Canespace

From Marvelous To Marve-less

As all of you most certainly have heard by now University of Miami QB Robert Marve has requested, and has been granted (with stipulations), the release from his scholarship at UM by Canes Head Coach Randy Shannon.  

The Canes will now move forward and look to 2008 part-time starter Jacory Harris, red-shirt freshmen Taylor Cook and Cannon Smith, or one of the incoming freshman to fill the quarterback position in 2009.

Regardless of where you stand on the situation, it is undeniably sad that in the period of just under two years, Robert Marve has gone from being named Mr. Florida Football in high school and proclaimed as the next "Great One" at UM to being labled by some bloggers (legal disclaimer: NOT ME) as a problem child with more ego than talent, less maturity than leadership and more interceptons (13) than touchdowns (9). 

Now that takes a lot of work!  From alledgedly breaking a car mirror in Coconut Grove and running from police last year that led to his first suspension this season, to being suspended a second time for the Canes recent bowl game due to apparent class attendance issues, it now seems obvious to both Canes fans and the casual observer alike that "Little Bobby" may have some serious growing up to do.

Marve's father and even his former high school coach have all come out with some not so flattering comments about Coach Shannon's treatment of Marve while the young man was living for free on the lovely UM campus in Coral Gables. 

Marve's former coach at Plant HS was even recently quoted as saying that none of his players will ever play for Randy Shannon at UM.  Now we see where Little Bobby gets it from!  Talk about ego? 

Since when does a  high school coach determine where his players are ALLOWED to attend college?  And how do the Plant high school football players' parents feel about that?  And, since when does any coach deny one of his student-athletes the tremendous opportunity to attend a respected instuitution of higher learning for free?  Maybe some high school students' parents would LOVE for their sons or daugthers to attend UM on a scholarship?

This is like watching a lttle league game where the parents and the coaches ruin the whole meaning of the game by brawling in the parking lot.   It is just sad; very, very sad.

Regardless of this seemingly silly behavior by the adults and all the child-like nonsense, we want to thank Robert Marve for his time at The U and also wish him all the future success he deserves. 

And what he deserves is totally up to him.

A few words of advice to Little Bobby:  Go to class and stay off the streets late at night.  In the words of one head football coach: "Nothing good happens after midnight."

No Longer The Fix, Nix Gets Nixed

University of Miami offensive coordinator Patrick Nix was fired Monday night by Hurricane Head Coach Randy Shannon.  Nix's short two year term as OC at Miami was unsuccessful and easily forgettable as he led the Canes offense to some of their worst statistical performances in the last 25 years. 

Nix was a young, inexperienced coordinator and it showed.  His lack of an identifiable offensive scheme, inconsistent play calling and poor game clock management were often questioned and criticized by the media and the fans. 

As a result, he is now probably on a midnight train to Memphis far from the bright lights of Miami.  As a consolation, while we hear the nights may be dark, the BBQ is really good. 

The news Monday night was this: Nix got nixed.  The reality is he was going, going, gone long before this balmy December night.  For many, many fans and bloggers like Carlos and Calvin the day could not come soon enough. 

The next question is who will replace him?  Join us tomorrow on "The Coaches Of Our Lives" for the answer to that burning question...

California Dreaming

Canespace sent renowned blogger Orange and Green in the Vein (OGV) to the Emerald Nuts Bowl in San Francisco to cover the game, snap some photos and report on his activities inside and outside the stadium.  Here is his report...

After arriving in San Francisco on Friday my girlfriend and I toured the Fisherman's Wharf.  San Francisco is a gourgeous city to see so we tried to ignore some of the less savory characters and street trash while enjoying the view and not letting it distract us from our mission. 

Later, we met up with my friend from the Bay Area to grab some rest after the sightseeing.   I went to bed and awoke excited the next day to prepare for the reason we had traveled all the way to the Bay: The Emerald Bowl.

On game day we arrived late to the Alumni Association party at a swank sports bar across the street from the baseball park by the shore and got our tickets while scouting the room for the Don and the AD.  Neither could be found and sadly the cheerleaders had already been moved across the street to put on the thermal wear, so after a quick bite and a beverage we entered the stadium to find our seats.  This is where things got interesting.

First of all, it's a football game, host the dang thing in an actual football stadium.  There are two of them in the Bay Area so why not choose one and pay the costs to host there instead of shoe horning an exciting football game into a baseball stadium?  However the seats we had were awesome and the game started even though there was no customary smoke to run through for the Canes.

After a horrendously slow start to the first quater, the young Hurricanes played like warriors and made what appeared to be a game on it's way to a blow out into an incredibly tightly contested game down the stretch thanks to imroved pass protection on offense.  Defensively the line was way too hit and miss, for series doing decent to great jobs of getting penetration and firing through blitz lanes, then sudden lapses in run defense or letting crossing routes get into the soft middle belly of zone coverage for big gains. 

In person, the performance on the field supported what I had figured out after the Florida game.  The talent on this team is mostly confined to the underclassmen who are unfortuantely underdeveloped simply as a function of their youth.  However, given a year or two of weight training and conditioning under Coach Swasey (seen here) and the underclassmen willl be able to hang with anybody in the country. 

As of now, they have not been able to develop the consistant level of production needed to be great at the collegiate level.  This off-season will be critical to getting this team, and the players, to the next level.

The offensive and defensive lines also need a major influx of talent throughout the depth chart.  This is the problem that will take the longest to fix I fear, but it's also the most important problem that needs to be fixed in order to return the Hurricanes to the national prominance they have become accostomed to.

The Canes made an effort to tie the game at the end but it was not to be.  A failed two minute drive late in the fourth quarter ended the game and any chance of victory.  Oh, well they can keep their nuts and their bowl game while we look forward to 2009 and another season in search of an ACC title and set our sites once again on a national championship in 2010. 

GO CANES!

   

Fuhgetaboutit

Your Miami Hurricanes traveled all the way to the San Francisco to have the coaches blow any chance of the players winning the game. 

Final score 24-17 'da Bears.

The UM coaches blew the play calling, clock management and use of time outs in both the first and second half in a futile effort that demonstrated that they had no control of the plays, the time or the game. 

This game was simply embarassing from a coaching standpoint.  You can blame Coach Nix or Coach Young, but the ultimate responsibility comes down to Head Coach Randy Shannon who failed to win his first bowl game as the Canes lead dog.

In the end, any chance the players wearing the U on their helmet had to win the game was lost to some guys wearing jackets and head sets on the sidelines.  Did anyone wonder during the game that if we only had the FAU coach on the sideline we might have a chance?  I did. 

Bring on 2009 NOW!  It can't get here soon enough...

U Gotta Be Nuts!

Welcome to the LIVE blog for the Emerald Nuts bowl game featuring your Miami Hurricanes and the Califorinia Bears.  Join us as we cover the game here on the blog with OGV reporting from San Francisco later tonight and again tomorrow with a photo essay from the game.

Jacory "I got this" Harris starts at QB with Robert "I don't feel tardy" Marve suspended by lead dog Randy Shannon.  Apparently young Bobby has some alarm clock issues and can't get to class on time so he gets to stay home and have more time to plan his next move.  Meanwhile, the Canes move on without Marve to kick around and plan to represent the ACC out West.

Canes fans have been driven nuts all year long by the young and inconsistent team that will play Cal in what turns out to be basically a home game for 'da Bears.  They all hope the UM players and coaches are ready to rumble in the City By The Bay and bring home a victory to ring out 2008 and bring in 2009 with a bang.  Otherwise we may go absolutley nuts!

Birthday Wishes

Having recently celebrated my 46th birthday the day after Christmas, I decided to make a list of birthday wishes for the coming year.  I asked for some help from Canespace bloggers on ideas for the "Top 10 wishes for 2009" and here is what I came up with:

10.  Win the Emerald Nuts Bowl.  I know, I know technically this counts as a wish for 2008 but we had to start small and start somewhere and there is nowhere like the present.  The Canes face the Cal Bears in San Francisco tonight in a East meets West show down that could go long way in the upcoming recruiting wars.  This annual event culminates in February on National Signing Day but really starts to heat up after the bowl season ends.  The Boss and his staff have had three weeks to prepare for this game and need a solid showing to support the fact that indeed the "turnaround" is well on its way to lure more talented freshmen to lovely Coral Gables.

9.  A dominating offensive line. This suggestion comes from blogger RoachCane who wants an OL so dominating in 2009 that it earns it's own nickname (Great Wall of Miami, Storm Surge, etc.).  With a group of talented running backs returning and a boatload of new talent set to ink with Miami in '09, getting the offensive line and the running game is going to be the name of the game next year.

8. A better tailgating plan at TNP. Canespace blogger Keoki, the creator of the now infamous "Mystery Punch" and chosen leader of a band of mad party animals, threw some incredible tailgate events in year one at TNP stadium.  And while we always managed to find him and the gang, other Spacers like KLCanefan never could seem to manage to locate the festivities.  In 2009, better communication and coordination will take us to the next level both on and off the field.

7. Interceptions become commonplace.  This brilliant suggestion comes from a blogger with one of the most creative names on The Space: dj moonbat.  The Canes were dead last in turnover ratio and interceptions in the ACC in 2008 with ony 1/3 as many as Boston College, a team that made the ACC Championship game but then lost to Virginia Tech, a team which historically has has the best special teams in the Country.  Which leads me to my next point...

6. Better Special Teams Play:  Travis Benjamin made things exciting again this year for the Canes special teams for the first time since some dude named Hester was back to receive the kicks.  TB lead the ACC in punt return yards during the year and showed incredible potential heading into 2009.  Matt Bosher did a "Miami Dolphins" and went from worst to first in one year as his performance on the field improved tremendously.  Bosher the Banshee made field goals with great accuracy, punted well and tackled like a man possessed.  The Canespace "Bosher for MVP" campaign was very successful and OcalaCane's favorite player went home with the hardware.

5.  A more aggressive offensive scheme.  Calvin, who needs no introduction, made this offering and has clearly joined Carlos and others on "the dark side" in their effort to get Coach Nix to open it up or pack it up in 2009.  The Dark Siders want Nix The Fix to grow some Emeralds, stop playing it safe and start attack opposing defenses when they stack eight or nine men in the box.   Go for the throat or just stay in the lockeroom they say.  Coach Nix, are U listening?  U are?  Good!

4. No Excuses, but for real this time.  The 2008 season slogan was catchy enough, but not real enough, to make it work.  As previously mentioned here, the season of no excuses quickly turned into the season of "we're too young and too tired" as the Canes faded down the stretch.  In 2006 it was Coker's fault (some still try to blame him for global warming, the war in Iraq and world hunger).  In 2007 it was the QBs fault (did we even have a QB in 2007?).   In 2008 we were too young and too tired.  In 2009, even with the sun in our eys and the wind blowing against us we have to be successful. No excuses.

3. Larger crowds at TNP Stadium.  Attendance in the first year at The New Place (TNP) was pitiful, even with the shiny new toilets, clean restrooms, good concessions and improved on-site parking.  Canes fans need to get off the couch, put down the blog and go to the stadium.  Just do it!

2. Better DL and LB play.  Time to show up and man up on D.  The Canes young and inexperienced (due to injuries) DL got pushed around by several teams in the run game and at times the pass rush was non-existent.  True freshman Marcus Forston played early and often and potential star Marcus Robinson played more late in the season.  Both may prove to be difference makers.  The Canes LB's led by Glenn "I sure can't tackle but man I can" Cook were small, soft and weak.  That's not good when describing your starting linebackers.  We have been told by reliable sources that the Canes did actually have two other guys on the field playing LB in 2008, but based on our observations, we could not tesitify to that in a court of law.   Coach Barrow better have them young bloods ready in a hurry for 2009.

1.  Win and dominate.  This simple yet eloquent statement comes from old skool Canespace blogger phillyscott.  Scott from philly has never been more correct in his life.  When was the last time your Miami Hurricanes came out on the field and dominated a quality opponent and won a big game?  Can't remember?  No need to worry, just look to 2009 and watch it happen again!

All I Want For Christmas Is U

Two thousand and eight proved to be a satisfying yet frustrating year for Miami Hurricane fans.

First, the Canes basketball team, the one that beat the then #1 ranked UNC Tar Heels and encouraged Canes fans everywhere to have "Faith in Haith", exceeded even our wildest expectations by reaching the NCAA tourney before bowing out in the second round with a loss to Texas.

Then, the Canes baseball team won Miami's first ever ACC championship in Jacksonville and advanced to the College World Series in Omaha after winning their Super Regional at Mark Light Stadium. 

Jim Morris' talented diamond dogs even eliminated heated rival FSU along the way but they too would eventually fall short of their goal: winning the National Championship. 

Next, the Canes football team played respectably against the highly ranked and much hated Gators in The Swamp, lost a rain deluged slug fest to FSU and then went on a five game winning streak and had a real shot at winning the ACC title.  But it was not to be as Shannon's team of youngins apparently got worn down and proceeded to blow their last two games against the Yellow Jackets and the Wolfpack. 

The season that began as "No Excuses" quickly turned into the season of "We are Too Young and Too Tired".  Now the team wearing orange and green and the U on their helmet find themselves wondering around the City By The Bay freezing their Emerald Nuts off instead of playing a home game in warm, sunny South Florida at Dolphin Stadium site of the Orange Bowl Classic.

So instead of pleasing the national-championship-or-bust 12%ers (12-0), or meeting the high expectations of Cavaleer's 10-2 gang, or simply signing along with 86Cane's "Let it Be 9-3" campaign, or taking a fanciful ride on SolarCane's 8-4 Magical Mystery Tour, the Canes finshed at 7-5 with only Carlos laughing all the way to the bank. 

It was only when he got there that we discovered he was writing a check to the UM Athletic Department in his quest to get the Canes to hire a "real" offensive coordinator!

However 2008 and our various team's seasons turned out, we would not change it for anything; well, except a few more national championships!  But that is what we have reserved 2009 and 2010 for. 

So, in the meantime, get some nuts, keep 'em warm and set your new HDTV up in time for the Emerald Bowl game from San Francisco on December 27.  We will ring out the old year and all of the unfulfilled expectations, slogans, and dreams of 2008. 

It seems that two thousand and nine can't get here soon enough! 

Canespace Holiday Happenings

As another year draws to a close we want to thank all of the bloggers who have made Canespace the most informative and complete University of Miami athletics blog in the entire blogoshpere!  The 2008 year was an exciting one for Hurricane sports and Canespace was there all they way to cover the events that mattered most to die hard Canes fans from baseball to basketball to football.

Here is a quick run down of Holiday happenings around The Space:

"Canespace Day" at The BUC:

The UM athletic ticket office is working in conjunction with Canespace to host Canespace Day at The BankUnited Center on 1/21/09 as your Miami Hurricanes take on former UM head coach Leonard Hamilton and the FSU Seminoles. 

This exciting ACC match-up will feature pre/post game gatherings at The Titanic, recognition for Canespace during the game and the possibility of meeting current and former UM players, coaches and Athletic Department officials. U never know who might show up so we strongly recommend that U do! 

Canespace is the first blog to be scheduled for this type of event, so come out and support the Canes by buying tickets to the game. Contact David Siestma at UM at dsietsma@miami.edu for tickets!

All I Want For Christmas Is U: This feature will run on Christmas Day at 3 PM and include a photo essay of all of the things U love most about the Hurricanes from the ACC championship is baseball to the first season at TNP Stadium to the lovely ladies that wear the orange and green.  We will also include our wish list for 2009.  Be FIRST and win two tickets to Canespace Day at The BUC!

Bear Hunt:  This feature will run on December 26 at 3 PM and will include a breakdown of the UM-Cal match-up in the Emerald Bowl.  Be FIRST and win two tickets to the UM-FSU game!

Emerald Bowl LIVE:

We will be blogging the Canes vs Bears Emerald Bowl Game LIVE from San Francisco.  Christopher Whelpton, also known as Orange and Green In The Vein (or OGV for short) on the blog will be covering the game for Canespace on site in the "City By The Bay". 

Chris earned his FREE tickets to the Emerald Bowl by writing the season long series titled: "Short List to South Beach".  Join us for LIVE blogging on December 27th and OGV's follow-up photo essay and write up of the game. This blog will be posted at 7 PM so that we have a clean, fresh blog to go LIVE for the game at 8 PM!

This blog is brought to U by Chick-fil-A. 

Eat More chicken!

GO CANES!!!

Keeping The Faith

Your Miami Hurricanes were clawed, scratched and eventually mauled to death by the Clemson Tigers (12-0, 1-0) on Sunday night at the BankUnited Center, losing 91-72 in the first ACC game of the young 2008-09 season. 

With another loss, at home and this time against ACC competition, some Canes fans are finding that "keeping the faith" is becoming harder to do.

The Canes (7-3, 0-1) managed to blow a 21-9 lead in the first half by exhibiting generally sloppy play that was characterized by turning the ball over (16 times), missing free throws (12 of 17) and poor shooting by everyone not named McClinton. 

Mr. McClutch lead the Canes with 20 points but on this night looked remarkably average and once again received little help from his supporting cast.

In a season where Miami was ranked as high as #19 in the pre-season polls and had high expectations of not just competing in but possibly winning the ACC for the first time, Canes coach Frank Haith apparently has his hands full in keeping this team focused and on a winning track. 

Miami has lost all three games to ranked opponents: #2 UConn, #19 Ohio State and #25 Clemson.  Losing to UConn is understandable; losing to the Luckeyes in any sport should never be tolerated (sorry Lindsey); and losing at home in your ACC opener is simply unacceptable.

Some Canes fans who also had high hopes for this team and clinged to their quest for glory as the football team faded down the stretch against Georgia Tech and NC State, may now find it a challenge to keep their "Faith in Haith" and his team of hardcourt ballers. 

However, it is a long season and ACC play is just getting started, so we strongly urge fans to keep the faith, go to games and support your Miami Hurricanes. 

We hope to see many of you on January 21 for "Canespace Day at the BUC" as the Canes take on the Noles in another ACC game.  More details to follow later tonight.  GO CANES!!!

The ACC Is Coming To Town

Miami and Clemson kick off 2008-09 ACC competition with the league opener on Sun., Dec. 21, at the BankUnited Center at 7:45 p.m. in a game to be broadcast as part of FSN's ACC Sunday Night Hoops (shown on Sun Sports in South Florida). The Hurricanes ride a three-game win streak into competition, while No. 25/25 Clemson brings an untarnished 11-0 mark into Coral Gables.

THE SERIES:  Sunday marks the 14th meeting between Miami and Clemson, with the Tigers holding the 7-6 edge in the all-time series. The teams split their meetings in 2007-08, with the home team winning each time. The Hurricanes have won six of their last eight meetings with the Tigers.

 

Dwayne Collins recorded two of his four double-doubles in 2007-08 versus Clemson -- with 18 points and 12 rebounds in UM's home win on Jan. 27 and then with 11 points and 10 boards at Clemson on Feb. 27. 

 

Jack McClinton averages 18.3 points and 2.0 rebounds per game in three meetings with the Tigers, while Collins averages 13.7 points and team-best 9.3 points in three games versus Clemson.

 

OPEN UP:  The Hurricanes are 4-0 in ACC home openers, including a 3-0 record in ACC home openers versus ranked teams... Despite the early conference opener, Dec. 21 is not the earliest the Hurricanes have played an ACC game. Miami opened 2006-07 league play with a 90-82 win over then-No. 20 Georgia Tech on Dec. 3, 2006.

 

UPROOTING THE RANKED:  Fifth-year head coach Frank Haith has led the Hurricanes to 11 wins over ranked opponents, including a 75-72 win over No. 25 Clemson last season.   Under Coach Haith, the Hurricanes have defeated seven ranked opponents at home. Miami went 2-1 versus ranked opponents at the BankUnited Center in 2007-08, knocking off No. 25 Clemson and No. 5 Duke, while falling to No. 5 North Carolina.

 

HOME SWEET HOME:   The Hurricanes close out a three-game homestand at the BankUnited Center on Sunday versus Clemson, however after a trip to the Big Apple to take on St. John's in Madison Square Garden on Dec. 27, Miami returns home for three-straight non-conference games.  Miami is 4-1 at home this season and 48-20 (.706) at home under fifth-year head coach Frank Haith.  

 

THESE HURRICANES GOT HOPS:    

Hurricanes fans always enjoy a high-flying slam dunk, however several of Miami's guards have also shown great leaping ability. Senior Lance Hurdle, a 6-2 guard, has the best "hops" of any Hurricane with a 45-inch vertical jump, followed by 6-8 forward Jimmy Graham's 40-inch vertical. High-flying freshman DeQuan Jones, a 6-6 guard/forward, and 6-1 senior Jack McClinton both own 38-inch verticals.