Canespace

The Band Is Back Together Again

Yeah, we know that Miami played Virginia Tech in an important ACC matchup at Hard Rock Stadium on Saturday night. And, of course as we all expected your Miami Hurricanes beat the Hokies by the score of 34-13.

Oh wait check that. Apparently the score was UM 38- VT 26. But who is counting, right? Miami actually played very well in the first half and then as usual allowed the other team to make the game just stressful enough so that their fans could never relax. We wouldn't have it any other way.

What really mattered was that some, but not all, of the original Canespace band was back together again. Several members of the band may look a little older from the wear and tear but they showed up. And they dominated.

The tailgate was epic as always and the windy, and at times stormy weather, couldn't dampen our spirits. So we all agreed to do this again next year for one game late in the season just for sport and for fun.

Until then we will just be thankul for the company, the game and the outcome.

Hate Week: Miami vs FSU

It's great to hate Florida State.

Sure we hate Florida, Notre Dame and Ohio State even more but we have reserved just enough hate for the team that wears garnet and gold from Florida State. Now don't get it twisted, we do love their cheerleaders (shown here with Native Cane) but dadgummit we do hate their football team.

Today's game is much different than those glorious games of the past when both the Hurricanes and the Seminoles were highly ranked top 10 teams vying for a National Championship almost each and every year.

Yes, all of those wide right and wide left games were true nail biters with everything on the line and National Championships hanging in the balance. Both Miami and Florida State are hoping to return to those glory days and their rightful places at the top of the college football polls.

When that happens then hating FSU will be even more fun, because as everyone knows, we love Chick-fil-A but we hate Florida State.

No, this 2021 matchup does not hold the same elevated status or high level of importance as those games did. Nonetheless, it is still Miami vs Florida State and it still matters for bragging rights and recruiting efforts which is really what hate week is all about.

But please keep it straight, we love the FSU hotties, as first hand research conducted by our very own expert "researcher" Terrance shows will twerk for food, but we really hate the Seminoles football team.

Yes indeed, it is still great to hate Florida State!

Canespace Prediction: Miami 34 - FSU 13 

Living On The Edge

Aerosmith wrote and sang the song. It wasn't a big hit.

Manny Diaz has perfected it at Miami. Still, not a big hit.

Your Miami Hurricanes, coming off two huge wins over top 25 ranked teams, displayed another momentary lapse of reason while playing against Georgia Tech at Hard Rock Stadium. They barely won by three points.

Nobody, at least not any reasonable person, would have expected or predicted any other outcome other than a 34-13 Miami victory over the Yellow Jackets.

However, it seems that some good coaching and a few "reasonable people" are very hard to find these days. And, so the beat goes on, and on, and on.

Manny Diaz looks good for a minute, then looks like he likes living on the edge.

Manny's buns have been toasted by the coaching hot seat more than once. He lost to FIU remember. FIU can't beat a yellow light much less a good team other than Manny's Hurricanes. But that's how he rolls I guess?

Well, don't look now but we have "Hate Week" upon us. Yes, once again, UM vs FSU is happening this weekend and Manny and crew better be ready.

If Miami pulls off the same lame game they displayed against Georgia Tech then the Noles, as bad and poorly coached as they may appear, will stomp a serious azz whooping on the Hurricanes just as quick as you can say "Bobby Bowden".

And that, Dabgummit, would be in every way, most unacceptable. 

Manny Marked "Safe For Now"

Yes, of course we are referring to Manny Diaz's job as Head Coach at the University of Miami. And only barely by the hair on his chinny-chin-chin as the old saying goes. Games still aren't yet fun for fans but at least a win is a win.

But for now, Miami's one a point win over ranked NC State buys Diaz more time to right this ship. The question is can he, will he and if so, just how soon?

What Manny will do with that extra time and free pass remains to be seen. Play clock managment and offensive play calling remain major glaring issues with the coaching staff. It seems that at times they can't get out of their own way.

Amazingly this thing they call "tackling" also seems to be still a thing of the past at Miami. Too many penalties, turnovers and mental lapses also plague both sides of the ball. Execution and efficiency are definitely lacking.

With the impressive Pittsburgh Panthers looming on the horizon, Manny better get busy. Clearly, there is much work to be done in Coral Gables. At least QB Tyler Van Dyke appears to be improving game to game.

Diaz may not be living day to day but he is most certainly living dangerously week to week. Because in the background you can faintly hear it.

The sound you hear is tick-tock, tick-tock...

Row Your Boat Gently Down The Stream

The University of Miami rowing team kicked off its fall season on Saturday, hosting the Head of the Indian Creek. The Canes went up against the Barry University Buccaneers in a head race, taking home first in both the varsity eight and varsity four race.

“It was a positive result, for sure,” head coach Dave Sanderson said. “We’ve been working on fundamentals in practice as that is what the fall is for – getting things started. To be able to compete and race and have them come out ahead with good rows, that is all you can ask for.”

The Canes put two eights and a four in the water on Saturday. The varsity eight ‘A’ boat crossed the finish line in a time of 14:20.81 to secure a first-place finish. The varsity eight ‘B’ boat finished second in a time of 14:58.67. Miami’s sole varsity four boat won its head race, posting a first-place time of 15:19.91.

“When we checked in with the athletes, they felt like they had good individual performances,” Sanderson said. “We’re looking forward to the group going to the Head of the Charles and will keep working to get ready for the spring.”

The Canes will send a varsity four boat to Boston next weekend to compete in the Head of the Charles. The regatta will take place on October 22-24.

Rumor is that tea will be served, but that has not yet been confirmed.

When Blake James Speaks, People Listen

It’s a busy and exciting time of the year for Miami Athletics as we have nine teams currently competing while our baseball and basketball teams have started practice in preparation for their upcoming seasons.

Our football team is off this weekend and looks to get back on track next Saturday, October 16, with a key ACC showdown at North Carolina. Kickoff is 3:30 p.m. on either ESPN, ESPN2 or ACC Network. The network designation will be announced this Monday. Good luck to the Canes in Chapel Hill!

We have three more football home games remaining — October 23 against NC State, November 6 against Georgia Tech and November 20 versus Virginia Tech. The NC State game is our annual Pink Game and we will also be honoring the 2001 national championship team on their 20th anniversary. Our Homecoming celebration is slated for November 6.

Please click  HERE  for ticket information. We look forward to seeing you at Hard Rock Stadium!

We inducted legendary coach Howard Schnellenberger into our Ring of Honor at halftime of last week’s game against Virginia. Howard’s wife, Beverlee, and sons Stuart and Tim also served as our honorary captains during the pregame coin toss and more than 40 of Howard’s former players were there to share in the special moment. I want to thank the Schnellenberger family and everyone who came out to honor Howard. We miss you, Coach!

Our volleyball team ran its record to 13-2 this week with a 3-1 win over Florida State at home. The Canes, off to their best start in 10 years, now own a 4-1 mark in ACC play. Keno Gandara’s squad looks to continue that momentum tonight when we square off against Duke in Durham at 6:30 p.m. Good luck to the Canes!

Our soccer team lost a heartbreaker at Wake Forest on Thursday night, 2-1 in double overtime. The Canes will look to regroup Sunday when they face top-ranked Florida State in Tallahassee. Kickoff is 12 p.m. on Bally Sports Florida. Tune in to root on the Canes! Goalkeeper Melissa Dagenais is the reigning Co-ACC Defensive Player of the Week honors after posting her fourth clean sheet of the season in our win at Boston College. Congratulations to Melissa!

Our cross country squad is off this weekend before heading to Charlottesville, Va., on October 15 for the XC23 Invitational – their last meet before the ACC Championships. Our women’s team captured their 6K division race at last week’s Paul Short Invitational and are currently ranked 14^th in the Southeast Region. Elle Mezzio earned ACC Freshman of the Week honors – the first Cane to do so since the award launched in 2016. Congratulations to Elle!

Our swimming and diving team defeated FIU in its first dual meet of fall competition last weekend. Next up is a trip to Dallas this weekend for the SMU Classic, which features Missouri, Michigan, Arizona and Louisville in addition to the host Mustangs. Good luck to the Canes in Big D!

Our golf team, which finished second in its last outing at the Mercedes-Benz Invitational, returns to action on October 17 at the Jim West Challenge hosted by Texas State. Good luck to the Canes on the links!

Our tennis teams are continuing their fall tournament action this week. Isabella Pfennig advanced to the second round of the ITA All-American Championships in Charleston, S.C., before dropping a tough three-set match to the third seed. The rest of the team is competing at Vanderbilt’s June Stewart Invitational, which also features Kentucky, Illinois and Iowa State. Benjamin Hannestad advanced to the second round of this week’s ITF event in Naples, while Dan Martin dropped his opening match. The rest of our men’s team is heading to Athens, Ga., to compete in the Bulldawg Invitational, which features 12 of the top teams in the nation. Best of luck to all our tennis student-athletes!

As I mentioned, our men’s and women’s basketball have started practice and both teams have an exciting and challenging journey ahead of them in college basketball’s most competitive conference. Season tickets are on sale now. Click HERE for more information on men’s season tickets and HERE for more information on women’s season tickets. We look forward to seeing you at Watsco Center!

The UM Sports Hall of Fame announced its Class of 2022 last week. The 2022 class is comprised of 10 Miami greats representing eight different sports at The U — Jeff Alkire (baseball), T’erea Brown (track and field), Lane Carico (volleyball), Conny Falk (tennis), Cleveland Gary (football), Tim Harris (track and field), Shenise Johnson (basketball), Jack McClinton (basketball), Brittany Viola (diving) and D.J. Williams (football). The Class of 2022 will be formally introduced during an on-field ceremony at our football game against Georgia Tech on November 6. Congratulations to all!

Our Athletic Director’s Society is the next step in strategically building and developing the future of the department. The Athletic Director’s Society will enhance the pool of resources to build state-of-the-art facilities, attract and retain the nation’s best student-athletes and coaches, and provide those who wear the “U” an unparalleled collegiate experience.

This much needed philanthropic giving society is for donors who commit to a major gift of at least $50,000 payable over a five-year period. While the Athletic Director’s Society is philanthropic in nature, members will enjoy unique stewardship opportunities and a deeper, more meaningful engagement with UM Athletics. To learn more about the Athletic Director’s Society, please click HERE or contact Parker Poliakoff at the Hurricane Club at 305-407-5794.

If you have any questions or need any assistance, please feel free to contact a member of our staff. For the latest information on UM Athletics, please be sure to visit our website – miamihurricanes.com – download our Miami Hurricanes app or follow us on our various social media channels. I hope that you and your loved ones are staying safe and healthy. Enjoy this month’s magazine!

Go Canes!

Blake James

Never Too Early To Talk Canes Baseball

The University of Miami baseball team’s recruiting class received a pair of top-two rankings in the ACC, as the Hurricanes checked in 10th nationally in the rankings by Perfect Game and 12th overall by Collegiate Baseball.

Earlier in the month, Miami’s class was tabbed ninth overall and the top spot in the conference, according to Baseball America.

The recruiting rankings take into consideration student-athletes who came to school this fall. Nine Hurricanes were listed among Perfect Game’s Top 500 incoming freshmen, including four in the top 200.

Right-handed pitcher Karson Ligon led the way ranked No. 41 overall, followed by outfielder Lorenzo Carrier at No. 76. Right-hander Gage ZIehl, who was selected in the 11th round by Chicago Cubs, checked in 130th and two-way player Renzo Gonzalez was rated No. 169.

Right-hander David Rossow was tabbed 232nd and infielder Dorian Gonzalez was ranked No. 263. Outfielder Gaby Gutierrez and southpaw Rafe Schlesinger were listed back-to-back, checking in at No. 276 and No. 277, respectively. Outfielder Edgardo Villegas rounded out the group of Canes named by Perfect Game at No. 372.

The Canes’ incoming class is comprised of 19 newcomers, 12 freshmen and seven transfers.

Miami finished 33-21 last season, including recording a 20-15 mark in ACC play. The Hurricanes won seven conference series and posted their most conference victories since 2016. The Canes earned the 47th NCAA tournament berth in program history in 2021, competing in the Gainesville Regional.

The Hurricanes are scheduled to play a 12-inning exhibition game against Florida Atlantic on Oct. 23 in Boca Raton. First pitch is set for 12:30 p.m.

From: www.hurricanepsorts.com

Forget Football, Think Tennis

For the first time since November 2019, the University of Miami women’s tennis team is headed to a fall tournament.

Due to the cancelation of the 2020 fall campaign because of COVID-19, it has been nearly two years since the Hurricanes competed in this portion of their season.

In fact, only two of Miami’s eight players have previously played in any fall tournaments as a Hurricane: Nada Dimovska and Daevenia Achong. Each did so only in 2019.

Achong is one of five Hurricanes set to visit Cary, N.C., for this weekend’s season-opening Fall Ranked Spotlight, hosted by NC State, Thursday through Sunday at Cary Tennis Park.

 

Two players—third-year sophomore Diana Khodan and sophomore Isabella Pfennig—will be making their collegiate fall debuts. Two others—sophomore Audrey Boch-Collins and fifth-year senior Eden Richardson—played in fall tournaments at their prior colleges, but are in their first year at The U.

Given the group’s lack of experience on the fall circuit, 21st-year head coach Paige Yaroshuk-Tews addressed what it will be like for them.

“The fall season for them is just like having all freshmen, but at the end of the day, tennis is tennis,” she said. “You have to find your motivation a little bit more, in the fall, for yourself. It comes a little bit less for your team because the only person you’re going to let down if you don’t show up is yourself. So, motivation is a little different. Focuses are going to remain the same. But all these kids love tennis, so nobody wants to lose. Nobody wants to let themselves down.

“It’s like going to a junior tournament with a coach is how I would look at it,” Yaroshuk-Tews continued. “It’s like, ‘We’re going to play and you have a great coach with you. Let’s go get better.’ We’ve got great opportunities. They way they’ve set up this tournament is [that it features] the best players from all these teams. So, hopefully we’ll have some really good opportunities against ranked opponents and we’ll see what happens.”

It will indeed be a loaded field full of talent in the Tar Heel State. Miami’s five competitors will be joined by individuals from some of the nation’s finest programs: UCF, Duke, Michigan, North Carolina, NC State, Ohio State, Oklahoma, Princeton, USC, South Carolina, Tennessee and Virginia.

The singles draw will feature 32 players in a compass draw, while the doubles pairs—Boch-Collins/Khodan and Achong/Pfennig are Miami’s duos—will be split into four-team round-robin groupings.

Action is scheduled to begin Thursday at 3:30 p.m., with each doubles pair playing two matches that day. Every player will then play two singles matches on both Friday and Saturday, followed by one singles match and one doubles match on Sunday. Competition begins at 9 a.m. on each of the final three days of the tournament.

This is the second iteration of the Fall Ranked Spotlight, the first of which came in September 2019 at the USTA National Campus in Orlando, Fla. Estela Perez-Somarriba, then the reigning national champion in her fourth year at Miami, claimed the singles crown.

The attention this weekend, however, will not be on results. Rather, it will be the way in which the Hurricanes compete on the court.

“Outcome is definitely not the focus for us right now in the fall. Winning is simply icing,” Yaroshuk-Tews shared. “I think it’s, like, what type of tennis are we playing? What type of tennis are we bringing up to North Carolina? We’ve been focusing on being a little bit more aggressive, taking some more risks, taking some more chances. We know what we can do well and we know what we need to improve upon. So, what we’re looking to see in a pressure situation is making some adjustments, improving on some things. That’s going to solely be the focus. If we win, that’s great. If we lose, as long as we lose the right away, nobody really cares [in the fall].”

While a coach can ever be sure exactly what his/her team will be like until it begins a season, Yaroshuk-Tews is encouraged by what she has seen from her roster thus far in practice.

The Hurricanes have been on the court at the Neil Schiff Tennis Center for quite some time getting ready for this moment, the start of the fall season. Now it is here.

Game Day: Miami vs Michigan State

Today at Hard Rock Stadium your Miami Hurricanes face the Michigan State Spartans in a critical early season matchup.

If Miami is to make something special of the 2021 college football season it starts today at noon.

We think they can and they will.

That is all we have to say about that.

Canespace Prediction: Hurricanes 34 - Spartans 13

Pro Canes: NFL(U) Weekly Leaders

There was a day not to long ago when former University of Miami football players who previously played on Saturdays ruled the NFL fields on Sundays. First round draft picks from UM were so commonplace they set many records.

It seemed every game you watched there was another Miami Hurricane "Legend of the Fall" running, catching and scoring or intercepting, blocking or tackling the other team. In fact, the league was often referred to as NFLU.

Today there are far fewer former 'Canes in the NFL, but still, there is a solid representation across the league and on TV. This past week these were the leaders in performance, productivity and stats in the NFL (from ProCanes).