How many ways can one talk about slow starts, comebacks that fell short, defensive holes and a lack of consistency? How much criticism needs to be given regarding boneheaded third down or special teams play that kept drives alive and resulted in points for the opponent?
Unfortunately the current mantra remains – two steps forward, one step back. North Carolina and Georgia Tech were steps in the right direction. This one wasn’t.
No matter how the Miami Hurricanes try to avoid the type of game it had against the Virginia Cavaliers on Thursday night, old habits continue to die hard. Mistakes inevitably creep in. Penalties rear their ugly head.
Even more frustrating, having to suffer through another season where UM simply can’t get over the hump – finding that “it” factor good teams have, instead continuing to play the role of goat. The footnote. The almost-was.
Against Maryland, a valiant effort for a shorthanded Miami squad. If Stephen Morris hits Lamar Miller on a third down wheel route, the Canes are at worst in field goal range, down two with under a minute remaining.
Instead, an overthrown pass and a play later, the Terps corner jumps the route on Tommy Streeter and a pick-six has Maryland up, 32-24 for good.
Two weeks later against Kansas State, another furious rally with with 1st-and-Goal from he Wildcats one, Harris underthrows a ball that tight end Clive Walford should’ve caught for the game-winner.
Three plays and one yard later Harris is pulled down from behind. Turnover on downs and Kansas State escapes with a 28-24 win, remaining undefeated today.
Game five Miami heads to Blacksburg to take on Virginia Tech, falls in a 21-7 halftime hole, outscores the Hokes 28-17 in the second half, takes a 35-31 lead with 2:46 remaining. Two minutes later the Canes are watching quarterback Logan Thomas scamper 19 yards on 4th-and-1 en route to a game-winning touchdown.
Against Virginia, yet another “almost” moment that fell short. Another halftime deficit (17-7) and another spirited second-half rally that just wasn’t enough.
First-year head coach Al Golden is earning his money this year. Hitting the ground running on the recruiting front in January. Mending fences and burned bridges with local high school coaches who felt shunned by UM in recent years.
A few months later, with opening day hype building, the Yahoo! Sports expose drops.
Suspensions are doled out, uncertainty fills the air, a ripple effect is felt and the Miami many expected to see the first half of the season was instead a watered-down, makeshift version that has never fully been in sync since.
The Canes got off on the wrong foot this season and that proved detrimental in a year when winds of change were blowing.
With a new coaching regime, a new mantra, a new attitude and a desire to shed old ways, Miami needed to get off to a good start and simply didn’t. Success breeds success while setbacks allow doubt to creep in.
When pressed by the media about this, that or the other, Coach Golden always returns to two things — core values and “the process”. Old habits aren’t broken overnight and attempting to undo years of bad coaching, poor conditioning and harmful habits – it simply takes time. Problem here is that after half a decade of mediocrity, fans are tired of waiting.
The 2011 season is now two-thirds over, the ACC Coastal is out of reach and it’s time to acknowledge that the Canes are no longer just playing for this year; it’s time to focus on a bigger picture.
Miami honored the 2001 national champions during Thursday night’s loss to Virginia – a tribute to arguably the greatest collegiate football team in the modern era. A big portion of those players were inked in the 1999 recruiting class.
When you look back at the Class of ’99 you see some important names in regards to the dominant run UM was about to embark upon. Kevin Beard. Philip Buchanon. Ken Dorsey. Vernon Carey. Jason Geathers. Andre Johnson. Bryant McKinnie. Jarrett Payton. Clinton Portis. Maurice Sikes. Every name on that list played a role in the 34-game win-streak, consecutive BCS berths and back-to-back national title games.
This proved to be the fourth class reeled in by then-head coach Butch Davis. By then, Davis’ “process” was gaining steam. 8-3 out the gate in 1995, 9-3 in 1996, full effects of probation felt for a 5-6 campaign in 1997, 9-3 in 1998 and 9-4 in 1999 before a setting the stage for a 46-4 run over the next four seasons.
Davis took over a Miami team that went 11-2 in 1994 and finished the season No. 3 after losing to No. 1 Nebraska in the Orange Bowl. A far cry from the 7-6 Canes that Golden inherited, punctuated by an embarrassing bowl loss to Notre Dame, complete with sideline snowball fights with some players who spent the better part of the season openly mocking their then-head coach.
When you look at Davis’ early squads in the rearview, it’s now obvious that the recruiting of Dennis Erickson eventually crippled Miami as much as Pell Grant fraud and NCAA sanctions.
Erickson won two titles in three seasons with the team Jimmy Johnson left, but within time had Miami losing three games in a season (1993) for the first time in eight years, the lowlight being a 29-0 Fiesta Bowl loss to Arizona.
Davis’ first roster was littered with freshmen like Magic Benton, Cameron Binion, Bryan Bippen, Tavokius Bonner, Jay Gordon, Cliff Jackson, Michael Lawson, Rod Mack, Jason McCullough, Damond Neely, Chad Pegues, Nelson Smith and Gary Thompkins, to name a few.
No disrespect to the aforementioned, but the future of UM was hardly in good hands.
After the 8-3 campaign, Davis and his staff got busy recruiting, starting to reel in some names that would start the reverse the curse. Al Blades. Daniel “Bubba” Franks. James Jackson. Edgerrin James. Damione Lewis. Jevon Rhodes. Nate Webster.
A year later the next class brought in Martin Bibla, Najeh Davenport, Markese Fitzgerald, Daryl Jones, James Lewis, Kenny Kelly, Dan Morgan, Leonard Myers, Ed Reed and Reggie Wayne. Santana Moss was also part of this class, albeit on a track scholarship.
A foundation was being laid, though it should be noted that every one of the 1997 signees witnessed first-hand the pain that comes with 5-6 — Miami’s first losing season in upwards of two decades.
The six-loss season impacted the 1998 recruiting class, which couldn’t hold a candle to the previous or forthcoming year. Chris Campbell, Howard Clark, Jamaal Green, William Joseph, Brett Romberg, Mike Rumph, Todd Sievers, Matt Walters and Andrew Wilson, the highlights of Davis’ third class.
The purpose of this detailed and long-winded rant – to show that even though a process is underway, it takes time for true change to occur. Coaches work with what they’re given, but unless their given a solid squad with chemistry, depth, talent and heart, it isn’t going to happen year one. Maybe not even year two or three.
Davis eventually set the stage for one of the most dominant runs in college football history, but his first three seasons at UM ended in a 22-12 record, the low point being a 47-0 loss at Florida State year three.
In due time, old ways were flushed out. As were bad seeds and non-Miami, non-Davis kids. There was staff turnover, too as defensive coordinator Bill Miller was replaced by Greg Schiano after year four. That footnote a notice to anyone calling for coaching change eight games in. Not gonna happen.
By his fifth season Davis inked his crown jewel of a recruiting class and had a full roster of his kids. Once that was the case, sky was beyond the limit. Of course in the moment, many were ready to run Davis (and staff) out of town – and by “the moment” I mean every year leading up to 2000’s 11-1 campaign.
Four losses in eight games is frustrating regarding the present and immediate future, but looking at Golden, his vision, work ethic, coaching smarts and hard-ass approach, you see a great coach in the making.
Still, as great as Golden will be, fans must be realistic. How much can you truly expect right now from a a program that is 35-30 and on its third head coach since, and including, that 40-3 curb stomping LSU gave Miami in the Peach Bowl years back?
How can there still be a sense of entitlement among this fan base when the Canes have truly been irrelevant for half a decade?
Those irrationally handling last night’s loss, painful as it is to say, are you not used to it by now? Miami hasn’t lost a truly meaningful game since falling to Georgia Tech late in the 2005 season, pissing away a No. 3 ranking and ACC title game berth against Florida State. A Thursday night loss to a Virginia team it could’ve a should’ve beaten? Add it to the stack of miserable losses and sort it out later.
When rattling off all the supposed talent on this squad, attempting to justify why Miami should be winning more, again, based on what? High school accolades, faux swagger, potential and the mere fact they wear orange and green?
Without naming names and calling guys out, there are several players on defense that if they were sporting garnet and gold or orange and blue, would be considered hot garbage by Miami’s fan base. Because they’re “our” guys, we rattle their names off every pre-season talking about this being the year it all comes together.
There are a lot of players on this squad who lack that “it” factor for one reason or another. Maybe some never had it. Maybe some had a chance, had they been coached up properly from the get go.
Others might’ve benefitted from being on a winning squad, feeding off the energy that comes from being successful, but when in a rut, a snowball effect occurred and they checked out.
Whatever the case, there are a lot of broken upperclassmen who should be further along in their playing careers, yet are still being fooled and making freshman mistakes week in and week out.
It’s more than a lack of overall talent at Miami right now; it’s a lack of chemistry, a lack of discipline and at times, a lack of heart. Big moments haven’t been seized and as a result it’s painfully obvious that this year’s squad has lost it’s mojo.
With four games remaining, it’s time to start getting a feel for what Miami will field in 2012, though it needs to be done tactfully as this staff still must reward this team’s playmakers and guys who are getting it done.
At quarterback Harris has absolutely earned the right to lead these Canes. He’s benefitted of the tutelage of first-year offensive coordinator Jedd Fisch, he’s cut down on the interceptions, he’s moving the ball and leading the team offensively.
Four games remain in his collegiate career and Harris has more than proven he’s the guy. That being said, coaches should find a way to get Morris more reps so they can analyze him in-game before opening the job for spring.
At cornerback, arguably Miami’s weakest link, it might be time for a baptism by fire for guys like Thomas Finnie as opposed to investing more time in a senior transfer like Mike Williams, who has four game remaining in his collegiate career and has only been part of the squad for a matter of months.
Same with a converted running-back-to-corner like Lee Chambers. Get some more playing time for Kacy Rodgers II and Keion Payne so coaches have a better in-game feel for these kids before next season sneaks up.
It’s a fine line between bailing out completely and staying the course too long. Bench upperclassmen for freshmen in order to get them more playing time and that sends a message to recruits that coaches don’t care about the individual.
That said, keep losing games at this capacity and that turns recruits off, as well.
It’s a no-win situation both on and off the field right now for Miami and with Duke, Florida State, South Florida and Boston College remaining, Golden and staff must continue pushing, motivating, grinding and finding a way.
It’s not an optimum situation, but “the process” will work. It’s simply a matter of time and as things play themselves out, you take solace knowing today’s freshman are getting the right coaching from day one.
They’re being battle-tested out the gate and it’s the crushing losses year one that will build character over the duration of collegiate careers.
When Miami made that run to the 2001 championship, both Reed and Rumph referenced a last second loss to Penn State two years prior as a pivotal moment in their careers as Canes. The pain of that loss made them work harder. Made the better. It resonated with them.
As painful as these four losses have been, the lone upside is that it too is part of the process and that years down the road kids like Chickillo, Perryman and others use this year’s heartache as a stepping stone to a legit run when the Canes are chock full of Golden’s kids and “the process” has gained full steam.
IN OTHER NEWS : … and speaking of hot garbage, who really believes there were 40K at Sun Life on Thursday night, as reported? Over four million residents in Dade and Broward County, many of which are Canes fans, and that’s the turnout for the hometown team?
The complaints are always the same. Stale stadium environment. Ticket prices and parkings costs too high. Blah. Blah. Blah.
A truth that I’ve learned in this life – we do what is important to us and if your a Canes fan and want to get to a game, you’ll find a way.
Stale stadium? Grab some friends, show up and raise some hell.
Ticket prices too high? Go to StubHub.com where you could’ve found your way into the stadium for the Virginia game for about $10. (Tickets for the Duke game are currently as low as $3 and 2,500+ tickets remain.)
Cost to park is too high? Meet up with friends, leave a few cars outside, pack six amigos into one ride and split the cost.
Alec Baldwin said it best as Blake in ‘Glengarry Glen Ross’ – “your excuses are your own”. If you’re a fan and you truly support this time, you’re going to make it a priority to do so. If not, then that’s your prerogative.
That said, if you live in Dade or Broward County, have the ability to get to the game, actively choose not to (as HD and flat screens are good enough) then you have less of a say than those who truly live and die with this program on a daily basis.
You want UM to improve? These kids needs you. You want the top recruits in the country and wonder why they wind up in Gainesville or Tallahassee instead? A big reason is their full stadiums versus all the empty orange seats we saw on Thursday night.
You can’t play the chicken or egg theory here. As a fan you have to be there through thick and thin. You can’t say that if the team wins, you’ll start showing up.
A full stadium against Kansas State or Virginia might’ve been the difference-maker had these kids known that 75K were standing strong behind them in crucial moments.
Clemson quarterback Tajh Boyd was on sports talk radio earlier this week discussing the homefield advantage the Tigers have in Death Valley and how it literally the fans that willed them to a season-changing victory over Auburn early in the year.
Where might Miami have gone if it got that extra yard against Kansas State, stadium shaking as the Canes approached that late 1st-and-Goal? 3-1 going into Virginia Tech and maybe Miami isn’t in that 21-7 halftime hole.
Of course until fans start showing up, we’ll never know.
Either way, if you’re not part of the solution, you’re part of the program. Time to stand for this U and to truly mean it. Be part of the solution as Coach Golden and his kids more than deserves it. – C.B.
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You're right, of course. It's just so hard to see them play so awfully, and still lose by no more than seven points. I think they're overachieving right now, actually, and that has led a lot of fans to assume the bad days are well behind us now. They're not of course. Patience.
Duke is gonna be tough!
Coach Golden said it best. There are too many guys on our team who think that they're better than they really are. The biggest question moving forward is in the hands of the NCAA. Depending upon the sanctions they drop on us, the turnaround for this program could be derailed for a few years. Hopefully not, but...
Chris - as always, cogent analysis of the long-term situation at Miami. Like you said above, what should we expect when Miami loses yet another game? Indeed, we are (or should be) used to it. Miami has been irrelevent to college football and the ACC for the last half decade. You point to a number of critical factors that have led to the decline of the program. From recruiting and coaching to business decisions at the athletic department (and institutional decisions involving Nevin Shapiro), this program has taken remarkable steps backward.
In as much as decline is a choice the university made through its actions (unwittingly to be sure), it is not irreversable. It took years to get this bad. It will take years to get good. "A journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step," the old saying goes.
IF Coach Golden decides to stay at UM and IF the inevitable NCAA sanctions are "survivable," then Miami will have an opportunity in about four years or so to be "relevent" again. Those are mighty big "ifs" but they will be there.
There are some bright spots this year. The play of Jacory Harris and his wide receivers has improved dramatically. Jake Weiclaw is a top notch FG kicker. Sean Spence may have a bright future in the NFL and is one of the few defensive stars on an otherwise mediocre unit. Heck, even the punter is stepping up his game. No sense in droning on about the glaring weaknesses on this team. Coach Golden is doing the best he can with the cards he was dealt by Randy Shannon and Kirby Hocutt (and Larry Coker and Paul Dee before him). For all the arm-chair head coaches out there, all I can say is "There but for the grace of God go I ..."
Your point about the fan base in Dade and Broward is well taken. I do wish Miami had made the decision that Central Florida made several years ago when UCF moved from the old Citrus Bowl to an on-campus stadium. It's my understanding that the City of Coral Gables - no friend of the U - was instrumental in preventing UM from ever building an on campus facility, but I don't know for sure. The fact that UM's "home" stadium is in an entirely different county is a factor in attendance. That's not an excuse, but merely an observation. It's one we've heard since the days that UM played in the old Orange Bowl to a near-empty stadium save for the "big" games against FSU, Oklahoma, Notre Dame, etc.
The University of Miami football program is a case study in organizational success and organizational failure - all within a generation. Systemmic and cultural issues were big factors in the program's rise and fall, and will be critical to whether it is ever resurrected to relevency. All we can do as fans is watch, wait and see - and offer our unconditional support to the program we all love.
I TOLD YALL SO!!!!!! WHERE IS LEECH AND 2 MORE LOSES TILL WHY DID WE FIRE SHANNON....BOTTOM LINE PUT IT HOW U WANT MIAMI IS STILL LOSING!!!!! YET STILL GO CANES
... Leach is still hanging in the Keys, where he's been since Texas Tech fired him. No other program will touch him with a ten-foot pole, yet to clamor for him to be at Miami. Tennessee had a shot at him, as did several other programs who passed. Leach is an awful fit for Miami. Period. As for why UM fired Shannon, 28-23 over four season and after 9-4 in 2009 he went 7-6 in 2010. Pretty obvious. Oh yeah and all the kids that are 4-4 and struggling are from his regime while kids like Anthony Chickillo, Denzel Perryman and other freshman who have fallen into line are being coached up proper by Al Golden and staff, not to mention Jacory Harris, who floundered under Shannon's OCs (Nix and Whipple) looks the best he's ever looked under Jedd Fisch ... so there's that, too.
Leach is a maniac, but I'm really glad we have coach Golden. I think he will get us back into the top 10 with in maybe three years. Time will tell, but Golden reminds me of a mix between the studious nature of Schnellenberger, and the enthusiasm of Jimmy Johnson. He is not as ruthless as Jimmy, but the only coach that is in Jimmy's league in that regard is Chip Kelly. We need to win the close games for a season to get our kids to believe in themselves, and the good times will be back!
I still wish we hadn't joined a basketball conference where football wins are not counted as substantial by the media, but it is what it is. How does a Clemson squad fall below the relatively weak team from South Carolina after 1 loss? It is simply based on conference affiliation. If we could come out of the gate and beat a good SEC or Big 12 team in week one or two we would get much more cred.
GO CANES!!!
BT
Dude Sunlife officials must build seats closer to the sidelines!! PS I have made the three hour drive for two home games this year GT, K State! We should be at the BC Game too!
Finish strong Canes!
I hope Golden and staff hit the recruiting trail hard this weekend and get as many defensive studs as they can, especially on the line. We need some young, hungry guys who don't care who has seniority and will put in the work to get on the field, a la Chickillo. Same on the other side of the ball in the trenches as well. It's time to get guys who execute, are high energy and are leaders. I believe on Golden, and hopefully the he will have the Year 2 Touch that some others have had and we can capture some magic in a bottle. It's getting old to be out of the national picture in the first month of the season, and this year after Game One. The fans, coaches and players deserve better. We have to turn the corner.
Probably time to quit trying to tell fans that they need to go to the games..
Obviously, it's not happening. And it won't happen, unless a big dog comes to town or we miraculously start winning soon.
Regardless, home field advantage isn't doing a damn thing when your defense parts like the red sea for opposing offenses because they're physically too weak at the point of attack.
It's inevitable, D'Onofrio is going to need to be fired. Having your own guys or not -- you do NOT let a running back go into motion, end up on the perimeter paired up with a linebacker ALONE with no safety help. You call a timeout in that instance IMMEDIATELY.
I actually look for a couple of changes to happen at the end of the year.. Starting with the S&C. Swasey has clout, and that's all. He has NO credentials. And it shows, when an average (albeit large) D-Line is knocking our OL on it's asses on every snap and sacking the QB/shutting down the run only rushing 4.
That's just me though. I've nearly had my fill of Hurricane football this year.
THANK YOU!!!!!
As the running back went into motion, I was sreaming TIME OUT, TIME OUT. Furthermore..These safeties Telemaque and Armstrong are HOT GARBAGE!! I said it. They are slower than most linebackers and can't tackle my grandmother.
A note to Dallas Crawford:
This whole season is building, shaping and forming itself for your arrival. Regardless of what anyone thinks or feels about the Canes this year, it will all change when you hit the field.
Listen Son, Ray Ray Armstrong is a great safety when a Brandon Harris is in front of him. Understand this and know that your impact will resonate through this entire team, but this is the true key to Hurricane greatness...
'The best of them, the great ones, always studied and learned from the best Pros-- they did not just focus on the college level.' Andrew Luck studied the successful pro QBs, modeled their technique with dedicated attention to detail and matched their skill with painstaking application-- the results speak for themselves.
The intensity necessary to fully realize your potential can only be drawn from within by a true love for the game. The great ones pray for worthy combat and give thanks each and every opportunity. Become a Professional among Amateurs Dallas.
The time is at hand right now. Choose what you want to be and study the greats. Apply your training in practice now. Don't just take on the challenge, take over the field, every aspect of it. Recruit the players you require for success, those that are on the team and those who could be. The plan is in place, trust in the process, but know it needs you just as you need it. We're all listening, watching and waiting. BE READY when the time comes... sooner than you think. Give and you will Get.
You are Royalty, you are a Cane, claim your Birthright!
Win or lose, I support the U. I am soooooo tired of all the critics who think they know more than the coaches....would love to see them try to do better. How about some praise for how we took down Ga.Tech, who took down undefeated Clemson tonight? Obviously, the critics didn't read your blog...the stats you cited speak loud and clear. You cannot seriously compare ANY of the players on this year's team to 2001 talent-wise. As Joe Pa has said...Golden will get it done. U all need to give him a fair chance ... after all, look at the mess he inherited...we are lucky to have him as a coach....especially the way he was blindsided with the U scandal.
Once a team showes that it will be one dimensional....It is soo much easier to defend them. Any football fan knows that an option team like GT is only effective with the lead. Name off a come from behind victory from GT......Thought so!!!!! Once GT got behind in the game the lineman and linebacker peeled their ears back and rushed the qb.