Out Of Kilter

I have no idea what to make of the University of Miami’s football team, circa 2007. I mean, sure, based on results to date, the team isn’t that good.

There’s no doubt in my mind that the performance would have been better if the weak spots of the team on offense and defense hadn’t been further weakened by injuries. Losing the projected starters at the positions thought to be most important for the defense, Josh Holmes, Glenn Cook, and Glenn Sharpe, was a tough blow to take. On the offensive side of the ball, it’s impossible to know as an outsider whether Kirby won the starting quarterback’s job because Kyle was hurt or because of other reasons, but as it has turned out, no matter the reason, Kyle should’ve been the guy from day one, no matter what I wrote here last year.

I digress. Last year, Miami beat FIU 35-0. This year, the margin ended up being a mere two touchdowns. Have they moved forward, or have we moved back? Having A’Mod Ned gash the run defense was discomforting with A & M coming in. On the other hand, Kyle landed a deep ball with Lance, a connection that hadn’t been made since Wake Forest in 2005. On the first hand, Sam Shields has one (1) catch through three (3) games, for just seven (7) yards! On the other hand, Teraz McCray was able to collapse the pocket against FIU even while being triple-teamed.

I guess my figuring is that we basically stayed the same, and this iteration of UM-FIU was a much more unlucky individual outcome.  Yay?

Once again, reality has intruded with a handful of predicaments, so, without much ado, last week in bullet form.

• The running game was good. Scary Good. The o-line looked vicious for Javarris James, Graig Cooper, Derron Thomas, Kirby Freeman, Jerrell Mabry, and a guy who I think got on the team bus by accident at the depot. During the leaner of the Coker years, even weak opponents would manage to every so often man-handle their counterparts and just decimate runners or passers. It’s hard to figure how decent a training session Marshall was, missing their star DE, but there’s cause for hope that wasn’t there recently.
• Damn, that was terrible passing. It was befuddling, too, because while Kirby showed solid quality on his shorter passes, last year’s Achilles’ heel, he was unable to complete several available deep passes, which was the reason I thought he had the inside track on Kyle Wright. It was certainly nice to not have drives end on sacks on third downs, but Kirby threw the expected brainbender of an interception. He also wasn’t able to move the ball on long drives, needing short fields from turnovers that may not recur against Oklahoma.
• Did I mention Graig Cooper? The kid is lightning in the backfield, and really only needs a crease. He gets to the line so fast in person, that even on his seventh carry you’re gasping. Javarris showed great speed too, but an exceptional ability to keep going forward after contact, crystallizing in the run before his second touchdown, where he was wrapped by two guys and losing his balance until he spun towards another two Herdsmen, picking up three more yards after he seemed down.
• The wideouts were as expected: nothing special. Better observers than I thought Lance Leggett appeared unusually active, which is a plus going forward, but Khalil Jones and Darnell Jenkins were nonfactors. The tight ends looked better than expected as blockers, but didn’t do a whole lot of receiving, which was the concern that went unanswered.
• The defensive line was lights out. Teraz McCray set everything in motion. In some cases, he feasted on single coverage thanks to Calais, but it’s not his fault he took advantage. Eric Moncur was unblockable. Dwayne Hendricks, who saw extended playing time for the first time in his four years at Miami, looked as capable as Antonio Dixon did at times last year. Vegas was interesting. It might have been a mirage from playing a second tier team, but he looked faster and stronger than he did last year.
• Randy Phillips is kind of the defensive analogue to Kirby Freeman. He got beat, though Kenny Phillips should have been providing help, but apart from a misstep or two, was vital. DeMarcus Van Dyke is the absolute truth. I spent 25% of the game watching his matchup with his receiver. Speaking as an amateur, I spotted no real problems with his techniques. As a matter of fact, he played what looked to be flawlessly. The safeties, KP, Willie Cooper and Lovon Ponder, however, were nonfactors. KP stood out, as a matter of fact, because he didn’t stand out. He had a damned poor game by his lofty standards.
• Tavares Gooden surprised me. I thought his record gave reason for pause playing a spread-option heavy team, but he was generally great in committing to the pass or run as required. He got lucky on an interception that was pretty clearly, by the lights of replay, skimming the grass, but even without it he had a game that ranked as likely his best. Colin McCarthy also looked solid, though I’ll be more tempered in my praise than most out there have been. He looked good, and his tackling in space was textbook. Still and all, he made a lot of tackles in space… missing his assignment numbers of tackles in space. I didn’t notice it, but the sheer numbers make it a surprising possibility

Well, on Wednesday, another 18 brave souls entered the urban warzone that is the University of Miami.

No one would ever confuse me for an expert in recruiting, and with good reason. That being said, I’ll join the largely impressed crowd. I think this is a big haul, and for a couple reasons…

(more…)

Anno Domini Nostri Iesu Christi 1621, a little more than a hundred intrepid adventurers set off into the great Atlantic hoping to find an untouched land. An Eden where they could break free from the centuries old yoke of religious and political bondage that enslaved Europe and live in a place where “all men are created equal.”

Through trials and tribulations, lean years and years of plenty, a nation was born that has stretched its wings to bring unparalleled and historic freedoms to hundreds of millions of people across 50 unique and unified states.

Within the border of this great nation, there is a fundamental belief that all persons, regardless of race, gender or religion, have the unalienable rights to life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness.

Only in a place this amazing, this revolutionary and this visionary, could such a link be possible.

This will be an ugly game. Not merely aesthetically, although that is certainly true, but as a fan of Miami football. The team that takes the field at the Orange Bowl tonight isn’t the team that miraculously blew out VT last year. That team had proven players and it had earlier bright spots in the season.

Virginia Tech is vulnerable, make no mistake. From what I’ve seen though, it’s not in such a way that the Hurricanes can exploit. We rarely get to the quarterback, which is how you mess up Sean Glennon. We can’t hit deep passes in stride, which VT has, surprisingly, appeared to be prone to giving up.

On the other hand, we can stop the run. Even there, we have weaknesses. I’m not revealing any secrets when I say that Brandon Ore makes the VT offense go. If Frank Beamer commits to running at Tavares Gooden, he will give up a play or two by missing a tackle.

Our running game will break one every so often, but Coach Olsen is all too willing to abandon the run.

It would be great if we pulled out the tricks and actually went against tendencies this game, but at this point it seems doubtful.

Needless to say, though, if we manage to repeat last year’s blowout at Lane Stadium, I reserve the right as a fan to say this was all a jinx.

A: When the University Of Miami needs a win to save the season.

For a look at the Miami defense vs. the Yellowjackets, check here…

Just another mediocre performance against a team playing out the string.

This staff no longer even elicits shock at their missteps. (more…)

Of course there was going to be an extended post on the debacle at Duke. I just was waiting for a chance to settle down. Since I still haven’t, I decided to go ahead and get on it.

The overriding mystery to me is why this coaching staff refuses to put players in positions to succeed. At this point, it appears to be either of two options, incompetence or vendettas. There are also the minor problems, like displaying big plays we’ve spent the season setting up against, say… Wake Forest last year, and UNC and Duke this year. Last year, after spending eight games throwing a play-action receiver screen, we then went over the top to the opposite receiver against 4-6 Wake. This year, against the UNC powerhouse who fired John Bunting in shame, we unveiled the safety option pass, whose epic reverberations confront us even today. Finally, against Duke, we cracked out two unique looks. First, we threw the first slants we’ve thrown in roughly three years. Then we followed that with a bizarre spread read-option look. The only threat that poses to the upcoming schedule? Paralyzing them with laughter at Kyle lumbering down the field. His claimed 4.6 speed sure looks like it was timed by stopwatches at Virginia Tech.

(more…)

Jon Beason and Greg Olsen are injured and are almost absolutely out for Duke.

The following players are out for Duke due to FIU-related suspensions:
Anthony Reddick, Carlos Armour, Chris Barney, James Bryant, Tyrone Byrd, DajLeon Farr, Ryan Hill, Bruce Johnson, Charlie Jones, Brandon Meriweather, Brian Monroe, Derrick Morse and Randy Phillips.

Ryan Moore remains suspended indefinitely.