Jacory Harris threw his first pick on his third attempt; yet another off the mark deep ball. Early second quarter, Harris coughed up two more picks in under two minutes, going 4 of 7 for 36 yards on the day.
Stats-wise, another outing where the box score was even. Miami amassed 405 total yards to Notre Dame’s 397 but coughed up four turnovers, while the Irish played mistake-free ball. The Canes were also dinged for ninety yards on 10 penalties, while ND had three infractions for 20 yards.
Arm tackling. Defenders falling down or playing out of position. The lethargic style of play which plagued the Canes all season carried over to the bowl game. If this was an ‘audition’ for new head coach Al Golden, this collective unit earned an epic fail.
Stephen Morris stumbled out the gate with an early interception, but rebounded and put together a 283-yard performance, going 22 for 33 with two touchdowns. Morris showed fire, passion and poise as he did late in the season when filling in for the injured Harris. But much like the loss at Virginia, the Morris rally came too little too late.
One has to wonder what interim head coach Jeff Stoutland saw that earned Harris the starting nod. Less than one minute into the second quarter, the Irish went up 21-0 after three Harris picks and Morris again took over after spotting the bad guys three scores.
Miami outscored Notre Dame, 17-12 from that point on, holding the Irish to four field goals – but down three touchdowns, never established a ground game, despite a slew of talented tailbacks. Damien Berry led the charge with 34 yards on nine carries, but the Canes’ longest run of the day came on an eleven-yard scramble courtesy of Morris.
Storm Johnson carried twice for 24 yards, Mike James had 14 yards on four carries and Lamar Miller racked up 13 yards on five attempts.
The Golden Era can’t officially get underway soon enough.
During the CBS broadcast, Gary Danielson echoed a point Golden recently made about a lack of leadership – stating that old school Miami would’ve had players in each others faces on the sidelines, demanding more out of their teammates and that really is the silver lining here. Coach Golden is going to end this bullshit and will change this entitled, lackadaisical, reactionary brand of football we’ve seen out of Coral Gables the past several seasons.
Another bright spot; the fact that Morris more than got a leg up on Harris in this spring’s quarterback competition. Morris again showed more poise, a stronger arm, better wheels and good decision-making – taking what was there and only forcing one errant pass.
Beyond that, Morris proved to be this team’s only spark – getting very animated after an early fourth quarter touchdown strike to Leonard Hankerson.
Yes, the Canes were still down twenty but that’s what you want to see out of your players. Fans can mail it in, feeling the game is out of reach – but you want a team full of guys battling until that final whistle. Morris is one of those guys and if Coach Golden is looking for someone to build this team around, his freshman quarterback is that guy. Besides being the better of the two quarterbacks, Morris also looks like this team’s best option regarding a leader.
Losing a third straight bowl game is a blow, but a lesser one due to the staff changes that were made at the end of the regular season. If Shannon were returning, there’d be little reason for optimism entering 2011.
Instead, Miami welcomes up a fired up Golden, with a game plan that’ll rid this program of its current sense of entitlement, lack of toughness and constant inconsistency. Golden may sound as polished as a CEO or politician in front of the cameras, but his northeastern blue collar work ethic will have him demanding more from his players than his predecessor. I have no doubt Golden and staff will have their collective boot up this team’s ass between now and September, doing anything and everything to instill a tougher culture at UM.
A disappointing win, but time to toughen up and get over it. There’s a reason these Canes lost five games entering today’s contest. Miami could’ve played like the team that showed up for Pittsburgh, Clemson, North Carolina and Georgia Tech, but instead came out like the mistake-prone, fundamentally-unsound bunch that crapped the bed against Florida State, Virginia and Virginia Tech. Consistently inconsistent and again, gaining steam late after shooting itself in the foot early on.
Take this 2010 team out to pasture and get out any last bit of frustration tonight as it’s a new regime in Miami and a few hours from now a brand new year. Wake up tomorrow with a cocktail-fueled hangover, not a Shannon-induced one.
Better days are ahead, regardless of today’s failed audition at a meaningless Sun Bowl.
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Thanks for this commentary. This game really left a sick feeling in my stomach as I watched what once was a proud program get kicked around by a team that I hate more than any other. This type of performance is really getting old!
I will continue to support them since I have hung in with them for 30 years but I really hope this changes.
This your worst article of the year. Way to show the least amount of objectiveness you could. I used to look at your articles as someone who really understood things in football. But since the start of this year you have proved one thing without a doubt and thay is you right about a game you allcanes have never ever played. And if you did you were one of those players we let play in blowouts and on special teams.
You blame all four picks on harris yet you couldn't be more wrong. Three were on hankerson alone night fighting for balls and running wrong routes. Morris played a easy two deep coverage that any high school qb could beat. Harris was given no chance to succeed and if morris truely some how has the leg up then golden better have the class to let him transfer to any school he chooses. And that most likely means bye bye johnson streeter and thompkins. Because they were a package deal and have been dissed by you the media and the coaches at miami. Streeter proved though against a simple defense that he should have been on the field not captain drops travis benjamin.
Congrats your idiotic rants have made another fan ashamed of being a miami fan.
I hope I never see #12 on the Canes playing field again.... he is pitiful and so was the coach who recruited him. Moreover, it's time for old hag Shalala (not to say something else!!!) to leave as well as Kirby. Shalala could care less about the football program and Kirby seems out of tune, too. Until these three leave Miami will not have a winning season.
And I thought the 2007 Hurricanes were the worst team in recent history... Nothing more to say except that Jacory Harris probably should never see the field in a Hurricanes uniform again. It's not all on him, but c'mon man, after the 2nd INT, you need to pull him.
DISGUSTING loss... Almost makes you ashamed to wanna support the U...
I don't know... After seeing today's game I kept checking Twitter to see if there were any rumors of Al Golden quitting. Every year since we left the OB, it's the same story. We pin our hopes for a return to national prominence on one person. At the end of 2007, it was Robert Marve being touted as the next Miami savior. At the end of 2008 it passed to Jacory Harris. At the end of 2009, it was Randy Shannon finally putting it all together with his system and recruits in place for a run at Acc and national championship. Now at the end of 2010 it's Al Golden. The only problem is that he is going to have to do it with players that have been here since, you guessed it... 2008. It's going to be a really tall order. The most frustrating thing is if you look at the roster at the end of 2007 and there were a lot under achievers on that team. Fast forward to 2010 we have the same problem. Only now it's worse... I think to expect big things in Golden's first year is going to be unrealistic. We have been on this decline for almost a decade, and to think it can be fixed by 1 man in 1 year is by all intents and purposes similar to the definition of insanity. You know... Repeating the same thing over and over....? Unfortunately for Golden, he will not have the rebuilding luxury of time like Randy had. Good luck Coach! We're all gonna need it.
of all of the complaints about randy shannon i am quite disappointed in the fact that he wasnt even allowed to get his first recuitng class to graduate the only piece that shannon was missing was the ability to recurit kids with heart and passion in adversity but that could also come with age. i do know one thing the canes have lost the credibility of kids from the biggest area the try and recruit s.fla. strong black positive roll models are hard to come by and they never gave him a chance to succeed before they called him a failure 20 plus years of being the good solider and when given the oppurtunity to lead they cut him off at the knees before his first class can mature.
how many years has our defense been in the top 15 overall under his watch, and they just wash their hands as if he wasn't playng his part.
it seems as if what has made us a success in the past is the furthest thing away from where they desire to be know.
Golden is talking an NFL coach for OC ... It will likely be Rip Scherer.
He interviewed for, and turned down, UVA previously. He's the current QB coach for the Carolina Panthers.
Panthers' O sucked this year, but evidently, dude is a good coach.
It appears that some of the players that Shannon recruited are not full of fire or desire to win. That is what this season has shown me. We all know there was talent but at this level you have to have the toughness and complete nastiness to win at this level and majority of these players don't have IT! I support Al Golden and hope he brings in the players that fit the mold to have the fire to win. Again the inet stars you see don't mean a damn thing people.
Agree on most of what you said. I had to turn it off. Being a fan and follower since 1980, the last couple of years have been a nightmare. There are too many good players to play like they have, Shannon never seemed to show much emotion either way. But the players have to play. I like Mark Whipple, but I don't think he had the QB to help carry out his plans. Better days hopefully are ahead.. Go Canes>>>>
4GET ABOUT IT....MIAMI BEGINS NOW!!!! WELL WE HOPE!!!!!