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The Turkey Must Die

With Thanksgiving just a few weeks away it is totally understood by most and fully acceptable to many that several million turkeys will die soon. That is just the way it is this time of the year.

Just in case you were living under a rock, this week Miami plays ACC rival Virginia Tech. If the Hurricanes are to survive this season, one big Turkey must die and it must die hard.

University of Miami head coach Al Golden has only been on the job for just over a year and a half and just long enough for him to find his way to South Beach or Sun Life Stadium. Yet even though the current team, culture and program are still not fully his, he is being judged based on the the current performance of this 2012 team.

Hurricane fans, when not being drunk and foolish, make their mark by being totally and completely unrealistic. It would seem that each of them have their own magic wands that they have selfishly failed to share with Coach Golden but nonetheless they judge him with no mercy according to the National Championship standards that they believe are easily achievable each and every year at Miami.

Their is no doubt that the biggest game of the Golden tenure so far is coming this Thursday night on National television. If Miami wins all is well and good within the Hurricane family. If they lose it will not be pretty even among the most hard core Cane fans.

Apparently, that is just the way it is in the 305. No mercy given, none expected. GO CANES, BEAT THE HOKIES!!!

Glory Days

The year was 1986.

Vinny Testaverde was the Heisman Trophy winning quarterback of the high powered offense. Russell Maryland led a fierce and attacking defensive line on a totally suffocating defense.

While the University of Miami would lose the National title game that year they would come roaring back the very next year to win their second National Championship in 1987.

Those were the indeed the glory days or the Miami Hurricanes football program. In the nine year span between 1983 and 1991 the Hurricanes won four National Championships and played for another two. Simply put, college football had never seen such a dominating span by one team and probably never will again.

A big part of that domination was the result of then UM Athletic Director Sam Jankovich hiring a little known head coach from Oklahoma State named Jimmy Johnson.  Johnson would take the reigns from Howard Schnellenberger after UM's first Championship in 1983 and turn UM into the most prominent college football program of the decade. On Thursday night his many contributions to college football will be formally recognized. 

The University of Miami and The National Football Foundation (NFF) & College Hall of Fame announced today that they will jointly honor Coach Jimmy Johnsonwith an NFF Hall of Fame Salute on November 1 at Sun Life Stadium during the game between the Hurricanes and Virginia Tech (ESPN).

"It's a special day for me because I spent so much time in college as both an assistant coach and a head coach.” said Johnson at the time of the announcement in May. "My time at the University of Miami really defines my career. It was probably the most fun time I ever had in my life prior to now, and we were able to do some things that I was extremely proud of." 

The NFF Hall of Fame On-Campus Salute program is a hallowed tradition that began with the inaugural class in 1951, and to this day the salutes remain the first of numerous activities in each inductee’s Hall of Fame experience. During the NFF Hall of Fame On-Campus Salutes, each inductee returns to his alma mater to accept a Hall of Fame plaque that will remain on permanent display at the institution.

“Jimmy Johnson was a master at molding his players, instilling confidence in them and subsequently producing some of the most successful stretches of victories in college football history,” said NFF President & CEO Steve Hatchell. “We are excited to immortalize his accomplishments in the College Football Hall of Fame, and we look forward to celebrating his stellar career with the Hurricane faithful this weekend.” 

The Oklahoma State head coach from 1979-83 and Miami head coach from 1984-88, Jimmy Johnson continuously led his teams to victory, earning numerous coaching honors along the way and the national championship with the Hurricanes in 1987, capped by a 20-14 victory over Oklahoma in the 1988 Orange Bowl. 

At Miami, he enjoyed a 52-9 mark in five seasons with five New Year’s Day bowl appearances. During his final four seasons in Miami, he posted a remarkable 44-4 record, including four top 10 finishes and two national title appearances. He earned two National Coach of the Year distinctions while coaching 12 First Team All-Americans. Johnson’s tenure was the genesis of an NCAA-record 58 home-game winning streak, which lasted from 1985-94.

Johnson becomes the third Hurricane head coach to earn induction, joining (listed with year of induction) Jack Harding (1980) and Andy Gustafson (1985). Miami players in the Hall of Fame include Gino Torretta (2009), Ted Hendricks (1987), Don Bosseler (1990), Bennie Blades (2006), Arnold Tucker (2008) and Russell Maryland (2011). 

We encourage all Hurricane fans to join the University of Miami and the NFF to honor Head Coach Jimmy Johnson with this special tribute during the game this Thursday night at Sun Life Stadium.

Just For Kicks

University of Miami senior punter Dalton Botts is one of the candidates for the 2012 Ray Guy Award, the Augusta Sports Council announced Friday. The Ray Guy Award is given to the nation’s top collegiate punter each year.

Botts, who was on the Ray Guy Award Watch List in July, ranks fifth among ACC punters with 40.5-yard average on 36 punts. He has pinned 15 punts inside the 20, while booting four kicks of 50-plus yards. He is one of five ACC punters named as Ray Guy Award candidates, joining Will Monday (Duke), Sean Poole (Georgia Tech), Thomas Hibbard (North Carolina) and Alex Vozenilek (Virginia). 

The list will be narrowed to 10 semifinals on Nov. 9. Following the semifinalists announcement, a national body of Football Bowl Subdivision (FBS) sports information directors, coaches, media representatives and previous Ray Guy Award winners will vote for the top three finalists, who will be identified on November 19.  

The presentation of the Ray Guy Award will be featured on “The Home Depot College Football Awards” live Thursday, December 6 at 7:30 p.m. ET on ESPN.

The show, hosted by ESPN’s Chris Fowler, Lee Corso, Kirk Herbstreit and Desmond Howard, will feature live presentation of nine player awards, along with the recipients of Disney’s Spirit Award, The Home Depot Coach of the Year Award, the NCFAA (National College Football Awards Association) Contributions to College Football Award, and student-athletes selected to the Walter Camp All-America Team.

Pardon This Interruption For UM Baseball

In its annual breakdown of the country’s top recruiting classes, Baseball America rated the Miami Hurricanes’ 13-member group as the tenth-best incoming class in the nation.

The publication’s rankings were the second to recognize the Hurricanes' 2012 class, comprised of 11 true freshmen, one redshirt freshman and one junior. Collegiate Baseball newspaper rated the Hurricanes’ 2012 class the ninth-best in the nation in its annual rankings released in late September.

It was the first time the Hurricanes had a group ranked in the top 10 by Baseball America since 2006, as Miami was recognized with the second-highest rated recruiting class in the Atlantic Coast Conference (North Carolina, No. 5).

Four of the 13 newest Hurricanes were selected in June’s 2012 Major League Baseball First-Year player Draft: Grant Heyman (round 11, Toronto Blue Jays), Brandon Lopez (round 34, Toronto Blue Jays) and David Thompson (round 38, New York Yankees). Another newcomer, righthanded pitcher Jace Herrera, was selected in the 36th round of the 2011 MLB Player Draft by the Boston Red Sox.

All fall practices at Alex Rodriguez Park at Mark Light Field, held every Monday through Saturday until Nov. 17, are open to the public. Practices are set to begin each day at 2:30 p.m.

To read the complete write-up from Baseball America’s Aaron Fitt, click HERE.

Pardon This Interruption For UM Basketball

If you have been all caught up in the excitement of college football recently and haven't been paying attention to any of the other University of Miami athletic teams then there is something that you need to know:

There is a very positive vibe and a really strong buzz around the 2012-13 UM men's basketball team.

In fact the Miami Hurricanes hoopsters are setting their sites on taking that next BIG step - seriously challenging for the ACC title and earning a trip to the NCAA tournament.

With six seniors and four juniors returning from a 20-win season, including a road win against Duke, this team may have the best combination of experience, talent, and depth in the ACC.

Coach Jim Larranaga, who led George Mason to the NCAA Final Four before arriving at Miami, was the first coach in Miami history to lead a Hurricanes team to 20 wins in his first season.

Strength of Schedule: Wins over Top-25 ranked opponents are a major factor toward earning an NCAA at-large bid. The Hurricanes will have those opportunities when they host perennial Top 25 ranked teams like Michigan State, Florida State, Duke, and North Carolina this season.

You are cordially invited to check out the Canes free of charge when they face Saint Leo University in an exhibition game next Friday November 2 at 7:00 p.m. The game will also serve as a “Select-A-Seat Night”, and our friendly sales associates will be on hand to assist you in determining your preferred seat location. We have a number of very exciting ticket packages to offer you this season. 

Season Tickets start as low as $99 and several "Mini-Packs" are also available:

The FAN-tastic Four Pack: $250 for a premium seat for our games against Michigan State – Duke - Florida State - North Carolina.

The ACC Weekend Pack: Starting as low as $63 for our games against Maryland - Florida State - North Carolina - Clemson.

Floor Seats and Suites: Still available in limited quantities.

You will not want to miss a moment of the exciting college basketball action.

 For more information call 305-284-2263 or visit CanesTix.com today!

It's Great To Be A Miami Hurricane

The University of Miami athletic department recorded a school-record Graduation Success Rate (GSR) of 93 percent, according to the rates released Thursday by the NCAA.

As a department, Miami’s 93 percent GSR ranks fourth among ACC schools and is eighth overall among FBS schools. Overall, the University of Miami athletic department has improved from 77 to 93 percent from 2005 to 2012, a year after UM student-athletes posted a then-record 89 percent GSR in 2011. UM
has exceeded the NCAA average GSR in each of the last eight years. 

“Congratulations to our Hurricane Family,” Associate AD for Academic Services David Wyman said.

“I am so proud of the performance and development of our student-athletes as they have become national leaders in collegiate academic success with these remarkable results. Their excellence is due to the tremendous support they receive from our President and Provost and their administration, our outstanding faculty and our academic services and coaching staff." 

Six UM teams compiled GSR marks of 100 percent; men’s diving and golf posted its eighth consecutive perfect GSR mark, while women’s tennis recorded its fifth straight GSR score of 100 percent. Also adding perfect GSR scorers were women’s rowing, women’s golf, women’s swimming and volleyball. 

Volleyball posted a perfect score for the second consecutive year, while both rowing and women’s swimming set program-record highs for GSR. 

“To set a school-best GSR in each of the last two years is a major accomplishment for our program,” Interim Director of Athletics Blake James said.  

Football jumped six points from 88 to 94 in 2012, tying for the highest GSR score among ACC schools and third-highest GSR score among FBS schools and improving by 27 points (67 to 94) from 2010. Baseball had the largest jump of any UM program, improving by 20 points (60 to 80).  

“It shows the dedication of our student-athletes academically and the commitment to academic excellence from our coaches and our academic support staff,” James said. “To be among the nation’s best in GSR is a crowning achievement and we look forward to maintaining our position as one of the truly special academic and athletic intercollegiate programs.” 

The NCAA Graduation Success Rate (GSR) was developed in response to college and university presidents who wanted graduation data that more accurately reflect the mobility among college students today. Both rates improve on the federally mandated graduation rate by including students who were omitted from the federal calculation.  

The GSR measures graduation rates at Division I institutions and includes students transferring into the institutions. The GSR also allows institutions to subtract student-athletes who leave their institutions prior to graduation as long as they would have been academically eligible to compete had they remained.  

The most recent Graduation Success Rates are based on the four-year entering freshmen classes in Division I from 2001-02 through 2004-05. This year's report marks the ninth year that GSR data has been collected by the NCAA.

The Short List To South Beach: Week 9

Only 18 teams remain on the Shortlist to South Beach in 2012 and they rank by order of worthiness for one of the two national title game invites as such:

Notre Dame, Florida, Alabama, Kansas State, Oregon State, Oregon, Ohio State, Louisville, Rutgers, Mississippi State, Ohio, LSU, FSU, Oklahoma, Texas Tech, Clemson, Georgia and Southern Cal.

Just a single team won last week to avoid their Shortlist to South Beach elimination call for at least another seven days:

1) Texas Tech goes on the road to Fort Worth and escapes with an overtime 56-53 win over TCU.  Tommy Tuberville is too old to get the job done at a high level?  Sure, that's why yet again he's a winner everywhere he's been a head coach.  It must be because he saves wasting time over worrying if his tie is on straight and his hair looks good on camera.  It's definitely not because he has the sharpest AD in all of college football overseeing his program, that's for sure.

On the other hand you have this trio of Shortlist unforeseen knockouts finding themselves exiting the  chase as October works its way to a close:

1) West Virginia laps up the home cooking and gets blown out even worse than the week before as they go two in a row and off the Shortlist at the hands of Kansas State 55-14.  Geno Smith's Heisman chances appear as finished as the Mountaineers national championship hopes this year but there's plenty of opportunity left on the schedule to revive the former, the latter however is out of play until next season, no matter what.

2) TCU has its 11 win season streak pushed to the breaking point by Texas Tech, their former South West Conference rival.  Just where did Mike Leach spend that off week last Saturday exactly after-all?  Did anybody see a man with an eye-patch, parrot on his shoulder and cutlass on his belt in the play-calling booth in Fort Worth last week getting a jump on Halloween costuming?

3) Cincinatti gets ejected out of the Shortlist orbit in Toledo as they lose for the first time ever in the Glass Bowl 29-23.  Now with a three game overall losing streak against the Rockets, the Bearcats must refocus on plotting a course through what's left of the Big East obstacles on the schedule the rest of the year to salvage what had been shaping up as yet another great Butch Jones salvage job to a Brain Kelly exit.

I expect a pair of Big 12 teams to fall by the wayside on the Shortlist to South Beach this week, one each from the opposite ends of their traditional conference pecking order: Oklahoma and Texas Tech.

Enjoy the games this week and join me back here next week as the Shortlist to South Beach sets the table for the final sprint through the last month of the 2012 season right here on Canespace.

Copyright 2012 by Christopher Whelpton for Canespace.com

The Wizard Of College Baseball

In recognition of his lifetime accomplishments and a distinguished legacy of helping others, the University of Miami has created the Ron Fraser Wizard Fund to honor the Hall of Fame coach with a bronze statue to be placed at Alex Rodriguez Park.

Fraser coached the Hurricanes for 30 years from 1963-92. While never posting a losing season, his teams won 1,271 games and captured the 1982 and 1985 national titles. More than a hundred of Fraser's ballplayers went on to professional baseball and many more started successful careers.

"Our entire family is deeply touched and excited about the plans for a Ron Fraser statue," said Elizabeth Fraser Kraut, one of Ron's daughters, "and that it will stand at the stadium that always represented his dedication, determination, pride and his deep love for not only the game, but for his players, the University of Miami, the fans and the entire South Florida community. This season will mark the 50th year that we became a part of the U Family, so the timing could not be more perfect."

"Coach Fraser's love for the South Florida community is immeasurable, which makes the establishment of a community fund even more special," said Interim Director of Athletics Blake James. "There is no doubt in my mind that - when we unveil this statue - hundreds, if not thousands, of Fraser supporters will be responsible for making this monument a reality."

Friends and fans of the man nicknamed "The Wizard of College Baseball" can make a contribution to the Ron Fraser Wizard Fund by clicking on this link: DONATE TO THE RON FRASER WIZARD FUND. All contributions are tax-deductible.

"Personally, I am very excited about this because Coach Fraser is the most influential person in my career and the man who put college baseball on the map," said University of Miami head baseball coach Jim Morris. "He is like a father to me, and I encourage Hurricane fans and college baseball fans to join me in making a contribution."

Championship baseball aside, Fraser's program was celebrated as much for its success at the box office and becoming the standard by which other programs were judged. Aggressively promoting his Hurricanes and college baseball in lockstep, Fraser's teams broke every school and national record for season tickets sold, attendance and revenue, while college baseball grew exponentially in UM's wake.

Following his retirement as a college baseball coach in 1992, Fraser coached the U.S. national baseball team at the 1992 Summer Olympics in Barcelona, chaired countless community and charity organizations, played a pivotal role in bringing Major League Baseball to South Florida, and reveled in quality time with his wife, three children and five grandchildren.

"On the field and off, Ron Fraser showed how one man can make a difference," said James. "The University of Miami, South Florida and college baseball are all better because of him, and we invite his friends and fans to join us in thanking Coach Ron Fraser by supporting this magnificent tribute."

Secure online contributions can be made by clicking here DONATE TO THE RON FRASER WIZARD FUND. For more information, contact Rick Remmert, UM's Director of Alumni Programs, at 305-284-9517, or by e-mail at r.remmert@miami.edu.

Swagger Is Back!

This year when trying to decide a theme for our 2012 Canespace T-shirts our reigning blogger of the year OhioCane came up with a great idea: "I Earned My Swagger, How 'Bout U?" Well, we liked it so much that we selected it for the back panel of the Canespace T-shirts.

I have been to just about every home game at the Orange Bowl and Sun Life Stadium this year and the year before that, and before that, and that one too, and then the other one as well since about 1980.

But to be honest I began wondering when, or maybe if, this team and this new stadium was ever going to get their swagger back.

As I was tailgating in Section E5 of the parking lot of Sun Life Stadium yesterday I was thinking about when was the next time a really big game was going to be played at this stadium.

It did not take long to see that in fact this was a really BIG game and all the big time party people, and even some hard core Hurricane and Seminole fans were in the house for this little nasty intra-state soiree. 

Now I don't know if you have ever had the opportunity to have the luxury of having attended a game at "The Old Lady" but when she was ON, she was electric bordering on ballistic and always at risk of going completely nuclear.

The west end zone crew knew what to do and they would send the Orange Bowl into a staggering and stunning wave of noise that could drown out 747 planes flying overhead on their approach to MIA.

Well last night at Sun Life it was very close to that experience.  I haven't seen so many people kicked out of a game since the days back in the heart of the 305 on NW 7th Street and 12th Avenue. If you ever doubted if Sun Life could rock it like the old OB then doubt no more. 

Sun Life Stadium was on fire last night for the Miami vs FSU matchup. Forget who won or lost the game, Miami most definitely won the recruiting matchup BIG time against the Noles last night.

For all of those who claim that an off-site stadium can't work I say BS. Where else can you meet J12 by walking by and handing him a Canespace T-shirt?

This place was ballistic and revved up for football (and a few other things that we can't mention) last night. Even some of us East-siders dared to go over to the Dark-side and try to get into the West-siders territory.

That place is just down right scary. No really, it is seriously scary! 

We even found some of our old friends from Canespace like Carlos, who single-handedly drove Patrick Nix out of town.  And our old friend Keoki who makes a Rum punch that will make your eyes water. Well at least it did mine.

If you are from Iowa, Indiana, Oregon, Nebraska, Utah, Minnesota or maybe North or South Dakota then you just should NOT go there. I'm jus sayin.

Oh yeah, I almost forgot. And then there was the game between UM and FSU. It was a good game for three quarters. The defense showed up but the offense did not. The Canes lost the game but that's a story for another day.

The Hurricanes may have lost the game on this night, but their fans, the team and the players they are actively recruiting clearly won BIG time!

Sun Life Stadium was totally rockin' for one loud, late night in October.

Just as it should be...

Not Ready For Prime Time

Your Miami Hurricanes coulda, shoulda and woulda won the game at Sun Life Stadium on Saturday night against their ACC rival Florida State had they only brought their high scoring offense to the stadium. 

Once again the supposed strength of this team became a glaring weakness as the Canes took an early and impressive 10-0 lead but could not sustain the scoring pace with the Seminoles throughout the contest.

The young, talented and error prone Hurricanes demonstrated that they are not quite yet ready for prime time and wound up losing the game 33-20.

Here is the sweaty and distraught UM Head Coach Al Golden after the game: