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Miami and Florida State Get New Uniforms

The latest teams to jump on whatever fashion bandwagon Nike is spearheading are Miami and Florida State. Everyone always talks about how ugly/awesome the Oregon Ducks' uniforms are, and how many different ones they have. Let's face it: the kids love it. No matter how hard we more traditional football fans fight, schools will do what they must to get recruits.

Insinuating that no uniform change was required is a bit ridiculous, although I do wish they left the helmet alone. This only confirms what many suspected when UM wore the "Smoke" themed uniforms in a blowout loss to Virginia Tech. That was a test run for a new concept uniform, which is on the far right above, as well as new standard helmets. They did a little nice graphic touch up for the helmets though, not too bad.

The fact is that these are technically new uniforms, but we've seen something like all of these before. Except for the orange helmet. I don't know what that is. The Hurricanes wore all orange a few times last season, and had an all orange Pro-Combat variation a few seasons ago. They are referring to this uniform as "Juice" these days. They've had the whites for years, and have been calling them the "Stormtrooper" variation for the past few of them. We all remember the original all-green uniforms. They had ONE orange sleeve back in those days, but guess what? They're baaack! And the school is calling them the "Surge" uniform now. Yes, like the soda. So there are your new uniforms (L to R): Stormtrooper, Juice, Surge, and Smoke. Only one of those makes sense. Hint: it's not the intergalactic Empire soldier, the old soda, or the Mortal Kombat character.

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Bridgewater Shines as Louisville Routs Miami 36-9

This was a straight up dismal performance by UM on every side of the ball. It made me embarassed to be an alumnus. Most of all, it made me so mad that the Canes couldn't land Teddy Bridgewater. The defense played the run pretty well this time, but it didn't make a bit of difference. Teddy shredded the secondary like the fine Swiss cheese it was. Do you shred fine Swiss cheese? Doesn't matter. Teddy did it, throwing for over 400 yards and 3 TD's, while running it in himself once too. Considering that Bridgewater started off this game by taking a sack for a safety, he managed to rebound incredibly well and make the Miami defense look silly. 

The following are all you need to know about this game to know just how bad it was:

Stephen Morris had a final QB Rating of 6.5

Miami had just 2 points until 5 minutes into the 4th quarter

Gus Edwards was the leading rusher with 38 yards

Stephen Morris kept it himself 5 times for -59 yards

Louisville had more than 3 times the amount of yardage as Miami

Louisville's last TD came before Miami's first TD

At a certain point it's tough to blame the defense. Teddy B. will put up points against most teams, but Morris and the offense's ineptitude made this a very one-sided game. Morris was running for his life, and seemed too scared to take any chances. Combined with receivers dropping balls, and a running game that never got going, it was a long night for the Canes. At a certain point the defense was on the field so much that depth became a huge issue, and I began seeing players in there that I had never seen play before. That is not ideal for a bowl game, even if it was the Russell Athletic Bowl. The only good to come of this is the fact that Miami will probably never have to deal with Bridgewater again, which is good news with the Cardinals coming into the ACC next year.

This season was rough. I really thought they were going to get 10 wins, but they fell just short. I always felt that UM was ranked higher than they deserved, FSU proved it, then VTech did, then Duke did, and finally former UM commit Teddy Bridgewater delivered the final blow. Next year could be promising depending on if Perryman decides to come back for his Senior year. I like Ryan Williams at quarterback. Also, with Duke Johnson back and the progress that Stacy Coley and Herb Waters have made at receiver, this offense could be pretty explosive next year.

As far as the NFL Draft goes, there will be at least a few Canes between the Senior Bowl and Shrine Game, and I imagine several will be at the combine. Stephen Morris will be an intriguing prospect to a lot of teams due to his physical skills (strong arm, quick feet), and I'm thinking Allen Hurns will wind up being a steal around the 3rd round. Happy off-season everyone, hope you can hold off the football withdrawal longer than I can!

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Miami Shuts Down Pitt 41-31

This game made me more nervous as time wore on, but it was really over by halftime. The Canes started off with 2 quick TD passes to Stacy Coley, but yet again we saw the Miami defense's ineptitude against the run game when they gave up a 45 yard TD run. That combined with Miami's own run game struggles, making this a much closer game. Dallas Crawford finished with an average of under 2 yards per carry, and the leading rusher was WR Stacy Coley. I can't say enough about how good of a game Coley played. He scored 3 TD's in the first half alone, essentially demoralizing the Panthers defense. Allen Hurns was also money for the Canes. He didn't score, but he did have 9 catches for 173 yards. I'm also very proud to say that UM had no turnovers in this game, while forcing 2 by Pitt. This and their ability to score quickly was just too much for the Panthers. Miami couldn't run, despite trying to run down the clock. Along with a great second half by Savage, this kept the Panthers in it later on, ultimately making this a 10 point game. It's fantastic that the Canes are bowling again! Not sure which bowl they'll get, but I am excited. I'm not really optimistic based on the possibilities. It looks like UM will be facing one of two good quarterbacks, either Teddy Bridgewater or Johnny Manziel. I honestly think either will tear this defense apart, but Teddy scares me more. It would be personal for Teddy. Anyway, we'll know the opponent soon enough. Here's to hoping for a 10 win season!

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Miami Trumps Virginia 45-26

That wasn't a stellar game by Miami, but I'm glad they got the win. The Canes put up a lot of points, but the offense wasn't as effective as they were against Duke. Virginia's 4 turnovers really helped the Canes get back on track. In fact, the first score of the game was a pick six by Tracy Howard. UVA ran the read option a lot, and they got their yardage, but the defense being able to force turnovers and stops in clutch situations was the difference between this game and the game against Duke. In terms of the running game, the battle up front seemed to be won by Virginia. Miami finished with just 90 yards rushing for the whole team. That's a slow half for Duke Johnson. Make no mistakes about it, the defense won this game. If you take away the pick six to start the game, and the fumble six near the end, this is a 31-26 final score. Dallas Crawford was largely ineffective, but he came through with a goal line TD when the Canes needed it. Morris apparently wasn't much in the mood to spread the ball around, as the bulk of his yardage came from Stacy Coley and Allen Hurns. Dallas Crawford was the only other player with a catch, he had 2 for 7 yards. Virginia's offense managed just under 500 yards, but Miami's "bend but don't break" style of defense paid off big time with 4 turnovers, and 2 scores. I'm not convinced the Miami defense can stop Pitt's rushing attack next week. However, based on how they played this week, Tom Savage doesn't worry me at all. As long as Morris keeps his composure, I think the U heads into bowl season with a win.

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Blue Devils Upset Canes 48-30

This was very disappointing. Miami’s defense was killed by the read option all day, and Duke’s QB Brandon Connette single-handedly beat UM, scoring 5 TD’s (4 rushing, 1 passing). Perryman looked good at linebacker as usual, but that just wasn’t enough. On offense, so many players had a good game, but their inability to get anything going in the 4th quarter ultimately sank them. Morris threw for over 300 yards, Dallas Crawford ran for over 100, and both Hurns and Waters had over 100 yards receiving. This game was an offensive battle, and the Canes just ran out of gas first.

The defense looked lost most of the game, but the offense had some big plays. Coley’s 79 yard punt return TD easily stole the show, while Herb Waters’s 50 yard TD off of a screen pass was a close second. These two teams are essentially inversions of each other. Neither played defense, but UM had over 300 yards through the air with just over 150 on the ground. Duke's numbers were exactly the opposite. Miami's inability to stop the read option allowed 4 rushing TD's by a quarterback, and over 300 rushing yards on the day. I think we can reasonably say, after 5+ years now, that the read option is in college football to stay. Having said that, I think we can agree that the Hurricanes should probably give it the respect it deserves and teach their players how to defend against it. The read option is not infallible, it can be exposed. It's tough to swallow, as a UM grad and a fan of fundamental football, that my team lost to Duke (DUKE!) because they can't get out of their own way when a quarterback keeps the ball. This is not a good look for Miami, this is not a good look for the ACC, and this is definitely not a good look for Mark D' Onofrio. 

Putting emotions aside, I have to give credit to the Blue Devils. For one, they had my Canes' number all day, and were subsequently able to run for a boat-load of yards. Secondly, that school really turned that football program around, and it looks like they are gonna get a shot at the first ranked Seminoles. Congrats Duke! Here's to hoping you dethrone Jameis!

Looking forward to next week's game...I'm pretty optimistic that the U can take Virginia, but on the other hand, nothing would surprise me anymore. Virginia runs a read option too, which could mean trouble. That combined with the fact that last year the defense made Rocco look like Peyton Manning could add up to another surprise loss. I'm optimistic, but I think it'll be close. I'm predicting a 35-28 Canes victory.

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Canes Look Terrible (Literally) in 42-24 Loss to Hokies

This was just an awful game. I can't think of a single element of this game that went well. Virginia Tech was able to capitalize on a few turnovers in the first half that got Miami down early, and they couldn't recover. Oh yeah, they wore some new snazzy uniforms for this prime time rivalry game (see below). And by "snazzy", I mean "ass ugly". They probably lost just so they never have to wear them again.

In case you were wondering WTF happened, the grey is supposed to represent the smoke that the players run through onto the field. I don't dislike the helmet, but charcoal jerseys for a Miami Hurricanes team is a ridiculous concept. Maybe try the helmet again later with something else.  I should also note that it seems like whenever the U wears a special uniform, they lose. In 2005 against Georgia Tech, they wore the all greens with the orange sleeve and lost. In 2009, they wore the all white uniforms with the half green-half orange numbers and won against USF, but lost the bowl game in them against Wisconsin. In 2010, they wore the all orange uniforms with the green numbers and helmets against Virginia Tech and lost. Then there's this year, where they wore the grey smoke themed uniforms and lost against the Hokies. I know it's not nice, but Miami should probably learn to win in their own normal uniforms first, before they get to have special ones. But hey, that's Nike!

Anyway, it was a very rainy night in Miami, so despite drawing first blood, 3 quick miscues on special teams turned the tide against the Canes. First, Stacy Coley fumbled on a long punt return, and VTech drove down the field and scored. Then Artie Burns fumbled the following kickoff, and VTech went down the field and scored. And lastly, the punter's knee hit while fielding a low snap, giving the Hokies the ball deep in UM territory, and VTech scored. There were 3 special teams problems, but that's not where all the blame lies. The defense couldn't stop Virginia Tech at all. They didn't take the ball away once, and the Hokies put up more yards and points than #2 Florida State did when UM played against them. With three man rushes and a soft zone becoming the norm to maintain damage control, VTech went to town. The offense also did very little for the most part. The absence of Duke Johnson hit the Hurricanes hard, and they had just 28 yards on the ground at the end of the night. Stephen Morris can make the throws he needs to, we've seen it. The question is: can he make those throws when he needs to? I'm not sure about that.

Miami takes on the Blue Devils next week. Duke is 7-2 this season, and in contention for the Coastal division. Their signature win this year was over Virginia Tech, but other than that there's been no real competition on their schedule. They lost to Georgia Tech pretty bad, and got into a shootout with Pitt, so this one should be a win for the Canes. Unfortunately, without Duke Johnson in the lineup, we're never sure which Miami team will show up. I'm going to say 35-24 Miami takes this one, and hopefully someone ranked higher (so pretty much anyone) loses.

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Duke Johnson Out for Season as Noles Top Canes 41-14

It was tough to watch UM fall apart in the second half like this. It was 21-14 at the half, and Jameis Winston had thrown 2 interceptions. Unfortunately, it seemed like FSU's halftime adjustments and the loss of Duke Johnson to a broken ankle were just too much for the Canes to handle. Devonta Freeman was a monster in the running and receiving game for the Seminoles, finishing with 3 total touchdowns on the night. It was a tale of two halves for the Hurricanes, they were pressuring Winston into making mistakes, and they were capitalizing on those mistakes in the first half. They just couldn't get out of their own way in the second half. Morris couldn't seem to do anything right, and without Duke Johnson to bail him out, there was no shot at a comeback. Florida State's time of possession was 38 and a half minutes, while Miami's was 21 and a half. The offense couldn't get anything going, so the defense was on the field getting worn out for the whole second half. FSU ran up over 500 yards of total offense, so there's no real scapegoat here. The entire team needs to play better. The offense needs to score more, or at the very least move the chains every once in a while to get the defense some rest. It was an interesting move to go away from the run completely once Duke left the game. Crawford and Clements combined for just 3 carries in this one. It was a very odd performance by Stephen Morris. At times he looked like an all-star, while he mostly seemed to struggle getting the right footing and later on, reading the defense. The offensive line just fell apart on Morris early in the second half, and once FSU had built a big enough lead, it was open season for the blitzing Noles. The defense played their hearts out for as long as they could, but with a stagnant offense, exhaustion set in eventually and they were giving up big plays left and right, passes and runs.

Next week could go either way. Duke Johnson's injury changes the entire dynamic of the team. The other x-factors seem to be the UM receivers. I would look for the young athletic receivers (Waters, Coley, etc..) to get the ball early on some screen passes, just to shake things up. This one could get interesting. Virginia Tech always plays well against UM, and even though they're having an off year, they could still surprise the Canes. I think it'll be close, but Miami rebounds from the FSU loss 31-28.

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Hurricanes Edge Out Demon Deacons 24-21

Yet again, too close for comfort. A slow start by both the defense and offense allowed Wake Forest to get up early, gaining a 14-3 lead until a UM touchdown right before halftime. The third quarter saw no scoring from either team, while the final 6 minutes of the game saw three touchdowns. Ultimately, Duke Johnson's 2 fourth quarter touchdowns got the Canes the points, and a last minute interception by Antonio Crawford sealed the game. Morris didn't throw any picks, but didn't look comfortable either. He had the same problem against the Tar Heels: bad footwork. He only took 1 sack, but his footwork really seems to affect his throws. His passes sail high on him if he throws off balance at all. This offense should be the Duke Johnson Show, and this game showed it more than anything. Get Duke the ball any way possible, and you can win. The defense gave up 2 touchdowns early and a big touchdown late, but it's ultimately hard to blame them. Miami touts itself as a high-powered offensive team, but when it comes down to it they only scored 4 times on Wake Forest. I'm a big fan of the "keep it close and grind it out" game plan, but the number 7 team in the country shouldn't have to "grind it out" against Wake Forest. Duke finished with 168 yards and 2 touchdowns on 30 carries, while Morris had just 191 yards and a touchdown through the air. Statistically it was pretty bland for the receivers, but Stacy Coley had some nice grabs and Clive Walford had a pretty awesome one-handed catch. Allen Hurns gave me a scare when he left the game with an injury, but he was back in there for the second half. I was hoping to see Rashawn Scott get some action while Hurns was out, but I never saw him in there.

Moving on to the defensive woes, there were a few. The Canes seemed unable to keep up with Wake Forest's Michael Campanaro for most of the game. He finished with 10 catches for 88 yards and a touchdown. It was frustrating to watch them play (or more aptly, NOT play) against him. The Demon Deacons like to move Campanaro around to create mismatches with the defense, this worked pretty much all game on Miami. I lost count of how often I saw Campanaro lined up against a linebacker, which is something that can not happen. I was also surprised and disappointed with how little I saw of Tyriq McCord on defense.

This is an upsetting trend. Miami seems to be letting it go down to the wire against some far inferior teams. North Carolina and Wake Forest are far from the level of opponent they'll face in Tallahassee on Saturday night. One could argue that UM's mediocre performance over the past couple weeks caused them to be jumped by Baylor in the latest BCS rankings. At least they're winning though. The Hurricanes seem to be getting away with playing terribly for 3 quarters and then pulling it out in the end. That won't fly against the Seminoles. They just got jumped in the BCS by Oregon (probably shattering their hopes of a national title), and will be anything but complacent. They also have a QB that might win the Heisman in his Freshman season, and a defense that made Clemson's high powered offense look like Savannah State's for the better part of the game. I quite honestly don't see a way for Miami to win this one. My advice would be to put the game in Duke Johnson's hands, and do what you can to put the heat on Famous Jameis. Here's to hoping this one's not a complete blowout.

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Miami Comes Back to Stomp Heels 27-23

It was a hard game to watch, but the Canes got the win in the end. With all the interceptions and injuries, it seemed like UM was trying to give this game to UNC. Fortunately, the offense rallied late behind the running of Dallas Crawford. Crawford came in for Duke Johnson, who left with an injury in the first half, and went off for 137 yards and 2 touchdowns. His 2 TD's in the 4th quarter won the game for The U, on a weekend that saw multiple top 10 teams upset. Say what you want about Miami's awful first 3 quarters, but they at least came back and won unlike Louisville, Texas A&M, UCLA, Clemson and LSU. These losses combined with UM's win bumped them up to number 7 for the first BCS rankings.

The offense did pretty much nothing for the first 3 quarters, and Stephen Morris threw 4 picks which didn't help. The defense was also inconsistent and unable to stop Tar Heels TE Eric Ebron, who gashed the Hurricanes defense for 199 yards and a TD on 8 catches. Bryn Renner threw for just under 300 yards, but the defense held when it really mattered and got the ball back. I kept thinking UM was going to lose near the end. Due to the offense's inability to gain any momentum and Morris throwing interceptions, it felt like the Hurricane defense was on the field for most of this game. However, the numbers are very similar for both teams, which is very disturbing given that Miami is ranked #7, and North Carolina couldn't seem to get out of their own way before this game. It wasn't all bad, Crawford looked good after he got the opportunity to wear down the UNC defense, and Tracy Howard got two interceptions. Overall, I would say this one was too close for comfort. Miami needs much more consistent play from Stephen Morris. There were several times during the Tar Heels game in which he opted to use his mobility and roll out, rather than stepping up in the pocket. These kinds of bad decisions and bad footwork cannot happen. You might get away with it against Wake Forest, but definitely not against the second ranked Seminoles.

Looking ahead...the Demon Deacons are coming off of two ACC wins against NC State and Maryland. They won those games pretty easily, but I don't expect them to beat the Canes. Campanaro is the guy to shut down for the U. Tanner Price isn't bad, but Michael Campanaro accounts for about half of Price's yards and touchdowns on the season. Take away Campanaro, and Wake Forest doesn't have the O-Line to pound away at UM with their running back. Obviously, a lot depends on Stephen Morris and how well he plays. Unfortunately, consistency is a real issue for him, so we won't know until game time. Let's keep this train rolling, Canes.

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Calais Campbell Carted Off, Spends Night in Hospital

Arizona Cardinals (and former UM Hurricanes) defensive end, Calais Campbell, was carted off the field Sunday after experiencing tingling in his arms and back. After spending the night in a Bay Area hospital, Campbell has returned to his home in Arizona where I can only assume he'll get even more testing. In addition, Campbell's team has a short week to prepare for battle with the division leading Seattle Seahawks. I hope Calais is okay, and can get back to doing what makes him smile as soon as possible.

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Miami Wrecks Georgia Tech 45-30

That one was a little too close for comfort. Georgia Tech ran all over Miami with over 300 yards on the ground. Fortunately, The U's playmakers did what they do best. Stephen Morris threw for over 300 yards and 3 TD's, while Duke Johnson ran for a season high 184 yards. It was a shootout, but a Georgia Tech missed extra point and UM's three touchdowns in the fourth quarter sealed the victory. Things looked pretty bad for the Canes at certain points, but after tying it up right before halftime they never looked back. Allen Hurns was the big receiver in this game with over a hundred yards and a TD (a beautiful 69 yarder from Morris). The defense looked dismal in the first half, but seemed to clean itself up in the second by stopping the run better and forcing turnovers. Georgia Tech's garbage time TD gave them 30 points, so really the defense only gave up 6 points in the second half. Nevertheless, they had way too hard of a time with a team that's not very good.

Looks like they have a little extra time to rest, with a bye week followed by a Thursday night game against the struggling Tar Heels. UNC's lone victory this year is on Mid Tennessee, and there's no telling how they'll come out firing. The Tar Heels have talent, but I'm still pretty confident that Miami can shut down whatever they try to do. Denzel Perryman has been a monster at linebacker this season, and I think he'll have a big game in this one. Also look for Tyriq McCord. He is the "other number 17" on our roster, and has contributed a ton this year. You may know him from making you think "is Stephen Morris on defense?". Well, he's not...it's McCord. I'm also really liking the secondary's play with all the turnovers. Granted UM is playing teams that can barely get out of their own way, but it's still nice to see. Rayshawn Jenkins is playing particularly well. I'm thinking this could be Miami's coming out party on national television. The offense and defense appear to be clicking, and North Carolina just isn't that good this year. Having said that, they usually do give the Canes a run for their money, so I'm going to say 28-10 will be the final. Canes win, but not too heavy handed. The possibility is certainly there for a massive blowout however.

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Canes Stomp Bulls 49-21

UM is 4-0 after this one. Next week should be a bit more of a test when ACC play starts. Stephen Morris got hurt again, but not before throwing for 222 yards and 2 TD's. No single running back had a spectacular day, but Duke, Edwards, and Crawford totaled for 170 yards on the ground. Stacy Coley was the leading receiver with 94 yards and TD's from both Morris and Ryan Williams. Herb Waters had a couple big plays at wideout as well.

The offense looked pretty good despite the turnovers, but the defense looked spectacular. This should have been a 49-7 final, but Miami had all their backups in by the time the 4th quarter rolled around. That's the only reason USF was able to get into double digits. USF Quarterback Steven Bench was running for his life most of the game. Unfortunately, the defense made Marcus Shaw look like a Hall of Famer. He finished with 127 yards against a normally stout UM defense. The size of the lanes worries me, especially with Georgia Tech's triple option coming up. If the Canes D doesn't close the gaps, that could turn into a long game.

I think next week is a win for Miami, but by how much depends on the defense's ability to contain the triple option. The offense needs to strike early to get GTech out of the game, as they aren't built to come back and win. I'm thinking this will be a 35-17 win by the U. They'll give up some points and start slow, but will eventually run away with it.

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Miami Blows Away Savannah State 77-7

Yep, you read that right...77-7 was the final. Wasn't this one of those weeks in college football though? Between Ohio State, Louisville, and the Canes quite a few games went into basketball score territory. Nevertheless, it was exciting to see Miami put up a butt load of points. It started off right away with a 94 yard opening kickoff return by Duke Johnson that put the Canes inside the Savannah State 5. Thanks to Dallas Crawford taking it the last 4 yards, Miami was up 7-0 under 30 seconds into the game. About 2 and a half minutes later it was 14-0 with an 80 yard strike to Allen Hurns. I could write 5 pages just going over all the scoring that happened, but I won't torture you like that. It was a clinic on all sides of the ball by Miami. The only problem was the one kickoff return touchdown that was given up. Defense has been on the money this year, and it was no exception the other night. UM got 4 interceptions in this one, although I do miss seeing the huge hits in the secondary.

Anyway, there was a bit of a scare in the first quarter when Stephen Morris went down with an ankle injury. Coach has since said it's just an ankle sprain, and he should play against USF on Saturday. Ryan Williams took the reigns and didn't miss a beat, going 11 of 13 for 176 and 2 touchdowns. Gray Crow also saw some action, and completed all 6 passes he threw.

Ultimately this is a throwaway game, it meant nothing. Well, that's not necessarily true...it showed that Miami is on the level of Ohio State and Louisville this season. Hopefully they can keep it up against USF, who looks awful this year. The South Florida Bulls are 0-3 including losses to McNeese State and Florida Atlantic (who Miami beat in their opener 34-6). I cannot imagine a loss in Tampa, in fact, it's probably going to be another blowout. Looks like the U is about to be 4-0!

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Cardiac 'Canes Hold On to Beat Rival Gators 21-16

This one had so many highs and lows, but Miami ultimately got the win. Both defenses played fantastically, and both offenses played the opposite of that. Florida committed 5 turnovers, and UM still only won by 5 points.

It started out quite exciting with two TD's off of turnovers. Florida fumbled on their first drive, and the Canes recovered and scored. It was a 6 yarder to Herb Waters, who is quickly becoming a favorite of mine. After a Rayshawn Jenkins interception, the second TD pass came on a 52 yard bomb to Phillip Dorsett. Between those scores, the Gators got a TD of their own from Jeff Driskel. But they got greedy and wound up with just 6 after a failed 2 point conversion. After a scoreless second quarter, it was 14-6 at the half.The Gators made some adjustments on defense, and came back ready to stuff Duke Johnson, and they did. When UF got the ball, they made their way into the red zone, but the Miami defense held them to a field goal. Neither team would score for the next 20 minutes of game time. Ultimately, Florida's offensive woes were just too much for the U to squander, and Duke Johnson walked in for 2 yards. In a very bizarre move, Miami seemed to give up with 3 minutes left. A squib kick down the middle gave the Gators good field position, and they tore down the field with big passing plays until they got the TD. This is the one series I will criticize the defense for, because they seemed to be complacent and in the mindset that the game was over. Yet there were 3 minutes left. I've got to give it to Tyriq McCord though. He sealed the game with his sack/fumble/recovery. The offense ultimately couldn't get a first down, but when the Gators got the ball back there were only 30 seconds. Driskel took a sack, the clock ran out on a penalty, and Coach Golden's staff stormed the field.

Defense was spectacular in this game, they just didn't quit. Rayshawn Jenkins, Tyriq McCord, Tracy Howard, and Denzel Perryman played lights out. McCord got a great hit on Driskel early on, and I didn't see him in the game much until the very end, when he forced and recovered the fumble that sealed the victory. Howard and Jenkins each had interceptions with decent returns, and Perryman was just everywhere (finishing with 13 tackles and a forced fumble). Coach D haters rejoice, because he seems to have whipped this defense into some shape. The offense looked awful after the first quarter. Morris couldn't seem to throw anywhere near his receivers, and Florida was fully concentrated on bottling up Duke Johnson so he couldn't do anything. The play calling was something that bothered me offensively. I haven't seen that many inside hand-offs since the Patrick Nix days, and I found myself wondering "where's Maurice Hagens?" quite often. Special teams probably did okay overall, but it was hard to notice with the kickoff miscues. One was kicked out of bounds to give UF decent field position, and the other was a mistimed squib kick towards the end of the game. I don't know what that squib kick was. I can only imagine someone misread the game clock or something, because there's no excuse for that. It almost lost UM the game, by seemingly killing any momentum or care in the world that the Miami defense had of losing. Ultimately, I'm super happy that Miami beat Florida, but stupid plays almost lost it.

On a more personal note, I should mention that as of now this will probably be the last regular season game between these two teams ever. It's a shame that mega conference crap has affected such classic rivalries like this and the Texas vs. Texas A&M game. They probably would try to carry the games over, but UF doesn't want to risk losing a non-conference game every year. They wouldn't play FSU either if they weren't forced. So, this rivalry ends with the Canes on top. Which is very fitting. The U is off next weekend, and has a cupcake the week after against Savannah State. Stephen Morris has a lot to work on, but that doesn't really matter against them, he'll still put on a clinic. Things are looking up for the Canes so far, let's hope the NCAA doesn't ruin that by finally punishing The U.

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'Canes School Owls 34-6

Well it's that time of year again. Football season. Some new faces, some that you may have thought left, and some you've been highly anticipating. Duke Johnson is the latter, and he didn't disappoint in this one. Duke had over 100 yards before the halfway point of the second quarter. Including a spectacular 53 yard TD run. I love how his legs just never seem to stop moving! Anyway, he was the work horse on most drives with 19 carries and 186 yards.

It was a game of big plays, field goals and missed opportunities. Most of UM's points came on plays over 15 yards. Duke had a 53 yard run, Clive Walford had a 16 yard TD grab, and Herb Waters had an awesome 63 yard score on an end around from Duke. I would be remiss to not mention a poor freshman wideout named Stacy Coley, who dropped a couple passes that should have been TD's. It happens, and while he's certainly not the first person to do it, he needs to cut that out. Simply put, Miami cannot afford to be dropping TD passes (or any passes really) in week 2 against the Gators. I honestly can't remember the last time UM took on an SEC team, but an SEC defense will capitalize on pretty much any mistake. Unfortunately, Stephen Morris didn't look spectacular. He completed 15 passes for 160 yards, a TD, and an INT. Waters was the leading receiver with 2 catches for 49 yards. I kept looking for Rashawn Scott, but was disappointed with how little he was on the field. Of course, late in the game he got hurt on a great catch for a first down. It's a shoulder something or other...I'm not a doctor. The bottom line is he's listed as doubtful for the Florida game.

The defense looked mediocre at best. Denzel Perryman looked pretty good, despite missing an early interception and getting a couple late hit penalties. I saw some good open field tackling, but unfortunately not a lot of improvement against the read option. They looked a little better, but this was really just a test as I'm sure they'll encounter better read option play down the line. Pass defense looked pretty good, they gave up some big plays though. None that brought the house down, but those 10-20 yard passes that can kill a defense by wearing them out. 

This weekend Miami hosts the hated Gators. I remember a day when I watched this game every season, but those days are long gone. Look, if UM can just keep it close they'll have a shot. Florida has a few heavy hitters that can blow a game apart, and if UM can manage to keep it close and put up points on an SEC defense then I see no reason they can't win. I think UF is just too strong right now, so they win by 6 to 10 points. If Duke Johnson goes off though (and I hope he does), I could be totally wrong. 

[canescity]

Duke Gets Revenge! Miami Goes Down 79-76

This was tough. Not tough to watch, but tough to swallow. They needed to win to be in a great spot going into the bracket, that didn't happen. Ryan Kelly was on fire from 3 in his first game back, scoring 36. This can't happen again. Shane Larkin had an awesome game, and was the Canes' leading scorer with 25. However, Reggie Johnson did not play well. In fact, he really sucked. I'm not trying to single him out or anything, but he did play so poorly that his minutes wound up totaling less than a half of basketball. He was slow, he couldn't hit shots and he kept fouling people, which may be the worst combination of things to go wrong for a basketball player. Johnson was the only starter that didn't finish with double digit points, in fact, he finished with none. It was a close game, and I believe that had Johnson been on his game, it would have made a big difference. Johnson's poor performance forced UM to put Kenny Kadji in at Center. The help he needed defensively on the inside allowed Kelly to get open and hit 21 of his 36 points on 3-point shots.

It wasn't quite as frustrating to watch as the Wake Forest loss, but it was still a loss. If this game showed us anything it's that all the Canes need to be on their games to win. They hung on to beat Virginia and Clemson at the very end, but a goose egg from any starter on the stat sheet is unacceptable and will cost them against a good team. The Canes are ranked #6 now, and I can only hope this loss kicks them back into gear.

On the bright side, UM is on their way to some real March Madness for the first time in a long time. I vaguely remember the Canes in the tourney when I was a student, but the team was not very good besides Jack McClinton and they lost early. If they go far, it's the diversity and experience that will take them. Here's to hoping for more consistency down the stretch.

[canescity]

Miami Drops Third Straight to Florida State 33-20

What if I were to tell you that Miami averaged 1.4 yards per carry, and the leading receiver was Mike James? How would you think the game went? Well, it probably wasn’t quite that bad. After all, at least UM had a shot until the end. That’s much better than many “experts” thought they would do. I wasn’t able to watch the game live unfortunately. This is because:

a) I was at work running the board for another game.

b) The game was not on ABC in my area.

c) The game was not on ESPN in my area.

d) The game was blacked out on ESPN3 in my area.

D is what made me the most angry, because this meant that for all intensive purposes there was literally no way to watch this game (other than pay $25 for it on its ESPN Gameplan channel). So, I had to rough it by watching ESPN’s Game Cast and listening to the WQAM stream. Not terrible considering the alternatives if that had happened many years ago, but nonetheless I was unable to actually see anything live.

In short, the problems seemed to be that UM could not run the ball, and could not stop FSU from running it. Chris Thompson went out with a nasty knee injury, but Devonta Freeman picked up right where he left off and went for 70 yards and 2 TD’s against his hometown Canes. It’s a surprise it was this close. The Noles ran for almost 200 yards more than Miami. Miami was kept in this game by the pass game, there were maybe 2 drives when UM was able to get something going on the ground. It should be noted that a lot of the yards gained on the ground were taken away with Stephen Morris’ -23 yards rushing. Morris was a little off most of the night again. I know he was injured, but it started before that.

Let’s move on to the defense. They looked terrible…again. FSU running backs averaged over 7 yards per carry. EJ Manuel was kept under control most of the time, gaining most of his yardage on a 20 yard run, but he did throw for 229. They ran the same read option that destroyed Miami the whole season.

Looking ahead to Virginia Tech it looks like another loss. I hate to say it, but this defense just cannot seem to keep pace with the read option. Logan Thomas is very similar to EJ Manuel in his game, and made UM pay last year with a late TD run. Virginia Tech isn’t nearly as good as in previous seasons, so there should be some opportunities. However, I’m not sure this team is mature enough to capitalize on them. It really depends on how Miami’s offense plays. If they can run, they can win. If not, then it’s less likely.