ego. The pimp cup and pink suit. All the funky haircuts.
It's sort of the chicken and the egg thing. What comes first, fabricated swagger paving the way for success? Or do you get the job done first and then get a little loose?
No one is saying he'll be the next Wright or Dorsey. That was simply an analogy as they were two UM quarterbacks last decade that were opposite ends of the spectrum. I gave an example and used polar opposites.
We'll see if Jacory winds up being average, good or great, but either way the interceptions have to stop. Period. He can still have a banner year, but four interceptions at Ohio State was the absolute worst case scenario.
Yes there were dropped balls. Yes Benjamin didn't know the play. Still, the pass was behind Berry and the second Benjamin pick was off the mark as well. Other balls were short-armed to receivers and Jacory was staring down receivers, which did Wright in.
Just want to see the kid step it up. He's talked a big game and hasn't delivered. It's time to stop talking. Refocus and get it together as he has two years (minus two games) to cement his UM legacy.
Great post, keep up the good work. Concerning the Ohio State game, in my opinion, I think Whipple/Shannon are mostly to blame, and then next in line is J12 and then the Defense. When Shannon cut Theron Collier I wondered why considering how effective he was last season and people said Kendal Thompkins was just as good if not better than Collier. So I have to ask, where in the world was Kendal on Saturday??? In addition, for the life of me I do not understand why we didn’t try to take advantage of our tall receivers in the redzone instead of that weird play to Berry that lead to an int. Whipple needs to do better in play calls. As for the defense, I was really disappointed with our lack of takeaways. If we got at least 1 of those takeaways, that would have been an extra possession of good field position or probably 6 points (Sean Spence’s dropped INT would have been a TD cos he had an open field in front of him). So Shannon can ban twitter and whatever but the real issue comes down to the Coaches doing a better job. They know these players, what they need to do is put them in position to succeed. If Travis Benjamin doesn’t know the routes, then maybe he should stick to Punt returns. Also, can anyone on our defense tackle???
Enjoyed your perspective, even though you think you are better and smarter than everyone. Lol
Seriously, if no-one got the point then perhaps you are. Fact is, this kid has tremendous talent that at best is intermittent. “Shut up and play” is a directive long overdue in my opinion.
Drove from Tampa to see the opener, and a Canes game at Sun Life for the first time. Left thinking we had a real shot in Columbus, and I was right. While disappointed that we could not seem to focus throughout, I was placated by the fact that we CAN play and compete with a team of the talent level of OSU. (still hate them a-holes) That was the biggest question coming in to this season and I believe that we answered it. Part of growing is learning how to win games like this.
We came in with a young team not sure of their place. Hopefully they now know how good they are and the time for total concentration on the games ahead is here if we are to do anything at all this season.
Anyhow, Chris, nice to read you again. I had taken a hiatus but will venture in here more often. Take care, hope all is well with you and yours.
Jack M. Greene, P.S.M.
Tampa
Maybe the rest of the receiving corps should work out with Mark Duper during the offseason like Hank. Two years ago if I would have said Leonard Hankerson would become our best receiver I am sure I would've been the laughing stock of Cane Nation and ran off the blog site. The thing that bothers me most about the Ohio St loss(besides the annoying Buckeye fans) is that we had a good chance of pulling the upset. Imagine the momentum we wouldve had if we went up 14-3 instead of kicking a field goal to make it 10-3(field goals are good, but anytime you're inside the 10 and thats what you come away with is a disappointment in my eyes). What I saw last Sat was two pretty evenly matched teams, one just didnt make mistakes and capitalized off the other team's. We have a bye week so plenty of time to get prepared/focused on the Pitt game, come out on all cylinders, kicking @$$ and taking names. The OSU game proved we have the depth/talent, but we may be missing the mental part. Also, a little more balanced playcalling wouldnt hurt either(where is Kendall Thompkins and Tommy Streeter). The rest of the schedule is winnable and the ACC is ours to lose. GO CANES
There are a lot of comments on here about how if you are a real fan you don't criticize or question the QB. What happened to "dissention is the greatest form of patriotism"? I love three things: my family, my fiance, and my Hurricanes, and usually not in that order. I still wanted to run out of the stands and beat Jacory like my stepchild.
I think Carl Garcia said it best. I'm glad they're all off Twitter, Jacory needs to be shut up. Leave the pink suit and pimp cup in your closet until you have a double-digit win season.
Thanks SaraLinn 🙂
Seems like another writer had a similar take on the state of the program:
http://miamiherald.typepad.com/umiami/2010/09/tirade-about-time-we-see-nasty-randy.html
I think those complaining that Chris "talks down" to the fans or feels he's above the avg fan are completely un-justified because this fanbase is down right pathetic at times. The majority of them need to be told what to think. There has been little to NO support for this team over the last few years, even at times when things looked like they were peaking. Were any of you fools who feel allCanes is 'preachy' at the Clemson game last year? Because i swear i have more classmates in my accounting class than fans in that stadium that afternoon. The majority of this fan base is so fickle they deserve to be talked to like a 5 year old. Now reports are coming out that racists messages were sent to Jacory after the OSU game? I wish i could say i was surprised, but i wasnt. The majority(not all) of Hurricane nation needs a HARD kick in the ass. I think allCanes is the dude to help do that.
I think those complaining that Chris "talks down" to the fans or feels he's above the avg fan are completely un-justified because this fanbase is down right pathetic at times. The majority of them need to be told what to think. There has been little to NO support for this team over the last few years, even at times when things looked like they were peaking. Were any of you fools who feel allCanes is 'preachy' at the Clemson game last year? Because i swear i have more classmates in my accounting class than fans in that stadium that afternoon. The majority of this fan base is so fickle they deserve to be talked to like a 5 year old. Now reports are coming out that racists messages were sent to Jacory after the OSU game? I wish i could say i was surprised, but i wasnt. The majority(not all) of Hurricane nation needs a HARD kick in the ass. I think allCanes is the dude to help do that.
Way back in the day, when Miami first started to get black players, the same thing was happenning.
Of course it is now 2010, but as long as there are ignorant, low I.Q. individuals out there, this will continue.
That's why NASCAR does so well. It's supported mostly by those who don't support so-called, African-American sports.
I think those complaining that Chris "talks down" to the fans or feels he's above the avg fan are completely un-justified because this fanbase is down right pathetic at times. The majority of them need to be told what to think. There has been little to NO support for this team over the last few years, even at times when things looked like they were peaking. Were any of you fools who feel allCanes is 'preachy' at the Clemson game last year? Because i swear i have more classmates in my accounting class than fans in that stadium that afternoon. The majority of this fan base is so fickle they deserve to be talked to like a 5 year old. Now reports are coming out that racists messages were sent to Jacory after the OSU game? I wish i could say i was surprised, but i wasnt. The majority(not all) of Hurricane nation needs a HARD kick in the ass. I think allCanes is the dude to help do that.
… appreciate the comments, 47.
I'm not an authority and if some people think I come off like I'm trying to be one, they're reading into what I'm saying.
What a lot of people miss — the fact I have these arguments on a daily basis, debating certain topics ad nauseam. I've been running this blog since 2005 and started "covering" the Canes when in college back in 1996. Doesn't make me any better, smarter or more of a superfan than anyone else … but it does mean more people 'know' of me and where to find me to chat about UM football.
I hear from some of the best fans out there, as well as a slew of idiots – and everything in between. That's just how it goes and sometimes the dumb ones drive me nuts, so I might go overboard attempting to make a point sometimes.
The racist comments towards Jacory are nauseating. Kyle Wright threw four picks against North Carolina in 2007 and he was your prototypical, tall, white boys, drop back passer with a rocket for an arm.
Color has nothing to do with anything and fans are simply frustrated and lashing out like children… which again, is unacceptable.
The situation as Miami is pretty simple, though many refuse to believe, admit or accept. This program was A JOKE in 2007 when Randy took over — so bad that it was tough to hire assistants, dead weight players had to be cut, freshman had to play immediately and depth needed to be rebuilt.
Miami had NO BUSINESS competing for an ACC title in 2007 or 2008 and would've even struggled in the Big East.
2009 was the first year Miami had enough talent to make a run and an injured quarterback proved to be the difference-maker (seven interceptions and three pick-sixes in the Clemson and North Carolina losses).
GT happened to be a one-loss ACC team last year so once UM lost to Clemson they were out of the race, sadly. Good chance there's more breathing room (conference-wise) this year and with a better Miami team, the ACC is more than within reach. Another step forward in 2010, which is necessary and a legit run at a title in 2011.
I just want to see more logic and less emotion from our fans. Everyone wants to win, but to cite the run in the 80s or early 00s … to ponder what life would be like with another coach … to bitch about recruits that got away … to "demand" that things are turned around because four-loss seasons are "unacceptable" — it's all pointless.
College football has changed. MUCH more parity today than ever – which is why a James Madison knocks off a Virginia Tech, a Jacksonville State upsets an Ole Miss and teams like Boise State and TCU are in the BCS.
Perspective is something we all need – not a sense of entitlement and belief that "because we're MIami" we should dominate the landscape.
Good analysis.
Harris needs to get his mind right, and his surrounding cast needs to avoid the mental mistakes and physical blunders.
At some point, I hope this team learns how to tackle, and the coverage team learns how to cover.
The continuing sloppy play is getting old, as are the excuses.
The team needs to get its collective act together starting Thursday night in Pittsburg.
If Harris does another Vinny Testaverde Penn State impersonation, Whipple and Shannon should put the game into the hands of our talented running backs.