After writing an article about how much fun I had at the Florida-Miami game last Saturday, I figured I should throw in my two cents about how the Hurricanes looked. After all, I am a huge UM fan, so that, at least, makes me qualified.
Let's move on to the analysis. First of all, Miami may have lost by 23 points, but its coaches and players have to feel encouraged after putting a real scare into the now No. 4-ranked Florida Gators.
At halftime, the 'Canes trailed by only six, not even allowing the Gators’ offense to reach double digits. That’s because the Miami defense was swarming the Florida players.
Up front, the defensive line was pressuring Tim Tebow, and defensive coordinator Bill Young wasn’t afraid to send players blitzing in order to get in the backfield and force Tebow to scramble. Sure, Tebow was able to gain yards with his feet, but the Miami defense did a solid job containing him and forcing him to throw off-balance passes.
Probably the most impressive 'Cane of the night on either side of the ball was outside linebacker Sean Spence. A freshman from last year’s No. 1 high school team in the nation, Miami Northwestern, Spence instantly made his presence known at the collegiate level.
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He was flying around the field making plays and getting in the Florida backfield. After Tebow had managed to escape sack after sack for two quarters, Spence came in on a blitz, grabbed Tebow’s jersey as he tried to scramble, and flung him around as he threw him to the ground.
In the second half, Spence used his monstrous 6', 202-pound frame to level a Florida receiver, causing every spectator in Ben Hill Griffin Stadium to let out an “Ouch” as if they had all felt the impact themselves.
On the offensive side of the ball, things didn’t look too bad, despite only managing to put up three points.
Red-shirt freshman quarterback Robert Marve started the game, with true freshman Jacory Harris also seeing a fair amount of playing time. Both quarterbacks looked a little uncomfortable with the system, but both showed tremendous poise, hanging in the pocket as long as possible before evading the rush.
One thing that was evident with Marve, and something that Brock Berlin and Kyle Wright seemed to lack, was that he always kept his eyes downfield. Even when Marve was flushed out of the pocket by the oncoming pass rush, he moved while keeping his eyes downfield as long as possible before deciding to take off and run.
The fact that the Hurricanes were able to put together a few drives and move the ball sufficiently should be encouraging considering how respected Florida’s defense is this year.
The 'Canes just need to worry about finishing off drives after they start moving the ball. They often built up a lot of momentum, only to see the drive suddenly come to a halt with a sack, dropped pass, or a run that went for negative yards.
Another area that appears to need some work is the play calling. It would have been nice to see offensive coordinator Patrick Nix be a little more adventurous and creative on Saturday.
Just think about it: Miami is unranked, playing the No. 4 team in the country on the road in Gainesville. Why not go out and call some crazy plays? Go throw the ball downfield and try to bust the game open.
Sadly, Nix appeared content to be conservative, trying to run the ball straight up the Florida defense and settle for five- to seven-yard passes. I just wish he would have taken some shots downfield and given those young receivers a chance to make something happen against a veteran Florida defense.
But, I guess, the thing to keep in mind, especially for all the 'Canes fans out there, is that this is still a rebuilding year for Miami. And despite Saturday’s loss, it appears that the program is moving closer and closer to regaining its national prominence as “The U.”
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2 months ago
I think you need to consider why Miami was so conservative on offense. It wasn't just for the hell of it.
Odds are the Canes weren't going to win this game, so yes, they sort of played not to lose. Control the clock, grind it out with the run and pressure Tebow. If you can steal a win, great, but the #1 goal on Saturday night was to not get blown out.
I know a lot of short-sighted, chest thumping Canes don't want to hear that - but it's true and it was the right call.
If Miami got thumped 51-13 as it did at OU last year, that sends a bad message to recruits --- the future, regarding the rebuilding process.
Shannon knows he needs to keep building depth and recruiting top talent, so a close game was important. 9-3 shows that (1) Miami's defense will be back where it belongs, after shutting down a potent Florida offense and (2) that the Canes are a few offensive playmakers away from being able to hang with top-five teams.
Mission accomplished.
A win would've been nice, but it's Florida's time right now. Give them this year and worry about the next 3-4 years. A few bad recruting classes set the Canes back, whereas a few more big time ones will have Miami back on top....
from 2 months ago
As a Cane fan of over 40 years I would have rather seen them leave it all out on the field and use everything they have than worry about future recruits. I think playing the best players as opposed to just the guys who have been there was the start of this, the play calling was just a little too uninspired.
from 2 months ago
I understand where you're coming from, but I also think the 'Canes could have been a little more adventurous on offense. It's great that they hung with Florida in the first half and put a real scare in them. But after being down by only six points, I think Nix could have opened up the gates a little more and been more creative. If a win's possible, why not go for it instead of just continuing to be conservative? I think it would have helped make a bigger statement if the Hurricane offense really went after the Gators in the second half. They could have made an impression that they weren't afraid of Florida's defense, or even afraid to give Florida's offense the ball back, with how well the Miami defense was playing.
Basically, since the defense helped keep them in the game, I think the UM offense could have gone for more and really try to make a statement to the rest of the country.
2 months ago
All valid points. Miami did well by keeping it close. The conservative approach did its job. A blow out in the second half would have not been as encouraging. I happen to believe the Cane defense didn't tire out as the media has stated. They were flat which happens to every defense when the offense can't move the ball. If Miami could have opened it up at the beginning of the 4th quarter and gotten even a field goal, the D would have been encouraged enough to keep fighting. This could have been a lot closer at the end than it was.
With that said, this is the first Hurricane team in a long time that I actually believe will continue to fight after a loss. All the past teams who were living off of Miami Bravado that they hadn't earned themselves, thought teams would just lie down because the Canes were in town. As soon a a loss happened, the season was over, time to quit.
Not this team. This team knows they need to fight in every single game. Nothing is taken for granted. They will continue to get better, and as soon as Marve can have an "easier" game to settle into the offense with (might not happen till Central FL- even that could be a war), then they will be dangerous on both sides of the ball.
I think if this team can get past FL State without another loss (I think its doable) then they can go 12-1 and be in a BCS bowl. Not easy, but doable. Just for fun, go back and look at the 1983 season when the Canes lost to FL the first game, and went on to play in the NC game. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1983_Miami_Hurricanes_football_team
I'm not saying it will be Miami and USC or anything, but with this schedule, they can cause some waves. Should be fun to watch!
GO CANES!
from 2 months ago
Thanks, Matt. You brought up a lot of good points. I also agree that I don't think the defense really tired out. I think the Florida offense got more comfortable and the defense had a hard time keeping up their very high level of play for the whole game. The fact that they held Florida to less than 30 was a major accomplishment.
I can't lie, I don't expect the 'Canes to go 12-1 this season, but I do agree that it's possible. The ACC is definitely down this year and Miami's only going to get better. I think Marve has a lot of potential and so does that whole offense. The defense has already shown it can play, so if the offense can keep up then they'll be a team to watch out for in the ACC.
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