Canespace

Taking On The Tar Heels

Your University of Miami Hurricanes ride a six-game win streak into Saturday’s late-night ACC contest at No. 5/6 North Carolina.  The Hurricanes will arrive in surprisingly frigid Chapel Hill after Wednesday’s come-from-behind win over Maryland 62-60, and with a 2-1 mark in ACC play.

The Tar Heels will have to prepare for the Canes quickly after Thursday’s 83-61 road win over Virginia, which game them their first ACC victory of 2008-09.

Saturday’s game marks Miami’s third appearance of the season on ESPN.  This marks the most ESPN-televised games for the program since 2002-03. The Hurricanes have gone 1-1 on ESPN this year, including the program’s first victory at Rupp Arena on Dec. 6.  ESPN’s College GameDay will broadcast live from the Smith Center on Saturday.

 

The Canes have four North Carolina natives, including head coach Frank Haith who spent much of his youth in the area, as well as his college years at Elon. Senior Jimmy Graham grew up in Goldsboro (Charis Prep), redshirt freshman Julian Gamble is a Durham native (Southern Durham HS) and freshman Reggie Johnson hails from Winston-Salem (Winston-Salem Prep).

 

Since the summer, Haith and his wife Pam have been spearheading fundraising and renovation efforts for Morningside Park in Elon, N.C., in the neighborhood in which Coach grew up. A walking path is being constructed, while plans are underway to refurbish the basketball court, bathrooms and playground.

 

The Canes will have their hands full with ACC wonderkind Tyler Hansbrough and his crew.  This game will undoubtedly indicate where these two teams stand in terms of the battle for ACC supremacy. 

 

We would like to predict a Miami victory in the hills of 'Caroline but...OK, Canes win, Canes win!

Random Facts and Other Such Nonsense

Oliver Vernon: As expected all along DE Oliver Vernon (6-4 / 240, American High) verbally committed to Miami today during a small press conference at his high school.  Vernon, who has been compared by some to former Miami Dolphins star Jason Taylor, will enroll early and attend UM this semester (classes start January 20).  He will also meet with UM trainers and doctors once on campus for a physical which will include the examination of his ankle that was injured earlier this year.  They will determine what type of physical rehab program Vernon will need or if surgery is indicated to repair any possible ligament damage.  Either way he is expected to be ready to participate in Spring drills when they begin.

The Search Goes On: UM Head Coach Randy Shannon continues to identify and interview prospective candidates for the vacant OC position.  The Boss is leaving no stone unturned as he seeks out the biggest hire of his short yet eventful coaching career.  Expect an announcement sometime early next week and then for things to really heat up in the recruiting battles for the remaining undecideds.

If U missed it: Your Miami Hurricanes mounted a furious comeback on Wednesday night against the Maryland Terrapins to win 62-60 at The BUC.  McClutch was McMoney in the second half and led the Canes to victory with 18 points and a three pointer with 24 seconds left to clinch the game for the Canes.  Next up for Miami is pre-season #1 North Carolina on Saturday at home.  The Tar Heels have struggled of late and dropped their first two ACC games against BC and Wake Forest.  This game should give us an early indication of where both teams are at in the chase for the ACC title.

Two Million And Counting: Sometime on January 15, 2009, Canespace surpassed the two million hit (site visit) mark!  Since the initial launch of the blog just over a year and a half ago on June 16, 2007, Canespace has not only generated quite a bit of interest in the blogoshpere but has also created quite a loyal following.  The old, new, regular and even occasional bloggers have posted over 143,000 comments during that time.  It goes without saying that Canespace has been a huge success and has exceeded even our wildest dreams. We would like to thank all of the people who have visited this site, commented on the blog and made The Space so popular among Canes fans.  Without all of U, this would never have been possible.

So Let's Celebrate: We ask that U help us celebrate this huge milestone by coming out to the UM-FSU basketball game on 1/21/09 at The BankUnited Center on the lovely UM campus in Coral Gables.  We will meet before and after the game at The Titanic Brewery on Ponce DeLeon Boulevard and Hurricane Drive near the Mark Light baseball stadium.  For tickets, contact David Sietsma at: [email protected].

By The Fans, For The Fans...Canespace!

Turtle Soup

The University of Miami basketball team played the University of Maryland Wednesday night in an ACC match-up at the Bank United Center in lovely, but chilly, Coral Gables. 

On this unusually cool evening in the 305 the Hurricanes came out cold and displayed some seriously frigid shooting in the first half against the Terrapins.  The Maryland mascot, a turtle-like looking thing known as "Testudo" was obviously pleased by the slow paced first half of action that saw Maryland take a 35-23 lead into halftime. 

Then all of a sudden, the Canes decided to warm up in the the second half.  Word on the street is that Canes coach Frank Haith ordered up a large bowl of some delicious turtle SOUP for his players at halftime. 

A dash of butter, a splash of Sherry and a pinch of ground black pepper and ooh, it's so good! 

In a furious comeback win sparked by the one and only Jack "McClutch" McClinton the Canes rallied from a 17 point deficit to win the game.  The Jack Attack was unleashed for 18 points and finished the game off with a 3 point shot with only 24 seconds left to seal the deal for Miami.  

Final score: Miami 62, Maryland 60.  And when it was over, all Canes fans could say was: "Whew imagine that!"  The Canes now stand at 13-3 overall and 2-1 in the ACC on the season as they look forward to the heart of their ACC schedule. 

We encourage U to join us for Canespace Day at The BUC on 1/21/09 for another ACC showdown with the Seminoles from FSU. Contact David Siestma at [email protected] for tickets.

Who Are U...'Cause I Really Want To Know

As the ever widening and seemingly never ending search for a new offensive coordinator continues, Canes fans wait patiently for something, anything that resembles news on the selection process.  So many names have been thown into the ring for consideration that at this time there may be as many "ringers" as there are real candidates.

Beyond the usual suspects, coaches from Oregon to Kentucky and from Idaho to Louisiana are rumored to be in the mix.  Early favorites also emerged.  Will Dirk dump Jacksonville for Miami?  Will Norvell ride wagons east to Coral Gables?  Will Chud leave the NFL to return to NFLU?  Just how much of a long shot is landing Chuck Long?  Is Larry Coker still unemployed (just kidding!)?

And with recruiting season now in full stride, campus visits still to come for the many undecideds and National Signing Day quickly approaching, Canes fans and recruits alike are all anxiously awaiting the news that a decision has been made. 

Yet, UM Head Coach Randy Shannon has made sure all along that he finds the right guy, not just another guy, to replace Patrick Nix.  The Boss knows that this hire is critical to his, and his team's, success.  He is taking his time, evaluating potential candidates and being very deliberate with this important decision.  Would you really want it any other way?

As one long time blogger once said on Canespace: "When in doubt, just ask yourself: Who knows more about Miami Hurricane football, Randy Shannon or me?  That should make you feel better."

Trust in Randy.  Trust in the process.  The rest will take care of itself.

Don't Look Back

2008 was so overrated.  It is time to move on.  Bring on 2009 and don't look back.

Hey, is that Patrick Nix in your rear view mirror?  Please, don't look back.

The Canes disappointing 2008 football season is long gone.  A better 2009 season is just a few months away.  Don't look back.

The Orange Bowl was torn down and became a pile of rubble.  Now that the Canes are in a newer, better, state of the art facility, there is no need to look back.

Robert Marve is gone; to where we can't be sure, but gone is he.  Don't get caught looking back.

The Canes elimination at the College World Series ended a stellar season.  Keep your head up the 2009 season is around the corner.  There is no need to look back.

Eddie Rios just got suspended again and looks like he may be done at UM.  Try not to look back.

Larry Coker's last recruits are working their way out of the program.  Don't let the door hit you as you try to sneak a peak and look back.

The end to the 2009 recruiting season and National Signing Day is just around the corner.  The Canes recruiting class is once again looking solid, proving that there is absolutely no need to look back.

It is time to move forward.  And please, whatever you do, don't look back...

An Open Letter From Canes Fans To Bryce Brown

Dear Bryce Brown,

Hurricane fans want you to know one thing for certain: We would be honored to have you attend the University of Miami and play for "The U".  More than that, the Canes want you and need you. 

That being said, we want you to know that we understand that the recruiting process can be confusing, difficult and tiring.  And while we are sure that all 119 NCAA major college footbal schools have expressed interest in you attending their universities and playing for their team, we thought we would give you some reasons to choose UM and play for the Hurricanes.

Academics: The Univeristy of Miami is the highest ranked school in Florida when it comes to academic achievements according to the 2008 NCAA Academic Progress Report.  In fact, with a rating of 969 UM is tied for 8th place nationally in APR rankings.  Miami graduates more of their players and as a private institution has much smaller class sizes than their much larger State run counterparts.  Thirteen UM players on the 2008 roster already had their degrees before the season started, more than any other school in the Country!  If academics matter, you will choose Miami.

History and tradition:  The Canes have won as many National Championships (5) as their two in State competitors Florida (3) and Florida state (2) have won combined.  The Canes have more players in the NFL (46) than any other school including running backs Clinton Portis, Willis McGahee, Edgerrin James, Frank Gore and Najeh Davenport.  The Canes also have more pro-bowl players (7) in the NFLU this year than any other university.  If you respect history and tradition, you will choose UM.

Keep it in the Family:  Your brother Arthur, the #1 ranked linebacker in the Country last year chose to attend Miami as part of last year's top ranked (by ESPN) recruiting class.  This year, you have a chance to join him on the UM roster, play against him in practice and then with him on game day.  What could be better than that?  It is simple really: Embrace family, support your brother, choose Miami.

The Stadium: You may have watched the NFL playoffs last week and seen the Miami Dolphins play the Baltimore Ravens.  If U did, you would have seen beautiful Dolphin stadium on a sunny, clear and cool South Florida day.  Oh, and that BCS National Championship game played on January 8?  Yeah, that was also at the same modern, state-of-the-art facility and football stadium where the Hurricanes play their games.   We encourage you to come play there too.

Location, location, location: Sunny South Florida is a popular, year-round, world-wide vacation destination that offers warm weather, sparkling white sand beaches and beautiful people.  The UM campus in lovely Coral Gables is a spectacular example of the tropical  paradise that is South Florida.  If you want to see why the world vacations in Miami, wear shorts (not jorts) to class in January and spend the off season at the beach watching beautiful bikini clad girls frolicking in the surf, you will choose the Hurricanes.

By the way, if you happened to catch the aforementioned NFLU playoffs last week then you saw former Canes Ray Lewis and Ed Reed (who was busying picking off two passes in the game) lead the Ravens to victory over the Miami Dolphins and another former Cane OL Vernon Carey.

And Bryce you may want to make a mental note that the Ravens also had this guy named McGahee at running back toting the rock.  He's from The U.

On Saturday you may have seen NFLUers Jon Beason (Carolina) and Antrell Rolle (Cardinals) pick off passes on two consecutive drives for their respective teams.  Of course Beason would have picked two had former UM defensive tackle Damione Lewis not sacked the Cardinals QB already!

And Bryce, you may also want to write this down: The running back for the Cardinals is none other than former Hurricane Edgerrin James who one day back in 1998 against UCLA ran the ball for 299 yards in a monumental comeback win for Miami. 

So, if you want to be the first Hurricane to ever rush for over 300 yards in one game, you will choose the University of Miami!

A Big Wheel(er) And A Big Win

The two greatest areas of need for your Miami Hurricanes in this year's recruiting class are offensive line and cornerback.  On Saturday, at least one of those needs was partially met.

Offensive Lineman Jared Wheeler (American Heritage, 6-6/305), the seventh rated player in the 954 by the Miami Herald, verbally committed to UM. 

The good news is that Wheeler, who was also considering Vanderbilt, is a local product, an excellent student and a weightroom junkie.  He has played all three positions on the offensive line and just may be the Center the Canes so desperately need.  Even though he just committed, Wheeler has already earned a Canespace nickname: "The Big Wheel".

Canes Offensive Line Coach Jeff Stoutland (seen here) will have Wheeler, recent comitt Cory White (Fleming Island, 6-4/240) and soon to be early enrollees Jermaine Johnson (6-6/310) and Brandon Washington (6-5/330) to work with as part of the Canes 2009 recruiting class.

The even better news is that Jared has a brother, Jacob (6-4/240), who plays DE/TE also at American Heritage High School.  And, according to Manny Navarro over at The Miami Herald http://miamiherald.typepad.com/umiami/, Wheeler The Younger has already begun to receive mail from UM.  

So you might wonder: Are two Wheelers too many for one team?  We don't think so!  When highly recruited RB Bryce Brown signs with UM in February and joins his big brother Aurthur the Canes will have Brown squared.  As we like to say here on The Space: "Line 'em up, lock 'em down".

Now, in even "bigger" news than the signing of The Big Wheel on Saturday, your Miami Hurricanes hoops team went up to Baustun and stole a HUGE victory on the haa'dwood from 17th ranked Boston College.  Final score: UM 77, BC 71.

With Jack McClutch McClinton having another one of his poor shooting nights (6 of 17 from the floor), the Canes counted on the free throw shooting of Dwayne Collins (13 points/7 boards), the hustle and athleticism of Brian Asbury (seen here, 13 points), the contributions of James Dews (12 points) and the surprising play of Adrian Thomas (11 points) to win the game. 

In beating BC the Canes ended a 10 year losing streak in Chestnut Hill while notching their fifth straight win and first ACC victory this season.

Next up for the Canes is ACC opponent Maryland at The BankUnited Center on Wednesday night at 9 PM.  Be there!

And while U are at it, don't forget to get your tickets for Canespace Day at The BUC on 1/21/09 when your Miami Hurricanes take on the Seminoles.

Sunshine State Success

Teams from Florida have won ten National Championships in the last 25 years. 

Since 1983, that is an average of one National Championship every 2.5 years. 

And that, more than anything else, is the defining statement of the quality of the football being played in Florida.

California, Texas, Ohio and other states are always trying to lay claim to high school football dominance.  But when it comes to college football accomplishments, none of these States can match the great State of Florida.

The Florida State Seminoles?  Bobby "Forever Young" Bowden and the boys in the garnett and gold have won two. 

The recently crowned Florida Gators?  They now have three, one under the Old Ball Coach and now two under wonderkind coach Urban Meyer in the last three years. 

Your University of Miami Hurricanes?  As everyone knows, the boys with "The U" on their helmet have collected the most trophies and titles of any school in the State.  Yes, Miami won a remarkable five National Championships between 1983 and 2001 under coaches Schnellenberger, Johnson, Erickson and Coker.

How are teams from Florida doing?  Let's take a look.

State of Florida National Champions:

1983 UM
1987 UM
1989 UM
1991 UM
1993 FSU
1996 UF
1999 FSU
2001 UM
2006 UF
2008 UF

And that doesn't even count at least four missed chances for Miami in 1986, 1988, 2002 and 2003 and two missed opportunities by FSU in 1992 and 1993.

Yes, when you look at the big picture, by far and without question, the best football is being played in the State of Florida. 

There's simply no competition.

So It All Comes Down To This

In August 119 schools kicked off the 2008 college football season. 

Tonight, in what would have been a home game for your University of Miami Hurricanes, the wrong team from the State of Florida will play for the National Championship. 

That's right, the much hated Florida Gators have managed to crawl away from The Swamp long enough to play host to the Oklahoma Sooners in the BCS title game at Dolphin Stadium. 

The story lines are intriguing and many:  Meyer versus Stoops; Tebow vesus Bradford; Sooner versus Gators; explosive offense versus explosive offense;  Heisman winner versus Heisman winner.  Murray versus Harvin.  Boomer Sooner versus Albert The Alligator; Orange and Blue versus Red and White.

• Bob Stoops versus Urban Meyer: A great coaching matchup leads the list of determining factors in this game.  These top notch coaches will face off for the first time with Meyer having the most recent success in big bowl games while Stoops has had some struggles.  Edge: Gators.
• Gators QB Tim Tebow, the 2007 Heisman Trophy winner, will compete against 2008 Heisman winner Sam Bradford from the Sooners.  Both are super talented and capable of putting up tons of points in the blink of an eye.  Bradford, who recently announced that he is going to enter the NFL draft after this season, and the OU offense set all kind of scoring records this season and are considered to to have a slight edge over Timmy and the Swamp Things.  Edge: Sooners. 
• Oklahoma RB Demarco Murray may not play in the game and most certainly will be limited by injury if he does play.  Florida's Percy Harvin looks ready to return from an injury of his own and may be the most explosive and elusive player in college football.  Look for Harvin to touch the ball early and often.  Edge: Gators.
• The Boomer Schooner is fast and shiny.  Albert the Gator is slow and slimy.   Edge: Sooners.
• Every real college football fan knows it's the orange and GREEN that looks good on and off of the field.  Orange and blue?  Not so much!  Red and white is alright, I guess.  Edge: Sooners. 

So gather some friends, get out some chips and dip, ice down some adult beverages and sit back and watch the game being played on the Hurricanes home field and remember: That could have been us! 

Canespace Prediction:  Sooners 34, Gators 31.   

Canespace Day At The Bank United Center

The UM athletic ticket office is working in conjunction with Canespace to host "Canespace Day" at The BankUnited Center on 1/21/09 as Frank Haith and your Miami Hurricanes take on former UM head coach Leonard Hamilton and the FSU Seminoles. 

This exciting ACC match-up will feature pre/post game gatherings at The Titanic Brewery on Ponce De Leon Boulevard one block from campus, recognition for Canespace during the game and the very good possibility of fans getting to meet current and former UM players, coaches and/or Athletic Department officials.  

We hope to have a good turnout for this first of a kind event and be able to offer group rates and events throught the year at Hurricane baseball, basketball and football games in 2009.  So show your Hurricane pride and your Canespace enthusiasm by joining us at The BUC!

Miami Herald columnist and "Eye On The U" blog master Manny Navarro (who also happens to be the hardest working man is sports journalism) will be on hand for an informal meet and greet and Q&A before the game and at halftime. 

And, while we are NOT making any promises, U just never know who else might show up, so we strongly recommend that U do! 

Canespace is the first blog to be scheduled for this type of event in 2009, so come out and support the Canes by buying tickets to the game.

Contact David Siestma at UM at [email protected] for tickets!