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The Best Of The Rest

A total of 11 Miami Hurricanes were among those recognized with all-conference recognition, the Atlantic Coast Conference announced Monday.

Headlined by junior linebacker Shaq Quarterman's selection to the All-ACC First Team, six Hurricanes were named first-, second- or third-team All-ACC, while another five players earned All-ACC Honorable Mention recognition.

Junior running back Travis Homer, true freshman tight end Brevin Jordan, senior safety Jaquan Johnsonand redshirt senior defensive tackle Gerald Willis III were all named to the All-ACC Second Team, while sophomore cornerback Trajan Bandy was selected to the All-ACC Third Team.

Five more Hurricanes were among those who picked up All-ACC Honorable Mention recognition: senior offensive lineman Tyree St. Louis, junior defensive end Joe Jackson, junior linebacker Michael Pinckney, senior cornerback Michael Jackson, Sr., and senior safety Sheldrick Redwine.

The honor was the third of Quarterman's career, but first first-team recognition. Homer, Jackson, Sr., Johnson and Pinckney each picked up the second honors of their respective careers, while the other six players were honored for the first time. To view the entire list of All-ACC honorees, click HERE.

The Pillage (And The Plunder)

This is the story of the once infamous, yet soon to be famous, Canespace blogger TruCane81. You see this wise and creative man came up with the name for the University of Miami Defense. He called it: "The Pillage".

We added "The Plunder". But for a real and true definition let us be clear: 

'Plunder' refers to the roving of soldiers through recently conquered territory in search of money and goods. 'Pillage' describes the act of stripping a conquered city or people of valuables. As pirates are not soldiers, they would now pillage, but as they are soldier-like they could also plunder.

The Miami Hurricanes defense under the highly competent direction of Defensive Coordinator Manny Diaz has been nothing short of spectacular this season. They have pillaged and plundered early and often.

We like that. Yes, we like that a lot.

As in the pirate days when the rogue warriors would simply pillage and plunder whatever they wanted from whoever they wanted whenever they wanted with no questions asked. This is exactly what the UM defense did this year.

With an offense struggling to even have a pulse, the defense has carried this team to where it is today. Not the lofty perch we all once wished for but the current favorable two-game win streak that not only made Miami bowl eligible but even praise worthy.

And all this is spite of a horrid offense coached by an incompetent coordinator with a useless offensive line coordinator and a QB coach as his son.  Yeah, I said it and I don't in the least bit regret it. That waste of needless and wasted offensive energy needs to move on and much sooner rather than later.

Tonight or even tomorrow would be just fine for most 'Canes fans.

If not for "The Pillage" (and The Plunder)  Miami could easily be 3-9. Instead, thanks to the defense we salvaged a 7-5 season in a weak ACC division.

Simply put, in 2018 we got lucky. But lucky ain't going to cut it going forward.

Scoring points is what we need and what Mark Richt is not good at.

The time for change is near. In fact, on offense, it is here right now. 

Game Day Blog: Miami vs Pitt

I am going to keep this short and simple.

For my Christmas wishes to come true our University of Miami Hurricanes need a win today over the Pittsburgh Panthers.

I will be attending the last game of the season to see if Santa Claus (aka Mark Richt) will grant me the second of my three wishes for Christmas.

I will be wearing brand new kicks to ensure that the Canes will win by the score of, you guessed it, 34-13.

Did Christmas Just Come Early?

So your Miami Hurricanes, who slept through their last four games like they were on a tryptophan high, went out and ate some serious turkey on Saturday way before the official Thanksgiving Holiday on Thursday. But why complain?

In doing so they answered at least one of my Christmas wishes by beating the Virginia Tech Hokies convincingly by the score of 38-14.

Homers like Go Canes and Big Windy Cane were absolutely giddy with the results. RoachCane, KYCane and NativeCane simply could not believe their eyes at the offensive outburst. It was a performance not seen around here recently.

And even traditional "Negative Nancies" like WWIN, AeroCane and Herbibis had no bad words to say about Miami's hot performance on this cold night in Blacksburg, VA. The Grinch was silenced on this night by the boys from the 305. 

Head coach Mark Richt finally grew wise enough to have QB Malik Rosier sit in his proper place on the bench while should-have-been-all-along-starter N'Kosi Perry looked better than anyone could have dreamed other than Old Skool and RaizeCane who were cheering for him like little school girls.

Wait for it...hold it...wait, let it marinate...the Hurricanes actually scored like some real points on offense during the game like they may have had a real clue what they were doing with the ball in their hands. Amazing, but true.

I know, it is hard to fathom, but yes, it is actually true. And there was not even a debate, the scoreboard said so. Take that you bunch of Hokies!

So now all we need for Christmas is another win over Pitt this Saturday at The Rock. That is not really too much to ask for Christmas, is it?

And then a nice bowl game win to end the 2018 season on a high note while recovering from our Thanksgiving turkey induced tryptophan high (look it up).

Then as long as SolarCane and I don't drown on the Chattooga River this Summer, we can all take a deep breath, sit back and relax and let recruiting takes its natural course and maybe even go go horizontal for a few months.

That is until Spring football, the Legends of The Fall and the stress of another season, starts all over again. May God help us all!

All I Want For Christmas Is Two Wins And A Bowl Game

Two wins and a bowl game. No seriously. That is all.

Is that asking too much? I really don't think so. Do you?

The only question left is will the Miami Hurricanes comply with our request?

I sure hope so. We all want a successful end to a difficult season.

If we finish at 7-5 and are bowl bound and win the bowl game...

Then we might have it!

The Fat Lady Has Sung

It is over.

Yes, it is finally and officially over.

The 2018 college football season is over for your Miami Hurricanes.

The fat lady has sung and all that is left is the crying among UM fans.

With yet another embarrassing loss to an ACC opponent on the road, Mark Richt and company have sunken once again to new lows when an opportunity to right the ship presented itself in the game against Georgia Tech in Atlanta.

This ship has been taking on water for a while, but is now run aground and has sunken to the bottom of the abyss. The salvage crews will be out in the morning to recover what is left of the wreckage of the churning hunk of burning junk.

Richt is not right; he is simply wrong.

His once hopeful song has faded away like so many others over his first three years of trying to write a ballad worthy of the Miami Hurricanes glorious past.

There is no more hope or joy or vision for the future other than more of the same old misery we have endured over the last three regimes.

The sooner it ends the less painful the breakup will be. Trust me.

End it now or carry the burning torch of pain with you for the next three years like the last guy did. The misery and malfeasance now carry on like a contagion into our DNA from our once lofty perch among college football greats.

It seems like the pain will never end for the Miami Hurricanes football team.

Hoops, Hoops Baby!

All five starters reached double figures for the University of Miami basketball team Friday night at the Watsco Center, as Jim Larrañaga began his eighth season at the helm with the Hurricanes topping Lehigh, 83-62.

Sophomore guard Chris Lykes capped off the season opener with a career-high 22 points, converting on a career-high eight free-throws and tying a career high with four 3-pointers.

Stuffing the stat sheet senior guard Anthony Lawrence II picked up his third career double-double, notching 19 points and a team-high 12 rebounds, while blocking a trio of shots, dishing out a pair of assists and recording a team-high three steals.

Also chipping in on the offensive end, junior guard Dejan Vasiljevic finished the night with 16 points, sophomore forward Sam Waardenburg scored 11 and senior center Ebuka Izundu capped off the night with 10 points, nine rebounds and three blocks.

Trailing 2-0 in the opening minute, Lawrence knocked down a 3-pointer to give the Canes a lead they would not look back on. Moments later, off of a block by Lawrence, sophomore guard Lykes found himself on the fast break before knocking down Miami's second three of the night.

Overall, the Canes went on a 16-3 run following the opening basket by the Mountain Hawks, to jump in front 16-5, with 16:09 to play in the half.

Leading 25-16, Lykes nearly ripped the roof off the building with a cross-over move that sent his defender to the floor. The Mitchellville, Md., native followed up the ankle-breaking move with a three to place the Canes up 12. Momentum continued to swing in favor of Miami as sophomore forward Sam Waardenburg finished back-to-back end ones to give Miami its largest lead of the half, 34-16.

Following the run, both teams got cold to close out the half, combining to shoot 2-of-26 from the field. Despite the offensive struggles, the Hurricanes continued to wreak havoc on the defensive front closing out the half with a combined six blocks, while also holding the Mountain Hawks to shoot 23.2-percent (7-of-30) from the field, as they took a 12-point, 38-26, lead into the break.

Shooting 1-of-3 from 3-point range in the opening frame, Vasiljevic came out firing on all cylinders in the second half, knocking down back-to-back threes and a pair of free-throws scoring eight of the Canes first 10 points of the period.

Following the offensive explosion, Lehigh began to claw its way back into the contest, cutting the Miami lead to as little as six points, 53-47, with 12:24 to play.

The Canes quickly returned to a double-digit lead after a sequence of events, beginning with a 3-pointer by Lykes with 10:48 to go. Moments later, Lawrence took advantage of a bad pass, which led to a pair of free-throws for Lykes on the opposite end, before Lykes returned the favor by sending Lawrence a beautiful up-court pass, as the senior finished the lay-up to secure his double-double performance.

Miami went on to take its largest lead of the game with 1:26 remaining, when Lawrence drained his fourth three of the night to give the Canes a 24-point advantage, 83-59.

Mello Yellow

The Miami Hurricanes are set for their annual tussle against Georgia Tech.
 
Saturday's game presents a unique challenge against a physical triple option offense that the Canes are mentally and physically prepared to face.
 

"It's two things, really," Miami defensive coordinator Manny Diaz said. "One, tactically being ready for everything they have which is going to be different from what you do week in and week out. And secondly, and probably more importantly, it's your attitude and being ready to match them, and to match their toughness, and to match their physicality. It's a game where you certainly have to have your tactics right, but it is still a blocking and tackling day at the office, and the team that blocks better or the team that defeats blocks better and tackles better versus the team that breaks tackles better usually wins."
 
The Yellow Jackets lead FBS in rushing offense, averaging 377 yards per game on the ground. They are also among the nation's leaders in time of possession, ranking fifth at 34:28 per game. 
 
"Last ballgame, [Tobias] Oliver, who, at least in that game, was second-team quarterback, rushed for 120 yards and 2 TDs," Miami head coach Mark Richt said. "He had the game-winning score and also threw an 86-yard touchdown pass in the game. They rushed for 461 yards in the game, which is kind of a typical offensive performance for them, rushing for something about 400 yards a game and controlling the clock."
 

Because of their offensive scheme, opposing defenses need to be physically and mentally prepared for a grueling battle.
 
"Sometimes it's mental conditioning, to not lose your poise," Diaz said. "Like you said, they can be out there for quite a while. They're going to huddle, they are not going to go fast, it's not going to be hot outside, but sometimes you get mentally worn down, and something you were reading early on, and all of a sudden your eyes, your mind starts to slow down. Your feet may be willing, but your mind is where the fatigue really sets in."
 
Defensive back Michael Jackson has faced off against Georgia Tech several times in his career and he knows what the Canes need to do on defense if they want to succeed on Saturday.
 
"Just the mentality that you have to be physical, especially at corner," Jackson said. "Us corners have to be physical and tackle. It's not a cute game. You're going to be dirty. You're going to be sore after the game. You're going to be banging all game and look up and it's only the third quarter and you have to keep banging. It's just a physical mindset."
 

The phrase "assignment football" is frequently heard when a team is facing Georgia Tech. With their triple option offense, Miami's defenders need to be very disciplined with every snap.
 
"They do a lot of option," defensive back Trajan Bandy said. "They do a lot of cutting and everything happens so fast. You have to keep your eye on your man because you never know when they might do a trick play, he might spit it out or he might have the ball. You never know, so we just have to have eye discipline on everything." 
 
The battle upfront is especially tough, as Georgia Tech's offensive linemen will continually try to cut bock Miami's defensive line. Gerald Willis III, who leads the ACC in tackles for loss, believes the Canes are ready to face the GT ground attack.
 
"We're up for the challenge like every other week," Willis said. "We just have to get ready for the cut blocks and these double teams, but we're ready." 

The Optimist In Me

Like everyone on the Canespace blog I have my moods. I have been the greatest optimist and the most dire pessimist at different times. In fact, over the last 14 years, I have probably had enough angst to last a lifetime.

But today, for some unknown reason, I am feeling generously optimistic.

I believe in this team because, well, because I suddenly want to, and I do.

As you watch the game think of this blog as I am making a BOLD prediction:

1. The Miami Hurricanes offense will look like a well oiled, efficient machine versus Duke.
2. The running game will get un-tracked racking up over 200 yards.
3. The passing game will feature quick hitters and yards after catch and a few BIG plays.
4. UM will score 34 points in easy fashion while holding the opposition down to 13 points.
5. The "Turnover Chain" will be loud and proud during this game appearing three times.
6. Miami will return a kick for a TD as special teams look special.

I believe in Coach Mark Richt and I believe in this team.

So prove me right or prove me wrong.

The optimist in me wants to see what you got!