Canespace

Second Scrimmage Set For Saturday

Legendary Hurricane Offensive Line coach Art Kehoe is really, REALLY excited.

 
Offensive Coordinator Jedd Fisch is totally pumped up.

Defensive Coordinator Mark D'Onofrio is obviously angry.

Head Coach Al Golden is motivated yet still unsure about his current team.

 
All of this before a simple Spring scrimmage at Traz Powell Stadium in North Miami?  U betcha!

On Saturday your University of Miami Hurricanes will face each other in a classic match-up of will versus talent.  May the better team win!

The Hurricanes will hold their second scrimmage of the spring on Saturday, April 9 at Miami's Traz Powell Stadium. The action will get underway at 10 a.m.

2011 Miami Football Spring Scrimmage Two

When: Saturday, April 9

Where:Traz Powell Stadium (‪‪11380 Northwest 27th Avenue,‬ Miami, FL 33167‬)

Time: Parking - 8 a.m.; Gates - 8:30 a.m.; Kickoff - 10 a.m.

By the time spring ball ends, there's a chance that more than 20,000 people might have shown up to see the Hurricanes play the Hurricanes. While that number doesn't come remotely close to what some teams lure for their spring game, it represents much higher-than-usual exposure for Miami's offseason workouts.

 
Miami is also inviting area high school coaches to their practices, even the closed ones, to give them a feel of what Golden and his staff will aim to do with the Hurricanes. Those coaches are understandably urged to keep what they see secret, and Golden has indicated that if that trust is broken the invitation will be rescinded.

All those initiatives represent progress, Golden said.

"We had to get back and get out in the community and make sure we're out there from an outreach standpoint — and most particularly, from a community and recruiting standpoint," Golden said. "It doesn't bother me. There'll be obviously time to reel it in in August, but right now I want to make sure we're out and about."

Parking will open at 8 a.m. and will be free of charge. There will be a Coffee with the `Canes session for all Silver Cane and above Hurricane Club members from 8:30 - 9:30 a.m. Hurricane Club members can call (305) 284-6699 for more information.

War Of The Birds: Ibis Trumps Eagle

On Wednesday night, an evening that turned out to be a relatively cool, breezy night for April in Southwest Florida, the Hurricanes flew past the Eagles in Fort Myers.

 

 
The University of Miami beat Florida Gulf Coast University by the score of 8-1 in a game between what seems to be budding intra-State rivals.

 

Miami defeated FGCU for the third time this season, remained undefeated when facing the Eagles in their short rivalry (8-0) and improved their overall 2011 season record to 18-11.

 

The game was held at Hammond Stadium, the absolutely beautiful Spring training home of the Minnesota Twins.  Canes fans had a great time taking over the stadium and celebrating another UM  victory at the end of the game.

 
Before the game UM head coach Jim Morris addressed the Miami fans in attendance at the Hurricane Club event.  Morris had a lot to say that we will cover in our next article.

 
Florida Gulf Coast took a 1-0 lead after the first inning but the Hurricanes scored eight runs over the next three innings to complete the scoring for an 8-1 victory.

 
Miami's starting pitcher Steve "Dallas" Ewing earned his fourth win of the season by throwing seven solid innings for the Hurricanes.  Number 55 allowed just the one run three hits on the evening while and striking out eight Eagles.

 
After a slow start Miami's players seem to have adjusted to the new bats for the 2011 season.  The Hurricanes heavy hitters have now scored 47 runs in their last four games, a significant increase from their early season slump.

 
Even Canespace blogger Six's favorite player Brad Fieger drove in two runs and made several nice plays at third base.  What more do you want?

 
Miami gets back to action on Friday when the Hurricanes and Jim Morris host ACC foe NC State to A-Rod Park at Mark Light Field for a three game soiree in Coral Gables.

Haith Loses Faith, Hits The Highway

According to reports from ESPN this morning University of Miami men's basketball coach Frank Haith has resigned from his job at Miami to take over the head coaching position at the University of Missouri. 

A quick scan of the Miami media blogs showed that both Susan Miller-Degnan from the Miami Herald and the Sun Sentinel's Steve Gorten have confirmed the reports that apparently started as rumors late last night.

According to ESPN Senior Writer Andy Katz, Haith has accepted the coaching position at Missouri to replace Mike Anderson.  Katz reported that sources with direct knowledge of the situation stated that Haith and Missouri athletic director Mike Alden met in Houston on Saturday, just days after Alden was turned down by Purdue coach Matt Painter.

Haith, who has posted a respectable 129-101 record in seven seasons at Miami, allegedly has two years left on his contract worth a total of about $3 million. 

Missouri has been searching for a replacement for Anderson, who left the Tigers late last month to take over at Arkansas. Missouri tried unsuccessfully to lure away Painter, who wound up staying with the Boilermakers and accepting an eight-year extension.

Haith, whose job security at Miami has been questioned by some over the last several years has quite a bit of experience in the Big 12. He was an assistant at Texas A&M from 1992-95, then returned to the Aggies as an associate head coach for the 1996-97 season. After leaving the Aggies to coach as an assistant at Wake Forest, Haith spent three years at Texas before landing the head coaching job at Miami in 2004 where he replaced Perry Clark.

Haith leaves behind a young and talented team at Miami that, at least on paper, appears to have great potential.  According to many Hurricane fans the team underperformed under Haith's direction over the last several season including in 2011.

Now UM must find a young, up-and-coming head coach as a replacement for the departing Haith.

We see that as a "win-win" situation for all parties involved, especially your Miami Hurricanes.

The Birth Of A Man And A Miracle

Every year on April 1 and again on November 27 in honor of Sean Taylor's birth and tragic death, Canespace will dedicate a memorial feature to recognize his contributions to the University of Miami.

Sean Michael Maurice Taylor was born in Miami on April 1, 1983.

Perhaps by fate, maybe by coincidence, it was later that same year that the University of Miami, behind a quarterback named Kosar and Coach named Schnellenberger, would win their first college football National Championship by beating heavily favored Nebraska in the Orange Bowl.

That game, which put the UM program on the big-time college football map, has often been referred to as the "Miracle in Miami". Sean's Taylor's birth in April of that year could also be seen as a miracle for what this young man would soon bring to this team and its fans in his home town.

Sean would grow up in a tough South Dade neighborhood and later attend Gulliver High School where he would help them win the Class 2A State Title and become the #1 ranked prep player in the County by the Miami Herald. Sean was so dominant at this level that he played multiple positions including running back, linebacker and defensive back for that team.

After a spectacular Senior season and a hotly contested recruiting battle for this star athlete, Sean decided to attend the University of Miami. It would prove to be somewhat ironic that Sean would wind up being one of only four true freshmen to play in 2001 on the Hurricanes fifth National Championship team.

Even at this early stage, Sean's life had seemingly come full circle. From being born during the Miracle in Miami season of 1983 to contributing to what was arguably the best UM team ever, the Canes 2001 championship team. Sean Taylor had already become a hometown hero and would soon become a true legend in the 305.

As Junior at UM in 2003, after beating FSU at Doak Campbell Stadium in the pouring rain seemingly all by himself, Sean would win a slew of college football awards. After that season, Sean decided it was time to take the next step and would opt for the NFL draft.

He would be the first of six Canes selected in the first round that year (an NFL record) when he was drafted fifth overall by the Washington Redskins.

By 2006 there was no doubt that Sean Taylor had become the dominant player at his position and was honored by being selected to the NFL Pro-bowl that year. Nicknamed "Meast" by teammates for being part man, part beast, Sean would become one of the most feared hitters in the NFL.

Entering his third year as a Redskin, Sean seemed to be at the top of his game and the NFL talent pool. By the tenth week of the NFL season he was tied for the league lead in interceptions and was considered an automatic selection for his second straight Pro-Bowl.

Then came the fateful night of November 26, 2007.

Sean Taylor, while at home asleep with his wife and 18 month-old daughter, awoke to a loud noise in his home. In an effort to protect his family, Sean confronted the would-be burglars. He was shot once and would later die from the severe loss of blood as his femoral artery was torn apart by the single bullet.

That night would end the life of a real Hurricane hero.

Sean Taylor's sudden and tragic death shocked his family, friends, teammates and the Hurricane faithful. When he died the day following the shooting, we promised to never forget his contributions to the University of Miami.

This blog article is our simple way of proving that we have not forgotten Sean Taylor, #26, who played at The U and was proud to wear the orange and green.

Some memories and images never fade. And even now, if you close your eyes, you can probably still see him, #26 back peddaling into open space, picking off another deep pass, splashing through the rain and the mud at the Doak, weaving down the field behind several blockers, refusing to be denied and diving into the end zone for a pick six.

That is how we will remember Sean Taylor.

As a miracle of a man who at times seemed completely capable of beating the other team all by himself.