Just Win Baby

Trailing 14-0 in the first quarter of their game against Boston College your University of Miami football team could have hung their heads, folded their tents, packed their bags and headed back to South Florida with their damaged pride and an 0-1 record to start the season.

Instead this Miami team kept their heads up, kept the faith in head coach Al Golden and each other and managed to maintain their composure long enough to come roaring back and beat BC 41-32 to win their first game of the 2012 season.

It may not have been the most impressive, or dominating or convincing win in the history of the program but this team managed to do something that last year's team could not do in their final game of the season against the Golden Eagles: Just win baby! 

That is the theme that I have selected for the 2012 season: "Just Win Baby."

Many of the local media reps and almost all of the National talking heads have predicted a mediocre season for your Miami Hurricanes in 2012. Their predictions ranged from 4-8 to 8-4 with most falling somewhere into the 5-7 to 7-5 range. 

However what these "experts" failed to do was to talk to Duke Johnson, Malclom Lewis, Ereck Flowers, Eddie Johnson, Tyriq McCord, Deon Bush, Tracy Howard or any of the other fabulous freshman who have decided to make Miami back into a National powerhouse with their own hands. 

Let it be recorded that on the first day of September 2012 a star was born as The Duke became The King of Miami.  Freshman running back Duke Johnson in his first game as a Hurricane was everything he was supposed to be and more.  Johnson looked like Clinton Portis, Willis McGahee, and Frank Gore all rolled into one as he rushed for 135 yards and busted loose for two scores of 56 and 54 yards.

Sure I realize that it was just one game but oh what a game it was.  The elusive Johnson, who shared time with the hard-running Mike James (14 carries, 57 yards), almost certainly made more than a few UM fans say: "Lamar who?" Duke shaked, baked and snaked his way through the BC defense making them look like they were in slow motion.  Duke is no fluke.

UM rushed for 208 yards on the day in an evenly balanced performance courtesy of UM offensive coordinator Jedd Fisch (207 passing, 415 total).

New starting QB Stephen Morris got off to a rough start much as a result of his receivers dropping passes or tipping them into the waiting arms of BC defenders. Morris (and his receivers) eventually settled down and he went on to complete 28 of 45 passes for just over 200 yards and one TD and one INT on the day.

The UM defense started out playing as soft as whipped creme and early in the game coach D'Onofrio's group did its very best imitation of the infamous swiss cheese defense of recent years past. They started off playing a passive zone defense in which UM defenders sat around in space covering absolutely nothing more than air and their backsides. 

They later switched to a more aggressive press coverage defense with much better results. Another star in the making is UM LB Denzel Perryman who had seven tackles and returned one interception for a pick-six.  Sophomore DE Anthony Chickillo had a timely fumble recovery and CB Ladarius Gunter also got into the action with an fumble recovery (and return) of his own.

The special teams were indeed special the entire game. The UM kick and punt coverage teams were stellar and speedy WR Phillip Dorsett showed great potential as the #1 return man as he almost broke free for a score on one kick return that went for 37 yards.  The law firm of Wieclaw and Botts teamed up to handle their official duties in efficient fashion.

The bottom line is that Miami's win over BC in Chestnut Hill on Saturday was a road win in the ACC under tough circumstances and in a hostile environment by a young team playing their first game together.  Wrap it up, put a nice big orange and green bow on it, and I'll take it.

Just win baby!

Comments

[solarcane]

boink

[solarcane]

its a gift soup

[86Cane]

Golden said today he has the "utmost confidence" in the defense he is running. Well, it is ranked 106 out of 107 teams in pass defense. I have the utmost confidence when I say he is out of his mind if he thinks that is acceptable.

Posted by: SJMPARMAN | September 02, 2012 at 09:42 PM

There IT is right there.

[86Cane]

It's a gift Soup.

Posted by: solarcane | September 02, 2012 at 10:44 PM

Soiler the Spoiler!

[usagainsttheworld]

fourth

[usagainsttheworld]

solar-- do you have telepathy or something? hmmmm. . .

208 yards rushing, 207 yards passing. doesn't get any more balanced than that!

[solarcane]

Im just lucky sometimes I guess.

I'm digging this offense.

Duke stays healthy and the coaches don't wear him down, and Morris plays this steady we can overcome some defensive miscues.
A good defensive backs coach and a real DC we are on our way.

[JameriCANE]

Great win, but D'onofrio has got to be in the hot seat this week. Players can't say coaches prepared them, but also say they saw some looks they did not expect that caused some confusion.

[86Cane]

Duke stays healthy and the coaches don't wear him down...

Posted by: solarcane | September 02, 2012 at 10:56 PM

Same thing OcalaCane said on the phone tonight. Gotta balance his carries with James (inside runs) and Clements (goal line) and maybe a sprinkling of Dallas Crawford. I still wanna see freshman RB Danny Dillard if he doesn't RS.

[solarcane]

you can watch the game replay here now
on espn3

http://espn.go.com/watchespn/index#type/replay/

[86Cane]

1. I am told that LB Armbrister missed about 10 assignments in the game.

2. Canes had ZERO sacks and 4 TFLs.

3. Canes were 11-21 on third down but were 4-4 inside the Red Zone (2 Tds / 2 FGs).

Tackle leaders:

S Rodgers 8
LB Perryman 7
DE Green 7
LB Johnson, CB McGee, LB Buchanan and S Telelmaque all with 5 tackles each.

[CGNC]

Zilla that little one is cute!!!

[Tsully76]

Hurricanesports.com has a condensed game replay of the BC game let's support our own site instead of freaking ESPN. Anyway on to K-State. Go Canes

[Tsully76]

Btw has Todd McShay say anything for himself saying BC would win big yesterday.

[solarcane]

Hurricanesports.com has a condensed game replay of the BC game let's support our own site instead of freaking ESPN. Anyway on to K-State. Go Canes
============

I watch espn3 for free I got no gripe about seeing the entire game full screen hd and stopping and rewinding each play.

Whats Hurricanesports charge for their game package?

[Sarasota 'cane]

Soup you coming up to the GT game?

[gus305]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ABYPp5J0d3w
Check out the latest Miami VS BC highlights

[Montreal-Cane]

1. I am told that LB Armbrister missed about 10 assignments in the game.

Posted by: 86Cane | September 02, 2012 at 11:14 PM

Yes he did and Perryman will have to be the leader "a la Sean Spence" on the field with the yougsters and make sure they what is going on.

[Tsully76]

Solar I feel ya man. Hurricanesports is 4.99. Do your thing man. I just dislike ESPN personally. Solar what's your feelings about the upcoming K-State game man. I think we play hard but come up short say 38-35.

[Tsully76]

How many Canespacers are going to the Ga.Tech game in Atlanta. Hope to hang out with some of you there in Atlanta.

[Sarasota 'cane]

I live here in Atlanta now Tsully. Here's a link to a party on Friday night hosted by the Alumni Assn. They are getting together before the game as well. Hope to see you there!

http://www.miamialumni.net/default.aspx?Page=CCPGEventsDetailView&fid=0&EventID=1313&PageDetailID=13&TemplateId=11&WebsiteID=3&ClubID=6

Go 'canes!

[Tsully76]

Ok Sarasota'cane I live 2 and 1/2 hours down I-85 in Montgomery, Alabama I will check it out and see ya there man

[WWIN]

1. I am told that LB Armbrister missed about 10 assignments in the game.

Posted by: 86Cane | September 02, 2012 at 11:14 PM

Who told u that, D'No or Golden??? Cuz i would expect them to say that so they won't look bad lol

[Sarasota 'cane]

Awesome! My brother is flying in on Friday so we'll see you there!

P.S. The link I posted has a place where you can buy tickets for $35.00 and sit with the Atlanta Hurricane Club! Another tip would be to park at one the train station garages and ride the train to the game. Traffic up here is the worst!

[Tsully76]

Sarasota already bought 2 tickets per the Hurricane club but good looking out and yes traffic in the Atl is brutal. yes sir appreciate the tips man

[Tsully76]

Sarasota the pre game party location that's at Stats Atlanta right because that address is where Stats is

[raizecane]

Another tip would be to park at one the train station garages and ride the train to the game. Traffic up here is the worst!

Posted by: Sarasota 'cane | September 03, 2012 at 12:27 AM
******************************************

How the hell does one tailgate under those conditions? LOL

[Felipe]

Not surprised my LOF missed assignments, but 10? He didn't have 10 specific assignments all game with that fabric softener zone defense scheme.

[SJMPARMAN]

In rewatching some of the highlights, I have to give props to the defensive effort more than I have. Eddie Johnson was phenomenal, Luther Robinsons strip was fantastic, and Denzel Perryman made a great play on the ball on the pick 6. Plus, even when they picked us apart, there was usually someone in the area on most of those passes.

That is not to say I don't think scheme is an issue because I totally agree that if you have talented players, you don't do them any favors by making them play a soft zone. And you never, ever, in college football, don't attack the line of scrimmage.

Those turnovers were key in this game. Actually, we probably didn't take as much advantage of them as we should have. But it was nice to see turnovers become part of the defense again. I don't think they developed because of the scheme though, they developed because of the talented players.

And that is what perplexes me. This Canes team oozes talent, more so than any we have had in a long time. I just hate to see coaches who see the talent and don't have faith in it. The supposedly talented 2008 recruiting class who thought they had talent is gone. But the recruits since have been very good, especially in the secondary. Don't handcuff them because you are afraid. Let them do their thing. Yes they will occasionally get burned but occasionally, they will make huge plays. I would not want to try to make a living out of throwing against these freshman.

[orange 'n green in the vein]

"He didn't have 10 specific assignments all game with that fabric softener zone defense scheme.

Posted by: Felipe | September 03, 2012 at 12:55 AM"

Maybe because the assignments he missed weren't to play the snuggle brand zone?

[SJMPARMAN]

I don't like this leak and blaming it on one guy. There were multiple players who were repeatedly out of position or didn't know their assignments. Throwing a player under the bus like that is wrong.

[Felipe]

Agreed SJM

[Felipe]

But I will say that Golden's handled it pretty professionally with the media. I'm sure it's a bit of both, the scheme and players missing assignments. Both however are fixed with coaching. Hoping D'No turns it around.

[Sarasota 'cane]

Sarasota the pre game party location that's at Stats Atlanta right because that address is where Stats is

Posted by: Tsully76 | September 03, 2012 at 12:34 AM

I'm not sure, I just moved here in July. I'll find out though.

[Felipe]

Hah, Matt Drudge of the website of the same last name I see is vigorously defending Coach D. That makes me chuckle.

[Pre83]

For some, the light bulb turns on later, but the fact that it's on is what counts.

Former beguiled Cane, Marcus Forston, received some nice props from one of the great coaches of our era during a recent press conference:

What Forston did to earn a spot - Rookie free-agent defensive lineman Marcus Forston (Miami) was a surprise inclusion to the initial roster. What did he do to earn that spot? "Just the daily consistent performance," Belichick said. "It's no one thing or one play or one day, but guys that can earn a spot on the roster do it with consistent performance relative to the competition. He did enough to do that."

I posted this the other night after he learned that he made the team:

A tip of the cap to Marcus Forston. I know he has received his fair share of criticism during his time at the U, however, tonight, he gets to celebrate being part of the 53 man active roster of the Super Bowl contending New England Patriots.

For those who don't recall, he went undrafted.

From ESPN Boston -

"Defensive lineman Marcus Harrison: Harrison flashed a quick first step during camp, but didn't do enough to outshine a number of young linemen on the Patriots' defense, including Marcus Forston, the undrafted rookie out of Miami.

Defensive tackle (5): Vince Wilfork, Kyle Love, Brandon Deaderick, Ron Brace, Marcus Forston

Forston, a rookie free agent from Miami, might be the most surprising addition to initial roster. Didn't see that one."

I wish him the best.

Unbelievably, if I recall correctly, the first former Cane to be cut was Roscoe Parish - Earlier this week.

Posted by: Pre83 | September 01, 2012 at 01:59 AM

[usagainsttheworld]

Good morning space cadets!

[Anthonyjmanis]

I'll be in the ATL at the game. Last time I saw a game in atl megetron and reggie ball were playing.

[CGNC]

LOL Reggie Ball - that's a name I haven't heard in awhile

How much time do the Canes have to prepare for K-State?

[solarcane]

tsully,
its all good Most of the time ESPN is on I have the mute button pushed and the stereo blasting.

Kansas State will be a real chance to see how good our team really is. It wlll be a shame to score 30 points and it not be enough to win a game imo

[Ohio_Cane]

Casagrande - Seantrel Henderson now backup right tackle on new Miami depth chart.

Eddie Johnson also named starter over Thurston Armbrister at strong side linebacker.

Malcolm Lewis is also a starter at WR over Kendal Thompkins on new Miami depth chart.

[Ohio_Cane]

Manny - Couple new names at DT. Jalen Grimble, Earl Moore and Corey King among backups. Darius Smith and Olsen Pierre starters #UM

[roachcane77]

106th out of 107... scary stuff there. (Especially since it was BC putting up those kind of passing numbers.)

I agree, no one player is responsible for our defensive woes. (Although when EJ44 was in there at LB, things seemed WAY better to me... just saying... got nuthin to do with EJ44 being one of my LOFs.)

JOHNSON & JOHNSON baby! LOL...

I digress...

There is NO WAY you can put this on one PLAYER... There IS a way you put this on one COACH though... D'No... it's HIS job to hire the right position coaches, and teach, train, and prepare these excellent "rookies" to be in the right places when they're supposed to be.

To be CONTINUALLY burned on the same play, (or type of play), and NOT be able to ADJUST is just unacceptable.

To NOT get one single sack, or worse yet, put ANY pressure on the QB for 99% of the game is why we're 106th out of 107.

D'No doesn't fix this... then D'No needs to go.

Our offense can only cover for so much.

[CGNC]

Hi ya SOlar. Yeah we willhave our hands full at K-State with all the young players. Snyder is a Wile E. Coyote kinda coach LOL

[CGNC]

Roach I don't think anyone is putting it on one player. To me it looked like some of the defense in the right place at the right time and some not. I mean it certainly looked like that. Also no one is giving BC props for exploiting a weakness (inexperienced players) nor for the fact that they usually have a tough O-line

[roachcane77]

CGNC... Good point on BC's O-line... they are pretty well known for that.

Just saw a lot of people piling on TA34...

[solarcane]

You folks going to the GT game.
The sdtadium is a safe place, try and stay out of East Point and that area if you can.
Outside the stadium stay in a group going to and from your car, lock everything you eve want to see again in your cars trunk.
Marta on game days should be fine, if you are staying ovdernight I'd stay off any of it after 11pm

[solarcane]

nice sprlling there speed blogging isn't one of my skills

[solarcane]

hi CG you moving soon?

[CGNC]

Solar I have the place listed and recently reduced the price a bit. Fingers crossed. If I have to come down another $10K then I would rather sell it next February\March