Random thoughts on Miami/FIU 2006

Miami beat intracity rival FIU, 35-0 in the first meeting between the two schools.

After the third quarter meltdown by both teams, there’s a good chance we won’t see a sequel.

If you caught more than five minutes of ESPNews this weekend, you’ve seen the footage and heard the commentary. The anti-Miami contingent is in full force. The brawl between the Canes and Golden Panthers was as bad as college football has seen in years. Once this thing got rolling, the competitive juices were flowing and both sides were exuding bitterness.

It was little brother lashing out at big brother and eventually little pushed big past that point of no return.

I’ve received a lot of emails these past 24 hours, asking me my opinion on this matter. I’m torn. I loved seeing the fight in these kids and I respect the unity.

Pushing and shoving, can anyone really criticize that? No. Football is a rough sport. These kids are going at each other a hundred miles an hour. With controlled emotion, they punish each other for a few good hours every Saturday. Eventually, things are going to boil over. That’s expected. But sometimes it goes too far.

A few Canes crossed the line, wielding helmets Braveheart-style or doing the Riverdance on an opponent’s torso. They needed to draw the line at pushing and shoving. There was no reason to turn it into a street brawl. Or was there? Can a sportswriter or armchair quarterback really answer that? I don’t know.

Former Cane WR Lamar Thomas called the game in the booth for CSS on Saturday and he’s taking a ton of grief for his reaction to what transpired on the field. Thomas was no longer providing color commentary. His reverted back to 1992 and was thinking, acting and speaking like a player. Thomas’ reaction most likely summed up what every kid on Miami’s sideline was feeling.

“Now, that’s what I’m talking about,” Thomas stated as the brawl escalated. “You come into our house, you should get your behind kicked. You don’t come into the OB playing that stuff. You’re across the ocean over there. You’re across the city. You can’t come over to our place talking noise like that. You’ll get your butt beat. I was about to go down the elevator to get in that thing.”

As the fight was being broken up, Thomas’ comments continued.

“I say, why don’t they just meet outside in the tunnel after the ball game and get it on some more? You don’t come into the OB, baby,” Thomas said. “We’ve had a down couple years but you don’t come in here talking smack. Not in our house.”

Had ESPN carried this game, I shudder to think of their politically correct yet biased commentary after the melee, for the remainder of the game. It’d have been brutal. Hearing the thoughts of a former player who left it all on that same Orange Bowl field every Saturday? It gave me a much better perspective as to why these kids reacted the way they did.

Read the Sunday morning AP recaps. FIU players were antagonizing Miami players during warm ups. Early in the game Golden Panthers WR Chandler Williams speared Canes S Kenny Phillips after an interception. There was trash talking, pushing and extra curricular activity after every play.

FIU wasn’t being a gracious visitor. I haven’t seen that kind of disrespect since Rick James put his muddy kicks up on Eddie Murphy’s new couch.

At 14-0, FIU got dirty and threw the first punch. The Golden Panthers deserve 100% of the credit for taking things to that next level.

I’ve read a lot of articles today which discredit the “who threw the first punch?” argument and that’s pure bull. Isn’t that first question we’re always asked after a situation like this occurs? Whether it’s the high school principal or Officer Friendly breaking up a bar brawl, it’s always “who threw the first punch?”

The media wants to discredit that, choosing just to trash Miami as they are the national program and FIU, while the aggressor, is truly a nothing program.

What’s one of the first lessons we learn in grade school? Don’t go picking fights, but always stick up for yourself. Don’t hit someone first, but if they hit you – hit ’em back harder. Defend yourself. It’s our Constitutional right.

Thomas said it clear as day. FIU came into Miami’s house. The Orange Bowl. Currently not what it once was, but still light years ahead off anything in the Golden Panthers’ short existence. A 58-home game win streak from 1958 to 1994. Respect it. And while you’re at it, respect the legacy created by five National Championships since 1983. We’re still Miami. Whether we’re 4-2 or 6-0, you’re not going to come into our house and push this group of Hurricanes around.

FIU should’ve known better. This attitude isn’t a ‘Canes’ thing. It’s a Miami thing – as in City of Miami. The M-I-A is rough. It churns out some tough characters. It’s a no b.s. town. People are always defensive and on edge. You’ve always got your guard up and your head is on a swivel.

Did the Golden Panthers really expect to beat the Canes at their own game of intimidation and talking smack? Come on now. Miami invented that style of play.

Neither side was going to back down in a situation like that. You have two sidelines chock full of kids who played ball against each other from the Optimist days through high school and now they’re college rivals.

Several Golden Panthers dreamed of playing for The U, didn’t have “it” and wound up in the mix at F.I. Who. It’s envy – one of the seven deadly sins.

Regardless of who started it, I was disappointed with some of the street brawl tactics I saw as the two teams were mixing it up. That was over the top. Push. Shove. Stand your ground. Head back to the sidelines, let cooler heads prevail and get back on the field.

Taking it to that next level – well, that’s the difference between being suspended for one game or getting booted for the rest of the season. Especially with ESPN running the clip on a constant loop.

To date, thirteen Canes have been suspended for next weekend’s game at Duke and a handful will be out for the Georgia Tech game and beyond. The ACC and Miami top brass chatted Sunday morning after watching tape and processing the black eye both programs and two conferences received.

One has to believe that using a helmet as a weapon (Anthony Reddick) and stomping out other players (Brandon Meriweather) will carry a stiffer fine than the pushers and shovers.

Forget the initial national reaction to the Miami Melee, in the long run I side with Thomas in that I believe it’ll help this team grow closer.

Anyone who’s ever gotten into a brawl – you and a couple of buddies mixing it up with another group; you know how that feels. There’s a sense of camaraderie if you and the crew walk away victorious.

It’s one thing to believe – in theory – that your friends have your back. It means something completely different when they get in the trenches with you and prove their loyalty with their fists.

Thomas said it. “This type of experience can help a team come closer together. Now they know we’re in this as one. They’re not gonna pick on just one guy. We’re gonna take you down somehow someway.” He’s right. No matter what the national media, the CSS Network and the rest of the college football world says.

I felt the same thing when I saw our kids jumping on the sidelines, helmets raised. They weren’t being cocky. Those kids were coming together. Rewatch the tape. You see a lot of interaction on the sidelines from that point on. Freshman and seniors. Big smiles. Pats on the back. That was and old school rumble. A turf war. Nothing more than an after school scrap in the parking lot over being disrespected.

In the short run, this will be perceived as embarrassing. In the long run, this could be a turning point for the players on this team. Our kids are coming together. They look like they’re having fun out there. They finally look united. There were rumors in spring ball that the offense and defense had issue with each other. They were divided. No way that’s the case after Saturday’s brawl where they all got each other’s back.

On a lesser note, but equally as important – it showed some of the old school Canes that these current kids have some fight in them. There has been a lot of talk this season about past Miami greats feeling this team lacks grit and hunger while questioning if they have any heart. This brawl will change that.

When backed into a corner, Miami came out swinging. Right or wrong, it showed their predecessors that it doesn’t matter if it’s 1986 or 2006, The U can still channel their ‘bad boys of college football’ persona.

Saturday’s rumble could be another one of those “us against the world” moments for this program. Miami’s gone through the fire this season and they’re proving they’re a resilient bunch. These last three wins were against weak competition (Houston, North Carolina and FIU) but for a once 1-2 team, the Canes have stepped up and have gotten better each week.

That will be a challenge now -15 players at Duke this coming weekend. In what should’ve been a pushover game, Miami will have to rely on some young back ups to step up and fill in. It actually makes the Duke game semi-interesting. The Canes’ final tune up before the meat of the ACC schedule, beginning October 28th at Georgia Tech.

In the end, the Canes are 4-2 and head to Duke next Saturday. Nationwide, Miami will get trashed for this brawl. Internally, I hope Lamar Thomas was right. Moments like this can unite a team. What’s done is done. Forget the logistics of the brawl, move forward and in the end, let it unite these Canes down the stretch.

Prove to the college football world that this brawl was an aberration that the program and absorb and grow as a result of.

.:Canes305:.

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