Laughing Out Loud At U

FAU used a six-run ninth inning to pull past Miami Wednesday night at Mark Light Field, capturing an 11-9 win in a midweek matchup. 

Thanks largely to a grand slam from second baseman Eric Rivera in the game's final inning, the Owls (16-5) rallied past Miami (9-11) in shocking fashion in front of 2,831 fans.

"It's disappointing," senior co-captain Michael Burns said. "It's a tough one to swallow tonight. I thought we really had it going and didn't end up on top...it's how you respond on Friday. That's what we're looking to do - looking to respond to this game on Friday."

Miami was not aided by five errors from its defense. Rivera's slam off Miami reliever Cooper Hammond (1-1) capped the comeback. FAU reliever Zach Schneider picked up his seventh save with a scoreless ninth inning.

"For us, when we're up 9-2, we have to win. We have to put the game away," head coach Jim Morris said. "We had a chance to pound somebody, and we didn't. We let them back in the ballgame, we played terrible defense. We didn't pitch late, and we made too many errors to let them back in the game."

And that is why you should have retired at least three years ago.

It is sad, but true.

Comments

[Go Canes!!]

Breaking: Donaldson does not possess the speed or footwork necessary to play wide receiver.

More details to follow.

[Terrance Sullivan]

Ugh!

[welcane]

Was really hoping Coach could go out on a high note, but I'm rapidly losing hope.
At this point I'm just hoping they make it into the ncaa tournament.

[Go Canes!!]

Mark Richt on his way to restoring Miami to its former glory
9:00 AM ET
Chris Low

CORAL GABLES, Fla. -- Mark Richt stands in what will soon be his old office at Miami’s Hecht Athletic Center and gazes through the window as construction workers bring to life what might as well have been a dream when Richt returned to his alma mater as head coach in December 2015.

The Hurricanes’ new $34 million indoor practice facility and football operations building are scheduled for completion in August. Richt still recalls what longtime Miami baseball coach Jim Morris, who will retire following this season, told him at the groundbreaking ceremony.

Morris looked at Richt and said, “You don’t understand. This is a miracle, what’s happening right now.”

With Mark Richt at the helm and new and improved facilities, the future looks bright at Miami. Logan Bowles/USA Today Sports
The Hurricanes, who have long lagged behind in the facilities arms race, are finally getting up to speed, and it’s no accident that $28 million of the total cost was raised in nine months after Richt got the job. Not only did Richt play a leading role in the fund-raising effort, helping to secure the $14 million lead gift from Carol Soffer and her family, but he also ponied up $1 million of his own money.

This is home for Richt, and so was Georgia before he was pushed out, and he’s very clear about why he’s back where it all began for him in college 40 years ago as a backup quarterback to Hall of Famer Jim Kelly.

“I keep telling people that I didn’t come here just because it was my alma mater,” Richt told ESPN. “I came here because you can win. If you do things right and get the support you need, you can win. It’s been proven. The players have always been here. You just have to make sure you get the right ones, and a lot of the other things they used to ding us on, our facilities and things like that, they’re not going to be able to do that anymore with this brand-new building and the improvements to Hard Rock Stadium.”

Richt turns casually to the shelves on the wall behind his desk and points to some of The U’s most cherished memorabilia from the glory years.

“There’s five national championship footballs signed by the national championship coaches here,” Richt said. “It can be done again, and that’s what we’re working toward every day: to bring this program back to where we all expect it to be.”

In just two seasons, Richt has Miami racing in that direction. The Hurricanes won 10 games last season for the first time since 2003 and won the ACC’s Coastal Division for the first time. The finish to the season wasn’t what Richt or anybody in these parts wanted. The Hurricanes lost their last three games, including a blowout 38-3 loss to Clemson in the ACC championship game. But Miami climbed as high as No. 2 in the College Football Playoff rankings, signaling to the rest of the college football world that The U is indeed relevant again for all of the right reasons.

The challenge now is going from relevant status to championship status.

Miami fans have reason to be excited after Mark Richt led the Hurricanes to their first 10-win season since 2003. AP Photo/Wilfredo Lee
“We limped into the end of the year,” Richt said of last season’s disappointing finish. “Our three best offensive players got hurt, and we don’t have a lot of depth still, dudes that can step right in there and play championship ball. That’s where we need to catch up.”

The good news is that the returns on the recruiting trail have been promising. Miami finished No. 8 nationally in ESPN’s recruiting rankings for the 2018 class, ahead of in-state rivals Florida State (11th) and Florida (13th) and just a couple of notches below the teams that have accounted for the past three national champions, Alabama (sixth) and Clemson (fifth).

Richt is equally encouraged by the way the 2019 class is coming along. The Hurricanes already have 12 commitments, 11 from the state of Florida.

“If we recruit like we’ve been recruiting for four or five seasons in a row, then we’ll have that kind of depth, the kind you see at Clemson and Alabama,” Richt said. “At least we’re battling Florida, Florida State, Clemson, Georgia, Alabama and Auburn. Everybody is down here in South Florida trying to recruit players, so if you get your share of the local kids and the kids in the state, you’re going to have a team that has the ingredients to win championships.”

As much as anything, Richt offers stability to a Miami program that has lacked sorely in that area, be it through coaching turnover, NCAA sanctions stemming from the Nevin Shapiro scandal or a roster in flux.

“When I got here, Miami was still on probation,” Richt said. “We still haven’t gotten our [scholarship] numbers up to 85. Last year we were at 73 but could have been higher. It just takes time to get your numbers back. You have a max in any given year, and that can only get you so far, and then you have attrition. You can’t make it up in one year. We lost kids to the NFL, lost kids who knew they weren’t going to play here and wanted to go someplace else and play, which happens everywhere.

“You will also have some discipline issues: not guys who were bad guys, but guys who weren’t going to do what they were supposed to do, go to class, be prepared, be respectful and do your best. That’s really all I’m asking.”

In return, Richt, 58, is promising that he has put down roots, despite who else might call. Like in his 15 seasons at Georgia, Richt had inquiries this offseason about other jobs.

“But I never let it get to a point where I talk to them about the job,” Richt said. “It’s happened my whole career. I never once have tried to leverage another job for more money. I don’t think that’s right. The day we took the job, my mentality has always been, ‘If you’re the head coach, too many lives depend on you.’ If I just say on a whim, ‘You know, I think I’d rather go here,’ well, all these recruits you said something to, all these coaches you said something to, what about them?

“Every time you hire a coach, you’re taking the coach, his wife and his kids on an adventure. They’re trusting you and believing in you enough to become a staff member. I don’t want to just walk into a room and say, ‘Hey, guys, thanks for helping me get to where I really want to be.’ It’s the same thing with these kids. They’ve had enough disappointment, enough men leave their lives. You’re trying to build trust, and then you bolt on them because of money or because of whatever? I’ve just never been able to get past that part of it.”

Richt isn’t judging. He certainly understands coaches “wanting to stay ahead of the chopping block” if they’ve been somewhere for a while and there’s a push to get rid of them. He was well aware that he was on that “chopping block” at Georgia, but he had other priorities that were more important to him than getting out of town before he received a pink slip.

“I got to raise my kids in one city for 15 years,” Richt said. “My daughter, Anya, went from pre-K to graduating high school in the same school. You can’t put a price on that.”

Although he never would have left Georgia had he not been fired, Richt is grateful for his time in Athens and equally grateful to be back coaching at a place that means so much to him.

“I spent 15 years of my life at Georgia. It was great. We embraced it and poured our lives into it. But when it was time to go, it was time to go,” Richt said. “We really do trust God with what’s going on. There have been so many awesome things that have happened here at Miami. It’s been incredible. It’s a time in our lives when Katharyn and I are empty-nesting. We live in Coconut Grove and are having a ball, and I’m also getting a chance to help my alma mater. Even this new building right here, whenever I’m gone -- whether it’s a year from now or 10 years from now -- we would have made some kind of impact on the program in a big way.

“Everywhere you go, there are people who need you.”

Well, Miami needed Richt, too, and he and the Hurricanes are building back to the future.

[MS76cane]

Morris should have been replaced several years ago.

[86Cane]

Breaking: Donaldson does not possess the speed or footwork necessary to play wide receiver.

More details to follow.

Posted by: Go Canes!! | March 21, 2018 at 11:10 PM

Very childish. U really can't stand it when someone else is right, can you?

[Old Skool]

Bleacher Report predicting Lonnie and Bruce both drafted in the first round.

[thirstybuzzardcane]

Not surprised! I'm sure Lonnie is next!

https://twitter.com/MiamiDieHards/status/976847988164263943?s=19

[RCCF]

ESPN and Good News!! Better Read it Before They Go Back to Bad ESPN

http://www.espn.com/blog/acc/post/_/id/100674/mark-richt-on-his-way-to-restoring-miami-to-its-former-glory

[Go Canes!!]

Frank Gore signs with the Fins.

So awesome.

[NativeCane]

GC and RCCF, I never get tired of articles like that.....glad to have a coach like Richt!

Cane On !!!

[Terrance Sullivan]

Native Cane Yes Sir Brotha.

[BigWindyCane1]

BRUCE Brown declared for the draft but didn’t hire an agent, so he is just testing the waters. Brown could possibly return

[AeroCane]

Windy - let's hope but if he's a projected 1st rounder I say go for it - take the money; on the other hand, if 2nd or lower, then come back

[BigWindyCane1]

By the way, everything I read leads me to believe that CMR likes what Rosier accomplished last season and, therefore, the QB1 position belongs to Rosier.

I just viewed the videos of the QBs throwing is spring practice and I was very surprised to see that Perry is clearly the most talented QB on the roster, and Perry looks like the best QB before the pads come on. If this continues after the pads are on, Perry could be the QB1 by the time the Canes roll into Dallas to play LSU.

It’s only spring, but I really like what I see with Perry. I see why CMR recruited him as a priority. The talent is there. Now it’s time for us to see if Perry can use that talent.

[His Royal Dudeness]

I'm thinking Joe Jackson is gonna have one helluva a year. He seems so locked in, understands his role as a leader, etc.

[His Royal Dudeness]

I'm also EXPECTING a big year out of Mike Jackson and Jaquan Johnson. The leadership on the 2018 team is real. This defense will be dominant. It will make us very proud.

[86Cane]

Leadership we need.

Jaquan can do that on D.

Who can do that on O?

[Terrance Sullivan]

Great question 86. We need a leader on Offense to emerge and fast.

[JaxCane]

Posted by: Go Canes!! | March 21, 2018 at 07:10 AM

See this is why Richt should've thrown more roll out passes for Rosier.💆💆

[HawaiiCane]

Really?!?! FSU is going to the Elite 8... ugh.

[Go Canes!!]

Posted by: JaxCane | March 22, 2018 at 11:20 PM

This is a great post.

[Old Skool]

Canespace is getting classier. No one pounced on the softball quote below from senior co-captain Michael Burns. "It's a tough one to swallow tonight."

[Go Canes!!]

Love me some CMR.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MpGL0KH-PcU#action=share

[Go Canes!!]

Good:

Miami Dolphins bringing Chris Herndon in for a visit, per source. #Dolphins

[86Cane]

That's some good coaching going on in that Richt video.

[Old Skool]

Wayne Huizenga RIP

[NativeCane]

Huizenga and Zell Miller showed up at the Pearly Gates together and blew St. Peters mind!

Fantastic CMR video GC!

Cane On!!!

[Go Canes!!]

Barry: Meetings were held at Marlins Park in recent days about holding the 2019 Miami-FIU football game there. It’s long been a known candidate in the mix to host that game, and one person involved in the decision said it appears to be the frontrunner site.

[Terrance Sullivan]

Lol that's going to be bleep fest GC. There will be a minimum of 20,000 Fans who won't get a chance to see the Miami vs FIU game in Marlins Park because it's too small lol. Idiotic both games should be played at the Rock.

[TonyCane]

Barry: Meetings were held at Marlins Park in recent days about holding the 2019 Miami-FIU football game there. It’s long been a known candidate in the mix to host that game, and one person involved in the decision said it appears to be the frontrunner site.

Posted by: Go Canes!! | March 23, 2018 at 02:30 PM

I say we do it - as long as Marlins Park is rebranded under the name of the facility whose space it occupies.

THE ORANGE BOWL

[86Cane]

I'm going fishing!

[thirstybuzzardcane]

Canespace is getting classier. No one pounced on the softball quote below from senior co-captain Michael Burns. "It's a tough one to swallow tonight."

Posted by: Old Skool | March 23, 2018 at 09:07 AM

Dammit!!! I can't believe I missed this! That's what she said!!! That's what she said!!

[thirstybuzzardcane]

What's with Verizon having their name on Hard Rock?

https://twitter.com/TomGarfinkel/status/977384022111334400?s=19

[TJL]

1st!!!---Well today

[NativeCane]

I'm going fishing!

Posted by: 86Cane | March 23, 2018 at 11:34 PM

Remember Im still only about 2/3 the man I was the last time U saw so if the boat goes down its every man for himself and if we make it past the Gators to shore you'll have to deal with the Bears!

Cane On!!!

[86Cane]

I ain't scurred!

[TonyCane]

Watch out for pythons, terror birds, and skunk apes, guys.

[TonyCane]

How many of you guys are going to the LSU Miami game?

[BigWindyCane1]

Canes seem to be looking at Derrick Smith at SAM LB, and McCloud running with the second team. DIAZ says it’s because the Canes are in nickel defense during the open session of practice, but I like the defense with Smith at SAM. Also looks like Redwine is being challenged by Knowles and Carter. The freshmen DBs can all play. This will make the defense stronger. The defense is less experienced, but IMO clearly more talented.

[BigWindyCane1]

CMR seems to be backing Rosier right now, but I think Perry has the talent to be the QB1 of 2018. Perry really looks good throwing the ball in practice. From a talent perspective, it’s not even close. But it all boils down to how the playwhen the pads are on and the red QB Jersey comes off. We will see

[86Cane]

How many of you guys are going to the LSU Miami game?

Posted by: TonyCane | March 24, 2018 at 07:34 PM

Terrance, KYCane, me, Mrs. 86 and who knows who else?

[86Cane]

BWC...if Rosier starts next year we are nowhere near where we need to be at QB and it will be another lost season. If Perry can't win the starting QB job he was WAY over-hyped and will probably transfer.

[86Cane]

I will not watch another year of Rosier.

I'd rather be fishing, or golfing or bike riding on the beach or anything but that.

[NativeCane]

Watch out for pythons, terror birds, and skunk apes, guys.

Posted by: TonyCane | March 24, 2018 at 07:10 PM

We all know that pythons and skunk apes exist, what are the chances of a freak late hatching of a clutch of terror birds on the Lake Wales ridge area say somewhere around Lake Kissimmee, TC?

[NativeCane]

I hate rooting for Michigan but I love it when FSU loses. Down goes Hamilton!

[SATXCane]

TonyCane/86Cane

My wife and I will be going to the Miami/LSU game with my in-laws. We will be driving from San Antonio most likely on Saturday. I tried to meet up with Tom and some others from the Space at the Oklahoma game, but unfortunately, we were not able to connect. Hopefully, we can meet some of you guys/gals at the LSU game. I don’t post, but I am here reading pretty much everyday.

[86Cane]

NEW BLOG IS UP!

[NativeCane]

SATXCane/TC, waiting to find out availability of tickets but myself and Mrs. Native have been considering visiting her folks in Pleasanton and San Marcos then hitting the game. Would love to catch a Cowboys game too.

[86Cane]

Down goes Hamilton!

Posted by: NativeCane | March 24, 2018 at 11:13 PM

That's what she said?