The 2009 season officially comes to a close today regarding the Miami Hurricanes and either a 10-3 or 9-4 campaign. On paper, it’s a one-game swing, but in reality it’s all the difference in the world.
Winning or losing a bowl game; it sits with you all off-season. These Canes won’t take the field again for over eight months and you want something positive to build on, not dwell on.
Wisconsin is a quality Big Ten opponent with a matching 9-3 record. The Badgers need the win as much as the Canes, but it’s hard to believe this isn’t Miami’s time.
The Canes opened the season on a 3-1 tear when the consensus was a best case 2-2 scenario. Some went as far as to call for 0-4 and Randy Shannon fired by mid-season. Instead, wins over Florida State, eventual ACC champ Georgia Tech and an upset of then No. 8 Oklahoma. Sandwiched in between, a one-sided loss at Virginia Tech in the driving rain.
Miami had the ACC in reach the majority of the season, but stumbled against two conference foes; Clemson and North Carolina.
The Tigers took the Canes to the wire, stealing one in overtime while the Tar Heels nabbed their third straight against Miami. The common theme in both losses; turnovers.
All season the Canes have gone as far as Jacory Harris has taken them. When the sophomore quarterback is “on”, Miami has looked as good as anybody in the nation. All the early Heisman talk was indeed justified. Harris simply proved too green at times, showing he lacked the experience and poise needed year one of his run.
Against those two latter losses, Harris combined for seven interceptions, three returned for touchdowns and each more crucial than the last. The Clemson lost was easy to absorb as it proved to be a back and forth shootout, with the Tigers one play better that day. The loss at Chapel Hill was a bitter pill. Miami had 24 first downs to North Carolina’s 17 and 435 total yards to their 329. The difference in the contest was four turnovers to zero and the loss knocked the Canes from an at large BCS berth.
At 9-3 Miami looked to be Gator Bowl bound and slated for their first New Years bowl since the 2003 season, but sympathy for a retiring Bobby Bowden “earned” 6-6 Florida State an invite and sent Miami to Orlando.
ESPN recently ran Rakontur’s “30 For 30” documentary on “The U” and one has to assume these modern day Canes hunkered down in front of the TV as part of the 2.3 million folks who watched its debut.
The University of Miami wanted no part of the piece and didn’t allow current players or coaches to be interviewed, so there hasn’t been a write up mentioning what the ’09 Canes felt about Miami’s dominant run of yesteryear. Still, you have to believe these kids got a reminder regarding the legacy of this program. A little “Hurricanes: 101” shoved down their throat.
Safety Vaughn Telemaque recently called out Wisconsin quarterback Scott Tolzien, essentially challenging him to throw deep against the Canes. Telemaque hasn’t recorded an interception all year, but it didn’t stop him from speaking his mind.
The combination of a few frustrating losses, letting a BCS berth slip away, a Gator Bowl snub and some orange and green cockiness re-running every other day on ESPN, I expect a fired up group of Canes to take the field this evening. Miami will show up as healthy as they’ve been since game one and offensive coordinator Mark Whipple has had a month to game plan for a Wisconsin bunch that hardly boasts the best passing defense in the game.
The Badgers have a solid back in John Clay, who’s earned most of the bowl preview hype to date. Any talk of the Champs Sports Bowl and you’re reading about his 1,396 yards and 16 touchdowns. A solid campaign, though not one article mentioned he did it against lesser talent and struggled against the bigger boys on Wisky’s schedule; Ohio State, Iowa, etc.
Shunned in all of this, the Miami rushing defense as well as three capable Hurricane backs who have impressed all year.
Miami’s defense has allowed an average of 96 yards over the final seven games, as well as two rushing touchdowns over that duration. The Canes held opponents to 3.3-yards-per-carry during the past nine games and held an explosive Georgia Tech rushing attack to 95 yards on 39 carries.
Clay’s biggest efforts came against the likes of Minnesota, Michigan. Hawaii and Fresno State. Hardly Cane caliber defenses.
The lack of love for Miami backs Javarris James, Graig Cooper and Damien Berry is been surprising as each has had their share of big games and quality runs this season. James shone brightest on the main stage against Oklahoma, posting a hard-earned 150 yards and some big runs. Cooper had his 152-yard day against Virginia, but also ran solid against Georgia Tech, Clemson and South Florida.
Berry has been the surprise this season, showing he’s Miami’s toughest back while relegated to third string status. Berry shredded South Florida for 114 yards and had some tough, game changing runs against Wake Forest, Central Florida and Duke.
Combined, this trio has run for 1,744 yards and 17 touchdowns, better numbers than Clay yet the Badgers’ running game gets the hype.
Harris will need the time to operate today and whether he gets it or not, it’ll be the difference-maker. O’Brien Schofield and crew will attempt to wreak havoc. The question remains, how does Miami’s offensive line respond? Senior tackle Jason Fox is sidelined, which means the line up will be reshuffled and freshman Brandon Washington will again be called on as he did against South Florida.
If the Canes’ line comes to play and Harris’ nagging thumb injury doesn’t bog him down, it could be another pass happy day for Miami. Time for J12 to play smart football. Cut down on the turnovers and if the thumb is still hampering him, it’s on Whipple to devise a game plan with high percentage passing plays and shorter routes that won’t test Harris’ thumb.
Defensively the Canes need to contain and pressure Tolzien, which can be easier said than done – not just because the junior quarterback can play, but because Miami has a way of making average passers look spectacular. Look no further than Clemson’s Kyle Parker and North Carolina’s T.J. Yates as prime examples. The Canes couldn’t rattle either and both made big plays in upsets of Miami.
The Badgers also sport a pair of quality tight ends in Garrett Graham and Lance Kendricks. Miami needs to protect the middle of the field a the Canes have oft been damaged by tight ends in recent memory. (Visions of Virginia running the same play to their tight end three times in a row in the Orange Bowl finale… absolutely disheartening.)
The combination of four weeks to prepare, time to get healthy, the goal of a ten-win season and a chip on their shoulder due to a bigger bowl snub – it’ll be the difference for Miami. As cliche as it might be to say one team wants or needs a win more, that is indeed the case here. The Canes are as close to home as you can be for the holidays, with Orlando just short car ride away. Miami fans will be in full force and weather-wise, it’ll be home game environment.
2009 was the year the Canes were looking to break out, but fell a little short. 9-3 is vast improvement over 7-6 (2008) or 5-7 (2007), but Miami didn’t win the ACC or reach a BCS game, so all goals weren’t met. 2010 now becomes the year UM takes that giant leap forward.
A top ten preseason ranking is online the line, a slew of recruits will be watching and a healthy bunch of Canes is driven to get that fifth win. Simply put, Wisky is getting “The U” at the wrong time and is going down. Tune in at 7pm ET on ESPN to see it live.
The Call: Miami 31, Wisconsin 17
LET'S GO CANES!!! I think if we win this game we'll start in the top 10 next year which would be huge.
I also heard that the canes will be wearing the all white pro nike combat jerseys again tonight.
Finally an awesome game preview. been following you all season but first time commenting. i love allcanes and once again you hit another home run with this article. i agree with you 1000 percent. we are ripe for a break out bowl game with a shot at a huge run next year. how could these kids not be fired up after everything from our gator bowl snub to the "U". best 30 for 30 ever easily. send a couple of future nflers on a good note and leave me smug for our 8 months til next tear. everyone loves the big 10 and hates miami especially around here!!!
Envy the past fear the future!!
31 10 Canes
Awesome write up, but i think ya might want to spend some time proof reading your stuff. A few too many errors.
Appreciated…. eyes are fried. Did this write up first thing after my four-week old kept me up all night.
(Yes, I'm gonna milk this kid thing for a while.)
If you can point out the typos, it'd be appreciated.
I'm a Canes fan but I think you should try to make your facts a bit more fair.
>"Combined, this trio has run for 1,744 yards and 17 touchdowns, better numbers than Clay yet the Badgers' running game gets the hype."
You are comparing our top 3 RBs versus one of theirs, and question why their running game gets the hype? Their top 2 RBs have better numbers than our top 3, add their 3rd and it isn't close.
We made no plays aside from the first play of the game. Nobody on either side of the ball has done a goddamn thing tonight. The Wisconsin QB had a perfect view directly in front all night and just threw to the TE's all night. Pathetic. What a shitty way to end a up-to-this-point good season. In my mind, it kind of ruins the whole vibe for 2009 as far as momentum. We didn't even put up a fight. How do you lose to Wisconsin? We looked like we just expected to roll our helmets out there and Wisconsin would give up. I hope every player on this team remembers this game all off-season. Now we have to live with this for eight months. We obviously need more difference makers on both sides of the ball.
-Columbus Cane
That was one of the most pathetic displays of football I've seen from Miami in the last few years. How many times can Jacory get hit before he slaps his linemen in the helmet and speaks his mind. Not only that, but how many times can our defense stand still and wait for the play to happen before making a move. Wisconsin should have just had a TE run to the center of the field every play, then the final score would be 48-14. I really look forward to your thoughts on the game and how disgusted you are at all of this. I live in the heart of Big Ten nation and have to see 50 statuses on my Facebook that say…Its all about the (double) U. I'm so pissed right now. Lots of people will be calling for Shannons head but i put no blame on him at all.
I am in agreement with the above two. I would have been merely disappointed with a hard-fought, close loss–this show was embarrassing.
What's more frustrating is that the defense actually played a decent game…they bent but didn't break, forced two turnovers, and kept us in the game. Given the absurd disparity in T.O.P (20:45 to 39:15) our D put up a valiant fight. They were exhausted, and 20 pts to a 9-3 team isn't bad.
I'd say 80% of this loss is on the same group that has limited this team for the past 5 years: the O-Line. I haven't seen line play this sh*tty since the Kyle Wright years.
We could have Jim Brown, Dan Marino and Jerry Rice out there, I don't care. When your QB gets mauled (or is in fear of being mauled) every other play, you will lose. Granted, JH had a bad game, but was lucky to get out of there without permanent injuries, and the 5 guys up front did NOTHING to help. They looked like a JV team, missing assignments, and looking like fools. Don't they practice? Are we that inept? I can't remember ever losing like this to a Big-10 team.
The other 20%, imo, falls on Whipple. Though he is a breath of fresh air on the heels of Nix, his decisions perplex me of late. Here you have a soph. QB with numerous injuries, STRUGGLING, running for his life every down, and what do we do? Bomb. Bomb. 7 step drops. Shotgun. Long-ass plays that don't help the situation at all. He calls plays like it's Elway behind center.
I'm no football guru, but it is often said that successful offenses take what the defense gives them. Where were the screen plays? The quick slants? THE RUNNING GAME? TAKE THE BURDEN OFF JH by trying to establish a running game. Seriously, our backs had a combined 13 carries. That sucks.
But no, Whipple seems intent on forcing the issue, calling long passes again and again and again. I almost feel like he has an ego, he seems so stubborn in his calling. Case in point, the VERY FIRST screen pass we called was the last TD drive with 1:30 left or so. Too little too late.
Great promise to the year, but very deflating. Suddenly, instead of feeling like this team is on the rise, I just don't know anymore. Apologies for the rant, but I had to get it out.
These are the type of games that make you feel like you have no hope in this team..yeah allcanes you can go ahead and say 7 wins are better than 5 and 9 is better than last season.You would think that the show the U would give some inspiration and fire to kick pissconsins teeth….but no..i come home from a hard-assed days work only to see my team get their ass kicked it breaks my heart to see this team lose unnecessary games..no excuses in my opinion..NO MORE EXCUSES!!!!!
Unlike Canesfan24, I put the blame squarely on Shannon. What I see is a team with no leadership and no direction when the going gets tough.
This is college football, not the pros and the headcoach is the team. I saw similar mistakes to last year albeit less as in shitty clock management, lousy play calls on both sides of the field, etc. But what I didn't see was a team motivated to win. It reminds me of the Peach Bowl against LSU where the Canes didn't show up because it wasn't the game they were supposed to be at.
It truly was a pathetic display of football. I am very disappointed. It is just the exclamation point on a horrible year overall (besides college football) I guess.
Aside from the opening kick-off/drive and a nice catch by Hankerson – Terrible game tonight. The O line didn't get it done at all…. Hell the offense didn't get it done as a whole. J12 was getting grabbed as soon has he dropped back completely. The defense played well (except giving up the 3rd and some pass to the TE what seemed like every…. 3rd down). We had our chances (forced fumble, INT, penalties going our way, and a recovered ONSIDE KICK), folks. We just didn't capitalize. Sucks to dwell on this loss for the next 8 months. I'm still proud of the season we had – much improved, but like Chris has said numerous times, we're not quite "back" yet. Good season, boys!
-Jonathan
Completely embarrassing performance tonight. No offensive line help for Jacory and the Wisconsin D made our offense look like a bunch of grade school kids. Just looked Confused and the OLine was leaving Jacory out to get killed. The D was put in a terrible situation with being out there the entire freakin game, I say they did a good job with what was handed to them, but it did piss me off to see Wisconsin run the same dumb ass tight end shit every time they passed and and that fat ass, out of shape, piece of shit running back take the ball time after time and be successful. WTF, that offense isn't hard to figure out, It came down to that Wisconsin Oline mauling our d line. Even the tight ends were man handling Phillips out there. This team still needs some players and they have a long way to go but if you look at the entire season as a whole it has much improved from the year before. I will always stand behind this team through the bad and the good. It is time to get over this embarrassing loss and look forward to reeling in some good recruits. Go CANES!
Am just so damned sick of this mind-numbing mediocrity. I cannot watch this garbage anymore and I won't watch it again. Call me in four years or so if we get a real coach. This one, like the last one, doesn't believe you need an OL. That's worked out well, hasn't it? God, this program just SUCKS.
We got out played in all phases of the game….Wisconsin was the better team. I can't understand why we are getting out schemed. We invented the TE catching passes and yet our LB cant cover it. 6'6"TE vs 5' 11DB or 6'0" LB I'm going to take the TE all day everyday. Why keep J12 in the pocket, why not roll him out and catch the TE or FB in routes underneath. Since Jacory hurt his hand his passes have been off I don't understand why not put out some 4 or 5 wide sets, force them to react, I just feel that a bad game overall.
While I would have love to finish 10-3, I'll settle for the 9-4 from a team that shows promise. However next year the offensive line play must get better we'll be a year older and if the issues can be corrected we should be in good shape for a nice run. I'm not sold on us winning the national championship next year, for that we have to be perfect and have a good schedule it does not set up right now that way.
I just knew something like this would happen after hearing all week about the canes feeling "comfortable" with the game being in orlando and being thrown free trips to disney, universal studios and $420 Best Buy coupons.
I agree with you all when you say the Offensive line didn't play well tonight (and I'm sorry Mr. Fox had to watch that from the sideline. It had to be very disheartening watching that and knowing he could have made a difference) With that said, that offensive line was the same line that helped us beat OU, GT, FSU, WF,USF…..your supposed to play your best ball at the end of the year or at least show some signs of getting better.
The bottom line is….the team that showed up versus USF at the end of the regular season wasn't the same team that showed up earlier tonight. The coaching staff deserves most of the blame for that because they are responsible to have our kids ready to play ball and my god they had 1 month to prepare!
My wishes for 2010: FINISH and CONSISTENCY!
"Wisconsin defeats Miami" WHAT!?
I have said before that there were games where it seemed that the 'Canes were boys playing against men. This is another example of that.
The OL is terrible. The ONLY good thing is that Jacory Harris has some down time to heal. They need to get him in the weight room if they're going to let him get pounded like that.
When you look at the Crimson Tide and the beating they put on UF, you know Nick Saban has made amazing progress in a very short time. Then you look at the 'Canes and you have to ask yourself if anything is really changing.
I put this all on the coaching staff. When Howard Schnellenberger became the coach at Miami. Which, by the way, was a joke in college football. He said that he was going to win a championship. He told players that he was recruiting, that they were going to win a championship. That's while they were there at UM, not sometime years from now.
When I see the performance that Miami gave, it made me sick! There was a time when the U was feared!
Where is this program going? I'm just not getting it.
Keep drinking the Shannon Koolaid Canes. It must take the heart and desire out of a football team. What a lackluster performance, it seemed they didn't have their SWAGGER.Opps,I forgot their swagger has been gone for years.
A very lackluster performance to be sure. An O-Line who decided to not even show up, a clueless juvenile at quaterback who didn't even have a chance to breathe, a defense that looked like it's playbook was from pop-warner… and we had over a MONTH to prepare.
That to me lands squarely on the coaching staff. No, I'm not one of those Shannon haters, but how else can you explain our complete and utter failure? We looked rusty, scared, unprepared, and downright bad. There was no focus. Yes, we are young… but this was a winnable game. There's no way the Big 11 is that good.
So much for this allCanes prediction.
I waited until today to write as I think it takes a day or so to get beyond the frustration of a loss.
On a positive note , our trend has been more wins each season and make no mistake about it Wisconsin is a well balanced team.
I thought two other positives were special teams and to some extent defense( they were on the field alot and never gave up).
The obvious negatives were O line which was totally dominated in both run and pass protection and cost us the game. There is size and there is skill. We have O line size. I've been unsure about our O line coaching for several years now and believe this is a key area we need to evaluate in the off season. I don't beleive its a size or streng
th and conditioning issue , its a Oline coaching issue.
J12 really never had a chance last night . He has tremendous upside.
ALLCANES,congrats on the baby. I would like to hear your thoughts specifically on the Oline as it appears thats what really cost us a chance at winning last night.
Randy shannon is horrible and harris is way overrated did you see the look on harris face on the sideline he looked lost…i am very disapointed and this team always loses to teams we should beat they were not ready to play last night
Any word on Cooper's injury? The field had a huge impact on the game. Our athlete's looked like they were afraid to run for fear of injury, i.e. Cooper.
Just horrible. For a month I forgot how much Lovett sucked and how incompetent RS is as a head coach. That dose of reality came back before the 10 minute mark in the first quarter. I know you'll defend RS and crew. "It's year 3 and the wins are coming." That's cool. You want to keep drinking the kool aid, fine. What I see is the team that started the season, regressed. I see a D coordinator that the next time makes an adjustment, will be his first. I see a head coach pwned game after game. I see a group of kids brimming with talent but with little direction. Baby James? Guy has had no business getting carries the last half of the season. To still keep Berry as the #3 at this point is absurd. I appreciate James' career, but I thought the U was about talent and earning your place on the team. And at this point, Berry is the #1 back. Cooper, because of his explosiveness is #2, and maybe, J James is #3, though that is up for debate. Frustrating. I am glad that the reing of Error of McCarthy and R Phillips is over. These 2 were the captains of the defense? Good lord. McCarthy is a volume tackler who is never in good position and R Phillips, he should be thankful that Shields is also in the secondary, so his mistakes aren't as noticed. Looking forward to Bailey and/or Harris being the leaders next season. Then again, after they beat OSU and Pitt, I'm sure RS will stumble against NC State or Maryland, so maybe I'm not looking forward to next season afterall:(
So for last nights debacle, Offense gets an F, Defense gets an incomplete for not even showing up and ST gets a B+ for actually looking competent. Oh, and RS and crew get an F. Games like yesterday give me the cold water in the face that I need to not have too many expectations for a U going forward.
Both our lines need to step up. They are the key to all programs, and have not been getting it done. Jacory did not play well at all, but he also was getting big time pressure. No running game at all because no holes were opened up.
On defense, we had to blitz to get any kind of pressure. Every rush by our d-lineman, the Wisconsin guys just guided them outside and the QB had an unobstructed view all night to find a wide open TE who nobody bothered to cover. How many times was the TE cathing the ball with nobody within 10 yards of him? At least 4 times. Missed assignments between LB's and DB's were all over the place. We should not have to bring extra players to get pressure on the QB. We just let ourselves be blocked and did nothing about it. Very disheartening for me to watch. Wisconsin seemed to want it more.
I am also 100% behind Shannon as a coach. What I will say is that he needs to start being more vocal during games. I get the CEO approach and letting guys do their jobs, but we need some emotion from the sidelines and at times. The stoic-ness is good at times to help calm the team in times of pressure, but they also need some fire under their asses at times too.
-Columbus Cane
A crushing loss. This was a complete beatdown.
As for our season as a whole, I'm not really proud of it. A number of our wins were overrated in hindsight and the fact that we are not dominating this very average conference is pathetic.
I'd like to start seeing some serious heat applied to Shannon.
Interesting that so many anonymous posters call this a Shannon failure. Two questions for you–actually three:
1. What should be done differently?
2. Who should do it?
3. How long should it take?
Serious questions, folks.
Don't know all the details, but Graig Cooper's knee injury is bad enough that he could miss all of next season. Sounds like ACL to me.
I'm a Canes fan but I think you should try to make your facts a bit more fair.
>"Combined, this trio has run for 1,744 yards and 17 touchdowns, better numbers than Clay yet the Badgers' running game gets the hype."
You are comparing our top 3 RBs versus one of theirs, and question why their running game gets the hype? Their top 2 RBs have better numbers than our top 3, add their 3rd and it isn't close.
Well put. I was simply trying to state that Miami has some quality backs, as well and I was surprised there wasn't more talk about them.
The lack of a running game last night was on the awful offensive line play, not because Miami has inferior backs.
Conversely, John Clay looks like a decent enough back, but he's no world beater. Miami got whipped in the trenches and his line gave him the running lanes he needed to get some yards.
Jahvid Best impressed me in last year's bowl game, running all over Miami. I didn't feel Clay was that dominant as much as both of Wisconsin's lines absolutely owned Miami.
In regards to Eric:
1) New coaching staff. If Whipple wants to stay, fine. Otherwise, everyone, gone. This is a staff that didn't overcome the problems(injuries) they faced.
2) A coach with a vision. RS was a good d coordinator. But let's not delude ourselves. He had tremendous talent to work with and basically didn't try to fix that which wasn't broke. His teams NEVER made adjustments. And that worked for him because eventually the talents of Wilfork, Williams, Vilma, Morgan, Beason, Reed, Buchanon, Joseph, Taylor, etc took over.
Hell, I wouldn't mind a Leach. RS was the easy hire. RS isn't devoid of talents. He's a great recruiter, disciplinarian, etc. But his game management sucks and more often than not, against equal or greater talent, he wilts and thus, the team wilts.
3) 2010. The talent is in place. But I fear RS will not fully cultivate it. And when I say 2010, I'm not saying NC or bust. But I am saying ACC championship and being in the BCS picture.
I find it amazing how other teams seem to find easy ways to defeat our defense, while we struggle to find a scheme and adjust on offense. I wonder why it seems so difficult for us. I don't think talent is the issue anymore (aside from the OLine), so it falls on coaching.
I am a Shannon supporter, and I want nothing more than to see him succeed, but I am thinking more and more that there is a problem with the coaching and/or schemes. No adjustments for the D to cover the TE, no adjustments for the Offense to offset the Wisconsin pressure. Where were the designed rollouts?
And I agree w a previous post that our team seemed completely unmotivated. Why is that? These issues invariably fall on coaches.
I also agree with an observation by a previous post: Why was Berry, clearly the best back the last 6 games, still 3rd string? He saw ONE carry in the first half. Despite all the talk from Shannon concerning competition and reward based on merit, there are times when I feel he gives the seniors the benefit of the doubt. (JJ should not be playing ahead of Berry at this point in the season)
But I digress to my original post… This team's success rides on the OLine. Lack of competency in this area has a cascading effect on the rest of team, as the D gets less rest, and fatigue sets in. It's been the story for 5 years now.
A friend of mine says it best: We are the University of F*ing Miami. We should have Offensive linemen that eat glass, and have a nasty mean streak.
This group seems tame and unmotivated.
I read on cnnsi.com earlier that Whipple interviewed for the UC job. What we need here is some stability with the coaching staff. Whipple has been here just a season and is already looking to jump for HC gig? Each time we replace a coordinator, we're pretty much starting from scratch with plays and terminology. That hurts the whole program. I think we really need to look at who wants to be here and be invested in the program at least for a few years (3+).
-Columbus Cane
Last night's game was complete BullS**t! I am very disappointed in last night's bowl game! I was at the bar watching the game and told the bartender on every touchdown that Miami makes, I'm gonna take a shot. Dammit, I was still sober! The O-line just flat out sucked! I was going to give them a little bit of credit when we played against South Florida but it seemed like they just laid down and let the Dbacks manhandle them. The play calling was questionable as well. Also, where was Travis Benjamin and Aldarius Johnson all night? I didn't even see them on the field! Those are our biggest playmakers! Why was Mike James taking kick off returns? Where was Benjamin? Where was our best running back, D. Berry? There wasn't that many impact players on the field! The Defense wasn't that bad last night but we was getting tortured in the middle of the field! Where the f**k was our middle linebackers? Wisconsin is known to be a running team because of John Clay but we gave up alot of yards in the air! Ohhhh… Randy! I really hope that you know what you are doing because last night was horrible! It seems to me that Randy was paid to lose this game! He did NOT utilize our talent last night! It makes me wonder if Randy Shannon is the right man for the job! I'm trying to stay positive but if he continues to make stupid play calls and don't use our impact players on the team, maybe he needs to step down. In my opinion, it's hard to have optimism for next year because of what was displayed this season. Well, we will have another mediocre season again next year starting with a lost from Ohio State!
As well as the defense played, I think that they were actually better last year. Look at the game against UF. If I remember right, it was 9 to 3 at the half with Florida leading. As loaded as the Gators were, Miami's D was incredible. During the first half at least. Even sacking Tebow at times. Of course the offense couldn't do anything, so in the second half UF started rolling. A defense as we all know gets tired and they were living on the field.
The point is this, the offense may have improved a little, but there seems to be a decline in the defense. As well as they did last night, I think they were better last year. Miami's got to get more size on both the offensive and defensive lines, without giving up speed. There's plenty of players like that. We faced them every week.
ESPN News is reporting that Cooper may miss the entire 2010 season with a knee injury. I pray that they are wrong. Get well soon, Coop.
-Columbus Cane
I was at the game last
Nt 3 rows back on the
45 yard line.. You could
Have heard a pin drop on
their sidelines. What a crock
of shit… Berry was the only
leader to step up and try
to get the boys fired up.
Spongebob?? Wtf.. They
need to see what a caged tiger
Looks like that gets fed a lamb.
Watch braveheart or something..
This can't cont to go on..
It was more dishearting more
Than anything last. The only
Time the sideline was pumped was the first
Play and the TD and the onside
Kick. Good job spec teams. You
Played good last nt.. JH showed
No leadership last nt. He was down the
Sidelines for most of the game
I'm sorry but if u are a leader on the
Team there is a time to step
Up and turn the team around
Sophmores.. Yes but leaders are
Leaders.. And I only saw one
Moment of leadership last nt. Berry
Trying to get the boys pumped.
I will never doubt out boys
But damm.. Bad nt.. Let's go canes
And please get it together.
Sad night for the Canes. I was there with my 7 year-old boy. Here are my take-aways
QB Play – Very poor and very "Off" the entire night. I know the line play was bad, but from the very start Harris played tentative at best.
D-Line – After a good openning series there was no pressure. When will we have another Sapp or Cortez?? This is a key reason our defenses have struggled for the last several years. I remember when an opposing QB would take 2 steps back and be crushed by the Sapps and Kennedy's.
Coaching – No adjustments. This goes back to when RS was the d-Cordinator. I remember VA running the same TE plays in the 3rd quarter that were killing us in the 1st quarter during the OB finale. RS 1 bright spot is that he has improved every year so i just have to hope that continues. His post-game press conf answers made it sound as if we were in it the entire game and I never heard him take any credit for the team's play, just blaming kids for bad passes and blown coverages. All the talk of 10 wins going into next year showed we were not perpaired.
Citrus Bowl Stadium – (F-) That is a hole in the earth. I don't want carnival food at a football game??!! I want a classic freaking hotdog in that foil not a corn dog on a paper plate to make spilling the fries so much easier! How about a field that doesn't kill our best RB??!! I would say that a win would have left a better feeling, but I was not impressed from my first step into that dump.
Badger Fans (in my experience)- 2 thumbs up. They were all very nice and seemed like decent fans.
Overall – hats off to Wisconsin for coming ready to play and focused on the task at hand. Maybe it was cold, but our Canes just did not seem ready to play so the majority of this loss goes to a rattled JH and our coaches for not making the adjustments. Never more clear than in our final drive and chance at pulling out the win.
Sorry, Anon, but thinking a new coach–ANY new coach–can get into the BCS in 2010 is delusional. A new coach would re-start the five-year cycle.
Maybe they were cold because they were playing in their underwear? Oh wait, those were those horrible new uniforms. Never mind.