Just Another Brick In The Wall

After last Saturday's tough loss to Kansas State, many University of Miami football fans were found to be wandering around and suffering from a severe form of cognitive dissonance.

For those of you not familiar with the term, "cognitive dissonance" occurs when reality clearly and directly contradicts the previously held ideas, beliefs, opinions or values of an individual.

Most Hurricane fans including myself have completely bought into and truly believe that UM head coach Al Golden is well on his way to rebuilding and restoring the UM football program to its proud history of National Championship accomplishments.

We totally support and are committed to "The Process" that includes the core values, the mutual accountability, the UTough conditioning program and the brick-by-brick wall building analogy.

The way I now see it is that UM fans are left to struggle with embracing this thought: Things are going exactly according to plan and Al Golden is just channeling his inner Pink Floyd.

The vast majority of Hurricane fans truly believe that Golden is the man for the job and will get it done in Coral Gables. We have the utmost confidence and faith in Golden as a head coach and even more so as a visionary leader of men. This we firmly believe in spite of the loss to Kansas State last Saturday.

After the initial disappointment in the game wore off I began to think less emotionally and more analytically about The Process, the current roster, the depth chart, the 2012 season and the true impact of Saturday's difficult loss in Manhattan. I eventually came to the following conclusions:

1. Whether we want to admit it or accept it or not this team is too young and too inexperienced to handle a top 25 team on the road early in the season. The depth chart is too shallow and loaded with way too many freshmen and sophomores for the Hurricanes to handle a mature, experienced and well-coached team like Kansas State.

2. This team needed this kind of wake-up call early this season before they got too far ahead of themselves and way before they get into the heart of their ACC schedule later this month and especially later this season in October and November.

3. Against Boston College this team took two steps forward.  Against Kansas State they took three steps back. How they respond next week against BCC at home in front of their home town fans will make a huge statement about their mental status and physical ability going forward.

4. The loss to Kansas State, as painful as it was, is really insignificant when it comes to the big picture for the Hurricanes this season.  Winning more than six games and their division of the ACC is still within their complete control and those are the only goals that really matter in 2012.

So Miami Hurricane football fans have to sit back and do a thorough self-analysis of where they and their team stands after two games of the 2012 season have been completed.  Sometimes, as painful as it may seem, you have to lose to know how to win.

UM is now 1-1 and looking at what should be a winnable game against BCC this weekend at Sun Life Stadium in the Canes first home game of the year. The goals they set out with at the beginning of the season are still in front of them and very achievable. 

But to do so, this team, these players and coaches, must learn from the mistakes they made in the K-State game and move forward with a new sense of urgency, conviction and determination.

I think they can and they will.

Wouldn't it be something, if after just a few more weeks have gone by, that we all can look back and clearly see that the Kansas State game was after all, just another brick in the wall?

Comments

[Carlos]

1st

[Montreal-Cane]

Sat, Sep 15 2012 12:00pm Bethune Cookman vs Miami on ESPN 3

[THE MAN]

If there are 20K fans at that game it will be a miracle...

[86Cane]

Carlos? What's up big guy!

[THE MAN]

Do other teams come out with a new depth chart after every game?

[Jiggafras]

I don't know about the sky falling, i know our defense is not that bad. I am certain our defense is not as bad as giving up 500 yards generally we could do what we wanted until the score started to get out of hand and it started to get predictable. That was not help by the defense allowing K State to score on every drive.

[Panamacitycane]

It's definitely a hard pill to swallow. But the more I stop thinking with emotions the more I realize that this loss will only help the young kids..they now know what it's like to be embarrassed. Most of them until this point in high school and Boston college they have always been held up and better then everyone. It's like getting your first big pop by a linebacker..welcome to the big leagues. I've had time to chill so I'm not going to jump off a bridge now..LET'S GO CANES!!

[Tsully76]

Another masterpiece 86. See ya Friday. Great point Panamacitycane.

[RicoSuave1911]

Confident that Al Golden won't fire his homeboy at defensive coordinator no matter how bad things get.

[solarcane]

Duke Johnson is

3ed in rushing in the ACC
2nd in kick return avg.
1st in all purpose yds

[Alberto]

We make every QB we play a Heisman candidate. Let´s see how many yards BCC make this week. They say this is a game of inches...we make it a game of yards.

[nemo2002]

So, why isn't Duke the first team running back?

[solarcane]

So, why isn't Duke the first team running back?

Posted by: nemo2002 | September 10, 2012 at 04:34 PM

cause Mike James is a great kid thats been through alot?

[raizecane]

All i know is that i better hear that there was some fighting going on at practice today. After they got their butts handed to them, there better be some pissed off players.

If practice goes as usual, then that confirms to me that this team is not ready to take the next step.

[BigTimeCane]

Great article soup. I'm on board. I've set my emotions aside and will go along and believe in the process. I do believe golden can turn things around. I just hope I'm wrong about Dnofrio.
Go canes

[Laquinton]

from the last post. Chavis at LSU is replacing alot of stars which year in and out they do but they are replaced by VHT (very high talented for those who dont read phil steele)

Miami almost the same thing. D'No has the bodys maybe not the exp but he can do something. Against BC he knew the offensive co from his temple days and they knew him well enough to spot the weakness in his zone. When Miami blitzes you see gaping holes so Rettig killed them and the no pass rush helped so much.

Against KS they knew that if they wont the battle upfront on O it was gonna be their type of game. Run..run and pass on first through his weak zone. Tracy Howard giving up that long 27 yard pass and Highsmith and McGee giving up that TD that can be coached honestly. He needs to stop the zone crap cause it aint working. 3 man fronts when you have a undersized DL isnt either

[Laquinton]

and Golden can fire D'No. BFF or not. Look at Holt as UW get stomped in their bowl game agaisnt Baylor and RG3 and he and his team were packing their bags in Seattle let another gaudy performance happen at NCSU or better yet ND. I dont believe Miami will lose to GT just for the simple fact that Miami hasnt lost to Paul Johhsons triple option since year 1 of the trickery and the fact that Golden and D'NO saw this 2 times a year at Temple

[pre83]

I am not at the point of canning AG or MD just yet.

However, I asked after the BC game if AG sat w/ each coordinator one on one to watch the film of the game.

I asked to simply make a point that I find it almost impossible to believe that AG doesn't know the defensive philosophy his DC wants and is responsible for implementing.

To me, for the moment, that is the magic question - What is the goal of this defensive scheme and how does MD intend on achieving that goal utilizing his scheme???

I've read virtually all of the four digit posts on the Space since the BC game and I have yet to find one post that can explain MD's objective with his defensive philosophy - NOT ONE!

Has any beat writer bothered to ask this question of either AG or MD?

Put it this way, if he had to answer that question for an interview for the same position, what would be his answer?

And for the record, I have no clue - unfortunately, it appears as though neither do the defensive players on the field.

[Tsully76]

Gametime of Miami v. Ga. Tech will be 3pm on RSN aka Fox Sports South or Florida or whatever part of the nation u live in. So its 3pm eastern/2pm central. From Bad Street Atlanta, Ga. Lol

[UMike]

Im no defensive guru by any means, but some things appear to be simply common sense things. If you have a quarterback who is running it himself every other play, perhaps bring a safety up to spy, or a LB. And WHY int he world are the DB's so far off the WR, especially if your having trouble getting QB pressure? IMO, we let our DB's play man coverage and we bring them up close, let them get physical. The DB's are talented enough to make plays imo, but not when they are so far from the ball and the QB has all day. Bring the DB's up, blitz a LB etc. Also, was is Eddie Johnson NOT starting? Kid is quick and is always around the ball. IDK which LB he spot he plays, but if it is anything but MLB, he should be starting. I just dont know how a professional coach lets a team beat them over and over with the SAME play and SAME player!

[Jiggafras]

Posted by: pre83 | September 10, 2012 at 05:02 PM

What i see from No'D is he is hung up on the points we gave up LAST year. He keep saying that we were 17th in points per game. What he fails to point out is we had the least amount of plays on offense because we can't get off the field and it has continued this season and only because we have been running the hurry up offense.

[Jiggafras]

Cont'd ...only because we have been running the hurry up offense have we been able to increase our plays per game. We probably would benefit from a huddle since we have so many young guys. Therefore i think he is more concerned about the points per game and like i said thats really only half the story as time of possession is also very important for the offense and giving the defense a chance to rest

[86Cane]

The Miami Hurricanes’ Sept. 22 football game at Georgia Tech will be televised live at 3 p.m. EDT on Sun Sports in Florida, the Atlantic Coast Conference office announced Monday.

The game will also be available on FOX Sports South, FOX Sports Carolinas, Comcast Sports Net Mid Atlantic and New England Sports Networks as well as on Watch ESPN. Additional regional sports network affiliates will be announced leading up to next Saturday’s contest.

With Monday’s announcement, Miami’s first four games will air on either regional or national TV. Miami’s home opener Sept. 15 vs. Bethune-Cookman will be carried on ESPN3.

Season and single-game tickets for the 2012 football season are available online, by phone at 1-800-GO-CANES (1-305-284-2263) or in-person at the Miami Athletics Ticket Office, which is now located on the bottom level of BankUnited Center.

For the latest information on Miami Hurricanes Football, follow @HurricaneSports on Twitter and the official blog for Hurricanes Football, www.theufootball.com.

[BigTimeCane]

Looking at fox sports NCAA rankings. I read this and get angry.

"New coach Jim Mora promised that the Bruins would play with more heart, soul and emotion this year, but let's not underestimate the coaching acumen of the Bruins boss and his staff. THEY MADE SCHEMATIC ADJUSTMENTS against Nebrask's QB run game in the second half and helped tilt the contest in their favor with a safety of elusive Husker QB Taylor Martinez. The biggest win for the Bruins in a long time..."

Now let's read what he says about KSU ranked 12th in his poll.

"The biggest mover in my poll, and why not? 52 points laid on the once proud Miami Hurricanes?! The worst loss for "The U" since 2007?! K-State scored those points with 498 yards of offense, and QB Collin Klien continued to show his new, improved passing touch (9 for 11, 210 yards) to go along with his usual stellar ground game (3 rush TDs). And defensively they held Miami to 40 rush yards on 29 carries...."

Ah the injustice of it all. Had Dnofrio stayed to coach temple what could have been?

[pbcfrcane13]

on The Sedano show they have Crowder and Clinton Portis telling stories pretty funny stuff.

[Laquinton]

Eddie Johnson #44 started the KS game. He was all over the field but many times Klein gave him the shimmy and he was lost.

Tyrone Corneilius may be wearing S.Spence #31 jersey but he looked very small out their.

Gaines was terrible had one good tackle.But whiffed on many others. I belive D'No scheme is a mixed 4-3 scheme zone. And he trys to keep implementing that 3-4 zone and that is whats getting Miami killed. Corners playing 20 yards away from the reciever and the safetys are 30 yards away from anything.

[Laquinton]

I am very sure that Coach Golden and the rest of the defensive side are figuring this out. Because the D is playing very soft and the scheme isnt aggressive enough. Yes Miami is a young squad on both sides of the ball but the youth is full of young men that almost everybody in the country wanted. Throw them out their..

I was watching The U earlier and remember when Miami lost to Ty Detmer and all the old players called and came back to Miami and let them have it. After 2 straight games and about 1000+ yards some should be making their way back to greentree. The team should be holding another "secret" meeting and saying something idk ..

[usagainsttheworld]

Ummmmmm..... I'm concerned that bcc is going to be more of a battle than we expect...

[The Dude]

Posted by: Laquinton | September 10, 2012 at 06:24 PM

My wifes uncle was the DE at BYU for that game. He LOVES to talk about that game whenever we talk football.

[The Dude]

He seriously says, 2 things happened in that game. Ty went off, which didnt suprise BYU and Miami didnt try alot. He says they were on the bench like "this is Miami?"

[The Dude]

Corners playing 20 yards away from the reciever and the safetys are 30 yards away from anything.

That's a serious exaggeration!

[raizecane]

I don't know if any of you watched the Gator / A&M game but the Gators did something at half time that we have not done in a while....MADE ADJUSTMENTS.

A&M was going up and down the field on the Gators. Come 2nd half, i think they ran for only 10 yards or something along those lines. They held a Kevin Sumlin team scoreless in the 2nd half....very impressive depsite not liking the Gators.

[solarcane]

Many of those breakdowns came on defense for a second straight week. The Hurricanes allowed 1,035 yards in two games and rank 114th of 120 FBS teams in total defense.

Defensive coordinator Mark D'Onofrio said he's been through two rebuilding projects before. He helped bring young defenses along as an assistant at Rutgers (2001-03) and Temple (2006-10), so he knows the process.

Youth is a factor with 17 freshmen and sophomores on the two-deep, he said, but not an excuse.

"When we get this thing turned, these guys are going to be good for a while," he said. "We're working each day to get it turned. And when we get it turned, there's going to be nobody leaving the team for a while."

http://www.sun-sentinel.com/sports/um-hurricanes/fl-miami-hurricanes-kstate-problems-0911-20120910,0,7025647.story

[WWIN]

All i know is that i better hear that there was some fighting going on at practice today. After they got their butts handed to them, there better be some pissed off players.If practice goes as usual, then that confirms to me that this team is not ready to take the next step.

Posted by: raizecane | September 10, 2012 at 04:44 PM

Yeah that's right, the players need to kick d'no's ass

[raizecane]

Everything i read says that we need to put the KS loss behind us.....we can't think about......blah blah blah

HOGWASH (when was the last time you heard that term?). If i was AG, I would be showing that game film everyday. I would put the final score all over the locker room and scoreboard. These kids need to know that if you make mental mistakes (coaches claim they were mental), you will get your ass handed to you. Someone needs to keep reminding these kids just that....putting it in the past won't help in the future.

BTW - were there any fights at practice today? I sure hope there was.

[Jiggafras]

http://miamiherald.typepad.com/umiami/2012/09/when-it-comes-to-fixing-ums-defense-donofrio-is-thinking-long-term-not-immediate.html
When it comes to fixing UM's defense

D'Onofrio is thinking long term, not immediate

Here is the longer version of my story set to run in Tuesday's paper.
They rank 109th in pass defense and scoring defense, 89th against the run and 114th in total defense out of 120 teams in major college football.

Hurricanes assistant head coach Mark D’Onofrio is well aware just how awful his unit has looked. UM has given up 1,000-plus yards and 84 points through its first two games. The Canes haven't been lit up like this since they were coming off probation in 1998.

UM fans have roasted him on the radio and on internet message boards. Former Canes -- like Clinton Portis, Warren Sapp and Calais Campbell -- have taken to Twitter to express their embarrassment.

"I can't worry about any of that right now,” D’Onofrio said Monday of the criticism he’s received since Saturday’s 52-13 loss at Kansas State. “The only fans I need to worry about are my wife and my kids. As long as they still like me, I am in good shape."

Here’s something that might make UM fans like D'Onofrio a little less: he didn't offer any quick fix remedies Monday. Instead, he basically asked for more patience, and compared Miami's defensive mess to a reclamation project, like the ones he undertook as a linebackers coach at Rutgers and then as defensive corodinator at Temple with Al Golden.

There, D’Onofrio mixed what little talent he inherited with a lot of freshmen and sophomores. Eventually, the garbage was weeded out, and the defenses improved. With 17 freshmen and sophomores on the Canes' two deep on defense, the plan here is essentially the same.

"Go back and look at his statistics; His statistics say it all," Golden said of D'Onofrio. "We finished 17th against the score last year, 15th the year before at Temple. Again, is it what we want right now? No. But who is more upset than we are?

"I appreciate everybody's passion, but there were too many players out of position and too many plays we didn't execute, and too many times where we just didn't have 11 guys doing their job [Saturday at Kansas State]. We always look at ourselves as coaches first so we know what we need to calm down and what we need to call more of and what we need to eliminate based on what we're seeing."

"There's no panic button right now. We're in it for the long haul. We'll get this fixed. I've seen this before. I've seen this drill before, trust me."

As for the immediate future – including this Saturday’s home opener against Bethune-Cookman – D'Onofrio said he's trimming the rotation. Golden said 26 players have gotten into games on defense.

"It is not going to be like Pop Warner football where everybody gets in," D'Onofrio said.

“We have a base line to go off of good, bad or indifferent,” D’Onofrio said. “We have some guys that are playing well. We have some guys that haven't rose to the occasion. And we have some guys that are playing like their youth. A few more guys came to battle this week. I though [freshman safety] Deon Bush played well. [Junior safety] A.J. Highsmith played well. [Redshirt freshman linebacker] Eddie Johnson played well. We’ll just keep trying to building our team.

“I am sure Al has spoken about it, 17 of the two deep are freshmen or sophomores and the juniors are Shayon Green, Kacy Rodgers, and A.J. Highsmith. And you have seen how much they have played. That's where we're at. That's no excuse. But when we get this thing turned it is going to be turned for a while. We're working to get it turned. When we get it turned, there is going to be nobody leaving the team for a while and that is what we are working on what we are trying to do."

As for practice, the focus has turned to the basics. Coaches are preaching: fill the right gap and wrap up. The playbook? D’Onofrio said he has simplified his defense and kept the plays he knows his unit can execute. The rest get thrown out.

“My general rule of thumb is that if we aren't running it well by the end of Wednesday, I throw it out,” D’Onofrio said. “Just leave that burden off them. I try to keep it as tight as I can with this group.”

Unfortunately, D’Onofrio can’t do the same to the offenses UM is facing. D’Onofrio admitted Kansas State, a veteran team loaded with juniors and seniors, baffled the Canes’ last Saturday with different formations and personnel packages.

“I think the multitude of formations right now has guys seeing a lot,” D’Onofrio said. “The next time they see it, hopefully they play it better."

If there were encouraging signs from Saturday's loss, D'Onofrio said, it's that his players didn't quit.

"I have been in games like that where you get manhandled and guys lay down," D'Onofrio said. "We tried to put it on their fullback. We tried to put it on their quarterback. There were guys trying to be physical. I am encouraged by that."

Simple answer get used to more of what you saw the last 2 weeks. I need a drink. No excuses right? These guys just need to shut the hell up in the offseason.

[86Cane]

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We look forward to meeting U at the Hampton Inn - Plantation this season!

[WWIN]

Simple answer get used to more of what you saw the last 2 weeks. I need a drink. No excuses right? These guys just need to shut the hell up in the offseason.

Posted by: Jiggafras | September 10, 2012 at 07:25 PM

Lol. Jigga what? Jigga who? Lol

[86Cane]

Kelley has gained national attention for his unorthodox coaching methods at Pulaski Academy. He has turned the Bruins into a football powerhouse by eschewing punts and going for it on fourth down more than 99 percent of the time. Since the start of the 2008 season, the Bruins have punted only three times, while converting on fourth down more than 50 percent of the time.

Pulaski Academy is 105-20 over the past 10 seasons and has won three state championships, including an undefeated record in 2011 while, of course, punting only once.

"We don't do things like everybody else," Kelley said. "I came across studies and they said people should go for it a lot more than they do -- but maybe not as much as we do."

A couple of years ago, Kelley befriended Louisiana-Monroe offensive coordinator Steve Farmer, who recruits the Little Rock area. Warhawks coach Todd Berry also made a couple of recruiting visits to Pulaski Academy, most recently in January, and was intrigued by Kelley's unconventional philosophy.

"Everybody knows what we do," Kelley said. "When you come recruiting, you don't ever get to see the kids [because of NCAA rules]. You sit and talk to the coach and we talk about our philosophy."

Kelley also shared his statistical data with Berry. As difficult as it might be to believe, if a college team faces fourth down at its 5-yard line, according to Kelley's research, there actually isn't much more risk in passing up a punt for another offensive play.

According to Kelley's data, college teams are likely to net 30-35 yards on a punt from the end zone, and teams have a 77 percent chance of scoring a touchdown from inside an opponent's 40-yard line. The odds of giving up a touchdown from the 5-yard line are about 92 percent, so Kelley figures there isn't much more risk in going for a first down.

"Even if there's only a 33 percent chance you'll make it, the numbers still say you should go for it," Kelley said. "If you get to the point where you know you're going to go for it no matter what, you don't even get in that situation because it changes the dynamics of the play-calling. We don't have to throw on third-and-6 because we know we still have fourth down."

[myndraize]

I hope Bethune WINS on Sat just so the D'Onofrio thing ends and gives addition by subtraction. Yeah I said that..

Posted by: dg | September 10, 2012 at 02:50 PM

No true cane fan thinks this way its unexceptable.1-1 is better than 0-2,we will know where the team stands in a few more games give it time have some faith

[Jiggafras]

Posted by: Willie Will in Nashville | September 10, 2012 at 07:50 PM

This guy and even Golden are boasting that No'D had us at 17th in scoring defense last season and Temple was 15th before. That is the definition of mediocrity. They fail to mention that we were dead last in number of plays ran last season primarily because we could not get off the field to save our lives. Golden will find out soon enough that honey moons down here are over pretty quickly. Everyone bar a few was with Shannon until he started making excuses. Sure way to get the fans on your back...quite hard to get them off your back when that happens.

[WWIN]

^^^^^

True. The scoring average was low bcuz we tried to run out the clock every possession

[myndraize]

I believe coach D and the players will get this turn around what else am i suppose to think.the season just started and your lying if you thought the D was going to come like gang bangers their are none and won't be for a minute.i would like to see fisch get more aggressive down field and use the YOUNG weapons to his advantage.i'm not buying Porter-Robinson-Grimble-Pierre-Smith being to small in the trenches the game plan needs to be more creative and aggressively thought out.this team can play and be a lot better than what was shown on saturday.

[WWIN]

^^^^^

I like what you said except the second sentence lol. Up until the spring game everybody was saying the d would have to lead the way for the offense and their were the better unit wit more talent but now everybody is saying there's no talent on the d¿¿¿

[Jiggafras]

Posted by: myndraize | September 10, 2012 at 08:17 PM

No one is saying the D was gonna be great.....they are not bad, they are not average, They are terrible....Savannah St terrible. If we were playing a team that could throw the ball they may have put up 84 points, K State was running most of the time and they almost got there. Over 500 yards per game against a terrible Boston College and K State. The great Chase Rettig after putting up over 400 yards throwing on us, had 219 yards and 50% completion against a great Maine Team. Lets not talk about Missouri St who held K State down for 3 qtrs the week before. The terrible defense is affecting the offense by forcing them to score every single time. K State had a chance to score a TD on every single drive in the first half and only didn't score once on a missed FG.

[orange 'n green in the vein]

Yeah, I disagree with everything in this article 86, but we are still friends.

I get it guys, look what you did at Temple. I did, I wasn't impressed. 10% chance BCC wins the game. 0% change Golden fires his college roommate if they do. There's a major problem with both those percentages.

D'No's philosophy on defense is to make the offense beat themselves by chaining long drives together to score. By avoiding the big play (which they haven't been doing for 14 games now) you force the offense to not shoot themselves in the foot with penalties (for reference; Duke game last year), turn the ball over (BC this year), of fail to convert on third down, (GT last year, OSU last year).

There you go pre83, sounds weak as hell to me too now that it's out there for everybody to read.

[solarcane]

ogv
Remember when Mike James was out running our entire defense and guys were catching a couple tds apiece each practice ? I'm jus sayin

Our scout team qb has to be exhausted after each practice

[Panamacitycane]

I hope our linebackers are watching ray Lewis...dude is a monster..he is in on every single play..I mean everything! This is how you play linebacker!

[86Cane]

OGV...How can U disagree with "cognitive dissonance"?

[Account Deleted]

One look at the depth chart and you know it's going to be a long, long way back. Just too many missing pieces. One DL, one LB and maybe 1-2 DB's is not enough to win with. The O is ok, but not enough to offset No'D. You can't expect these kids to win against teams with more talent, depth and experience.

Odds are in 2 years many of the freshman and sophomores listed on the depth chart won't even be starters. I'm a cane fan, but let's be honest with ourselves. We're a bottom 25-30 team right now.

Even if we have the right coaching staff it will be difficult to string together enough recruiting seasons/players to become a top 25 team again without making some mistakes.

And with that it mind, what are chances No'D and AG can last that long before the losing takes it's toll. I'd offer not high.

Like many programs, in the end AG may set the table for the next coaching staff to succeed. Time will tell.

Let's just hope we don't stumble again BCC, or lose any more of the team to injuries in what should be an easy win.