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Miami Herald: Barry Jackson talks optimism for Canes

2009-07-02T15:25:00.000-07:00

Some good ink in the Miami Herald on Tuesday when Barry Jackson wrote about Randy Shannon's optimism for the 2009 season.

"You will see this team taking the next step," Shannon said. "The Georgia Tech game last year made us grow a lot. That will make us a better team record-wise. We're a lot more talented, have a lot more depth. You don't have to worry about [defensive-line] depth any more. Two years ago, you had only five defensive linemen to play in a game. That alone should tell you how far we've come."

Entering year three of The Shannon Era, the depth is starting to return and with some upgrades at coordinator, many expect for the Canes to begin their climb back. A few reasons for Shannon's optimism:

- Depth At Running Back: Miami has a half dozen solid players and the depth to overcome a slow start by the upperclassmen. "The best guys will play," said Shannon.

- Brandon Washington and Harland Gunn were named two of the most improved players; a bright spot after years of offensive line struggles. Defensive end Adewale Ojomo was also singled out, as were veterans Leonard Hankerson and Randy Phillips. Shannon also called for "big things" from Brandon Harris.

- For those wondering why or if Shannon handcuffed the inexperienced Patrick Nix last year, don't expect the same with Mark Whipple. The new offensive coordinator has been given the green light to spread the ball around and light up scoreboards.

- Jackson mentioned a Shannon quote regarding Glenn Cook's leadership abilities last year and immediately I saw a few message board folk up in arms and missing the point. What Cook lacked on the field, he made up for with his maturity and ability to lead.

The loss of Eric Moncur and Colin McCarthy hurt Miami big time down the stretch and both are back this year, hopefully able to step up and lead. The lack of upperclassmen put too much pressure on last year's first timers. Especially the early enrollees who went straight from fall high school ball to spring practice and then right into their freshman season.

Cook jumped on board as an assistant coach during the 2007 campaign and when healthy again, attempted to jump start 2008 with the "No Excuses" motto and team bracelets. While the result was still a 7-6 campaign, the leadership was a step forward and hopefully someone steps up to carry the torch this year.

- Of the 19 enrollees only 17 made the grade. Offensive lineman Malcolm Bunche is headed to prep school and defensive back Prince Kent is transferring elsewhere, due to academic issues.

- Most exciting in the Jackson piece, Shannon's comments about the current culture being "totally different" - no off-field distractions or arrests putting Miami in the headlines for the wrong reasons. Shannon stated in the past that he had to play the role of hard-ass year one, as the program was broken. Weed out the bad seeds, recruit the right kind of players and with these kids in the regime for two years, it allows more of a hands-off approach year three.

"I approach things differently. I don't have to keep grinding them. The are doing all the right things," said Shannon.

Besides the addition of Whipple as offensive coordinator, the fact Shannon is pulling back is equally as exciting. Expect a looser brand of Miami football come fall, resulting in more wins.

Go Canes! : 4th of July 25 Off Sale!

2009-07-01T15:12:00.000-07:00

Head to www.allCanes.com for more.

The latest at The U...

2009-06-23T16:15:00.000-07:00

Geeks unite. NCAA Football 2010 is a few weeks away. Available on July 14th, it's not a bad way to kill some time this summer as we wait for the real thing, come Labor Day. Especially if you're doing that video game thing in high-def. I buy one game a year and this one is it. Checked out some screen shots/videos and I'm already thinking Tallahassee in early September. Can't wait.

I chatted with Evan Rosenfeld of Rakontur Productions yesterday. Evan is one of the guys who worked on the "Cocaine Cowboys" documentary and he's involved with the piece they're doing on the Canes, airing on ESPN early December after the Heisman trophy presentation.

I've read a bit online about this documentary and saw some Miami fans chatting about the intent of this piece. Because ESPN is associated, many fans assume there's an agenda there and that it will be an anti-Canes piece. According to Evan, nothing could be further from the truth.

Not only is everyone involved with this piece a U of M alumnus, but they're Canes fans as well and they're on a mission to clear the air and paint UM in a good light. Evan talked about wanting future recruits to see this piece, to understand the UM athletics culture and for this documentary to change people's perception of The U.

In an effort to make this a top flight piece, the Rakontur guys are covering all bases and they're putting out a call to Miami fans. If you have any interesting pieces of Hurricanes swag - they'd like to include them in this documentary. Vintage photos from yesteryear. Classic apparel. Memorabilia. The kind of item that would make even the most diehard Cane step back and say, "wow".

If it's a special piece, ESPN might even pay you a licensing fee and/or your name could wind up in the credits.

Any fan with some old school Canes garb, email me and I'll sync you up with Evan. Again, we're talking about something vintage here -- not a ticket stub from the 2001 season. Dig deep, people. Raid your parents' attic. We're talking early 1980s or older. Find it and get it to Evan and the crew.

That sound you just heard was a another state rival arrested for being an idiot. Florida State linebacker Maurice Harris was hit with grand theft auto on Monday. Harris was arrested after he was unable to explain his obtaining a motorcycle with an altered vehicle identification number and improper tag. Whoops. Harris was released on $3,500 bond early Tuesday morning and has since been suspended indefinitely.

I'm not here to throw rocks at these dirty Seminoles or Gators who have been arrested as of late. My issue lies in how these incidents are perceived by the media. Most of this news is swept under the rug. Sportswriters are too enamored with Tim Tebow to call out Urban Meyer for letting players run amok. The Tebow angle is a good subplot for college football and in Tallahassee, no one wants to paint the legendary Bobby Bowden in a poor light.

Andy Staples of CNNSI.com - a Florida grad, ironically enough - chimed in regarding his alma mater and some other SEC programs chock full o' hoodlums:

"The Gainesville Sun dug up some interesting numbers last week. During the same four-year period, Georgia has seen 30 players arrested. Tennessee has seen 21, Florida State 12 and Miami two. Yes, two. That might be the real under-reported story here. Turns out the Hurricanes are some of the NCAA's best citizens -- and that's probably because they know coach Randy Shannon will boot their butts if they misbehave."

If the media wants a real feel-good story this upcoming season, how about making Miami's LACK of arrests front page news? Shannon has turned things around, yet few are giving him the credit... which will most likely be the case until he starts winning ballgames. Meyer gets away with murder because he wins and conversely, Bowden is finally starting to feel some heat because his win-loss record isn't what it once was.

Former Canes running back Charlie Jones shared his thoughts with Shandel Richardson at the Sun Sentinel. Jones defended the 2004-2005 recruiting classes and blamed the decline on the decrease in family atmosphere and pressures that came from losing ballgames.

"When I first came to Miami, I think the coaching was fine," said Jones, rated the nation's No. 5 running back while at South Dade High School. "There was no problem with it. We were learning something new everyday .... "They were always preaching family this and family that, but after coach Coker left, it wasn't a family. Everything changed. A lot of guys felt they were screwed over."

Jones transferred to Memphis after the 2007 season. In one breath he mentions staff turnover as the culprit, but truth be told Jones was frustrated over losing his starting job to freshman Javarris James and losing reps to the other back ups.

"Graig Cooper came to the University of Miami in the spring of 2007, and [the new coaches] put him first on the depth chart the first day of spring practice," Jones said. "Nobody had seen him play. I mean, they had only seen him on film."

This sounds like a case where Charlie should just pipe down, focus on where he's at today and attempt to turn his career around. A highly-touted back coming out of South Dade, Jones never lived up to the hype. His talk of players being "forced out" when Shannon "cleansed" the program. The belief that Shannon "screwed over" a lot of upperclassmen. It all reeks of sour grapes from a player who not only underachieved, but turned tail and left the program.

Truth be told, Jones never had "it". His best year to date was a 507-yard campaign in 2005. Last year at Memphis, Jones ran for 255 yards on 53 carries and had a half dozen touchdowns. His most impressive outing, an 11-carry, 57-yard performance against Nicholls State.

Jones is a 23-year old kid, so I'll cut him some slack here. In time, maybe he'll have a better understanding for how the world works and why certain decisions are made. Right now, it's personal. He came to Miami and left frustrated, unwilling to shoulder any blame and quick to put the onus on a coaching shuffle instead of his lack or results.

Add this to the long list of what went wrong at The U the past few years, leading to the decline. I haven't heard a rant like this since Ryan Clement blamed past Canes for the probation his teams suffered through.

Miami Football Vault : The History of the Hurricanes

2009-06-22T15:00:00.000-07:00

Occasionally I throw a shameless plug in here, though I try to save them for when they really count. This is one of those times.

For those who've heard of the "College Vault Book" series, you know what I'm talking about. The University of Miami version of this book was recently released and it's one of those rare must-have items for the diehard Canes fan.

'Cane Mutiny' author Bruce Feldman provides the written content - the ultimate authority on all things The U. Over the span of 144 pages, this book packs an intense Hurricanes-themed punch, both visually and aesthetically.

Opening with a spirited foreward from head coach Randy Shannon, the journey begins with a chapter entitled "Shaky Beginnings" and spans 1926-1947. Vintage images from yesteryear. Team photos. Game notes. This book goes as far as to even include replica programs, postcards, stickers... you name it. No detail was spared and the term "vault" is used appropriately.

The first surfaces on page fifteen. a reprinted program from the January 2nd, 1933 "Gridiron Palm Festival" at Moore Park, where Miami took on Manhattan College. A page later, the first Orange Bowl program, a flyer, coaches' game notes and a reprinted Western Union telegram to Cane legend Walt Kichefski, offering him a scholarship to attend UM.

Every few pages, this scrapbook-style book features tangible bits of Hurricane history. It's almost impossible to explain.

The written word plays almost second fiddle to the smorgasbord of Miami memorabilia. The vintage image compilation seems like it took decades to compile. Every Canes book I've seen in my lifetime combined... every program or newspaper clipping I've come across... my handful of trips to the Tom Kerns Hall of Fame on campus... it still doesn't add up to what this book squeezed into twelve dozen pages.

For the semi-old school fans, things get interesting on page fifty-six when we get to "The State Of Miami" -- the 1977-1983 run which was inspired by Howard Schnellenberger -- complete with a bone-chilling quote from the Canes coach: "Some day we are going to win a national championship at Miami", a statement uttered back in 1979, when it seemed nothing more than a pipe dream. Who knew Howie was a prophet...

A little factoid from page sixty, one of "10 Big Games Remembered" from that era : November 3rd, 1979 (Miami 26, Penn State 10) - Ten minutes before kickoff, Howard Schnellenberger informed redshirt freshman quarterback Jim Kelly he would be making his first start. The Pennsylvania native vomited repeatedly but then settled down to throw for 280 yards and three touchdowns against a star-studded Penn State defense, in front of a sellout crowd of more than 77,000 in Happy Valley.

That win was another step towards a Peach Bowl berth a year later, highlighted on page sixty-four with a replica game program and game ticket, accompanying the story of Miami's rise to prominence.

From there, arguably the most exciting era of Miami football is highlighted on page seventy-six in a chapter called "The U" Against The World, the 1984-1988 run with Jimmy Johnson at the helm and a cast of exciting, interesting characters who invented the word 'swagger'. More classic images, more commentary from Mr. Feldman and a replica Vinny Testaverde promo poster from his Heisman run. A page later, some replica game programs from the 1986 season in the form of postcards.

The "Miami Rules" chapter highlights the two National Championships of the Dennis Erickson era. More photos, replica programs, stickers and history from another amazing Canes run, complete with some Gino Torretta Heisman-related schwag.

"Hurricane Watch" goes into Butch Davis era, from probation to redemption to modern day. Sugar Bowl and Rose Bowl images. Classic shots of Miami versus Florida State. Right up through the game-winning overtime catch reeled in by Aldarius Johnson at Virginia last season (screen shot below).

The final piece, an afterword by the legendary Ted Hendricks and a fitting way to wrap things up.

I'm absolutely geeked out over this book and I recommend it to all and any Canes fans. Great for the coffee table or the office, this is one of those things you'll pick up two dozen times and you'll find something new each and every experience. Decades of Miami history all in one place. Check out some of the screenshots below and click here if you're interested in ordering.

Recruiting: A Mid-June Hot Topic...

2009-06-17T21:58:00.000-07:00

I'm not a fan of the circus college recruiting has become. I give that disclaimer every time I wind up writing any piece featuring the word 'recruiting', but it's true. That being the case, when Randy Shannon and staff are making some summertime moves, it deserves some discussion.

Verbal commitments are piling up, offers are being doled out and old is becoming new again. Resting on some post-championship laurels, Miami slacked half a decade ago. Summertime commits were few and far between. Everything Butch Davis preached in the late 90s, Larry Coker forgot within weeks of that early '03 robbery in the desert.

ESPN recruiting analyst Tom Luginbill chimed in regarding Shannon's new "old school" approach. Like Jimmy Johnson two decades back, his protege doesn't give a damn about player rankings. In 2009, a player's worth seems to be determined online instead of under the lights. At Miami it's not about padded stats - it's about competition, desire and production on the field.

"In my opinion, you've got to stay true to your own evaluation, your own blueprint," said Luginbill. "Don't worry about what everybody else is saying... but that's a very difficult thing to do."

Recruiting coordinator and former Miami defensive lineman Clint Hurtt took it a step further.

"I'll always take a kid that is highly productive in Dade, Broward and Palm Beach County," said Hurtt. "If you give me a running back that runs for 1,000 yards in Florida, I'd take that over a kid that runs for over 2,500 in a lot of other states."

Safe to say there was a little dig there at almost-Cane and Kansas-bred tailback Bryce Brown.

Shannon and staff are not only focusing more effort on under the radar, non-overhyped kids -- but they're staying closer to home and putting the emphasis on local talent, which has always been Miami's bread and butter.

Offers are going out on a daily basis and kids are again hyped up about the Canes. While Florida has the most recent in-state success, kids who are high school seniors today all recall growing up on Miami. The dominance UM showed between 2000-2004 took place when next year's college freshmen were playing Pop-Warner and entering high school. Marcus Forston echoed that sentiment last year as a true freshman.

"The Canes were gladiators that never could get beat," said freshman Forston. "They always found a way to win. When I was growing up, those were my heroes, my role models."

Naples Lely High running back Darion Hall committed to Miami this past week, wanting to stay close to home and to be a part of something special. Other recent players offered - TE Clive Walford (Belle Glade), listing Miami as his #1. OL Brandon Linder (St. Thomas), who has 29 scholarship offers and is in contact with Jeff Stoutland on a weekly basis. Pahokee DB Raheam Buxton, wowed by the fact UM is such a small private school with an intimate environment.

Shannon has even sent Micheal Barrow into Gator Country in an effort to lure LB Kevin Nelson and DB Devont'a Davis to Coral Gables. Both grew up life-long Canes and want to attend the same college.

Cane coaches are looking out of state at Atlanta CB Darius Robinson, a three-star who wants to get his folks to campus for a visit - which is always Shannon's goal.

"They don't understand that Miami is a private school, that we only have 8,000 students. They think Miami is 40,000 students. That perception you have to knock down real quick," said Shannon.

"If we can get the parents on campus with the kid at the same time, I think we have an 80 percent shot that we're gonna get him."

Washington D.C. linebacker Javarie Johnson isn't a homegrown product, but he lists The U as his "dream school", which fits Shannon's criteria of Miami-style players.

Signing Day is over half a year away, so it's too soon to get over-excited about the potential influx of talent. The point to be made here is that Cane coaches are working tirelessly to rebuild this program and stockpile talent.

Weeks back, the Herald's Manny Navarro penned a piece that threw Cane Nation into a frenzy, stating that Miami was no longer top choice for a handful of local kids. UM local recruiting wall had supposedly been 'breached' and the fear was that the tide would turn on the recruiting front.

Based on the action we're seeing during these dog days of summer, I wouldn't bet on that happening anytime soon. Shannon, Hurtt, Barrow and the rest of this staff absolutely have their thumb on the pulse regarding what it will take to get the right kind of kids back on board.

2009 Nike Gear Rolling In...

2009-06-11T12:01:00.000-07:00

I've received several emails this week about Nike jerseys and what's in stock. The #12 and #31 replicas are now in, as are a slew of other Nike items. Click here to check out the latest.

Regarding the authentic jerseys, it looks like #2 and #5 will be carried over from last season. Until Nike moves all those, they're not going to commit to new authentic jersey numbers. Just a heads up. Go Canes.

Maybe Nobody From The Sunshine State Had "It"...

2009-06-07T23:08:00.000-07:00

Last week this time, Florida and Florida State were flying high; both hosting a Super Regional, facing supposedly 'lesser' competition and two wins from Omaha - while the Canes were sent packing in the opening round of post-season play.

Funny how much can change seven days later.

Miami's bid for a fifth national championship ended prematurely, causing a ruckus amongst the message board know-it-alls. Head coach Jim Morris has been shredded and some are calling for change, discarding the overall body of work and recent success, basing their frustration on one down year. Obviously, I disagree.

Morris has earned himself time to right the ship after an expected rebuilding year and while he might want to think about mixing things up regarding his staff, there is no one more cut out to run Miami Baseball than #3. The Canes have arguably one of the better coaches in the history of the game.

Those quick to cast stones, get your facts in order and attempt to employ some logic. Miami rolled into Omaha 52-9 last June, behind the bats and leadership of Yonder Alonso, Jemile Weeks, Blake Tekotte, Adan Severino, Mark Sobolewski and Dennis Raben - none of which returned in 2009. On the mound, the Canes also lost Carlos Gutierrez and Enrique Garcia. The result? Eleven more losses this season and the inability to reach the Super Regionals for the first time since 2007.

Welcome to college baseball, critics. 37-24 in 2007 and a year later, the No. 1 seed at the College World Series. A year after that, gone after four games in the Gainesville regional. It happens.

Florida earns the No. 8 seed, brings a 42-20 record into the Super Regional and gets punked by No. 17 Southern Miss - at home as a favorite. The Golden Eagles are headed to their first College World Series and overcame a 6-1 deficit in the fourth inning, eventually taking the lead in the bottom of the eighth - down 6-4 to up 7-6 in the blink of an eye. The shell-shocked Gators went four up, three down and pissed away another shot at their first ring.

The day before, Florida State suffered a similar fate. No. 23 Arkansas had some come-from-behind magic of their own. Down 8-7 in the bottom of the ninth, a walk, single and double gave the Razorbacks a 9-8 win. A 45-16 pre-Super Regional record wasted and another 0-and-2 BBQ for Mike Martin, still title-less after all these years. The Gators and Noles didn't just lose both were swept at home with a CWS berth on the line. Nice work, guys.

I won't deny that Miami's 2009 campaign was disappointing, but anyone who didn't acknowledge this was a rebuilding year was lying to themselves. The Canes overachieved early in the season, against lesser competition. When the meat of the ACC schedule was upon them, a 12-12 record from mid-April through the conference tourney. Last year over the same span, a 20-5 run and a 4-0 record in the conference tourney, en route to ACC Champs and a ticket to Omaha.

Florida and Florida State were both primed to make a run this year. Neither was in rebuild mode, both hosted two rounds of regional action and faceplanted. Some Cane fans might not take solace in that, but I do. The second best thing to winning is seeing your rivals not only lose, but squander important moments on the big stage. Miami also went 3-2 against Florida this year and 2-2 against Florida State, earning a right to have an opinion over this weekend's action.

Thanks Gators and Noles for failing just when Canes fans needed it... and for those keeping score, it's stlll four titles to zero for our Gainesville and Tallahassee brethren.

According to Athlon, "We're # 35... We're # 35!"

2009-06-04T09:33:00.000-07:00

Every year I say the same thing; I'm not going to get sucked into the preseason rags. Whether your team is on top or unranked, the commentary is arbitrary. One mag will have you a top your conference, another thinks you're middle of the pack. In one, your team boasts a few All-Americans and in another, you're completely void of talent.

Even worse, the fact that the writers in question barely scratch the surface regarding your preferred team. With 120 teams to rank, I'm sure it's difficult to legitimately break down and analyze every aspect of a program. Still, humor me. Get your facts straight. Learn a little about up and coming players or who a capable back up will be. Factor in the intangibles. Dig a little.

I know all this, yet every June I'm so starved for anything college football-related, I'll fork out the $7.99 for any and every publication I can get my hands on. First up this year, Athlon Sports - arguably one of my least favorites over the years.

Athlon ranks Miami #35 out of 120 programs and picks the Canes fourth in the ACC Coastal, behind Virginia Tech, North Carolina and Georgia Tech. Ouch.

Athlon makes reference of Mark Whipple taking over the Miami offense, though limiting this huge addition to a one sentence - "has a long history of success in college and professional football". When discussing Jacory Harris taking over, the sophomore quarterback is described as "not having the greatest physical skills in the world" though they mention he "minimizes mistakes" and "was a strong leader, even as a freshman".

The best could be yet to come from Graig Cooper... Javarris James needs to stay healthy... Six receivers return, but could be a year away from dominating... question marks at tight end... starting offensive line is good, but back ups are untested. Nothing we didn't already know, but definitely sounds like commentary from someone who doesn't follow the program.

Anyone who doesn't think that Aldarius Johnson and LaRon Byrd can't dominate year two, weren't paying attention last season. Both have "it" and both could be legitimate go-to threats in 2009. Also, no mention of the influx of talent at running back? Mike James has turned heads in practice and Lamar Miller should do the same when he arrives on campus. If you're going to hype what Bryce Brown 'might' do at Tennessee year one, why not show some other talented true freshmen backs the same love? Especially one who actually tore up spring practice.

An expected dig that Miami is on its fourth defensive coordinator in as many seasons... though no explanation as to why. Randy Shannon promoted to head coach. The Tim Walton experiment failing year one. Bill Young headed back to his alma mater for his dream job, which led to the hiring of John Lovett.

Talent at defensive line, though no one has emerged yet... concern at linebacker, though a healthy Colin McCarthy and a solid year two from Sean Spence will help. An attempt at a dig regarding Darryl Sharpton being a man in the middle that "won't make anyone forget Ray Lewis or Jonathan Vilma", yet nothing about last year's superstar recruit Arthur Brown waiting in the wings behind Sharpton. In all the hubbub about Li'l Brown, the Tennessee-based Athlon forgot all about big brother.

Matt Bosher gets his props and Travis Benjamin was referred to as "the second coming of Devin Hester", which sounds sexy, but is a bit premature.

Regarding unit rankings within the ACC, Athlon graded Miami out as follows: Quarterback (9th), Running Backs (6th), Wide Receivers/Tight Ends (1st), Offensive Line (7th), Defensive Line (6th), Linebackers (3rd) and Defensive Backs (10th).

(Do I even have to note the inconsistency with ranking the receivers best in conference, yet a few pages later stating that they may be too experienced to make a difference this year? Go Athlon!)

The final analysis states that Miami is as talented as anybody in the ACC, but lacks the experience necessary to make a run at a conference crown. Logical on paper, I guess... but again, another stale analysis from outsiders who don't "get" what's going on.

I'm not really a betting man, but I'd gladly take the over on Miami finishing fourth in the Coastal Division. Any Athlon folk want in on that action?

23 Gators pinched on The Myth's watch, yet UM is Thug U

2009-05-28T20:56:00.000-07:00

Dave Hyde had a great piece in the Sun Sentinel that I wanted to pass along. Miami fans oft scream "double standard" regarding the lack of criticism to come down on other state powers who run amok. The very talented and unbiased Mr. Hyde does a great job pointing out what so many others are afraid to say. Check it... and oh yeah, stay class Gators:

Sure, the e-mails are coming. I knew they would. Several a day. A couple of dozen in a week.

When a Florida State football player was arrested Tuesday for an incident involving a woman getting hit with a chair last November, a University of Miami fan wrote:

"If a Miami player did that, we'd be Thug U all over again ..."

When a Florida player was arrested last week for punching a man after trying to enter the victim's apartment, a Miami fan wondered why Urban Meyer wasn't being questioned about his 23rd player being arrested in four years.

"And don't tell me that winning cures all, because Miami was drilled by the media ten times as much when they won," the e-mail said.

All true. All fair. At least as far as it goes. There's a triple-standard being applied to the three state teams, at least if you only look at the time since Randy Shannon became coach more than a couple of years ago.

It's most pronounced by Florida and Miami. The arrest record in that span is about the same as the score on the field between these teams: Florida 15, Miami 1. And the one for Miami was freshman Robert Marve breaking a car mirror.

In the interim, Florida players have punched women, stolen property and been involved with guns and drugs. Yet nobody on ESPN is so much as reporting this. Nobody at Sports Illustrated is saying the Florida team picture should be taken from the front and the side.

Nobody at all is suggesting the University of Florida's championship luster should be dimmed even a little over the past four years by the arrest of 23 football players.

There's a hard lesson in this for Miami fans, and a harder warning for Florida fans. It's not as easy as the big, bad media picking on the Hurricanes, either. It's something you're told early in life: Once you lose your reputation, it's hard to get back.

Florida State has had its issues, but its national reputation isn't nearly as scarred as Miami's.

Miami lost its reputation, fair and square. There can't be any revisionist history here. This dates to 1986 when there were fights, arrests and phone-card frauds that involved 40 players.

In following years there was a Pell Grant scandal, the covering up of Warren Sapp's drug test and a rap star allegedly offering money for big hits on opponents. Even after Butch Davis calmed the waters, there came incidents that took the national story on a different, sensational tact: The murder of two players and an ugly brawl with FIU.

Did the players' murders, even if they were the victims, play into some national image of Miami? Sadly, yes. Was the brawl video overplayed? Sure.

But a couple of quiet years under Shannon can't completely erase years of issues. They help explain why I hope Shannon succeeds at Miami, though.

He is trying to show that winning and behavior aren't tied together. That's the cliche: On-field success and bad off-field behavior have a direct relationship.

Miami provides this warning to Florida: You're one ugly story or video moment from turning those 23 arrests under Meyer into national fodder. He better get a handle on this.

He has brought in lecturers to talk to the team. He says he's leaned on assistant coaches.

"There's not a day that goes by that we don't discuss all of the issues, the potential issues, that are out there," he told The Gainesville Sun.

"We've had a few of them, but we're getting a little better."

Last week's arrest marks the fifth Gator arrested in a year. That's better? No one expects a perfect mark. These are college kids, after all. But the way things are going, maybe Meyer should try something different before his school's reputation changes.

Maybe he should pick up the phone.

Maybe he should call Randy Shannon.

Bruce Feldman talks with Randy Shannon...

2009-05-20T22:25:00.000-07:00

Bruce Feldman did a recent Q&A with Randy Shannon on ESPN.com which I'm poaching and posting here. It's that good and I think the haters need to read it.

Q: What do you see as the biggest reason why the program went into decline the past few years and also saw the end of Miami's record run of first-round draft picks?

Shannon: It's the recruiting aspect of it. You have to make sure you recruit the right type of players that fit what you do offensively and defensively. That's when you'll get back to where you have players drafted like that. Sometimes you can make a mistake by recruiting players just because he is "a name" or he's considered a "top-10" or "top-5" guy. Well, that may look good on those recruiting reports, but when it all comes down to, are you winning, that makes more difference than anything. You have to recruit the right type of players.

Look, I was here for almost everybody. I was recruited by [Howard] Schnellenberger. I played for Jimmy [Johnson]. I coached with Dennis Erickson, so I've seen the transition. I coached with Butch Davis when we got it back going, and then I coached with Larry Coker.

With Butch, we identified players that we felt were great athletes that we could play at different positions. When Edgerrin [James] came in, we tried him at receiver. He finally went to running back. We got Santana Moss. Nobody knew about him, but he fit what we needed because he was a fast guy that had great hands and was explosive and a tough kid. Dan Morgan was a free safety/running back in high school, but he was an athlete. Jon Vilma was a tight end/linebacker. We found tough athletes and realized those were the guys that made a difference. And that's what we're doing now. Finding athletes that can do more than one thing out of high school, and then when they come here, they'll be better players.

Q: Is it simply doing more legwork and being more thorough as you evaluate not only how tough and athletic they are but also the character side of things?

Shannon: It's being on guys earlier and really having people at the school you trust. You do not want to take a great player who will be detrimental to your team. You have to be very careful now, especially with the APR and the way everyone is on coaches about making sure you don't bring in the wrong players who represent the school in a negative light.

I insist on all of our guys making sure we talk to everybody we can. It may be a janitor at the high school. It may be a counselor. It may be a regular student. Anybody that you can talk to so you can find out the information on a kid to find out, is this the right person? Is he going to be passionate about playing football? Is he going to represent your university well? That's the key.

Q: I remember hearing [Butch Davis' right-hand man] Pete Garcia saying that after the probation that you guys had to make sure you had strong leadership within the locker room so that it could police itself, and then after that maybe then you could roll the dice on a borderline guy with the thinking the team will have an influence on that player. Do you think at one point the program may be strayed too far from that?

Shannon: My first year as the head coach we just didn't have many leaders. We had "guys." They were all friends, but no leader to really step up like an Ed Reed would or a Dan Morgan or a Santana Moss would. When I was a player here, we had Jerome [Brown]. Or when [Micheal] Barrow played here, he was a leader. We're getting that now. Jason Fox is a leader. Jacory [Harris] is a leader. Sean Spence has that. Randy Phillips has that. We've got a mixture now that want to be part of it. When you see that your team doesn't have that, when it can't police itself from the inside to making sure the locker room is clean, make sure guys are showing up on time for classes and for everything, then you know you've got to change up how you're doing the evaluations.

Q: When you're signing 25 kids, do you look at your recruiting board and see who those guys probably are?

Shannon: To be honest, these last two years we've done a great job with that. My first year, we got [CB DeMarcus] Van Dyke and a couple of players here and there, but we really just had a month to put it together. But since then, I think we've done a great job of hitting on the right kids. You see it at receiver. You see it with Sean Spence. You see it with Marcus Robinson. You can go to any position on the team and you see that we did hit on some real good kids that are hard-nosed, that love UM, want to work and you won't have to worry about any problems.

Q: From interviewing top college players around the country the past year or two, I hear about how a lot of kids grew up as Miami fans at first but then shifted over to other schools as they move into the recruiting process. When you hear that, what do you think?

Shannon: A lot of people say when we recruit them, "Ah, I always loved Miami." Well, the hardest part is really getting people to understand where Miami is located. Some kids and parents think we're right in the middle of Liberty City. They don't understand we're in Coral Gables. They don't understand that Miami is a private school, that we only have 8,000 students. They think Miami is 40,000 students. That perception you have to knock down real quick.

If we can get the parents on campus with the kid at the same time, I think we have an 80 percent shot that we're gonna get him.

Q: When you first got the job, some of your rules got a lot of attention, especially your mandate that your players could not have any guns. You've got a reputation as a strong discipline guy, but the pressure is building to get Miami back to the days of contending for national championships. How connected are these two things?

Shannon: The wins will come. The thing I always believed is that when you have distractions, it's very hard to win because you're fighting other battles instead of coaching and your team sticking together. The wins will come. I think we have 56 freshmen and sophomores on this team. That's unheard of. And out of that 56, probably 38 to 40 of them are going to contribute. We've got a senior class and then these freshmen and sophomores. There is a big drop-off between. We have only about eight juniors.

Q: If you didn't have the two new coordinators, where your opponents are probably more in the dark about what they might see early, would you be more worried about having to open with those first four games [at FSU, against Ga. Tech, at Va. Tech and against Oklahoma]?

Shannon: I'm pretty excited about it. [Former UM defensive coordinator] Bill Young was great, but he went back home to his alma mater. He's probably going to retire at Oklahoma State. [Former UM offensive coordinator Patrick] Nix is a good coach. I felt we just needed to get something else going. I hired coach [Mark] Whipple because he's a great offensive mind, and he's also a great quarterback coach, so he could work with Jacory. And on defense we got John Lovett, who has that experience, and he knows the ACC. They bring a lot to the table, and the players see that.

I go back one year ago and I didn't know what was going to happen because we had so many young kids we had to depend on. Right now, I'm thrilled to death. I'm excited about what we have going into next season. The players are much more experienced, and they're much better athletes going into the season.

Q: How did the players here handle the end of the first-round draft streak?

Shannon: The players on the team took it as a challenge. Most Cane fans probably were shocked but then the reality hit: The program had probably got worse than what everybody thought it was. I mean we had one guy drafted [LB Spencer Adkins] and maybe three guys get free agent contracts out of maybe 18 seniors.

Q: And that recruiting class had a pretty high ranking when it was signed …

Shannon: See, that's what I'm saying. You have to be careful of going about rankings and what's on the board instead of going after players. We've been fortunate the past two years. We got players now, but they were all young and we had to play them. A lot of people get on me for playing them so early, but they were still our best players.

Q: How many guys do you suspect might become first-round picks in the 2011 draft?

Shannon: You probably could have four. In terms of the NFL draft, 2011 and 2012 will be big years for us.

Q: What kind of similarities do you see to when you get the head coaching job and to when Butch Davis came in?

Shannon: Back then, we still had four or five players. We had Ray Lewis, Kenard Lang, Kenny Holmes and Duane Starks, so we won nine games, but when we ran out of those guys, we had nobody. We went 5-6 and had to play Santana, Reggie Wayne, Dan, Damione Lewis when they were so young. That's what we had to do in 2008 and we went 7-6. It's kinda like the same situation. After we went 5-6, then we went 9-3, then 11-1 and then we won it. Well, we as a team feel like we should be a whole lot better than 7-6 next year.

Q: What would it take to win the ACC this year?

Shannon: Luck. And what I mean by that is we have to stay injury-free. Jacory cannot get hurt. We have to bring the second-team QB around, and the offensive line and linebackers have to stay healthy. We gotta get more depth. Our first-team offensive line is full of seniors and juniors and then behind them are guys who haven't played a snap. We don't have that third-year sophomore who has played some. All we need are two guys to come around. Right now, there's a gap. Now that's not supposed to happen in a program, but that's called rebuilding.

Whipple: The Reason For Optimism This Season

2009-05-19T17:01:00.000-07:00

While perusing ESPN.com earlier, I saw "Cane Mutiny" author Bruce Feldman’s pre-season Q&A. I scrolled for a Canes-themed question and finally stumbled upon one asking about Miami's shot at an ACC crown. Feldman didn’t discount it, going as far as quoting strength coach Andreu Swasey as saying, "it feels a lot like it did 7-8 years ago when you had all these explosive athletes ready to take off."

While I'm not quite Swasey-esque and willing to compare the ’09 Canes to the ready-to-explode talent of ‘01-‘02, there’s definitely reason for optimism. Contrary to negative opinion, Miami is going to turn some heads this season.

Those of you not quite willing to believe, I get it. This fan base has been burned lately and burned often. Teased in ‘03 by a supposedly 'famished' team, hungry to re-reach their third straight title game and falling short. (Where was that hunger in Blacksburg or the second half against Tennessee?)

A pre-season top ten team in 2004, on OT thriller over the Noles, a 6-0 start... only to limp to a 9-3 finish year one in the ACC.

An eight-game win streak after a season-opening loss at FSU. Ranked #3 in the country mid-November and a month later on the wrong end of a 40-3 bowl game beat-down.

Kirk Herbstreit called Miami a dark horse in the National Championship race when 2006 kicked off. A few new coaches on board courtesy of LSU, yet the same result – a second straight Labor Day loss to Florida State.

Thumped at Louisville thanks to some immaturity and false bravado. A brawl against FIU and an almost-loss a week later at Duke. The murder of Bryan Pata and two especially painful road losses.

After dropping four straight, the lone bright spot - a win over BC on senior night. Pata was recognized, honored and his spirit willed UM to a win that looked impossible after a disastrous first half.

The consolation prize; New Years in Boise and an eventual 7-6 record, making for the longest off-season in recent memory. Larry Coker literally found a way to take Miami to a darker place than Tony Russell and a Pell Grant scandal did a decade prior.

Those quick to question Randy Shannon and looking to turn up the heat year three? Re-refer to the 2006 break down a few paragraphs and rethink that.

The Shannon Project is barely 2 1/2 years underway and the clock just started ticking. The foundation has been laid and new coach’s sophomore campaign showed promise. Could've easliy been 10-3. Could've again been 5-7. Games were that close.

A Thursday night win over Virginia Tech, proved the Canes biggest win in three years. Same foe, different venue and less on the line - but an important step forward in the overall growth process.

Defensively, Miami showed it had the potential to ‘bring it’... just not consistently. Offensively, identity-less, inconsistent and for the most part, ineffective.

The Canes haven't truly clicked on O since Kellen Winslow II's would-be game-winning Fiesta Bowl touchdown. Ken Dorsey proved irreplaceable and a year later, Brock Berlin had an up/down year under his belt while Rob Chudzinski was lured to Cleveland to coach tight ends for Butch Davis.

A few months later, an undeserved in-house promotion for quarterback coach Dan Werner. The result - a two-year 18-6 run for a program coming off a 46-5 stretch. Werner’s eventual firing led to the short-lived Rich Olson/Todd Berry era – Olson, pushed on Coker because the admin didn’t have faith in Berry, a Coker buddy from his Oklahoma State days. The retread and the newbie, a complete and utter disaster when attempting to join forces and run an offense.

Four years after the first chink in the armor surfaced, it was officially time to clean house. Miami canned Coker; a first time head coach and lifelong signal caller who ironically enough was did himself in by not finding a quality offensive coordinator.

Shannon was hired and eventually settled on Patrick Nix, a risky experiment nipped in the bud after two seasons. A lesser coach gives Nix one more shot to revamp the offense. Shannon cut bait, started fresh and reeled in a big fish.

The Canes former defensive coordinator made Miami’s biggest offensive splash in two decades; the hiring of Mark Whipple. If at first your fifth choice, no name OC doesn't succeed... try, try the NFL.

Whipple's resume isn't Olson-esque, an NFL assistant landing where his buddies hire him. Atop Whipple's ‘has-done’ list, helping mold Ben Roethlisberger and most recently, getting Donovan McNabb back on track with his best showing since 2004. McNabb threw for a career-best 3,916 overall yards, with a 23-to-11 TD/INT ratio. Philly coach Andy Reid offered a promotion to keep Whipple, knowing the fifth-year quarterbacks coach would turn him down.

"I've learned a lot and I want to put it to work," Whipple told Reid. The successful quarterbacks coach missed calling plays.

A riverboat gambler-type in his six-year stint as head coach at UMass, Whipple possessed a devil may care attitude too brash for a team leader, but the man knows how to run an offense and develop a quarterback. Two things the University of Miami has been void of for over half a decade. Whipple is the Canes' missing link.

That intangible that kept a ‘pretty good’ Berlin from being ‘great’. The skills to make sure "can't miss" five-star Kyle Wright doesn't miss. A resume to lure in better prospects, especially if he works his magic with Jacory Harris; the type of superstar who grew up on the hometown and wants to make a difference – something the Canes thrived off during all those championship runs. Whipple is the remedy to all of that.

Harris/Whipple has potential that Miami hasn't seen in forever. Dorsey was phenomenal, but don't confuse Rob Chudzinski's offensive prowess with the fact the '01 Canes were as loaded as loaded could be. (A year later, where was the game plan when Ohio State's defense came to play all night long?)

The last time Miami boasted a tandem with this much going for it, rewind two decades to the Steve Walsh/Gary Stevens era or Craig & Dennis Erickson show.

I’m not drawing a comparison before the season's first play has been called. It's simply a statement. On paper, Miami is inching their way back. Offensive needs are being addressed and it's high time the Canes are get back to high-spirited offensive performances.

Hard to be brash and full of (that overused-yet-relevant-here) "swagger" when a beat-down defense is grinding out 16-14 wins, picking up the slack for an incompetent offense for half a decade now.

You want to fill a stadium? Find this generation's "Thrill Hill". Put that ball in the air and make some plays. For God sake, we're talking about an offense where receivers used to print "BOMB SQUAD" on their hand towels.

The Dink-N-Dunk era is over. Miami will soon again be flying high and lighting up scoreboards. The defense finally gets its chance to feed off the other guys. Playing with a lead or knowing you can score at will - that's when you see a defense loose and making plays. That's when you get you turnovers. When it's "feel" and not "forced".

We're a long way from knowing where this season will wind up and for the skeptical folk, I get it. I don't choose to see it that way, but I understand why you're not sold. You have valid reasons for not buying in just yet. That said, at least acknowledge the potential of Harris/Whipple. Give Randy credit for the hire and recent recruiting haul-ins.

Wide receivers galore, all entering year two after a hit-the-ground-running freshman campaign. Depth at running back and a beefed up line, offensive coordinator and quarterback are looking at the most talented squad since '02.

Nowhere near that level of talent, but nowhere near 2006, either. (Oh Kirby where art thou?)

Skeptics, you have your first reason to believe. Proceed with caution if you choose, but get back on board. This ship is officially back on course.

Robert Marve chooses... Purdue

2009-05-19T13:33:00.000-07:00

Word is that Robert Marve will be a Boilermaker by week's end. It came down to Purdue and Tennessee, with Marve deciding against walking on in Knoxville and sitting a year before getting his shot in West Lafayette come 2010.

I know some Miami fans are tired of hearing Marve's name. I'm right there with you. That said, it's a story and it needs to be understood that a percentage of Cane fans simply aren't going to "get over it".

When Marve came aboard, he was welcomed with open arms; an instant member of the U Family. He sat out year one due to injury, but was thought to be the next great Miami quarterback. He had an erratic up and down redshirt freshman campaign, never doing enough to solidify the starting gig, allowing Jacory Harris to get a foot in the door as a true freshman.

Marve got in trouble with the law, he didn't get it done in the classroom and when faced with adversity, he not only turned tail and ran - but he and his family badmouthed UM and Randy Shannon on their way out.

For those who are 'over' the Marve saga, good for you. But don't expect others not to be caught up in the soap opera. The same way you'd keep tabs on an ex lover and take an ounce of joy in finding out things aren't going so swell for them - it's comparable to how some fans feel about Marve, who basically left the Canes at the altar. Understand that when you're quick to tell your fellow fan to 'move on'.

One last parting shot from the allCanesBlog.com. I hope the fine educators at Purdue can teach Robbie a thing or two about geography. Last I checked, West Lafayette is about 1,100 miles from Tampa and Coral Gables is a good 275 miles from the Marve casa.

For a kid who wanted to move closer to home for his ailing dad, Indiana is hardly a neighboring state. I'm just saying...

Bailey ranked No. 2 "workout warrior" by ESPN.com

2009-05-18T18:16:00.000-07:00

ESPN ran a piece today called "College footbal's top workout warriors" and writer Bruce Feldman ranked the Miami Hurricanes' defensive tackle Allen Bailey second on his top ten list. Check it:

2. Allen Bailey, Miami, DT: On a wall inside the UM football offices are the team bests for each exercise by position. When you get to defensive linemen, almost all you see is one Bailey head shot after another. Some UM fans have taken to calling him "Freakzilla," thanks in part to his awesome athleticism but also to his Bunyanesque background that has created some legendary tales. Such as how he once killed an alligator with a shovel.

Bailey, who last season battled through a torn pectoral muscle while making the transition from linebacker to defensive line, had nine tackles for loss and five sacks. Now that he's healthy and more comfortable playing at defensive tackle, expectations around Coral Gables, Fla., are soaring. Some inside the program think the junior will restart Miami's streak of first-round draft picks. Lord knows he should test well at the NFL combine next year.

This spring, Bailey vertical jumped 39 inches despite weighing 288 pounds. He ran a 4.65 40 time. He power-cleaned 375. Longtime UM strength coach Andreu Swasey, who has trained the likes of Willis McGahee, Kellen Winslow II, Sean Taylor and others, gives Bailey perhaps the ultimate praise: "He is the freakiest of all the freaks since I've been here," Swasey says. "When he got here, he weighed 270, and I told the coaches, 'He's going to be 300, but it'll be a 300 like you've never seen before.'"

Bruce also did a Q&A on ESPN.com today and was asked about how realistic the Canes' shot at an ACC title was in 2009:

Kush (Miami FL): Hey Bruce, loved your book Meat Market. People keep sleeping on the Hurricanes this year. With the talent they have and the addition of a proven OC in Mark Whipple, can you see them making a realistic push for an ACC title this year?

Bruce Feldman: Thanks.. I do think they have a realistic shot at the ACC title. I was down at UM last week. Andreu Swasey (their strength coach) says it feels a lot like it did 7-8 years ago when you had all of these explosive athletes ready to take off. I like QB Jacory Harris a lot and Whipple should be a great fit with him. The challenge will be surviving a brutal first four games. If they go 3-1 somehow, they'll crack the top 15. Even 2-2 and being competitive with OU would be a good sign.

Jack McClinton : In Store Today!!

2009-05-16T07:13:00.000-07:00

Our good friend Jack McClinton is in store today for a signing session -- 12pm to 1pm ET. Come meet the 2-time MVP and first team all-ACC selection... the 3-time league leader in 3-pointers per game... the 2-time league leader in 3-point field goal % and the ACC all time leader in 3-point field goal %.

Can't make the autograph session? Fear not as we'll have two different signed 8x10s available, signed mini basketballs and a limited edition 16x20 signed photo. All pics snapped by U of Miami official photographer J.C. Ridley.

Click here to check out the #33 signed gear available for purchase!

Canes roll in 2009 Academic Progress Report

2009-05-12T09:49:00.000-07:00

The 2009 Academic Progress Report was recently released. Not exactly featured on the front of the Sports page and great to see stereotypes still apply.

When Pete Fiutak of FOX Sports mentioned that when Miami rolled in ranked 7th, he was quick to write, "no, not the Ohio version".

Funny how some stereotypes will never die. Sad, actually.

The University of Miami ranked only behind Stanford, Air Force, Duke, Rutgers, Rice and Navy. State-funded Florida earned a respectable 20th while Free Shoes U proved they're no academic juggernaut, ranked T80th. Also 80th, Virginia Tech and New Mexico. Mississippi State and West Virginia ranked higher. G-O N-O-W-E-L-Z!

For those who don't know about the APR, every Division I sports team calculates its APR each academic year. The total is based on eligibility retention and graduation of each scholarship student-athlete. Miami 977 points was better than Notre Dame, Northwestern, Boston College, Vanderbilt and Wake Forest, all who fell between 10th and 20th.

The Canes scored a 977 in 2008, up from a 10th-ranked 966 in 2007 and for those who think this is a new trend, think again. From 1992-1997, UM was one of only eight schools to graduate at least 70% of its football student-athletes. The 2004 AFCA graduation rate was 84.2%; the nation's average was 58%.

As for the ignorant fans who will chime in saying these stats are pointless, it's all about Ws and Ls - check yourself. This is a university first and football program second. These players are here to get an education and play football; in that particular order. What Randy Shannon is instilling in this kids is not only bigger than the game, but it'll make the better players. You need to be a winner across the board, not just on the field.

By molding young men, this will create better overall players. Top-flight recruiting classes and development of players are the other obvious parts to the equation.

Congrats Canes. Great work.

MEN'S SPORTS
Cross Country --- 1000
Swimming (Diving) --- 1000
Outdoor Track --- 991
Indoor Track --- 990
Football --- 977
Tennis --- 974
Baseball --- 970
Basketball --- 964

WOMEN'S SPORTS
Golf --- 991
Volleyball --- 990
Rowing --- 984
Swimming --- 978
Basketball --- 975
Soccer --- 970
Tennis --- 969
Indoor Track --- 966
Outdoor Track --- 966
Cross Country --- 927

Some "Meat" On Which To Feast...

2009-05-06T15:07:00.000-07:00

Recruiting remains a topic no matter what time of year. What once dominated January and February, it's now a twelve-month long obligation.

Unlike the NFL, talent can pretty much overcome coaching in the college game - making recruiting all the more important.

The Miami Hurricanes fell off the map the latter part of this decade, due to poor recruiting and development of talent. If you follow this blog, you know where I stand on Larry Coker. His greatest weakness is proving to be Randy Shannon's strength; recruiting.

A lot of chatter occurs in the 'comments' section of this blog. I don't censor anybody who's not afraid to put their name with their thoughts. I even let a lot of 'Anonymous' stuff slide, as long as it's productive.

Everyone has an opinion about coaching, recruiting and the process. For those off base, I oft direct them to Bruce Feldman's "Meat Market : Inside The Smash-Mouth World Of College Football Recruiting".

Not enough college football fans have read that book and even based on my recommendation, I know most are too busy to heed the advice. Because of that, I'm going to occasionally post excerpts here. I want fans to compare the old coaching regime with the new. I want them to picture both coaching staffs recruiting -- the process, the attitude, the overall goal, the communication, the evaluation of talent.

And for my critics, yes I realize that Ed Orgeron, the former Ole Miss head coach, has since been fired. Doesn't mean he wasn't a solid recruiter and didn't have a game plan. Those in doubt, remember then when Tennessee starts reeling in solid classes with him as their line coach and recruiting coordinator.

You can also look at the Ole Miss team Houston Nutt took over in 2008. The one chock full of Orgeron's players that went 9-4 and knocked off Florida, LSU and Texas Tech. Proof that it takes recruiting and coaching, but that it all starts with talent.

Pay attention. Here's this week's passage:

Orgeron had been telling his staff since Day One that the evaluation process was always, always ongoing, but even he sometimes forgot his own edict about not falling in love too fast or writing someone off too quickly. Players the staff loved -- as well as ones they didn't -- were always up for discussion.

That also included committed players like (Robert) Elliott. Even though it was in Orgeron's nature to ride his initial reaction on a player, either good or bad, he knew he had to learn from past mistakes and go through the process as hard as he could, just like he preached.

"We need to crank this machine back up," he said before heading down the hall to grab a cup of coffee to top off the Red Bull.

The rest of the Ole Miss staff filed into the war room a few minutes before 8am for the Rebels' recruiting meeting. Orgeron reentered and circled around the table.

"I want these names to come alive!" he boomed, pointing to the recruiting boards. "We gotta re-recruit. They are out there, and we can get them. We got Brent Schaffer here! We got Cordera Eason here! We got John Jerry! Those guys could've gone anywhere, but we got them to come here. This time last year, Marcus Tillman was committed to LSU, and he ended up coming here...

Oregon paused for a breath and a couple heartbeats, his words still hanging in the air as if afraid to leave the room. Then he wriggled his shoulders to shed some tension and brought his voice down a few decibels.

"I don't wanna be an a**hole about this," he said. This was obviously the part of the top job he hadn't fully adjusted to, the part where he had to squeeze his buddies. "But please, please don't think your s**t is so important you don't have to be out there recruiting. I'll take that as a dagger right here."

He smashed his thumb into his heart with such force you half expected to see blood spurt out. Yet this didn't qualify as a full-bore, gloves-off, "let-'em-hear-you-in-Baton-Rouge" Oregeron rant. His voice hadn't ascended to an indecipherable high-pitched shrill. His eyes had bulged out, but only slightly. His chin had stayed moored to his face.

Maybe Orgeron had toned down his standard stump speech down a bit because two former Miami assistants, (Art) Kehoe and (Dan) Werner, and soft-spoken linebackers coach David Saunders were new to his system.

Orgeron knew that Kehoe, a proud man who'd spent 27 years at Miami, was beloved by many of the high school coaches in the state of Florida and that he could do wonders for his young line on the practice field. But Orgeron also knew that the Canes didn't have to recruit very hard to stay on top. Blue-chippers sought them out. Orgeron didn't directly stare at Kehoe or Saunders, the man who'd introduced him to his wife, but it became obvious these two guys were the principal targets of his "We Gotta Do More!" speech.

Yeah, I'm sure that's just how Miami's war room sounded 2002-2006.

Gino Torretta headed to College Football Hall of Fame

2009-04-30T22:31:00.000-07:00

He won a national championship, he took home a Heisman and now Gino Torretta is headed to the College Football Hall of Fame.

Torretta threw for more than 7,600 yards as the Miami Hurricanes quarterback. He took home the Maxwell Award, Davey O'Brien Award, Unitas Award and was a consensus All-American... though his critics love to point to a lackluster NFL career. Never mind all that as this honor is all about his NCAA run and dominance of the college landscape in the early 90s.

Though Torretta's older brother Geoff was an under the radar quarterback at Miami in the late 80s, Gino had his sights set on playing for the Stanford Cardinal.

"I knew Stanford's education was very valuable and a great degree and that's the way I looked at it. I was going to have an opportunity to get a scholarship but to me that meant it paid for my education," said the former Heisman winner. "Unfortunately, (Stanford) said I wasn't good enough -- or fortunately."

Geoff's career was mostly spent on the bench, backing up the Canes first Heisman winner, Vinny Testaverde. Miami coaches warned the younger Torretta that there was a chance he wound up a career back up, as well. Craig Erickson was the Canes signal caller and a then-unknown Brian Fortay would eventually battle Gino for the starting job.

Erickson graduated, Torretta went on to stardom while Fortay left UM, miffed and not being named starter. He eventually transferred to Rutgers, attempted to sue the University of Miami and was essentially never heard from again. As for Gino's decision to call Coral Gables home, it was a no-brainer.

"It's awful hard to turn down, when you go into their offices and the last five (starting quarterbacks) are on the cover of Sports Illustrated," Torretta said. "I wanted to have a chance to win a national championship."

Torretta started his final two college seasons at UM and went 26-2 as a starter. Now he can add 'member of the College Football Hall of Fame' to his resume.

Congrats, Gino.

Yeah, we heard... "The Streak" is over

2009-04-25T09:16:00.000-07:00

Seems a lot of sports media outlets felt the need to chime in this week regarding Miami's first round NFL Draft streak coming to an end this week. Sad how "outsiders" feel the need to tell their version of the story, not having lived through it and basically Googling their fingers off in an effort to fact check.

The New York Times even had their say, as sports writer Judy Battista attempted to craft a clever little tale. She spoke of the length of the streak, mustered up an anecdote about streak-starter Warren Sapp playing his entire career and even participating on "Dancing With The Stars" before the streak would end.

Like most, she got her shots in about Miami's recent demise and the fact that some smaller schools are producing some random first round talent these. As if it's so unheard of that a Delaware (Joe Flacco) or Tennessee State (Dominique Rodgers-Cromartie) can trap lightning in a bottle once in a blue moon.

Credit to Judy for getting some quotes from Howard Schnellenberger, the legend who officially put Miami on the map, as well as Tom Luginbill, the recruiting expert who pinpoints the program's decline (recruiting-wise) in 2003. Schnellenberger got his digs in about Miami's previous coaching regime not focusing enough on local talent, chasing too name national big names. She even got a quote from Larry Coker, a man still in denial and defending his tenure:

“The overall talent in South Florida wasn’t as good as it has been as far as really great talent. The key for Miami is always the talent level in South Florida. When I left, I think there was good talent. Were there six first-round draft choices? Obviously not, but the talent was good.”

Keep telling yourself that, Larry. Banished to Nowheresville, Texas after two years in the TV booth.

Of course there were the cliche statements that national, non-Miami writers will make. Battista took her cheap shot at the Orange Bowl ("But just as the decrepit Orange Bowl stadium crumbled a few years ago, so did Miami’s supremacy") and dig that UM was losing recruits to smaller in state schools ("es have proliferated, more teams play on national TV. That has helped put lower-profile teams on the recruiting map. On national signing day in February, Miami Pace defensive back Kayvon Webster, who had committed to Miami, signed with South Florida").

It what should've been a pro-Miami article, applauding what has been accomplished over the past fourteen seasons -- 33 first round draft picks -- Battista instead finds a way to stroke Florida and Urban Meyer, praising the UF coach for "hurting Miami the most" by "making inroads into what had been Miami recruiting territory". She goes as far to say "everyone agrees" with this sentiment.

Battista then enters "idiot" territory when she wrongly explains the Bryce Brown situation. Forget that his signing with Tennessee has absolutely zero to do with today's NFL Draft or Miami's streak - she's quick to point out that he signed with the Vols, "even though his older brother plays for Miami". I'm sure that had nothing to do with Randy Shannon pulling Brown's scholarship offer and taking the Canes out of the recruiting battle for the top flight back. Nice fact checking, Judy.

Enough about yet another ignorant writer who followed the standard "How an outsider covers Miami" type fluff piece. Today is about celebrating the streak, acknowledging why it's coming to an end, learning from mistakes and starting a new.

Bruce Johnson will be the lone Cane drafted this year... if he's drafted at all. The last time Miami had a mere one draft pick was defensive back Gene Coleman in 1980. The last time no Canes were drafted? 1974. The 2009 Draft will either match 1980 or 1974 today. That's how far this thing has fallen.

I spent the better part of this decade longing for NFL Draft weekend; a spring time football escape. A reason to talk Canes and a day when ESPN would stroke all things UM for several hours on end. It was basically a free, subliminal infomercial for next year's recruits. "Come to Miami, become an NFL superstar someday".

A lot of folk in the anti-Shannon camp get miffed when the rest of us beat the anti-Coker drum. "How long are you going to blame Larry?", they ask. Personally, I'll blame him until his final recruit is off campus and no longer part of this team.

How can you NOT blame Coker when you watch today's draft? Today a fourteen-year old streak ends. One that even endured the late 90s probation era. Butch Davis still brought in top flight talent when UM was stripped of scholarships and on probation. Coker was recruiting when the program was reaching BCS games and riding a 34-game win streak and he still found a way to screw things up. No recruiting coordinator in place, no in roads with local high school programs and his thumb nowhere near the pulse regarding UM's culture and the way things are done.

This isn't about Urban and the Gators, Bryce and Kayvon's last minute snub or the effects of a move to the ACC. This is about an old man and first time head coach who had no business taking over one of the strongest brands in college football.

Coker ran this thing into the ground, which is why 2+ years after his departure Miami is still going 5-7 or 7-6 and it's the sole reason the Canes are matching numbers achieved in '80 or '74 on draft day, instead of enjoying the success the program has grown accustomed to.

Rebuild it, Randy. Get this thing back on track and let's start a new streak in 2011. (Yes, '11, not '10. Keep the seniors home next year as part of the rebuilding process.)

allCanes purchases a brick at A-Rod Park...

2009-04-23T17:48:00.000-07:00

For those headed to The Light this weekend for the Virginia Tech series, check out the brick we purchased. It's located right in front of the stadium, near the ticket windows and entrance gates.

This first group of personalized bricks was laid on April 22nd and we wanted to have our name to be a small part of the new stadium's history. There are upwards of thirty or so bricks in this first installment.

Our GM Harry Rothwell said the following about the brick project: "We are very honored to be part of this great stadium and will do our part to help the baseball program. No matter who the Canes are playing or how we're doing as a team, we along with the other great fans will now 'own' a piece of UM Baseball for all visitors to see. We look forward to the day when 500 bricks line the entry way."

I'm looking for a link for those of you interested in getting a brick of your own. I checked online but couldn't find the info. I have the pamphlet we filled out and the brick drive is being headed by the Hurricane Club. The phone number listed is 305.284.6699 and the email contact looks to be ccohen@miami.edu. Let 'em know allCanes sent you.

Support Hurricanes Baseball! Big series this weekend. Root 'em in!

One final "Classic" this week...

2009-04-22T19:44:00.000-07:00

I've rambled on enough about epic games of yesteryear. I'm too tired to type and I'm sure you're sick of the ranting and raving at this point.

The 2002 Rose Bowl was on today and I didn't even watch the anticlimactic "battle". No. 1 Miami had No. 2 Nebraska in a 34-0 hole by halftime. The only blunder, a missed extra point by Todd Sievers.

Ken Dorsey was near perfect. Clinton Portis couldn't be stopped. Andre Johnson was a man amongst boys. Jeremy Shockey is still flexing somewhere after a touchdown grab.

James Lewis had a great pick six. Portis just broke off another run. Johnson just embarrassed the boy-sized corner who couldn't keep up with him. Halftime.

Fast forward the majority of the second half, in order to not stomach Larry Coker taking his foot off the gas and allowing two uncalled for scores. Marvel at the fact future superstars like Kellen Winslow II, Sean Taylor and Antrel Rolle are playing special teams as freshmen.

Learn the true meaning of the word 'depth' when you look at the Canes ground game. Portis as your starting tailback. Najeh Davenport injured and on the sidelines, allowing Willis McGahee to take over at fullback. Watch future NFL star Frank Gore taking some meaningless handoffs in mop up duty.

While watching, try not to let your mind wander as to how Coker let the wheels fall off a handful of years later.

The 2002 Rose Bowl is a thing of beauty. At least the first half is. I own it on DVD, I have the game on the ol' iPod for when I get drunk and want to show friends how great we were and I've beaten the 2001 highlight DVD into the dirt.

I appreciate ESPN Classic replaying this one, but next time dig a little deeper in the vault and show me something a bit more exciting. Here are five semi-recent Miami classics I'd rather have watched this week - not counting UCLA (1998), Florida State (2002) or any CBS epics that can't be shown on the Disney-owned ESPN Classic (re: FSU 2000, VT 2000, UF 2002, etc.):

5. - Miami 16, Florida State 10 (OT) - [2004] - You can literally have the first 50 minutes of this snoozefest. Give me the Devin Hester blocked field goal, the Sinorice Moss jailbreak screen, the Chris Rix OT fumble and the Frank Gore rumble to paydirt for the game winner. You could easily sub this one out for the win over West Virginia in 2003, another average game with an amazing final few minutes. The 28-21 win over Pittsburgh in 2002 could make it's way into this fifth slot as well.

4. - Miami 65, Washington 7 - [2001] - So NOT a great or entertaining football game for anyone that doesn't bleed orange and green. The epitome of the all time revenge beat down for a team you wanted to send a message to.

3. - Miami 41, Louisville 38 - [2004] - Flew from San Diego to Miami for this all time Thursday night classic comeback. One of my favorite Orange Bowl experiences ever. Something about the magic that comes from a night game, a huge deficit and the validation of making the right call to trek east. Had the Canes lost, this one would be in the vault as one of the worst weekends ever.

2. - Miami 18, Boston College 7 - [2001] - "The Immaculate Interception". Ed Reed being Ed Reed. Matt Walters displaying some of the best hands a defensive lineman has ever shown. The brilliant knee of Mike Rumph. Dorsey's struggles on a cold, windy day in Chestnut Hill. The look on the faces of all those loser Bostonians, still living in an era where the Red Sox were bums and the Pats were just starting to make some noise. I doubt it came as a shock to their fans that the Eagles gave another one away. Seeing the Canes steal a would-be loss en route to Pasadena... epic game.

1. - Miami 38, Florida 33 - [2003] - A comeback for the ages. One of my favorite all time games to put on and enjoy like a fine wine. Down 33-10 late in the third, Miami's defense shuts down the dirty Gators and scores 28 unanswered. All. Time. Classic. Just mentioning this one to a filthy Florida fan makes them squirm.

Honorable Mention - Miami 27, Virginia Tech 7 - [2005] - ESPN's theme this week was "Before They Were Stars" for the upcoming NFL Draft and the '05 Canes weren't necessarily chock full o' stars, so it doesn't fit the bill. That said, a good reminder that Miami isn't really that far away from some semi-memorable days. The win propelled the No. 5 Canes to No. 3, behind No. 2 Texas and No. 1 USC. A loss to Georgia Tech two weeks later erased all that, but for one night Miami proved that they could rise to the occasion and shine on a national stage.

Another day, another "Classic"

2009-04-21T18:25:00.000-07:00

Sucked into another ESPN Classic gem today. Couldn't help myself, yet again. Miami v. Florida State 2002? C'mon now. One of my all time favorites, right up there with the 2000 edition of this rivalry - both of which are neck and neck, earning the title "hottest sporting event I ever witnessed in person".

Canes/Noles is always a battle, though occasionally the rivalry gets either one-sided or one team is a bit better than the other. Miami and Florida State were pretty evenly matched up from the mid 80s to early 90s. Probation hit the Canes pretty hard, making the mid to late 90s a completely one-sided rivalry, with the Noles winning five straight. By 2000, The U was back and Miami rattled off six in a row, none with more overall excitement than the 2002 contest.

Nothing will touch "The Drive" in 2000, when Ken Dorsey went 6-of-7 in the final two minutes, leading Miami to a 27-24 win - official only after a third game-defining field goal sailed 'wide right' for the third time in ten years. As cathartic and much needed as that '00 win, the Canes weren't down 27-14 early in the fourth quarter. Leading most of the game, you never really entertained the fact Miami might lose they way many did watching the second half of the '02 game.

Miami also wasn't the underdog they were two years prior when knocking off the top-ranked, defending national champions. In '02 the Canes were a year removed from their fifth title and No. 1 in the land, riding a 27-game win streak. As a program Miami needed that '00 victory to prove they were "back". One could argue that was the Canes' biggest win this decade, outside the Rose Bowl thumping of Nebraska.

When riding a win streak and defending a title, teams let their guard down. Hunger can't be fabricated and a 'fat and happy' mentality is almost unavoidable. Southern Cal has seen it at times this decade, as did Florida State, Nebraska and Miami in the 90s. Staying a top the mountain is almost harder than the initial climb. Of course that's something difficult for college kids to comprehend when 'in the moment'. You usually don't "get it" until you've lost what you had.

Miami started the 2002 campaign with a bang, throttling FAMU, 63-13 in the opener and rolling No. 6 Florida a week later at the Swamp, 41-16. After whooping Temple. Boston College and Connecticut by a combined score of 130-41, the Canes were 5-0 with the Noles headed to town.

Florida State looked like they'd roll into the Orange Bowl ranked fourth, but a Thursday night overtime loss at Louisville turned this into a No. 1 vs. No. 14 match up, instead of a Sunshine State showdown between two top five heavyweights.

Maybe the Canes were looking ahead, or the Noles had something to prove but the early goings of Miami/Florida State 2002 was all FSU and it remained that way for the majority of the game.

Miami struck first on the opening possession, a balanced seven-minute drive where Dorsey spread the ball all around effortlessly. Ethenic Sands, Andre Johnson, Kevin Beard and Kellen Winslow II all got in on the action, while Willis McGahee churned out 22 yards and the game's first score.

The Canes had a shot to add to the lead after the Noles fumbled a punt. Set up on the Noles' 16-yard line, Miami fumbled the first down snap, giving the ball back. Six plays and 86 yards later Nick Maddox tied it up, tearing off a 30-yard touchdown run.. Two possessions later, Xavier Beitia drilled a 45-yarder and it was 10-7, Noles.

Miami went three and out on their next possession, gave Florida State the ball at midfield, gave away ten yards in penalties and within minutes found itself in a 17-7 hole. The Canes responded with an 80-yard drive and five-yard strike to Winslow, cutting the halftime deficit to 17-14.

Early in third, again the Miami offense sputtered. As the ground game started opening up, Dorsey threw an ill-advised pick. The Canes defense forced a three and out, but again offensively two dropped passes sent Roscoe Parrish's way proved to be drive killers. Florida State took over on their four-yard line and rode their ground game to a 42-yard field goal, pushing the lead to 20-14.

Parrish atoned for his earlier drops, reeling in a 53-yard strike on 1st and 10, but an illegal (bogus) chop block made it 1st and 25. Momentum lost, the Canes would go three and out and the Noles would push it to 27-14 on the ensuing drive; only a thirteen-point lead as Bobby Bowden foolishly missed an opportunity for a two-point conversion.

With 9:32 left in the game, a win streak on the line and an Orange Bowl lulled to sleep by sub par play, the defending champs somehow flipped a switch and finally came to life. (Something you can do with depth and superior talent.) Dorsey to Johnson for 37 yards. A McGahee scamper for 11 more. Back to Johnson for 19 yards, a one-yard McGahee run and on 2nd and goal, Dorsey fired one to Kevin Beard in the back of the end zone, cutting the deficit to 27-21.

Again the defense held and at the 5:36 mark, one of a few plays that preserved an undefeated regular season was on deck. Dorsey found McGahee on the screen and a few blocks later, the power back rumbled 68 yards to the FSU 11-yard line. Jason Geathers finished the job, prancing to paydirt and putting Miami ahead for good, 28-27.

The final five scoreless minutes were not without drama, though. A signature Sean Taylor hit, where the late safety flew in like a missile, decleating P.K. Sam for what should've been a fumble (called incomplete.) A three-yard Freddie Capshaw punt, giving Florida State possession on their 46-yard line with just over two minutes to play. A few desperation passes from Chris Rix that resulted in miracle first down pick ups. A game clock that appeared to expire, yet wound up at 0:01, giving Beitia a shot at a game-winning 43-yard field goal which sailed wide, sucked left by the swirling winds in the open end zone.

Watching this vintage game brought up a slew of different emotions. Nostalgia for "the way we were" as well as my personal ability to recall how carefree live was at 28, as opposed to 35. It was a great era and the fact that Miami was in the midst of what would become a 34-game win streak? Unfathomable as this program sits at 18-16 in its last thirty-four games.

The saving grace for me is the fact that the talent is returning, by staying home. Randy Shannon is keeping the Miami kids in Miami and the depth gets deeper each passing off season. Miami's '02 comeback over Florida State was more about talent, depth, heart and leadership more than it was superior coaching. It wasn't the genius of Rob Chudzinski's play calling that won the game. It was the effort and ability of the players.

In 2002, a screen pass to a running back turned into a 68-yard pick up - thanks to a top flight running back, a solid offensive line and a few key blocks that made the difference Without the back, the line or the blocks, the same play loses three yards these last few seasons.

As brilliant as Dorsey looked at times, how does he fare behind the Miami offensive lines of 2004-2007? What's his overall record with the recent running game and receiving corps the Canes have sported? Certainly not 38-2.

Old will be new again and Miami will return to glory, as long as the talent in Coral Gables continues to improve. As depressed as some Cane fans might be watching these epic games of yesteryear, see the common theme -- when you're loaded with playmakers, you have a better chance at "out-talenting" the competition. Give it another year and those days will return.

As bright as the Canes future looks, for all the money in the world I truly couldn't stomach being a Florida State fan. If I were, my hatred for all things Miami would consume my every thought. I completely understand why the whackos on Warchant.com ban smack-talking Cane fans left and right. The thought of The U or the site of anything orange and green would eat me alive.

As painful as the 2002 loss was, I don't even know where to rank it if I'm a Nole. With a game winning kick on the line, it was fait accompli that the kick would wind up anywhere but straight through the uprights. As I watched from my sweat-covered seat in Section X that Saturday, just north of the West End Zone, I'll never forget the moment of silence before the teams lined up for the kick.

Out of nowhere, one of Miami's finest -- a shirtless, loud, liquored up patron -- screamed at the top of his lungs, "They've never beaten us with a f'n kick and they're not gonna do it today. No WAY this kick is good!" Within seconds, I shared a warm embrace with this rogue individual, wishing for a moment I was him solely for his confidence and Nostradamus-like prediction.

How many times has Miami's elation come at the hands of Florida State's pain? How many new ways can the Noles get so close, only to have their heart smashed in such dramatic fashion? Should Capshaw actually kick a man-sized punt, there's a good chance FSU never get's in field goal position. If Talman Gardner doesn't reel in two miracle grabs, the Noles possibly end with a fourth down incomplete, sparing the football world the legacy of "Wide Left" and keeping this epic game from every being replayed on ESPN Classic.

A similar story in 2000 after Miami retook the 27-24 lead with under a minute to play. Florida State manages to move the chains a few times, putting them in position for Matt Munyon to miss his 49-yard attempt, giving the world "Wide Right III".

Ironically enough, the Noles kicking game flourished in the late 90s with Sebastian Janikowski... when Miami was on probation and the rivalry's closest game was a ten-point contest in 1999. Where was Janakegger in the early 90s when Florida State couldn't buy a legit kicker?

Between 1983-1994, Miami took 9 of 12 against Florida State. From 2000-2008, the Canes have taken 7 of 10. The only time the Noles owned the rivalry, the Canes were suiting up a JV team thanks to probation. Florida State finally fields the best teams their program has ever seen and they don't even get the satisfaction of beating on a fully loaded Miami bunch. Classic.

If you're a Nole, the majority of the past twenty years will make you puke. A 19-3 deficit in 1987 resulted in a 26-25, Miami win. The No. 3 Canes took out the No. 4 Noles and weeks later rose to No. 2 and took out No. 1 Oklahoma in the Orange Bowl, securing the program's second national title.

Florida State wrapped up the season 10-1, ranked third in the country and with revenge on the brain eight months later, faced No. 6 Miami in the season opener - rolling is at the top ranked team, before losing 31-0 on national television. The fact they filmed an off-season rap video which NBC played during the beat down... nothing more than insult to injury.

The Noles got some revenge in 1989, thumping Miami 24-10 in Tallahassee... but Miami won out and went on to claim their third national championship. The Noles went 9-2 and finished ranked sixth.

All that said, no bigger heartbreak than the early 90s. In 1991, a 17-16 loss to No. 2 Miami when Gerry Thomas sent the game winner "Wide Right".

No. 1 Florida State fell from their perch and the Canes went on to win their fourth national championship and second in three seasons. A year later, No. 2 Miami staves off defeat when Dan Mowery sends his kick right. The Orange Bowl goes nuts and No. 3 Florida State falls in dramatic fashion... again. You honestly couldn't script a better ending for a half dozen of Miami's wins over Florida State the past three decades.

Floridian by birth, but a Cane by the grace of God. It's an old shirt we had back in the day at All Sports and all these years later it makes even more sense. We don't choose the teams we root for; they choose us. I have a family full of Florida State and Notre Dame fans. I look at my the cousins from generation and realize I could just as easily have become a Nole or Irish puke. It was all luck of the draw.

I put myself in a Nole's shoes watching this comeback and again I'm reminded how truly great it is to be a Miami Hurricane. Don't believe me? Just ask Mr. "Oh-for-Six" Rix.

ESPN Classic delivers again...

2009-04-20T19:07:00.000-07:00

Ahh, the excitement of college football in April. What did we ever do before Classic Sports Network? Today, a replay of the 1998 comeback against No. 2 UCLA and tomorrow, Miami v. Florida State in 2002 and another come from behind Canes win. I have both games archived away, in full on VHS and the 'classic' versions (edited down to two hours) on DVD, yet when these games are 'live' again, I get sucked in every time.

The upset of the Bruins still warms my heart. I was 24 in 1998 and had just moved from Florida to Southern California. I landed a job with FANSonly.com (now CSTV) as a lowly sports editor, working the 2pm to midnight shift with Tuesday and Wednesday off. A Cane in California, it seemed everyone was a Bruin back then (yet conveniently now everyone seems to be a Trojan).

I worked with a half dozen Bruins, all who started breaking my balls in September before the original match up was postponed. As the season rolled on, so did UCLA's win streak - up to 20 straight before the December 5th showdown at a half full Orange Bowl. Coming off that 66-13 beat down courtesy of Syracuse the week prior, the smack talk was at an all time high. My UM-themed cubicle had Post It notes stuck all over it, pictures pulled down and what not.

All in good nature, but definitely from a fan base who was sure their squad was going to lay a world class beating on Miami - their last hurdle between heartbreak and a national championship berth in the Fiesta Bowl. UCLA felt it was their destiny and the question wasn't IF they'd win, it was by how much?

I looked into last minute airfare, but couldn't afford it on my entry level salary, so I was stuck watching this one from home. An ESPN telecast in the pre-High Definition era. It seems like forever ago.

7-0 Canes early on. Edgerrin James was in full force, unstoppable and chewing up a weak Pac-10 defense, just as I'd hoped. As expected, UCLA made it look easy offensively as well. A 77-yarder from Cade McNown to Danny Farmer had it 7-7 in an instant. Miami was immediately back in the red zone and Scott Covington found a wide open, uncovered Aaron Moser to make it 14-7. The Bruins literally had nobody covering the back up wide out. I'd never seen anything like it.

Both teams traded blows in the second quarter and somehow Miami held a 21-17 halftime lead, which vanished almost immediately after the second half started. In a matter of minutes it was 31-21, Bruins and the Hurricane mojo was wearing off. By the quarter's waning moments, a 38-21 deficit before UM started showing signs of life. The Edge continued pounding the rock and true freshman Najeh Davenport scampered for a 23-yarder as the quarter came to a close. 38-28 with fifteen minutes left to play.

The fourth quarter kicked off and I was now officially late for work. The only thing worse than the trouble I'd be in was the verbal beat down some dirty Bruins were going to give me upon my arrival. The first play from scrimmage, a huge pass play turned into a UCLA fumble when safety Al Blades (R.I.P.) tipped the ball out of Brian Poli-Dixon's hands and recovered. Almost immediately Covington hit sophomore Santana Moss in stride for a 71-yard score. Miami trailed by three with almost a full quarter remaining.

UCLA pushed it to 45-35 on the ensuing possession and Miami answered on a 29-yard strike to Mondiel Fulcher. To his credit, then offensive coordinator Larry Coker called a balanced game - running it down UCLA's collective throat, yet finding receivers, tight ends and even the fullback.

45-42 with a few minutes to play and UCLA was again driving until a bogus fumble gave Miami possession. A bang-bang play that wouldn't have held up in the era of Instant Replay, but again the Bruins had their chances and just couldn't stop the Canes offense, who amassed 371 yards on the ground and 318 through the air, for 689 total yards on the afternoon.

Just as it started with a dump off to full back Nick Williams, Coker went back to the well once more with the full back rumbling to the one-yard line and in fitting fashion, James punched it in for his third touchdown of a 299-yard outing.

The Bruins attempted the move the ball one final drive, McNown eventually heaved a desperation pass towards the back of the end zone and in an instant, it was complete. The upset was in the books. Bragging rites were in my back pocket and I was headed to work an hour later, just thinking of all the things I'd say to any Bruin who crossed my path. I called my brother, a junior at Arizona State who had just put his fist through his apartment wall in jubilation.

Out of his mind over the Miami win, there was added incentive as the UCLA loss kept heated desert rival Arizona out of the Rose Bowl - a post season game they still haven't sniffed. ESPN's cameras cutting to a smug Trung Candidate, Keith Smith and crew made it that much sweeter for the Sun Devil Cane in my family and he was a few cocktails away from talking some smack of his own to any Wildcats he saw on Mill Avenue that evening.

Being a Saturday, not a Bruin was in sight upon my arrival to our Carlsbad, CA facility. Just a few lowly editors ready to congratulate me and ready to help me devise a smack-talking game plan that would rear it's ugly head on Monday morning. My direct superior was the biggest Bruin of all. On his desk, a picture of John Wooden holding his young son and always quick to drop a Bruinesque one-liner. ("I think I hate USC as much as I love UCLA, baby.")

After wasting every drop of overpriced colored ink in the company printer, I covered his desk and office with AP photos from the game. I also broke into his microwaved-sized PC and added the Miami fight song and other Canes-themed audio clips to his hard drive. For days, every time he opened a new window, downloaded a new email, launched a new browser - the University of Miami 'Band of the Hour' blared through the office. It was a thing of beauty. Thank God he had a sense of humor, or I'd have gotten canned like tuna.

Amazing the memories a simple football game can bring. I can still quote the commentators from that 49-45 thriller. Ron Frankin during the game. Adrian Karsten interviewing Butch Davis after the game. Hell, I still laugh at the fan who rushes the field in his one-size-too-tight #8 home jersey and throws down the WWE "Degeneration X" crotch slap as Cade sulked off the field towards the visitor's locker room.

Thanks for the memories, ESPN Classic. Can't wait to watch tomorrow's showdown with Florida State, partying like it's 2002 all over again.

Who's ready to get on board?

2009-04-17T22:40:00.000-07:00

A week ago this time, a Miami Herald recruiting article questioned the stranglehold Randy Shannon and staff truly have on local talent. Kids from the class of 2010 that grew up all about The U are rumored to be setting their sights elsewhere, though ten months from Signing Day the pendulum could obviously shift again.

While Cane coaches have caught some grief regarding the State of Dade County, news out of Jacksonville has another kid from Gator Country headed to Miami.

Terry Parker High School lineman Tavadis Glenn committed to the Hurricanes officially on Wednesday. The 6'5" and 265-pound four-star recruit says his recruiting days are done. It's Miami and nobody else.

Glenn was recently hit by a car and suffered a hip injury, which is expected to completely heal. While some other universities took their offers off the table, Miami stuck by Glenn - to which he credits the early commitment. Glenn had over a dozen offers on the table, including LSU, South Carolina, Southern Cal, Tennessee and nearby Florida and Florida State.

Glenn's commitment is also said to have had an impact on Miami recruit Louis Nix. Nix was considered a soft Canes commit, but the addition of Glenn has made Nix a solid commit. Both Nix and Glenn hail from Jacksonville and play for rival high schools and for those keeping score, the 904 is Urban Meyer country. That sound you just heard was the oft-criticized Miami coaching staff just reeling in two more would-be, should-be Gators.

The caveat here is that Signing Day remains ten months away. I completely get that.

The same way I defend the fact that any local talent looking elsewhere could remain home, truth is both Glenn and Nix are simply verbal commits and until they're officially signed up and on campus, it's all theory. Still, it's good theory and proof that Miami coaches continue tirelessly recruiting and building for the future. Hopefully this program's toughest critics remember these small victories along the way. Seems only 'bad' news is front page news and the focus remains on the ones who got away instead of those who got on board.

IN OTHER NEWS: The University of Miami was named the top party school in the nation for 2009 by Playboy Magazine. The University of Texas-Austin, San Diego State University, The University of Florida and the University of Arizona rounded out the top five.

The U reeled in a total score of 89, ten points higher than Texas. The five categories were worth 20 points a piece with Miami scoring a 20 in the 'bikini' category, 17 in 'sex', 20 in 'campus', 12 in 'sports' and 20 in 'brains'. UM was the only school to garner a perfect score in the 'brains' category... as well as 'bikini'. Not too shabby.

The 'ol party school list sure means a lot more when you're actually in college, on campus and taking part in the festivities. Still, nice that Miami fans can finally cheer, "we're #1" for the first time in a few years.

Is there REALLY trouble on the recruiting front?

2009-04-13T08:11:00.000-07:00

I want to start by saying I'm a fan of Manny Navarro's work. As far as University of Miami football coverage goes, this guy rolls up his sleeves and gets knee-deep in it. No local beat writer covers the Canes like Navarro. He's has my respect.

Whereas this blog is editorial-style, with long distance thoughts from a long-time, opinionated Cane, Manny's reporting helps fans keep better tabs on the day-to-day regarding all things The U. No one is pretending to be something they're not.

Being that this site is all about giving opinions, let's throw another out there for discussion -- Manny's Friday rant was off base, out of character and definitely jumped the gun.

What is the point of a mid-April piece about 'intruders' breaching UM's local recruiting wall - two months after Signing Day and ten months from the next one? Navarro claims that UM's hold over local talent "is beginning to disappear like the ozone" and says that he's hearing change in the voices of local players and their affinity for the Canes.

Ten months from now we'll find out the fate of Corey Lemonier, Jakhari Gore, Jose Jose and Ivan McCartney. All grew up Miami fans and according to Navarro, all could wind up elsewhere because all lack some cult-like adoration for the hometown program.

Godforbid some high school seniors want to explore and see something outside their beloved 305 or 954 area code.

I don't get the 'sky is falling' tone of Navarro's piece. Not now. Not when things at Miami are looking better than they have in half a decade. The Canes finally have a playmaker and leader at quarterback. A slew of talented wideouts. A stable of running backs. Depth on the defensive line. Talent at linebacker. Potential in the secondary. A veteran offensive playcaller and a capable defensive position coach that will work with a defensive minded head coach.

With an exciting season around the corner, why in God's name is Navarro sweating what some teenagers are saying regarding a decision they'll make almost a year from now?

Ten months is a lifetime to a high school senior; especially a big time football recruit. Opinions change like the weather and these kids are all about following trends, being easily influenced and even more so, talking a big game. They're kids. C'mon now, what did ANY of us really know when we were seventeen? Not a fraction as much as we thought.

Navarro asks why Booker T. Washington running back Eduardo Clements is favoring Georgia, despite the fact his former high school coach is now on UM's staff and three of his former teammates are at The U.

The Knowshon Moreno train has left Athens and the Bulldogs have both Caleb King and Richard Samuel waiting in the wings, as well as a few lesser known backs. King and Samuel come highly-touted, but rather inexperienced.

In Miami, it's the Graig Cooper and Javarris James show for at least one more year. Also waiting in the wings, Lee Chambers and newbies Mike James and Lamar Miller. Not to mention, out of nowhere safety-turned-running back Damien Berry, who tore up spring ball.

Two legit prospects at UGA versus a few proven entities and some new super freshman at UM? Might the depth chart have more to do with Clements' waning interest than some conspiracy theory that Miami's wall around South Florida is crumbling?

Same to be said for local receiver Quinton Dunbar, a recent Miami decommit from a few weeks back. Is this really an indictment on UM or simply another kid who reexamined the depth chart? Sounds more like Dunbar is trying to avoid an uncomfortable Bryce Brown-like moment and realizes an early commitment isn't the best call if he's truly looking elsewhere.

Leonard Hankerson, Aldarius Johnson, Travis Benjamin, Thearon Collier, LaRon Byrd and Davon Johnson all made a mark in 2008 and now Kendal Thompkins and Tommie Streeter are on healthy for 2009. That's eight receivers Dunbar is looking up at depth chart-wise if he signs with Miami in fall.

Definitely not the place if you're not in the mood to compete or expect the promise of immediate starting time.

Former wideout Jermaine McKenzie -- a four-star prospect a few years back -- recently left the program because of an influx of talent at Miami and inability to crack the depth chart. Others feel the depth at receiver sent Andre Dubose to Florida, instead of to Miami with high school teammates Dyron Dye and Ray Ray Armstrong.

When hearing that, is it a big deal of Dunbar, a three-star, also seemed to flinch when sizing up the current crop of talent and reopened up his recruitment? Furthermore, what's the point of committing early anyways? Word is hardly a bond when talking about athletes and their supposed "commitment" to a university. I don't know of many committed relationships where one party is allowed to keep their options open, while being wooed by other prospects.

The recruiting game is a joke and this double-talk from the mouths of babes means absolutely nada.

There's a lot of football to be played between now and February 2010. The entire schedule and bowl season, actually. I promise everyone that Lemonier, Gore, Jose and McCartney do their fair share of flip-flopping over the next ten months. Let's see how hot Clements stays on Georgia if their two new backs light it up this fall and clog up the depth chart. Let's also wait and see Clements' reaction if the hometown Canes have a breakout season. Same with Dunbar. Will these guys really want to look elsewhere and miss out at a shot at playing for the hometown team?

According to Manny, Miami isn't the sexy pick right now. Some kids are fawning over the style and dare I say 'swagger' of former Cane Mario Cristobal over at FIU -- 1-11 two years ago and 5-7 last season.

Let's see how things play out for the Golden Panthers this year and let's measure the growth of both local programs after the season. February is a long way away and not only can a lot change between now and then, you can bet that it most certainly will.

Kids were loving on Greg Schiano and Rutgers after a big time run in 2006, but the tide quickly turned a year later and hasn't been the same since. Perception becomes reality, but as we know with high school kids, perception changes on a dime.

Let's discuss all these supposed chinks in the recruiting armor after year three of the Randy Shannon era, not before. The present is too bright to 'worry' about what some high school phenoms might or might not do. The current crop of Canes are the ones who need to win games and ensure future players get on board and keep the tradition alive.

Focus on the kids who are here, not the game players who are stringing you along for the ride.

Orange Bowl Highlight Video & DVD...

2009-04-11T12:58:00.000-07:00

Keeping with the recent theme, here's another compilation we've put together for a DVD that's back in stock. This DVD highlights over seventy years of Orange Bowl history, runs 67 minutes long and is in widescreen format.

Footage from the Miami Hurricanes first home game in 1937 up through the classic Canes games this decade, not to mention a slew of Miami Dolphins footage, old Orange Bowl Classics, Super Bowls, presidential speeches and vintage concerts.

Check the clip below, make sure to watch in High Quality and click here if you want to order the video. R.I.P. OB.