Canes Get Offensive

BREAKING NEWS: This just in to Canespace...The UM offense can score points against a quality opponent!  The Canes have exciting playmakers on offense who can score from anywhere on the field.  Offensive Coordinator Patrick Nix looks like he may just turn out to be an excellent offensive coordinator after all.

All of these things were learned by the doubters or confirmed for the believers on this Saturday in September when the Canes beat up and beat down Texas A&M 41-23 in front of over 84,000 fans at College Station. 

Coach Nix demonstrated his competence (if not brilliance) in calling his best game ever as a Hurricane coach.  The Canes ran and passed at will against the Aggies and looked both efficient and effective in moving the ball and involving multiple weapons in the offense.  Miami finished the game with almost 400 yards (398 to be exact) of team offense in a balanced attack.

After a less than impressive first start against the Gators in The Swamp, Freshman starting QB Robert Marve looked absolutely marvelous against the Aggies as he led the Canes to 41 points.  Marve threw his first touchdown pass as a college player and finished the day 16-22 for 212 yards with two TDs and one interception.  Marve explained his day this way after the game:

"We had a couple of touchdowns early that boosted our confidence. Today was another win. I had my first touchdown pass in college and that was very exciting. Everyone was a little more relaxed this game. (on TD pass just before halftime) Coach made a great call. I pumped the screen and threw it deep. Our execution was great today. We ran the ball good and we threw the ball good."

Graig Cooper, starting in place the injured Javaris James (ankle), was outstanding.  He scored on a 19 yard burst in the first and then broke a 51 yard run for the Canes second TD.  Cooper used his quick and explosive style to slash and dash through the Aggie defense all day long.  He ended the day with a career high 128 yards.

The pleasent suprise of the day was the play or another true freshman, Thearon Collier.  He caught Marve's first ever TD pass (future trivia question!) and had another phenomenal 66 yard scoring play called back due to a motion penalty on fellow WR Leonard Hankerson.  On the play, Collier caught a short flanker screen and after some incredible moves and a few good blocks downfield he was gone. 

This play was the kind of exciting, game-breaking display of talent that UM coaches and fans had envisioned when all of the freshmen WRs were signed this year.  Collier, Benjamin, Byrd and Johnson are starting to demonstrate their collective talent on the field and this is the type of positive news Canes fans everywhere have been waiting for.

Since the offense was having so much fun scoring on this beautiful day in Texas, the Hurricane defense thought they might as well get involved in the scoring output too.  Senior LB Glen "I can really" Cook not only led the team in tackles (9) but also snatched the ball from the A&M QB near his own goal line and returned the fumble for a TD.  DT Eric Moncur had a sack and an INT that he could have returned for another score had he not bobbled the ball and stumbled to the ground.

Head Coach Randy Shannon, his team now at 2-1 on the season, had this to say after the game:

"It was a good victory for us on the road. We felt good offensively and did a good job throwing the ball. The running game was solid. Our biggest problem was that we did not finish the fourth quarter. A&M did a great job and kept fighting. Defensively, we didn't tackle very well. We had a good game but they moved the ball up the field. We're going to focus on that defensively. (Robert) Marve did a good job and had only one turnover. He had the wind knocked out of him in the second quarter that kept him out a couple of plays. Jacory (Harris) came in and did a good job moving the ball. (Graig) Cooper did a nice job running the football."

Next up for Miami is ACC rival North Carolina coached by some guy named "Butch" at TNP stadium on September 27.  We can't wait to see you, and the Canes new offense, there!

Comments

[moneycane]

First!!

[moneycane]

Ok. now I'll read the write up.

[Carlos]

Hi!

[canechic]

money u r good

[SOUP]

Dare I say...Money is MONEY!

[Carlos]

Coaches poll is out:

http://www.usatoday.com/sports/college/football/usatpoll.htm

[True cane]

Great article
Nix has to show me that he can do it again next week. Let's hope that the canes continue to improve.

[moneycane]

I know i'm not alone in saying yesterday felt SOOO GOOOD. Not only did we scub up TAMU but the Noles went down in flames. I live in Tally so all I've been hearing about is how FSU was back and gonna beat Wake by 20+.

[Carlos]

Colin McCarthy laying out an Aggie on a punt:

http://i3.photobucket.com/albums/y79/IbisRules/AM-colinhit.gif

[Carlos]

Allen Bailey creating havoc in the backfield

http://i3.photobucket.com/albums/y79/IbisRules/AM-Baily.gif

[moneycane]

Dare I say...Money is MONEY!

Posted by: 86Cane | September 21, 2008 at 01:08 PM

Straight Cash homie. lol

[Carlos]

Anthony Reddick tattooing another poor Aggie

http://i3.photobucket.com/albums/y79/IbisRules/AM-reddickhit.gif

[moneycane]

During the game yesterday they were trying to say that the Reddick hit was dirty. I thought it was a clean hit.

[Carlos]

During the game yesterday they were trying to say that the Reddick hit was dirty. I thought it was a clean hit.

Posted by: moneycane | September 21, 2008 at 01:17 PM

yeah, there's an Aggie on my board who pointed that out, too.

[Carlos]

I don't think it was intentional.

[SOUP]

CANESPACE CONTENT ALERT UPDATE:

Personal attacks, insults and name calling is NOT what Canespace is all about.

We ARE a Miami Hurricane fan based blog and community for ALL fans.

Those launching personal attacks against other bloggers will be subject to having your posts deleted and/or being banned from this site. I have already deleted several posts from the last blog from last night.

These rules are non-negotiable and apply to everyone. Please do NOT reply or comment about this post or attempt to debate this policy.

The goal of this blog is to talk UM sports and not to atack each other. Opposing points of view about the team, players and coaches performance are encouraged and need to be respected by all.

Learn to disagree and debate the issues in a mature and responsible manner without attacking others or go blog elswhere where personal attacks and blog bullies are permitted. That will NOT fly here.

Thank U! Blob on...

[nOrThMiAmIcAnE]

Allen Bailey creating havoc in the backfield

http://i3.photobucket.com/albums/y79/IbisRules/AM-Baily.gif

Posted by: Carlos | September 21, 2008 at 01:12 PM

Allen Bailey is such a freak. he's still raw but man he can be a top ten pick in 2-3 years.

[SOUP]

Nice showing by the Canes yesterday. Good to see Nix, Marve and the offense have a breakout game. We ALL needed that!

Watched the game at O'Boys BBQ in Winter Park with the UMAA Orlando club. Thanks to Mark for a great job getting the event organized. Met some Canespacers (JameriCane and others) and made tons of new friends and had a great time. Photos to follow tomorrow.

Dolphins-Pats on TV...no score in the first with 6 minutes left.

[nOrThMiAmIcAnE]

dolphins just ran a collage play for a touchdown.

[SOUP]

Dolphins take an early lead, 7-0!

[moneycane]

I think the UNC game will be a huge test but I'm not that impressed with their win over Rutgers. Rutgers lost to Navy.

[True cane]

Dolphins scored?

[moneycane]

DAMN, THIS IS BAD NEWS.

http://sports.espn.go.com/ncf/news/story?id=3600850

[canechic]

Dolphins score!!!!!

[nOrThMiAmIcAnE]

UNC well only be a problem beacuse butch davis knows MIAMI well. they are nowhere near us in talent. ( this is not basketball)but this is not the old RS defense with mostly man on man coverage. Bill Young and all his zone blitzes and zone drops and zone man is something butch hasn't seen out of miami defense in the past. We got that one in the bag.

[SOUP]

BTW...MiamiMike01 was at the game for Canespace and has tons of photos and stories to tell. Guess who he met at the UMAA pre-game party?

Former Cane great and Dallas Cowboy #67 Russell Maryland! Guess who has agreed to do an interview with Canespace? That's right U got it, Russell Maryland.

[canechic]

Good score 86!

[Carlos]

Posted by: 86Cane | September 21, 2008 at 01:35 PM

awesome.

[Gibby]

Wow gotta love the new coaches poll. I guess Ball State and Northwestern have a better squad than we do. What a joke.

[Carlos]

if we keep on winning, the polls will take care of themselves.

[moneycane]

Who is Russell Maryland?

[moneycane]

JK by the way. I know who Russell Maryland is.

[Gibby]

It just blows my mind how Florida State could be ranked after playing two jv teams and we still get no love. amazing.

moneycane you just got your man card revoked.

[SOUP]

I guess Ball State and Northwestern have a better squad than we do. What a joke.

Posted by: Gibby | September 21, 2008 at 01:43 PM

What a joke is RIGHT! Let play 'em in the parking lot at midnight if we have to! R U kidding me???

[nOrThMiAmIcAnE]

phins score again

[canechic]

Wow the crowd is pretty quiet in MA!

[MidWestCane]

"MidWest, I think Wake is a solid, well coached team. Their running game is average, their QB is very accurate but they don't have any explosive receivers. Defensively I think they are slightly above average and they create alot of turn overs. If the CANES don't turn the ball over I think we should beat Wake.

Posted by: moneycane | September 21, 2008 at 12:47 PM"

Money,

If this is correct then the ACC appears to be ours for the taking. Despite all the shortcommings you pointed out, there is one that point that can derail us if we are not focused in that game and that being - they're a "well coached team." But we are well coached too and talented to add.

I agree, If the CANES don't turn the ball over I think we should beat Wake.

"Here's my thoughts on the ACC and the next couple of weeks.

UNC and Wake scare me the most out of the 5 games. Only because both of those teams have similar coaching philophies that rely heavily on discipline.

Neither UNC nor Wake have the talent we possess. But Wake beat a talented FSU team by playing sound football with very few mistakes. FSU had more penalties than Wake and they were the home team!

In my opinion, we should focus on the little things over these next few weeks, like wrapping up when tackling, special teams, and making the correct reads...

Posted by: Chris | September 21, 2008 at 12:59 PM"

Chris,

One thing that impressed me since the first game of this season is how few penalties this relatively freshman team commits on gameday. Even their behavior is well disciplined. Grades are up. No off the field destractions. You said "we should focus on the little things over these next few weeks", but I think that has always been one of RS's core values.

The one question that hasn't been answered from the results of that Wake vs FSU game is - Was Wake that good or FSU that bad?

Concerning UNC, I also know little about them; but from peoples reactions to how they played two Saturdays ago and yesterday - our team better gear-up.

[Gibby]

Thats alright 86, like Carlos said, keep winning and the polls will take care of themselves. Finish with 1-3 losses, win a bowl game, get a high pre-season ranking next year then its on!

By the way, I know this squad is way more explosive than last years but I seem to remember people saying after the A&M game last year that we were back and then we sh*t the bed. Although I don't think that is the case this year, I hope Randy bangs that in their heads and they keep that intensity for UNC. Our secondary bothers me too but I have faith in Young making the proper adjustments.

[moneycane]

Noooo. It was just a joke.

[canechic]

Gibby I am sure Randy not only knows this but probably repeats it to the team everyday!!!! UNC will be a huge game but I am sure Randy tells them every game is HUGE!! One game at a time!!

[MidWestCane]

"DAMN, THIS IS BAD NEWS.

http://sports.espn.go.com/ncf/news/story?id=3600850

Posted by: moneycane | September 21, 2008 at 01:32 PM"

money,

Look at this way, Now our team is FORCED to stay focused.

[SOUP]

Gibby...I have concerns about the secondary also as does several other fans who were watching the game at O'boys BBQ with me yesterday. The CBs were playing well off the LOS and giving up a lot of space and too much cushion. Tackling is suspect also.

[SOUP]

Things that make U go hmmmmmm...

http://sports.espn.go.com/ncf/news/story?id=3600020

[SOUP]

Anybody actually READ the blog?

[Gibby]

Moneycane, I know man, I was just kidding.

Young will make the proper adjustments, and I have faith that Randy will hammer that point home and have them ready to play. I completely agree 86 and Canechic. Too much cushion and zone. I thought they needed to play up on the line more and be a little more physical.

[Matt Drudge]

I would be more worried about GT than UNC or Wake. GT's D looks very good. Our D should handle their option attack, but, we may not be able to run on their D.

Hopefully by then, Marve would be able to recognize coverages better.

[nOrThMiAmIcAnE]

The way all the reporters are talking, it sounds like RS wasn't to happy with the team after yesterday's win. Last night they where winning the game and RS was still chewing the players on the sideline. He's keeping them humble not letting the team get big headed. Thats what i LOVE about RS. He doesn't have alot of emotion. win or lose he is always calm. RS wants perfection and with these group of guys, i don't think he is that far off from getting it.

[MidWestCane]

"Our secondary bothers me too but I have faith in Young making the proper adjustments.

Posted by: Gibby | September 21, 2008 at 01:58 PM"

Gibby,

I voiced concerns about our CB depth long ago - specificly after last years letter of intent signing by recruits. However, this is one of the reasons why RS hired coach Bill Young. He could do wonders with so little.

[nOrThMiAmIcAnE]

Does any one know where to get post game audio from yesterday's game?

[nOrThMiAmIcAnE]

woow looks like i was wrong. the phins or going to blow out NE.