The 7th Floor

Hurricanes' NCAA Sanctions: Expect the Unexpected.

2012-05-16T12:55:06Z

In just a few short months the Miami Hurricane football program should be handed their fate from the ongoing NCAA investigation stemming from ex-Hurricane booster Nevin Shapiro. There have been multiple opinions on what Miami should and shouldn't get. Some people even say the death penalty is in order.

I honestly wouldn't count it out.

Miami has always been the "Bad Boys of Football", a moniker they received for the way they acted on and off the field during the 80's, but went away towards the late 90's. Butch Davis came in and wanted to clean up the program and eventually did, so we thought.

Nevin Shapiro, the ex-Hurricane booster, decided that he needed to be an ~~ass~~ jerk and tattletale on his beloved Hurricanes. What came next was a detailed Yahoo! article showing pictures and receipts of Hurricane players supposedly accepting gifts from the con.

Now with the investigation winding down there are many speculations, some professional and some opinionated, of what will happen to the Hurricane program. I can tell you one thing, the recent suspension of ex-Hurricane Jonathan Vilma the NFL handed down to "make and example", didn't help Miami's cause.

Every organization and media outlet wants to continue to hold Miami to another standard. A standard of being thugs and uneducated players, when in reality is furthest from the actual truth. If you don't want to believe that just compare the actual police reports between Miami and any other big time football college across the country over the last 10 years. While you are at it, compare the test scores of Hurricane football players to every non-Ivy league school.

That's what I thought.

Basically what I am saying is no matter how improved the program is, Miami will always be made to look worse than they actually are. What those KIDS allegedly did was an NCAA violation, if allegations are true, and there is no doubt they need to be punished.

My huge problem are that other programs, such as Florida, that have actually committed crimes off the field goes virtually unnoticed. Why make an example out of a school for non-illegal activities? Make an example out of Florida and other schools that actually give scholarships to criminals.

Sorry, but getting a free dinner or an escort for the night is nothing compared to a "time to die" text, ain't that right Chris Rainey?

I personally believe Miami will only get another year or two bowl ban and a loss of multiple scholarships over the next few years, but I would not be surprised if the NCAA, like the NFL did to Vilma, makes an example of Miami and gives them a more serious sanction.

Maybe not the death penalty, but something more severe than they deserve.

The Big 12 vs The ACC - Should Miami Jump Ship?

2012-05-14T16:21:26Z

Over the past week or so, a whole lot of rumors have begun to fly about a few ACC schools potentially looking to join the Big 12 and ditch the ACC. Most of these sprang to life right around the time FSU publicly admonished the ACC's new TV deal, saying that the conference has up till now failed to adequately market the school's football brand. While you would think that the selling of a football program to the public would fall more on the shoulders of, you know, the school/football program itself, there is work that the conference is responsible for. The ACC has long been regarded as a basketball conference first, and a mediocre at best football conference second. Now that these rumors are flying, let's take a brief look at why Miami should at least consider making the move to a football-first conference.

ACC football has, for the last few years, had very few great football moments. More recently, there is the sudden emergence of Clemson, the funny offense of GT making waves with the rushing game, but being a passing game laughing stock, the consistency of Beamer ball at VT, and the perennial preseason hopes of FSU before ultimately falling short. Amidst all this, there sits Miami. A once proud powerhouse of the gridiron, now rebuilding with a new coach, waiting on NCAA sanctions, and still trying to keep an air of the former greatness around the program. Miami has never won a conference title since moving to the ACC, yet here we are, wondering if a move will be made. SB Nation writer Bill Connelly paints a pretty good picture of the reasons why the Big 12 would invite certain schools, and to be honest, after reading his take it would actually make sense.

The logical, first reaction to a program in Miami's shoes leaving is to wonder why they would ditch a conference they have never won. As pointed out by @HurricaneStiz, who follows the Seventh Floor twitter account, Miami making this move would be akin to going to your local bar, striking out with all the single women, and then saying "Whatever, I'm leaving. This bar sucks anyways." It's a pretty apt comparison. Miami has for a while struggled to find a foothold in what should be an easy conference to win year after year. A lot of this is due to mediocre coaching, a lack of recruiting prowess, and a general malaise over the program. Of course all of that has been quickly reversed by Al Golden and his methods, with the program feeling strong than ever and on it's way back, but it still has yet to equate to more than a .500 season and another missed conference title. So why would Miami leave? Why bother? Well, there are a few reasons that would benefit the program immensely.

The first reason has to do with what drives college football from any angle, money. The Big 12 has more money than they know what to do with, to the point where they finally just said "We will never spend all this cash, so lets give a whole mess of it to Texas and see what happens lol." If you took Miami, a program with an aging, albeit still viable, name brand and put them in the middle of all that green, it could do wonders for the program. Facilities would improve, marketing would be everywhere, and the brand would do nothing but grow. The second pro for Miami making the move would be recruiting. Golden has proved that he can recruit the state of Florida with the best of them, and can also go outside the state to nab recruits also. He has ties in the northeast from his time at Temple, and has been establishing a pipeline in Louisiana as well. Given the money, the notoriety, and the chance to establish Texas/Kansas/etc. as a pipeline along with Florida, just think of what the school could become. As long as none of those recruits have the last name Brown, I think he would do alright. Finally, the competition is just better. Compare playing Texas, Oklahoma, Oklahoma State, and the rest every year as compared to Virginia, BC, Wake, et al. You come out of a tough Big 12 schedule with a winning record, it tends to look a lot better than emerging from the ACC with the same record.

So will it happen? Only time will tell, really. Of course school officials are denying any rumors and saying a move is highly unlikely, but they have to say that. If they are smart, they are at least looking at the viability of such a move. In a perfect world, Miami would continue building and get back to a bit more than a .500 team in the ACC before making the jump, as moving within the next year or so may set them up for a bit more time "rebuilding" before they would be competitive, although the current team is largely unproven and could change a lot of minds. If the Big 12 does end up extending an offer to FSU, Miami, and whoever else they want, it would be a smart move for the schools to make from a football standpoint. Let the ACC keep their basketball, they just added Pitt and Cuse, they'll be fine.

GO CANES!

National Title Losers: 2002

2012-05-11T13:37:27Z

The college football off-season is notorious for its lack of brevity. The longest break of any major sport, when May rolls along and we're still only half way home. As such, we will begin this multi-part series on great past Miami Hurricane teams.

We all know of the illustrious history of the 5 national title winning teams. What many outside the super fandom do not know is how many times Miami was in the title game on the losing side. This fact is what separates Miami from any other program of the last 30 years. Today’s focus: the 2002 Fiesta Bowl losing edition.

While the 2001 team gets all the national recognition, and more than deservedly so, I will always prefer the 2002 edition. I always enjoy the nay-sayers being silenced, and this entire season was full of them. The schedule on paper looked extremely daunting. Florida and Tennessee on the road, to go along with a presumably more experienced Chris Rix and his Florida State squad (0-5 all time career what what!!). Here is a rather positive preview picking Miami to lose one game but still make the Fiesta Bowl and play for the title.

Losing so many first round NFL draft picks seemed too difficult a task to overcome to repeat. However, lest our immediate history becomes our instant past, and not unlike USC's run after, Miami famously reloaded. Kellen Winslow II, Sean Taylor, Willis McGahee, Vernon Carey, Antrel Rolle…all were backups and/or special teams stars in 2001. Little did any of us know these guys would arguably be better than their previous versions.

Game 1: @ Miami 63, Florida A&M 17

The (pre)season opener against Florida A&M went as intended; a warm-up. Up 42-0 at halftime, FAMU was sacked 7 times. Surprisingly, at least in hindsight, Jason Geathers had 199 yards rushing. I’m sure after this week we all thought we had our new Clinton Portis; a week later this would still be the case.

Game 2: Miami 41, @ Florida 16

The real opener to the season. If I remember correctly Miami might have been a mental underdog, if not an actual Vegas dog. Florida was coming off a 10-2 Orange Bowl thumping of media darling Illinois the year prior, but the Ole Ball Coach decided he had enough of the unrealistic expectations and peaced out. I remember watching this game and being worried relatively late when Miami was holding an 11 point lead. Rex Grossman had the Gators inside UM’s 10 yard line. Maurice Sikes, 99 yards, and six points later, the score was 34-16, and this game was effectively over. Willis broke out on the national stage, rushing for over 200 yards, and I told anyone how I was in English 101 with McGahee. What a nerd.

Game 3: Miami 44, @ Temple 21

Nothing shocking here, other than Miami being up only 10 at halftime. Woke up in the 2nd half, cruised to their expected win.

Game 4: @ Miami 38, Boston College 6

The curse of Flutie. Miami beat BC every time they played after the infamous 1984 game, all the way until the final days of Coker and his motivation less squads ruined another great streak. I can’t find an article to this one, no doubt because the year prior was where the real fireworks occurred. This year was business as usual, retribution of sorts for causing high stress levels for Canes fans nation wide in 2001.

Game 5: @ Miami 48, Connecticut 14

Another tune up to the FSU tilt a week later, the Huskies proved no match for the brooding juggernaut of Miami. Connecticut was actually still an independent this season, leading up to their joining the Big East. Again, with no success locating any archives, we can treat this UConn team like a Northeast Directional school as they had just emerged from D1AA, and not waste any more time.

Game 6: @ Miami 28, Florida State 27

Probably the most exciting Miami game I’ve ever watched on tv. FSU had lost to a mediocre Louisville squad two weeks prior, but was 5-1 coming in and ranked in the mid teens. Bobby Bowden said if his Seminoles could defeat the #1 Canes it would drive them right up the polls and propel them to a great year, not unlike similar scenarios in the independent 80s days. Little did Grandpa Bowden realize, but in the land of the conference play, especially the ACC prior to their grand larceny in 2003, you have to win all your games first and argue later. Nevertheless, Miami would use some of their typical late game heroics and pull this one out of their Ibis asses. We all know about the Wide Left, and indeed it was fantastic. From about midway through the 3rd quarter, I accepted defeat and started envisioning all scenarios where Miami could still make it to Tempe. Then Willis and Geathers happened. Never again would I doubt a Miami team late in a game to make a comeback, and to me is the best part of being a Canes fan. Compare that to growing up a Michigan fan, where you could pop a diamond out of the ass of anyone who rooted for Michigan in the Lloyd Carr years. The 2004 FSU tilt would prove my faith in this theory, as I truly enjoyed that game envisioning a victory the entire time. Anyways, Wide Left, game over, Miami moves on.

Game 7: Miami 40, @ West Virginia 23

After a week off to revel in the FSU comeback, and in theory to fix their run defense, WVU didn’t break stride and ran all over the Hurricanes. 363 rushing yards later, the Mountaineers proved Miami had some serious problems with their front 7, but still couldn’t produce a victory. Miami had a couple of their infamous one minute drives to open the game up early and late, sandwiched by a WVU mini comeback. In the end, Rich Rod’s offense inability to pass proved their downfall.

Game 8: Miami 42, @ Rutgers 17

This was the game when Miami came out flat on all facets, and I believe it was tied at halftime. They were behind in the 4th quarter. And this was old school Rutgers! As in 1-7 coming in, and played one competitive game each year against Temple. This was astounding it was close for that long. As was the custom, Miami realized it was light years ahead of Schiano’s group, and blew them out running in the 2nd stanza. But again, a trend was being established. Miami playing down to competition, and not being as hungry for that title Ed Reed wouldn’t let them forget about the year prior.

Game 9: Miami 26, @ Tennessee 3

After falling to #2 in the polls due to their disgusting play against Rutgers, Tennessee started the game off with a field goal, and decided that was enough for them. Game over. Volunteer QBs were sacked 7 times, and managed only 77 passing yards in total. Willis ran roughshod again on the national SEC stage, breaking off 145 yards and a touchdown. Tennessee wasn’t all that great coming in, but this win in Knoxville combined with the early season victory in the Swamp quieted all the critics from the previous follies with RU and WVU. I’d love to get a schedule like this today. An away game against an SEC opponent mid to late in the year is great entertainment. I remember the best part of this game was President Shalala coming into the booth for a cameo. When asked where she was making her next road trip with the Canes, she made no attempt at political correctness, didn’t play coy, showed no hesitation, and said flatly "The Fiesta Bowl." Great television.

Game 10: @ Miami 28, Pittsburgh 21

Another Thursday night showcase game, which nearly always benefits the underdog at home and away, Miami snuck out a victory to stay undefeated. After this victory they finally overtook Ohio State for the top spot in the BCS standings, and with OSU’s season ending (ridiculously) on that third weekend of November, Miami knew they could not lose even once and make it up in the polls.

Game 11: Miami 49, @ Syracuse 7

Always great to watch a game played in the Carrier Dome. Raucous crowd (at least back when they could still score points), fast field, nice tradition of the program. Of course, this game was really just a continuation of the year before, a 59-0 embarrassment of an eventual 10-win team at the Orange Bowl. Where Bryant McKinnie tossed Dwight Freeney’s salad and fed it back to him for a late lunch. This was the beginning of the end for the Syracuse program, still in the hole created during these lean years.

Game 12: @ Miami 56, Virginia Tech 45

Very odd to have a non conference title game season finish in December. Many fans forget but in 2001, after getting pure revenge on Washington for the lone 2000 loss, with Miami players brandishing roses in their teeth on the sidelines, Virginia Tech was a mere two point conversion away from sending the game into overtime and possibly ruining Miami’s greatest team and season. Ahhh, revisionist history. The final score of this one looked somewhat close, but in actuality Miami was comfortably ahead for the duration. Dorsey had another highly efficient game with 60% completion rate and 300 yards passing, and McGahee rushed over 200 yards, with a crazy total of six (6!!) touchdowns. Miami fans across the nation were booking flights and hotels to Tempe. OK, at least 100 of them.

"Michael, this blown PI call will make us bigger than US Steel."

Game 13: Fiesta Bowl: Ohio State 31, Miami 24

I despise Ohio State. Lets get that out of the way. I grew up a Michigan fan, and these were the John Cooper years. To Wolverine fans, 2-10-1 is the sound of a free hooker who has a lifetime UAW membership. Knowing this, 2002 was the worst year of my college football fandom. Nothing will ever top it. Michigan nearly beating an undefeated Ohio State and their shiny new coach on the road, followed by Miami losing to the white trash scripted Ohio two months later? Not a nice two months for me.

I still remember verbatim the events as I was watching the game with my Big Ten friends. All were either Michigan or Michigan State fans, and all practicing the ridiculous art of rooting pro-conference over actual team hatred. Once "The Incident" happened, all eyes turned to me. What would the Miami fan say? How would he react? Everyone in the house knew the absurdity of the call. I calmly replied, "That call didn’t make them lose (yes it did). The game isn’t over (it should be). It’s overtime (this is terrible). Miami has to win it again (napalm Columbus!!)." And that was that.

Nearly a decade later, I can watch this game on ESPN Classic and appreciate the overall beauty of the Miami program. Seeing the official breakout party of Sean Taylor, after no one thought anyone could replace #20, we knew the talent was back. Battling each time Ohio State’s fantastic game plan would put them ahead, and the kick by Todd Sievers to send it into OT?! How does no one remember this moment?? Everyone figured it was an after thought he would make it, but it was a 40 yard kick on the final play! Or the 4th down conversion Derrik Crudup made coming in off the sideline cold when Dorsey was knocked out for one play? Ugh, I am starting to get angry again researching this game. Can’t help it.

Not unlike the 1986 juggernaut, this 2002 team committed costly turnovers, five in total, that would prove its downfall. Still, a fantastic season. Should Miami have won, this team would be on par with Godfather Part 2 status to the Godfather status of the 2001 team. In 2004 they set the first round NFL draft day record, all from players who starred on this 2002 squad. However, just like you will never win the argument the sequel starring a tour de force Pacino and an oscar winning De Niro is better than the original, all because Brando isn’t in it, it's the same with my favorite Canes team ever.

No title? No respect. We’ll always have Gainesville.

Check Us Out On Facebook!

2012-05-10T12:26:07Z

Check Us Out On Facebook!

T7F is working hard on expanding so we can bring you all the Canes news you could want and put it at your fingertips. Our newest page is over at Facebook, and will be home to fan interaction and a good selection of stories posted here on SBN. Head on over and Like the page!

The Miami Hurricanes Upperclassmen Are Probably Not Great

2012-05-09T19:29:15Z

Surprise! You probably already knew this, but the Canes juniors and seniors don't project to be all that great. The latest confirmation comes from Mel Kiper Jr. who today released his top five college juniors and seniors at every position heading into the 2012 season. Out of the 160 players listed by Kiper, only two are Miami Hurricanes. They are:

Ray Ray Armstrong, rated as the fifth best senior safety
Dalton Botts, rated as the second best junior punter

So, yes: Miami's second best upperclassmen may be its punter. This will likely be a problem. But Mel Kiper, of course, isn't Oz, and some of his projections will invariably be totally off. But does that apply to the Canes?

Probably not. There is certainly some potential with some of Miami's juniors and seniors, but all told, this is a very thin, very unproven class. Seantrel Henderson could work his way up these draft boards, but he needs to stay on the field first and be able to become the starting left tackle on his own team second. Ramon Buchanan may have a solid senior season, provided he can stay healthy. Curtis Porter is a big defensive tackle with a chance at making some noise, but he also needs to stay healthy. Asante Cleveland has shown flashes at tight end. Vaughn Telemaque is an okay college player. Allen Hurns has had some good games. Stephen Morris is athletic and has a big arm.

This is the class of players that is supposed to be the core of a team, but almost all of Miami's juniors and seniors leave unanswered questions as if they were redshirt freshmen. They will be coached by a much better staff than the one that brought them in, but there's still a lot of work to be done and in a very short period of time. Remember that.

Hurricanes Recruiting Update: Can The Canes Sway A Couple FSU Commits?

2012-05-08T13:13:44Z

While Al Golden's recruiting work has mostly been known for getting back to the roots of the "State Of Miami" that Schnellenberger established, he has also shown a penchant for convincing recruits that belong to other schools to switch to Miami. In last years class alone, he swayed Jawand Blue and Robert Lockhart from VT, Antonio Crawford from GT, and Daquan Ivery from Louisville. Having the ability to sell your school enough to have a guy change his mind is a very useful tool in the recruiting world. These kids are susceptible to change their minds at the drop of a hat, and often don't need a coach's prodding to do so. Yet to have Golden not only be able to get them to change their minds, but also stick with the Miami choice, is a welcome change to the recruiting we as fans have been used to recently. That all being said, it looks like Ole Al is starting that trend yet again, trying to woo two guys that are highly interested in rival FSU to come down south a bit to Coral Gables. Hit the jump to read on.

The first kid that Miami is targeting hard is technically going to be listed as "de-committed", because he re-opened his recruitment after choosing FSU. 4 star DT Deadrin Senat recently said he was considering other options, although he still has interest in FSU. He didn't give a reason for his removing his commitment from FSU, just that he wanted to see what else was out there. He said the Miami is very much in the race to land him, mainly because he loves the way the coaches and players grind and the hard work they preach. Landing this guy could prove to be huge for more reasons than getting his talents. Two more reasons to be exact. He has expressed interest in playing at the same school that good friends (and brothers) Mackensie Alexander and Mackenro Alexander attend. Miami has offered Mackensie, who is a 4 star cornerback, and has expressed interest in Mackenro, who is a 3 star safety. If these three guys choose to go to the same school, and it ends up being Miami, 2013's class will be off to an amazing start.

The second player, Maquedius Bain, who is still an official FSU commit, is a 3 star DT out of Ft. Lauderdale. This one might be a bit of a stretch, at least more so than Senat. Bain says that Miami has "more than a tiny chance" at landing him, but that hes nowhere near a decision and is trying to figure out if he wants to commit on signing day or at the Under Armour game. There's no doubt that Miami will be pursuing him the whole time, so we can only hope that the coaches work their magic and steal another one from a rival.

With the news that current Cane commit Alex Collins is visiting other schools and still garnering huge interest, Miami isn't taking any chances with their RB corps. As such, they will host 4 star RB David Williams from Pennsylvania in June. He says that distance is not a factor, that he is mainly looking for a place he feels most comfortable. He certainly likes the offense that Miami runs, and the long line of NFL running backs doesn't hurt either. Williams would be a huge pickup for the Canes, as you can never have too many running backs on one team.

Wide receivers are always good targets in any recruiting class, and the Canes are after a 3 star kid from Tampa, Travis Johnson. He has been a Canes fan since he was little, and says that he was hoping for an offer from them. He has no timetable for a decision, but he says Miami has a great chance to be in his final 5 or 6 whenever he does whittle it down. He wants to feel wanted (as so many of these kids do), and there's no doubt that Golden and the rest of the staff make that a priority when they host kids or go on visits.

Remember David Thompson? No? Well he is a class of 2012 signee would would be the 5th QB on the roster...if he chooses to attend UM and spurn the MLB. He is currently still weighing his options, but word from his dad is that he is heavily leaning towards going to college. They are waiting to see if they receive an offer from a major league team before nailing down the decision, but if one were to put money on it, he'll be a Cane. If he chooses to do so, he would most likely try to be a two sport athlete, and the added QB depthis never a bad thing. If he chooses college, he would report in late June with most of the other kids. Let's hope he makes the right decision for himself, of course, but let's also hope that happened to be the choice to wear the orange and green.

GO CANES!

Al Golden Is Coming to a Town Near You

2012-05-05T15:28:06Z

One thing that has impressed me about Al Golden (beyond the manner in which he's handled the Nevin Shapiro bombshell, and pulled in a strong recruiting class, to boot) is how available he has made himself to promote the University of Miami program. At least that's my view from the other side of the state, where Al Golden came on my radio show shortly after national signing day and gave one hell of an interview where other coaches and/or athletic departments from major programs in the state and region gave us the cold shoulder. I've heard him on other shows both in this market and in South Florida. And, if you're the U, why not? It's a terrific way to sell your program to pipeline areas. I've never understood why coaches are so closed off to making offseason media appearances when it's nothing but free advertisement for their programs, but I digress to some degree.

And now, Al Golden embarks on a summer of love.......with Hurricane alums and supporters. Golden will be embarking on a multi-state, seven-city tour that began on May 1 and wraps up on June 5. The full schedule can be found here. Golden will be joined at various stops by Shawn Eichorst, Jedd Fisch, Art Kehoe, Micheal Barrow, and a cast of coaches and special guests, which will vary from site to site. The tour started May 1 in Atlanta and will also touch down in Chicago and New York City. In-state stops include South Florida, Orlando, and Tampa.

So, if you feel like rubbing elbows with the Hurricane staff and talking Hurricanes football with other loyal diehards, make your reservations now.

Randy Shannon Suing The University of Miami

2012-05-02T19:04:04Z

Yeah, unfortunately you read that right. Former UM linebacker/coordinator/head coach Randy Shannon has filed a law suit against the University of Miami as of April 26th. This story has been broken by a few different sources, and most have included a scan of the paperwork. While I am not well versed in legalese, there are a few things that are relatively clear.

Basically, ths is broken down into two parts, an Employment Agreement and an Guarantee Agreement. Shannon is alleging that, as part of the Employment Agreement he signed prior to his firing, he was to be paid a certain amount if he happened to be terminated without cause prior to the contact ending, and he was also obligated to receive payment based upon the team's appearance in a bowl game. The suit is claiming that Shannon was paid everything he was owed based upon the Employment Agreement, but that the university is saying that due to him being paid that full amount under the Employment Agreement, the amount he is owed under the Guarantee Agreement (a certain sum of money paid quarterly for each year of his employment) must be prorated.

LAYMAN BREAKDOWN: It appears Shannon's dispute is over a prorated amount that the university alleges it does not owe. Shannon was paid for the bowl game, and paid the amount he was owed at the time of his firing. He is saying he did not get paid his quarterly installments that were promised him as per his contract, or at least was not paid the full amount.*

We all have our own opinions of Shannon. On one hand, he is an all-Miami guy with a great success story who was put into a position he probably shouldn't have been. On the other, he is a guy who took a position and continually failed at it, and did nothing to help himself in the eyes of the fans. This lawsuit will certainly notfurther his cause, but the fact remains that if he is owed money based on a contract the school gave him, then that's that. I say just settle this thing, give him whatever he is owed, and get him away from our football program. His time served with us was rewarded when he was given the chance to lead his alma mater, nothing else is owed. There will surely be more to come as this whole mess unfolds, and of course we will have it covered.

*If any of this is misunderstood, let me know in the comments. I don't pretend to know the first thing about legal paperwork and the words/terms therein.