If you have never been to Sun Life Stadium for a University of Miami football game then you simply do not know what you are missing. In spite of some fans having an issue with the seats in the stadium not being close enough to the field, Sun Life is, at least in my humble opinion, an absolutely great place to watch a football game and to tailgate both before and after the games.
We have been going to the stadium since the Hurricanes moved out of the world-famous Orange Bowl and into their newer, fancier digs across town. Sure "The Old Lady" as the OB was known as was also a great place to watch some football and was host to many rocking good times for 'Canes fans.
But truth be told, in its later years it became old and run down and was literally on the verge of collapse so it was eventually torn down to make way for the new MiamiMarlins Park.
Sun Life Stadium has its own unique qualities, characteristics and feel. And as many wise old bloggers would tell you, the stadium is really just some concrete, steel and plastic all put together. In the end it is just a building.
It is only the team that plays there that makes it special.
After all back in the 60's and 70's when Miami was losing the majority of its home games at the Orange Bowl it didn't seem so special now did it? The magic didn't begin until around 1983 and the 58 straight games won didn't happen until later than that.
The "magic" of the OB was really the dominance of the team on the field, not the old, smelly urinals that were found throughout the stadium, or the keg beer raining down the ramps and onto your head as you walked into or out of the stadium, or the rusty pillars that tried to hold The Old Girl up.
But I digress...back to Sun Life Stadium and the Georgia Tech game last Saturday. As all Hurricane fans know, Miami won the game by the score of 45-30. UM struggled against GT for the first half before making some serious and effective halftime adjustments on both offense and defense that got the team back on track and enabled the Hurricanes to win the game going away.
But what fans in Texas, Tennessee, Ohio, Illinois, Alaska, Virginia, California and even tiny little Rhode Island did not know was what was happening in and around the stadium on game day in the 305.
This long-time tailgating friend of ours in the E5 parking lot showed off his masterful grilling skills and some exciting new headgear after returning from his triumphant trip to Tampa where UM easily beat USF two weeks ago.
Next our good buddy "CaneFreak" showed up to show Canespace some love as he stopped by the tailgate for some quick photos before making his way over the the now famous "Canes Walk" that happens as the players get off of the buses and walk into to stadium two hours before each home game at Sun Life.
Then after consuming a dosage of "liquid courage" we got the crazy idea to go over to the West Side of the Stadium parking lot. If you're not familiar with how the tailgating at Sun Life works then let me explain it to you.
The East Side is sort of like the "family section" of tailgating whereas the West Side is where they really get down and dirty and things get more than a little wild and crazy.
You see the West Side is where the infamous Cutler Ridge Laz and his crew known as the #CanesFam hang out, hold court and do their very best to ensure a serious home field advantage for Miami. These people, guys and girls, are simply put some serious tailgating masters and mistresses.
They do things like roast whole pigs in a specially designed box called a "caja china" that are well known in Miami among the Latin crowd. They have people doing the Ibis' C-A-N-E-S chant around the clock. They where the gear, the act the part and can talk the talk and walk the walk.
They burn things, they hang things and they do some things that probably shouldn't even be mentioned here lets just leave it at that. In the end they are a just a really good group of crazed 'Canes fans that do the best they can to let everyone know that Miami means business.
The bottom line is that if you have not been to Sun Life Stadium for a UM game, you should. Ask anybody here on the blog about the time they had and they will tell you: "U just gotta do it!"
We may not be the biggest crowd on game day (yet) but we can still drink some beer, chug down a few shots and then continue to eat and drink ourselves into a game day frenzy that is unmatched anywhere, anytime by any fan base.
And if you have never been to Sun Life Stadium then you will just have to trust me on this one!
It was at times even a little scary and nerve racking.
When it was over all that mattered was the scoreboard read: UM 45 - GT 30.
Your Miami Hurricanes managed to ground and pound the pesky Yellow jackets into submission and get out of Sun Life Stadium with a much needed conference win.
With the 15 point victory Miami moved to sparkling 5-0 record on the season and moved to 1-0 in the ACC as they move forward right into the heart of their 2013 conference schedule.
The Hurricanes struggled early against the Yellow Jackets tricky triple option offense as Tech head coach Paul Johnson, who had lost four in a row to UM, reached deep into his bag-o-tricks and tried to confuse the Mark D'Onofrio led Miami defense.
Canesport's Gary Ferman reported on the WQAM post-game show that Johnson switched up his play calling by either running away from or throwing out of an overloaded (to one side) offensive line formation. According to Ferman it was apparently something that UM defensive coaches had not previously seen on tape or prepared for prior to the game.
But coach D'Onofrio ripped up his game plan and replaced it with several line shifts and run blitz packages to slow down if not completely shut down the rarely seen but always difficult to defend option offense.
The Jackets drove down the field in convincing fashion while eating up about 6 minutes of game clock to score on their first possesion to take a 7-0 lead. It was the first time Miami had trailed all season.
Meanwhile, on the opposite side of the ball, the high-octane UM offense took all of two plays and exactly 43 seconds to get their first score of the day on a bomb from Stephen Morris to Phillip Dorsett and it was game on.
However, four UM turnovers kept GT in the game a lot longer than they should have
been as RB Duke Johnson fumbled once (again), Morris threw two interceptions and PR Phllip Dorsett had a momentary lapse of reason and committed an unforced error on a muffed a punt that the Yellow Jackets recovered.
The first half would end in a 17-17 tie and with many of the hometown fans nervously squirming in their seats. It wasn't just the scorching South Florida sun that was making Hurricane fans sweat it was the fact that their hopes for a first ever ACC title could possibly slip away at home to a team that came in as a five point underdog.
But the second half was a different story and UM head coach Al Golden made sure that the defensive adjustments coach D'Onofrio and his staff were working on would take hold in the later stages of the game and propel Miami to a comfortable margin of victory over GT.
After the game as the Canespace tailgating crew returned to their cars in the E5 parking lot there were mixed reviews and more looks of relief than anything else as 'Canes fans were just glad the game was over and that the ACC title dreams remained intact for another week.
The general consesnus was: "Wrap it up, we'll take it!"
Miami Hurricanes
junior Ladarius Gunter and sophomore Duke Johnson were named the ACC Defensive
Back and Specialist of the Week, respectively, the league announced Monday.
It was Gunter’s
first ACC weekly award, while Johnson picked up his sixth honor and first
Specialist of the Week designation. Johnson was a five-time ACC Rookie of the
Week honoree as a freshman in 2012.
Gunter and Johnson
are the fifth and sixth Hurricane to earn ACC Player of the Week honors in 2013.
OL Brandon Linder, LB Denzel Perryman, DL Anthony Chickillo and WR Stacy Coley all have been previously recognized by the conference as ACC players or co-players of the week.
Gunter recorded seven tackles,
including one for a loss, and had a key interception return for a touchdown in
Miami’s 45-30 win over Georgia Tech. Gunter’s 30-yard interception return for a
touchdown helped seal Miami’s ACC win over the Yellow Jackets and extended the
Hurricanes’ win streak to seven games.
Gunter is the first Miami defensive back
to return an interception for a TD since Ray-Ray Armstrong did so in 2010, and
the first for any Miami player since Denzel Perryman’s 41-yard return in the
2012 season opener at Boston College. Gunter is one of three Hurricanes tied for
the team lead with two interceptions.
Johnson finished with a
game-high 325 all-purpose yards in Miami’s 45-30 win, his eighth career 200-yard
game and second career 300-yard game. Johnson tallied 114 kick return yards on
four tries and a game-high 184 rushing yards. Johnson leads the Hurricanes with
572 rushing yards on 84 carries (6.8 yards per rush) and 954 all-purpose
yards.
No. 13/14 Miami
(5-0, 1-0) is off this week but returns to the field Oct. 17 when the Hurricanes
travel to Chapel Hill, N.C., to face the North Carolina Tar Heels (1-4, 0-2).
Kickoff is set for 7:45 p.m. ET on ESPN.
MIAMI'S ACC PLAYERS OF THE
WEEK FOR 2013:
Sept. 3
Brandon Linder,
Co-Offensive Lineman of the Week
Sept. 9
Denzel Perryman,
Linebacker of the Week
Sept. 9
Anthony Chickillo,
Co-Defensive Lineman of the Week
Sept. 30
Stacy Coley,
Co-Rookie of the Week
Oct.
7 Ladarius Gunter,
Defensive Back of the Week
MIAMI HEAD COACH AL GOLDEN AFTER THE WIN OVER GEORGIA TECH:
On his team’s character after challenging first quarter…“We kept saying to the team something we learned this summer from a leader: ‘You don’t have any leadership until you have a bead of sweat and the crap hits the fan.’ And that’s what happened. We learned a lot about our team and we had great leadership through that. We had great poise, but it did look bleak. I think we had six plays, you guys would know better. We didn’t get a chance to draw up one thing on defense. Not one thing. We scored in two plays, which actually worked against us. Then we fumbled and then threw an interception, so we didn’t a chance to draw up anything. When Mark [D’Onofrio] got them at halftime and drew them up, the guys came back with a vengeance. They played with poise and precision. My hat is off to Mark - what they did at halftime was phenomenal.”
On his team making the necessary plays in the first quarter…“It was not pretty. That’s why with the ball, I was excited about 17-17. I think that kind of breathed some life into us at that point. I didn’t want to mess around with 4th and 2. I didn’t want to mess around with that - just take it there. I didn’t think he was going to try to win it in the two-minute drill. Then we get the ball and we started the game over at halftime, basically. I’m real proud of our guys and the way they fought. We learned a lot about our team today, we learned a lot about our leadership, and what a gutsy performance from Stephen [Morris]. Tremendous.”
On the success of Georgia Tech’s rushing offense in the first half…“To be honest with you, they’re way faster than your scout team. They’re way faster. You know in the first 10-12 plays of the game, you have to get a stop, because once they get going, it’s hard. We just could not get adjusted and didn’t have time to adjust. Those kids battled - they caused a fumble, which gave us some time there, then we made some adjustments. Mark [D’Onofrio] made a shift up front, and that basically went away. That formation went away early in the third [quarter], and that was the end of it – so that was a big win. We weren’t dealing with five formations, we were dealing with three or four. Big win there for Mark, I’m really excited about what he did there and what these guys did. They executed.”
On the performance of quarterback Stephen Morris…“Gutsy. You can tell he’s not 100 percent, but these nine days coming up are huge. He’s running around back there, the pass he threw to Stacy [Coley] was phenomenal – he bought himself some time, you can tell his arm strength - he threw it off one leg. He threw an interception, saw it wrong, and again he’s not an excuse guy. He came right over and said, “I thought it was too high, I made a mistake,” and we just moved on. I thought both coordinators really called the game with poise. With James [Coley], we’re three turnovers away from having just a prolific game on offense. We have to get those things fixed. We had some untimely penalties - one before the half cost us four points. We had a couple of fumbles and dropped punt, which we have to get cleaned up. We absolutely have to get it cleaned up. We have nine days, and we’re going to go to work hard here on that.”
On his concern level with Duke Johnson’s ability to protect the football…“He’s going to get it fixed. I don’t have a concern level. Nobody works harder at it – it was unfortunate. The only one I have a concern about is the one he reached over in the South Florida game. He’ll be fine. Look at all the carries he has had – he has been great with the ball. He was very mindful of it late in the game, he had two hands on the ball. I thought he did a great job. I had written on my notes, this was going to be a Duke Johnson game, and it was. It was 22 [carries] for 184 [yards]. And what can you say about Dallas [Crawford] does when he comes in? I’m really proud of those guys and how they work in cooperation with each other. It’s great.”
On Allen Hurns’ patience during his 69-yard touchdown catch…“That’s exactly what he is - that is a smart football player. Whatever you ask him to do, he is smart, he studies the game, he spends a lot of time on it. He timed it up and he had a little tempo there, and used the block and made a touch. Great effort by Phillip [Dorsett] too.”
On his defense helping to contribute with 18 points off turnovers…“We’re obviously more explosive. We’re getting more guys around the ball. They’re all the same guys as last year, they’re just playing with a quiet mind. They’re playing so much faster. Ladarius Gunter sees the break on the ball, and he’s gone. He’s not saying, ‘what do I do?’ That’s it, he gets the break and he’s gone. They’re playing with a real quiet mind, they’re playing fast, they know what they’re capable of, and we’re playing a lot of guys. It’s tag-team defense right now. That team we just played, they give you all you can handle. All you ever want to do against that team is win. There’s no qualitative analysis here. It’s just straight win or lose, and it was a good win for our guys.”
On how much an increase in leadership has played a role in the team’s success…“Immensely. We’re more focused. We just have guys who have been through a lot. It’s a close group. They’re not daunted by anything. If you look at what they’ve been through, it pales in comparison. They get down a little bit and say, ‘Alright, let’s go.’ I’m really proud of the leadership we have and the poise they exhibited. We have a long way to go as a team. There are a lot of things you guys are asking about that I know I’m responsible for and I have to get fixed. We’ll go right to work on that tomorrow. I want them to enjoy this. It’s not easy to win games. They’re right where they want to be.”
On the statement made with today’s victory…“There is no statement. We’re 1-0 in the ACC and really 1-0 today. Tomorrow is a new day. I want them to enjoy it for 24 hours, and then, all of these things we’re talking about, my job is to create a practice on Tuesday that starts to satisfy the resolution to a lot of these things and fix them. And we’ll do that.”
MIAMI HURRICANES (4-0) vs. GEORGIA TECH YELLOW JACKETS (3-1) Saturday, Oct. 5, 2013 • 3:30 p.m. ET • ESPNU • Sun Life Stadium
SERIES HISTORY
Georgia Tech leads 10-8, but Miami has won last four meetings ... Miami 4-2 vs. GT when ranked.
BROADCAST INFORMATION
WQAM 560 AM • Joe Zagacki, PXP • Don Bailey Jr., Analyst • Josh Darrow, Sideline Reporter RADIO CARACOL 1260 AM • Roly Martin, PXP • Pepe Campos, Analyst • Joe Martinez, Analyst WVUM 90.5 FM • Chris Wittyngham • AJ Ricketts • Neil Dwyer Satellite Radio • Sirius 85 • XM 85
FIVE THINGS U NEED TO KNOW
Miami is 1 of 5 schools that has not trailed this season (Louisville, Ohio State, Texas Tech, Washington).
Miami has not trailed in the last 357 minutes, dating back to its 41-40 road loss at Virginia in 2012.
Miami has 16 sacks – four more than it had in 12 games in 2012.
Miami is tied for the ACC lead with 13 turnovers gained and ranks fifth nationally.
Duke Johnson is the only player in Miami history with at least 3 kickoff returns of 95+ yards in his career.
TIGHT END U
• How clutch has junior TE Clive Walford been for the Miami Hurricanes offense? 18 of Walford’s last 20 touches have resulted in either a Miami first down or touchdown. Walford has 7 catches through the first four games of 2013. Six have resulted in a first down, one resulted in a touchdown and the other was an 8-yard gain.
SOMETIMES LESS IS MORE
• Miami has scored 30+ points in 15 of its first 28 games of the @GoldenAl era, posting an 13-2 record in those contests. In those 15 games, Miami has trailed in time of possession 11 times. Miami is 8-1 in its last nine games when scoring 30+ points and trailing in time of possession.
U GOT ME UNDER PRESSURE
• Through four games, the Miami Hurricanes have tallied 16 sacks by 13 different players. Miami ranks second in the ACC and fourth nationally with 4.00 sacks per game. Last season, the Hurricanes recorded 13 sacks by seven different players in 12 games.
LEAD DOGS ALWAYS HAVE THE BEST VIEW
• Miami hasn’t trailed in the last six games (a span of 357 minutes), dating back to its 41-40 road loss at Virginia in 2012. Miami is one of five FBS teams that has yet to trail in a game this season – Louisville (4-0), Ohio State (5-0), Texas Tech (4-0) and Washington (4-0).
Chapter one of the story begins with Jim Leavitt, the well known University of South Florida head coach, who back in the day, had been reasonably successful at a school not known for its football program.
But that was before he allegedly pushed, punched or choked a player on the Bulls football team several years ago. Leavitt then apparently refused to apologize and was sent packing from Tampa in favor of spitting mad Lou Holtz's son Skip. That should have been your first clue.
Who names their son Skip? Who hires somebody named Skip?
We can't even begin to imagine much less remember what little Skippy failed to accomplish at USF over the last few years. Next, after another horrendous season in 2012, Skip was told to skedaddle and he too skipped town.
So once again the USF program found itself in shambles after some really questionable coaching hires.
Then, they tried to right the ship by hiring some former USF player named Willie. Not William, or Bill, but Willie. Somehow a guy who goes by the name Willie just does not strike me as a guy who is mature enough to be a head coach. But hey, I guess that works for the folks in the 813.
It was about a decade ago that USF had hoped to become part of the big four.
That dream has died an ugly death as it has become clear that if any other college football team in Florida is going to put on their Big Boy Pants and work its way into the Big Boys Club it is going to be UCF, not USF, that gets an invitation.
So if you like to worry we recommend that you just forget about USF in Tampa and turn your attention to UCF in Orlando as the next major player in college football in Florida.
University
of Miami Coach Jim Larrañaga and seniors Rion Brown and Erik Swoope talked to
the media last Friday prior to the first practice of the 2013-14 season. Quotes are
transcribed below:
Coach
Larrañaga
What is
going to be the biggest challenge in camp this year?
“Learning
a whole new way of looking at the game of basketball. We have so many new
players. Everybody comes from a different background. Learning the game from
their high school or AAU coach and now they come to the University of Miami and
they’re looking at an entirely different way of teaching and learning. It’s
going to take them some time. We have to be very, very patient with them. Some
kids learn faster than others. Hopefully, once they all learn what we’re
teaching, we can develop into a very fine team.”
What was
the transformation for Tonye Jekiri this offseason?
“When
Tonye was a freshman, the very first thing you noticed was he’s got size and
speed, but he didn’t have the bulk or the strength to battle against the bigger,
stronger guys on our team. When he was going against Reggie, Kenny, Julian, and
Raphael, they pushed him around. He has worked very, very hard at gaining
strength and gaining weight. I believe he is very close to 240 pounds now. Last
year he was about 215. He’s just much stronger, much more confident. He worked
very hard on his shooting, so much so that he’s developed tendinitis in his
shoulder from shooting too much, which I’ve never heard of before. I also think
he’s a much more confident player. He gained very, very valuable experience as a
freshman.”
What do
you think about the new scheduling for the preseason?
“With
the new format we’re able to start earlier. We’re not going to have more
practice days. We’re actually going to be able to spread out the practices and
give the players more rest and time to recover, which I’ve always been a great
believer in. You’ve heard me talking in the past about The Seven Habits of
Highly Successful People and the seventh habit is called sharpen your saw, which
basically means rest and sharpen your skills. The way to sharpen your skills is
to rest and get more energy so when you get out onto the floor you can play as
hard as you possibly can. You’re not tired, you’re not soar because your muscles
had plenty of time to recover. This weekend we’re going to practice today and
tomorrow, take Sunday off, practice Monday and Tuesday, and take Wednesday off.
If you can go hard for two days and then get a day to rest, the wear and tear on
your body should not be as much. On the off days they’re really going to be off.
Some guys will come in and shoot because that’s they’re natural routine, but for
the most part what we really want them to do is rest. We want them to be sharp
in practice because a lot of things we’re going to do are not just physical
they’re mental. You don’t learn nearly as well when you’re
fatigued.”
With
athleticism, do you think we can scramble more with this group?
“Well,
it’s certainly an option. Whether or not we utilize it, or if it’s a serious
part of our defensive game plan? Only time can tell this because my evaluation
will be based on performance. Can we actually execute the scramble and force
turnovers or we will just give up easy shots?”
How have
you dealt with a team that has lost so many from the previous year in the
past?
“I
try not to remember those teams. They have so much growth. The last time I had
seven freshmen was when Luke Hancock was a freshman at George Mason and he was
considered the worst recruit of the class.”
Has
anybody surprised you since you have recruited them?
“No.
I have only seen half or less of our workouts. It’s one of the great things
about having a staff with you for a long time. I have the upmost confidence in
them. They know exactly what I want done. Even when I’m not here, I’m very
confident that work is being done by the coaches and by the
players.”
Is Angel
Rodriguez similar in a lot of ways to Shane Larkin?
“Yes,
but I should let everybody know that when Angel contacted us and made the
decision to transfer here, in one of our very first conversations, Angel shared
with me, that he was struggling with injuries that he sustained during his two
years in college. One was a wrist injury, and one was a very serious tendinitis
in his knee. When we had him visit with our trainer Wes Brown. Wes felt that it
was so severe that he took him to our team doctors. They did x-rays and MRI’s,
and eventually shut him down the entire summer. When Angel and I talked about
him for this upcoming year, the discussion was, ‘There is no sense applying for
the waiver to help you be eligible when you’re not physically going to be fit
enough.’ He told me at that time, he would much prefer to just sit out the year
anyway, learn the new system and be 100 percent, or close to 100 percent, for
his last two years. We were waiting to decide whether or not to apply for the
waiver to see how he was feeling. I spoke to him the other day. We both agreed
that we weren’t going to apply for the waiver, so he’s definitely going to red
shirt this year with Sheldon McClellan and be available next season and the
following year.”
Plan
with the point guard?
“The
plan is to spend the next three weeks trying to figure out who might start, who
might back that person up, and who would give us the depth we need to get the
point guard position. But, right now if you would ask me, I would say Manu,
Deandre, and Garrius will all share that responsibility either as a starter or a
sub.”
Talk
about Deandre Burnett?
“His
best position is really the two-guard spots because he’s got a knack for putting
the ball in the basket. He still has a lot to learn. The ACC is far different
from high school and prep school. He is working on his assortment of shots,
moves, and when to shoot, when not to. That’s a part of the learning process
that a problem that freshmen have is, at this point in the season, he wants to
show how good he is. He tries to do things, but his most important
responsibility is to learn what we’re trying to do. You kind of have to balance
that. Should I really try to score or should I just stay with the offense? But
right now, you just stay with the offense, so he learns the offense and once he
knows that he’s comfortable and confident, he knows what to do, then he can be a
little bit more aggressive. But if all you’re doing is attacking, and you can’t
stay with the offense, we are losing. You’ll probably be sitting on the
sidelines and watching someone who is a little bit more
patient.”
Is there
a disadvantage of having a red shirt in football in Cornelius
Elder?
“I’m
very pleased that Al Golden and the football program allow Corn to even consider
basketball after the football season is over. Corn joined us for a few workouts
this summer. He got hurt after the third one, so he didn’t get to do much more
than that. But Coach Golden and I have spoken about him and Al has said that
he’s a great kid, great athlete, and great energy, really demonstrates a lot of
qualities that will be successful in football. They definitely correlate to the
basketball court.”
Will
Elder help you when he comes if he comes in January?
“Yeah,
I hope so.”
How is
recruiting going?
“Well,
I certainly think that winning the ACC regular season and tournament, getting to
the NCAA tournament, the Sweet 16, opened up the eyes of many high school
coaches, AAU coaches, and high school prospects. We’ve been involved with some
of the top players in the country, top 100 caliber guys, and we feel that we are
going to have a really solid group of recruited players. Remember we graduated
our top six scorers from last year, but we also have now five scholarship
seniors, a six-men senior class with Justin Heller. We have a lot of holes to
fill next year.”
What do
you think about Rion Brown?
“I
don’t know if you have noticed how much Rion’s body has changed from early in
his career, but he’s now a man. If you look at him, he’s older, stronger, and
very athletic and he shoots the three well. He’s a father. He has a son so he
has matured very well throughout his college career. And very simply, in my
mind, this is going to be the best year of his college
career.”
Is Brown
going to be a high scorer like VT's Erick Green?
“No,
first of all I’m not that kind of coach that wants a guy taking that many shots
because I think balance is the key to success offensively. If you have one guy,
and he ends up having a bad night, you lose. Whereas if you have good balance,
it feels like I have a great opportunity or I could get a hot hand for a big
night. You saw last year where having Brown come in off the bench, whether it be
Georgia Tech, our first game, or a conference game where he scored 20 points or
the NCAA tournament where he came in off the bench and basically won the
Illinois game for us with his three-point-shooting ability. But we want to have
balance. We like to have five guys with double figures. I think the guys that
were looking for immediately to take on a scoring load will be Brown, Adams, and
Tonye Jekiri. Those three guys have a lot of experience in terms of comparing
them to the other guys on the team.”
How
would you describe Garrius?
“I
would he’s a jack-of-all-trades. He can handle the ball, he can shoot the ball,
and he can pass the basketball. My major concern for him is just keeping him
healthy because he has sustained a lot of injuries throughout the course of his
career.”
There is one thing that you need to know: There are tailgate parties and then there are TAILGATE parties. The tailgate party at Raymond James Stadium for the UM vs USF game last Saturday was EPIC in many, many ways.
So please indulge me and allow me to explain the reasons why.
First, we had several old time Canespacers go to Tampa who appreciated the art of tailgating. Canezilla, NativeCane, RaizeCane and OGV showed up for the festive occasion. It is always good to see old friends and talk Hurricane football, especially when things are going well for the team.
Second, for the dreaded noon time game we had the early AM crew that did their duty to get the party started. RaizeCane got the party started just after 8 AM and in case you have never partied with him let me tell you the man is a highly skilled and experienced party animal.
You will never find RaizeCane too far away from his trusty bottle of Captain Morgan, with a big smile on his face and a welcoming heart to all those who pass by. He, like many other 'Canes fans we have met over the years, has a kind and generous heart. We like that. Yeah, we like that a lot.
Third, we had a plethora of unique and great tasting food and drinks to keep us going strong until game time. RaizeCane took care of the incredibly tasty marinated steak, fried eggs and hashbrowns for breakfast and fellow Canespacer NativeCane and his wife cooked up what may be some of the most interesting, delicious and unique tailgating food ever rendered.
As many of you may know, NativeCane is an avid deer hunter. He managed to bag his usual good size buck again last hunting season and froze some of the most prime cuts (back strap) for this special occasion. He grilled some bacon-wrapped, jalapeno seasoned venison until it was perfectly cooked.
Add to that some of his wife's loaded potato salad, some brown sugar and bacon seasoned baked beans and some exotic guava cobbler (that's right guava) and you had some finger licking and lip smacking good grub at what now has become the infamous USF tailgate.
Fourth, we met some some serious Miami fans who were also just really nice people to be around. One guy we met had driven to the game with his wife from the Villages. He loved to tell stories while flashing his two National Championship rings, one on each hand. I never did get to the story about how or why he got the rings because my steak and eggs were getting cold but suffice it to say that he was a hoot.
Fifth, the USF fans in and around the stadium were friendly enough and even fun to be around. The Bulls fans were not at all like the Gator fans we experienced at Sun Life Stadium a few weeks back who were arrogant, rude, obnoxious and even bordering on violent as they huffed and puffed their way out of the stadium, heads down and tails stuck firmly between their legs.
No, all of the USF fans we met (Canezilla and these nice young ladies included) are surprisingly enough much like FSU fans. They are good people and pleasant to be around most of the time, they just happen to wear the wrong colors and root for the wrong teams.Or they wear some sort of funky headgear that, well, should not be allowed in public places.
Tampa in fact is a lot like Miami. It is always a fun city with lots to do, good places to stay, great restaurants and entertainment galore. There is always nice scenery around the Bay Area and attractive people everywhere you look, so it is really important to keep your eyes wide open.