Random thoughts on Miami/Florida State 2006

The dust has finally settled on Miami/Florida State 2006. I apologize for the late posting of this column, but truth be told, I didn’t have it in me to break down the game on Tuesday. I needed to digest this one a bit. I wasn’t sure what I was feeling as I stumbled out of the Orange Bowl in a daze.

I don’t really want to write a recap about this game. At this point, you’ve read all the typical columnist breakdowns of the debacle. The Herald. The Sun-Sentinel. The national columnists. Everyone’s spoken their piece.

Instead, I’ll share my random thoughts on this game. I spent four days in Miami, soaking up the vibe and rolled up in Little Havana at 2:00pm on game day. I got knee-deep in this one and want to share it with this blog’s loyal readers.

>>> Miami fans were in rare form this past week. Everywhere I went, Canes fans were ready to talk football. Throwing up the “U hands” or talking about the match up. It was on the forefront of everyone’s mind. The town seemed backed up from the LSU loss and there was general excitement entering the 2006 season.

>>> The Orange Bowl was electric on Monday night, but the real energy was outside before the game. I actually think a lot of fans shot their load. From 3:00 – 5:00pm, people were literally partying in the streets. The sun made a brief appearance, car trunks were open with stereos pumping hometown rap icon Rick Ross, beers were guzzled, horns were honked and Hurricane Nation was cranked up to 11. ESPN’s College GameDay really choked by setting up inside the stadium. The special vibe outside the Orange Bowl; that’s where it was at.

>>> I was disappointed Miami got the ball first. I really wanted the defense to take the field and set the tone. That said, I was even more disappointed with the three-and-out. I’d like to have seen Miami go for it on 4th and less than a yard – especially from their 32-yard line. I know conventional wisdom tells you to punt, but the Canes are conventional too often. This was a great time to make a statement with the offensive line. Let Kyle Wright push for that first down and let your team know you believe in them. Keep the crowd going and show Florida State to expect the unexpected that night.

Late in the third quarter of Saturday’s Auburn/Washington State game, the Tigers pulled a fake punt on fourth and long from their own territory. WSU scored on their last possession and Auburn led 26-14. A turnover would’ve been a disaster and conventional wisdom would’ve been to punt. Tommy Tuberville threw predictability out the window. The fake punt was a direct snap to linebacker Will Herring who rumbled 42 yards for a first down. It was a backbreaker. Auburn went on to outscore Washington State, 14-0 from that point.

The Notre Dame/Georgia Tech game also featured some ballsy 4th and 1 calls. The Irish went for them, the Yellow Jackets punted when in a similar situation and we all know how that one played out.

>>> Jon Beason had some big pre-game words these past few weeks. He talked the talk and he walked the walk. He truly lived up to his “Beast” nickname on Monday night. If Miami had a Beason-like player on offense, the Canes would’ve beaten the Noles. I am still amazed that not one offensive player had that ‘aura’ about him. No one wanted to shoulder the burden, make a play or be ‘the guy’ that night. Many went the other route and self-imploded with boneheaded plays at the most inopportune times. Fumbled snaps on handoffs and dropped passes… I still cringe thinking about the mistakes. With Miami/Florida State – every play counts.

>>> Brian Monroe’s 23-yard punt on the first drive was a killer. You can’t lose the field position battle so early on in this game. The Canes basically handed the Noles a 3-0 lead. One has to wonder if Monroe will ever get it together. The more I think about him lining up at wide receiver in fall practice, the more it pisses me off. Not for a moment did I believe Monroe was going to catch a pass in this game with Lance Leggett, Darnell Jenkins, Sam Shields, Ryan Hill and Greg Olsen in the game. Monroe shouldn’t spend one second lining up at WR in practice. There aren’t enough hours in the day for him to work on his punting efforts. Hopefully freshman Daren Daly sees some action against FAMU this coming week. It’s time to let the future see some real game experience.

>>> Leggett and Jenkins are going to do just fine this season. Both seemed to have that ‘it’ quality our receivers lacked last year. I believe Jenkins will be our biggest playmaker. What he lacks in overall skill, he makes up for in effort, attitude and experience. Leggett will be fine, as well. He’s catching the ball with his hands – not his body. The biggest concern with our passing game is all the short passes. I understand taking what the defense gives you, but we never went deep outside of the first play of the opening series. Florida State knew early on that they didn’t have to respect the deep ball.

>>> How come every time we threw the short ball, Florida State was snuffing out the play with ease – but when they ran a similar play, it seemed they got that ONE block they needed to turn a 2-yard gain into a first down? The Noles’ closing speed was beyond impressive. They were all over damn near every offensive play.

>>> Why did Rich Olson continue throwing the swing pass to Shields all night when it never proved successful? I was hoping he’d pull some magic out of his 1994 playbook where he had Frank Costa throwing to Jammi German and abused defenses with the slant.

>>> Speaking of Shields… how can anyone really blame a true freshman for that late game drop? Crucial? Absolutely. A game breaker? No doubt. Still, a 3rd and 9 pass to a freshman receiver in a sold out Orange Bowl, against Florida State, down three with the game on the line? Shields never should’ve been in a do or die situation like that. Nor should Javarris James. The true freshman got zero carries in the first half, but was expected to enter the game late in the fourth quarter, with horrendous field position.

“Welcome to college football, JJ. We know it’s your first game, but get out there and break off a 95-yarder. You’ve got the lineage. Become the next Edgerrin game one.”

It was unfair to both those kids. They needs to be brought along slower in the first half, not thrown to the wolves late.

>>> Oh yeah, as for the conspiracy theorists and fire starters – even IF Shields caught that ball, he wasn’t going more than 3-yards after the reception. I’ve read online that some fans felt he was due for a big gain or could’ve even taken it all the way a la Sinorice Moss on the jailbreak screen in 2004. Let that rumor die here and now. Shields had no chance. There were three Noles within a few yards ready to take him out.

>>> We didn’t miss Ryan Moore on Monday night, but we did miss Tyrone Moss in a big way. I think back to his efforts against Florida State last year and the OT against Clemson. The kid is like a bowling ball with legs. He just seems to power over people. We needed that against Florida State. Especially in short yardage situations. He’s never a threat to break one open – but as of now, none of our running backs are. We needed consistency and a strong, powerful runner like Moss in the backfield. If he’s not back to form by Louisville, Miami is in serious trouble.

>>> Wright looked very solid in the first half. Composed, making solid throws, finding secondary receivers and displaying his arm strength. Olson was calling a ballsy game. The Canes threw a few times on 3rd and short, with Wright and his receivers completely in synch. The second half was bizarro world. Olson’s play calling got conservative. Way too many runs on first down. Everyone knew it was going left or right to Jones. It also seemed he lacked confidence in the kids executing anything more than a basic play call.

Wright was 15-of-19 in the first half and a paltry 3-of-8 in the second half. There was no second half adjustment to throw off the Noles’ defense. Conversely, Jeff Bowden deserves credit for shaking up the offense and having Weatherford throw floaters to his physical receivers. He found our weakness and exploited it. We never found the Noles’ Achilles Heel.

>>> Going up 10-3 instead of 14-3 was a victory for Florida State. We had them on the ropes and could’ve put them away late in the second quarter. We didn’t. From settling for 3 to not getting a score after the Meriweather interception – both are unforgivable. The Noles went into the locker room feeling like they won and the Canes were wondering how they were only up 7 after clearly outplaying their biggest rival.

>>> Anyone who blames Wright for not getting rid of the ball fast enough is crazy or biased. There might’ve been times where Wright zigged when he should’ve zagged, but Florida State’s defense was in his face all night. Even on occasions where the offense line did their job, a RB or TE didn’t pick up a blitz. Mickey Andrews did a great job disguising the blitz and confusing Wright’s blockers. Wright didn’t step up and make that ‘big time’ game changing play (oh the legacy he’d have created if he dove in for a score instead of getting clocked and sent out of bounds at the 3-yard line) – but he was hardly the problem on Monday night.

>>> The play of the game was the Weatherford to DeCody Fagg 27-yard reception on a 3rd and 10. Glenn Sharpe defended it well, but Weatherford put it where he needed to for Fagg. The Noles gained momentum there. Sharpe had a crack at an interception a play later, but didn’t reel it in. Two plays later Glenn Cook dives at Lorenzo Booker’s feet, misses and Booker rumbles inside the 5-yard line. None of that happens without the Weatherford to Fagg hook up; the first big offensive play of the game.

>>> Does anyone else have a Beavis & Butthead-like moment and giggle like a 12-year old when the commentators call a play where “Fagg” is involved? Of course I stopped laughing as soon as he hauled in the 27-yard pass and picked up the first down…

>>> The game-changing series of events was the 3rd and 10 from the FSU 11-yard line. Bruce Johnson deflects a Weatherford pass, Meriweather looks to have picked it off and the Canes appear to be in business on the 27-yard line. The interception is ruled off (the ball hit the ground), the Noles punt, the Canes get hit with illegal participation and Florida State winds up with a fresh set of downs and possession at their 26-yard line.

It reminded me of the Miami blunder back in 2002 where the Canes were around the same part of the field, sitting on a 7-0 lead and in position to go up 14-0. Instead, the Noles take over, the Canes commit a few boneheaded plays and it’s 7-7. You only get so many chance to step on a team’s throat. The Canes missed that chance in 2002, yet still pulled out the 28-27 win. That wasn’t the case in 2006. A 14-3 lead was all Miami would’ve needed to put this one to rest for good.

>>> Miami totaled 17 yards in the second half. Did we learn nothing from the Peach Bowl?

>>> I still have faith in Rich Olson and don’t think it’s fair to judge his brand new offense after one game. Especially when that one game was against one of the best defenses in the country. Our second half adjustments were weak, but we also have it in our heads that we’re no longer a second half team. The last time we rallied was 2004 when down 24-7 to Louisville, Miami stormed back with a 41-38 victory. Until the Canes can beat someone in the second half, the stigma will haunt us.

>>> And until we DO pull out a second half victory, Miami fans should be banned from holding up ‘four fingers’ at the beginning of the game’s final quarter. What an embarassment. Florida State (2006), Georgia Tech (2005), Virginia Tech (2004), Clemson (2004) and Tennessee (2003) were all home losses where we could’ve stepped up and won the game late. We didn’t. Keep those four fingers in your pocket until this team proves it can step up and win a game late.

>>> The Canes secondary will be a force to be reckoned with as this season progresses. Kenny Phillips is the real deal. Talk about a sure-fire first rounder who will bail after his junior season. His instincts are incredible. He broke up that pass to TE Caz Piruowski without even turning for the ball. He played it perfectly. Another standout was his second half tackle, stopping a sure third down conversion. The kid has ‘it’ and will leave Miami as one of our best safeties ever. Sharpe had a strong showing as well, especially after recovering from ACL surgeries the past few years. Meriweather is one of the nation’s best, Reddick it still a stud while Randy Phillips and Bruce Johnson are going to find their groove.

>>> Was it me, or did Coker’s reaction to Reddick taking out Chris Davis (not giving him enough room to field the punt) seem extremely forced? It’s almost as if he reads the message board comments about him being emotionless and tried to muster up some faux anger. Conversely, you could read the frustration on Olson’s face as the game progressed. Fans are losing their marbles in the stands. How can a coach look scared or emotionless during moments like that?

>>> Speaking of Coker… just once I’d like to see LC take blame for a loss instead of making comments about the team being a ‘work in progress’ or stating that the Canes lack playmakers and spouting off about someone needing to step off. Coach, if this team is lacking playmakers, whose fault is that? Teams take on the personality of their leader. If the head coach isn’t fiery and energetic, his team won’t react that way either.

>>> Random stat: The media loved to pump Coker’s 53-9 record this off-season (now 53-10). Amazing how no one wants to point out that since losing at Virginia Tech in 2003 (Miami’s first regular season loss since Washington 2000), Coker has since underachieved his way to 22-9. Doesn’t make the fans sound so loco now, does it?

>>> As for the Noles, they deserve credit for the win and halftime adjustments. Down 10-3 in the waning moments of the 3rd quarter, Miami looked to have this one in hand. Florida State hung around, never gave up and made a few more plays than The U. Frustrating, but credit has to be given when it’s due. In three of the past four games, the Canes have been out coached. They’ve also lost three of the past four games, two of which were in the Orange Bowl.

>>> Noles’ linebacker Buster Davis is crazy good. I couldn’t believe the instincts this undersized kid had. Everytime he blitzed, no one picked it up. It seemed he spent the majority of the night in Miami’s backfield, either harassing Wright or snuffing out a run or short pass. Davis had more of an impact on Monday night’s game than Ernie Sims and A.J. Nicholson combined in 2005. He single-handedly destroyed at least a half dozen would-be, big plays for the Canes.

>>> Regarding the game, the TV timeouts and reviews were pure hell. I’ve never witnessed a game with a worse flow. The new clock rules are garbage as well. Those who loathe the changes can click here and vote against the new system.

>>> I can almost live with losing to Florida State IF this team can rally around the loss and get to Jacksonville. That’s the plus with a conference title game. With this rivalry, the edge will always go to the team who lost earlier in the season. Beating Miami or Florida State twice in a season is next to impossible.

>>> In closing, this truly must be the end of times because I agree with Lee Corso. His post game comments were as poignant as I’ve ever heard:

“Miami has not scored a single point in their last four losses in the second half. That’s lousy coaching and that’s lousy adjustments… I think Florida State won the game with halftime adjustments with both parts of their staff.”

Sad, true and a knife in the heart. At 0-1, Coker better turn this thing around quickly. FAMU is a gimmie, but a trek to Louisville on September 16th means everything. Miami used to play what was dubbed the “Game of the Year” almost every year, which was a gusty match up with the likes of Florida State of Notre Dame.

These days, it seems we’re always faced with “The Biggest Game in the Coker Era” where Larry is again playing to save his job. Last year it was Clemson (a week after the Florida State loss) and Virginia Tech, midway through the season. He passed both tests, but after losing 40-3 to LSU and now 13-10 to FSU, that noose to hang himself just got one rung shorter. ESPN’s Bruce Feldman feels that a 1-2 will equal the end of the Coker Era.

Tune in ten days from now to witness history…

.:Canes305:.

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