North Carolina 28, Miami 24…

Miami had this one. 14-0 after one. 17-7 at the half. 24-14 with just under ten minutes remaining.

In what looked to be a great start regarding ACC play, the Canes crapped the bed in the final minutes, allowing some big plays from the Heels and surrendering 14 points in the final quarter.

Miami’s defense folded late while the oft-criticized offensive playcalling again went conservative and reactive, instead of assertive and confident.

Butch Davis again outcoached Randy Shannon, rallying his troops late and keeping the score close late. This marks the second straight week a back up quarterback outsmarted Bill Young and his defense.

Patrick Nix began his attempt at running out the clock with 9:00 left on the game clock. Over the next two drives, six of eight play calls were handoffs to Graig Cooper. Not once did he test North Carolina’s defense, choosing the conservative route and relying on ball control.

Robert Marve provided some fireworks – right down to a potential game-winning pass that Kanye Farquharson couldn’t snag in the final seconds. Marve finished 18 of 27 with three touchdowns and two interceptions, the final one coming on the last play of the game.

Marve hit the ground running, throwing for two first quarter touchdowns before Shannon and staff gave way to Jacory Harris in the second quarter. Harris again looked shaky out the gate, pulled it together, finished 4 of 6 on the day – but in no way did the true freshman show the poise of #9. Marve didn’t regain his mojo until early in the fourth quarter, which is precisely when the Canes defense fell into a lull and was a non-factor for the duration of the game.

Who’d have though Young’s defense’s best outing would’ve been in Gainesville three week ago?

Kudos to UNC for weathering the storm and stealing a win behind the arm of a junior quarterback who attempted one pass in 2007 and was 3 for 8 with two interceptions in a loss against Virginia Tech last week. After blowing a 17-3 lead against the Hokies, the Heels rallied from the same deficit to spring a comeback against the Canes in what many predicted would be a defensive battle.

It’s back to the drawing board for Shannon and staff. Nix is going to hear it – deservedly – for his conservative playcalling, while Young’s defense is now responsible for back-to-back, late game collapses.

A young Miami team was expected to have its share of rookie mistakes this season.

To have so many occur in a ‘redemption’ game at home with a late 24-14 lead – it’s simply unacceptable.

Comments

comments

26 thoughts on “North Carolina 28, Miami 24…

  1. Positives: Robert Marve is the real deal…he has all the tools to be a good college QB. Great to see that! I think the overall talent of the team is much improved.

    Negatives: The team just isn’t mature yet physically/mentally to compete against teams filled with juniors and seniors.

    This loss falls not one singular person/coordinator. I don’t understand how Bill Young can decide to keep blitzing play, after play, after play, and not expect to get beat deep on at least a few plays a game. That’s Bill Young and Coach Shannon needs to step in and tell Young he can’t rely on the blitz schemes 100% of the time.

  2. what’s up chris, my name is brian, I’ve been reading your blogs since last year dude, keep up the good work.

    that said, this game leaves me so clueless, I might as well be a 18 year old blonde who doesn’t know which outfit to wear to school. I am completely dumbfounded by what I saw the last 2 quarters of this game.

    inserting jacory Harris in the second quarter is beyond reality, and I’ve yet to understand why the hell he enters when marve is on a roll and getting into his groove. he throws 2 tds And we yank his ass? unacceptable.

    the playcalling once again, the color of vanilla was oozing on almost every play. UNC read us as if they had our actual playbook. our coatches were clearly outcoached
    once again and this one really hurt.

    I can’t even stomach the fact that with under a minute to play we finally started to see throws down the field.

    w/e the only thing that makes me happy right now is that the turds lost.

  3. Unfortunately, i think we are beginning to see a pattern. We aren’t finishing games and thats gonna hit us where it hurts. With games to go against FSU, GT, VT and Wake we could end up having some major problems. I’m hoping that with FSU well be able to win solely on the premise that they dont have a capable QB in the backfield but the rest of those games scare the hell out of me.

    I dont want to say it, but is there a feeling of dejavu with anyone else? I mean all this looks eerily similar. A nice win against a sub div opponent, a somewhat lopsided loss against a top ranked out of conference opponent, then a big win over a declining aTm, then a heart breaking loss to the Tar Heels. I know we have a better team this yr, but still, all this seems so damn familiar.

    Dont get me wrong, im by NO means throwing in the towel, however, with the youth we have on this team and the inability to win conference games at home(dating back to last season), im afraid this season could go south really quick. These guys HAVE to respond in a BIG way next weekend. The game against FSU was already circled, but now, i feel the rest of the season rides on that game.

  4. Can some one please let Randy Shannon know that every time he brings Harris in the game early, it totally destroys our offensive rythymn. Man that game was horrible, I am so tired of losing games like this!! I need some heart medication!!

  5. ” the oft-criticized offensive playcalling again went conservative and reactive”

    Indeed.

    The offensive play calling sucked.

    What was the reasoning behind running Cooper up the middle 3 straight times with 4 minutes remaining in the game?

  6. Its sad that such a talent-rich offense has such a terrible coach. Patrick Nix really doesn’t belong at the U. I’ll support him for the rest of the season, but I really hope Randy axes him unless things drastically turn around. I feel bad for the players who are being held back by this totally unqualified coordinator.

  7. this was a fantastic game with a few, playcalling issues offensively and defensively, this a very good young team and when we went down 28-24 w/ 46 sec left the offense showed some heart even a pass in the endzone that should of been caught. now nix is at it again with the conservative playcalling the drive before that on third and long knowing unc has one more time out why not play action or something other than run up the middle. and lets not get started on why in the world jacory was put in when marve was hot that just blew my mind and jacory really struggled. man a up and down game, and what looks like a great team in the making

  8. IMO game changer was when Marve was taken out in the first half for Harris to come in. To me they didnt seem the same the rest of the game..

  9. Nix should be fired. This guy does not belong at the U. Next, Shannon obviously has something going on with Jacory – he had to have promised him playing time. There was no reason (other than that) to put him in the game. This is garbage!

  10. I too have been reading your blog for about a year and commend you job. Keep up the good work.

    Likewise, what a disappointing loss. I try not to be too critical of any faucet of the game, but I can’t help but to question the offensive play calling. Open it up, Nix!

    We started out hot, that was great to see, and I don’t mind getting Jacory in there for a series. It just seemed as if we let off the gas at that point.

    Disappointing.

  11. Robert Marve is going to be a special QB. That's my good news from the game. Everyone today in the crowd was awed by him: After three years of Kyle Wright it felt so good to see our QB make plays in front of our eyes and keep broken plays alive.

    The bad news is now we've lost 4 straight home games in the ACC and are 1-7 in our last 8 league games. So much for storming the league.

    I continue to believe that the Cokerized players don't get Shannon's message. Our secondary is the most experienced part of the team and also the least capable right now. Texas A&M with a backup QB did plenty of damage against us as did UNC with a third string QB.

    Looking at the schedule I really believe bowl eligibility has to be the goal. We're not going to win the ACC by any stretch of the imagination. We have to win 4 to be bowl eligible. Right now I see two certain wins, UCF and UVa, and three toss up games, Duke, NC State and Ga Tech. We need to win two of those three if we don't steal a game against FSU, Wake or VT all of whom have been exposed this year but are still far better than we are athletically and mentally.

    When Shannon has recruited the entire team they will play differently, but while we have Coker's players expect to be fighting to be 6-6 every year. They are mentally weak, as we have known for many seasons now.

  12. We took a major step backwards this game and the heat is back on Nix. I understood keeping it simple in the swamp with a green qb so i withheld judgment. And then at TAMU he let the offense run wide open and it paid off in a big way. And then today, he regressed to really short passes and lots of runs. I really don’t understand the logic in that and neither do any of other canes fans.

    I don’t think you need to baby Marve anymore, I think he’s proved that he has the poise and the ability to handle the game. He’s the real deal, and he proved it with that final drive. Farquarhson should have caught the game winner with 0 seconds left on the clock. Marve found holes in a defense whose only goal was to keep the ball out of the end zone.

    Also, I question putting Jacory in when they do. I understand they’re trying to build depth but when you’ve got someone with a hot hand, keep him going. Don’t fix it if ain’t broke. Perhaps they’re trying to keep Jacory happy, I hear rumors that he may transfer. I hope not, I think Jacory has bought into our team and what Shannon is doing. But he seems like the type of guy who is willing to sit behind Marve if the coaches think Marve gives us the best chance to win.

    This loss scares me not just because we lost to a middle of hte road team with a back up qb, but also because I wonder how our young team will bounce back from a tough loss after getting so much good press about nasty defense and a rapidly maturing young offense.

    And now we have to be ready for FSU. They don’t seem to be clicking on all cylinders but they’re a lot like us, they’re a reputable program thats down, but still has ridiculous athletes all over the place, so they’re dangerous. And given the magnitude of the rivalry, who knows how things will shake out.

    Let’s just hope Randy lays down the law this week (with the coaches and the players) and has everything (Nix) straightened out for the rest of the season. GO CANES!

  13. Tough loss like that — being out-coached. I’m a big RS supporter, but he’s gotta grab Nix’s ear and make sure the offensive play-calling opens up and is more aggressive. We’ve got the tools, those were impressive today: the O-line opened up some nice holes and Coop took advantage of them. Marve showed a great deal of poise and kept his head on a swivel, though admittedly he made some young mistakes. Aldarius Johnson is going to be a great reliable receiver. For a true freshman, he’s got great talent in staying in bounds and knowing exactly where the first down is.

    I’m hoping this game will get shaken out with some experience, but the conservative playcalling worries me to say the least.

  14. HOW MANY GAMES DID U GUY SEXPECT TO WIN? This is weird im reading kill Randy, kill Nix, kill kill. No one expected us to go undefeated. Yes today was a tough loss but there is no doubt the team is better. The scouting is better . The talent is better and thats with one recruiting class. I love reading the blogs, we all are passionate but u guys have to chill let it take its course.

  15. WOW im lost why do we keep bringing up Jacory Harris taking away from Marve, killing his momentum. Last i checked even in Florida game Jacory came in and pu tpoints on the board 1 drive 3 of the 24 points we scored. Marve plays 95% of the time, we are not scoring 100 points are we? Oh, my bad its Jacory FAULT FOR TAKING HIM OUT HIS GROOVE..ARE U SERIOUS!!!!!

    College football is about debt, turnover,
    Marve may not be here in 2 or 3 years now what u guys rather that be the first time we see Jacory? Jacory comes in and puts points on the board we have two capable qb’s you all are fooling your self and second guessing everything. Life’s not perfect at the U but its getting there. I guess u rather see the back up come in and jsut hand the ball off because he has no experince.

  16. Although I am still feeling the pain of yesterdays loss, I am not ready to call for a doom and gloom 2 win season like some Cane fans out there. This season is not over, we are still in good shape for now!! Wins over FSU, UCF and Duke would put us at 5-2 heading into homecoming weekend against Wake Forrest, who suddenly doesn’t look so tough after yesterdays loss to Navy!! Anyways, my point is that this is part of the process, we need to know how this team responds to adversity!! After the Florida loss, we resonded by beating the Aggies down. There is no reason to believe that we won’t respond to this loss in the same way!! I was the first to call this the same old Miami team yesterday, but I was wrong!! Give this team the opportunity to prove what they can do, before we call them Coker Canes (at some point we have to stop using Larry Coker as an excuse)!!

    On a side note, I agree with the anonymous blogger earlier that said Randy Shannon and Jacory Harris have something going on!! I think I saw them walking hand in hand on South Beach under the moonlight the other day!! Just kidding!!

  17. I think the issues, quite simply, is conditioning. The team wasn’t terribly coached (could’ve opened up earlier, though). The problem is that we used to own the 4th quarter because the other teams had nothing left and we were just getting started. Our guyslooked tired at the end. If I’m an opposing coach, all I have to tell my team is “Hang in there; they’ll be tired with 9 minutes left in the game and we’ll take them then.”

    As far as Jacory is concerned, I suspect RS is trying to keep him from transfering. He knows the kid can start just about anywhere and is trying to keep him involved so he doesn’t leave. I’m torn because Jacory plays well, but he does disrupt our rhythm (or at least the rhythm we fans perceive).

  18. HARRIS WAS BEAT OUT SO HE SHOULD ONLY COME IN WHEN THE GAME IS IN HAND BUT NOT TO JUST HAND OFF.WHEN THEY PULL MARE WE LEAVE PONITS ON THE FIELD THOSE POINTS CAME BACK TO HAUNT US IN THE END. IF SHANNON KEEPS THIS UP WE WILL BE LUCKY TO WIN 5 OR 6 GAMES AND MARVE MIGHT TRANSFER.HES TOO GOOD TO SIT ON THE SIDE LINES FOR ALMOST A QUARTER A GAME. Marve CLEARLY on a diff level than Jaboring Harris

  19. THIS SEASON VS D1 TEAMS WE HAVE BEEN OUT SCORED 7-37 IN THE 4thQ.
    WHAT IS GOING ON? THATS WHAT WE DID BEST!!!

  20. So many things to comment about on this game. I hate hearing the announcers talk about how Miami’s swagger is back, then watching a poor defense and terrible offensive play calling ruin Miami’s chances at a great comeback season. I realize Jacory Harris has a ton of potential and skill when he has the football but why take the momentum away from a redshirt freshman who is starting to make a name for himself. Kirk Herbstreit even picked Marve as his game-changing performer of the week! A redshirt freshman QB who got his first career start 3 weeks ago against a (then) #5 team in the nation! Much of Miami’s problems are just lack of experience and some of these players just being young kids who are still learning, and that is something we all expected this season. There is much more confidence and passion in this 2008 team, though. Over the next few seasons, the NCAA better watch out! Cause these very talented freshman and sophomores are going to just get better and better. And last but not least, I’m disappointed in the lack of support from the many Miami Hurricane fans around the country. We have a new home in Dolphin Stadium, (which can never replace our true home), and it’s embarrassing to see the number of empty seats on Saturdays. Imagine if that stadium was full! Imagine 76,000 Canes fans holding up the U! Nobody would be able to come into our house and take a win from us. But I know one thing…one more seat will be filled this Saturday and Nov. 13th when I fly 1500 miles to see the U kick some Seminole and Hokie ass! Go Canes!

  21. I do agree that Harris should no longer be entering games in the first half. It does effect the team.

    However i dont believe this game was lost because of Nix and here is why Nix ran on two “3rd and long” situations early in the fourth for loses. When Nix did allow Marve to throw on a “3rd and 12” Marve threw one of his 2 interceptions. So lighten up on Nix the proof is in the numbers.
    How can you be mad at a second down run? when coop breaks a big run on 2nd down it’s a great call but when he’s stuffed it’s took conservative?

    Marve is a great player and will be fine in the end. But he’s not there yet and this coaching staff knows what their doing. It’s really our DBs who have let the team down. You can blitz all day long but at some point DBs have to cover someone. The blitz wont work everytime i dont care if your sending Lawerence Taylor.

    yes this loss sucked and yes we had the lead until the last:46s but put the blame with it belonged on the DBs.

    Lastly 18 other schools scored at least 3 touchdowns and lost this weekend and you dont see those fan bases bashing their OC’s. I know their NOT DA U. but no pain no gain. This will be motivation and a great lessoned learned.

  22. I’m not calling for the firing of Nix or his head on silver platter BUT…

    How can this team drive the length of the field in under a minute and almost score but can’t do it the whole entire game?

    I don’t know if thats playcalling, execution or both. But if Nix can call it and Marve and Company can get it done, why couldn’t they do it all game?

    A loss blows hard, especailly an ACC game. However seeing that drive makes me excited about the future.

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