Taking The Sting Out Of The Yellow Jackets

During the extremely difficult first four games on the Hurricanes 2009 season schedule, none of them may present a more intriguing matchup than the Canes second game against the Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets. 

Last year under then first year coach Paul Johnson, Tech had an excellent season finishing at 9-3 and along the way beating arch rival and 13th ranked Georgia, #16 FSU and #23 Miami.  

Against Miami the Tech option offense ran over, around and through Miami's "swiss cheese" defense for an amazing 472 yards en route to a 41-23 victory in Atlanta.  At the time, UM was ranked 23rd in the polls and still had a very legitimate shot at the ACC title. 

But it was not to be as the Canes were demoralized by the loss to GT and dropped out of the top 25 for good after their unsuccessful road trip to the 407.  Miami would go on to lose to NC State at home before being chased down and mauled by the Cal Bears while eating some tasty Emerald Nuts in some minor bowl game out on the West Coast to close out their less than satisfying 2008 season.

This year, the Yellow Jackets will take a trip to the 305 and pay a visit to the newly renamed Landshark Stadium where the developing Hurricane defense hopes to take a huge bite out of talented Tech QB Josh Nesbitt and star running back Jonathan Dwyer. 

So in our never ending effort to win more games in 2009, we studied Georgia Tech, their statistics and their game against the team that beat them most decidedly during the regular season: Butch Davis' North Carolina Tar Heels. 

Here is what we found and believe will be the keys to the game this year in South Florida:

Hold Tech To 17 points:

  In each of the three regular season games GT lost in 2008 they were held to 17 points or less.  Virginia beat the Jackets 24-17, VT beat GT 20-17 and UNC beat Tech 28-7.  Tech will get their yards, but preventing the big run, playing good red zone defense and keeping them out of the end zone is the key to success.  In 2008, GT had scored 17 points by halftime and wound up with 41 points against the Canes.  In 2009, Miami's defense has to step up, step into the holes and make sure tackles when they have their shot.

Message to John Lovett, who coached at UNC last year and was named the new Defensive Coordinator at UM this off-season: The Canes need you!

Score First:  In 2008, Tech scored twice as much as their opponents in the first quarter (74-37).  This early lead allows GT to play ball control, run their option offense and chew up the yards and the clock.  Butch Davis' Tar Heels scored first and held a 7-0 advantage after the first quarter in their game against GT.  Miami trailed GT 10-0 early, 17-3 at the half and 27-3 in the third quarter before late fourth quarter rally led by Jacory Harris.  That will not get it done in 2009.

Control Field Position: Teams that make the Yellow Jackets work their way down the length of the field are much more succesful at stopping their potent running game.  For example against UNC Tech's starting field position was their own 25.  Five times during that game they started inside of their own 20.  And, everyone knows that the best way to control field position is to...

Win The Kicking Game:

In their game at UNC, Tech not only missed two first half field goals (30, 42) but lost the kicking game.   On average, the Tar Heels gained 9 yards on each kickoff and 11 yards on each punt.  Twice the UNC punter boomed kicks of over 50 yards and three times he pinned them inside their 20. 

Matt Bosher, the Canes need you!

Win The Turnover Battle:  In the UNC game the Yellow Jackets turned the ball over three times in the second half (two fumbles and one interception) to help the TarHeels maintain their lead.  In the Miami game GT helped themselves by picking off two interceptions, including one that was returned for a TD, in the first half.  If Miami can force GT to put the ball on the ground by disrupting the option with good penetration into the backfield by the DEs, then the Canes may get the big, game-changing play on defense that they were sorely lacking in 2008.

Comments

[Galagos]

Uno?

[pb(CSROH10)]

Dos.

Cono.

[The Truth]

You forgot to add "crack the QB in his mouth in every play and make him wine like a little girl so much that he pitches the ball to avoid getting slapped around like a little b*tch" to your write up.

That would be way #1 to beat GT

Force the pitch. Pulverize the QB every play. Win the game.

[The Truth]

Oh, and add that the DL MUST restablish the LOS.

[pb(CSROH10)]

What Truth said.

[The Truth]

And rule #3 -special to Miami:

Tackle.

Without using the handwarmer preferably.

That would be great.

[Canezitis]

and maybe tackle a lil lower:)

[Canezitis]

bringing ray ray up in the box might not be a bad idea either

[86Cane]

December 5th 8p.m.

Miami vs. N.C. State

See ya at the Pirate ship

Posted by: SebastianDaIbis | June 21, 2009 at 08:27 PM

I'll be there, will U?

[Aqua]

Another article about GT?

It's a little too much too soon on a team whose last game they lost by 37 points...

Never fear I got something 4 ya this week...

[Aqua]

I thought this was some cool stuff written by the Cav-man aka
Optimist Punisher:

"Baseball is without question the COOLEST sport ever played. The Umps, the managers, the pitcher, the catcher, the batter, the double-play, the snatched HR, everyone has the most impressive combination of nonchalance and intensity.

Those cats remind me of Jazz musicians in the way they look like they're just out for a Sunday stroll while they do the most incredible things with their horns and bats."

I've been saying this for years....

[canesluvr]

The key to beating the option is to string it out, making it go sideways and using the sideline as a defender. The longer it goes sideways, the better it is for the pursuit to get to the play. By hitting the QB and forcing the pitch, you have one less defender to tackle the ballcarrier, and you hoping your OLB and CB can beat the blocker get to the outside to make the play. That didn't work so well last year.

[canesluvr]

Oh BTW - good article. I agree with the author's points about beating Tech. Oh, and like Truth said, tackle!

[86Cane]

Never fear I got something 4 ya this week...

Posted by: Aqua | June 21, 2009 at 09:46 PM

Can we drink it or smoke it?

[86Cane]

Aqua...I hope you spend 6 hours, researching, writing, editing your "something". It better be good!

[canezilla]

we will shut down this tecmo bowl running game

[The Truth]

LOL

Spoken like a true Cane fan...

We get smoked for 500 yds and it's a "tecmo bowl" running game!!

Oh boy! We got some Canes over here!

[The Truth]

500 yards rushing is what Barry Switzer used to do to Tulsa

500 yards is what Nebraska used to do to Under water basket weaving U.

I'd take 500 yards rushing against any D1 school, and be labled "techmo Bowl," ANY day of the week.

500 yards means you flat out SUCK. Period.

[86Cane]

Truth...are U done now? OK, then answer me this: How come GT didn't SUCK?

First year head coach?

All new offense?

No recruiting class in the top 10 EVER!

GT had no players, no coach, no history...AND NO EXCUSES!

Whachu got?

[pb(CSROH10)]

Posted by: 86Cane | June 21, 2009 at 11:43 PM

They were better than us.

[Carlos]

Happy Father's Day to all of you dads out there on canespace

:)

[The Truth]

Honestly?

An offense no one has really seen at the D1 level in some time. He tweaked it just right.

And...here we go again with part that a lit of you REFUSE to believe:

Randy took over a team of kids with no team concept. None. Zero. No respect for coaching or each other as a group.

He has to not just upgrade talent but change the way the program operates. It's not an excuse.

There were a majority of kids in there that didn't deserve to play for Miami or anyone else.

Plus, Paul Johnson is a better HC than Randy. Paul Johnson has also been a HC before.

Randy has not.

It's not a simple answer. And more importantly it's not like GT as a team is all that friken great either.

You can point to other 1st and 2nd year guys and remark on their progress but they didn't have Coker there before them. That man destroyed the football PROGRAM at Miami.

It's that deep and no one - meaning the fans - wants to face that.

[The Truth]

...and when you say no players, what do you mean?

"Draftable" players?

You mean like the kids Miami had drafted? Or players like the ones that have lost to GT for the past half century, it seems, with 2 separate HC's and 3 OC's?

It ain't just "Randys" Canes.

[The Truth]

Paul Johnson is a fantastic HC. Randy is learning on the fly.

Basically u could say it stars there. Johnson has a bunch "coach of the years" if my memory served correct and his Ga South teams were always competing at an extremely high level

He has a ton more experience in that respect.

[The Truth]

I'm out guys..Happy Fathers day to you Carlos. I remember those days LOL

Hope you're getting some sleep.

[Aqua]

Can we drink it or smoke it?

Posted by: 86Cane | June 21, 2009 at 10:06 PM

Aqua...I hope you spend 6 hours, researching, writing, editing your "something". It better be good!

Probably not, but just like someone on this site likes to say "I got this"

[orange 'n green in the vein]

Paul Johnson owned DII for a while at G. Southern before making Navy the premier academy school for almost a decade. But the option will only get you so far and the talent level at GT and UM is starting to separate now. Year three of rebuilding is when you're going to start seeing the fruits of all the labors begin to pay off so like I said, double digit wins, ACC title maybe, and possibly a "surprise" BCS game berth.

Cav, we're going to kick F$U's pansy azz, then we're going to stomp a mudhole in the jabronie's on the schedule for the first month culminating in the decapitation of the defending Heisman winner while handing Stoops half of his allotted two losses for the year, to answer your previous question. What else would you expect me to say?

[roachcane77]

You know, I said EARLY last year that GT was the team I feared the most as a loss going into the season, and Johnson and his boys sadly proved me right.
I still feel like GT will be a handful, and I HOPE we will be more prepared for their option... But, I'm not convinced we'll have the line play on both sides of the ball to control this game. In fact, as great as I feel about our chances this year, and as big an improvement as I think we'll see in our young team, I truly believe, (as many before me have spoken), we're two years away.
My "heart" says THIS year we go all the way, or maybe ACC Champs, by my " head" says... still too young, and not deep enough... especially on the lines.
GT will be ready by game #2... will we?

[Six]

Cav - couple of my favorite quotes about baseball

“Baseball is like church. Many attend but few understand"

- Wes Westrum

"Being with a woman all night never hurt no professional baseball player. It's staying up all night looking for a woman that does him in"

- Casey Stengel

[Six]

Old Skool - when canechic said that, I was just waiting .. and waiting .. I felt like Lassie running around in circles frantically, while Timmy was standing there picking his nose, examining his find and not paying attention

[Old Skool]

From Knox News
Todd Chandler maintains he is committed to Miami - even though he doesn't sound like it.

"I'm committed but Tennessee is starting to weigh on me; I can say that," said the highly touted defensive tackle from Northwestern High School in Miami

Chandler visited Knoxville this weekend as part of Tennessee's summer camp. The Vols, led by defensive line coach Ed Orgeron, made an impression.

"That had my mind wandering a lot," the 6-foot-1, 290-pounder said of his college decision. "It was real competitive up there. Coach O taught me a lot of things. He showed me some things I could improve on in my game. All around, it was just a good time."

Chandler also spent time with UT coaches Lane and Monte Kiffin. The attention Chandler received has already warranted a return visit

[Adam Noel]

The teams that beat them tended to have more passing yards against them compared to teames that loss to GT. Indicating that the teams loaded up against the run and made GT try to beat them with the pass. GT had only one receiver last year with more the 300 yards receiving and only one wide reciever with greater then 200 yards.

[86Cane]

Probably not, but just like someone on this site likes to say "I got this"

Posted by: Aqua | June 22, 2009 at 12:43 AM

When U say it, I believe it.

[86Cane]

Adam...nice post. Welcome to The Space.

Post here, post often!

[CaneSawMassacre]

The blob is a bit slow this morning.

-Guess people had to hit work hard. Good article whoever wrote this one.

86 did you send out the shirts to me?

[true cane]

Chandler has to do what is good for Chandler. Randy needs to stay on these kids...

[86Cane]

86 did you send out the shirts to me?

Posted by: CaneSawMassacre | June 22, 2009 at 10:52 AM

Not yet, need your a mailing address again.

[Calvin]

It's easy to stop g-tech for most of the game, just not all of it, but we should win most of the battles up front, and e put points on the board early and often, game over!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FEJeN1kpyyE

[Calvin]

Also, the way lsu beat g-tech was embarassing because they ran on g-tech at will and played more physical. For g-tech to be a running team, you'd think they'd be able to stop the run, lsu had their way with them running the ball, that's like getting hit with a straight right in boxing on a regular basis!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NLHxKeDeonk

[TJL]

Lester Williams

[86Cane]

In any game of football if you can run the ball successfully and stop the run you usually win.

You do that by controlling the line of scrimmage.

Turnovers and special teams usually tell the rest of the story...

[elliott]

Here U go fellas not sure if someone else already posted:

Something for U to read during these slow summer days....

The CaneSport.com staff breaks down the top 15 players on the roster in this feature.

1. Sean Spence: CaneSport's No. 1 playmaker on the team is Sean Spence. The kid was everywhere last season as a freshman, and he should only be better this year. Spence has a knack for being around the ball and making plays. He is the team's top returning tackler after tallying 65 tackles, 9.5 for losses, in 2008.

2. Laron Byrd: We believe Byrd is going to have a monster season coming off a 228-yard, four-touchdown season. This kid has all the attributes of a first-round NFL talent - he's big, strong, fast, has great hands and can out-leap defenders for the ball.

3. Jason Fox: Fox brings a wealth of experience to the table, and Jacory Harris knows his blindside is well taken care of with the big guy

4. Travis Benjamin: Benjamin exploded onto the scene last season before a leg injury slowed him down. When healthy, he is reminiscent of Devin Hester in his ability to take any play for a touchdown. He had 293 receiving yards and 3 scores a year ago along with 42 rush yards, 181 punt return yards and 496 kickoff return yards. His 1,012 total yards ranked second on the team to Graig Cooper (1,133).

5. Allen Bailey: Bailey is the biggest physical freak on the team, and at times that has translated on the field. He was slowed down last year by a pre-season injury, but this season he should be 100 percent ready to go. And that's bad news for quarterbacks and opposing ball carriers. He made a smooth transition from end to tackle this fall and is poised for a big year. In 2008 he had nine tackles for losses and five sacks.

6. Orlando Franklin: Franklin didn't live up to his potential a year ago with some mental busts, but he showed this spring that he now understands what is expected of him. Look for Franklin to have a monster season lining up next to Jason Fox. It should be a very solid left side of the Cane line.

7. Graig Cooper: Cooper tallied the most yards of anyone on offense a year ago and averaged a healthy 4.9 yards per carry, but he had only three 100-yard games. He must become more consistent this year or Javarris James, Mike James and maybe even Lee Chambers or Lamar Miller will nibble away at his touches.

8. Jacory Harris: Harris spent most of last year as a backup and will get a chance to show what he can do playing entire games this season. We think he will be solid, and he showed this spring that his arm strength and accuracy are improved over a year ago. Look for much bigger numbers than his 1,195 yards and 12 touchdowns of 2008.

9. Colin McCarthy: When healthy, McCarthy is arguably Miami's best defensive player. The problem is he never can stay healthy. A missile on the field, McCarthy played in just four games last year. He hopes for a return to his 2007 form, when he had 74 tackles, 12 for losses.

10. Eric Moncur: Moncur missed all but four games last season due to injury and was granted a sixth year of eligibility by the NCAA. He sat out the spring as a precaution and will be at 100 percent for the start of fall ball. He's a major disruptive force when in the game - two years ago he had 11.5 tackles for losses and six sacks.

11. Aldarius Johnson: Johnson doesn't have dazzling speed, but he runs good routes, has good hands, and perhaps most importantly he built a tremendous rapport with quarterback Jacory Harris when the pair were at Miami Northwestern High School together. Whenever he's in the game Harris will always have an eye on Johnson. Last season Johnson led UM with 332 receiving yards and three touchdowns.

12. Vaughn Telemaque: Look for a breakout season from Telemaque, who has wowed coaches in practices with his athletic ability and knack for being around the ball. Last year Telemaque played in just three games off the bench, but he has a world of potential.

13. Marcus Forston: Forston struggled at times a year ago as a true freshman going up against older, stronger offensive linemen. But he earned valuable experience while notching 4.5 tackles for losses and three sacks. Look for bigger and better things from him this year..

14. Marcus Robinson: The Canes used Robinson as a speed rusher last season, and he responded with nine tackles for losses and four sacks. He put on weight this off-season but didn't lose much speed, and as a result he should be an every-down player this year.

15. Dedrick Epps: If Epps was fully healthy he would easily rank inside the Top 10 on this list, but coming off knee surgery it remains to be seen just how effective he will be in games. It is expected he will be ready for the season, and the Canes hope he can at least match the 304 receiving yards and two touchdowns he had a year ago.

[The Truth]

The good people at Canesport know about as much about Cane football and it's players as The Dali Lama.

[DallasTX Cane]

If anyone's paying attention, Lefty is tied for the lead now - shooting -2 for the day - thru 14.

[J]

http://www6.miami.edu/debate04/art/pagephotos/image%20galleries/dalailama02.jpg

[J]

That was for Truth

[Captain Optimist aka Cavaleer]

Aqua, and the funny thing about the Cool of baseball is that it gets cooler the higher the level of play.

Six, that last quote is serious and funny.

[86Cane]

I think I saw the Dali Lama at the Spring game?

[The Truth]

LOL

I'll send you the cleaning bill. I just pissed myself.

Great find. I forgot about his visit. He DOES know more than the Canesport folks. People actually talk to Mr. Lama!!

[Captain Optimist aka Cavaleer]

OGV, now THAT'S what I'm talking about. lol You have truly been missed.

True Cane, when we start blowing teams out Todd Chandler will realize that in football and in life The U is what's good for Todd Chandler.

UT has a lot of money though but Kiffen is a hustler a lot like Oscar. I wouldn't want my son playing for him.