The media’s take the morning after…

Miami fell at No. 5 Florida on Saturday night, but even though the Canes came up on the short end regarding the score, last night’s game was a victory regarding the perception of The U this morning. Check out what some in the media are saying about UM today:

• In an article titled, “Feel The Breeze: Is The Hurricanes Swagger Returning?” CBS Sportsline’s Dennis Dodd said the following:

These Hurricanes were back enough to scare the bourbon out of Urban lovers right in The Swamp for more than three quarters. For most of the night. Superman wasn’t wearing Tim Tebow pajamas. The Florida quarterback was wearing Miami defenders. His counterpart, Robert Marve, showed how good he will be if his receivers stop dropping passes. That’s a heck of a start for a program trying to live down its worst season in 30 years. Miami lost the game 26-3 to No. 5 Florida, but gained a backbone….

This was a statement game. The statement: We still matter. The last time the Hurricanes had two freshman quarterbacks in the two deep was 25 years ago. Their names were Bernie Kosar and Vinny Testaverde. This time they’re Marve and Jacory Harris. That Miami team also lost at Florida by the eerily similar score of 28-3.

Those Hurricanes in ’83 never lost again. This one is looking to have its self-esteem boosted. When you’re coach Randy Shannon and you’ve got 14 freshmen in the two-deep, you’ve got to walk a fine line between the disappointment of getting beat by 23 by an in-state rival and the reality of knowing it wasn’t that bad. Even better, there was progress…

For one night, Miami backed away from that precipice, with mediocrity waiting over the cliff. Nebraska, for one, has fallen in. Michigan is teetering but, like Miami, has hope with a new coach. USC climbed out when they hired Pete Carroll. Is Shannon the South Florida version? Way too early to tell. In fact, that’s still one of the biggest questions: Can Shannon coach?…

Saturday proved that at least Miami is closer to wearing fatigues again than being fatigued. They might even live up to their promise in the moribund ACC…

• ESPN’s Ivan Maisel’s take on the game:

In the cold print of the history book, Florida’s 26-3 defeat of Miami on Saturday night will look like a blowout. It will say that junior quarterback Tim Tebow completed 21 of 35 passes for 256 yards and two touchdowns, and added 55 yards on 13 rushes. Ho-hum.

But ask any of the 90,833 people at Ben Hill Griffin Stadium, the largest crowd in Gators history, and the honest answer will describe the tension that kept this game taut for more than three quarters…

The Miami defense played well enough to win plenty of games. When the offense catches up, the Hurricanes will reassert themselves not only in the ACC but also nationally. The final score notwithstanding, Florida is fortunate to have played Miami in the second week of the season…

• Matt Hayes from the Sporting News had this to say about the Canes:

A new ACC contender: Once Miami gets more comfortable on offense — and once the staff allows quarterback Robert Marve to throw downfield more often — the Hurricanes could develop into the ACC’s best team.

Let’s face it — the ACC has issues. Heavyweight Clemson was embarrassed by Alabama. Conference favorite Wake Forest needed a horrendous pass interference call to beat Ole Miss.

Miami clearly has the conference’s deepest pool of defensive talent. Don’t be deceived by Florida’s 26 points; defense will keep the ‘Canes in every game. The question: How quickly will the offense develop…

Bill Young can flat-out coach. One of the game’s longtime successful defensive coordinators, Young left Kansas to join Miami this fall because — ready for this? — he wanted to live in the sun and fun that is Coral Gables and eventually retire in South Florida.

Working with fast, dynamic athletes isn’t a bad reason, either.

Kansas was fourth in the nation in scoring defense last season, and this Miami defense will be among the best in the nation by season’s end. The ‘Canes can rush the passer and cover in the secondary in man matchups with cornerbacks Bruce Johnson, DeMarcus Van Dyke and Chavez Grant.

And forget about running against this group; they’re too fast laterally at linebacker and within the front four.

• Terry Bowden from Yahoo! Sports chimed in with:

Florida beat Miami 26-3 and showed again why it is a legitimate contender for the SEC and national titles.

But it was the Hurricanes who made the biggest impression on me. No team I have seen this season looks to have made more improvement from last season than Miami.

UM gave the Gators all they could handle for three quarters. The ‘Canes showed a level of talent, speed and effort that more closely resembled the championship teams of old than the one that I watched at the end of last season. Miami still must find a way to get more big plays out of its running backs and wide receivers, but if you ask me, the ‘Canes are a lot closer to being back than a lot of people think.

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