Canespace

A Golden Opportunity

Visiting the Everglades or the Grand Canyon might be nice but really all that is left at the end of the trip are some faded memories and a few photos of a very large hole in the ground or an endless river of grass that most likely nobody will ever see.

First year University of Miami head coach Al Golden truly has a "Golden Opportunity" when his Miami Hurricanes face the #17 ranked Ohio State Buckeyes in the first home game of his career at Sun Life Stadium this Saturday. 

The entire Nation will be watching as the Hurricanes continue their struggle to regain their self respect and national recognition. 

Golden's embattled team has been beaten and bruised by their last several opponents dating back to the end of last season well before Golden even arrived on the scene in Coral Gables and way before the heavy hand of the NCAA came crashing down on him and his team so very unexpectedly in recent weeks.

Still, through it all, Golden stands tall at the podium and handles the questions from the relatively mindless media with the skill of a elected politician.  For example, notice how he starts this recent  interview from Tuesday:

Anybody who has ever heard him speak knows that Al Golden has a way with words.  He is an intelligent, articulate and charismatic person with excellent public speaking skills.

The question that remains going into the Ohio State game this Saturday is does he have a way with producing winning football teams at the highest level of the college game against top competition? 

That question is still to be answered and this week's game against Ohio State will help. Here is Golden commenting on Wednesday about this critically important game:

Al Golden has now hitched his head coach's wagon, much like the last head coach at Miami did, to a QB named Jacory Harris. 

Golden is a firm believer that Harris suddenly now "gets it" and completely understands his role in the Hurricanes new offense under Jedd Fisch after being a literal turnover machine in 2010 while being coached by a man we affectionately called "Miracle Whip", a man that clearly ran out of miracles.

It is apparent that Al Golden trusts Jacory Harris to be his starting quarterback and maybe even his hero.  Here Jacory tells us why:

Let's hope Al and Jacory take advantage of this Golden opportunity against Ohio State. It is most certainly a game that Hurricane fans will remember one way or another for a long time to come.

If the Hurricanes beat the Buckeyes they will likely regain some major national respectability.

If not, Hurricane fans may have to go back to looking at those pictures of some really big hole in the ground or some endless river of grass while day dreaming of the glory days of Hurricanes past...

The Shortlist To The Superdome: Week 3

As week three opens on the 2011 season, 53 teams have been struck from the Shortlist already meaning that most likely it will take only the first month of the season to stop tracking the eliminated and switch to following who's left on the Shortlist.  The already irrelevant programs read as follows for 2011:

Mississippi, Georgia, Minnesota, Indiana, Boston College, Duke, Oregon State, UCLA, Colorado, Louisville, TCU, Air Force, New Mexico, UNLV, Tulsa, SMU, Rice, Tulane, UTEP, Southern Miss, ECU, Marshall, Memphis, Fresno State, Louisiana Tech, Idaho, San Jose State, Utah State, New Mexico State, UAB, Nevada, Hawai'i, Notre Dame, BYU, Toledo, Northern Illinois, Central Michigan, Ball State, Army, Western Michigan, Miami (OH), Kent State, Buffalo, Bowling Green, Akron, Troy, ULM, Middle Tennessee, Arkansas State, North Texas, Florida Atlantic, WKU, and Louisiana.

Three teams once again defied my predictions to fall from Shortlist contention last week and the new roll-call of who beat the odds reads as such:

1) Kansas barely turns back the upset bid of Northern Illinois as Turner Gill has the offense humming for the Jayhawks early in the year in 2011.  They'll need to tackle the ball better this week against Georgia Tech's option offense to have any chance of making it to a bye week undefeated for the start of conference play though as they travel to Atlanta on Saturday.

2) Wake Forest makes another stop on Tobacco Road let out a groan as they beat the Russell Wilson-less NC State Wolfpack 34-27 at home.  Jim Grobe, now beginning his second decade at Wake Forest, continues to keep both his winning percentages in Winston-Salem and for his career ticking along at just above .500, which when you consider where he's stopped off, is no small miracle.

3) FIU strikes a blow for Cuban-American college football head coaches everywhere as they run roughshod over the hosts in The 'Ville.  There is no confirmation as to yet that Mario Cristobal was heard exclaiming after the final gun, "That's for 2006," as he stomped on the logo at midfield, but if he did, I nominate him to replace Al Golden immediately.  Their career coaching records aren't that much different at this point anyway and he's even won coming off a bye week already while proving he knows how to recruit the bottom.

On the other side of the coin, five teams fell to their foes and find themselves removed from the Shortlist thanks to the unforeseen losses:

1) Minnesota loses to perennial doormat New Mexico State 28-21 and gets to watch coach Jerry Kill suffer a seizure on the sidelines during the process.  Apparently there's no cause for concern as Kill does this all the time, the seizures, not the losing to doormats.  We'll take the Gophers word for it and leave it at that for now.

2) Louisville becomes the very first BCS school to lose to the FIU Golden Panthers in their programs history, falling at home 24-17.  Caught looking ahead to the rivalry game against Kentucky this week or distracted by the NCAA investigation into Clint Hurt's recruiting practices?  You decide.

3) Air Force shows once again that facing Gary Patterson's 4-2-5 with a one dimensional offense is never a good idea, no matter how early in a rebuilding year you get to play his Horned Frogs, as they crash and burn in the friendly confines of Colorado Springs 35-19.  Troy Calhoun can still pull some magic and get that elusive 10 win season for the Falcons for the first time since I was a freshman in college in 1998, but he'll have to pull an upset or two out of the bag somewhere along the way to do it now.

4) Southern Miss goes on the road and ends up on the short end of the scoreboard against Marshall 26-20 in Huntington and this result has to be considered an upset from any angle you look at it.  Larry Fedora's team had won all three trips to Joan C. Edwards Stadium by single digits but now a potential undefeated season is trampled underfoot and you have to wonder if these kind of road games that looked winnable to start the year will become this teams undoing as the season wears on?

5) Northern Illinois is polite enough to drop a game to their new coach's old team in Lawrence, Kansas 45-42.  Dave Doeren wasn't guiding the Huskies to another 11 win season this year but they could have secured this win for the first time head coach to get a signature victory under his belt early and reverse the program's traditional struggles in road openers simultaneously instead of letting it slip through their grasps.

Ten teams seem to be ready to bow out of National Championship consideration this week and the expected losses will be inflicted this week on the following teams:

Mississippi State, Iowa, Washington State, Arizona, Colorado State, Wyoming, Navy, Eastern Michigan, Temple, and FIU.

I've gone back and forth for over a week now as to whether the Miami Hurricanes would be added to the 10 teams listed above and for all I know I'll be updating this article from the tailgate going on in the parking lot of Sun Life Stadium at around 7:20 pm on Saturday to call for their ouster but for now at least, I expect the team to score last to win the game.  Let's just all of us hope it isn't OSU running back an interception again on fourth down and four.

Enjoy the games this week and join me back here next week as the Shortlist reaches the 60 or less left watershed mark and starts following who's left in contention instead of who's looking to next year already on the Shortlist to the Superdome.

Copyright 2011 by Christopher Whelpton for Canespace.com

The Place To Stay: The Hampton Inn - Plantation

This coming Friday evening Hurricane fans from all over the Sunshine State and literally from all across the Country will begin arriving at the Hampton Inn in beautiful Plantation, Florida for the first University of Miami home game of the 2011 college football season.

 
On Saturday they will gather in the hotel lobby clad in orange and green and prepare their coolers, grills and other essential gear for the epic tailgate that they will experience as they prepare themselves for the ensuing gridiron battle against hated rival Ohio State.

 
On Sunday these same Hurricane fans will rise after celebrating their huge win over the Buckeys at newly renovated and Super Bowl ready Sun Life Stadium. 

The only question left for Hurricane fans is: "Where will U be?"

 
If you or other people that you know are traveling to sunny South Florida for a University of Miami football game this year then we highly recommend that you stay at the designated Canespace hotel for these events:

The Hampton Inn - Plantation, Florida.

This award-winning, luxury hotel is situated in an ideal location for college (and professional) football fans and can be found just West of University Drive and just a few blocks North of I-595.

The Hampton Inn is located near numerous restaurants and popular sports bars, is within walking distance of the Broward Mall (for those who like to shop) and is only 20 minutes from Sun Life Stadium via the Florida Turnpike.

Hurricane fans come from near and far and literally take over the hotel lobby and patio before and after UM home games. Rival fans can also be found there for some good-natured trash talking as well.

There are always opportunities for car pooling to the game with other Hurricane for tailgating parties, purchasing tickets and snatching up one of the prized Canespace T-shirts.

Canespace usually throws a "Party On The Patio" after every home game with food, beverages and prizes for UM trivia contests. With a lush, tropical setting and a large pool and jacuzzi, the Hampton Inn patio is THE place to celebrate each Hurricane victory in 2011!

The special "Canespace Rate" is $89 and is valid for all Hurricane fans and also available for any visiting team fans.

For reservations please contact the hotel front desk or speak to: Susan Stern, Director of Sales, Hampton Inn - Plantation: 954-382-4500

Or reserve your room on line with Canespace Corporate Code 0002702804 at:

www.ftlauderdaleplantation.hamptoninn.com

For the hotel's street address, directions and map please click here:

http://www.hamptoninn.com/en/hp/hotels/maps_directions.jhtml?ctyhocn=FLLPTHX

We look forward to meeting U at the Hampton Inn - Plantation this season!

FLASHBACK: Miami vs Ohio State 2010

Before the Hurricanes face the Buckeyes next Saturday at Sun Life Stadium we thought we would take a look back at last year's matchup to see what we might learn from that game to apply to this year's contest between Miami and Ohio State. This is the game summary from 2010...

COLUMBUS, Ohio - Terrelle Pryor ran for 113 yards and a touchdown and passed for another Saturday and No. 2 Ohio State intercepted Jacroy Harris four times in a 36-24 victory over 12th-ranked Miami on Saturday.

The last time the teams had met was in the national championship game at the 2003 Fiesta Bowl, with the Buckeyes taking a dramatic and controversial 31-24 victory in double-overtime.

The Buckeyes (2-0) stayed perfect and spoiled the Hurricanes' (1-1) bid for top national billing.

Trailing 26-17 at the half, Miami took the second-half kickoff and drove to a first down at the Ohio State 6. But on third-and-goal, Harris' pass over the middle was wide of the mark and intercepted by burly Buckeyes defensive end Cameron Heyward, who rumbled 80 yards.

That set up Pryor's touchdown run. He rolled right, looking to pass, then reversed field and scored untouched.

The Hurricanes, whose earlier scores both came on kick returns, scored on Harris' 9-yard pass to Chase Ford on the first play of the fourth quarter, cutting the lead to 36-24.

Miami got the ball just once more, marching down the field only to lose it on downs at the Ohio State 39 with 7½ minutes left. The Buckeyes, with Pryor picking up big yardage on runs, then played keep-a-way the rest of the game.

Devin Barclay tied an Ohio State record with five field goals.

The Buckeyes dominated, piling up 260 yards to just 104 with three turnovers for the Hurricanes. But Miami twice returned kicks for long scores. The first was Lamar Miller's 88-yard kickoff return.

After Ohio State seemed to grab control at 20-10 on Dan Herron's 4-yard touchdown run midway through the second quarter, Travis Benjamin brought a punt back 79 yards for another score. The Buckeyes tried to pooch kick or even kick the ball out of bounds the rest of the day to keep it away from the 'Canes.

Harris was intercepted three times in the first half, but none was poorly thrown. The first was tipped by Ohio State's C.J. Barnett, into the hands of Nathan Williams, setting up Barclay's field goal. The second pick was a result of receiver Benjamin not even looking for the ball, with Chimdi Chekwa grabbing the throw to set up Herron's TD run. Then Harris hit Benjamin on a medium-length pass along the right sideline, but Benjamin bobbled the ball into Chekwa's hands to set up yet another Barclay field goal.

No. 12/12 Miami at No. 2/2 Ohio State

Sept. 11, 2010 | Ohio Stadium | Columbus, Ohio

Postgame Notes 

• TAKIN' IT BACK: Redshirt freshman running back Lamar Miller – the reigning ACC Rookie of the Week returned a kickoff 88 yards for a touchdown in the first quarter. It was Miller’s first career touchdown return. Junior wide receiver Travis Benjamin followed Miller’s return with a 79-yard punt return for a touchdown with 3:04 left in the first half. The last time, a Miami player returned a kickoff for a touchdown was Devin Hester at NC State on Oct. 23, 2004. Hester’s return went for 100 yards. Benjamin’s punt return of 79 yards tied for the tenth longest in school history. It also was his first career punt return for a touchdown and the first for Miami since Thearon Collier’s 60-yard punt return last season against Virginia. 
• WE’RE IN GOOD HANDS: With a 6-yard reception from Jacory Harris in the first series of the game, Leonard Hankerson has now caught a pass in 15-straight games.  Hankerson also finished with seven receptions for 90 yards. The seven catches was one shy of his career-high. 
• SPENCE GETS CAREER MARK: Linebacker Sean Spence recorded a career-high 11tackles to lead the Hurricanes’ defense. His previous career-high of 10 happened twice, most recently against Oklahoma in 2009. 
• BERRY ALMOST GETS 100: Damien Berry had 109 yards of offense today, coming just six yards short of his second career 100-yard rushing game. Berry finished the game with 16 carries for 94 yards to go along with two catches for 15 yards. 
• THROUGH THE UPRIGHTS: All-ACC punter/kicker Matt Bosher extended his streak to 97 straight PAT’s made – the third best streak in a career in Miami history. He needs two more to move into a tie for second place.  Bosher broke the school record for consecutive fields goals made (13 by Dane Prewitt in 1994) as he connected on his 14th in a row with a 51-yarder with 13:05 to go in the second quarter, connecting on a 51-yard kick. He had made 14-straight field goals in a row dating back to the 2009 season. It was the fourth 50-yard plus field goal of Bosher’s career. 
• TODAY'S STARTERS: Miami’s offensive starters were : Jacory Harris (QB), Damien Berry (HB), Travis Benjamin (WR), Leonard Hankerson (WR), Richard Gordon (TE), Harland Gunn (LG), Orlando Franklin (LT), Brandon Washington (RG), Tyler Horn (C), Ben Jones (RT) and Chase Ford (TE). Starting on defense were: Olivier Vernon (DE), Marcus Forston (DT), Josh Holmes (DT), Allen Bailey (DE), Colin McCarthy (LB), Sean Spence (LB), Kylan Robinson (LB), Brandon Harris (CB), Vaughn Telemaque (FS), Ray Ray Armstrong (SS) and DeMarcus Van Dyke (CB).

The Short List To The Superdome: Week 2

As week two of the 2011 season dawns, the Miami Hurricanes sit at home regrouping from the ACC conference race hole they dug for themselves against a team wrapped in crime scene tape while they remind themselves that in 1983, the last team to lose its opening game and go on to win a national title finished its first 60 minutes of play a lot more than eight points down on the scoreboard.

 

While the Hurricanes still find themselves barely hanging on by a thread to the Shortlist, these unlucky 37 teams are gone after one weekend of play already:

Mississippi, Georgia, Indiana, Duke, Oregon State, UCLA, Colorado, TCU, New Mexico, UNLV, Tulsa, SMU, Rice, ECU, Marshall, Memphis, Fresno State, Louisiana Tech, Idaho, San Jose State, Utah State, New Mexico State, Army, Western Michigan, Miami (OH), Kent State, Buffalo, Bowling Green, Akron, Troy, ULM, Middle Tennessee, Arkansas State, North Texas, Florida Atlantic, WKU, and Louisiana.

Only three teams won despite me calling for them not to in the opening week and their victories are impressive in descending order as follows:

1) Baylor jumps out to a big lead, gives it all back then comes back to finally put the nail into TCU's undefeated streak as Robert Griffin and his coach Art Briles put on an offensive tutorial in week one of the season.  Somewhere, despite the way he was undercut on the way out of town, former coach Chuck Reedy has to be smiling at the exhibition his old team put on in Waco in week one coming off their first bowl since 1994.

2) Ball State goes to a neutral site for what was technically their home game and sends the Big 10 (plus 2 now) visitor Indiana packing with a testy new over-hyped coach and a L on their record.  If you're keeping track at home, new coach Pete Lembo now has the Cardinals back into feel-good story mode, ala Brady Hoke three years ago, now that he has replaced Stan Parish who turned the fairy tale in Muncie into a Brother's Grim unedited nightmare over the last two years.  Whether he can keep it going this week remains to be seen however.

3) Bowling Green exacts a measure of revenge for the exciting 2009 Humanitarian bowl against Idaho they lost on a final drive by a point by going on the road and earning a two score margin of victory.  Eagles' coach Dave Clawson has his work cut out for him the rest of the way to even make a bowl this year but for at least another week, I see them remaining in the mix on the Shortlist for 2011.

Five unfortunate teams lost on opening week without me calling for them to and find themselves off the Shortlist at the first opportunity this year:

1) TCU breaks in thirteen new starters and they finally decide to start playing college football at a high level in the fourth quarter as they stage a furious comeback only to fall just short against Baylor in a meeting between two old SWC foes, 50-48.  Gary Patterson's team could lose this same game next year as a Big East program and still be in contention on the Shortlist in 2012 but for this year it's one and done in heartbreaking fashion for his Horned Frogs instead.

2) Indiana goes to Indianapolis just for the ignominy of losing to the Cardinals of Ball State by a 27-20 score.  It still beats being stuck in Bloomington even with the score inverted against your favor though in my opinion.  Kevin Wilson left the number one team in the country according to the polls for this?

3) Duke continues to drag David Cutcliffe's career winning percentage over the edge of .500 by falling at home to Richmond 23-21 in what only qualifies as a marginal upset in the notoriously unfriendly confines of Wallace Wade Stadium.  They really need to shorten that walk from the lockers to the field for the home team to prevent things like this from happening to good coaches.

4) Oregon State reminds everybody why they once went 27 years without a winning season from the 70's to the late 90's as they lose a shocker in overtime to Sacramento State 29-28 on a two point conversion.  Southern Cal will now kick themselves for not having the Beavers on the schedule this year in what is obviously a year they would actually have a chance not to be upset by them instead of having them cost them a national title shot with an upset loss to them like normally is the case when the two schools play each other.  Oh, that's right, Reggie Bush is a cheater who was ineligible, never mind.  He also doesn't sell tickets when wearing teal either I hear.

5) Under the Kibbie Dome's roof, the Idaho Vandals get savaged by the visiting Bowling Green Eagles 32-15 as coach Rob Akey now has to refocus his team for a dark horse WAC title run which if they play better during the season at home than they started off by doing, they are capable of completing successfully.

I expect 14 teams this week to receive their Shortlist walking papers to bring the total eliminations to over one third of the FBS teams in two weeks of the Shortlist and they are:

Kansas, Boston College, Wake Forest, Tulane, UTEP, UAB, Nevada, Hawai'i, Notre Dame, BYU, Toledo, Central Michigan, Ball State, and FIU.

Try to enjoy the games this weekend and come back next weekend as the field narrows ever closer to listing the teams left instead of the teams off here at the Shortlist to the Superdome.

Copyright 2011 by Christopher Whelpton for Canespace.com

The Morning After

Is there a pill for this?

The morning after a tough opening game loss to Maryland last night I am sure that Miami Hurricane fans might want to hear that "it's only one game", or that there are "things that can be corrected", or that "you should be patient and give the coaches and the team time".

And while all of that is indeed true, I'm gonna give it to you straight with no sugar coating and no anti-depressant medication.

After all of the hoopla and hype about how things were going to be so totally different for your Miami Hurricanes this year under new head coach Al Golden all UM fans saw on Monday night was more of the same: stupid penalties, costly turnovers and the infamous Swiss cheese defense that had more holes in it than the U.S. border with Mexico.

The Terrapins offense channeled their inner Nancy Pelosi as they tunneled under, pole vaulted over and eventually just walked right through the Hurricanes suspension depleted defense like Charlie Sheen at a cocktail party with strippers. 

Apparently the Hurricanes not only left their eight suspended players in Coral Gables but also two very important things: Their core values and one very important thought...WINNING!

The 2011 Hurricanes went all "retro" on us on Monday night and reverted to their same old tricks: 10 penalties, 4 turnovers (2 for TDs) while giving up almost 500 yards to the Maryland Terrapins in a season opening losing effort that looked so, well, 2010.

Al Golden, in his first game as head coach at Miami, soaked with rain and sweat for his efforts, took responsibility for the loss. 

"We had enough talent to win tonight. We just didn't do it," Golden said. "I thought we were ready to go. We made too many mistakes. You make that many mistakes, you can't win."

Miami was indeed the better team in terms of talent but not in terms of execution on Labor Day.

The Miami offensive line that was supposed to be the strength of the team did not live up to their lofty pre-season expectations.  The Art Kehoe coached unit looked lost and weak while getting pushed around all night like they were wearing short skirts and roller skates by an undersized Maryland defense.

The admittedly undermanned Hurricanes were out-coached, out-played and out-performed by an average Terrapin team.  The Maryland offensive game plan was expertly designed to take advantage of  Miami's weakness: The defensive backs. 

The Terrapins Heisman Trophy quality QB (just kidding) Danny O'Brien first attacked the Hurricanes' defensive flanks with several (Patrick Nix like) bubble screens and then ravaged the middle of the confused UM defense with the precision of a laser guided bomb. 

It was shock and awe at its best and the Hurricane defense was left reeling in the turtle's wake.

Still, in spite of all of this, the Hurricanes had a chance to win the game and even took the lead at 24-23 with just over four minutes left in the fourth quarter courtesy of a Jake Wieclaw field goal. 

But the Hurricanes' infamous Swiss cheese defense had one too many holes in it and could not hold the lead as the Terrapins eventually won the game 32-24.

Now the Hurricanes get a week off to lick their wounds, right themselves, return several key players from suspension and focus forward on the task at hand: Beating the Ohio State Buckeyes at Sun Life Stadium on September 17.

There are plenty of tickets available to witness that event with us (yes, we WILL be there) if you are so inclined.  The game is not sold out and there were over 4,000 tickets available on Stub Hub starting at $50 at last check.

When it was all over in rainy, muddy Maryland, the only thing left to do was watch Canechic as she gloated while riding high on the turtle and dragging the Miami Hurricane players into a mud wrestling match that only she could appreciate.

Well, come to think of it, we can all appreciate the thought of Canechic in a mud wrestling match, right?

Game Day: The Golden Era Begins

Tonight your Miami Hurricanes will take the field for the first time with Al Golden as head coach when they open the 2011 campaign against the Maryland Terrapins in College Park, Maryland at 8 PM. 

Even though it is only the first game of the season most college football fans would agree that there is more meaning attached to this game than the usual or typical season opener. 

Golden's Hurricanes will not get an easy first week warm-up game against a unfortunate bottom feeder team like a Kent State or UL-Monroe and instead will open on the road with an ACC opponent with something to prove and with a new coach of their own in Randy Edsall.

Today on the blog we present a new feature staring our very own Christopher Whelpton who is also known as Orange and Green in the Vein (OGV) on Canespace.  The new feature is titled "Hurricane Game Day" and will be a weekly presentation about how the current week's teams match-up and include a predicition of the expected outcome of the game. 

OGV predicted a close game with Miami squeaking out a 21-20 win over the Terps on the road at Maryland.

I am not so sure that the game will be that close or that Miami is capable of winning a close game on the road to open the season.  With the weather expected to be rainy and miserable for most of the game it may be mistakes and turnovers that determine the winner or possibly special teams play that weighs most heavily on the outcome of this ACC contest.

I see the UM ground game of "Smash and Dash" dominating the day behind an effective if not overpowering offensive line and an efficient if not exciting passing game on display from starting QB Stephen Morris as expected starter Jacory Harris sits at home and serves his one game suspension.  It is no secret that Morris must limit the turnovers for the 'Canes to be successful on the road at night against a tough conference opponent.

Defensively I think the depleted Hurricanes will give up a lot of yards and first downs but not a lot of points to the Terps.  I look for the Canes to play conservatively on D and not get too complicated or show a lot of specialty packages that they will implement when several starters return against Ohio State on September 17.

CANESPACE GAME PREDICTION: MIAMI 34 - MARYLAND 24.

Game Preview: Miami vs Maryland

The University of Miami Hurricanes will open its regular season schedule when it travels to College Park to play the Maryland Terrapins in an ACC conference match-up on Labor Day night, Monday, September 27 at 8 PM at Byrd Stadium. The game will be televised live on ESPN and ESPN3D. 

Miami will open their 86th season of college football in 2011 against Maryland hoping to make some delicious turtle soup of the Terrapins (add sherry and ground pepper). The Hurricanes and the Terps have faced each other just twice in Atlantic Coast Conference play, with both teams winning one game. 

 
Both the Hurricanes and the Terrapins begin their seasons with new head coaches. Miami’s Al Golden comes to the program after spending the last five seasons as the head coach of Temple, while Maryland is led by Randy Edsall, who spent the last 12 seasons as the head coach at Connecticut. 

The Hurricanes’ offense is coming off one of its most impressive seasons in UM history.  In 2010 Miami tallying 5,493 total yards - the second most in school history. The 936 total plays in 2010 was a school record and the 288 total first downs equaled the 1984 mark for the most in program history. 

The highly touted Miami rushing attack features junior Mike James and sophomore Lamar Miller. Miller carried the ball 108 times for 669 yards (6 yards/carry), while James recorded 70 carries for 398 yards (5.7 yards/carry).

 
Along with the graduated Damien Berry (seen above next to James flashing The U), Miller and James keyed a rushing attack that totaled 2,388 yards in 2010 - the third-most in Miami history. 

A number of newcomers are expected to contribute this year for the Canes, with senior cornerback Mike Williams, junior defensive tackle Darius Smith, sophomore punter Dalton Botts, and a few freshman such as defensive end Anthony Chickillo (seen below with his parents), wide receiver Phillip Dorsett and cornerback Thomas Finnie among those who could see action early on.

 

Here are some additional Miami Hurricane football notes and nuggets: 

Tough Schedule: According to Phil Steele’s College Football Preview, Miami will face the 10th-toughest schedule of any FBS school this upcoming season. Only Colorado, Iowa State, Baylor, Oregon State, LSU, Boston College, USC, Washington and Auburn face a tougher road ahead according to the publication. 

Home Sweet Home: After traveling to Maryland for the season-opener, the Canes will return home to host non-conference foes Ohio State and Kansas State in back-to-back weeks at Sun Life Stadium. 

On the Road Again: A few weeks later, Miami will face a pair of difficult tests on the road in consecutive trips in October to Virginia Tech (10/8) and North Carolina (10/15). The yearly rivalry game with Florida State will also come on the road, as the Canes will travel to Tallahassee to face the Seminoles on November 12.

Missing In Action: Eight University of Miami football student-athletes must miss competition and repay benefits as a condition of becoming eligible to play again according to a decision by the NCAA student-athlete reinstatement staff.  Here is a summary of the suspensions handed down by the NCAA:

• DL Marcus Forston, LB Sean Spence, DL Adewale Ojomo, WR Travis Benjamin and QB Jacory Harris will serve their one-game suspension during the Maryland contest.
• DB Ray-Ray Armstrong and TE Dyron Dye will serve four game suspensions, while DL Olivier Vernon will sit out six games.
• In addition WR Aldarius Johnson has been suspended indefinitely for being a real knucklehead (violating team rules).

FLASHBACK: Miami vs Maryland 2010

Before your Miami Hurricanes take the field for the first time in the 2011 season against the Maryland Terrapins we thought it would be wise to take a look back at last year's game between the two ACC teams to see what we could learn.  Here is Miami vs Maryland in 2010...

True freshman Stephen Morris threw for 286 yards in his first college start and hit Leonard Hankerson for a 35-yard score with 37 seconds left Saturday, rallying Miami past Maryland 26-20. 

 
The touchdown capped an 82-yard drive that began with 3:06 left and Miami trailing 20-18. The Hurricanes overcame 10 penalties, including one that negated a defensive score, and two blown extra-points.

Morris had an interception returned for a touchdown but finished 18 for 30 and led an offense that outgained Maryland 504-254. He was filling in for Jacory Harris, sidelined last week by a concussion.

The Hurricanes (6-3, 4-2 Atlantic Coast Conference) kept alive their slim hopes in the league race and became bowl-eligible by beating the Terrapins (6-3, 3-2). Maryland drove to Miami's 30 before Danny O'Brien's pass into the end zone was incomplete on the final play.

A touchdown for Miami by Marcus Robinson on a 55-yard fumble return was negated when a teammate Sean Spence was flagged for grabbing a face mask. Five players later, Maryland's Travis Baltz kicked a 23-yard field goal with 9:19 left for a 20-18 lead.

On the winning drive, Morris converted a third-and-11 situation with a 16-yard scramble. On the next play, he threw deep to Hankerson, who pulled away from two defenders and caught the ball over the shoulder just before crossing the goal line.

 
"Great throw, great catch, I'll take that," Miami coach Randy Shannon said.

Lamar Miller ran for the 2-point conversion.

The Hurricanes had possession for nearly 37 minutes, but mistakes hurt them. A botched hold foiled their first extra-point attempt, and Joe Vellano blocked the second try. A season-long problem of penalties persisted, and the Hurricanes used up all of their second-half timeouts in the third quarter.

Linebacker Alex Wujciak scored on a 60-yard interception return for the Terrapins, but they had trouble moving the ball. Freshman O'Brien started 1 for 10 and finished 9 for 28 for 134 yards.

O'Brien did hit Kevin Dorsey near the pylon for a 42-yard score.

Wujciak stepped in front of the intended receiver on a throw over the middle, made the interception and benefited from blocking that left two Hurricanes shaken up. The 250-pound middle linebacker sprinted untouched to the corner of the end zone to give Maryland a 14-6 lead.

Wujciak made another interception in the third quarter to give Maryland the ball at the Miami 17, but O'Brien was intercepted in the end zone by RayRay Armstrong.

Morris' first completion was a deep throw to Travis Benjamin for a 53-yard gain. That set up an 8-yard touchdown run by Miller for a 6-0 lead.

The Terrapins had a first and goal at the 2 in the second quarter, but backup quarterback Jamarr Robinson lost 8 yards after fumbling a snap and they had to settle for a field goal.

Maryland missed four tackles on a 47-yard reception by Benjamin that set up a Miami field goal. Benjamin finished with five catches for 127 yards.

START IT UP
True freshman Stephen Morris made his first start today for the Hurricanes at quarterback, finishing with a career-high 286 passing yards with 18 completions on 30 attempts.

With a season-high 504 yards of total offense (295 in the first half), Miami has surpassed 400 yards of total offense for the fifth-straight game and for the sixth time this season. This is the most offensive yards for the Hurricanes since Nov. 7, 2009, when Miami had 515 yards versus Virginia.

RUN LAMAR RUN
In his first career start, Lamar Miller has rushed for a career-high 125 yards on 22 carries - the most rushing yards by a Hurricane back this season. The last time a freshman rushed for as many yards was on Sept. 30, 2006, when Javarris James ran for 148 yards against Houston to set a freshman record.

 
He is the second Hurricane back to achieve it this season, alongside Damien Berry. He is the first freshman to record a 100-yard rushing game since Graig Cooper racked up 101 yards versus Duke on Sept. 29, 2007.

HANKERSON EXTENDS STREAK, SCORES AGAIN
With four catches today for 66 yards, Leonard Hankerson extended his consecutive games with a catch streak to 22. Hankerson also improved on his ACC-leading touchdown total in the fourth quarter when he recorded his 10th TD of the season with a 35-yard game-winning touchdown reception.

Hankerson is having one of the most productive seasons as a receiver in UM history. Through nine games, Hankerson has 48 catches for 747 yards and a team-best 10 touchdowns. He has scored at least one touchdown in seven of UM's nine games and needs just one more receiving touchdowns to tie Michael Irvin's single-season school record mark of 11 set in 1986. After recording 801 receiving yards last season, Hankerson is also looking to become just third player in school history to record back-to-back 800-yard receiving seasons. Michael Irvin (840 in 1985; 868 in 1986) and Andre Johnson (881 in 2001; 1,092 in 2002) are the only other `Canes to have ever accomplished the feat.

MORRIS TO BENJAMIN
Travis Benjamin registered a 127 receiving yards (just one shy of his career high) on five catches for his first 100-yard game of the season and second of his career. His first 100-yard receiving game was at Florida State on Sept. 7, 2009 when he had 128 receiving yards.

Morris threw a 53-yard completion to Benjamin to set up an 8-yard touchdown run for Miller (third of his career) to put Miami up 6-0 with 6:09 remaining in the first quarter. Morris threw a career-long 60-yard pass to Benjamin in his collegiate debut at Virginia.

In the second quarter, Benjamin grabbed a 47-yard reception from Morris and made his way to Maryland's 20 yard line. The Hurricanes scored on a 33-yard field goal from Matt Bosher, making the score 17-15 with 36 seconds in the second quarter.

 
LaRon Byrd grabbed a 26-yard pass from Morris to set up Mike James' second career touchdown run (two yards) to bring the `Canes within a pair of points, 14-12 with 7:14 remaining in the opening half.

I'LL TAKE THAT
RayRay Armstrong's third quarter interception was Miami's 16th of the season in nine games. Coming into today's game, UM was tied for third in the nation in interceptions. Last season, the `Canes recorded just nine interceptions in 13 games. Miami has created 24 turnovers this season and were ranked sixth in the nation in this category entering today.

DEFENSIVE STOPS
Miami's defense held Maryland to 254 offensive yards with 96 on the ground and 158 through the air - all under the Terps' season averages.

 
Allen Bailey sacked O'Brien for a loss of three yards in the third quarter and now has a team-leading 6.5 sacks this season. Olivier Vernon sacked O'Brien for a loss of seven yards in the third quarter and now has 5.0 sacks this season - second-best on the squad.

The Hurricanes entered today's game ranked sixth in the nation in sacks.

The Short List To The Superdome: Week One

And so it begins with a Penn State tight end on the sidelines, an orange and green tie, a tough conference road game to open the season, and still, a puff of smoke. 

We start with one hundred and twenty teams, two spots to fill in January in a water-logged city still recovering from one of the greatest American disasters in the history of the country.  Not to mention millions of dollars, bragging rights, championship rings, and still most importantly, one crystal football all on the line. 

College football is finally back and the happiest time of the year is once again upon us.

The Shortlist returns in 2011 with a theme of: "To The Superdome". We will be keeping track of just who really still has a shot at one of the coveted berths in the title game, not who's in the top twenty-five, not the top ten or conference titles, it remains about who's got a shot to put their names in the pantheon of champions for our time and all time. 

As always, we start with the usual list of suspects, everybody. So Duke's noted home-field advantages can carry them all the way if they play like champions for three months, Temple's old and new coaches might have switched likelihoods of being in the catbird seat since the last Superdome Shortlist but they're still sitting in the same section to start. 

Even the Army, Navy and the Air Force teams still stand equally with the Notre Dame's, the Southern Cal's, even the mighty Miami Hurricane's of the world.

The ground rules remain the same for staying in contention. Pay attention, these are the rules:

1) DON'T LOSE. This is VERY detrimental to a team's case to stay on the Shortlist. Don't even think about it. If you do lose, you better be from a BCS conference to have ANY shot of staying on the Shortlist. Non-BCS teams not only better not lose, they also better hope that there's no undefeated BCS conference teams left at the end also. Of course I still just make the rules, I don't make them fair.

2) IF YOU DO LOSE AT LEAST MAKE IT CLOSE. Nothing gets your invite rescinded to the Superdome quicker than getting blown out. Anything more than a one score margin of victory will do serious damage to a team's chances of staying on the Shortlist. Having the refs screw you out of a win is the most forgivable of sins here, but you're going to need a fifth down, a blown rule interpretation, or a flag being thrown by a ref with the last name of Porter in overtime to really have a case to plead when it comes to the Shortlist. Thanks to the new pull the points off the board taunting rule, I can almost see the screw-job at the top of the Shortlist coming in early September already this year.

3) BCS LEAGUE TEAMS CAN SURVIVE A LOSS TO ANOTHER BCS TEAM BUT NON-BCS LEAGUE TEAMS CANNOT SURVIVE A LOSS TO ANYBODY. All you non-BCS teams should just consider yourselves lucky that Boise State, Utah, and TCU have even allowed you a chance to sit at the grown-up table this year thanks to their inspired undefeated giant killing seasons over the last four years of the Shortlist. This still doesn't apply to Notre Dame, even here, they still get special treatment as the only independent that truly plays a national schedule, they can drop one game to somebody from a BCS league and stay in contention, but if they fall to Navy or Air Force, it's one and off the Shortlist.

Now that formalities are out of the way for 2011, let's get to the picks for this week. These are the teams who I see will be off the Shortlist after week one:

Mississippi, Georgia, Baylor, UCLA, Colorado, New Mexico, UNLV, Tulsa, SMU, Rice, ECU, Marshall, Memphis, Fresno State, Louisiana Tech, San Jose State, Utah State, New Mexico State, Army, Western Michigan, Ball State, Miami (OH), Kent State, Buffalo, Bowling Green, Akron, Troy, ULM, Middle Tennessee, Arkansas State, North Texas, Florida Atlantic, WKU, and Louisiana.

While the blue-bloods of the sport eye a season where the age old hierarchies stay firmly entrenched at the top of the game, the last four years of the Shortlist have coincided with the greatest roll-back of traditional order college football has ever witnessed. I contradictorily see the Crimson Tide as well as the covered wagon enthusiasts going astray on their presumed road to coronation as the two best teams on the field of play this year. 

Instead, for the second year in a row, I predict you see the Boise State orange and blue taking on an appropriately color schemed opponent for the only game that matters in January. The orange and green clad players of the Miami Hurricanes have what it takes to come from the blind spot of the rest of the pack and revel in the detractors' hate as they don their more traditional "bad guy" role in the national title game against their replacements in this generation of the sport as the up and coming upstart for the title in 2011 the way I see it.

 While both UM and OSU failed to deliver at the levels of on field performance they should have last year, those failures are just as relevant to this new season as a sweater-vest is to college football in Ohio during this one. The best program per booster-dollar spent in the game versus the best recruiting ground in the game per square mile to campus are destined to meet on the field at some point in time and I say just after New Year's looks as good a time as any to finally lock it up between these two gate crashers of the modern era.

Next week we'll review who survived, preview who'll be done in, and see if more or less than a quarter of all teams on the Shortlist to start the season are gone out of the 34 I've called for this week as well as which teams turn the tables to stay on and which team upset the tables to find themselves off unexpectedly. 

I recommend that you stock up on your favorite adult beverages, enjoy the weekend and embrace the start of what should be a great season of college football. I'll see you back here next week as we revisit The Shortlist To The Superdome.

Copyright 2011 by Christopher Whelpton for Canespace.com