UMike Takes A Look Ahead

This article was written for Canespace by blogger UMIke...

Finishing the college football season 6-7 with four straight losses to close out the year will sting most football programs.  When two of those losses are against teams named Virginia and Pittsburg, it really stings. But when that happens to the University of Miami, it is downright painful.

While most programs with a tradition as rich as Miami’s would have made a change after a season such as this, our current administration choose not to.  It has been well documented here on CaneSpace that this lack of change rustled the feathers of many Cane fans, myself included. Those rustled feathers grew into frustration, which grew into hate… a hate that almost brought this beloved blog to a screeching halt. Since I am a known and documented hater on this blog, I thought most of the hate towards the staff and administration was warranted.  Haters like me were simply hurting.

But like most painful things in life, time heals. With spring ball in the books, last season seems like a distant memory. While the fact that Al Golden is still our coach is a hard pill to follow for some fans, the reality is we cannot change that fact. With that being said, it is a great time to look forward to some of the positive things happening with our beloved football program.  Here are some of the many things of us fans have to look forward to in 2015.

A continued social media onslaught: Some have criticized this area of the program, myself included, but this is one area that Al Golden and staff have excelled at. While most fans would prefer to see on-field results instead, we cannot change those results without some off-field results. This is a different day and age and social media is now a huge part in the daily lives of young athletes everywhere. Golden and staff have been pioneers when it comes to the use of social media to reach out to recruits and to help further build Miami’s brand.  The #SWAG16 hashtag and slogan has taken on a life of its own and may be part of the reason Miami’s 2016 class has filled up so quickly. With it spreading so fast and more and more recruits tweeting about it, some players may feel the need to not miss the bus and become a part of something special. The staff has also made it a point to announce player commitments or potential commitments loud and clear with statements like “Welcome to the U” or “Another Flag Planted” etc. This gives the players a feeling of being wanted, shows that the staff is genuinely happy they have decided to commit to Miami. This also informs rivals coaches that this is OUR State. So while it may be seen as needless or over-the-top by some, there is no doubt this is having a positive effect on the program.

An improved defense: I have been known to call out my buddy Go Canes for comments I consider to be nothing more than “homerism”. One of the most blatant cases being his continued belief that Miami’s defense would improve because they were deeper and more talented, especially along the defensive line. For the last couple of seasons I simply laughed this off as pure homer talk. But this year… this year looks different. One of my biggest issues with Golden has been his seeming unwillingness to change anything. It has come across to me that he truly believed his system was the best available and he was just missing the talent or smarts to execute said system. This stubborn stance had him destined to fail in my opinion. It seems however, that Golden actually went and sought advice in regards to his defense and has implemented changes accordingly.  Seeking advice from Pete Carroll was a very, very smart move and proves maybe Golden can change some of his stripes after all. We have heard the coaches as well as players speak about the changes, and one recurring theme seems to be more aggression. With changes to gap assignments, more pressure on the quarterback and an overall more attacking style defense, this year’s defense has the potential to be the best Miami has had in years. The talent is there, especially along the defensive line. The deep and talented defensive haul from the 2014 class should pay dividends this season. For those who forgot the 2014 class included many 4 and 5 star kids including Chad Thomas, Trent Harris, Demetrius Jackson, Anthony Moten and Mike Smith. That class also had plenty of underrated talent in the way of Courtel Jenkins, Michael Wyche, Calvin Heurtelou and others. If Golden sticks with these changes and a more aggressive style, look for an improved defense this upcoming season.

Top 5 recruiting class: Unless you have been living under a rock, you know Miami’s 2016 class is already loaded. Although it is early, Miami is currently enjoying the second ranked class in the nation. The 2016 class already has 9 players rated 4-stars or better by at least one of the major recruiting services. I expect that number to grow. Miami currently has 9 players from the ESPN300 with more than a few more left to grab. Of Miami’s current 20 commits, all 20 are from the State of Florida with a whopping 15 from Dade, Broward and Palm Beach counties. We all know that is a recipe for success at the University of Miami.

Stay tuned for part 2 when we will take a look at a few more reasons to be positive heading into next season included Brad Kaaya, a healthy and hardworking Stacy Coley and more...

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Comments

[Old Skool]

WooHOO

[YooperCane]

Go Canes

[Demons]

UMike 2 grand slams in one week , whats your batting average now, can you keep batting 1000.

[Terrance Sullivan]

UMike bringing the noise. Great stuff my Brotha. Loving it mane. Go Canes.

[UMike]

One of the boys in m shelter, the crazy athletic kid I spoke about...his 16yo cousin was shot and killed just 2 blocks from our shelter Sunday night. We will literally playing ball outside 2 blocks away when it happened. Kid just made the honor roll, but happen to be walking with a gang member/associate. If any of you are involved with young people, interact with young people or simply have a chance meeting with a young person, especially at risk ones...please take a second and encourage them or drop a little knowledge on them. We lose to many young people, to many dont have anyone in their eye telling them their on the wrong path or associating with te wrong people etc.

[SOUP]

UMike is Da Man!

And I do believe that he also is proving for a FACT that blind spots, once removed, can become great opportunities for learning, growth and development. U gotta love that guy!

#MuchRespect

#GettingBetterOneDayAtATime

[Ohio_Cane]

Well done again, UMike! Glad U are turning that frown upside down! Lol

[Ohio_Cane]

I LOVE Mark Walton's attitude. This kid is going to be really good here. He's gained 13 lbs of muscle (from 180 to 193) since his HS season and is expecting he'll be at 200 by the time Fall practice comes around.

[Ohio_Cane]

Mark Walton:

https://pbs.twimg.com/media/CCt1H2yXIAAg2jj.png

https://pbs.twimg.com/media/CCt1H0oWMAAJUCt.png

[Ohio_Cane]

StateOfTheU.com ‏@TheStateOfTheU 1m1 minute ago

Video:Quarterback | Brad Kaaya | Wired (Canes All Access) http://sbnation.com/e/8192854?utm_campaign=stateoftheu&utm_content=chorus&utm_medium=social&utm_source=twitter …

[thirstybuzzardcane]

I think Mark Walton is going to be a very special player!!!

[CaneRock]

Definitely gonna need Walton to ball out for a successful season.

[CaneRock]

And with the emergence of Walton, do they RS Gray?

[SinisterCane]

Coastal or Bust!!!

[UMike]

Just for the record I am still not convinced Golden is the right guy to bring us #6....BUT...I am hoping he can prove me wrong and I want to try enjoy the off season and next year. He has the tools and talent so succeed so lets hope he does.

[raizecane]

UCF has officially become my 2nd favorite team to root for.

Why you ask? Well, my youngest daughter got accepted to attend college there. Now I will have two kids that have done something nobody in my entire family have been able to do prior to my oldest doing it....attend college.

Go Canes / Go Nights :-)

[UMike]

Raize...congrats!!! My son is 16, will be 17 in a few months. In two weeks we are taking tour to the Nashville Film Institute that he was invited to. He also recently got a letter from the University of Kentucky wanting him to tour. When I was a kid this stuff never crossed my mind...I attended some Community College, that is ALL the college experience in my family. He will be the first person to graduate High School in my family, God willing.

Whatever school he attends will immediately be my 2nd team and/or 1A lol

[NativeCane]

Just for the record I am still not convinced Golden is the right guy to bring us #6....BUT...I am hoping he can prove me wrong and I want to try enjoy the off season and next year. He has the tools and talent so succeed so lets hope he does.Posted by: UMike | April 16, 2015 at 12:22 PM

I agree 100% UMike, if he cant pull it off this year Native crosses to the other side!

Dem Canes!!!

[raizecane]

Umike......wishing him luck. Thats awesome. In my case, it shows that I did a better job as a parent then my parents. Or I should say, my kids had a better opportunity. As parents, thats all you can do so each generation gets better.

[Demons]

Son graduating from bowling Green ,Toledo oh next month thank thee lord, going out and trade in car for brand new one right after he does.

[CaneRock]

Ranking the ACC's Football Coaching Jobs in 2015 (Expert Poll)

4. Miami is an interesting case study in pros and cons. On the positive side, the Hurricanes offer as much upside as any program in the nation, winning national titles in three different decades and have the easiest access to elite prospects of any program in the nation. But fan and administrative support is inferior to any nationally elite programs and the home-field advantage is non-existent. This is why The U was the only other team to get a first-place vote — and was voted ninth twice.

See more at: http://athlonsports.com/college-football/ranking-accs-football-coaching-jobs-2015-expert-poll#sthash.b03vuifr.aZDh6FKU.dpuf

[Old Skool]

Native
By crossing to the other side
I assume that means in your book
Golden become Gollum

[Dude on a Pale Horse]

CR,

You don't RS TG now. You just split the rock and let as many guys as possible tote the rock. Gray, Edwards, Yearby, etc. just run their young legs. Every RB in America should go to a deep stable of RBs, with their JR or SR year as the top guy. No sense in using up your legs. Now, TG can play 4 or 5 positions, but if I'm him, I'm not leaving RB because I've already committed to the position. I'm just going to bust my @$$ and force the team to play me.

[Lurker]

To me, running back seems to be the type of position where you let a couple guys develop a rhythm, and as long as they do perform, that seems to be how you get the best performance out of running backs. I've never seen a program where they shuffled four and five running backs in and out, and that was successful. If there's one that exist, I'd like to be aware of it. But just from thousands of games we've all watched, I don't believe it's ever been a successful strategy. Just my thoughts.

[Lurker]

That doesn't mean you can't use more than a couple of running backs, but of all the football I've followed, it's usually just a couple of guys getting about 90% of the carries or more

[Surfercane]

Why is this 2016 class so good "assuming it sticks"? All FL and most all South Fl recruits awesome!

[The Dude]

Posted by: Lurker | April 16, 2015 at 04:33 PM

USC under Carroll, Urban Meyer has always rotated a lot of backs, Nick Saban, Georgia, LSU.

[The Dude]

Yearby should get about 60-65% as the feature back. Then you should have 3-4 guys splitting the rest situationally.

[The Dude]

2016 still needs a TE, a few OL, a couple of DTs.

[The Dude]

Very little beef in the 2016 class, but DE is solid.

[CaneRock]

Lurker...agree with you on the rhythm part.

TD...yeah, I remember watching USC play UVA one year, and they must've played at least 6 RBs in that game. But that game was a blowout, don't know their RB rotation in the closer games.

[The Dude]

Posted by: CaneRock | April 16, 2015 at 05:13 PM

Exactly, you still give your best guy the ball when the game is contested, so as I said: running within the context of the game. My hope is, that there are ZERO close games next year and our starters are always on the bench in the middle of the 3rd quarter. That said, Golden rotates players a lot, so I don't think carries will be an issue for the top 4 RBs.

[Go Canes]

I wonder if Gray can be kept eligible without dangling the playing time carrot in front of him.

The guy seems to struggle big time in the classroom. Making him do what he has to in the classroom with no payoff on the field may be tough.

[The Dude]

^^^ As someone who struggles in the classroom myself, I'm rooting for the kid.

[The Dude]

Have you guys seen this thing on Britt McHenry from ESPN? What a b*tch.

[CaneRock]

TD...I have no problem with what She said, tow people are sleazy MFs. There's a young lady I used to work with, who's car got towed with Her daughter in the backseat. Screw those bozos.

[The Dude]

Nah man. She shouldn't talk to the lady like she did.

[Lurker]

I don't see that, dude. Unless it's a blowout, but that's not what we were talking about. Not to be argumentative, but I just don't see 3-4 backs splitting 35% of the carries, assuming that your feet your back get 65% . Yeah you might get a guy gets in for one or two carries but that doesn't tell you anything. But anyway, I don't know who keeps those statistic so I could be wrong, you could be wrong, who the hell knows

[KYcane]

Raize - congratulations. My youngest has also been accepted at UCF and will start this fall.

Been having the "discussion" about living on campus or off since as you know I am not that far.

Told her I would rent an apartment if she took her sister with her. She didn't take the deal.

[KYcane]

UMike,

Congratulations to you as well. Stopped being a UK fan at an early age but Lexington is a very nice place.

[TonyCane]

Stats can sometimes be misleading, but here are the Hurricanes defensive stats (on avg) per game between 2004 - 2014:

PASSING
Average Comp, Attempts, Yards, TDs Given Up:
2004 (3): 18-28, 224 yards, 1 TD
2005 (3): 11-26, 143 yards, 1 TD
2006 (6): 13-24, 195 yards, 1 TD
2007 (7): 18-31, 238 yards, 2 TD
2008 (6): 12-24, 178 yards, 1 TD
2009 (4): 16-26, 224 yards, 1 TD
2010 (6): 13-25, 177 yards, 1 TD
2011 (6): 18-25, 241 yards, 2 TD
2012 (5): 23-32, 250 yards, 1 TD
2013 (4): 24-32, 331 yards, 3 TD
2014 (7): 15-23, 179 yards, 1 TD

Last season is the best of Golden's four years.

RUSHING
Average Attempts, Yards, Yards per Carry, TDs
2004 (3): 45-180, 4.0, 2 TD
2005 (3): 44-163, 3.7, 2 TD
2006 (6): 32-071, 2.2, 1 TD
2007 (7): 40-154, 3.8, 2 TD
2008 (6): 41-224, 5.5, 3 TD
2009 (4): 41-161, 3.9, 1 TD
2010 (6): 46-208, 4.5, 3 TD
2011 (6): 40-169, 4.3, 1 TD
2012 (5): 46-240, 5.4, 4 TD
2013 (4): 44-210, 4.8, 4 TD
2014 (7): 43-198, 4.6, 2 TD

Slight improvement year over year, but still over the 4 yard per carry average.

FIRST DOWNS GIVEN UP
Average First Downs Passing, Rushing, Penalties
2004 (3): 10, 10, 1
2005 (3): 07, 10, 2
2006 (6): 07, 05, 1
2007 (7): 11, 08, 1
2008 (6): 07, 11, 2
2009 (4): 09, 08, 1
2010 (6): 08, 10, 2
2011 (6): 11, 09, 1
2012 (5): 12, 14, 2
2013 (4): 16, 10, -
2014 (7): 07, 12, 2

Last season tied with 2011 for the best on Golden's tenure. Still ground to make up.

PENALTIES
Average Number, Yards Given Up
2004 (3): 6-45
2005 (3): 7-52
2006 (6): 4-31
2007 (7): 6-45
2008 (6): 5-44
2009 (4): 5-46
2010 (6): 6-56
2011 (6): 5-40
2012 (5): 8-67
2013 (4): 8-65
2014 (7): 5-50

TURNOVERS
Average Fumbles Recovered, Interceptions
2004 (3): 1 Fumble, 1 Int
2005 (3): 1 Fumble, - Int
2006 (6): - Fumble, - Int
2007 (7): 1 Fumble, 1 Int
2008 (6): 1 Fumble, 1 Int
2009 (4): 1 Fumble, 1 Int
2010 (6): 1 Fumble, - Int
2011 (6): - Fumble, - Int
2012 (5): - Fumble, 1 Int
2013 (4): - Fumble, 1 Int
2014 (7): 1 Fumble, - Int

[TonyCane]

Miami Hurricanes average offensive statistics 2004-2014 in losses:

PASSING PER LOSS
Average Comp, Attempts, Yards, TDs Given Up:
2004 (3): 19-37, 241 yards, 1 TD
2005 (3): 13-27, 180 yards, 1 TD
2006 (6): 16-28, 172 yards, 1 TD
2007 (7): 13-27, 148 yards, 1 TD
2008 (6): 21-36, 201 yards, 2 TD
2009 (4): 18-33, 228 yards, 1 TD
2010 (6): 20-40, 241 yards, 1 TD
2011 (6): 20-31, 264 yards, 2 TD
2012 (5): 21-34, 215 yards, 1 TD
2013 (4): 19-33, 264 yards, 2 TD
2014 (7): 20-34, 270 yards, 2 TD

Best passing performance in the last eleven seasons.

RUSHING PER LOSS
Average Attempts, Yards, Yards per Carry, TDs
2004 (3): 28 att, 076 yards, 2.8 ypc, 2 TD
2005 (3): 32 att, 055 yards, 1.7 ypc, - TD
2006 (6): 32 att, 097 yards, 3.0 ypc, 1 TD
2007 (7): 39 att, 117 yards, 3.0 ypc, 1 TD
2008 (6): 29 att, 099 yards, 3.4 ypc, 1 TD
2009 (4): 29 att, 103 yards, 3.5 ypc, 1 TD
2010 (6): 33 att, 167 yards, 5.0 ypc, 1 TD
2011 (6): 31 att, 149 yards, 4.8 ypc, 1 TD
2012 (5): 29 att, 113 yards, 3.9 ypc, 1 TD
2013 (4): 28 att, 078 yards, 2.8 ypc, 1 TD
2014 (7): 29 att, 115 yards, 4.0 ypc, 1 TD

FIRST DOWNS GAINED PER LOSS
Avg First Downs Passing, Rush, Penalties, Total
2004 (3): 12 Pass, 04 Rush, 0 Pen, 16 Total
2005 (3): 08 Pass, 03 Rush, 0 Pen, 11 Total
2006 (6): 07 Pass, 06 Rush, 1 Pen, 14 Total
2007 (7): 06 Pass, 07 Rush, 1 Pen, 14 Total
2008 (6): 09 Pass, 06 Rush, 1 Pen, 16 Total
2009 (4): 12 Pass, 05 Rush, 1 Pen, 18 Total
2010 (6): 12 Pass, 08 Rush, 2 Pen, 22 Total
2011 (6): 10 Pass, 07 Rush, 2 Pen, 19 Total
2012 (5): 10 Pass, 05 Rush, 2 Pen, 17 Total
2013 (4): 10 Pass, 05 Rush, 3 Pen, 18 Total
2014 (7): 11 Pass, 06 Rush, 1 Pen, 19 Total

AVERAGE PENALTIES PER LOSS
2004 (3): 8-55 yards
2005 (3): 6-60 yards
2006 (6): 6-47 yards
2007 (7): 6-46 yards
2008 (6): 5-47 yards
2009 (4): 6-41 yards
2010 (6): 8-66 yards
2011 (6): 7-55 yards
2012 (5): 6-45 yards
2013 (4): 3-26 yards
2014 (7): 7-53 yards

AVERAGE TURNOVERS PER LOSS
Average Fumbles, Interceptions, Total
2004 (3): 1 Fumble, 0 Int, 1 Total
2005 (3): 0 Fumble, 1 Int, 1 Total
2006 (6): 1 Fumble, 1 Int, 2 Total
2007 (7): 1 Fumble, 2 Int, 3 Total
2008 (6): 0 Fumble, 2 Int, 2 Total
2009 (4): 1 Fumble, 2 Int, 3 Total
2010 (6): 1 Fumble, 3 Int, 4 Total
2011 (6): 1 Fumble, 1 Int, 2 Total
2012 (5): 1 Fumble, 1 Int, 1 Total
2013 (4): 1 Fumble, 1 Int, 1 Total
2014 (7): 1 Fumble, 1 Int, 1 Total

[SOUP]

Well, my youngest daughter got accepted to attend college there. Now I will have two kids that have done something nobody in my entire family have been able to do prior to my oldest doing it....attend college.

Go Canes / Go Nights :-)

Posted by: raizecane | April 16, 2015 at 01:01 PM

LOVE THIS!

[KYcane]

TonyCane doing some heavy lifting!

[SOUP]

TonyCane doing some heavy lifting!

Posted by: KYcane | April 16, 2015 at 09:37 PM

As is his nature.

I have asked him 1,000,000 times to email me his research so we can post it as a front page piece but NO, he just does his thing? LOL

[The Dude]

TC is the stat-man.

[raizecane]

Told her I would rent an apartment if she took her sister with her. She didn't take the deal.

Posted by: KYcane | April 16, 2015 at 08:34 PM

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

Now thats funny..... we are in same boat. Personally, I think she needs to stay on campus. At least for the first year. Congrats on your daughter getting accepted as well.

[WWIN]

UMike good article, except for the part about being a "hater"! You not a hater, you're a realist, you haven't said nothing that wasn't true! The problem is Homers have changed the definition of "hate". You don't like Golden just like 95% of the fan base, and it's not like you don't have a reason to hate him, in fact there's plenty of reasons! You're just a normal fan

[CaneRock]

I wonder if Gray can be kept eligible without dangling the playing time carrot in front of him.

The guy seems to struggle big time in the classroom. Making him do what he has to in the classroom with no payoff on the field may be tough.

Posted by: Go Canes | April 16, 2015 at 05:51 PM

Good points.

[Terrance Sullivan]

Congratulations to KYCANE and Raize.