Canespace

Love Me Some Larranaga

Many times I am asked, "Who is the best coach on the University of Miami campus?" And I always answer this way: Jim Larranaga (Men's basketball), Amy Deem (Track) and Paige Yaroshuk-Tews (Women's tennis).

Yeah, I know that the old guy, UM baseball coach Jim Morris, may have the most impressive resume. And yeah I know that the new guy, UM head football coach Mark Richt is doing pretty good so far.

But still neither has reached the consistency or excellence that these other coaches has upheld for years and years now at the University of Miami.

Last night our #1 ranked coach at UM, Jim Larranaga beat down Minnesota in the ACC - Big 10 Challenge. Miami dominated and demonstrated that they are a team not to be messed with.

It is highly possible that "Big Jim" may have recruited his way into serious contention not only in the always tough ACC and the National title championship competition. Only time will tell but so far so good.

Here is some more info from www.hurricanesports.com:

The No. 10 Miami men's basketball team improved to 6-0 on the year with an 86-81 win at No. 12/12 Minnesota Wednesday evening in front of a raucous, sold-out crowd at Williams Arena. Miami captured its fourth straight game in the Big Ten/ACC Challenge.
 
Miami again showed balance on the offensive end, with five players scoring in double figures. Dewan Huell had a huge game, scoring a career-high 23 points on 10-of-16 shooting. Bruce Brown Jr. added 16 points, nine rebounds and five assists, while Ja'Quan Newton added 12, Dejan Vasiljevic 11 and Chris Lykes 10.
 
The Hurricanes shot 50.7 percent from the field, including 10-for-25 from 3-point range. UM limited Minnesota to 44.4 percent shooting, including 5-for-16 from behind the arc. Miami turned the ball over just eight times.
 
After the teams played to a 36-all deadlock through 20 minutes, the Hurricanes struck with a 9-2 run to start the second half, capped by a fast-break 3-pointer from Lykes, to take a 45-38 lead and lead Minnesota to a time out. 

And the final words I leave you from my wide and ranging knowledge of music:

U don't pull on Superman's cape,

U don't spit into the wind,

U don't pull the mask off the Outlaw Ranger,

And U don't mess around with Jim.

Richt Seeks Redemption

Mark Richt is the by far best head coach Miami has had in well over a decade.

Mark Richt accomplished more in his second year at UM than other coaches have achieved in their entire coaching careers. Mark Richt led Miami to an ACC Coastal division championship and the ACC title game.

No other UM head football coach can say that. That is huge and of that there can be no doubt. For that we are all very thankful and appreciative.

And then Mark Richt went out and blew the game against Pittsburgh when all the chips were down for a National Championship.

And now Mark Richt has a chance to win all his money back on one last big bet.

Can Mark Richt fool us all, casually lose to un-ranked Pitt, and then beat the #1 ranked Clemson Tigers in the title game? Some fans say he can, some say he can't. But it is up to him to prove them right or wrong and shut them up.

Can he? Will he? Only time will tell... 

The Melt Down In Steel Town

Now why did you have to go and wake us up? The dream that we all had been living since September was so amazing, so incredible, so totally unbelievable.

But all good things, and dreams, eventually come to an end and yesterday your Miami Hurricanes were rudely awakened by the Pittsburgh Panthers in what will be forever remembered as "The Melt Down in Steel Town".

Miami's dream-like perfect season went up in flames on Heinz Field, the same field where the professional Pittsburgh Steelers play on Sundays. It was the Hurricanes' offense that looked anything but professional, and in fact instead looked like a bunch of well, amateurs, as they squandered opportunity after opportunity provided by the opportunistic UM defense.

The Miami Chain Gang managed to break out the turnover chain twice in the first half, but it was to no avail as the offense promptly went three and out on both occasions with zero points to show for it.

The seemingly rudderless (coaching) and emotionless (players) offense went about the usual motions and were plagued by an increasingly inaccurate quarterback who was once again consistently inconsistent.

UM QB Malik Rosier could not hit the broad side of a barn and proceeded to miss open receiver after open receiver. He was so bad that he was eventually replaced for one series by Omar Sharif, an Egyptian actor who starred in several famous movies like Lawrence of Arabia, Dr. Zhivago and Funny Girl, but who actually died two years ago.

Huh, what? Oh, OK, I got that part wrong. He was replaced by some guy named Evan Sherriffs who went out and played about as well as Omar Sharif would have if still alive (may God rest his soul). As I try to make light of the situation you can trust me that many tears were shed by Hurricane fans over this complete cluster of a game with no obvious or apparent game plan on offense. 

With a National Championship title on the line you would have thought that the Hurricanes might even come out and play their best and most highly motivated game of the season to go out with a bang and impress the pollsters.

You would be wrong.

The Canes came out flat and uninspired and landed with a loud thud as they fell from their current #2 ranking to what will likely be somewhere around #7 or #8 after the convincing late season loss in Pittsburgh.

Next up things get a lot easier for UM as the Hurricanes will play the lowly Clemson Tigers in the ACC Title game in Charlotte.

Huh, what? OK, I guess I got that part wrong too? Darn it, apparently this blog writing thing is harder than it looks.

Lets just hope that Miami likes playing on a Saturday in North Carolina better than playing on a Friday in Pennsylvania.

There is still a lot to play for in Charlotte including ACC bragging rights and even a slim chance at one of the four coveted college football playoff spots.

Oh, and Coach Richt, do us a solid and bring the offense along this time, OK?

Thanks, we really appreciate it!

U Have So Much To Be Thankful For

On this Thanksgiving Day 2017 we want to give thanks and show our deep felt appreciation for those things we hold near and dear to our hearts.

We are thankful for all of the usual things like our family and friends and our shared time together.

We are thankful for our freedom and all of those who fight to protect our life and liberty.

We are thankful for our right to practice our individual faiths that help us cope with many of life''s challenges.

We are thankful to live in the best Country with the most opportunities to succeed of anywhere in the world.

And we are so very, very thankful for our incredibly successful University of Miami Hurricanes athletics program.

This year, maybe most of all, we are thankful for UM football head coach Mark Richt, his coaching staff and all of the players who are on the 2017 roster.

They have taken this team from the middle of nowhere to middle of the college football playoff picture and a #2 ranking in the Nation in just two short years. 

Yes indeed, for Mark Richt and the 2017 Miami Hurricanes football team we are very thankful and highly appreciative.

I want to wish a warm and very Happy Thanksgiving to our Canespace Family!

Heard It From Another U Been Messing Around

We heard it from North Carolina who, heard it from Georgia Tech who, heard it from FSU that "The U" been messing around.

Cat and mouse. Rope A Dope. Smoke and mirrors.

Bait and switch. Hook and ladder. Doom and deception.

Apparently these are just some of the many tricks that your Miami Hurricanes have up their very long and silky sleeves.

On a absolutely delicious South Florida November morning at Hard Rock Stadium, we arrived early to get our "game" on.

We arrived believing that Miami would face Virginia in another easy ACC game on their way to possibly another shot at a National Championship.

The sun was soft, the breeze was light and the fans were exuding some serious swag and some major confidence during the tailgate.

The Stadium looked perfectly nice, safe and calm in the early morning light.

Little did we know that under the palms and bushes and bleachers that Miami would wind up just messing around with heavy underdog Virginia until it seemed that it was almost too late.

How else do you explain the Hurricanes allowing the Cavaliers to go up by 14 points not once but twice during the game? Just setting something up of course!

That was precisely when we realized that UM head Coach Mark Richt has just been messing around with college football in general and Miami fans in specific.

It was at this very game that we figured out the Richt has this all figured out without a doubt. Only time will tell but I now think that he has this season right where he wants it. And he thinks that only he knows it.

Oh, I almost forgot, Miami beat Virginia convincingly by the score of 44-28.

And listen up Coach Richt. The Miami fans are on to your wild scheme.

We know that this game wasn't even close. Do you want to know why?

We heard it from a friend who, heard it from a friend who, heard it from another that you been messing around.  

Can The Chain Stay Unbroken?

The turnover chain is all the rage all across the college football world.

The Miami Hurricanes remain the hottest team in college football.

Now the only question is: "Can the chain remain unbroken?"

We say yes. No, check that, we say a resounding HELL YES!

PREDICTION: Miami 34 - Virginia 13.

Back On The Chain Gang

Surprisingly enough it turns out that the University of Miami defenses' "Turnover Chain" is all the rage. The funny thing is that the entire college football world knows that only in Miami could such a simple thing become so famous. 

But hey, when you add up the most watched ESPN Game Day of the year, way too cool South Beach, way too rich Alex Rodriguez, so beautiful Coral Gables and smoking hot Jennifer Lopez, well, it is clear that we have got it going on!

So yes, the Miami Hurricanes "Chain Gang" is back in action and better than ever in South Florida. The coaches thought it up, the players love it, and the fans can't get enough of it. The national media is eating it up and the college football world does not know what to make of it.

The stats show that Miami ranks second in turnover margin with a +15 ratio and 5th in total turnovers gained with 24. Now that is very impressive!

It is often said that a chain is only as strong as its weakest link. Recently we have seen that the Turnover Chain looks unbreakable and is here to stay.

And to the rest of the college football world we say this: Choke on it!

Guilty Beyond A Reasonable Doubt

Back in the late 1980's a game between Notre Dame and Miami was framed by many as Catholics versus Convicts.

Well, a lot has changed since then and we are well aware that the University of Miami would love to see those old images die away, but for the sake of argument we will return to those glory days and brief but very joyful journey down memory lane.

Fast forward to 2017 when many of the biased talking heads in the media had openly and proudly denied that the Convicts would have any remote chance at defeating the heavily favored Catholics in their much anticipated match-up.

Then the clear and irrefutable evidence was shown to a National television audience in prime time. As a result, after the game the Convicts were found guilty beyond any reasonable doubt. The evidence clearly showed that the Convicts murdered the Catholics by a score of 41-8.

And yes, let there be no doubt that it was a complete and total slaughter.

It started when the the team arrived at the stadium. It was bedlam, it was crazy and it was loud. In my tailgating career I have been to many "Hurricane Walks" but none was ever like this one. And it was not even close.

From the time that UM WR Braxton Berrios became an instant Hurricane legend for slowly shuffling off of the field with his hands behind his back in the "Convict Position" after the first touchdown reception, this game was over.

The Hurricanes would be found guilty as charged for killing any chances the (Non) Fighting Irish had on this concert-like night at Hard Rock Stadium. It was better than a live performance by The Scorpions (Rock You Like a Hurricane) and AC/DC (Hell's Bells) and even old Billy Joel (Only The Good Die Young) combined in front of a sold out and crunked up crowd at The Rock.

Trust me when I tell you that this was the largest and most amazing crowd making the loudest noise for any game since "The Old Lady" (read: Orange Bowl) was laid to rest. It seems that a long twelve years of mediocrity had built up in Miami fans like a dam just waiting to burst. And burst it did as the cheers roared throughout the stadium like flood waters.

It was like a resurrection had taken place. The energy, emotion and electricity from the stadium was so reminiscent of the Orange Bowl that it could power the City of Miami for a few days and a few National Championships to follow.

The bond between this team, its coaches, and the City and its fans is once again intact. If UM Head Coach Mark Richt does this right it could be the beginning of a long, beautiful and winning relationship. And that would be exactly what this fan base, and this City, has been patiently waiting for.

And the thought of that is very comforting to Miami fans and scary as hell to the rest of college football. We really like that. Yeah, we like that a lot.

Game Day: Miami vs Notre Dame

Are you ready for some football?

Are you ready to renew a rivalry?

Are you ready to be ranked in the top 5?

Are you ready for the college football playoffs?

Well, I am ready, I hope you are too!

Let's go Canes!

Prediction: Miami 34 - Notre Dame 13

Now That Was Convincing!

If I told you that you could do the "Hokie Pokie" and turn your team around, would you agree, that's what it's all about? Well you certainly should.

That is considering taking in the sights and sounds at Hard Rock Stadium with Dan Marino statues, UM blackout jerseys and all that rolled up into one.

Well, now let me ask you that same question, but maybe in another way.

If you could tailgate with passion, drink heavily, eat tasty Paella and celebrate accordingly throughout the day would want to join us in our festivities?

If I told you that I predicted that your Miami Hurricanes would dominate the Virginia Tech Hokies by a score of 34-13 (21 points) but would settle for a convincing win of 28-10 (18 points) will you still agree that this was a huge turnaround? Well, yes indeed, I think that most of you definitely would.

These are the same Hokies who beat the Hurricanes in Blacksburg badly last year. Yet last night, at Hard Rock Stadium in Miami, with the Goodyear Blimp flying overhead (read this: Big Game) the Hokies lost in humiliating fashion (that was not reflected in the final score) in Miami in 2017.

Last night UM head coach Mark Richt got up and did the Hokie Pokie.

And turned this team around.

And that's what it is all about.