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

[dj moonbat]

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.

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

Yeah, I tend to disagree with the people complaining about Fisch's playcalling. The 'Canes strung together quite a few good drives. If the WRs had really been executing, that offense would have been formidable.

The OL has to be the most improved unit on the team. Both in pass protection and run blocking, they're just a far more impressive bunch.

Mike James looks a little faster, and still just as willing to slam his helmet through a pile. Duke is awesome, and could end up being Portis-like if he puts on some muscle and becomes an every-down back complete with pass blocking and receiving chops.

The WRs have talent, but need serious improvement (here, I'm thinking especially of Dorsett and Scott). The TEs, meh. Still, the short passing game is there right now, so it's not like the offense is totally *broken* in the passing game. And if the WRs can improve, Morris has enough time back there, and enough arm, to lay a serious hurt on a defense downfield.

Love the icon, solar. Nice to see you again.

[CGNC]

dj - agree! nice avatar. They all look bigger and in much better shape.

[solarcane]

CG,
best of luck ,hope you have built your last awesome snow woman

Thanks dj glad to see you posting too,

[roachcane77]

I for one was NOT happy with Fisch's playcalling early in the 4th quarter of the game when we needed to run the clock. (He's my LOF Coach BTW.) News flash: Incomplete passes stop the clock Jedd! I'm not saying go into a shell and just run it into the line repeatedly. But, and I repeat, incomplete passes stop the clock...

Also, after the late turnover inside their 10 yd. line, we should have just stuffed MJ or EC down their throats 3 straight plays to ice it away. Even if we don't score we run a minimum of 1:30 off the clock. Instead we try 2 passes and only burn a few seconds before going for the FG.

BC had WAY too much time in the fourth quarter that WE should & easily COULD have burned...

CLOCK MANAGEMENT!

JMHO...

[CGNC]

MHO...

Posted by: roachcane77 | September 03, 2012 at 10:54 AM

LOL think positive - at least we didn't burn all our timeouts by the 3rd quarter ;-D

[CGNC]

^^^ or fumbled with the headset

aaarrggggg remember THOSE days???

[roachcane77]

Yeah... I guess I should remember the all-too-recent past and be happier with the current situation...

However, when you're trying to go UNDEFEATED, every detail counts!

(I did comment to my wife how much easier it was going to sleep Saturday night after that nice Cane WIN though!)

[UMike]

Tsully and sarasota...I'm 90% sure I'm in for the GT game..I'm only two hours away in chattanooga...last game there I sat next to a guy who lives near atlanta and he said its easier to take the train then walk

[Da U N Houston]

It was just the First game and I think Coach D made good adjustments. Like AG said one player can start (Armbrister) due to practice but whoever plays best (EJ44) finishes it. Look at the game, both Armbrister and #31 looked lost. On a third down everyone was playing man but #31 was running zone.

Another example (but also difference) was when EJ44 got beat (he was peeking in the back field, freshmen mistake) anyway, he gets beat runs down his guy n creates a TO. Thats what separates him and Armbrister.

#7, if he doesnt pick it up he be passed up

[86Cane]

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.

Posted by: Ohio_Cane | September 03, 2012 at 09:41 AM

'Nuff said.

[86Cane]

#7, if he doesnt pick it up he be passed up

Posted by: Da U N Houston | September 03, 2012 at 11:27 AM

YUP

[tjl3909]

Were playing gangsta's this week!

http://cjonline.com/sports/2012-08-30/k-state-player-sued-dog-attack

[86Cane]

Sarasota...negative on the GT game. Spent all my flow on UM home games, Canespace shirts, and Summer Vaca with Mrs. 86.

I am also starting two new businesses in the near future so my time and my money are all tied up.

[86Cane]

Nobody is "picking on" one player, just reporting what i heard that's all. And I agree #34 AND #31 looked a little lost out there on game day.

[86Cane]

NEW DEPTH CHART

WR 1 ALLEN HURNS 6-3, 192, Jr.
86 Herb Waters 6-2, 185, Fr.
24 Davon Johnson 6-0, 188, Sr.

LT 79 MALCOLM BUNCHE 6-7, 325, RSo.
55 Ben Jones 6-5, 310, Sr.

LG 70 JONATHAN FELICIANO 6-5, 314, RSo.
68 Jeremy Lewis 6-4, 316, RSr.

C 62 SHANE MCDERMOTT 6-4, 295, RSo.
75 Jared Wheeler 6-5, 314, RJr.

RG 65 BRANDON LINDER 6-6, 308, Jr.
78 Jermaine Johnson –OR– 6-6, 316, RJr.
63 Daniel Isidora 6-4, 320, Fr.

RT 74 ERECK FLOWERS 6-6, 314, Fr.
77 Seantrel Henderson 6-8, 340, Jr.

TE 49 DYRON DYE 6-5, 255, RJr.
82 Asante Cleveland 6-5, 263, Jr.
46 Clive Walford 6-4, 250, RSo.

FB 33 MAURICE HAGENS 5-11, 240, Jr.
43 Sean Harvey 6-4, 262, RSo.

QB 17 STEPHEN MORRIS 6-2, 214, Jr.
11 Ryan Williams 6-5, 221, RSo.

RB 5 MIKE JAMES 5-11, 220, Sr.
23 Eduardo Clements –OR– 5-9, 195, Jr.
8 Duke Johnson 5-9, 188, Fr.

WR 9 MALCOLM LEWIS 6-0, 192, Fr.
83 Kendal Thompkins 5-10, 182, RSr.

WR 4 PHILLIP DORSETT 5-10, 185, So.
80 Rashawn Scott 6-2, 198, So.

[86Cane]

NEW DEPTH CHART: DEFENSE

DE 71 ANTHONY CHICKILLO 6-4, 262, So.
99 Jelani Hamilton 6-5, 271, Fr.

DT 98 DARIUS SMITH 6-2, 315, Sr.
92 Jalen Grimble 6-2, 295, So.
72 Earl Moore 6-1, 300, Fr.

DT 91 OLSEN PIERRE 6-4, 300, So.
93 Luther Robinson –OR– 6-3, 288, RJr.
67 Corey King 6-1, 295, RFr.

DE 51 SHAYON GREEN 6-3, 260, RJr.
94 Kelvin Cain –OR– 6-3, 245, So.
17 Tyriq McCord 6-3, 236, Fr.

OLB 44 EDDIE JOHNSON 6-1, 238, RFr.
34 Thurston Armbrister 6-3, 222, So.
58 Gabe Terry 6-3, 215, Fr.

MLB 52 DENZEL PERRYMAN 6-0, 229, So.
59 Jimmy Gaines 6-3, 230, Jr.
36 Gionni Paul 6-1, 230, So.

OLB 45 RAMON BUCHANAN 6-1, 226, RSr.
31 Tyrone Cornileus 6-2, 210, Jr.
57 Nantambu-Akil Fentress 5-9, 205, So.

CB 20 THOMAS FINNIE 5-10, 183, So.
3 Tracy Howard 5-11, 185, Fr.
39 Antonio Crawford 5-11, 188, Fr.

S 22 KACY RODGERS II –OR– 6-2, 210, Jr.
2 DEON BUSH 6-1, 190, Fr.

S 7 VAUGHN TELEMAQUE 6-2, 204, RSr.
30 A.J. Highsmith –OR– 6-0, 202, RJr.
29 Rayshawn Jenins 6-1, 203, Fr.

CB 21 BRANDON McGEE 6-0, 194, Sr.
37 Ladarius Gunter 6-2, 198, Jr

[nemo2002]

FOUR QUESTIONS

Did Darius Smith play on Saturday? I didn't hear his name mentioned even once.

Why no sacks? The D-line needs to step up against K-St.

What was our longest pass completion? I think we only attempted a few deep pass plays.

Who is going to emerge as a viable replacement for Hank as a dangerous deep route receiver? I'm hoping we still have a fearsome "quick strike" offense.

I'm not complaining. I'm just asking. THANKS!

[Hassan]

RL3 he lead his team to a 45-0 win Fri. night. He had 4 TDs 2 rushing(60yd counter up the middle & 15yd reverse), 1 receiving(60+yd), & 1 punt return(60+yd). He had 5 carries for 190 yds. He now has over 5100 yds in his career & broke the central Fl. career rushing record held by former Lake Howell great Marquette Smith. Says the game Sat. took his commitment from soft to solid. He said "soft" was basically because the sanctions & he wanted to take visits, now he says he doesn't see himself taking any other visits. He's playing RB, WR, LB, DB for his HS team. CONGRATS to RL3 on his accomplishments.

[Hassan]

Nemo2002
--------------------------------------------

Are you in a cave? Do you watch the games?

yes Darius Smith played, watch the game and you will see him in there. He is a DT, you do not often hear those guys name called. they do no rack up 10 tackles, they take on blocks to free up LB'S.

When you throw slants on 5 step drops it is hard to get after the QB because the DB play 1 yards off the ball, Our pass rushers are not experienced and BC has a huge front line. Still they threw the ball 50 times u would at least like to touch him 10 times.

I think the 21 yards completion to Hurns on a key 3rd down was our longest. We did throw a deep one to #4 but he dropped it/broken up. We took what the D gave us but other games u will see more shots down the field.

Dorsett is our Deep threat, other guys can do it but he is overall the best we have for that 9 route right now.

[Hassan]

12 yards off the ball, typo.

EJ starting. that is EZSTREETZ MAN!!

at DT we have more big bodies then last year but not a lot of experience, those big boys normally take a couple years of seasoning to improve and adjust.

[Jack]

K state is good. Coach em up and lets gooooo Canes!!

[Sean Spence is a Beast!!!]

Who the heck is Nantambu-Akil Fentress?

Deon Bush deserves to be a starter over Rodgers.

We'll see how VT does this week, he was constantly out of position against BC, this is the last straw for him. At this point, Golden should just try out the combo of Rashawn and Deon, both nasty hard hitters, that'll be fun to watch!

[nemo2002]

Thanks!

[UMike]

Nemo...I only saw the second half..but it seems the d was giving us easy quick throws, one which Lewis turned into a score...I thought I saw a deep ball that was jus knocked away at the last sec..maybe a tad bit underthrown...but Dorsett was behind his man.. and is a legit deep threat...have no clue about the sacks...I think UTough will help that, but we need to depht so we can have redshirts..I mean McCord is tiny and in a perfect world would redshirt and have two years of UTough before seeing the field...just an example

[Hassan]

Lil birdie insider i know talked to #34 about what was he doing out there and he says he did not know the calls lol he was basically trying to explain the call did not get to him, but basically what that translates to is I do not know my playbook, he is physical and fast but that does not help if you run fast the wrong way.

[orange 'n green in the vein]

Any defensive player that is subbed for consistently in a game who blows about 10 calls is basically lost 1/3 of the time you figure he's out there. Can't have a guy playing for you if he only does the right thing on first and second down then allows the conversion on third by mixing up an assignment, you'll never get off the field like that. Of course, as a coach it's on you to either coach the player up so he's doing the right thing all the time or you're calling things you know he knows what to do while he's in the game and will work in the situation. KSU will turn blown assignments into long scoring runs and deadly play action.

So the easy answer for D'No is bench the guy and find someone who knows what the calls are. Of course, if his backup has the same problem . . .

[86Cane]

UpNorth...the photos U sent me via email from the game are GREAT! Well done and I will use them tomorrow.

[SlingBlade]

ESPN has Davon Johnson as the NCAA leader in yds per attempt...didnt know he was our leading rusher...who is doing their stats, yahoo?

[UpNorthCane27]

Niceeeee im glad you liked them , it was an amazing time!!!! Its all about the U!!!!!

[Loco]

Sloppy game, but a win is a win. Started the same way against maryland last year but lost. Defense will have some trouble stopping the run against K-state, just like last year. Hopefully they learn from it though for when they play a similar offense at v tech

[SlingBlade]

Chase Rettig is 2nd in yards passing in the ncaa..but he is 28th in yds per attempt...shows our pass defense was not as bad as we thought...just that they threw the ball ALOT...thats because 1. they couldnt run against our defense...3yds per carry...11yds was the longest run...and 2. they were playing from behind for most of the game...

one thing i do not like is before the season started Al was saying how he doesnt label players as freshman or sophomores...and doesnt use that as an excuse...but in his post game interview he kept saying all the blown assignments were because of how many freshmen and first time players they were using...

i agree with is excuse..but you can not say one thing before they make the mistake then say another when the do..

[orange 'n green in the vein]

/\/\/\

3. They dropped a sure TD and several more YAC earning receptions under the soft corner play.

Again, the defense got lucky that BC shot themselves in the foot as much as they did, otherwise the final outcome is reversed.

[SlingBlade]

i agree it "could of" been alot worse..but it wasnt..those "could of" plays happen in every game..we had numerous "could of" plays last year that would of drastically changed our record..

[mi@mic@ne]

Defensive Line in the Miami 4-3 Defense

The Miami 4-3 Defense was created by Coach Jimmy Johnson and his staff at the University of Miami in the mid-1980s. Its original purpose was to stop the Wishbone Option offense that was grinding teams into dust at the University of Oklahoma, under Coach Barry Switzer. In 2008 at Prince George High School, we decided to implement this defense. We felt that it best fit our personnel. One of the greatest benefits of the defense is that, although it creates a 4-man defensive front, we really only needed two - or even one - true Defensive Linemen to be run it.

Personnel

The Miami 4-3 front includes two Defensive Ends and two Defensive Tackles. We declare our strength to the Tight End. For the purposes of this article, we will work against a Pro-I set, with a Tight End and flanker to one side and a split receiver to the other side. In the Over front, Weak End will align in a 5-technique, that is outside shoulder of the Offensive Tackle. The Strong End will align in a 9-technique, outside shade of the Tight End. The weak Defensive Tackle (we call him the Nose) aligns in a Weak Shade, or shaded weak on the Center. The strong Defensive Tackle will align in a strong 3-technique, outside shade of the Guard. In our base defense, these defenders are gap-responsible. The 3-technique handles B-gap strong, while the Nose takes A-gap weak. The ends are responsible for C gap weak and D gap strong. We do NOT use the Ends for contain! They are spill players in our aggressive style of defense.

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/1986961

This is the defensive philosophy that we saw in the times we had are best defenses. Jimmy, Wanstat..Butch all ran this style of d. Its interesting to see the reaction to this philosophy of read and react in comparison to evidence that it worked recently was with Butch and UNC. The jury is still out that read and react is better.

[Hassan]

7 point dogs to KU

[Felipe]

Ah yes throwing Armbrister under the bus.

Everyone on that defense was unset before the play like the calls weren't getting to them, so I'd hardly call the excuse a stretch.

Wowwww @ Thompkins off the WR Radar. Well earned.

[mi@mic@ne]

Spill Players

As spill players, our defensive linemen are looking to attack the inside shoulder of any blockers or ball carriers attacking to their gap. This will force the ball to "spill" to the outside. On the outside, we use our Safeties (quarters coverage) or Corners (cover 2) to contain the play. We teach our Defensive linemen to spill plays using 6 steps:

Get Off: Fire off the ball low and hard on the snap, stepping to the crotch of the defender you are shaded on.
Engage: Shoot your near hand to the V of his neck. The outside hand will control his shoulder pad.
Escape: On our third step, the linemen are looking to escape from the Defender. They will RIP off with their inside arm to gain control of their gap and work to the football. We are not simply taking up space! Our defensive linemen are athletes too, and we want them to be playmakers!
Bend: Versus any down blocks, our defensive linemen are bending down the line of scrimmage immediately. We tell our linemen to treat any action away from them as "Run Away" and begin to chase. If the play is coming back, you will collision a pulling blocker!
Wrong Arm: In engaging a pulling lineman or other blocker, we will use our outside shoulder to attack the inside shoulder of the lineman. We are aggressive in engaging the blocker, attacking with the outside 4/5 of our body on the inside 4/5 of his body. We want to blow up that blocker. By wrong arming the trapper, we are forcing the play to bounce to the outside.
Chase: When the play has begun to spill to the outside, we get into a pursuit angle down the line. We want to be in position that, once the runner is forced back inside by the contain player (usually the Safety or Corner), we can make the tackle.

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/1986961

This is what is different in my opinion. The d ends in Jimmys d were to create problems by penetrating as quickly as possible. I remember in this d how the ends used to come around the outside on passing plays and create all kinds of problems for the passing game.

[mi@mic@ne]

http://www.bloggingtheboys.com/2011/7/1/2251963/best-of-the-best-cowboys-defensive-schemes

Here is another interesting article on the difference of philosophies.

[mi@mic@ne]

i think we are trying to run the Parsells philosophy

[Hassan]

I am pretty sure we are running Coach D's philosophy. the game is changing guys, from 10 years ago to today the game is totally different. So talking about Parcell's or the 80's is not too relevant. The game has had many tweaks since then.

[Tsully76]

Last week we were a 13 and a 1/2 underdog to K-State so basically after the BC game a touchdown was shaved off the point spread. interesting

[mi@mic@ne]

Theres always only two philosophies. If you look the d line is charged with getting into the gap as quickly as possible to get into the back field. The other philosophy is the d line has two gap responsibility... reading which gap after the snap.

Basically jimmies d was to penetrate on the inside and spill the play outside the d ends ...the d backs turning the play in and the lbs scraping across the field making the tackle.

[mi@mic@ne]

In my opinion our d line looks lost between being aggressive and playing on their heels.

[mi@mic@ne]

I remember some of our d tackles like Jerome Brown, etc ...running down backs after the play was strung out. I dont know if these guys are so big now they have given up speed and quickness. You may be rite.. shoot the o lines average 6 8 across the front .. i like the idea of getting into a horizontal chase to the side lines .. you would think the defense would win that.

[The Dude]

After watching the game again, I think the DTs smashed BC guards. They are much more physical this year. On running plays the DTs were driving the back. Against the pass however they just dont have any finesse. Problem is, outside of Chickillo, do we have any other pass rushers? In passing situations it would be nice to bring 5. 3 DEs a DT and an LB. But I just dont see the personel for it right now.

[dj moonbat]

The Jimmy Johnson take on the 4-3 is freaking AWESOME against teams that run first and run often. It is no coincidence that Miami won so many 'ships against Oklahoma and Nebraska.

If you run that particular version of the 4-3 against a balanced, pro-style attack, or a more pass-oriented version of the spread, you will not get such spectacular results.

There just aren't that many teams any more that just run all day. Certainly there are too few opponents fitting that description for a defensive coordinator to build his entire philosophy the same way Jimmy did at UM. Hell, if Jimmy took over UM tomorrow (c'mon, JJ, please?), he would use something different.

[mi@mic@ne]

He ran the same d in the NFL. You remember all those super bowls where the Cowboys absolutely crushed the balanced attack.

The new offenses are also option offenses. The only difference is that the qb is as big and fast as a running back and is used being in a better position to pass the ball. The point is the question.. is it better for the linemen to react about the same way at the snap of the ball or to hesitate and read? What kills the Kansas option is penetration up the middle.

[dj moonbat]

The point is the question.. is it better for the linemen to react about the same way at the snap of the ball or to hesitate and read? What kills the Kansas option is penetration up the middle.

Posted by: mi@mic@ne | September 03, 2012 at 03:48 PM

Now, see, KSU is *precisely* the kind of team that JJ's defense was designed to destroy. Absolutely destroy.

[mi@mic@ne]

But in 98 having a very young d .. we we had high scoring games... i remember the ucla game.

[mi@mic@ne]

And i still think that Al has the ability to surpass all of those teams.. he gets it done