Canespace

Sun Bowl: Miami vs Notre Dame

The history of this particular college football series is well known to all.

The rivalry that developed in the 1980's was intense and at times downright violent.

The renewal of the head-to-head competition between the two teams has all college football fans from coast to coast paying attention once again.

Finally, after a long and frustrating 20 year hiatus we bring you...Miami vs Notre Dame! 

Now after all of this waiting and guessing, it's game day...need we say more?

 
Today at 2 PM your Miami Hurricanes will face the Fighting Irish of Notre Dame at the Sun Bowl in El Paso Texas.  Both teams enter the contest with identical 7-5 records after disappointing seasons.

But today one team will end their season on a positive note and celebrate while the other team will tuck tail and hide until next season under the pretense of "Wait 'til next year!"

Game Prediction: Miami 34, Notre Dame 17

Does Golden Like Cigs?

One question you will never hear the youthful looking, clean cut, health minded Al Golden ask is: Anybody got a cig I can borrow?"

Now we don't want to start any false rumors that Golden is a closet smoker (he is not), or a fan of The Marlboro Man (he is not), as that would be both inaccurate and unethical. 

 
However, we have heard some unconfirmed rumors being floated around that new Hurricane head coach Al Golden may be considering Pittsburgh Offensive Coordinator Frank Cignetti for the same position at Miami. 

Here is the Cignetti file for those who are not familiar with him or his career:

Coaching Experience

Professional:

Kansas City Chiefs
Years/Position: 1999, quality control assistant.

New Orleans Saints
Years/Position: 2000-01, quarterbacks.

San Francisco 49ers
Years/Position: 2007, quarterbacks.

College:

Pittsburgh
Years/Position: 1989, graduate assistant.

Indiana University of Pa.
Years/Position: 1990-92, receivers; 1993-94, secondary; 1995-96, quarterbacks; 1997-98, offensive coordinator & quarterbacks.

Fresno State
Years/Position: 2002-05 offensive coordinator

North Carolina
Years/Position: 2006, offensive coordinator

California
Years/Position: 2008, offensive coordinator & quarterbacks.

Pittsburgh
Years/Position: 2009-present, offensive coordinator & quarterbacks.

Here are some interesting facts about the potential UM offensive coordinator:

• A Pittsburgh native Frank Cignetti coaching resume includes two decades of experience on both the collegiate and NFL levels.  He just finished his second year as offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach at Pitt.
• Cignetti's impact at Pitt was immediate in 2009. The Panthers boasted one of their most potent offenses in recent memory, averaging 32.1 points per game -- one of the top five scoring averages in school history. Pitt's offensive arsenal included a 1,700-yard rusher in Dion Lewis and 1,000-yard receiver in Jon Baldwin. Moreover, quarterback Bill Stull ranked among the nation's most efficient passers, throwing for more than 2,600 yards and 21 touchdowns.
• In total, seven of Pitt's offensive players were named All-Big East, including Lewis, who was honored as the league's Offensive Player of the Year and Rookie of the Year.
• Cignetti joined Wannstedt's staff after spending the 2008 season as the offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach at the University of California. The Bears averaged nearly 33 points per game en route to a 9-4 record and victory over Miami (Fla.) in the Emerald Bowl.
• In 2007 Cignetti was the San Francisco 49ers' quarterbacks coach.
• Prior to his 49ers post, Cignetti was the offensive coordinator at North Carolina (2006) and Fresno State (2002-05).
• Frank Cignetti led Fresno State to back-to-back top 10 national rankings in scoring offense. The Bulldogs ranked fifth in the country in scoring offense in 2004 and seventh in 2005.
• Cignetti served four seasons as the Bulldogs' offensive coordinator, where he helped guide Fresno State to four consecutive bowl games, including a win over No. 18 Virginia in the 2004 MPC Computers Bowl. Fresno was 3-1 in bowl games with Cignetti.
• In 2004, Fresno averaged 52.8 points over the last six games and became just the sixth team in NCAA history to score 50 or more points in four consecutive contests. Fresno finished that season 9-3, led the Western Athletic Conference in average yards per carry (5.4) and scored 65 touchdowns.
• The Bulldogs were outstanding in the red zone, scoring touchdowns on 42-of-53 attempts (.792).
• In 2005, Fresno State went 8-5, including a 6-2 mark in the WAC and earned an invitation to the Liberty Bowl. The Bulldogs scored 42 points against No. 1 Southern California in a 50-42 loss in one of the most memorable games of the season and beat bowl teams Toledo and Boise State.
• Cignetti was instrumental in the development of Fresno's four-year starting quarterback Paul Pinegar, who was the 2002 WAC Freshman of the Year and led the nation's freshmen in passing efficiency, passing yards and touchdowns.
• Cignetti has been a part of successful programs at all levels. In the NFL, he won a division championship and a playoff game with the New Orleans Saints in 2000. He was part of three bowl victories at Fresno State, and on the Division II level - at Indiana University of Pennsylvania - he reached the national championship game twice and the semifinals four times. He also has been a member of the coaching staff in the Senior Bowl and East-West Shrine all-star games.
• Before joining the Fresno State program, Cignetti served as the New Orleans Saints quarterbacks coach during the 2000 and 2001 seasons. In 2000, he helped the Saints earn the NFC West title and the franchise's first playoff win. The Saints' offense ranked 10th in the NFL in both 2000 and 2001.
• In 2000, he guided quarterback Jeff Blake to a career-high 82.7 rating before Blake suffered a season ending injury. The following season, quarterback Aaron Brooks was an alternate for the Pro Bowl. In New Orleans, he also coached current Carolina Panthers QB Jake Delhomme, current Rams QB Marc Bulger and the now retired Billy Joe Tolliver.
• He joined the Saints after coaching one season as an offensive assistant and quality control coach with the Kansas City Chiefs in 1999. 
• From 1990-98, Cignetti was an assistant at Indiana University of Pennsylvania where he coached receivers (1990-92), the secondary (1993-94) and quarterbacks (1995-98). In his last two years at IUP, he served as the offensive coordinator.
• Cignetti started his coaching career as a graduate assistant at the University of Pittsburgh for Mike Gottfried in 1989. The Panthers went 9-3 and defeated Texas A&M in the Sun Bowl.

Bottoms Up?

It has always been common knowledge that to be considered successful, college coaches targeting Florida high school athletes had to be good at getting the top players from The Bottom to commit to their respective universities. 

For most college coaches it was bottom or bust.

For those not familiar with the term, "The Bottom" has nothing to do with women.  No, it has to do with South Florida.

 
The Bottom is an area on the Southeastern tip of Florida from Palm Beach to Miami and encompasses Palm Beach, Broward and Miami-Dade counties.

Coaches from LSU, West Virginia, Notre Dame, Ohio State and all over the Country made millions of phone calls, sent thousands of text messages and ran up huge bills talking to recruits in the 305, 954 and 561 area codes.

But upon further review there is evidence that this may not necessarily be true any longer. 

One doesn't have to look any further than the Under Armor All-Star football game (January 5 @ 7 PM on ESPN) to realize that the talented players in Florida come from all corners of the State. 

The UA game, which will be played at Tropicana Field in St. Petersburg (as U can see below is much more famous for Tampa Bay Rays baseball than football) lists 19 players from Florida on it's roster. 

 
Yet only 5 of the 19 players are from South Florida while the majority and twice as many are from Central Florida (10) with the rest being from North Florida.

While the Seminoles and Gators have always recruited North and Central Florida as their primary target areas, they also routinely cherry pick players from South Florida for some of their recruits. 

A deeper look at the 2011 UF and FSU recruiting classes (the Noles are currently ranked at #3 in the Nation) also tells the tale of the widespread football talent in Florida.

Of the 22 players committed to FSU 17 are from Florida yet only 5 are from The Bottom. 

Of the 15 players committed to UF 10 are from Florida and 0 are from The Bottom.

 
To be fair Florida high school football dynasties over time have rotated around the State from the Panhandle (Pensacola to Tallahassee) to the Northeast Coast (Jacksonville to Merritt Island) to the West Coast (Brooksville to Sarasota) and to the Southeast coast that encompasses the 561, 954 and 305.

That is a fact that new Miami head coach Al Golden would do well to understand.

Looking For A Gold Mine

New University of Miami head coach Al Golden has not slowly eased himself into the recruiting game as some Hurricane fans might have expected.  Instead he has hit the recruiting trail in an all out sprint in a somewhat late and even desperate search for a gold mine of high school football talent.

 
As Golden begins to assemble his first big-time recruiting class at Miami he has been looking for a few nuggets of gold to fill the limited number of scholarship slots (currently 15 but maybe as many as 20 with transfers) he has available this year. 

In doing so three things have become extremely clear early on in Golden's approach to the recruiting game:

1. Golden is expanding the recruiting boundaries at Miami and is going national in his search for talent.  Since Golden took over at UM the Hurricanes have offered and received three verbal commitments and none are from South Florida: DE Olsen Pierre, Fork Union, VA; TE Chase Harper, Navarro TX and OT Taylor Gadbois, Dallas, GA.
2. Golden is apparently going to have to re-open some doors and rebuild some relationships with several high school coaches that were either neglected or possibly even damaged under Randy Shannon.
3. Golden is searching for and targeting bigger, stronger and more physical players than has been the tradition at Miami which has always focused on speed as the key ingredient to their success.

One fact that Golden may need to consider is that the best football in Florida may no longer be played in "The Bottom".  The Bottom, an area encompassing Dade, Broward and Palm Beach Counties, has over the years been considered by most to be the hot-bed of high school and subsequently college football talent in the State. 

But recruiting gurus are beginning to ask: "Are the times-a-changing? 

That is a fact that we will examine in our next feature article on Wednesday...

All I Want For Christmas Is U

MERRY CHRISTMAS CANESPACERS!!!

On behalf of all of us at Canespace we want to wish U and yours Happy Holidays, a very Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year! 

We hope that it is a year filled with positive news, a boat load of Hurricane victories and maybe even an ACC title or two.

 
It is great to be a Miami Hurricane!  There are so many blessings we can count.  National Championships in football and baseball, the many great players in the NFL and the major leagues and so many incredible memories and awesome highlights over the years.

 
So we decided to bring U something to cheer U up for the new year.  There is a new head coach in Coral Gables and a renewed optimism heading into the 2011 season.  Recruiting is once again in full swing and we are confident of the positive news of the new recruits that will follow.

 
We hope U enjoy your Holidays and spend some quality time with the ones U love.  Be safe and be smart Hurricane fans!

Golden Can Now Afford To Be More Selective

New Miami head coach Al Golden used to have to recruit players to come to play at Temple, a respectable enough University located in a highly diverse urban area with a struggling football program. 

Now the head coach at Miami, to Golden it may sound like the song remains the same, but with a few notable differences. 

 
The University of Miami is technically located in lovely, lush tropical Coral Gables but it also centrally located in Miami a large diverse urban area.  Unlike Temple, Miami has a history of winning National Championships, yet the program has undeniably been struggling just to compete in the ACC much less on the National stage in recent years.

The fact is that Miami is not the easy sell it once was to top recruits across the United States.  Golden would be wise to recognize this, emphasize the positives about Miami and work through and/or around the issues that some high school players see as negatives against UM.

At Temple Golden had no shot at recruiting big time, four and five star, Top 100 players when pitted against college football programs with BCS ties, championship reputations, big budgets and National presence and reach like Texas, Oklahoma, USC, Ohio State, Florida and Alabama.   

 
However, at Miami instead of having to stay on the porch Golden will have the opportunity to run with the big dogs and have a much better shot at and hope of landing some of the Nation's top recruits.

At Temple, Golden also had to compete for talent with universities located in the Northeast.  That meant Big East schools like Pittsburgh, Connecticut, West Virginia and Rutgers. 

Then of course there were ACC schools like Boston College, Virginia and Virginia Tech and Big Ten schools like Penn State, Michigan and Wisconsin to worry about coming around and poaching the local recruits away from him.

 
However, now that Golden is at the University of Miami he is in a position to recruit finally on a National level against the college football elite, his ACC rivals and against the other four of Florida's ever emerging big five: Florida, FSU, USF and UCF.  

Of course it will take Golden some time to build the relationships in Florida, and more specifically South Florida, that will be necessary to recruit the Sunshine State well.  Until then he will have to rely on current UM assistant coaches Michael Barrow, Jeff Stoutland and Recruiting Coordinator Aubrey Hill to get his foot in the door and compete against Will Muschamp, Jimbo Fisher, Skip Holtz and George O'Leary for the top recruits across Florida. 

At the same time, Golden will almost ceratinly also rely on many of the existing contacts and relationships he developed throughout the northeast to pick and choose recruits for Miami that he could only dream of landing while at Temple.

While Golden use to wait for table scraps to be thrown his way at Temple, now he can afford to be very selective about who he recruits at Miami.  And if he is as good a recruiter as many have suggested, or maybe even just a little bit lucky, he maybe even poach a few players of his own away from the big boys of college football.

 
What do we think his next tasks should be?   Name an Offensive Coordinator and then go and get a big-time, pro-style QB to replace the wandering Teddy Bridgewater who recently defected from Miami to coaches Clint Hurtt (seen above while still at Miami) and Charlie Strong who now appear to be stirring things up in Louisville.

Of course this late in the recruiting game (more on that in out next feature article) it will be tough to sway most of the big name recruits, many of whom have already made their decisions and verbally committed to other schools. 

Still, with the right Offensive Coordinator in place and some hard work by Golden and his new OC it is still possible to land a solid, if not special or spectacular, QB prospect in this recruiting class.

There is no doubt that the newly annointed "Golden Child" has his work cut out for him.

But that is why he earns the big bucks anyway, am I right?

Hurricanes Win National Championship!

Thanks to their loyal fans the Miami Hurricanes have now finally won something this year! 

No it is not the BCS championship but it is just as much fun and as far as we are concerned almost as important.

 
In a year filled with losses in football to USF and in even more recently in basketball to UCF, winning something, winning anything, is very refreshing and encouraging indeed.

And so we present you UM Cheerleader Sydney Polke!

Sydney, a UM cheerleader on the all girls squad recently won the Athlon Sports Sideline Spirit award. 

She was voted into this prestigious award by Miami Hurricane fans all across the United States.  Along the way Sydney did something the Hurricane football team couldn't do in 2010:  She beat FSU!

 
The Athlon Sideline Spirit Award is decided each year through fan voting on the Internet at the Athlon Sports web site.  Sydney garnered more votes than any UM cheerleader ever to take home the award for 2010.

So Canespace sends our congratulations to UM cheerleader Sydney Polke for winning the Athlon Sports Sideline Spirit award winner for this season!

 

GO SYDNEY AND GO CANES!!!

Vikings' Ship Runs Aground

The Miami Norland Vikings sailed North on Friday to play for the Florida High School Athletic Association (FHSAA)  Class 3A football championship against Tampa Jefferson Dragons at the Citrus Bowl in Orlando on a cool, sun-splashed Winter day in Central Florida.

 
Unfortunately for the Vikings they were defenseless as their ship ran aground en route to their Championship dreams.  In fact it was the Vikings who were repeatedly attacked and eventually thoroughly devoured by the mighty Dragons and their potent offense.

 
The final score read 44-34 but the game was never close from the very opening kickoff (seen above).  Norland turned the ball over on a over thrown ball over the middle that was intercepted by Jefferson and a few plays later the Dragons scored to take an early 7-0 lead.

 
Jefferson completely dominated play in the first quarter as Norland looked nervous and out-coached as they failed to execute on their first several drives.  The first three Norland drives ended like this: INT, Missed FG and Punt. 

That is not exactly the start you want in any game much less the State championship game against a solid and talented opponent with an explosive offense.  Jefferson built their lead to 37-7 before Norland came charging back late in the second quarter to cut the deficit to 37-21 at the half.

 
The Dragons scored at will on their first three possessions and took a 22-0 lead in the second quarter.  The Jefferson tandem of QB Qunetin Williams and WR Chris Moore were practically unstoppable as was the Dragons' running game. 

Jefferson, led by their huge offensive line, ran all over the smaller Norland defense and rushed for over 240 yards.  The Dragons were led by RB Demetrious Russell's 133 yards and their versatile dual-threat QB Williams who added 106 yards rushing of his own for the team from the 813.

 
Norland's highly recruited running back Duke Johnson also had a good game and displayed the talent that has Miami and many other colleges after him.  Johnson gained 135 yards including a 79 yard scamper for a TD that had the Norland crowd on it's collective feet. 

Once Vikings QB Benji Philippe warmed up he had a good showing going 16 of 26 for 255 yards and four touchdowns and only one INT.  But on this day it simply wasn't enough to propel Norland to victory.  

 
The game ended in a fairly ugly fashion when the two teams became involved in a large altercation with three seconds left in the game after a late Norland touchdown. The referees allowed cooler heads to prevail and called the game after ejecting several players from both squads and then deciding it was better and safer to just end it at that point rather than risk another incident on the field.

 
While Norland quickly made their way to the lockeroom and their team bus for the long drive back to the 305, the Jefferson players, coaches and fans left the 407 happy and with one hand on their hips and the other on the State Championship trophies, ummm, I mean trophy.

 
The Miami Herald's Manny Navarro (seen below) was on hand to cover the FHSAA Championship weekend festivities and we talked briefly about the game, the new and highly improved turf at the Citrus Bowl and the new and hopefully improved coaching staff at the University of Miami. 

 
As always the friendly and talkative Manny had several things to say about these issues and mentioned two recruits from Norland that Miami is after: RB Duke Johnson and LB Keith Brown.

But then when I cornered him as to whether or not the rumors were true that he would be the next Offensive Coordinator at Miami all he would say is:

"No comment."

But from his hand gesture above we definitely think something is up, don't U?

Apples And Oranges

For many obvious reasons the University of Miami and Temple University are about as opposite as the cities in which they are located: sunny, warm, tropical Coral Gables and historic, cold, gritty Philadelphia. 

For newly hired Hurricane head coach Al Golden taking over the history-rich and well-stocked Miami football program is going to be a very different experience than the challenges he faced when arriving at lowly Temple in 2006.

In fact some could say that in both cases it is like comparing apples and oranges.

South Beach vs South Philly.

Pan Con Bistek vs Philly Cheesesteak.

The Freedom Tower vs The Liberty Bell.

Babes in bikinis vs Broads in leather jackets.

Sun and sand vs Cold and snow.

Palm trees swaying in the breeze vs Elm trees with no leaves.

Trying to compare statistical data between the two college football programs at Temple and Miami is about as complicated and difficult as comparing apples to oranges.  Yet, nonetheless we are going to give it a try so jump on the bus gus and ride along with us won't U?

Statistically speaking Miami held a significant advantage over Temple in 2010.  Of the 17 most common major statistical categories kept by the NCAA the Hurricanes were ranked ahead of the Owls in 12 of them.

Temple only ranked ahead of Miami in the following five areas: Rushing Defense (TU #45, UM #81); Scoring Defense (TU 16#, UM #21); Punt Returns (TU # 69, UM #103); Kick Returns (TU # 52, UM #104) and Offensive Passing Efficiency (TU # 65, UM #97). 

In one other category it was a virtual toss up: In the Total Defense category Miami ranked #16 and Temple #17.

Temple led their conference (MAC) in two statistical categories: Pass Defense and Passing Efficiency Defense.  However, the Owls did not have a single individual statistical category leader in the MAC.

Miami led the ACC in five categories: Total Offense, Net Punting, Pass Defense, Pass Efficiency Defense and Tackles For Loss a category in which Miami was ranked #1 in the entire NCAA. 

Miami had two individual category leaders in the ACC: Matt Bosher (Net Punting) and Leonard Hankerson (Receiving Yards/Game).

As we were researching both teams 2010 stats there was one other category that we found interesting.  While it is obvious that Temple would certainly never with the talent battle when compared with Miami but the Owl players did win the discipline battle. 

Miami ranked well behind Temple in penalties per game and penalty yards per game.  The Hurricanes ranked 114th (of 120 teams) in penalties/game with 97 penalties for 803 yards while Temple ranked 57th with 71 penalties for 533 yards.  Miami averaged 20 more yards in penalties per game in 2010 with 66 yards/game compared to just 46 ypg for the Owls.

So what does all of this tell us?   As the saying goes: "There are lies, damn lies, and statistics."

And often times trying to compare them is like comparing apples and oranges.

The Golden Years

Tonight at the University of Miami "The Golden Years" officially started.

But before The Golden Era could be ushered in, Miami Hurricane fans had to suffer through some tough times that we will now forevermore refer to as The Dark Ages.

 
Since 2004 the University of Miami football team has been anything but golden. In a span of six years the once proud and mighty Hurricanes had been rendered irrelevant on the national stage.  As you might imagine there was plenty of blame to go around depending on who you ask. 

However, most Miami fans and those in the media covering the team would probably agree that Miami's decline has resulted from some combination of poor decisions, poor recruiting, poor coaching and poor performance on the field.

The decision to hire player favorite Larry Coker did produce short-term benefits and resulted in Miami's fifth and last National Championship in 2001.  In fact, Coker and the Hurricanes were one bad pass interference call away from producing back-to-back titles in 2002. 

Then a sudden loss of NFL talent on the UM roster that was accumulated by previous coach Butch Davis and the accompanied failed recruiting efforts by Coker took hold and the decline had clearly begun.  In spite of winning one national championship and nearly another, Coker was sent packing once the losses started to pile up with no end or solution in sight.

In 2007 Randy Shannon was hired to right the ship and return Miami to it glory years.  Who, if not Randy Shannon, could restore Miami to it's rightful place among the college elite?  Shannon was without a doubt a "true Hurricane" who figuratively if not literally bled orange and green. 

Many fans were convinced the resurrection of the football program would happen under Shannon's watch and that results would be immediate.  The 12%ers were out in force and ready to proclaim loud and proud: "We are back!"

Well, unfortunately not so fast my friend!  Shannon went old school, took the names off of the players' jerseys, banned Twitter accounts, lost too many games and gradually lost the team.  Four years later it was again clear that the Hurricanes had regressed and Shannon was unceremoniously shown the door.

The seemingly talented players Shannon had recruited proudly wore "The U" on their helmets but often played as though they would rather be wearing shorts and flip flops on South Beach.  Reports of the players tearing it up in practice ("They were flying around out there.") did not seem to translate to real games on Saturdays when it counted. 

Most of the UM players looked like Tarzan, but many of them played like Jane.  Some of them even quit on their coach, and The U and their fans.  By the time the Hurricanes had lost five games this season including two awful games at Virginia and at home to USF, the writing was on the wall and the end was inevitable for head Coach Randy Shannon. 

The day after the USF game he and many Miami fans awoke from their Hurricane Dream that had now morphed into a sad, if not tragic, nightmare.  Change was necessary and change is what happened.

But now it is time to start a new, fresh chapter in the Hurricane history books. 

As was officially announced today by UM AD Kirby Hocutt at a press conference held in Coral Gables Al Golden will take over the head coaching job at the University of Miami. 

 
As Golden took the podium and began to speak to the large audience gathered for the event, he was obviously nervous.  You don't make the jump from TU (Temple) to "The U" without some butterflies in your stomach.  But as he continued to talk and field questions from the media, he relaxed and showed why Hocutt had selected him for the job. 

Golden spoke from the heart and he nailed it.  The audience just loved him.

By all accounts and according to Hocutt, Golden is a young, energetic, hard working, dynamic communicator and motivator who will inspire Miami back to national relevance.  Golden developed most of this positive reputation by quickly restoring the lowly Temple program, literally bringing the Owls back from the brink of extinction in just four years. 

Now he is tasked with restoring the once proud tradition of the Miami Hurricanes football program.  The familiar work of recruiting, coaching and leading awaits him.  At the same time he will have to learn to endure fan and media scrutiny on a level that he has never experienced and that may be unparalleled in all of college football.

And, while he may not have been everyone's favorite candidate for the position, Golden deserves a fair chance and our support.  I can only speak for myself in saying that he has mine.

And I can only imagine that all Miami Hurricane fans now hope that "The Golden Years" have begun in more ways than one.