Canespace

UM Honoring Past Champions

The University of Miami will start a new tradition of honoring their long and glorious past by recognizing championship teams as well as individual sports champions at major athletic events this year and in the future.

Honorees For This Year's Championship Celebration:

1 Year Anniversary - Ti’erra Brown – 2011 400-Meter Hurdles National Champion

1 Year Anniversary - Brittany Viola – 2011 10-Meter Platform National

5 Year Anniversary - Tabia Charles – 2006 Triple Jump National Champion

10 Year Anniversary - 2001 Football National Championship Team

10 Year Anniversary - 2001 Baseball National Championship Team

25 Year Anniversary - Lise Gregory and Ronni Reis – 1986 Tennis Doubles National Champion

Head Coach Al Golden and the University of Miami football team will have an added incentive when they take the field against the Virginia Cavaliers in prime-time on Oct. 27: the chance to impress their predecessors in person. 

Members of the 2001 Miami Hurricanes, the university’s third undefeated football team, have been invited to the game as honorary guests in a ten-year anniversary celebration of the fifth national championship in program history.

Kickoff for the game against Virginia is set for 8pm on ESPN, ESPN HD and ESPN3D.

The football team will be joined by several other UM Champions in a new tradition of honoring both team and individual National Champions on key anniversaries. Moving forward, the UM Athletic Department will honor individual and team national champions the year after their accomplishment, in addition to publicly recognizing their five, 10 and 25-year anniversaries. 

The 2001 Hurricanes, who capped off their undefeated season with a 37-14 Rose Bowl victory over the #4 Nebraska Cornhuskers, entered the year ranked #2 but spent the final seven weeks of the season ranked #1. The Hurricanes played five teams ranked in the Associated Press Top-25 in 2001, and outscored those opponents by a combined score of 236-72. The team featured talent on offense, defense and special teams, including an incredible 13 All-Big East First-Team Selections and 10 major college football award finalists. NFL Pro Bowlers Andre Johnson, Ed Reed, Jeremy Shockey, Jonathan Vilma, and Bryant McKinnie, among other former Hurricanes and current NFL players, have all been invited to attend the celebration. 

In addition to former members of the football program, members of the 2001 Miami Hurricanes baseball team have also been invited to the game in honorary celebration of their historic season. Hurricane baseball legends Tom Farmer, Kevin Brown and Charlton Jimerson, as well as manager Jim Morris and the rest of the 2001 championship team, will all be honored at halftime of the game. 

The 2001 Hurricanes baseball team, who entered the College World Series as the #2 seed, scored 49 runs over its four postseason games to earn their fourth championship in school history. The team routed #4-seeded Stanford 12-1 in the final and featured four players on the All-Tournament team. 

This year for the first time, UM will begin a new tradition of honoring individual NCAA Champions from throughout the storied history of Miami Hurricanes athletics. Former tennis stars Lise Gregory and Ronni Reis, who teamed up for an NCAA doubles championship in 1986, have been invited to attend in celebration of their 25-year anniversary.

Two former Hurricane track and field stars will also be celebrated for their championship performances. Tabia Charles, a 2006 NCAA champion in the outdoor triple jump and a 2008 Olympics finalist in Beijing, and Ti’erra Brown, the first Hurricane to ever win a USA Title at the U.S. Outdoor Track and Field Championships and 2011 400-meter Hurdle NCAA Champion, will be honored for their accomplishments. 

Brittany Viola, who won two NCAA championships (2008 and 2011) and was named captain of the 2009 U.S Diving Team at the World Aquatics Championships in Rome, is among the other former student-athlete champions invited to the Oct. 27 game against the Cavaliers.

The Short List To The Superdome: Week 8

The final half of the 2011 season is joined and the Shortlist to the Superdome has been pared down to exactly 25 teams left on it and they now rank by order of worthiness for one of the two coveted invitations to the only bowl game in New Orleans this year that counts as such:

Alabama, LSU, Clemson, Oklahoma, Wisconsin, Oklahoma State, Kansas State, Stanford, Boise State, Houston, Arkansas, Michigan State, Penn State, Illinois, Oregon, South Carolina, Michigan, Nebraska, West Virginia, Washington, Virginia Tech, Georgia Tech, Southern Cal, Rutgers and Cincinnati.

Not a single team that I called for to be eliminated last week from the Shortlist was able to defy my predictions of their demise so this week, I get to bask in some well deserved prognostication kudos on that front.  On the other hand, as mentioned last week ironically, a pair of teams lost games that I didn't call for to allow the Shortlist to be arranged by worthiness rather than conference affiliation and they were:

1) Texas Tech starts throwing interceptions in the second half to fall at home to Kansas State by a 41-34 final as Bill Snyder continues to chisel in that legacy in Manhattan deeper into the granite monument they'll be sure to be building to him after his retirement but before he dies with every win.  The worst part is, I can't even make the usual cupcake scheduling joke that the Wildcats were always vulnerable to being the butt of during Snyder's first tenure at the school anymore either as the second half of their slate is loaded with the rest of the upper half of the Big 12's members down the stretch.  I think Kirby Hocutt might have told his football coach to throw the game to his alma mater while getting his old boss and new conference commissioner to sign off on it at halftime though.

2) USF goes on the road to Storrs and finds a way to lose a game without giving up an offensive touchdown to Connecticut 16-10.  There's still only three big college football programs in the State of Speed, and none of them have ever lost once to the Huskies, much less the last four times by less than a touchdown when they played, no matter what you put on a billboard saying otherwise.

As the jockeying for Shortlist placement begins in earnest as this season winds down I expect a fifth of the teams to find themselves taken out this weekend in one fell swoop as the contenders thin themselves out:

Illinois, Michigan State, Georgia Tech, Washington, and Southern Cal.

Enjoy the games this week and join me back here next week as the rankings on the Shortlist to the Superdome get rearranged and rewritten at an ever increasing pace.

Copyright 2011 by Christopher Whelpton for Canespace.com

Canes Beat The Tar Out Of The Heels

Miami beat North Carolina 31-24 in an ACC game on the road at Chapel Hill on Saturday.

While the victory may not seem like a big deal to the college football world in general it certainly was significant to first year Head Coach Al Golden and this year's Miami Hurricane football team that had dropped their first two conference contests this season to Maryland and Virginia Tech. 

In beating the Tar Heels the Hurricanes finally managed to wipe some of that nasty tar they had been collecting on their heels over the last few years against one of their most persistently agitating ACC opponents.  It was Miami's first win at North Carolina in five tries since joining the ACC.

After a tough loss last week to the Virginia Tech at Blacksburg Golden somehow managed to get the Hurricanes to re-group, re-focus and re-energize their efforts to beat the Tar Heels by dominating the early part of the game. 

Here is Golden talking to the media after the Hurricanes big win at Chapel Hill:

The Miami offense put their typical slow start tendencies away for at least one week as they jumped to an early 14-0 lead before their defense even saw the field and led 17-0 at the end of the first quarter.

Senior QB Jacory Harris in particular erased a nightmarish performance of a few years ago at Kenan Stadium when he threw four interceptions including two that went for touchdowns for the team wearing Carolina Blue.

This time Harris was incredibly poised, sharp and efficient especially in the first half of the contest.  J12 led Miami on a time consuming 71 yard, 13 play scoring drive to open the game.  The drive ended on a brilliantly designed and executed middle screen to Mike James from 4 yards out.

The Canes would score two TDs in less than 20 seconds after Freshman UM LB and special teams demon Denzel Perryman broke the ball loose from the UNC kick returner on the ensuing kickoff after Miami's first score.  On the very next play Harris tossed a perfect quick strike pass to Tommy Streeter from the Tar Heels 27 yard line for his second touchdown ofthe game.

Here is Denzel Perryman (#52) talking about his big play of the day on special teams:

Harris finished the game 20 of 30 with three TDs and most importantly NO INTERCEPTIONS.

The new and improved 2011 Streeter has really surfaced as not only the 'Canes best deep threat but has also managed to become a more complete WR in all aspects.  Travis Benjamin also had a big day for Miami catching 8 passes for 99 yards and a TD.  It now appears that Streeter, Benjamin, Hurns and Dorsett are a solid top four for the Hurricanes at the WR position.

And with J12 now consistently throwing the ball with more zip and much more confidence this season that definitely presents a challenge for opposing defenses to contend with especially when combined with the speedy Lamar Miller and the now healthy and dependable Mike James in the backfield. 

And don't look now but kicker Jake Wieclaw is starting to make all Miami fans forget about their beloved Matt Bosher.  Wieclaw has been consistent if not sensational so far this season.

Here is "The Jake" talking about his success and productivity so far in 2011:

It appears that the Hurricanes will have to spend the rest of the 2011 campaign simply trying to outscore their opponents on offense and special teams while the Mark D'Onofrio coached UM defense tries to get healthy and catch up to the team's positive offensive performance. 

The Miami defense will need to continue to make significant improvements if they are to hold down their part of the deal and lead the team to many more victories this season.

Next week at Sun Life Stadium against Georgia Tech the Canes will need any and all defense it can muster to try to slow down that Yellow Jackets' vaunted running attack.

If the Hurricanes can beat Georgia Tech they will even their ACC record at 2-2.  Then it is on to home games against Virginia on Thursday 10/27/11 and Duke on 11/5/11 before heading to Tallahassee to take on the arch rival FSU Seminoles the second weekend in November.

UM vs GT Game Time Set

The University of Miami (3-3 overall, 1-2 ACC) will begin a three-game conference home stand with Georgia Tech at 3:30 p.m. Eastern on Saturday. 

The game will be aired to a national audience by ESPN and ESPN HD. 

The Yellow Jackets were ranked No. 12 last week before suffering a 24-21 defeat on the road at Virginia. On the season, Georgia Tech is 6-1 overall and 3-1 in ACC play. They are led by a high-powered rushing offense and a revitalized pass defense. 

UM is coming off a huge win at North Carolina. The Canes held off the Tar Heels for a 30-24 win behind a dazzling performance by senior Jacory Harris. Harris had 200-plus passing yards and three touchdowns passes in the first half alone. 

After Georgia Tech, UM will host Virginia on ESPN's Thursday night football on Oct. 27. Kickoff is already set for 8 p.m. on ESPN, ESPN HD and ESPN 3D.

Chris Freet
Associate AD for Communications

Game Day: UM vs UNC

Today your University of Miami Hurricanes travel to Chapel Hill to take on the Tar Heels of North Carolina at noon on The ACC Network.

All ACC Network telecasts will be streamed live online at www.theACC.com and on the Official ACC Mobile Applications.  Please go to www.ACCNetwork.com for more info on live streaming.

All ACC Network telecasts are also available on ESPN3 and ESPN GamePlan for outer market coverage and within non-cleared markets.  To watch the game on TV click here to find the station in your area:

http://hurricanesports.cstv.com/sports/m-footbl/spec-rel/100711aae.html

As the Fall temperatures start to moderate and the cool temperatures begin the process of turning the Autumn leaves into a cornucopia of colors the Atlantic Coast Conference race is just beginning to heat up all across the ACC.

With two losses already in the ACC this season Miami simply must win all of their remaining conference games and get a little help from their friends if they are to compete for a division title in 2011.

This week Chris Whelpton (OGV) breaks down the match-up between the Miami Hurricanes and the North Carolina Tar Heels: 

CANESPACE PREDICTION: UM 34, UNC 31

Raising Canes Is Hard Work: Part II

Raising Canes is the highly acclaimed and inspiring new video series produced by the University of Miami athletic department that highlights the growth, development and dedication of UM student-athletes in action.

For those of us at Canespace the term "Raising Canes" is also about the many Hurricane fans out there that are dedicated parents and are raising their children to respect and value the tremendous achievements of the small, private, highly rated university located in Coral Gables that has established such a proud history and tradition of athletic excellence.

Known to its fans and foes alike simply as "The U", the University of Miami is one of the most recognizable brands in all of college sports.  It has become a brand with national and global recognition. 

From Sebastian The Ibis to the iconic "U" with orange on one side and green on the other side that has marked the football helmets of five national championship teams and countless All-Americans.

You can bet that CanesGirlNC's daughter (seen above) knows of the remarkable accomplishments of the Hurricanes football program over the last 30 years and the phenomenal rise in academic standards at Miami over the last decade that have vaulted UM into the national spotlight for both its athletic and academic achievements on and off of the field. 

Raising Canes is about Canespacers like KLCanefan and her daughter (seen above) at a UM basketball game and OhioCane's new born child wearing her little "Miami Princess" outfit before she can even hold a pom-pom, walk or say "Howard Schnellenberger" while laying in her baby crib (seen below).

Here is the latest masterful version of Raising Canes from the UM athletic department on the Miami Hurricane's most recent game at Virginia Tech.

The video tells the story of teamwork, leadership and commitment in the face of adversity from the perspectives of Head Coach Al Golden, Offensive Coordinator Jedd Fisch, QB Jacory Harris, RB Lamar Miller and OL Brandon Washington and Harland Gunn:

We will be bringing you the "Raising Canes" video series throughout the year courtesy of the UM athletic department so stay tuned for future episodes and please send us your photos of your children dressed in Canes gear to be posted on the blog.

Some photos are just priceless, like the one I recently received of Canespacer Willie Will From Nashville's new born baby boy.  You will see that one next time we raise some Canes.

Raising Canes is a beautiful thing, wouldn't U agree!

Mineral Spirits

Q: How do U get tar off of your heels after going to South Beach?

A: That's simple stupid, get some mineral spirits.

Q: How can U watch the Hurricanes vs Tar Heels football game this Saturday?

A: That's simple stupid, get familiar with The ACC Network!

Telecast Date: October 15, 2011
Telecast: Miami at North Carolina
Time: 12 Noon, 12:30 p.m. Kickoff

All ACC Network telecasts will be streamed live online at www.theACC.com and on the Official ACC Mobile Applications.

Please go to www.ACCNetwork.com for more info on live streaming.

All ACC Network telecasts are also available on ESPN3 and ESPN GamePlan for outer market coverage and within non-cleared markets.

To watch the game on TV click here to find the station in your area: 

http://hurricanesports.cstv.com/sports/m-footbl/spec-rel/100711aae.html

For more info on these ESPN platforms, please visit: www.ACCNetwork.com

There will also be UMAA game watch parties all over the Country.  Click here to find one near U:

 http://www6.miami.edu/alumni/events/gamewatches.htm

The Short List To The Superdome: Week 7

Halfway through the regular season in 2011, the Shortlist to the Superdome is down to a scant 32 teams that are still listed by conference affiliation and read as follows:

Alabama, LSU, Arkansas, South Carolina, Wisconsin, Penn State, Illinois, Nebraska, Michigan State, Michigan, Oklahoma, Texas, Oklahoma State, Kansas State, Texas Tech, Baylor, Clemson, Wake Forest, Virginia Tech, North Carolina, Georgia Tech, Oregon, Stanford, Washington, Southern Cal, Arizona State, USF, West Virginia, Cincinnati, Rutgers, Boise State, and Houston.

Three teams triumph in games last week to refute my elimination predictions calling for their ouster and the victorious winners read as such:

1) Wake Forest adds insult to an already ego-bruising 2011 season for FSU as they upset the overrated Indian impersonators from the Florida state capitol 35-30 in Winston-Salem.  Jim Grobe's well coached team is only an opening week road game loss in overtime away from being undefeated and one win from bowl eligibility, but they will need another upset down the stretch to overachieve and earn a bowl bid this season as they fight to remain on the Shortlist for yet another week longer than they in all likelihood should.

2) A school that never was, or will be, elite caliber, Virginia Tech, ekes out a narrow 38-35 victory against a sad shadow of a once proud, defensively innovative, college football program when a MAC caliber coach lets his third string quarterback carry the football from seven yards behind the line of scrimmage in field goal range with 50 plus minutes left in the game.  In between the final whistle and the opening drive by that to remain nameless program, they proceed to show what exactly not to do when trying to defend an end-zone except for one series near the end when they got aggressive before rushing three on third and forever and forcing a bad quarterback having a career best day to run six feet over the line of scrimmage to find yet another wide open target past the first down marker.  I know what you're thinking, who is this mystery fallen power you keep alluding to but refusing to name here?  Like I said, they will remain nameless, to protect the guilty, until they field a respectable approximation of a college football team again.  At this rate, I suggest you check back sometime around 2017.

3) Rutgers holds down the castle at Rutgers Stadium against Pitt and stays in Shortlist contention with a resounding 34-10 victory.  Coach Greg Schiano once turned down two million dollars a year to coach a once proud, defensively innovative, college football program in 2006 and despite a tough two point road loss to North Carolina this year in week two, has the Scarlet Knights poised for a huge season with possible major BCS bowl aspirations if they can upset West Virginia at the end of the month while running the table.  Amazing what some coaches can do with 14 returning starters coming off a disappointing year sometimes, isn't it?

Only one team lost last week that I didn't call for to do so and is crossed off the Shortlist for 2011:

1) Just like that, the defending national champions, for now, Auburn go down in non-competitive fashion, 38-14 on the road at Arkansas.  I don't know what's more disturbing about this result, the fact that the NCAA hasn't required vacating all the 2010 results yet for the Tigers or the fact that I failed to make a pick in this de-facto SEC Shortlist Elimination Showdown in last weeks article?  Either way, Auburn didn't spend enough this year on a quarterback obviously and now faces a tightrope walk to even be bowl eligible in 2011 the rest of the way.

As the number of teams left in contention for the two national title game bids grows ever smaller, the eliminations ramp up the percentage basis they remove from who's left on the Shortlist and I expect these five teams to fall out this week to remove almost 20 percent of the contenders in one fell swoop:

Texas, Baylor, Wake Forest, North Carolina, and Arizona State.

If the aforementioned programs do end up bowing out on cue as predicted and just a pair of well placed upsets happen as well, the Shortlist will reach the magic number of 25 and the rankings will change over from conference affiliation grouping to actual merit as the competition intensifies down the home stretch of the 2011 season.  Enjoy the games this week and join me back here next week as we narrow ever closer to that particularly significant signal point here on the Shortlist to the Superdome.

Copyright 2011 by Christopher Whelpton for Canespace.com

Raising Canes Is Hard Work

Over the years we have met several dedicated Miami Hurricane fans who have raised their children to carry on the famous tradition of rooting for the school known simply as "The U".

Long-time Canespacer OcalaCane and his son (seen below) even went so far as to go deep into enemy territory when they went to Gainesville for the Regional baseball tournament against the dreaded Gators.  Being a "Gator Hater" is essential for all 'Canes fans.

 
Veteran Canespacer UMike (seen below) has taken his son to several UM Spring games, Fan Fests and other events over the years with great pride and joy. 

Any good parent and Miami Hurricane fan has to respect that, right?

 
In fact we have had several Canespacers celebrate the birth of a whole new generation of University of Miami fans just recently. 

At least five Canespacers have announced the births of their children on the blog in the last two months alone.  Obviously there is a lot of love out there in Canespace for The U and for each other!

 
Now thanks to the new series of insightful videos from UM, we can simply let the current UM players show us how it is done in real time. 

Here is the latest installment of "Raising Canes" from the University of Miami athletic department:

We also have many old skool 'Canes who have been doing this kind of thing for a several years across many children now.  Some have the tradition down to a science after a few experiments.

Some parents and Canespacers like Canechic and AngryCane did such a good job of raising their children that they grew up to be honor students and even managed to get an academic scholarship to attend the prestigious private university located in Coral Gables.

 
Other parents decorate their home and go so far as to paint their kids rooms and even their children's faces in the highly favorable colors of orange on one side and green on the other side.

Now that's a level of commitment that demands respect.

 
These parents know that an early education and indoctrination into Hurricane history and championship glory is an essential part of a proper upbringing.

Here is another of the most recent versions of "Raising Canes" from UM:

And someday in the future an entirely new generation will be born to those kids who were properly educated and will once again be raised to be proud Miami Hurricanes.

 
And to tell U the truth, we couldn't be more proud!

Defense Less

Your Miami Hurricanes played well enough to win their game against ACC rival Virginia Tech.

Yet they did not get it done and lost 38-35. 

And in the end that is all that matters, right?

The UM offense started slow but later in the game played well enough to win. 

 
Miami QB Jacory Harris, RB Lamar Miller, and WRs Tommy Streeter and Allen Hurns as well as Hurricane offensive coordinator Jedd Fisch did their jobs well enough to score 35 points.

The only problem was that the infamous Miami Hurricane "Swiss Cheese" defense appeared, or was it failed to appear at all, against the Hokies.

The Mark D'Onofrio coached defense looked less prepared for this game than well any Hurricane defense has ever looked in their storied and glorious history. 

 
Reports from reliable sources are that Ray Lewis and Ed Reed were repeatedly asking themselves and anyone near them: WTF is this guy doing?

Miami faces another team with another offense next week.

And still Miami has no defense whatsoever.

We are afraid.  Very, very afraid...