The U: Career-Defining Moment For Al Golden

allCanesBlog.com guest coluimnist Scott Alan Salomon talk about Miami / Florida State week, what this means in the grand scheme of the program, the fate of the Canes’ current head coach, comparisons to his predecessor and what a mean over the rival Seminoles would mean at this phase of “the process”.

Last week’s loss at Cincinnati on Al Golden’s watch could be compared to the loss that Randy Shannon suffered in his final game as Miami head coach against the University of South Florida, a game that Miami lost at home. The game put the season in perspective and shed light on the fact that this team has a long way to go and a short time to get there as the fan base is ready to strip this team down to nothing and start all over again.

It is no secret that calls for Golden’s firing and that of his staff have been all over social media this week and there have even been polls as to who the fans want to replace Golden. This cannot be good for the coach’s psyche, even though he says that does not listen to the “noise” and that he does not follow social media.

Just as the USF season finale in 2010 defined Shannon’s tenure, this past game against Cincinnati could have been one of the definitive moments in Golden’s shaky career at UM. The game had all of the promise of a road win, only to see the defense dissected by a true freshman making his first ever start on national television. Of course, as true with most Miami games, they did not put enough pressure on the quarterback and did not rattle the youngster and force him into making many mistakes.

It seems like we have heard this story before.

This is the week that Golden can finally walk around campus with some of the swagger that he tries to instill in his players. He talked about the swag since he arrived on campus, but never had a reason to strut. A win over FSU, in Tallahassee, is the adrenaline shot that the doctor ordered for this team as it starts its ACC schedule and its quest for a Coastal Division championship.

A win silences the critics for another week and also puts the Cincinnati loss in perspective. It is a loss against a non-conference opponent and sheds no light on the ACC race. However, a loss to Florida State punctuates that Cincinnati setback and gives fans little to no hope as Miami takes on the heart of their ACC schedule.

Getting taken down by the Noles—again—would be the punch in the gut that the team cannot withstand with teams like Virginia Tech, Clemson, Duke and Georgia Tech coming down the pike.

Golden, himself, speaking at Tuesday’s press conference, even knows how big this game is. No one needs to remind him what this game means to the program. He knows that people still have not forgotten last year’s game where Miami lost a decent lead and then mailed it in the rest of the season after the loss. The battle scars are still ever present.

“It’d be big. I thought we played with a lot confidence last year. We didn’t finish. We left a lot of plays out there. I don’t think you can carry anything forward but the experience. I think our guys that played in that game a year ago have to lead now. We have to learn a lot from what we did well and what we didn’t do well,” Golden said.

“That’s going to be critical – that we have that experience, that we share that experience with the guys that haven’t been in the game, and really just keep our focus on the game and not everything that surrounds it.”

With every loss, Golden gets compared to Shannon a little more every week. Shannon was 28-22 when his tenure ended; identical to Golden’s when 2014 drew to a close. Miami’s fifth-year head coach is now 31-23, and counting.

This is the time of the season where Golden can avoid the Shannon comparisons, proving that he is his own man and that he has not lost control of the locker room. Players have come out in support of their embattled coach, but the only way that the fan base will truly ever embrace the former Temple coach is through wins on the field, against quality opponents.

Golden knows that this game is going to be either a curse that will further besmirch his resume, or that it could be the game that gives him some salvation.

“For us, I keep saying it…It’s a big game. We can act like it’s not a big game, we get that. But for our guys, we have to learn to be consistent and prepare. From that standpoint, I want to see them approach everything consistently, I want to see our staff approach everything consistently. They’ll be fired up,” Golden said.

“We know Florida State will be fired up…it is what it is. I want our guys to embrace the challenge and embrace the opportunity – all the atmosphere and everything – and play our game. That’s what I’m looking for. We’re not talking about anything else but trying to have a great Tuesday practice.”

A great Tuesday practice, though, is a microcosm of the problem. Too often, the Tuesday practice does not lead into a great Wednesday practice and too many mistakes are made in practice that then translate into problems on game day. It has been a long time since we have seen a solid week of practice turn into a solid Saturday game that left no questions unanswered.

The fan base is not happy with Golden and that comes to no surprise. The team finished 6-7 last season with NFL caliber talent and lost a road game last week that it should have won against a team that it had beaten the past 11 tries.

This game is the lynchpin in Golden’s argument that he and his staff deserve another season. The cry is going to be what did you do for me lately and Golden does not wear too many accomplishments on his sleeve and this game would go a long way to proving to the fans, the Board of Trustees and the recruits that you deserve, not just the rest of the season, but another year for the Swag 16 class to come in and bolster what you have been trying to sell for the last four years.

Golden is 9-36 against teams with five or less losses. That does not bode well for a team that has to face the top teams in the ACC, that will have five or less losses when they face them this season. The rest of the ACC is getting better while Miami stays stagnant.

Miami might have caught FSU at the right time. FSU is coming off of close wins over USF and Boston College and is not the team that it was in year’s past. They do not have Jameis Winston at quarterback and are trotting out Everett Golson who gives up the football like Christmas presents at the company holiday party. He is a turnover machine, but needs to be pressured. If he has all day, he can pick apart the defense, but at the first sign of pressure or trouble, he turns into a juggs gun for interceptions and fumbles.

The Hurricanes are 3-1 in out of conference play. The first two games were gimme’s and everyone on this planet expected them to defeat Bethune Cookman and Florida Atlantic. Despite the troubles against FAU, Miami did get a 20-point road win and showed some flashes of brilliance on offense and defense in the second half. They played the first 52 minutes against Nebraska in an inspired fashion and kept their foot on the accelerator as they tried to close out the blow out, but resulted in a three-point overtime victory.

The loss to Cincinnati was huge and came at a time when we needed the Canes to think that they could run through a wall and collect a big win in Tallahassee to spark the opening of ACC play. They did not get it.

However, just because they lost to Cincinnati does not mean that the season is over. If they lose to Florida State, especially if it is in convincing fashion, then one could make the argument that it is going to be a long season.

But, Miami needs to approach this game in Tallahassee as though it is a game that they can win, because they can. Florida State is very suspect this season and has allowed the opposition to stay in the game late and has won games in the second half with uninspired play. They are not the same offensive and defensive juggernauts that they have been in the past with their ACC titles and their national title two seasons ago. Many of those players have since graduated and moved on to the National Football League.

FSU will have plenty of recruits on the sidelines Saturday night and many of those kids will also have offers from Miami. The winner of the game will have an advantage in recruiting, as this game is meaningful for players in making their decision as they want to see that Miami can compete with the big boys and win big games on the road. Golden knows that and acknowledged that Tuesday afternoon.

“It’s important. It’s all important – the plan you have for each kids, what you’re offering him, the type of young man you’re recruiting, whether his values meet your values, and ultimately what’s happening on the field. It is important,” Golden said.

“It’s important for us in a lot of different respects, but none of that matters if you don’t prepare and keep your eyes focused on what we have to do every day. That will take care of itself, if we play well. That’s what we have to do. We have to play well, execute, play with poise, we need leaders to lead and we need to do the things in that game to be successful.”

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