Random Thoughts On Miami/Virginia Tech 2006

Miami lost to Virginia Tech last night, 17-10. Down 10-0 at the half, the Canes rallied to make it 10-10. It was just enough to tease the fan base into thinking that an upset might be in order. Par for the course, a late game turnover was coughed up, the opponent capitalized and Miami was left with its second straight loss.

This most recent loss puts Miami at 5-4 and was the ultimate kick in the teeth. Losing has become almost expected; the Canes were an underdog at home for the first time at home in the Coker Era.

Still, giving it away late when the stage was set for The U to FINALLY pull one out? Stick the knife in and twirl it around a few times, why don’t you?

At 10-10 late in the fourth as Miami took over, I turned to my wife and said, “it’s not IF we blow it here, it’s WHEN.” No sooner do I mutter something about blowing it on the first play and Wright’s pass it picked off by Xavier Adibi. From there it was Brandon Ore for the score and game, set, match Virginia Tech.

Sure, Miami got our “Hail Flutie” and “Stanford Band” moments on the game’s final two plays, but that was just more faux hope and salt in the wound. The one was over the minute Adibi snatched that batted Wright pass out of the Orange Bowl lit sky.

Some other random thoughts on yet another painful loss:

>>> This is the third time in four seasons that Miami has lost back-to-back games. It is also the first game this season where the Canes never had a lead.

>>> The playcalling was again suspect. In the shotgun on 3rd and 1… a pitch to Tyrone Moss which everyone in the stadium knew was coming (he was stuck and planted for a big loss)… poor rotation of running backs… unable to capitalize on a short field multiple times.

>>> Todd Berry may be a swell guy, but what in God’s green earth is he doing to make both Wright and Kirby Freeman better quarterbacks. As impossible as it sounds, both players look infinitely worse in 2006 than they did in 2005 before the new quarterbacks coach came to The U.

>>> Rich Olson is in way over his head at offensive coordinator. Many thought that a grade school kid proficient at NCAA2007 on XBOX could call a better game than former coordinator than Dan Werner. Any hire would have to be an upgrade, right? Wrong.

>>> Coaches had moments where they actually trusted their ground game. Moss was a great call to have in the game as he’s a bowling ball, a workhorse and a blue collar-style runner – which is perfect against a lunchpail defense like Virginia Tech’s. Brute was needed over flash. That said, there were times where you expected to grind it out more and Miami got cute, trying to go to the air – against the wind, no less.

>>> Wright’s mistakes against killed the Canes, though the loss is not solely on him. Still, a quarterback cannot attempt a big time throw late in the game with an opponent’s mitt directly in his line of fire. Adibi made the stellar interception, but Wright had no business throwing that ball… again.

>>> Even with Wright’s mistakes, it’s no reason to get personal. Shame on every Miami fan who harassed Ken Wright (Kyle’s father) after the game as he waited on his son outside the locker room. That’s disgusting, people. No class. White trash. You want to trash the coaching staff, go right ahead. They’re paid the big bucks to have these kids ready to play. Don’t rip on the parents of a college kid. A quarterback who turned down Southern Cal and Texas to be a part of the Miami winning tradition.

This coaching staff hasn’t just let the fans down, they’ve let down the players and the parents of players as well. If you think you’re hurting today, think about the Wright family as they’re sitting down to breakfast with their son somewhere in Coral Gables this morning. Everyone deserves better and it’s a slap in the face to trash the families of kids who chose to play for Miami and bleed orange and green. Get your priorities straight, you vultures.

>>> Losing Javarris James and Reggie Youngblood to first half injuries obviously hurt the Canes, but it seems par for the course. This team seems like it has to overcome a season’s worth of adversity every time they take the field.

>>> This team cannot string together a few successful plays in a row and it hasn’t since last year’s win at Virginia Tech. All year this team’s MO has been to show a flash or glimmer of hope, only to have it squashed out moments later by something disastrous. Untimely penalties, turnovers or missed opportunities haunt and plague Miami. Failure breeds failure.

I guarantee these kids come up to the line with a sense that something bad can occur at any given moment. Another dose of misery every time that ball is snapped.

>>> One example of good and bad coaching on similar plays occurred with the field goal attempts and it’s not because one worked and one didn’t. The 55-yarder Jon Peattie nailed was a thing of beauty. Down 10-0, it was the right call. Making it would give the Canes a much needed boost and it did while missing it would’ve almost been expected.

At 10-3, with the clock ticking late in the third quarter it was time to go for it on 4th and 3 – not temp fate with another 50+ yard field goal attempt. We’re not talking Adam Vinatieri here. Peattie has been shaky all season. His 55-yarder was a career long. Expecting him to drill one from 52 yards out? That’s going back to the well one time too many. This was the perfect opportunity for a fake. Either a pooch punt or a direct snap to the fullback, looking for three yards, momentum and a chance to keep the drive alive. Going for yet another long field goal opp was an example of conservative and scared coaching…

>>> … that said, Coker is damned if he does and damned if he doesn’t. Early in the game he inserts Freeman for a drive. Down 3-0 with little pressure, Freeman scrambles for 31-yards and Tech looks perplexed. He fumbled on the run, but Greg Olsen scooped it up and Miami retained possession.

Conservative coaching results in two runs up the middle (instead of attempting a high percentage pass play when VT expects a run) and the Canes are faced with a 3rd and 10. Everyone and their mothers knew Miami was throwing on third down and Virginia Tech was blitzing. Freeman was picked off and the ball returned to the Miami 37-yard line.

Freeman threw and errant pass, but again this is a situation where coaches set a player up to fail. The inexperienced Freeman was not given any opportunity to make a play outside his 31-yard scramble. He was never reinserted into the game, coaches ran Jones on 1st and 2nd down and then expected the back up QB to be a miracle worker on 3rd down, with the blitz in his face.

>>> At 5-4 with nothing left to play for (… don’t even mention the word “pride” again, coach) it’s time for Wright and Freeman to split time down the middle. 2006 is done. Build for 2007. The QB position should be wide open entering next season. Giving Freeman a series here and there isn’t going to help the situation – as witnessed last night. There are 12 quarters of football left in the regular season. Wright gets six and Freeman gets six.

>>> The Miami Defense again played well enough to win. That is more on execution of these players than it is coaching. Randy Shannon was not challenged with shutting down a potent offensive attack. He had a good running back to stop in Ore and a sub par, immobile quarterback in Sean Glennon. Shannon stuck to his schemes and his players executed. It wasn’t a case of him mixing it up, blitzing more than usual or implementing a new wrinkle. It was Shannon: 101 and it happened to be effective against a one-dimensional offense.

The Canes held Ore to 79 yards and Glennon was never really a threat all day. Glenn Sharpe had his receivers on lockdown all night, snagging an interception after wrongly having his first attempt waved off. Calais Campbell and the defensive line played their game of the season. Kareem Brown and Bryan Pata were also in on the action. The Miami linebackers were against missing in action, but as a unit it was a stellar effort and enough for the win…

>>> … still, the Canes need to do a TON of work regarding their red zone rushing defense. True, Ore is a special back – but there were times he went virtually untouched en route to the end zone or on a large gain. Missed tackles and not plugging up holes is not acceptable. Especially when you know that Frank Beamer and staff are going to pound Ore down your throat. Glennon isn’t going to beat you in the red zone. The running game is. Miami never stopped Ore inside the red zone.

>>> Coker is now 6-6 in his last twelve games. Miami has not beaten a ‘good’ football team in 2006. The Canes have some good, talented players but are a bad ‘team’ all around. The mantra the past few weeks has been to ‘finish’ drives. They didn’t. Players talked about the program needing a win as bad as ever. They lost.

Anyone who isn’t calling for a change at the top, please email me to discuss or post your comments below. I’d love to hear why you think this team can and will rebound… and what it is that you’re smoking to give you this false hope.

>>> Former Miami coach Butch Davis is all but ready to sign on the dotted line at North Carolina ‘barring unforeseen developments’ according to published reports. The only ‘unforeseen development’ would be another Canes loss this past weekend and the admin finally waking up and making a play regarding bringing Davis back to The U.

While I give this a 1% chance of happening, IF Paul Dee and Donna Shalala were on the fence with their decision, another Miami loss coupled with North Carolina’s offer would force their hand. Make a play now or forever hold your peace. When it’s all said and done we could theoretically see Pete Garcia at FIU, Davis at UNC and even Shannon at NC State if Chuck Amato is shown the door. A once proud Miami family will appear more like kids from a broken home, scattered all about.

>>> 5-4, these Canes are on the verge of not being bowl eligible as six wins is the magic number. Due to a longer season across the board, a new rule helps Miami where a win over a Div. II school (FAMU) actually counts where it didn’t in the past. A win over Maryland, Virginia or Boston College would be needed for The U to reach a bowl game. Pathetic.

I’ll call it now, Miami loses at Maryland and against Boston College. A win against Virginia is the only possibility and even that will be a dog fight and it’ll come down to a late Miami do or die possession which could go either way in deciding the game. In my heart of hearts, I see 6-6 on the horizon – which is what I predicted after the Duke game IF we didn’t beat Georgia Tech.

>>> Another Saturday debacle gives Miami’s top brass another post-loss Monday to implement a plan I outlined a week ago. Dee & Shalala, click here for the answers to all your problems. Canes305 is your Magic 8 Ball…

.:Canes305:.
Miami Hurricanes football is reeling…

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