Mama Who's That Man?

When the 2011 FHSAA playoffs were taking place to help determine a State champion in high school football fans all across Florida had to inquire:

"Mama who is that man?"

When the 2012 UM recruiting class was in the process of being signed no player seemed more important and more supportive of the process than one running back from Norland High School.

When Miami Hurricane fans were trying to decide who to pick for their Legends of the Fall this year the name of one Freshman running back kept coming up as a logical choice.

When the University started practicing this Fall in the heat at Greentree Field in Coral Gables the name of one Freshman running back kept coming up as a standout.

When the University of Miami started playing football games that really count this season Hurricane fans all across the Country had to ask themselves:

"Mama who is that man?"

That man is Duke Johnson.

Since the 2012 season started no player on the entire University of Miami football team has been more talked about, more dominant or more spectacular than Duke Johnson.

Duke, who has already been crowned a King in Miami, has done this in just three weeks:

• Leads the ACC in scoring
• Leads the ACC in TD scoring 
• Leads the ACC in all purpose yards
• Ranks second in kickoff returns
• Ranks second in rushing

We watched in awe as Duke ran four four touchdowns in last Saturday's game against Bethune-Cookman College. It is not just that he scored multiple times against an inferior opponent, it is that he showed the incredible vision, decision-making and acceleration that all great running backs have.

Even when he was in high school wearing #3 and playing with future UM offensive tackle Ereck Flowers (#75 below) he showed some of the same incredible skills.

We were seated in section 446 of the upper deck of Sun Life Stadium as we watched Duke run wild. From that vantage point we could see the formations and plays setting up as they happened. But just as we thought he would be caught or tackled he would cut back or accelerate into a hole that nobody else saw. That is his greatness.

So if you find yourself at a UM football game this season and you happen to see a player wearing number 8 running wild just turn around and ask:

"Mama who is that man?" 

We are confident that his Mama would quickly and firmly reply:

"That man is Duke Johnson."

Comments

[Montreal-Cane]

We all thought that Tracy Howard would be a star from the start but so far we have to give the edge to Deon Bush on D.

[solarcane]

hi monte great to see you on.
I have a couple more weeks of blogging with my ol friends here then I'm off to South Carolina for a month without much www available

[Tsully76]

Solar my friend I didn't realize a city of 212,500 proper, county of 660,000 people metro of 1,250,000 million people was rural but I guess I learned something today.

[solarcane]

sully
I am missing something here what city is that? Where i live there is one 3a county high school

[Tsully76]

I live in Montgomery Alabama city proper 208,000 I guess its rural too? Smh

[Ohio_Cane]

The "city" I live in has around 5,000 people. When a few people die at once, we get demoted to being a "town". What's that called? LOL

[Montreal-Cane]

Holden Thorp resigns as chancellor at UNC

September 17, 2012, 4:52PM By Robbi Pickeral ESPN.com

...Last March, the NCAA imposed a one-year postseason ban and scholarship reductions on UNC's football program as penalty for improper benefits and academic misconduct involving a tutor.

That was on top of the school's self-imposed penalties, which included 16 vacated wins, probation, the firing of football coach Butch Davis and the resignation of athletic director Dick Baddour. The timing of Davis' firing -- just days before practice for the 2011 season was set to begin -- drew a negative outcry from some fans.

Then, as an offshoot of the NCAA investigation, a UNC internal probe released in May found that 54 African American Studies classes were either "aberrant" or "irregularly" taught from summer 2007 to summer 2011. That included unauthorized grade changes, forged faculty signatures on grade rolls and limited or no class time.

Although more than 50 percent of the students in those suspect classes were athletes, THE NCAA TOLD UNC OFFICIALS LATE LAST MONTH THAT THE UNIVERSITY APPARENTLY DID NOT BREAK NCAA RULES. UNC says no student received a grade without submitting written work.

Among other actions, Thorp commissioned an independent investigation, led by former North Carolina governor James Martin, to look into any additional academic irregularities that may have occurred before 2007. That probe is ongoing...

Do you think the NCAA is a fraud?

[solarcane]

sully,
I dunno brudda. There is a difference between country and rural.

Let me make sure I understand what you mean. You are saying people in Montgomery choose to go to games even though there is a lot of other entertainment there , while folks in South Florida would rather be at the beach than go to a college game is that correct?

[solarcane]

ohio LMAO I feel your pain!
I don't even live in a town or parish I live in a RFD.

I'm kidding I love the mountains, rivers,forests and peacefulness actually. I'm at the old fart stage of my life where that crap means a lot.

[solarcane]

monte,
yes

[Tsully76]

Solar my friend LB was making comparisons and put Birmingham in the same sentence as Morgantown WV, and Manhattan KS. Morgantown and Manhattan KS are college towns. Birmingham and Montgomery are middle size southern cities. Let me be clear I love Fort Lauderdale my favorite city in the country. I love South Florida. All I am saying is that people in the medium size southern cities could also go to sports bars or do other things or go to the beach or lake or whatever. I guess I am saying is I just wish our Canes got way more support from people who live in Miami proper. There is some support in Fort Lauderdale and West Palm Beach. We all love our Canes.

[WWIN]

Lol at the lame their is so much to do crap. Every city in America got movie theaters, bowling alleys, parks, courts, fields, sports bars. Etc. So tired of these lame fairweather fans with all their lame excuses. Lb are u high to compare Birmingham with Morgantown and Manhattan Ks. Stop acting crazy. The only difference is South Florida has pro teams which they don't.support except the Hea. Yet u are throwing out this lame crap about so much to do. Translation I am a fairweather fan and I could give two craps about the Canes or sports in general.

Posted by: Tsully76 | September 17, 2012 at 04:41 PM

You didn't get the memo?? ALL ACTIVITIES are closed before the start and after the end of UM games on game days, so if you plan on going to the beach after the game at around 3pm it'll be too late. LOL

[solarcane]

sully,
I hear what you are saying for sure and agree our attendance sucks.

Money is scarce for just about everyone right now and putting up a couple hundred to 500.00 to take your kids to sit and watch a very young mistake prone team isn't on many peoples priority list.

I remember getting FREE tickets to Miami games from WQAM and Burdines and later Burger King and the stands were almost empty anyway.

The only advice I can give you or any true Canes fan is don't take all the negative Canes related things you see and hear personally.
You and I didn't have anything to do with the state the program is in. Just enjoy the good moments, let the not so great moments go by and have a thick skin.

[Tsully76]

Lol Willie Will

[solarcane]

wwn you killz me at times brudd

[Tsully76]

Yes sir very great points Solar. I completely agree.

[Montreal-Cane]

Solar you will be in South Carolina for a month...I just hope you don't become a Gamecocks and Spurrier fan.

[Old Skool]

Where Solar lives it is Rural with a capital R.

Mayberry seems downright cosmopolitan compared to White County, GA. Not only that, but the cars are newer too.

[WWIN]

Solar,

I hope in a good way lol

[solarcane]

monte,
worse yet I can almost see Death Valley , Clemson from where I'll be for a few weeks

[raizecane]

RaizeCane told me about the time he once ran for 644 yards, but the PoPo was chasing him so that doesn't really count, does it?

Posted by: 86Cane | September 17, 2012 at 03:27 PM

**************************************

Correction, it was 735 yards and i didn't spill a drop :-)

[86Cane]

The COUNTY I live in has 3 traffic lights, ask soup ocala or skool if its rural up here.

Posted by: solarcane | September 17, 2012 at 05:16 PM

I am certain that there is a map of Georgia.

I am as equally certain that Solarcane's county, town and street address are not on it.

[86Cane]

Raize...LMAOROTF!!!

[raizecane]

Mayberry seems downright cosmopolitan compared to White County, GA. Not only that, but the cars are newer too.

Posted by: Old Skool | September 17, 2012 at 06:54 PM

**************************************

I wonder how it got it's name of White County? LOL. I remember my dad telling me to stay away from forsyth county...didn't know why until i got older.

[WWIN]

Tsully,

Also, those other ACTIVITIES are also closed before the start of the season and after the end of the season. So they only have September thru December to do these other ACTIVITIES. So now do you understand why they have to do these ACTIVITIES during the games now?? I mean who would really want to go to the beach on a weekend in June or July, wouldn't you rather go in the fall?? LOL

[UMike]

I live in a town called Soddy-Daisy, TN, we are about 15-20 minutes North of the "big city" of Chattanooga, which can only boast a minor league baseball team, and D2 college football team. We are the small city leaving the big city, right before you get into the rural country area. Its quiet and peaceful enough for me and close enough to a "city" for my wife. On Saturday's your either at your kids or grand kids youth football game, at any number of SEC games, or watching the game at home. If this area had a D1 college team it would be packed. The local high school is packed every Friday night without fail, and they SUCK! lol...in these towns they don't have pro teams, nor do they care to and they support their team in every way. I'm so deep in SEC country that FSU here fans love me, they have no problem with Miami, they just hate Florida lol

[orange 'n green in the vein]

Willie, I don't know how many months out of the year you've actually been on South Beach before, but personally, I'd prefer an average South Beach day in the spring and fall over the summer and there's maybe about a month in the late December/early January corridor that would get beat on average by a summer day for a visit. Summer is crazy hot and the water is warm, at least the water is cool with the heat on the beach the rest of the year and only in that month or so window I'm referencing is it too cool in the water and not warm enough on the beach to make you not mind going in for a swim.

Chastising fans of Miami for saving their money when they play poorly or play poor competition is a non-starter. How about you field a product people want to see first, then worry about selling tickets next? Get a single digit number next to your name on the television and the tickets will be used and sold, I promise. Keep giving up 500 yards to real teams every time you play and there's better use of three hours and making a wallet thinner.

[Jack]

I don't know about a new stadium being built. However, this stadium Needs to build seats closer to the field and put on a dome! That would make noon games in September way more tolerable and give us a better home field advantage. Pony up some $$ Miami!!

[WWIN]

OGV,

The point I'm trying to make is that people act like they don't have all year to do the same activities. It's only 3hrs out of a day. Are the canes down right now, yes but maybe if they had more fans there it could change their game play, we need a 12th, 13th, 14th man the way we've been playing this past decade we need all the help we can get lol. Plus it hurts recruiting

[solarcane]

tornado warning here till 3 am
umike gotta be getting some serious rain too.

skool you hit the nail on the head.

soup,
remember traveling all the way to the Clemson game on a two lane back road with NO other fans, Canes Tigers or otherwise within sight? Then sitting with over 70000 or so at the game? that was the definition of rural huh?
I'm out for a couple

[WWIN]

OGV,

On another note, did d'no meet your expectations this game and do you believe the rumor about him?

[Old Skool]

Raize
White County got its name because nobody knew how to spell lightning much less pronounce something with that many g's in it ... so they decided to stick with one word. In fact, the county motto is one word, one syllable, one color.

[Tsully76]

OGV when our Canes won the 2001 National title we averaged 50,000 fans a game in the Orange Bowl and our Canes was ranked in the top 5 all year. In 2000 another top 5 team our Canes average around 50,000 so that answer is also a non starter my friend.

[TonyCane]

OGV, there are plans (not sure about funding) to reshape the bottom deck of the stadium that would bring the seats much closer to the field.

[solarcane]

YEAR G TOTAL AVERAGE

1980 5 120,007 24,001
1981 6 239,106 39,851
1982 6 180,602 30,100
1983 5 222,839 44,555
1984 5 247,852* 41,309
1985 5 225,353 45,070
1986 6 291,427 48,571
1987 7 377,444 53,920
1988 7 371,742 53,106
1989 6 309,805 51,634
1990 6 372,577 62,096
1991 6 347,785 57,964
1992 6 334,052 55,675
1993 6 287,319 47,887
1994 6 361,986 60,331
1995 6 229,223 38,204
1996 6 249,670 41,612
1997 6 173,495 28,916
1998 6 259,209 43,202
1999 6 235,578 39,263
2000 6 350,578 58,430
2001 6 282,972 46,162
2002 6 417,233 69,539
2003 7 406,945 58,135
2004 6 354,803 59,134
2005 6 271,862 45,310
2006 7 293,359 41,908
2007 7 305,124 43,589
2008 6 277,792 46,299
2009 6 285,306 47,551
2010 6 309,056 51,509
2011 7 393,451 56,207
*Includes home game against Florida in Tampa Stadium
courtesy of The Seventh Floor blog

[Tsully76]

Great stuff solar

[Montreal-Cane]

I love the way the Falcons played defense in the first half...Coach D should take some notes.

[solarcane]

welcome sully

ATL defense ballin

[orange 'n green in the vein]

T. Sullivan, you have to comprehend both parts of my point, not only does UM have to be highly ranked to draw big in a pro town with international destination attractions, but they have to play top competition. So in those examples, only the first part was fulfilled. In 2001, that was definitely lacking between FSU and VT starting to trend down and both those games on the road. I stood in the rain to watch the finish of a shutout of Rutgers at their worst that year, but that was because I wasn't going to the beach that weekend of my senior year in college because of the aforementioned weather. That same year, I sat around in a film class on Friday talking with other students about whether we wanted to watch a bad WVU (maybe it was Temple?) team get dropped on their head that weekend and how it wasn't going to be hard to get a seat in the student section even though it was homecoming or parent weekend. I know we had a FAMU appearance in 2000 or '01 (pretty sure it was '00 off the top of my head, I'm not going to dig it up) so that pushed the attendance down because who cares about the halftime entertainment if that's the highlight of the opposing team on the field? If I want to see a band, there's a ton of them playing in Miami that night and I can probably find an act on any given Saturday that actually plays the type of music I listen to when I'm not at a football game! That's the one thing this four team playoff is going to help rectify, play your cupcakes on the road in recruiting turf to help inflate the schedule strength and schedule tough out of conference teams at home to get signature wins outside your annual slate, those two things will only serve to help UM while they build this back up and look good for the selection committee when that's put into place.

Willie, first of all, I don't respond to every message board rumor that gets cut 'n pasted from who cares where, because I don't care. Secondly, D'No did exactly what I thought, held BCC to under their area code in total offense while still not being able to stop the QB zone read from the shotgun, so yes, he met my expectation which aren't very high for him to begin with. Huzzah?

It's simple Mark, not even Teblow could run the ball in that play when you blitz the back (meaning weak) side of the formation with a linebacker and then make sure he slows him down at the very least to have a safety able to clean it up if the QB avoids the TFL. A QB spy also will help that backside blitz if your blitzer can't bring down the TFL, but I'd be mildly shocked if a QB spy was even in this read/react soft sh!t scheme UM is running now.

[86Cane]

Tuesday 7-9 p.m.

Hurricane Hotline (The Grove Spot, Coconut Grove)

7-7:30 p.m. – Players (Rashawn Scott, Allen Hurns, Phillip Dorsett)

7:30-8:30 p.m. – Coach Golden

8:30-9 p.m. – Assistant Coach George McDonald

[86Cane]

Willie...I totally agree with you and Sully on the attandance issue. I mean we are talking 3-5 hours for SIX Saturdays a year.

THERE ARE NO ECUSES!

[86Cane]

Over 3,000 people a day read this blog and only about 300 (maybe) actually go to games.

That is sad, very sad. Unless you live out of State or are having serious financial difficulties U should be at the games.

[3G Cane]

I hear A LOT of excuses as to why people can't go to a game coming from the very same people that don't want to hear any excuses coming from the football team.

I'm jus, I'm jus...

I'm jus sayin'

[3G Cane]

All I know is that I have six opportunities PER YEAR to watch the only team that I give a flip about in person. You best believe my face is in the place.

[Panamacitycane]

Well I live up in Tallahassee and my job I'm required to work Saturdays. Due to recently moving here and saving to move again I can't make it to games. I did go to the Miami fsu game in tally last year and made it to the Wisconsin bowl game in Orlando but financially it's tough for me to go every year. I do plan to next year definitely. But if I lived close by and don't work on Saturday and have the balls to wear the clothes and throw up the U then I'm at every home game..if not then please stop trying to act like u rep this team. Like 86 said it's 3-5 hours 6 days a year..to use the excuse there's other things to do is lame...look at USC you don't think southern cal has other things to do? Build a stadium near campus and that would help also.

[SJMPARMAN]

First, thanks for you letting that post stand. It is the hard cold facts about where we are as a team right now.

"Trust me when I tell you that it is NOT easy being me."

I do know that is probably the greatest understatement of all time. You do a ton of good things on this blog and take unnecessary heat for it from guys like me and I must be fair in saying I probably over reacted to something I should not have done. I have had alot of self doubt about my comment since I made it. I apologize to you. You didn't deserve that from me.

I do want to make a few points. In 2007 we heard we were the too young excuse, went out and recruited all this talent. Number 1 recruiting classes in the land, played almost all the freshman, disregarded the juniors and seniors, and it didn't work out. Because great college teams don't play all the freshman no matter the stars attached by recruiting services. They need time to develop. I think this is a crucial point right now. Daryll Fullington, a true freshman safety for Miami in 1984, was a fantastic safety for Miami in 1987, and went on to several good years of pro ball. Jesse Armstead was a good linebacker at Miami in 1984, and a great player in the NFL. I could go on and on. Jimmy Graham was okay at Miami, showed alot of potential as a tight end, now he is all world. There are alot of guys who just need time to develop to their full potential.

Now here we go again. The Defensive Coordinator says our panacea is to play the young kids again, disregard the existing talent, and somehow the magic will reappear. This point is one that stings with me personally. First, because it is not true. He actually is playing a good amount of redshirt sophmores and juniors and being less than forthright about it, but he also publicly said those guys are garbage. I took an exception to that. lying about it. Second, there was alot of talent when these guys got here, Miami is not Temple, most of Randy's recruiting classes were top 25 at least, and I see the biggest problem at UM is not winning individual games but not establishing a process where you develop the talent such that juniors and seniors win you games.

You can't rely on a great recruiting class every four years. Why Butch was a great coach is because he was organized. He thought, ok this year, I need this guy to fill this position. Next year, I will go after this position. And so on down the line. When he got to year 4, he had studs at every position. That is what this program needs. It is not we recruit great kids every four years but we have a system that forward thinks 4 years in advance. That is not a system that plays all the freshman for four years. That is what Randy did and he was dead wrong. It is a system that selects kids to a program and then develops them.

I HATED losing to FSU 47-0 in 1997, or 98 or 99 or whatever it was. I couldn't believe Kenny Kelly didn't show up for the game in what should have been his biggest game. But I saw a plan for the program, for how we would get there from NCAA sanctions that would have permanently destroyed most programs. We had alot of young talent and it was just a matter of time.

Seeing Hail Flutie on TV this year has hit a raw nerve for me. Jimmy Johnson is Al Golden today. Good talkers who will make their way to the NFL on day. But I am concerned that guys like Al steward the program the right way before they do so. Jimmy learned his lesson from 1984 and developed the team until he won in 1987. Al has to do the same. You don't throw Juniors and Seniors under the bus no matter how many recruiting stars the recruits have on their heads.

As usual, I went on too long. But it is just something I have been really thinking about for a long time. Sometimes history repeats itself, and when you are someone who has lived the history before, even if you are wrong, you have an obligation to point it out.

[Hassan]

I dont know how talented or fast Tyrone Cornelius is, but every time I look at him he reminds me of so much that was wrong with the RS era....He has been here 3 years and is the same size as our DB's...how can a LB not get not get any bigger, especially after TWO UToughs? Tells me he just doesnt want it. I could be 100% wrong, but I HATE looking at that thin little guy lined up at LB

Posted by: UMike | September 17, 2012 at 04:43 PM
------------------------------------------

Cornelius gained 20 lbs this offseasn.... he was a LB then lost weight moved to DB and has now regained weight to move back to LB hence why he is in year 3 and looks like he is in year 1.

Solarcane's county Population is known to double whenever Hank Williams Jr has a concert......

Next year our baby canes will be a lot better and Morris is not that bad, all QB's have bad games look at Peyton tonight, but Morris is missing guys like Streeter and even Hurns those guys can take a slant to the house and make a QB look good.

[pre83]

SJM -

I am with you on many of your points, however, I remember watching that 47-0 beatdown by FSU and thinking I can't believe they are this bad. The rest of the season didn't offer much hope, at least from my perspective at the time.

I didn't know much at all about Butch Davis and thought they had to just grab a guy who would coach a team facing sanctions.

In short, the outlook I had at the time was bleak.

If you were to ask me my thoughts on Butch Davis now, I couldn't say enough great things about his ability as a head football coach. Seriously.

As I fairly recently posted, I only hope AG can do the same as it would be phenomenal feat, dare I say Golden (that was weak, but whatever).

[86Cane]

SJMPARMAN...no harm, no foul.

Post here, post often!

[LaQuinton]

The staff isnt lying. Look at the numbers players and years they have been at um with little to none playing time.