Canespace

Feeling Stronger Every Day

While you have been out shopping, celebrating Holidays, stuffing your face, drinking way too much and blogging your life away, the University of Miami football team has been spending the month of December trying to get stronger every day.

But have you ever stopped to ask yourself: "What are the key components of the UM strength and conditioning program and what are the specific, targeted and tangible goals for each player and the team as a whole?"

Speed? Weight training? Strength? Mental Toughness? Agility? Diet and Nutrition? Body Mass Index? Explosiveness? Running Drills? Flexibility? Injury Prevention? Endurance? Aerobic Conditioning? Stamina?

Or maybe it is my favorite answer on any test: ALL OF THE ABOVE!

UM head coach Al Golden recognized early on during his first year at Miami that his team was weak and soft. He knew instantly that things had to change and change drastically because much like a person going through life drunk and stupid, for a football player, being soft and weak is simply no way to go through life.

The word on the street was that under the previous caching regime the UM strength and conditioning program was infiltrated by and fell victim to two of the seven deadly sins: Sloth and Gluttony.

Sloth in that the players became lazy and not pushed to the levels they were capable of by the previous coaches. According to at least one reliable source off-season workouts at Miami were not mandatory, were strictly voluntary and as a result were almost non-existent for a large percentage of players on the team.

Gluttony in that their dietary intake was based on only two of the four major food groups: ice cream (protein), Skittles (carbs) and fast food (garbage). With allegedly no planful or organized training table for players to get their nutritional needs met midnight trips to Taco Bell or McDonald's became the order of the day.

That is certainly not the type of diet and nutrition that growing athletes need to develop muscle mass and build their bodies for peak performance on game day. Golden wants his players to strong like a rock, not soft like sand.

Which brings us to former UM player and WWE Champion Dwayne Johnson better known as "The Rock". In a workout video taped last year at the University of Miami he shows you how The Rock gets it done:

Even yet to be signed new high school recruits seem to have a better idea of what Golden wants and expects out of players on his team.

Miami Norland players RB Randy "Duke" Johnson (verbal commit) and LB Keith Brown (undecided but note the hat he is wearing) show their unique blend of skills, strength, agility and speed in this video recorded in March of 2011 at Fast Twitch Miami:

If that doesn't get your motor running then maybe watching this off-season workout by former Miami Hurricane and current Carolina Panther LB Jon Beason getting all hot and sweaty will help you understand what it takes to not only succeed in college but in the NFLU.

Word of advice to UM players: Get your 14 workouts in and try to be more like The Rock or The Beaston or just get to stepping.

If you fail to meet your personal contractual requirements then your transfer papers will have been prepared and will be waiting for you.

At "The U" under Al Golden no clock punchers or lazy slackers need apply.

Raising Canes: Swasey Time

While other college football teams were practicing in preparation for their bowl games at the end of the 2011 season, the players at the University of Miami were making a serious investment of sweat equity into the 2012 season.

Instead of practicing the Hurricanes were participating in "Swasey Time": an intense and highly structured period of weight lifting to build strength, speed and stamina for now and next year.

Long time UM strength and conditioning coach Andreu Swasey was overseeing the completely redesigned and newly implemented off-season workout program as directed by head coach Al Golden.

It has been rumored that Golden had each player sign a formal "personal contract" that stated in very specific terms what each player had to do during the Holiday break to remain in good standing with their head coach, the university and the team.

Included in that contractual agreement with every player was at least two general requirements:

1. Complete fourteen supervised strength and conditioning workouts.
2. Read two books: "The Five Dysfunctions of a Team" and "Talent Is Never Enough".

It is no secret that the players at Miami have not been "U Tough" enough over the last several years and Golden is committed to correct that problem. To be totally fair and honest, while most fans and several former 'Canes who are now NFLU players have praised Swasey for his work at UM,  a few others have seen him as part of the problem and not the solution.

Nobody will debate the fact that Miami was out-muscled, out-lasted and out-toughed last season and Golden has made it his personal priority, along with Swasey, to get the Hurricanes back to winning the battles across the lines of scrimmage and all over the field for all four quarters.

That is something that Miami has not done in the past several years and clearly did not get done in 2011 in spite of the new strength and conditioning program put in place.  To be fair, many knowledgeable people have said that it may take up to three years to catch up to where the 'Canes should be strength wise. 

But the questions still remain: Does Swasey have it and do all of the current players get it?

Golden even publicly used the term "clock punchers" to describe certain players on the team and openly stated that he would have none of that, and none of them, on his team in 2012.

The only question University of Miami fans have is: Will the Hurricanes be "U Tough" enough to win the games in 2012 that they lost in 2011, many of those in the fourth quarter?

That is a question that only Al Golden, Andreu Swasey and the 85 players with "The U" on their helmets can answer.

A Canespace Christmas

This special Holiday feature was written by blogger SJMPARMAN...

Twas the nighht before Christmas and all through the house
Not an Ibis was stirring of even a Gator louse,
The Cane stockings were were hung from the Chimney with care
In hopes that an ACC championship would soon be there.

The legion were nestled all snug in their beds,
While visions of VT wins danced in their heads;
And mamma in her 'kerchief, and I in my Canespace gear,
Had just settled down for a long winter's nap,
When out on the 50 yard line there arose such a clatter,
I sprang from my 20 yard line seat to see what was the matter.

Away to the 50 yard line seats I flew like a flash,
Tore open another beer and threw up the U.
The moon of Miami did doth show
The lustre of four and five star recruits below,
When, what to my wondering eyes should appear,
But a pass catching tight end, and a middle linebacker to fear.

With an Al Golden high fiver, so lively and quick,
I knew in a moment it must be a sign on the dotted line with a Bic.
More rapid than Gators getting arrested it came,
And he signed them, and ordered to the weight room by name;

"Now, Hurns! Now, Morris! Now, James and Cleveland!
On, Armstrong! On Chickillo! On, Henderson and Perryman!
To the top of the ACC! To the top of the BCS!
Now dash away! dash away! dash away all!"

Golden's eyes -- how they twinkled! his dimples how merry!
His cheeks were like roses, his nose like a cherry!
His droll little mouth was drawn up like a bow,
And the beard of his chin was as white as the snow;
The stump of Howard's pipe he held tight in his teeth,
And the smoke it encircled his head like a wreath;
He had a broad face and a little round belly,
That shook, when he laughed like a bowlful of jelly.
He was chubby and plump, a right jolly old elf,
And I laughed when I saw him, in spite of myself;
A wink of his eye and a twist of his head,
Soon gave me to know I had nothing to dread;

He spoke not a word, but went straight to his work,
And filled all the needs; then turned with a jerk,
And laying his finger aside of his nose,
And giving a nod, up the chimney he rose;
He sprang to his sleigh, to his team gave a whistle,
And away they all flew like the down of a thistle.
But I heard him exclaim, as he drove out of sight,

"Happy Christmas to all, and to all a good-night."

All I Want For Christmas Is U

To all the bloggers here and to everyone out there in Canespace I want to wish you a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year!

After a year that brought about big changes at the University of Miami with the hiring of new head coaches Jim Larranaga and Al Golden, Hurricane fans have a lot to look forward to in 2012.

Now, I know that a few of you somehow managed to be really nice all year long while others were being completely naughty, but all Miami Hurricane fans deserve at least a glimpse at a very special Hurricane Holiday wish list that I have put together for the 2012 season.

• An ACC title in any major sport (baseball, basketball or football).
• A year with no coaching changes and greater continuity at The U.
• A stable and prosperous National and Global economy.
• A baseball team with great pitching, solid defense and a productive offense, but most of all, one that can beat the Florida Gators and the FSU Seminoles on a regular basis.
• A blog world with no haters.
• A National Signing Day that is full of talented players, good students and maybe even a few wonderful unexpected surprises.
• An offense that scores over 30 points per game, can run the ball with power and speed and can pass the ball down the field effectively while being efficient in the red zone.
• A basketball team that plays with good fundamentals: less turnovers, fewer fouls and attacks the boards on both ends of the floor.
• Improved play at QB where the game plan is to win games from the position under center not simply to play not to lose.
• A healthy basketball team that plays hard on defense and can actually run set plays on offense that can score in crunch time instead of the infamous throw it around the perimeter for 25 seconds and then chuck up a three with no time left on the shot clock.
• Pretty cheerleaders wearing orange and green that yell and scream and bounce all around.
• A good time at the Titanic Brewery followed by a fun time at a packed Alex Rodriguez Park at Mark Light Field followed by a trip to the College World Series.
• A football team with a defense that is aggressive and attacks their opponent and is much more like a solid brick of sharp cheddar and not so full of holes like aged swiss cheese.
• Hurricane fans that are positive and hopeful and encouraging to their team and each other.

OK, I know I was doing fine right there up until that last wish but hey, a guy can hope, right?

HAPPY HOLIDAYS to U and yours during this festive holiday season.

GO CANES!

Mama There Goes That Man

Former NBA analyst and current Golden State Warriors head coach Mark Jackson used the phrase so often on ESPN that it became almost like his own personal registered trademark. 

Jackson uses the phrase: "Mama, there goes that man!" to recognize a player who makes a completely amazing play or to describe an athlete who has an incredible, record-setting type of performance.

Fortunately for Hurricane fans, University of Miami recruit and Miami Norland high school football sensation Randy "Duke" Johnson has the phrase, "Mama, there goes that man!" said about him often.

Johnson surpassed the coveted 2,000 yard rushing mark before the post-season FHSAA playoffs began.  When you play in the 305 against tough competition all season long and you rush for over two thousand yards in a season then you have really accomplished something.

Johnson finished the 2011 season with 2,087 yards on just 208 carries (an average of over 10 yards a carry) and 29 touchdowns. 

Mama, there goes that man!

For his high school career he amassed an amazing total of 5,109 yards on 504 carries (again over 10 yards a pop) and 70 TDs.  The only two running backs with better career numbers are former Coral Gables star Frank Gore (5,580 yards) and former Killian standout Bobby Washington (5,695 yards).

Mama, there goes that man! 

As it turns out, Duke was just getting warmed up during the regular season which would serve as a prelude to the State playoffs where he would eventually lead the Vikings to a State Championship in the 5A class. 

The stats below are from our friend Manny Navarro at the Miami Herald:

Two weeks ago at No. 1-ranked Glades Central, a place no Miami-Dade or Broward team had won in 14 previous playoff trips, Johnson — the state’s 5A Player of the Year and a finalist for Florida’s Mr. Football Award — ran for 230 yards and four touchdowns. A week later he posted the fourth-highest single-game performance in Miami-Dade history, rallying his team from a 20-0 deficit at Palmetto by rushing for 375 yards and three touchdowns in a state semifinal win.

Mama, there goes that man!

When combined with the 136 rushing yards in the Championship game in Orlando that adds up to 741 yards in the FHSAA playoffs alone,  The stats that Duke racked up in the post-season are as good as many players' entire season totals!

Mama, well, U know how it goes.

Here is some video of the amazing, incredible, sensational Duke Johnson:

Johnson is solid verbal commitment to Miami and was often seen throwing up "The U" throughout the season and at the State Championship game at the Citrus Bowl in Orlando.  He has also involved in recruiting other star players during the year to join him at Miami and become Hurricanes.

Duke Johnson has already been compared to former UM running backs and current and future NFLU players Clinton Portis, Frank Gore and Lamar Miller.  It has been said that Johnson hits the hole quickly and decisively like Portis, is as tough and elusive as Gore and has the breakaway speed of Miller.

Larry Blustein (seen above congratulating Duke after the game), who has been covering high school football in South Florida since before, well since forever, has been quoted as saying: "Duke Johnson is the most talented running back I have ever seen coming out of Dade County."

Somebody better tell his mother: "Mama, there goes that man!"

Rockets Miss Their Target

The Miami Central Rockets went to the Citrus Bowl in Orlando with their sites set on bringing home the State Championship trophy back to the 305.

But after losing a record 19 players to D-1 schools last season, the Central coaches and players knew they had to say their prayers before the game if they hoped to pull off a win against the defensive minded Armwood Hawks.

Central head coach Telly Lockett probably knew after losing all of the talent last year that he was under-manned and lacked the firepower necessary to beat the always talented and dangerous Lakeland Armwood Hawks even on a spectacular clear blue sky Saturday in the 407.

The Hawks would add another FG to stretch the lead to 16 before the game became more evenly matched and much more exciting.

Central came back strong in the second quarter and closed the gap to 16-14 at the half to give the Rockets' faithful reason to cheer and hope for the second half.

Both bands rocked the halftime festivities but to be honest the Central Band played way better than their football team as they completely dominated the halftime show.

But it was all for naught as Armwood would seal the deal in the second half behind some great coaching, excellent play calling and the play of Man-child Matt Jones.

If you have never seen Mr. Jones' photo on his scouting report on Rivals or Scout or had the chance to see him play in person then you have no idea that this high school player looks about 30 years old and plays like a Man against Boys.

Anyway, it was a great day to be alive and in Orlando even if you were favoring the team in black and green from "The Bottom".

The final score of the game ended up at 40-31 with the Armwood Hawks as Champs.

Well, that is at least for now pending further review.

You see there is a current FHSAA investigation into the ineligibility of certain players on both teams that could prove the need to for the governing body of high school athletics in Florida to negate one or both of them from retaining the trophy awarded at the State Championship.

Still it was an exciting game on a beautiful weekend in Central Florida in December.  The weather was beautiful and we wish you were her!

I mean the weather is beautiful, wish you were HERE.

Oops, my bad.

Vikings Are Victorious As Duke Runs Wild

The Miami Norland Vikings won the 5A State Football Championship by the score of 38-0 over Wakulla at the Citrus Bowl in Orlando on Friday behind another dominating performance by running back Randy "Duke" Johnson. 

Johnson rushed for four TDs and returned a punt for another score as he racked up 266 all-purpose yards on what was just another ho-hum day for the talented high school star and soon to be Miami Hurricane.

After all Johnson (seen throwing up The U above and lined up at running back below)  averaged over 10 yards per carry on the season playing against arguably the toughest competition in the entire State down in the 305.

We had the chance to chat for a while with our good friend Manny Navarro, who now officially wears Canespace (note shirt on shoulder), and who wrote this article about "The Duke" over at The Miami Herald blog that U can check out in it's entirety at the link provided below:

Johnson's final senior season rushing stats -- 208 carries, 2,087 yards, 29 TDs -- rank ninth all-time in Dade history. His career rushing numbers -- 504 carries, 5,109 yards, 70 TDs -- rank third all-time. But when you consider he averaged 10.0 yards per carry and had 103 rushing attempts fewer than the great Frank Gore (2,953 yards in 2000) this season, Johnson's performance stands out even more.

"To me, I once thought Duke was the most exciting player I'd ever seen," said Norland athletic director Ira Fluitt, a basketball star during his old playing days at Miami Springs. "But after what he did last week in running for 375 yards I think he's the best player I've ever seen. I'd put him right up there with the greats like Frank Gore, Elvis Peacock and Troy Davis."

Read more: http://miamiherald.typepad.com/umiami/2011/12/duke-johnson-turns-in-mvp-performance-in-5a-title-game-final-game-for-norland-vikings.html#ixzz1glP3iNIY

The game was never in doubt as Norland surged out to a big halftime lead against the severely over-matched team from Wakullla High School. 

It will certainly be a long drive back to the Tallahassee area for the Eagles who never threatened to score and were eventually shutout by a talented, tough and swarming Viking defense that is stocked with D-1 players at several positions.

If you blinked, you would have sworn that former UM players Michael Barrow and Baraka Short were playing for the Norland defense on this cloudy, overcast day in Orlando.

Canespace rules were in full effect on this Championship Day in Orlando as Canespace blogger Hassan and I had the incredible opportunity to sit in the stands with a Miami Hurricane legend, former player and current offensive line coach Art Kehoe.

Kehoe was on hand along with several other UM coaches at the game including the previously mentioned special teams coach Barrow, running backs coach Terry Richardson (seen standing) and wide receivers coach George McDonald (sitting with his back to camera).

Kehoe was feeling comfortable and confident while he chatted candidly with us for the entire second half about Miami Hurricane football past, present and future. 

Coach Kehoe was sitting in the stands with the proud parents of UM verbal commit OL Ereck Flowers, who is the BIG guy seen below wearing #75 and standing next to Manny, in front of Duke #3 and near #8 getting seriously coached up on the sidelines.

As a long time Hurricane fan it was a little surreal sitting next to and chatting openly and honestly with Kehoe like we were old buddies.  It was like Art took off his coaches hat and just decided he would talk to us and tell us things like we were good friends and not just some crazy fans. 

He was an encyclopedia of knowledge and stats and quoted UM player and specific game histories like he was reading from some sort of Hurricane history book.

Now because he agreed to talk to us in such a real and revealing way we promised not to share the information on the blog.  So, unfortunately, most of the best stuff we have to leave out. 

But trust me when I tell you that with Hassan as my witness we were there in person to hear the Good News according to Kehoe that goes something like this:

• He has an absolute and unshakeable belief that Al Golden is THE MAN and he will get it done at Miami.
• The team underwent an incredible positive change in the 10 months since he came back to Coral Gables.
• The team will be talented, tough and win more games than anybody expects them to in 2012.
• While he would not talk about specific recruits or any "silent" commits he did say that this recruiting class will be the mother load.  That's right he actually said "The Mother Load!"

Oh yeah, we were speaking of The Duke, right?  Well we met him and his wonderful family at the game.

They had a group of about 50 people all wearing shirts that read "WWDD" on the front and had UM #3 in orange and green on the back. 

If you can't figure it out and must ask, then WWDD stands for:

"What Would Duke Do".

So go ahead and ask: What Would Duke Do at the Citrus Bowl in Orlando?

Why he would score five touchdowns in the State Championship game.

What else would you expect from this future Miami Hurricane?

LIVE Chat Tonight At 8 PM On Canespace

Tonight between 8 and 11 PM we hope to have several reporters who cover University of Miami athletics on hand here at Canespace to answer your questions LIVE in real time.

For this event we have removed the sign in requirement to allow a free flowing Q&A session.

While I yet to confirm their participation we hope to see our friends Susan Miller-Degnan and Manny Navarro from the Miami Herald who will share their thoughts and information on the Miami Hurricane 2011 football season and current UM players and coaches.

We do know that Chris Whittyngham the Sports Director at WVUM, the on-campus radio station covering UM athletics, will also offer us his insights on UM football and basketball from the student perspective.

Former WVUM Sports Director Justin Antweil may also pop his head in the door just for old times sakes and for a few comments, a few laughs and maybe even some adult beverages.

In addition we also hope to have a special guest on tonight for the LIVE chat. Respected Hurricane insider and Twitter extraordinaire SaveUMFootball (PapaCane) is also expected to join us to answer your questions on UM football recruiting and other UM football program happenings.

Post your questions for whoever shows up beginning at 8 PM.

Why Negative Recruiting Often Backfires

The opening lines to the famous Led Zeppelin song "Your Time Is Gonna Come" goes like this:  Lying. Cheating. Hurting. That's all you seem to do.

When it comes to college football recruiting and the practice of "negative recruiting" then it appears that the 70's rock band got it right. 

If you are in the business of making up harmful lies or partial truths about other universities, their campuses, coaches or players then you understand the old school lyrics.

Certain coaches have been known to adopt the practice of negative recruiting in an attempt to sway potential recruits to their school instead of their in-state or conference rivals. 

Some coaches have been known to spread slanderous rumors through unofficial back channels and at times even flat out lie directly to recruits when meeting with them face to face during a home visit or an official recruiting visit to their university campus.

But does this practice really work, and maybe even more importantly, does it have the potential to backfire in certain situations? 

When these negative recruiting tactics, let's call them exaggerated falsehoods or simple lies just for the sake of argument, are eventually exposed as false, can those actions come back to hurt the coach and the university that is employing these negative recruiting tactics.

The answer apparently is very simple:  YES.

The recruiting process is a delicate dance that is based on a relationship and trust developed between a coach and a player. 

When that trust is broken the recruiting relationship is often damaged beyond repair and the dance ends abruptly.

Just hypothetically speaking of course we would never accuse any particular coach, in say a city like Gainesville, of utilizing this tactic or unknowingly claim that a certain other University, in somewhere like say South Florida, may be getting excessively harsh NCAA penalties now would we?

Or that same head coach would falsely be accused of spreading rumors that a certain head coach at a University, let's say in Coral Gables, was going to leave said university to take the vacant job, at let's imagine a University like Penn State, or anything like that.

But who knows, in the big scheme of things that are possible, it could happen right?

Not that we are in any way implying that the current head coach at the University of Florida would ever stoop to such low levels or do such a despicable thing.

Unless of course several recruits actually told the local media, the national recruiting services and several sources directly that the Gators' head coach actually "lied" to them or did something similarly unethical by intentionally misleading them just recently during the recruiting process.

Yeah, that would never happen, right?

In Defense Of D'Onofrio

Ladies and gentlemen of the jury, in my opening argument I will attempt to lay out the facts of my case in defense of University of Miami Defensive Coordinator Mark D'Onofrio.

While it is undeniable that Miami Hurricane coaches, players and fans are certainly not satisfied with the results of the 2011 season, it is my argument that one should look more closely at the facts before trying to determine a cause and effect relationship for those results and certainly before placing blame on my client for the poor performance of the UM football team.

It is my contention that when examined more closely the evidence will clearly reveal that the blame for the less than satisfactory performance in 2011 does not rest solely on my client nor can it be attributed entirely to his defensive squad.

As you are aware my client has received much of the blame and criticism from both the local media and the UM fan base for the alleged poor performance of the Miami Hurricane defensive unit during the 2011 season.

However, my presentation of the facts will prove beyond a reasonable doubt that not only is that assumption false but that my client was not to blame for the lack of success of the team this past season. Here is the evidence I wish for you to consider in Defense of D'Onofrio:

The 2010 University of Miami defensive rankings among the NCAA D-1 teams were as follows:

• Total Defense: 22nd
• Scoring Defense: 27th
• Rushing Defense: 84th
• Passing Defense: 3rd

The 2011 University of Miami defensive rankings were as follows:

• Total Defense: 43rd
• Scoring defense: 21st
• Rushing Defense: 68th
• Passing Defense: 31st

It is true that the Miami defense declined in Total Defense by 21 spots (#22 to #43) and that decline can primarily be blamed by the decline in Passing Defense which dropped 28 spots (#3 to #31).

But it should also be noted that the Hurricane defense improved 6 spots (21st from 27th) in scoring defense and 16 spots (68th from 84th) in rushing defense.

Now after dissecting the numbers above let's consider these facts that directly impacted the UM defense during my client's first season at Miami:

• The 2010 defense had four players that were by far the best at their positions at Miami and were drafted by the NFLU that all made their teams and several who became starters: DL Allen Bailey, MLB Colin McCarthy and cornerbacks DeMarcus Van Dyke and Brandon Harris.
• All four of these players were good enough to become starters for their respective NFLU teams in their first year in the league and MLB McCarthy was just named the Defensive Player of the Week. Clearly those players helped Miami in 2010 and undoubtedly their absence hurt the Hurricanes defense in 2011.
• What that means that in 2011, Miami was playing without four players who were the best at their positions at UM in 2011 and four players who were solid NFLU talent. And when you examine their replacements at UM in 2011 what do you get? Let's take a look shall wee?
• The 2011 UM defense had no true middle linebacker. At MLB Miami played several young, inexperienced players but in the end had to move their only defensive star LB Sean Spence to that position to fill the gap.
• The lack of depth at LB was a significant issue for the 2011 team. A true Freshman, Denzel Perryman, was a starter by season's end at one of the other LB spots for the Hurricanes.
• At cornerback in 2011 you had a transfer who could not start at Wake Forest playing one one side and a talented but inconsistent and inexperienced player on the other side, neither of whom will is likely to be drafted by the NFLU this year or any other year in the future.
• Due to suspensions handed down by the NCAA the 2011 defense was without starters DL Olivier Vernon for six games and S RayRay Armstrong for four games to start the season. In addition, starters Marcus Forston, Adawale Ojomo and Sean Spence all missed the season opener, which greatly contibuted to the loss to Maryland.
• One starter at OLB, Ramon Buchanon, was lost for the season due to injury early in the year.
• The defensive line also lacked depth and was hit hard by serious injuries. Several players, including potential star and starter Marcus Forston, missed multiple games as a result further complicating the rotation along the DL. Depth and talent was so hard to find along the DL that for most of the seasom Miami started a true Freshman at DE in Anthony Chickillo.

At the same time that my client was receiving the brunt of the criticism for the team's failures in 2011, UM Offensive Coordinator Jedd Fisch was having praise heaped upon him for Miami's relative success on offense. But is that praise really warranted based on the facts?

Sure, UM QB Jacory Harris stopped being a turnover machine in 2011 and actually had his best season as a Miami Hurricane and Fisch deserves the bulk of the credit for that turnaround. But a closer look at the numbers shows that in fact the UM offense did not improve in NCAA rankings from 2010 to 2011 as many had assumed.

In spite of Harris' improvement at QB and producing a 1,000 yard rusher in Lamar Miller, the UM offense did not statistically improve (as many Hurricane fans may have thought) in most of the measurable NCAA offensive categories in 2011 over 2010.

Here are the facts that you must consider when evaluating the UM offense:

• Total offense: 2010: 31st / 2011: 73rd (dropped 42 spots)
• Scoring Offense: 2010: 67th / 2011: 64th (improved 3 spots)
• Rushing Offense: 2010: 30th / 2011: 74th (dropped 44 spots)
• Passing offense: 2010: 43rd / 2011: 61st (dropped 18 spots)

When it comes down to the bottom line of scoring for and against the difference between the team's offensive and defensive performance was actually exactly equal. From 2010 to 2011 the Miami offense improved in the offensive "Points For" category by one point (up from 26 ppg to 27 ppg) and also improved in the defensive "Points Against" category by one point (down to 20 ppg from 21 ppg).

So before relentlessly bashing my client and jumping to false conclusions I think it is wise to review the facts and stats before attempting to convict my client of an offense for which he is not guilty.

My client, in his first season at Miami, not only had to face the obstacles involved in installing a completely new defensive scheme and system at UM, but also faced several major issues related to a lack of talent at several positions, several key player suspensions to start the season and numerous injuries to key players that had an undeniably significant and direct negative impact on his defensive unit in 2011.

In spite of those major issues according to the NCAA stats and rankings the UM defense actually improved in rushing defense and most importantly in scoring defense in 2011.

As a result any reasonable person on the jury can and must conclude beyond a reasonable doubt that my client is not to blame for the the teams poor performance last season.

And with that closing argument, the defense rests.