Trying to focus on Miami / Notre Dame

It’s Thursday and it’s Sun Bowl eve. All focus should be on the Canes and Irish slugging it out in the post-season, but strangely, it’s not.

Sure, both teams underachieved their way to matching 7-5 seasons and third tier game in El Paso won’t be mistaken for the Rose Bowl anytime soon, but based on the match up you’d expect more hype amongst fans. Miami and Notre Dame haven’t crossed paths in two decades and if this were a BCS game, guarantee it’d be the most hyped showdown outside of the national championship.

In Coral Gables it’s been an off-season of transition, after a season of falling short. The ACC title game wasn’t reached and five losses were racked up in a year when the Canes were expected to take a step forward.

Many wanted head coach Randy Shannon fired and hours after the overtime loss to South Florida, they got their wish. When the search for a new leader took a few weeks, some panicked and wondered if Miami’s administration pulled the plug too quickly.

Jon Gruden proved to be a pipe dream, while Al Golden emerged from a “best of the rest” list. Everything since has been history.

Offensive line and interim head coach coach Jeff Stoutland has led bowl preparations, attempting to keep his team focused, as well as a mismatched coaching staff – with some sticking around and others firing out their resumes on New Years Day.

A ‘too close to call’ quarterback battle seemed underway, until freshman Stephen Morris twisted an ankle and headed to the sideline, meaning much maligned junior Jacory Harris looked to be ‘the guy’ for the past 24 hours … but it’s now being reported that Morris’ injury isn’t as bad as feared and a starter will be named at some point today.

Regardless who gets the start, both quarterbacks should get their fair share of snaps, a la Ken Dorsey and Kenny Kelly back in the 2000 Gator Bowl. The Sun Bowl may technically be the close out to the 2010 season, but in all reality it’s the beginning of 2011 and coaches need to see both players in action prior to spring practice kicking off and this quarterback ‘competition’ getting underway.

The weather figures to be somewhere in the thirties by Friday’s kickoff; worrisome considering UM players were huddled around heaters for last year’s bowl game … in Orlando.

On paper, the game plan appears pretty simple. Run. The. Ball. Miami’s offensive line proved to be a bright spot this season and there’s no shortage of running backs ready to carry the load. Pick your poison. Damien Berry should shine in his final game, while freshman Storm Johnson has come on late in practice. Graig Cooper will be taking his final carries, while Lamar Miller should pick up where he left off, after what was a productive regular season.

Then there’s Mike James, putting on a football uni instead of a suit, choosing to run in the Sun as his mother is being buried in Florida as it’s what she’d have wanted.

Offensive coordinator Mark Whipple isn’t expected to be retained, so does the Sun Bowl prove to be his audition for his next gig? Will a different Whip show up as he won’t be sharing the sideline with Shannon, as rumors swirled regarding their differences of opinion?

Wide receiver Aldarius Johnson is sidelined, but Miami will be with go-to Leonard Hankerson and the shifty Travis Benjamin. Tight end Asante Cleveland came on late, albeit mostly with Morris in the game. Will Harris find Cleveland the way he used Jimmy Graham and Dedrick Epps last season?

What about the defense? Do we see the bunch that forced turnovers against Clemson and clamped down when North Carolina came to town? Or will this be the squad that Florida State ran roughshod over and the crew that bent and broke down the stretch against Virginia Tech?

In year’s passed you could somewhat “predict” a game with a preview like this, but 2010 has been marred with inconsistency and based on so many off-season intangibles, Friday’s contest really is the flip of a coin. Miami had the talent to beat every team on its schedule this season, so a 7-5 Notre Dame squad shouldn’t have anyone shaking in their books. That said, who shows up?

Bowl season kicked off weeks back with a Northern Illinois / Fresno State showdown that also could’ve gone either way. The Huskies lost head coach Jerry Kill to the Minnesota vacancy and had to rally under interim head coach Tom Matukewicz. NIU was also coming off a loss in the Mid-American Conference title game to Miami (OH) and have every reason to fold the tent. Instead, they played with purposes and routed the Bulldogs, 40-17.

Will Stoutland have these Canes playing with purpose on the heels of a two-game losing streak and firing of a head coach? And what about these players? Will they allow the regular season hangover to carry over to the post-season? Or will they man up and play both for pride, as well as to impress their new head coach? The Sun Bowl is truly an audition for spring ball and this is their chance to make a good first impression on Coach Golden and his staff.

The Canes’ last post-season win came in 2006 when Miami beat Nevada on the blue turf in the MPC Computers Bowl. Shannon had already been named head coach, though Larry Coker stuck around for the season finale. Miami didn’t reach a bowl the following season and went 0-2 on Shannon’s watch the past two years.

A loss to Notre Dame wouldn’t necessarily leave a bad taste in Miami’s mouth as a new regime is underway and old ways are being checked at the door. That said, a win is something to build on and with all the positives that have taken place since Shannon’s firing and Golden’s hiring, you want optimism going into Signing Day and spring football.

On top of that, this is hated Notre Dame and whether these teams are 12-0 or 0-12 when meeting, you always want to take it to that arrogant bunch. Here’s hoping that message has been drilled home and that this squad’s Golden audition is flawless.

Miami 27

Notre Dame 17

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