Nothing like getting that Thursday night win under your belt, paving the way for a stress-free Saturday as other teams battle it out.
A few times per seasons there’s one of “those” weekends. Upsets. Close games. Comebacks. Lackadaisical effort. Mistakes. Freak plays. This was one of those weekends and again, a good feeling to know your Miami Hurricanes already had that ‘W’ in the books.
Even with the win, UM fans (and former players) still continue putting their team under a microscope. Entering the contest at Pitt, some called for upset. When the Canes rolled 31-3, the talk turned to the Panthers being not as good as advertised.
On the psychological front, some still complain that Randy Shannon is too stoic while others (including former linebacker Dan Morgan) are calling out Jacory Harris for not showing enough emotion or anger after an interception, as if all players should react in the same manner.
For those of you who still find reason to complain after a four-touchdown victory (in a game where the bookies had The U favored by a field goal), take a look across the board regarding how last Saturday played out for several other programs, quarterbacks and coaching staffs:
>>> The obvious game of the week was No. 1 Alabama at No. 10 Arkansas. Bama rose to the challenge, down 20-14 midway through the fourth quarter, but played like the defending national champs ad pulled out the 24-20 victory, aided by Razorback mistakes.
Arkansas quarterback Ryan Mallet has been a Heisman front-runner and the kind of guy that Miami fans want to see under center; the standard, strong-armed, drop-back passer.
Nursing a 20-17 lead with just over five minutes to play, Mallet sailed an errant pass on 3rd and 11 for his second interception of the game. Three plays later, Heisman winner Mark Ingram barreled in for the eventual game winner, but not before Mallet failed again.
Under three minutes to play Arkansas is driving, with Mallet completing three passes, getting his team to midfield before attempting to toss a pass out of bounds, instead sending into the arms of Dre Kirkpatrick. Interception number three, Bama runs clock out and it’s game over.
Should Mallet’s performance make fans feel better about Harris’ four picks at Ohio State? Of course not. But it does show that even those considered the best in the game are fallible. Mallet is a hell of a quarterback, but at the end of the day, he came up with a three-interception performance — the final two late in the fourth quarter with the game on the line. Again, perspective.
>>>The upset of the weekend came in Austin, against last year’s runner up, Texas. The Longhorns turned the ball over five times against a UCLA that opened the season with a 31-22 loss at Kansas State, followed by a 35-0 home beatdown at the hands of Stanford.
Texas rushed for a paltry 85 yards and was beaten up on both sides of the ball by a mid-tier Pac-10 team. The Horns were considered a national title contender and in one afternoon they were whipped by a nobody and enter next week’s Red River Rivalry with more questions than answers.
>>>Brian Kelly was revered in Cincinnati last season, reaching the BCS and took his dream job this off season, replacing Charlie Weis at Notre Dame. Many Miami fans have revered Kelly, saying he’s the type of guy the Canes needed to go after.
For those keeping score, Kelly’s Irish are now 1-3, losing three straight. Michigan and Michigan State took two from Notre Dame the past few weeks and this week it was Stanford, coming to town and laying a beating on the struggling Irish.
Kelly is obviously a good coach, but this proves that even a great one can walk into a new situation and struggle. All those superfans who swore that a ‘better coach’ than Shannon could’ve come into Coral Gables and done more with the 7-6 squad he inherited (ending his inaugural season 5-7), look at Kelly’s start with the 6-6 bunch he took over – and unlike Shannon, Kelly isn’t a first timer, this being his twentieth year as a head coach.
Notre Dame still must face Boston College, Pitt, Navy, Utah and Southern Cal. Not exactly how Kelly and staff drew it up or how Irish fans expected 2010 to play out.
>>>Hitting a little closer to home and regarding another revered coach, Georgia Tech and Paul Johnson fell hard against NC State, 45-28. Johnson took his ACC Coach of the Year honors out the gate and was praised for his gimmicky triple option, which a few years later appears to be as much of a fad as New Coke.
Years back the Yellow Jackets throttled the Canes on a Thursday night (41-23) after Shannon preached ‘assignment football’ to his team. The Canes wrapped up the 2008 season out of gas and without the personnel and talent to make a legitimate run, stumbling down the stretch. With more pieces in play a year later, Miami at Georgia Tech’s lunch on a home Thursday night showdown, 33-17, holding the Jackets to 228 total yards (95 on the ground).
Georgia Tech ran the ball against NC State, but couldn’t stop the pass as Russell Wilson torched them for 368 yards. Even more frustrating for GT fans has to be the ego and late game decision-making of Coach Johnson.
Just past the halfway mark in the fourth quarter, NC State led 38-28 and Georgia Tech faced a 4th and 11 from its own 30. Not only was punting and playing defense the call, but Johnson put the ball in quarterback Josh Nesbitt’s hands, attempting to throw — not run or option — for the first down. Nesbitt ended the day 5-of-18 for 116 yards, yet he was the go-to on fourth down in a ten-point game where there was ample time to mount a comeback.
Boneheaded playcalling that Miami fans would debate ad nauseam (seriously, people still bitch about the no timeout call against Cal in December ’08), but still praise Johnson for his offense and ACC crown. The lesson here? Good coaches still make idiotic calls. Get over it.
>>>No one is expecting too much out of Penn State this year, but safe bet that trailing Temple 13-9 at the half and ekeing out a 22-13 home win wasn’t in the cards. Next up, Iowa. Look out.
>>>How about two close calls against lesser Florida schools? Maryland needed a few late scores to pull out a 42-28 home win against Florida International, while Kansas State squeaked by Central Florida, 17-13.
>>>Bob Stoops and his adored Oklahoma Sooners had their second scare in as many weeks. After surviving Air Force last week, 27-24, the Sooners had to sweat out a two-point win against a now three-loss Cincinnati squad – one that rallied for 17 fourth quarter points after turning the ball over four times. Cincy outgained Oklahoma 461 yards to 452.
>>>Arizona State surprisingly hung tough with then No. 5 Oregon in a 42-31 loss. The Ducks were averaging 63 points a game going into Saturday’s contest, while giving up 4.3 per game. The Sun Devils were obviously their biggest challenge to date and even with a jawdropping SEVEN turnovers, the Devils still torched the Ducks for 597 yards. Oregon welcomes Stanford next week in a game that could absolutely expose them, even with that home Autzen crowd.
>>>Lastly, after their recent upset of Iowa, Arizona welcomed a Cal team coming off a beat down at the hands of Nevada. Definitely some hype coming out of Tucson this year as Wildcats fans think this is the best team Mike Stoops has fielded during his time there.
41 points against Toledo, 52 against Citadel and 34 dropped on Iowa, Arizona could muster up no more than a field goal for almost 59 minutes last Saturday, finally scoring the go-ahead touchdown with just over a minute on the clock.
At the end of the day, I get it, what happens with other teams truly has no bearing on Miami. Other teams losing doesn’t make you feel any better about your team losing. Never has, never will.
The only point of this rant was to help bring a little perspective for the unforgiving, over-the-top fans who expect perfection and dominance each and every week. Those who can’t even see the good in a win, instead choosing to focus on the flaws or imperfections.
Yes, Harris is still throwing too many interceptions. Yes, the Canes should be forcing more turnovers and getting more consistency from its receivers and linebackers. Yes, the Ohio State game remains a small thorn in the side because with better execution and more focus, it was a winnable football game. That said, it’s in the rear view while Clemson and Florida State are on deck.
Miami is 2-1 and there is reason for optimism across the board. Look at what’s happening with other teams on a weekly basis and realize that when your squad wins by 28 points, it’s a good week no matter how imperfect you felt the outing was.