A Measuring Stick

Brick by brick.  Brick by brick.  Brick by brick.

That saying is based on the theory that you don't try to build a whole big, beautiful wall all at once. The objective is just to lay one perfect brick at a time, put one solid brick in place each and every day, and eventually the wall will build itself.

That was the latest and most creative of all of the slogans that Coach Al Golden has used to try to paint a picture for his team as they try to regain the glory that once once Miami Hurricanes football.

On Saturday during the second game of the 2012 season and even before the second layer of bricks were set in place and the plaster was allowed to dry, the proverbial wall came tumbling down all around the 2012 version of the Miami Hurricanes football team.

In what amounted to an absolute engineering nightmare Golden's team laid and egg, not a brick, against Kansas State.  The wall first showed early signs of cracking as the Hurricanes trailed 14-0 in the first quarter for the second straight week and then it eventually crashed down on them in Manhattan as Miami was dominated and soundly beaten 52-13 by the Wildcats.

It was as though the Wildcats took one of those bricks, smashed it through the front window of the Hecht Athletic Center in Coral Gables, and ripped out the heart of the Hurricanes football program.

In his own words after the game the Hurricanes were out-coached, out-played and so thoroughly beaten by the #21 ranked Wildcats that even the eloquent and smooth talking Golden had difficulty finding the right words to describe or explain the embarrassing and devastating loss.

The bottom line is that things got ugly in Kansas on Saturday. All of the nice slogans and wise sayings and accomplishments allegedly made from the "UTough" conditioning program over the Summer seemed to be all but erased on the Bill Snyder Family Stadium in a matter of just over three hours.

What should have been a motivational revenge game for the Hurricanes, a team that barely lost to the Wildcats last year in Miami, turned out to be just another depressing beat down at the hands of what now clearly appears to be a vastly superior opponent.

On Saturday before the UM football team got off of the buses outside of the Wildcats' stadium they were given a yard stick.  It symbolized the three feet that separated Miami from beating Kansas State last year at Sun Life Stadium when UM QB Jacory Harris could not get into the end zone from one yard out in the last minute of the fourth quarter.

Three feet was all Miami needed last year to beat Kansas State at home. But this year on the road against the Wildcats the distance between victory and defeat was so much greater than that.

In fact, you probably could have taken all 65 yard sticks from the UM players who traveled all the way to Kansas and lined them up end to end and they still would not have measured the gulf that separated the performance of these two teams on the Saturday in September.

This game was more than just the second game of the young 2012 season. In many ways it was a measuring stick to evaluate where this Miami team stacks up against a top 25 ranked opponent.

And simply put, Al Golden and the 2012 Miami Hurricanes football team just did not measure up.

Comments

[86Cane]

Jig...here U go:

http://www.footballscoop.com/coaching-awards/2011-coaches-of-the-year/2011-defensive-coordinator

[CGNC]

I don't know if you guys are seeing what am saying but until we get proven Co-ordinators we will keep going in this cycle and the excuses either going to be we are young or the system is new.

Posted by: Jiggafras | September 10, 2012 at 02:20 PM

Yes I get it. And you are right.

[THE MAN]

In addition Miami cannot be viewed as an elite program anymore. We all need to face that fact. No team respects them anymore, no reporter, analyst, coach or anyone for that matter. Playing games on FX at noon? Why would anyone view them as elite? Look what they have done the last 5+ years. They have literally shown ZERO improvement in 5+ years and arguably have gotten much much worse. Oh yeah, but they are FAST! Who gives a crap how fast they are if they can't catch, see a hole, tackle, or create turnovers. Every single team is as fast or faster than Miami. I don't get how there are so many things wrong with this program for YEARS now with no end in sight...

[CGNC]

I bet Jon Gruden is seeing this and thinking myyyyyyyy laaawwwwddd

[dg]

I've refrained from posting for a while BUT damn all the excuses are just SAD. Is the third stage of grieving - bargaining, aka we are young. I saw a James Franklin coached Vandy team play with S. Carolina. No way my Dores have the same level of talent as the Canes. Since Franklin got there, they simply bring heat plan and simple. D'Onofrio is not even an average middle school coach. His arrogant a$$ comments--he's going to find out quickly this ain't Temple dumb a$$.

On a another note, there is a certain D coordinator is at a BS school that may be willing to come down and consult to rebuild his image. Sean T was his favorite player and Gregg Williams may be receptive if asked. Al Golden is showing that he is not that smart..book sense vs common sense. Give the common sense guy b/c he is a survivor and will do whatever it takes to succeed. The book guy thinks he is smarter than everybody else. JJ and Schnelley and probably Erickson were combos. I hope Bethune WINS on Sat just so the D'Onofrio thing ends and gives addition by subtraction. Yeah I said that..

[Jiggafras]

Posted by: herbieibis | September 10, 2012 at 02:31 PM

I don't understand you anology...of course none of these guys are All conference, does that mean they have no talent...hardly. They haven't perform most of them but that doesn't mean its because they have no talent. We had to fight hard to get some of those guys from top schools, as soon as they reach Miami they have no talent. Telemaque was all conference 2 seasons ago, he has disappointed since...doesn't mean he has no talent. When Randy got fired he was one fo the bright spots that season. H ewa sbeing coached to play in a man scheme for 3 seasons, now he is forced to play in a zone passive scheme. You can see the conflict can't you? That is just an example. These don't come to campus as All conference, they are are coached to be ones. And btw teams are not just about star players, its about the unheralded guys stepping up and becoming household names when no one knew about them in the beginning. Stop saying we have no talent. Here is another statement for you....while Butch was the coach at UNC not once did they have a better recruiting class than Miami and don't give me the recruiting ranking blah blah, most of Miami players were recruited hard by other top programs like Bama UF and FSU, therefore they had to be something. Flip it around and look at the players Butch put out on Saturdays and compared ours. Its not a talent thing, the NFL alone says that is a lie. You know like Sam Shields who had all those mental errors at Miami but is able to pick up the scheme of the Super bowl champs in one season after playing CB only one season before that.

[tjl3909]

..the sky is falling because our fresh/sophs lost to a bunch of 24 year old 6th year players..anyone know if this weeks game on TV?
If not- I'll drive south and support my team

[Ohio_Cane]

Canes are on ESPN3 only this week, I believe.

[86Cane]

NEW BLOG IS UP!

[CEO]

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