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<title>Whirlwind Two Weeks Changes Game For ‘The U’</title>
<link>http://blog.allcanes.com/miami-hurricanes-the-u-manny-diaz-dan-enos-alabama-jalen-hurts</link>
<comments>http://blog.allcanes.com/miami-hurricanes-the-u-manny-diaz-dan-enos-alabama-jalen-hurts#comments</comments>
<pubDate>Sun, 13 Jan 2019 18:23:59 +0000</pubDate>
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<guid isPermaLink="false">http://blog.allcanes.com/?p=10552</guid>
<description><![CDATA[<a href="http://blog.allcanes.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/01/change.jpg"><img class="aligncenter size-full wp-image-10578" title="miami hurricanes football the u mark richt manny diaz dan enos jalen hurts" src="http://blog.allcanes.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/01/change.jpg" alt="" width="525" height="315" /></a>Two weeks. That’s how long this new-look Miami Hurricanes experiment has officially been underway—yet in such a short window, it feels like everything has changed completely.
From a season of disaster with no turnaround in sight—to what feels like a parallel universe in comparison to the one UM had been living in and dealing with since that September loss to LSU.
Looking…]]></description>
<content:encoded><![CDATA[<a href="http://blog.allcanes.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/01/change.jpg"><img class="aligncenter size-full wp-image-10578" title="miami hurricanes football the u mark richt manny diaz dan enos jalen hurts" src="http://blog.allcanes.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/01/change.jpg" alt="" width="525" height="315" /></a>Two weeks. That’s how long this new-look Miami Hurricanes experiment has officially been underway—yet in such a short window, it feels like everything has changed completely.
From a season of disaster with no turnaround in sight—to what feels like a parallel universe in comparison to the one UM had been living in and dealing with since that September loss to LSU.
Looking back on that mid-October to mid-november stretch where the Hurricanes completely derailed. Prior to, Miami was flying high—a five-game win-streak capped by a comeback victory over Florida State—only to crash and burn in Charlottesville; igniting a musical chairs quarterback quandary a week after UM felt like it’d turned a corner with N’Kosi Perry taking over for Malik Rosier.
In the end, neither proved to be the answer—both getting their fair share of reps as Miami scored 13 against Virginia, 14 at Boston College, 12 in a home loss to Duke and 21 in Atlanta, as Georgia Tech rambled on.
<H2>RICHT’S UNEXPECTED STEP-DOWN PAVES WAY FOR DIAZ ERA</H2>
The bizzaro world for Miami football set the social media world on fire as year three under Mark Richt was a colossal misstep—harder to swallow after a 10-0 start in 2017, giving the impression “The U” was on the mend.
As the 2018 season unraveled, the only saving grace—due to a six-loss season—was the notion of some forced coaching changes on the offensive side of the ball. What that looked like, no one knew—but anything short of Richt giving up play-calling and replacing a few assistants (his son, included)—the fan base wasn’t having it.
For those who’ve been around and seen this show play out before, rarely do forced firings and hirings play out well. Miami tried something similar in 2005 after the Canes tanked in a high expectations-type season—rocked by LSU in the Peach Bowl, en route to 9-3.
Instead of ending the Larry Coker era then and there—18-6 over two seasons, after a 35-3 start with a Butch Davis-built squad—Coker was forced to let go of some longtime assistants (Don Soldinger and Art Kehoe) as well as his offensive coordinator (Dan Werner)—with a new guy shoved on him (Rich Olson), opposed to the guy he wanted (Todd Barry).
<a href="http://blog.allcanes.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/01/DwqIrd-WoAAeuHK.jpg-large.jpg"><img class="aligncenter size-full wp-image-10581" title="dan enos miami hurricanes football manny diaz offensive coordinator alabama crimson tide" src="http://blog.allcanes.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/01/DwqIrd-WoAAeuHK.jpg-large.jpg" alt="" width="525" height="320" /></a>The result; a tumultuous 7-6 run in 2006; one that included an opening-season home loss to Florida State, an on-field brawl with FIU—tarnishing the program and seeing multiple players suspended, a four-game losing streak (unthinkable at the time), a beloved player murdered (R.I.P. Bryan Pata) and a miracle win needed against Boston College in the finale, simply to reach the blue turf bowl in Boise against Nevada.
Knowing Richt was against change and that any offensive adjustments—2019 was setting up for a dead-man-walking type run; much like 2005 to 2006, as Wisconsin took it to Miami much like LSU did all those years ago. Everything about next season felt like an absolute waste—idly sitting by as UM football was run into the dirt, where a head coaching change would be forced, in the wake of an offensive one failing.
Instead, everything changed two weeks ago today—Richt waking up on the final Sunday morning of 2018, deciding that a change wouldn’t do him good and that it’d be in everybody’s best interest if he walked away; leaving behind a reported $16M buyout.
Within hours, former defensive coordinator Manny Diaz was back in the fold—after a whirlwind 17-day stint as Temple’s top guy—and UM had their 25th head coach in program’s history, acquired in the most-unexpected fashion imaginable.
<H2>SOME SOLD ON DIAZ IMMEDIATELY; OTHERS SKEPTICAL</H2>
Even with that unexpected change and little collateral damage, some still weren’t moved by the upgrade—chastising Miami for the lack of a national search; forever obsessed with bigger names and pie-in-the-sky options that not only wouldn’t have come to fruition, but also would’ve wasted precious time—as well as removing Diaz from the equation, as he was already digging in with the Owls in regards to assembling a staff.
Others were quick to realize that on paper, Diaz was just what the doctor ordered; his success in turning around the defense so quickly, his 305 ties, his storied rise and tireless work ethic over the past two decades—it had all the feel of a right guy at the right place at the right time; UM finally nabbing a good-fit up-and-comer.
Miami is still a hot minute from spring football kicking off, let alone the 2019 season-opener against Florida in Orlando—but one would have to be catatonic, or next-level bitter to not appreciate the moves that have been made these past two weeks, as well as the speed at which Diaz is working (and producing) to make “The U” great again.
<a href="http://blog.allcanes.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/01/Screen-Shot-2019-01-13-at-3.34.59-PM.png"><img class="aligncenter size-full wp-image-10582" title="blake baker miami hurricanes football defensive coordinator manny diaz" src="http://blog.allcanes.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/01/Screen-Shot-2019-01-13-at-3.34.59-PM.png" alt="" width="525" height="329" /></a>For those who missed it, or haven’t properly absorbed it—a quick recap since Richt stepped down and Diaz was hired two Sundays back:
<a href="http://blog.allcanes.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/12/miami-hurricanes-logo.png"><img class="alignleft size-full wp-image-10419" title="miami hurricanes logo" src="http://blog.allcanes.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/12/miami-hurricanes-logo.png" alt="" width="65" height="40" /></a>Three days into the job, Diaz relieved Miami’s entire offensive staff. Thomas Brown, Todd Hartley, Stacy Searels, Ron Dugans and fan punching bag Jon Richt were all gone, as was strength and conditioning coach Gus Felder.
While the temptation might’ve been there to keep a few guys—good coaches, solid recruiters—Diaz went with the clean sweep, knowing a fresh start was needed on that side of the ball. When asked the offensive game plan moving forward, Diaz didn’t miss a beat:
“The word I want to be is cutting edge,” Diaz said. “The word I want to be is modern, the idea I want to be is an offense that creates problems for the defense. That puts defense in conflict, that presents issues before the snap, during the snap, that forces mistakes.”
From there, the national search for an offensive coordinator began.
<a href="http://blog.allcanes.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/12/miami-hurricanes-logo.png"><img class="alignleft size-full wp-image-10419" title="miami hurricanes logo" src="http://blog.allcanes.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/12/miami-hurricanes-logo.png" alt="" width="65" height="40" /></a>By the weekend, David Feeley was named strength and conditioning coach. Diaz had retained Feeley in his three-week run at Temple, thinking so highly of him that gave him an Assistant Athletic Director, Football Sports Performance title on top of his S&C duties.
Pete Lembo, former Ball State head coach, hired Feeley away from FIU in 2011—based on the recommendations of many in his circle, citing Feeley’s, “energy, work ethic, organizational skills and creativity” as the ultimate reasons why.
“He [Feeley] learned from Jay Butler at Rutgers, who in my opinion, is one of the best strength coaches in the business,” Lembo explained. “David made an impact at FIU and helped the Golden Panthers to their first bowl appearance in school history.”
Diaz expressed a similar sentiment. “The culture we’re putting into place and the tone we set for the upcoming season starts in the weight room when our players return to campus [from winter break]. That’s why this hire was so critical.”
<a href="http://blog.allcanes.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/01/Screen-Shot-2019-01-13-at-3.35.46-PM.png"><img class="aligncenter size-full wp-image-10583" title="eric hickson butch barry miami hurricanes manny diaz" src="http://blog.allcanes.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/01/Screen-Shot-2019-01-13-at-3.35.46-PM.png" alt="" width="525" height="295" /></a>
<a href="http://blog.allcanes.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/12/miami-hurricanes-logo.png"><img class="alignleft size-full wp-image-10419" title="miami hurricanes logo" src="http://blog.allcanes.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/12/miami-hurricanes-logo.png" alt="" width="65" height="40" /></a>Days eight on the job, Blake Baker was given the keys to run the defense—the former Louisiana Tech coordinator the lone addition to that side of the ball. 
 
Ephraim Banda and Jon Patke were promoted to co-defensive coordinators under Richt when Diaz briefly left, but Diaz wisely brought in the more-experienced Baker to help curb any drop-off Miami would feel in his transition to head coach, no longer hands-on with the day-to-day defensive play calling.
Banda will retain a co- title, working with Baker—while Patke has been moved into a special teams role, on top of his efforts with linebackers. Jess Simpson will continue working with the defensive line, Mike Rumph with cornerbacks and Banda sticking with safeties.
Diaz could’ve left Banda/Patke in the co-coordinators role Richt appointed—but he made a solid head coaching call when bringing in outside help and a veteran defensive coordinator with success calling plays; something neither Banda or Patke had experience doing.
<a href="http://blog.allcanes.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/12/miami-hurricanes-logo.png"><img class="alignleft size-full wp-image-10419" title="miami hurricanes logo" src="http://blog.allcanes.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/12/miami-hurricanes-logo.png" alt="" width="65" height="40" /></a>After a tedious search regarding the next offensive coordinator, Diaz landed Dan Enos last Friday—Enos said to have been Diaz’s top target, which makes sense timeline-wise as the veteran coordinator was in Santa Clara on Monday night coaching up the Crimson Tide in the national championship game.
“Dan was my primary target for our offensive coordinator position from the outset and I’m thrilled that he’s now a Miami Hurricanes,” Diaz shared. “Dan is one of the most-innovative play-callers in college football and he not only has a remarkable track record of coaching quarterbacks, but also developing players for the NFL at numerous positions.”
Enos was expected to move into a full-time offensive coordinator role for Alabama; a job he shared with co-coordinator Mike Lockley last season. (Lockley has since been named the head coach at Maryland.) Enos was also in the running for Georgia’s vacant offensive coordinator position, but in the end chose the Canes over the Bulldogs.
For a new head coach that wants to “create problems for the defense”—Enos has a history of doing just that, though not necessarily with the spread some were clamoring for. Enos ran a pro-style offense at Arkansas before heading to Tuscaloosa, where his offense generated 465.5 yards-per-game and 6.83 yards-per-play in 2015—ranked 12th in the nation.
Those numbers dropped slightly over the near two seasons, but the Razorbacks were still only one of two FBS programs with both a 3,000-yard passer and 1,300-yard rusher in 2015 and 2016—prompting Nick Saban to hire him away after the 2017 season.
Diaz cited Enos’ success at both Arkansas and Alabama, was well as his creative play-calling and a belief that the new coordinator can complete his vision of fielding a highly-competitive, tough team where speed and athleticism are both used to put stress on opposing defenses.
Regarding Enos, the move was less about what was going on in Tuscaloosa versus what was being built in Coral Gables—where he’ll implement what he calls a “Spread Coast Offense”.
“The Miami thing was less about Alabama and more about the Miami situation, how we just felt a really strong pull to be there, to help a program that I believe is on the cusp of doing some great things with a coach that has a great vision,” Enos shared upon his hiring.
<a href="http://blog.allcanes.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/12/miami-hurricanes-logo.png"><img class="alignleft size-full wp-image-10419" title="miami hurricanes logo" src="http://blog.allcanes.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/12/miami-hurricanes-logo.png" alt="" width="65" height="40" /></a>Soon after the announcement of Enos, other offensive pieces fell into place—Butch Barry taking over the offensive line, while Eric Hickson came aboard to handle running backs.
Barry leaves his NFL spot with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers to come to Coral Gables—having coached under Enos at Central Michigan years back—while Hickson, a Ft. Lauderdale native with South Florida ties—comes in from Kansas State, where he helped junior running back Alex Barnes lead the Big 12 with 1,355 yards and 12 touchdowns this past season.
<a href="http://blog.allcanes.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/12/miami-hurricanes-logo.png"><img class="alignleft size-full wp-image-10419" title="miami hurricanes logo" src="http://blog.allcanes.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/12/miami-hurricanes-logo.png" alt="" width="65" height="40" /></a>Player personnel-wise, Diaz is aggressively going hard after the transfer market—reeling in former 4-star safety Bubba Bolden from Southern Cal this past week (a former high school teammate of freshman tight end Brevin Jordan), as well as Buffalo wide receiver K.J. Osborn.
All chatter this weekend surrounds former Alabama quarterback Jalen Hurts, who is making his rounds looking for a new suitor—having spent time at Maryland (because of former coordinator Lockley), as well as Oklahoma, where he could replace the departed Kyler Murray.
<a href="https://allcanes.com/index.php/adidas-miami-hurricanes-pro-bounce-low.html" target="_blank"><img class="aligncenter size-full wp-image-10585" title="miami hurricanes adidas sneakers the u allcanes manny diaz" src="http://blog.allcanes.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/01/Screen-Shot-2019-01-14-at-10.18.34-AM.png" alt="" width="525" height="244" /></a>
Miami appears to be in firmly in the mix due to Enos, who’s efforts in 2018 helped Hurts develop into a much better passer—though also in the mix TCU could get him back to his home state of Texas for one final season of college ball.
Should Hurts get on board, or not—Miami also appears to be in the running for transferring Ohio State quarterback Tate Martell (another teammate of Jordan and Bolden), while Texas Longhorns’ quarterback Shane Buechele has also been mentioned as a potential option.
<H2>DIAZ’S CULTURE CHANGE AS IMPORTANT AS ANY TRANSFER</H2>
However it plays out, a tip of the cap for Diaz—not only for the attitude towards the offensive deficiencies, but for focusing on what’s best for Miami as a whole—while understanding the importance that competition plays in the Hurricanes’ overall DNA.
“Look, we have a very simple job as a coaching staff. We have to field the best quarterback that the University of Miami can field for next year. And there is no doubt that the solution to that problem may be on our campus right now. But we have to make sure that we examine all possible solutions. And if we do create competition, whether it’s from the outside or whatever — even whoever comes from the outside, no one is guaranteed anything.
“It’s going to get back to the way it is. It’s going to get back to getting on Greentree Practice Field and winning out there, because playing college quarterback is tough.
Diaz’s age—44 years old—and Miami-bred upbringing gave him a front row seat to the Decade of Dominance-era, as well as an understanding that those legendary UM teams of the past always had top-notch quarterback play as a key ingredient to their success.
“You look at the great Miami Hurricanes games in the past. They weren’t just winning all those games with an OK guy at quarterback. They weren’t winning with a guy that sort of managed it. They were winning with big-time guys. This was quarterback U for a long time. So, that is really sort of the straw that stirs the drink.
“So, we have to create as much competition at that spot to have a guy not win because he was sort of the best of the sort of OK guys. We need a guy here that is going to behave and act like a big-time guy in everything he does to take us where we need to go.’’
<H2>GREENTREE COMPETITION; ALWAYS “THE U’S” SECRET INGREDIENT</H2>
If that isn’t a direct shot at how things played out under center in 2018, what is? For all those clamoring for N’Kosi Perry to start over Malik Rosier, based on talent—competition and taking the job from the starter seems to be more in line with Diaz’s approach.
<a href="http://blog.allcanes.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/01/MannyDiaz_2017_canesfootball_1.jpg"><img class="aligncenter size-full wp-image-10584" title="miami hurricanes football manny diaz the u" src="http://blog.allcanes.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/01/MannyDiaz_2017_canesfootball_1.jpg" alt="" width="525" height="333" /></a>
The call-out regarding a quarterback who behaves and acts like a big-time guy in all he does; another direct shot considering Perry, back-up Cade Weldon and true freshman Jarren Williams all found themselves suspended at some point last season.
The fact neither Perry or Weldon did enough with their redshirt seasons in 2017 to take the job from the average Rosier this past spring—as well as the fact Williams flirted with transferring leading up to the bowl game—all indictments on everyone who currently plays the position at UM, making the addition of a transfer more important than ever.
Although it’s only been two weeks, it’s impossible to not notice the cultural shift. For Miami, it was a bit of addition by subtraction—simply by Richt stepping side, having proven not up for the grind and challenge of properly rebuilding the Hurricanes in the twilight of his career. Head coaching change aside, Diaz’s energy and approach are proving to be no-nonsense—from the assistant hires, to bringing in immediate help by way of transfers who will soften the blow of some departing seniors and upperclassmen.
Next up; seeing how these upgrades and change of overall energy might impact the #Squad19 class for UM. A handful of worthwhile players and targets are still available—with Miami certainly in the mix to flip or sway someone at the final hour.
While there probably won’t be any jaw-droppers—as most recruiting is now in place by late December’s early signing period—landing a quality offensive coordinator like Enos, or game-changing transfer like Hurts; it wouldn’t be a shock if it made a difference to a kid or two that might’ve been all about the U last season, soured a bit as the losses piled up—but it reignited by the Richt-to-Diaz swap out and ripple effect that’s ensued.
“The U” is far from back, but for the first time in a long time, it’s hardly a stretch to utter the phrase, “it’s great to be a Miami Hurricane” and actually mean it.
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<title>Manny Diaz Hire Shaves Five Years Off ‘The U’s’ Rebuild</title>
<link>http://blog.allcanes.com/miami-hurricanes-football-the-u-mark-richt-retire-manny-diaz-temple-head-coach-305</link>
<comments>http://blog.allcanes.com/miami-hurricanes-football-the-u-mark-richt-retire-manny-diaz-temple-head-coach-305#comments</comments>
<pubDate>Wed, 02 Jan 2019 15:44:15 +0000</pubDate>
<dc:creator>admin</dc:creator>
<category><![CDATA[Uncategorized]]></category>
<guid isPermaLink="false">http://blog.allcanes.com/?p=10535</guid>
<description><![CDATA[<a href="http://blog.allcanes.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/01/miami-hurricanes-manny-diaz.png"><img class="aligncenter size-full wp-image-10532" title="miami hurricanes manny diaz coach mark richt retire temple owls" src="http://blog.allcanes.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/01/miami-hurricanes-manny-diaz.png" alt="" width="525" height="362" /></a>The Miami Hurricanes started Sunday morning with the news Mark Richt was stepping down—days after year three had drawn to an ugly close. By evening, former defensive coordinator Manny Diaz had been turned back over and recovered by “The U”. Barely two weeks after accepting the head coaching opportunity at Temple University, Diaz was officially named the 25th head football coach…]]></description>
<content:encoded><![CDATA[<a href="http://blog.allcanes.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/01/miami-hurricanes-manny-diaz.png"><img class="aligncenter size-full wp-image-10532" title="miami hurricanes manny diaz coach mark richt retire temple owls" src="http://blog.allcanes.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/01/miami-hurricanes-manny-diaz.png" alt="" width="525" height="362" /></a>The Miami Hurricanes started Sunday morning with the news Mark Richt was stepping down—days after year three had drawn to an ugly close. By evening, former defensive coordinator Manny Diaz had been turned back over and recovered by “The U”. Barely two weeks after accepting the head coaching opportunity at Temple University, Diaz was officially named the 25th head football coach for the University of Miami—followed by a highly-anticipated introductory press conference Wednesday morning.
One week ago today; the eve of the Pinstripe Bowl—which now feels a lifetime ago based on the unfathomable events that have taken place in less than a week.
To go from the lowest of lows on the heels of a six-loss 2018 campaign and post-season whipping to colossal change; it’s beyond surreal. Conversations down the stretch about position coach changes, Richt giving up play-calling, the hopeful addition of an offensive assistant—while digesting the loss of Diaz to Temple and coming to terms with two of his assistant morphing into a co-defensive coordinator role—to all of this? It’s beyond the wildest dreams of all parties involved.
There’s so much to unpack regarding all that’s going on; both in regards to Richt’s departure and behind-the-scenes efforts at Miami over the past three years—as well as Diaz short “stint” at Temple and quick return to South Florida. With the present more pressing than the past, the open letter to Richt can wait—the launch of the Diaz era and how things got here are first and foremost.
<h2>RIGHT GUY, RIGHT PLACE, RIGHT TIME</h2>
If Wednesday’s press conference had a bit of a rushed feel, it makes sense due to the rapid nature of which things unfolded. Both Diaz and athletic director Blake James touched on this during their time at the podium, while local beat writers went as far as to create a timeline of events—starting with Thursday’s showdown against Wisconsin, right up through the announcement Diaz was returning from Temple late Sunday night.
For some, the speed of this hiring was welcomed. Miami acted quickly in the wake of Richt’s unexpected departure—knowing who they wanted, going after him and getting him—while carefully undoing a tricky situation due to said head coach accepting a new job weeks back. If Diaz was that clear-cut choice—James and UM had to expedite the process before Diaz assembled a staff in Philadelphia and got to work.
In short; there was no way to conduct a national search over the next three weeks, landing back on Diaz and expecting him to break the commitment he’d made to Temple. This is a man with high character—as cited by and “unfinished business” approach to Miami’s bowl game and feeling like he owed it to his guys to be there, as well as how much he’s discussed the position he left the Owls in, despite only being under their employ for less than three weeks.
Be it at today’s press conference or Monday’s appearance on ESPN’s College Football Live—Diaz immediately opened with gratitude to Temple for putting their faith in him, as well as their understanding that his dream job called five years sooner than expected.
All of that to say none of this makes the hiring of Diaz “rushed”—nor does it mean Miami was wrong to not go through the act of a long, drawn out, no-stone-left-unturned, national coaching search some were clamoring for. If anything, the laser-focus on Diaz should be seen as a two-fold positive—the fact UM quickly identified their man and got him, as well as the fact UM has learned from past mistakes and wasted efforts, while learning who this university is and where it stands in this day and age.
<a href="http://blog.allcanes.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/12/fl-sp-um-hurricanes-manny-diaz-temple-20181211.jpg"><img class="aligncenter size-full wp-image-10362" title="miami hurricanes manny diaz temple owls turnover chain mark richt retire" src="http://blog.allcanes.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/12/fl-sp-um-hurricanes-manny-diaz-temple-20181211.jpg" alt="" width="525" height="365" /></a>
<h2>TAKES A SPECIAL-FIT, NICHE COACH TO LEAD “THE U”</h2>
One of the biggest disconnects a portion of Miami’s fan base has displayed over the years—a heightened sense of the national desirability of the head coaching position at UM, versus the understanding this is a niche job in need of the right guy and it isn’t for everybody. If operating from a place of honesty and full transparency, it shouldn’t be that difficult to accept reality.
Small private school in a large, diverse metropolitan city all of transplants—opposed to a small college town with a massive local alumni base, sprawling campus and student body four- or five-times the size of UM’s; not to mention the university’s athletics being the only show in those towns, opposed to multiple professional sports franchises and countless other ways to spend the entertainment dollar, as one can in South Florida.
The pageantry one sees at big-time football schools in the SEC, ACC, Big 12 and Big Ten—packed on-campus stadiums, versus Miami’s (albeit freshly renovated) borrowed NFL stadium up the road and concrete jungle gameday experience—that will always be a turnoff to many of the men who coach this beloved sport.
As is the Miami lifestyle for many of those not born and bred at the bottom. The masses will mostly choose to bring their wives and kids to these smaller, college-driven, family-friendly, charming college towns for that white-picket-fence life—as well as the built-in community and support one automatically receive when taking on the challenge and becoming the most-visible university employee, as there is no bigger business or brand in these types of places.
Fact remains, the head coaching position at Miami is—always has been and always will be—a niche job for the right-fit guy, which immediately narrows that list of ready, willing and available coaches in any search. Toss in the fact that many would still be “open to listen”—both flattered that a storied program like “The U” would reach out, while using the conversation as bargaining chip for a raise, or another opportunity.
On top of all that, the college football head coaching game of musical chairs isn’t one easy to negotiate, nor does it provide many big winners. Fact remains most guys—even those at what would be deemed a “lesser” program—are happy where they’re at, and if they are thinking about leaving, there are realistically only a handful of programs they’d consider.
<h2>FINDING THE GUY IS A FINITE PROCESS, WHERE MANY STRIKE OUT</h2>
This precise exercise played out years back with former Boise State head coach Chris Petersen—who finally left southern Idaho and made the 500-mile trek to Seattle to take the University of Washington head coaching position in late 2013, after years of turning down offer after offer.
<a href="http://blog.allcanes.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/01/photo.png"><img class="aligncenter size-full wp-image-10545" title="photo" src="http://blog.allcanes.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/01/photo.png" alt="" width="525" height="352" /></a>
Petersen’s name was tied to the Florida job after the 2009 season, when Urban Meyer did his best Fred Sanford and left the program hanging—only to return for one final season. Other names tied to the Gators’ opening; Bob Stoops, Kyle Wittingham and Gary Patterson. There were even rumors of a Steve Spurrier return, before UF finally settled on a step-down option in Will Muschamp—whose stock only raised due to his trumped-up coach-in-waiting designation at Texas under Mack Brown.
Muschamp was by no stretch a home-run hire—which is worth noting considering the University of Florida’s hefty athletic budget and passionate persuading from a then-football focused athletic director like Jeremy Foley, who was on a mission to get his man. Despite Gainesville being a stellar college football town and ideal place for a coach to land with his family, none of the post-Spurrier hires outside of Meyer have been the big time names one would’ve expected the Gators to land—Ron Zook back in 2002, Muschamp in 2011, Jim McElwain in 2015 and former assistant Dan Mullen returning last season.
Returning to Petersen, the former Broncos leader turned down a $4M offer to coach the UCLA Bruins at the end of the 2011 season—with an additional $3M budget to build a staff—his decision based on “lifestyle reasons”, as small-town living was instrumental to his family life. Southern Cal and Stanford also came after Petersen hard at the time, but he never buckled—no matter the dollar amount offered.
In the end, family—and big money—ultimately brought Peterson to the Huskies, who signed a five-year, $18M deal, that got bumped up to just shy of $5M annually back in August, making him the highest-paid coach in the Pac-12. Despite growing up 12 hours south of Seattle (in Northern California’s Yuba City) the Huskies were already in the bloodline as Ron Petersen—the family patriarch—was born and raised in the Rainer Valley and was a Huskies fan; something that obviously struck a chord with his football-loving son.
The younger Petersen also spent much of his own youth in Seattle, visiting his grandparents on breaks from school. The Pacific Northwest was in his blood—and the move from Boise a quick jaunt—making it the only “transfer” destination for the 13-year Boise State veteran leader—eight as head coach, five as offensive coordinator—and perfect landing spot for his family to embrace the next phase of their lives.
<a href="http://blog.allcanes.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/01/miami-hurricanes-football-the-u-mark-richt-retire-manny-diaz-temple-head-coach.jpg"><img class="aligncenter size-full wp-image-10522" title="miami hurricanes football the u joe jackson manny diaz head coach turnover chain mark richt retire" src="http://blog.allcanes.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/01/miami-hurricanes-football-the-u-mark-richt-retire-manny-diaz-temple-head-coach.jpg" alt="" width="525" height="350" /></a>
Sometimes there’s something in the water—or the overall DNA—that makes the ordinary, extraordinary and someplace an ideal fit. Without jumping the gun on where Diaz’s head coaching career will go at Miami—and making no attempt to compare his trajectory to Petersen’s—the point worth highlighting is related to home and that calling that forces a coach out of one place and on to another, a different path that has him staying put and ignoring all suitors.
It’s not as simple as a blank check and brand recognition. These are life-changing decisions that impact so many—and there are only so many stops on the carousel a coach will make in his career. There are also only so many right-fit coaches to go around, so when something passes the eye test and feels right—it makes sense to go with it.
<h2>HISTORY WILL PROVE RICHT WAS RIGHT GUY, FOR “WRONG” REASONS</h2>
Despite how 2018 flamed out, Richt was absolutely the right call for Miami three years ago—and should Diaz prove to be “the guy” that brings the Canes back, that will forever be tied to his predecessor’s era, as well.
A decade of losing aside, University of Miami football was completely broken and had lost it’s way under Al Golden—the Canes’ third wrong hire in a row, dating back to caretake Larry Coker playing his chaperone-type role when Butch Davis bailed for the NFL abruptly. Coker kept things afloat for a few years and brought home a national title—but that 35-3 start the first three years was 25-12 the next three; including a 7-6 run in 2006 that got him fired.
That season, all the way through Golden’s bottoming-out 58-0 loss against Clemson—Miami was 60-47; unfathomable when you recall this program tearing off a 34-game win-streak that ended three years before Coker’s wheels fell off.
Richt proved to be UM’s first big-money, recognizable name-type hire—which ultimately paid dividends on the back-end. While it’s easy to currently focus on a six-loss season and prehistoric offense that wasted a championship-caliber defense year three—all that gets overridden when looking at the good.
Richt’s time spent in Athens at a big time SEC program and coaching at that level; it had a direct impact when assessing Miami’s shortcomings. The instrumental push for an indoor practice facility—and personal $1M donation—are the ultimate reason the Carol Soffer Indoor Practice Facility is a reality today. Richt also addressed UM’s prehistoric ways in regards to player nutrition—while hammering the administration to create a bigger pool of money for assistant coaches, which directly led to Diaz’s hiring.
Beyond all that, Richt pulled the plug in the most graceful, ego-less, program-first manner when stepping down days after the bowl loss. A man with next-level faith, one would assume the decision had been weighing heavily on him as year-three derailed mid-season. Those who rely heavily on prayer for guidance; there’s usually a bold ask for clarity and answers to be fully revealed.
In short, had Wisconsin rallied—down 20-17 late and punching in a a game-winning touchdown—who knows how the next 72 hours would’ve played out. When it was a 35-3 massacre, with the offense again a full-blown disaster and the program taking another giant step back—one has to believe Richt had clarity and a peace regarding a decision to make and path to take. Especially considering retirement was on the table—at minimum, a one-year sabbatical—when things ended with the Bulldogs. Instead, the Miami job opened—forcing a rash decision.
In the end, Richt’s mission at Miami was fulfilled—although not as it might’ve been intended in regards to wins and losses. Instead, the alumni proved to be the bridge connecting a broken era to a rebirth, in a way that only he had the skills set, heart, patience, wisdom and leadership to provide.
<h2>DIAZ SHOWED TRUE SWAG WITH HANDLING OF ENTIRE SITUATION</h2>
Character should also be used to describe all things Diaz as this new era gets underway. While some will attempt to cheapen the choice—calling it a hire from with, another coordinator promotion or unfair Shannon 2.0-type comparison—none could be further from the truth.
Diaz’s track record and overall career choices need to be factored into the equation, as they show the type of motor he has, the logical football mind he possesses and the ability to lead—which has been proven in how he’s hit the ground running with UM; making tough choices (like firing the entire offensive staff), while diving in head first in regards to replacements.
Bigger that that, it was the move Diaz made just shy of a month ago—when making the trek to Philadelphia to interview for the head coaching position at Temple; one that he accepted days later.
<a href="http://blog.allcanes.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/01/Manny-Diaz-Miami.jpg"><img class="aligncenter size-full wp-image-10524" title="manny diaz miami hurricanes football the u turnover chain corn elder" src="http://blog.allcanes.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/01/Manny-Diaz-Miami.jpg" alt="" width="525" height="369" /></a>
Diaz could’ve easily parlayed Miami’s three years of defensive success into a head-coach-in-waiting scenario and hefty pay raise this off-season—using the Owls’ offer as a bargaining chip with UM. Instead, he looked at his personal future and realized his best path to his dream job in Coral Gables meant cutting his teeth as a head coach elsewhere, hoping it’d lead him home someday.
Temple proved a good stepping stone for Golden, as well as three who followed—Steve Addazio to Boston College, Matt Rhule to Baylor and now Geoff Collins to Georgia Tech—all after relatively short stints with the Owls. Hard as it may have been to leave, this could be a low-risk, high-reward opportunity—so Diaz acted quickly and made it happen, though still committed to coach UM’s bowl game due to unfinished business with his players.
The act itself removes any promotion-from-within dig as Diaz showed 305-like swag and had the cojones to leave—as well as the smarts to return when Richt abruptly called it quits. James and Miami also knew this was their most-enticing, win-win proposition as the hire saved the Hurricanes a complete overhaul—returning a few key juniors like Michael Pinckney and Shaq Quarterman, who were all but gone based on Diaz’s departure—as well as putting the 2019 recruiting class back in play, opposed to dead in the water.
It also keeps the defense unit and scheme in tact, while guaranteeing all the best-case scenario offensive changes fans dreamt of during that four-game losing streak late in the year.
Miami landed a fiery guy with the right DNA and some of the best traits some incomplete coaches had in the past. Two years back Bob Stoops called it quits at Oklahoma, handing the reigns to second-year offensive coordinator Lincoln Riley—who reached the College Football Playoff in back-to-back seasons.
No, Miami wasn’t on Oklahoma’s level when their head man stepped down and a savvy assistant took control—but let the example show there are other scenarios than the Shannon 2.0 comparisons or knocks that internal guys can’t carry out their own vision, finding next-level success.
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<title>A Deep-Dive Into A Disastrous Season For “The U”</title>
<link>http://blog.allcanes.com/miami-hurricanes-football-pinstripe-bowl-recap-yankee-stadium-wisconsin-badgers-mark-richt-blake-james</link>
<comments>http://blog.allcanes.com/miami-hurricanes-football-pinstripe-bowl-recap-yankee-stadium-wisconsin-badgers-mark-richt-blake-james#comments</comments>
<pubDate>Fri, 28 Dec 2018 17:51:07 +0000</pubDate>
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<category><![CDATA[Uncategorized]]></category>
<guid isPermaLink="false">http://blog.allcanes.com/?p=10449</guid>
<description><![CDATA[<a href="http://blog.allcanes.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/12/richt.jpg"><img class="aligncenter size-full wp-image-10487" title="mark richt miami hurricanes pinstripe bowl blake james offensive coordinator wisconsin badgers" src="http://blog.allcanes.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/12/richt.jpg" alt="" width="521" height="379" /></a>Just when it appears the Hurricanes have bottomed out—this program reinvents ways to reach new lows.
The Pinstripe Bowl showdown against Miami and Wisconsin was expected to be somewhat of a slugfest between two underachieving teams that failed to live up to their preseason hype. Instead, the Hurricanes’ lack of offense was as exposed as it’s been all year. The Badgers…]]></description>
<content:encoded><![CDATA[<a href="http://blog.allcanes.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/12/richt.jpg"><img class="aligncenter size-full wp-image-10487" title="mark richt miami hurricanes pinstripe bowl blake james offensive coordinator wisconsin badgers" src="http://blog.allcanes.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/12/richt.jpg" alt="" width="521" height="379" /></a>Just when it appears the Hurricanes have bottomed out—this program reinvents ways to reach new lows.
The Pinstripe Bowl showdown against Miami and Wisconsin was expected to be somewhat of a slugfest between two underachieving teams that failed to live up to their preseason hype. Instead, the Hurricanes’ lack of offense was as exposed as it’s been all year. The Badgers got up early and piled on late, capitalizing on UM’s overall incompetence, personnel issues and vanilla play-calling by third-year head coach Mark Richt—who’s truly painted himself into a corner as year three draws to an ugly close.
Richt returned to his alma mater three years ago this month, having spent 15 seasons at Georgia on the heels of a decade calling plays for Florida State—where he coached up two Heisman winning quarterbacks and fielded an offense that helped claim two national championships.
Richt came up short with the Bulldogs in regards to winning the big one, though it was a successful run in Athens—going 145-51 in the competitive SEC, taking the conference twice and winning the division six times. All that said, Georgia—like many big time programs—is chasing a national title and Richt never reached the big games, making it a logical time to part ways, shake things up and start fresh.
Richt-to-Miami happened relatively quickly. Many <a href="http://blog.allcanes.com/miami-hurricanes-football-bring-back-butch-davis-coaching-search-the-u-mark-richt-fired-georgia-bulldogs" target="_blank">clamored for the return</a> of Butch Davis, but it wasn’t to be. The recently-fired Georgia leader also flirted with retirement; more time with family and to live out his faith, through missionary work or other ways of giving back. All of that went on hold when the alma mater called, though—as UM was a once-in-a-lifetime gig and too good to turn down.
<h2>TURNING-POINT MOMENT FOR BOTH UM AND RICHT IN ’15</h2>
As it all unfolded three years back, the hire was set to go one of two ways. The Miami job would either prove to a fountain of youth experience, where Richt would find himself reborn and rediscovering everything he loved about the sport; back to calling plays and coaching-up quarterbacks—or it’d prove to be too much, too late—which is how it’s feeling on the heels of a disastrous season.
As the years roll on, individuals go one of two routes. We’re either of the mindset that we’re constantly in a state of growth, learning, evolving and improving—or we cap off somewhere along the way, become averse to change and have done all the learning we care to do. We are who we are and we’re sticking to our guns, for better or worse.
Now that three years of the Richt era are in the books at Miami, it appears the Hurricanes’ leader falls under the latter—set in his ways and attempting to build the type of unit personnel-wise that he had in his heyday with the Bulldogs, opposed to keeping up with the times and assembling a squad based on the program he inherited and style of play that would prove most-successful at “The U”.
In short, wanting to run a pro-style offense isn’t the issue—it’s the refusal to adapt based on the roster Richt has, versus the one he desires—due to what’s worked in the past. Georgia’s old offense had success, barring one is fielding an SEC-caliber offensive line, has a stable of power running backs and a heady pocket-passer solid with his decision-making.
In three seasons at Miami, Richt hasn’t had that type of quarterback, that big and solid of a line, or the bruising-type backs he had at his disposal at Georgia—so why the overtly push to implement that type of offense when it clearly isn’t working? Even if that’s the long-term goal for Richt at UM, one has to adapt and create a workable system based on what is, not what they want down the road.
Furthermore, as many a commentator covering Miami games this season has shared during broadcasts—South Florida offensive players grow up playing in and are accustomed to the spread offense. If a head coach doesn’t want to adapt to the preferred style of the region—why take a head coaching job in said region; nostalgia, brand name and long-time ties aside?
<h2>INNOVATE OR DIE; A CHOICE EVERY PRO MUST FACE</h2>
Like fans being asked to adjust their expectations regarding where this Miami program currently resides (after 15 years of irrelevance), versus where they think it should be (based on nothing more than dominant play and success decades ago)—Richt must also realize he needs to work with what he has and accept what college football’s current landscape looks like going into 2019, opposed to trying to implement a preferred scheme, simply because it worked back in the day.
<a href="http://blog.allcanes.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/12/miami-hurricanes-football-wisconsin-badgers-pinstripe-bowl.jpg"><img class="aligncenter size-full wp-image-10462" title="miami hurricanes football wisconsin badgers pinstripe bowl" src="http://blog.allcanes.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/12/miami-hurricanes-football-wisconsin-badgers-pinstripe-bowl.jpg" alt="" width="525" height="376" /></a>
The phrase “innovate or die” has become a trendy one over the past few years. Change and innovation are moving things forward at a furious pace—and college football has well surpassed that of just being a sport, or game. It’s become big business and when a veteran head coach is earning over $4M annually—the expectation is to be great, not simply “good enough”. One must at least survive before they can truly thrive—and right now Richt is doing neither, which is why the heat has understandably been cranked up as Miami died a slow death in 2018, by way of zero innovation.
Barring none of that rings true with Richt, let’s break it down to a simpler principle for a man bold and fearless in regards to living out his faith. Proverbs 16 through18 seems on the nose and pretty applicable: “Pride goes before destruction, and a haughty spirit before a fall.”
<h2>THE ROAD TO HELL IS PAVED WITH GOOD INTENTIONS</h2>
The level of stubbornness displayed by Richt year three is certainly worth nothing; hardly the full-blown arrogance that many in today’s coaching profession possess—but certainly a belief that years of experience and past success somehow give him a pass when it comes to change, growth or compromise.
Again, is Miami’s head coach of the belief that at 58 years young he’s still growing, learning, evolving and must improve—or is ego leading the way, where Richt will remain inflexible; that old dog refusing to learn any new tricks and willing to lose his way, opposed to winning by way of compromise?
Weeks back, in the midst of UM’s four-game losing streak, the Miami Herald’s Barry Jackson discussed the Hurricanes’ offensive woes with a high-ranking, unidentified Board of Trustees member. The nuts and bolts of that conversation; UM had upwards of $1M allocated for Richt to hire a quality offensive coordinator next season, as the the current offensive product has become a glaring problem to those in charge.
In the wake of that revelation, Richt reiterated his desire to call plays, while criticism for the offensive lack of production remained situational; blame doled out on a game-to-game basis—quarterbacking inconsistencies, receivers dropping balls, poor offensive line play, lack of execution—everything was at fault, outside of the play-calling.
Even more frustrating; after defensive coordinator Manny Diaz accepted the head coaching opportunity at Temple, with Ephraim Banda and Jon Patke promoted to co-coordinators—Richt stated that the vacant coaching would be used for a defensive hire, opposed to a more-obvious offensive one. The defiance of that sentiment came off personal; shots fired.
The sentiment and approach are both mind-boggling and unacceptable based on the defensive success versus the offensive’s lack of identity and plummeting production levels.
<h2>OFFENSIVE BOWL COLLAPSE SHOULD SURPRISE NO ONE</h2>
Winning has a way of masking flaws and issues; as proven with late season victories over Virginia Tech and Pittsburgh. After being held to 13, 14, 12 and 21 points against Virginia, Boston College, Duke and Georgia Tech—N’Kosi Perry led Miami to a 38-14 win in Blacksburg, making the Canes bowl-eligible and providing a feel-good moment as the bleeding had finally stopped.
Lost in that shuffle, the fact that two big plays—a big run and a punt return that both found end zone—broke a three-point game wide open over a four-minute span. The following week, the Canes’ offense was back to sub-par form in a 24-3 victory over Coastal Division-winning Pittsburgh.
While the three-score beat-down looked good on paper, when getting under the hood—it was Miami’s defense, a yeoman’s effort from running back Travis Homer (168 yards on eight carries with a 64-yard score) and a monster 65-yard punt return from DeeJay Dallas that saved the day. Play-calling remained elementary and uneventful, while Perry—aided by several drops from his receivers—had an awful 6-of-24, 52-yard outing.
Lest anyone think the knocks on the offense are rooted in any exaggeration; the win over the Panthers proved to be the lowest passing total Miami has posting since joining the ACC in 2004.
Having seen the offense sputter down the stretch, coupled with Richt going back to Malik Rosier after Perry’s social media-related stupidity, in hindsight—what should’ve truly been expected against Wisconsin in the Pinstripe Bowl? Rosier—aside from hugely regressing as a whole this season, after over-achieving last year—hadn’t played since the loss to Duke on November 3rd. The lack of playing time, combined with an average skills set and a full-blown loss of confidence—it proved to be as big a disaster as one could’ve expected.
Down a score three minutes in—Rosier tossed an interception on the Hurricanes’ first offensive play from scrimmage. One play and seven yards later, Jonathan Taylor punched it in to extend the Badgers’ lead to 14-0.
Again, sticking with the theme of bottoming out and if something can go wrong for these Hurricanes, it will—it was already worst-case-scenario, disaster-mode for Miami three-and-a-half minutes into the game; down two scores to a fundamentally-sound squad, while trotting off a horrific offense.
The Canes’ defense held strong, aided by two missed field goal attempts from the Badgers—and were miraculously only down 14-3 at the intermission; which was where Richt made his most unacceptable mistake of the evening—inexplicably sticking with Rosier after the intermission.
<a href="http://blog.allcanes.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/12/miami-hurricanes-football-wisconsin-badgers-pinstripe-bowl-malik-rosier.png"><img class="aligncenter size-full wp-image-10461" title="miami hurricanes football wisconsin badgers pinstripe bowl malik rosier" src="http://blog.allcanes.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/12/miami-hurricanes-football-wisconsin-badgers-pinstripe-bowl-malik-rosier.png" alt="" width="525" height="372" /></a>
Confusion surrounded the status of Perry all week, but at kickoff it was announced that the maligned r-freshman wasn’t suspended—he simply lost the opportunity to start; an acceptable slap-on-the-wrist punishment for a three-month old explicit Snapchat video that resurfaced weeks back.
Miami had six first-half drives led by Rosier, not counting running off the clock with :19 left before halftime. Over that span, No. 12 turned it over twice and was 3-of-7 for 12 yards—the r-senior’s only success coming on two running plays; a 62-yarder that ultimately resulted in a field goal and a 21-yard escape on 3rd-and-11 that was short-lived when Homer mishandled the snap on first down and fumbled away.
Furthermore, the play-calling showed the lack of confidence in Rosier’s (lack of) abilities—proven with several runs on first and second downs. Even with that, there were two first down, drive-killing interceptions.
<h2>SECOND-HALF FOCUS NEEDED TO BE ON FUTURE, NOT PRESENT</h2>
Miami entered the second half with a sideline report that Richt had Rosier on a “short leash”—which was still nonsensical considering how terrible No. 12 played in the first half. Had this been a game months back with conference implications on the line—maybe you ride it out with your veteran—but we’re talking about a mid-level bowl game on the heels of a five-loss season and sticking with a r-senior despite having a handful of freshman quarterbacks who desperately need game experience.
This wasn’t the time to ride-or-die with No. 12; repaying loyalty because he was a kid who “did it the right way”—it was time to throw Perry or Jarren Williams into the fire to see what either could do—and with enough game left to do it in.
Instead, Richt waited until the 3:36 mark in the third quarter—on the heels of a four-play, 59-yard Wisconsin scoring drive, where the defense finally broke—after Rosier’s third interception of the night.
At worst, give Perry a shot down 14-3 to start the third quarter—and if he falters, Williams gets his shot in the fourth quarter. Worse than the wasted opportunity itself; the fact a veteran head coach like Richt would either prove so stubborn, or foolish in such a painful obvious moment. Pride is the mask of one’s own faults.
As expected, Perry came in cold and inexperienced—looking for favorite target Brevin Jordan twice within his first three attempt, resulting in a three-and-out—putting a tired defense back on the field in less than two minutes.
On Perry’s next attempt, an interception when forcing a pass on third-and-long. Wisconsin capitalized, making the Canes’ defense look foolish by way of a perfectly-called naked bootleg with quarterback Jack Coan, who skipped in virtually untouched—everyone understandably jamming up the middle of the field, expecting another handoff to a running back.
Perry got one final crack, couldn’t move the ball and Wisconsin took over—chewing up the game’s final seven minutes—picking up three first downs and putting an exclamation point on the game with back-to-back runs, opposed to a victory formation with 1:02 remaining. Badgers’ head coach Paul Chryst, knowing his team left points on the field with a few field goal misses early-on, gave it to a back-up running back with :08 left on the clock, punching it in for a final score—an understandable move to show how lopsided the game really was.
<h2>JAMES FIRES FIRST SHOT; HOW WILL UM TOP BRASS BACK IT UP?</h2>
Miami athletic director Blake James issued a post-game statement—calling the six-loss season “unacceptable”, while delivering the expected chatter regarding the Canes competing for conference titles and national championships. James signed off with a blurb about Richt being alongside him in that “commitment to excellence”; though it seemed more like an afterthought than any outright backing of the head coach.
What this ultimately means and how it plays out—time will tell. While the beat-down remains hard to swallow, the lone saving grace in Miami getting shellacked at that level; there’s nowhere to run or hide from this one. The Hurricanes have played nine Power Five teams over the last 16 games—dating back to a loss at Pittsburgh last November that ended a 15-game win-streak—and have posted a dismal 3-9 record against said competition.
<a href="http://blog.allcanes.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/12/miami-hurricanes-football-defense-michael-pinckney-wisconsin-badgers-pinstripe-bowl.png"><img class="aligncenter size-full wp-image-10460" title="miami hurricanes football defense michael pinckney wisconsin badgers pinstripe bowl" src="http://blog.allcanes.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/12/miami-hurricanes-football-defense-michael-pinckney-wisconsin-badgers-pinstripe-bowl.png" alt="" width="525" height="355" /></a>
While a season-opening loss against a quality SEC foe like LSU could somewhat be forgiven three years into a rebuild—regular-season losses against average ACC competition—with the talent Miami has—is downright repugnant. Even more egregious; getting walloped by a five-loss Wisconsin team after citing “revenge” as a motivator, based on how last year ended—the supposed “payback tour” starting and ending with Pittsburgh weeks back.
One could build a digestible storyline around a national title contender like Clemson—years ahead of Miami in their process—taking out the Canes, 38-3 in UM’s first visit to the ACC Championship last fall.
Take your lumps. Use the loss as a motivator. Let it fuel the fire to win the division and get a rematch. 
When that didn’t come to fruition, on to Plan B and the next-best tactic—closing with a three-game win-streak and attempting to show the program was pointed in the right direction; crucial on the heels of losing Diaz to Temple and watching a recruiting class unravel.
The only thing Miami couldn’t do was the one thing that took place—a offense-less, next-level blowout; one so lopsided that it’d leave even the most-optimistic, process-trusting, logic-driven supporter questioning everything about the current state of this program and its (lack of) leadership, top to bottom.
<h2>LOCKER ROOM UNRAVELING; POIGNANT END TO NIGHTMARE SEASON</h2>
In the wake of the bowl loss, players vented frustrations they seemed to have been sitting on all season. Months back, running backs coach Thomas Brown mentioned some offensive players not buying in; referring them as a “cancer” to the program. This time around, it was outgoing offensive lineman Tyree St. Louis, who’d played his final game in a Hurricanes’ uniform.
“I don’t know if it was some guys that might not be 100 percent in and [were] just trying to get it over with, the season or maybe there were some guys that maybe felt things were unfair,” St. Louis shared in unfiltered fashion. “Mainly, I think we probably can’t have the mindset of this is the rematch, they beat us last year in our hometown, this is a perfect place, we have them exactly where we want them, we’re going to come in and dominate. Then when things didn’t happen like that, everyone just got comfortable saying ‘It’s OK’ … Guys just went back into their shells.”
Sophomore defensive end Jon Garvin also spoke unfiltered regarding perceived issues on his unit’s side of the ball.
“Another one of those things we have to correct—I would say the victim mentality,” Garvin said. “And I believe we’re guilty of it as a defense. You know, I don’t know they do on offense, but I know we’re guilty of it. We want to blame everybody else except for ourselves and it led to how many points they scored tonight.
“And that was all of us. We can’t blame that on anybody else. We’re playing the victim—like everybody is wrong but us. But we could have done better.”
Things getting worse before they get better; an all too familiar a refrain for Miami football over the years—and one that doesn’t seem on the mend anytime soon, as these problems run deep, which seems unfathomable based on Richt’s experience and time spent at two major, champion-caliber programs like Florida State and Georgia over the past quarter century.
Discord and a broken internal culture; that made sense with a first-time head coach like Randy Shannon, or not-made-for-primetime Al Golden—but this shouldn’t be the stance of the locker room under a proven entity like Richt. That bit of information is as hard to process as a six-loss season, or bowl beatdown against an average foe.
<h2>THE FUTURE STARTS NOW—WHAT WILL IT LOOK LIKE?</h2>
All one can truly hope for at this rate—a full offensive overhaul with a quality hire, a trust that Williams can prove to be that missing, much-needed quarterback puzzle piece, a pipe dream that a few key defensive would-be seniors return for one final go-around and a desire that Richt has his personal come-to-Jesus moment regarding the job he signed up for three years back.
Anything outside of that and the regression will continue until this regime comes to a close and Miami is forced to start all over again.
This isn’t a time to double-down on pride, or to refuse to admit what-is. There is no point to prove here or sales pitch regarding what worked in the past. The only answer for Richt is self-evaluation, unabashed honesty regarding what is, personal inventory regarding what it will take to accomplish the task at hand and a wholehearted understanding that change and growth are the only path for the University of Miami to get back on a proper track.
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<title>2018 Pinstripe Bowl Preview : Miami Vs. Wisconsin</title>
<link>http://blog.allcanes.com/miami-hurricanes-football-pinstripe-bowl-new-york-yankees-stadium-wisconsin-badgers</link>
<comments>http://blog.allcanes.com/miami-hurricanes-football-pinstripe-bowl-new-york-yankees-stadium-wisconsin-badgers#comments</comments>
<pubDate>Wed, 26 Dec 2018 13:44:49 +0000</pubDate>
<dc:creator>admin</dc:creator>
<category><![CDATA[Uncategorized]]></category>
<guid isPermaLink="false">http://blog.allcanes.com/?p=10408</guid>
<description><![CDATA[<a href="http://blog.allcanes.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/12/miami-hurricanes-football-wisconsin-badgers-orange-bowl.jpg"><img class="aligncenter size-full wp-image-10422" title="miami hurricanes football wisconsin badgers orange bowl" src="http://blog.allcanes.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/12/miami-hurricanes-football-wisconsin-badgers-orange-bowl.jpg" alt="" width="525" height="373" /></a>In what some have dubbed the Disappointment Bowl, due to both Miami and Wisconsin underachieving in 2018—a rematch, after both crossed paths in a New Years Six bowl last year—the Pinstripe Bowl is set to get underway between two five-loss squads.
<h2>HOW WE GOT HERE</h2>
For Wisconsin, two warm-up, early-season games against Western Kentucky and New Mexico (obviously) didn’t mean much as…]]></description>
<content:encoded><![CDATA[<a href="http://blog.allcanes.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/12/miami-hurricanes-football-wisconsin-badgers-orange-bowl.jpg"><img class="aligncenter size-full wp-image-10422" title="miami hurricanes football wisconsin badgers orange bowl" src="http://blog.allcanes.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/12/miami-hurricanes-football-wisconsin-badgers-orange-bowl.jpg" alt="" width="525" height="373" /></a>In what some have dubbed the Disappointment Bowl, due to both Miami and Wisconsin underachieving in 2018—a rematch, after both crossed paths in a New Years Six bowl last year—the Pinstripe Bowl is set to get underway between two five-loss squads.
<h2>HOW WE GOT HERE</h2>
For Wisconsin, two warm-up, early-season games against Western Kentucky and New Mexico (obviously) didn’t mean much as the Badgers outscored those lesser opponents by a combined score of 79-17. The season was ultimately made and broken the following week in a 24-21 home loss to BYU, where a game-tying field goal sailed right with :36 remaining.
Even worse than the loss; the fact the Cougars took it to the Badgers—playing physical football, using misdirection and keeping a normally sound and well-coached Badgers squad off-balanced all afternoon. It proved to be Wisconsin’s first non-conference home loss at home since 2003. Three weeks later, after surviving Iowa and Nebraska, a road trip to Michigan ended in a 38-13 loss, derailing a season that started with a ton of promise and a Top 5 pre-season ranking.
The Badgers fell at Northwestern (31-17) and at Penn State (22-10) before dropping a home season finale to Minnesota (37-15),
For Miami, a bit of a different route—but one that ended up in as miserable a place. The Canes got tagged in the opener against LSU in Dallas, but responded with a five-game win-streak that started to show some momentum—capped with a home comeback against Florida State; one where a second-string quarterback looked to have supplanted a starter, giving a slow-to-start season some new life.
The jubilation was temporary as r-freshman N’Kosi Perry looked all the part of a newbie the following week at Virginia, yielding early to r-senior Malik Rosier in an eventual 16-13 loss—one that also injected a mid-season quarterback dilemma a Miami program scrapping back to relevancy certainly didn’t need.
Even more frustrating; the start of a social media disaster with Perry—one that is again rearing its ugly head days before the bowl game as three-month old sexually explicit footage is making its rounds.
Punished internally for a lame-brained video where Perry flashed wads of cash during the off-week after the loss to the Cavaliers—coaches haven’t announced the maligned quarterback’s status for bowl week, outside the announcement that Rosier will start on Thursday evening. In typical dramatic fashion, social media again has its hand in the narrative as Perry was heard day’s ago on a teammate’s live steam stating in the background that he was suspended for the bowl game.
(Editor’s note: Unpopular as it would be with players, it feels like the Miami staff needs to address the social media element in the room this off-season, as it’s proven to be a monstrous distraction this fall.)
Rosier held the reigns for most of the loss to Virginia and the entire loss at Boston College, a week after the bye—though Mark Richt went back to Perry in a rain-soaked, home loss to Duke; one where each quarterback looked as bad as the next and the Hurricanes were shut out in the second half.
Perry looked better in a road loss at Georgia Tech—though Miami’s offense was held in check much of the second half in what looked to be a winnable game.
Backs to the wall and scrapping for bowl eligibility a week later in Blacksburg, Perry was good enough in a team effort where the Canes outlasted the hurting Hokies. At home against Pittsburgh days later, smothering defense was the key to success—while Perry’s average outing was made worse by a slew of receivers who couldn’t hold on to the ball.
As if the Perry versus Rosier drama weren’t enough, true freshman Jarren Williams briefly flirted with transferring a week ago—while r-freshman Cade Weldon dealt with a four-game suspension mid-season and made no push to earn playing time.
Regarding that top-flight defense that finished second in the nation during the regular season? It’s architect Manny Diaz resigned from his defensive coordinator position early December, in favor of the head coaching vacancy at Temple—though Diaz will return for the bowl game and one more go-around with his squad, which could serve as a solid motivator based on the 34-24 beating the Badgers put on the Canes in last season’s Orange Bowl—despite Miami jumping out to an early 14-3 lead.
<h2>KEYS TO VICTORY — MIAMI</h2>
<a href="http://blog.allcanes.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/12/miami-hurricanes-logo.png"><img class="alignleft size-full wp-image-10419" title="miami hurricanes logo" src="http://blog.allcanes.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/12/miami-hurricanes-logo.png" alt="" width="65" height="40" /></a>If Richt has a game plan in regards to his quarterback, no one truly knows what it is on the eve of the big game.
The decision to start Rosier is fine, should the trajectory be that of his decision-making earlier in the year against FIU—where the r-senior led a few drives, sputtered but didn’t crash, yielding to Perry midway through the first quarter—and sticking with No. 5 for the rest of the game.
With Perry in hot water and Williams not playing since mop-up duty against Savannah State early September—anyone who didn’t expect Rosier to be named starter is again going that over-emotional versus logical route. That said, unless No. 12 is somehow playing the game of his career and is moving the ball consistently against the Wisconsin defense, the exercise in going with Rosier must be short-lived. The future is now for Miami and there’s little reason for a r-senior to take valuable playing time from underclassmen who need the experience.
With Perry looking slightly above average on-the-field this season, while tanking off-the-field—this is an ideal game for Richt to see what he has under the hood with Williams; who based on all intangibles, looks more equipped to lead than his r-freshman counterpart.
Miami opens the 2019 season against Florida in Orlando. Zero reason that should be Williams’ first big-game action as there’s a ripe opportunity for playing time Thursday night in New York. Same to be said for Perry, obviously—as the r-freshman has not been suspended for the game, but lost out on the chance to start.
<a href="http://blog.allcanes.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/12/miami-hurricanes-logo.png"><img class="alignleft size-full wp-image-10419" title="miami hurricanes logo" src="http://blog.allcanes.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/12/miami-hurricanes-logo.png" alt="" width="65" height="40" /></a>Gerald Willis will miss the Pinstripe Bowl with a hand injury, which makes sense as the senior is prepping for the NFL Draft and there’s no reason to make matters worse in a lower-tiered bowl game. That being said, the Hurricanes must come together one final time under Diaz—playing spirited, sound football and preparing to stop the run; which won’t be easy against Jonathan Taylor.
Taylor gashed Miami for 130 yards on 26 carries last go-around; though much wasn’t needed out of him as the usually mistake-prone Alex Hornibrook was flawless with a four-touchdown, 258-yard performance.
Hornibrook has only played two of Wisconsin’s last five games and was ruled out of the bowl game with concussion symptoms, putting New York native and sophomore Jack Coan under center.
Taylor rushing behind a veteran offensive line; it’ll be the Badgers’ bread and butter come Thursday—so the Hurricanes’ front seven, sans Willis, better be ready to play.
<a href="http://blog.allcanes.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/12/miami-hurricanes-logo.png"><img class="alignleft size-full wp-image-10419" title="miami hurricanes logo" src="http://blog.allcanes.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/12/miami-hurricanes-logo.png" alt="" width="65" height="40" /></a>As much as Miami must slow down the run, the Hurricanes will also have to find success on the ground and keep Rosier—or whoever is under center—out of third-and-long situations.
Travis Homer was ineffective the last time these two met; rushing 12 times for 64 yards—20 coming on one play—and a score, while DeeJay Dallas saw his best work in a wildcat formation, but didn’t make much noise outside of that.
Homer and Dallas are running harder and with more purpose this season, while freshman Cam’Ron Davis has been a welcomed addition down the stretch. Between these three, Miami will need to sack up and take it to Wisconsin on the ground, as it’s tall order for either an average r-senior or inexperienced freshman to put this team on its back, carrying the Canes to victory.
<a href="http://blog.allcanes.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/12/miami-hurricanes-logo.png"><img class="alignleft size-full wp-image-10419" title="miami hurricanes logo" src="http://blog.allcanes.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/12/miami-hurricanes-logo.png" alt="" width="65" height="40" /></a>Lastly, the Hurricanes need to force Coan into the mistakes that weren’t made by his predecessor last time these two met. While Hornibrook was flawless, Rosier coughed up three interceptions in a game that fell apart when Miami’s defense gave up 21 points in the second quarter. Last year’s game was won by the team that made the least mistakes—so the Hurricanes’ defense better get after Coan with some disguised blitzing and force some sloppy play.
<a href="https://allcanes.com/index.php/miami-hurricanes-classic-starter-jacket.html" target="_blank"><img class="aligncenter size-full wp-image-10436" title="miami hurricanes starter jacket the u" src="http://blog.allcanes.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/12/miami-hurricanes-starter-jacket-the-u.png" alt="" width="525" height="263" /></a>
<h2>KEYS TO VICTORY — WISCONSIN</h2>
<a href="http://blog.allcanes.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/12/wisconsin-badgers-logo.png"><img class="alignleft size-full wp-image-10420" title="wisconsin badgers logo" src="http://blog.allcanes.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/12/wisconsin-badgers-logo.png" alt="" width="65" height="61" /></a>Riding Taylor to the promised land is the most-obvious and logical approach for the Badgers, as their quarterback situation is on par with Miami’s. As good as the Hurricanes’ defense has been this season, that side of the ball has gotten gashed by some big plays on the ground—players out of position, or arm-tackling.
Taylor oft shines bright on the big stage. Late in the season, his legs led Wisconsin to a triple-overtime victory at Purdue—where the senior went for 321 yards and three touchdowns.
Simple as it sounds on paper, if Miami can keep the running back winner in check, it’s a stretch to think that Coan is going to dissect the Hurricanes’ defense through the air.
<a href="http://blog.allcanes.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/12/wisconsin-badgers-logo.png"><img class="alignleft size-full wp-image-10420" title="wisconsin badgers logo" src="http://blog.allcanes.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/12/wisconsin-badgers-logo.png" alt="" width="65" height="61" /></a>Coan doesn’t need to be as big as Hornibrook was against the Canes last season, but will need to hit some back-breaking plays where he can, in effort to keep Miami’s defense on the field—taking a page out of Georgia Tech’s book, as the Yellow Jackets always seem to find a way to hit the important third-and-long late in the game when UM’s defense is run down for a long night.
Assuming Miami’s offense will struggle—their own worst enemy, as much as due to what Wisconsin will do to them—Coan keeping his offense on the field will at times be as good as actually scoring.
<a href="http://blog.allcanes.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/12/wisconsin-badgers-logo.png"><img class="alignleft size-full wp-image-10420" title="wisconsin badgers logo" src="http://blog.allcanes.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/12/wisconsin-badgers-logo.png" alt="" width="65" height="61" /></a>Conversely, whoever Miami has under center—Wisconsin’s defense has the luxury of knowing that quarterback play has been suspect and mistake-prone.
The Badgers had Rosier’s number last year, which should give them confidence—as would going up against either Perry, or Williams.
<h2>THREE MOST-IMPORTANT PLAYERS FOR THE CANES</h2>
**N’Kosi Perry / Jarren Williams — Despite Rosier getting the start, there’s no reason to believe Perry or Williams won’t see action. Perry’s recent social media gaffe dates back to September, he was reprimanded in October for IG story-related hijinks after the Virginia loss and No. 5 has been relatively quiet since.
Because of the nature of the three-month old video, seems coaches needed to something—though re-punishing him for the dated infraction seems egregious; unless there is more to the story, which could certainly be the case.
Rosier didn’t play against Pittsburgh, Virginia Tech or Georgia Tech and his last action was against Duke on November 3rd—which leaves his start feeling like more of a formality, than a coaching belief that he’s truly the better option.
If there’s more to the story and Perry is truly is out, sub Williams into this slot importance-wise. If it is Perry, a great opportunity here to put a disappointing run of immaturity in the rear-view and to start building his case to be “the guy” in 2019.
Stubborn has Richt has come off, have a hard time believing the third-year coach would ride with Rosier all game.
Travis Homer — A bit of an afterthought in last year’s game, Homer ran tough the final month of the regular season; 133 yards in the loss to Duke, 69 on the road against Virginia Tech and 168 against a sound Pittsburgh defense—on eight carries.
With his junior season coming to a close, this feels like a breakout opportunity for Homer to start his senior campaign now. Dallas could just as easily be “the guy” listed here, too—but have a feeling Homer is going to run hard, showing Wisconsin he can play tough, too.
Shaq Quarterman — With Willis, veteran leadership is needed within Miami’s front seven. Joe Jackson and Jon Garvin will bring that fire on the line but from that field general position—Quarterman will have to step up in that alpha role and keep the Hurricanes in sync regarding what Wisconsin throws at them. No. 55 has the opportunity to get through that line and hit Taylor for a few losses that could swing field position, or play-calling.
<h2>THREE MOST-IMPORTANT PLAYERS FOR THE BADGERS</h2>
Jonathan Taylor — Duh. When you have the reigning Doak Walker Award winner in your backfield, safe bet the offense is going to go through him. As mentioned, the Hurricanes’ run defense has been gashed for some big plays this year, despite solid all-around play.
Jack Coan — Another one that’s obvious and on the nose, but after seeing Hornibrook single-handedly help Wisconsin outscore Miami, 31-14 over the final three quarters of the Orange Bowl (while Rosier unraveled)—the importance of quarterback competence can’t be overstated enough. Coan doesn’t need a Hornibrook-like performance—he just can’t give it away like Rosier did last season.
Danny Davis — Going with the theme that the Badgers’ best defense is a good offense (banking on the Miami offense struggling), Davis can be a solid safety blanket for Coan. The sophomore receiver was Wisconsin’s leading pass-catcher four of their past five games—including a 10-reception, 93-yard outing in the season-ending loss to Minnesota.
<h2>THE PREDICTION : HOW IT SHOULD ALL SHAKE DOWN</h2>
Both teams can manufacture their laundry list of reasons they should will themselves to a ‘W’—closing the season strong, setting the tone for next years and all the other cliches one rattles off when trying to build a case, depending who they’re picking to win.
For the Miami enthusiast, the match-up seems somewhat reminiscent of final road trip of the regular season at Virginia Tech—two fragile squads in a staring contest and somebody’s going to blink.
The Canes got the jump on the Hokies—taking a three-point lead into the locker room, before blowing things out of the water with a 21-point third quarter and putting the game away.
Both Miami and Wisconsin have dealt with next-level disappointment five separate occasions this year; muscle memory all-to-familiar with losing. As much as both are working towards victory, the Canes and Badgers are both also working to avoid getting backed into that corner where doubt creeps in and games slip away.
If the Hurricanes are to pull this one off, they’ll need the defensive execution that was lacking in the Orange Bowl loss. Hornibrook played out of his mind—en route to MVP honors. That aberration of a performance was the difference in a Badgers’ victory. Miami’s defense simply can’t let Wisconsin have a player go off at that level; in this case, Taylor being that monster threat. Hold the sophomore back in check, that’s half the battle.
The other; a good enough offensive and special teams performance from the Canes. Starting with a three-headed monster at running back—as well as a few speedy receivers—Miami’s offense simply needs to play smart enough football.
Everything about this game screams low scoring (which means in bowl lexicon it probably won’t be)—so every possession counts. In a perfect world for the Canes, Rosier gets some early reps and soon yields to Perry (or Williams) and Miami finds its way to some early scores. Fall into an early hole and it’s setting up for Taylor to run at will and grind down that Canes’ defense.
Win or lose, a safe bet the overall focus will be on the heavily-scrutinized Richt and how he handles all offensive aspects of the game. Is the Rosier start truly a decoy, with either Perry or Williams getting necessary reps and a chance to showcase their talents for next season? Or does Richt ride with Rosier, keep it basic and hope to scrape out a victory?
Bowing to pressure isn’t Richt’s style. That’s a different article for another time and place. Still, how he handles the offensive side of this showdown, and what the result looks like—it means something based on how this season plays out as year three draws to a close.
In the end, Miami needs quarterback play that doesn’t give the game away and good enough production out of its three back. From there, it’ll take another next-level defensive effort—and possibly a turnover returned for a score—to set things in the right direction for the Canes.
Either team could pull this one out by the same score, but going to give “The U” the edge in Diaz’s last game—which should spring a spirited defensive effort.
<a href="http://blog.allcanes.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/12/miami-hurricanes-logo.png"><img class="alignleft size-full wp-image-10419" title="miami hurricanes logo" src="http://blog.allcanes.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/12/miami-hurricanes-logo.png" alt="" width="65" height="40" /></a>Miami 20, Wisconsin 16
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<title>Jarren Williams Stays Put; Helps Consistency</title>
<link>http://blog.allcanes.com/miami-hurricanes-football-the-u-jarren-williams-quarterback-transfer-mark-richt-signing-day-early-period</link>
<comments>http://blog.allcanes.com/miami-hurricanes-football-the-u-jarren-williams-quarterback-transfer-mark-richt-signing-day-early-period#comments</comments>
<pubDate>Sat, 22 Dec 2018 12:27:54 +0000</pubDate>
<dc:creator>admin</dc:creator>
<category><![CDATA[Uncategorized]]></category>
<guid isPermaLink="false">http://blog.allcanes.com/?p=10372</guid>
<description><![CDATA[<a href="http://blog.allcanes.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/12/Screen-Shot-2018-12-21-at-12.57.21-PM.png"><img class="aligncenter size-full wp-image-10373" title="miami hurricanes football the u jarren williams quarterback transfer mark richt" src="http://blog.allcanes.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/12/Screen-Shot-2018-12-21-at-12.57.21-PM.png" alt="" width="525" height="409" /></a>The rocky post-regular season road continues to be an unintentionally scenic one for the Miami Hurricanes. Two weeks back, third-year defensive coordinator Manny Diaz took his talents to Philadelphia, signing on as the new head coach of the Temple Owls.
The unexpected move called for quick action in Coral Gables; resulting in head coach Mark Richt promoting Ephraim Banda and Jon Patke to a co-defensive…]]></description>
<content:encoded><![CDATA[<a href="http://blog.allcanes.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/12/Screen-Shot-2018-12-21-at-12.57.21-PM.png"><img class="aligncenter size-full wp-image-10373" title="miami hurricanes football the u jarren williams quarterback transfer mark richt" src="http://blog.allcanes.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/12/Screen-Shot-2018-12-21-at-12.57.21-PM.png" alt="" width="525" height="409" /></a>The rocky post-regular season road continues to be an unintentionally scenic one for the Miami Hurricanes. Two weeks back, third-year defensive coordinator Manny Diaz took his talents to Philadelphia, signing on as the new head coach of the Temple Owls.
The unexpected move called for quick action in Coral Gables; resulting in head coach Mark Richt promoting Ephraim Banda and Jon Patke to a co-defensive coordinator role—the only logical move for the Hurricanes, as both were invited to join Diaz.
Three coaches gone from the second-ranked defense in the nation—a week before the early signing period; it would’ve been next-level disaster for the most sound aspect and unit at “The U”.
Amidst the early signing period; one which already lacked some luster as a five-loss regular season had some “verbally committed” players backing out—the day was overshadowed by news that quarterback Jarren Williams was planning to transfer.
<a href="https://247sports.com/Article/Jarren-Williams-transfer-Miami-126620739/" target="_blank">247Sports broke the story</a>—only to re-break it a day later, with scoop that after a conversation with Team Richt, the true freshman <a href="https://247sports.com/Article/Quarterback-Jarren-Williams-planning-to-stay-at-Miami-126698021/" target="_blank">is going to stick around and compete</a>.
Whatever shortcomings Miami is dealing with regarding the decommits from the #Surge19 class—only 16 current signees as a five-loss season caused some to jump ship—nothing would’ve been more detrimental to the Hurricanes than losing the 4-star quarterback-of-the-future before he had a chance to make his mark.
Williams twice committed to Kentucky, only to land with Miami—decommitting from the Wildcats a day after the Hurricanes rolled third-ranked Notre Dame last November; a game he witnessed in person.
“The atmosphere, it was real electric,” Williams told 247Sports. “The fans they were really into the game and real passionate. Also just being able to see everything, see the campus, and I got to sit down and talk to Coach (Mark) Richt and get to know them a lot better. The highlight was getting to know them better and getting to be around the team. It was a real good experience for me.”
As swayed as Williams was with that raucous environment and smackdown of the Irish—his lack-of-use as a true freshman at Miami this season had the exact opposite effect. Outside of mop-up duty in a rout of Savannah State early September, where Williams was 1-of-3 for 17 yards, while rushing twice for two years and a score—the true freshman never saw the field; the Hurricanes rotating between r-freshman N’Kosi Perry and the r-senior Malik Rosier all fall.
<a href="http://blog.allcanes.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/12/malik-rosier-nkosi-perry-miami-hurricanes.png"><img class="aligncenter size-full wp-image-10392" title="malik rosier nkosi perry miami hurricanes" src="http://blog.allcanes.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/12/malik-rosier-nkosi-perry-miami-hurricanes.png" alt="" width="525" height="361" /></a>After a four-game losing streak had the wheels falling off, with Rosier banished to the bench the final two showdowns—Williams expected to see some playing time, but got himself suspended for a road trip to Virginia Tech; a game where Perry shone in the rout, leaving him as Richt’s best option going into Pittsburgh six days later.
Add it all up—while also factoring in Kentucky’s 9-3 season, including a win at Florida that broke a 31-game losing streak—and it’s not hard to see where Williams was leaning on emotional, over logic. Thankfully, cooler heads prevailed and Miami’s staff was able to get No. 15 refocused and remembering why he chose Coral Gables in the first place.
Whoever Miami missed out on with the early signing period—it pales in comparison to the shape this program would be in going into spring football without Wiliams in the mix and no viable option under center, outside of two current r-freshman who have underachieved.
The biggest reason for this season’s 7-5 stumble? Look no further than inconsistency at quarterback, low-lighted by the fact that neither Perry or Cade Weldon made the most of their true freshman seasons—learning the playbook and putting in work to unseat Rosier by spring. All the knocks this fanbase had on No. 12 for being a below-average quarterback (who overachieved last season), or Richt, who was forced to stick with him, opposed to handing the job to one of two guys that hadn’t earned it—that same frustration didn’t carry over towards both Perry and Weldon not being ready for primetime.
Whether it was Perry suspended for the opener, Weldon suspended four games mid-season—or Perry’s social media antics, starting with the cash-flashing after the Virginia game and now rearing its ugly head again as a sexually-explicit video from mid-September has resurfaced; the only one taking the job seriously and staying the course was Rosie—which kept him running the show by default, despite his competitors having more natural talent and ability.
With Rosier gone next year and Weldon not seeming like he’ll turn any corner—the job would then be Perry’s by default in 2019, had Williams left. Detrimental as it would be to have such limited bodies on the roster—made worse by no quarterback in the #Surge19 class, or any solid potential graduate transfer options—the lack of competition is equally as disheartening.
Two things are a constant when talking about quality Miami Hurricanes squads back in the day; a talented quarterback under center, as well as the competitive battles taking place at Greentree, being the lifeblood of this program. UM needs to get back to both to become “The U” again.
That doesn’t mean the Hurricanes will ever get *back* to the elite, ahead-of-the-curve level that spawned a Decade of Dominance, while changing the way the college game was played—but there are certainly some tenets and and building blocks necessary to make the most out o what present-day Miami has, helping the Hurricanes again become a true competitor.
<a href="http://blog.allcanes.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/12/kyle-wright-kirby-freeman-miami-hurricanes.jpg"><img class="aligncenter size-full wp-image-10394" title="miami hurricanes kyle wright kirby freeman the u quarterbacks" src="http://blog.allcanes.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/12/kyle-wright-kirby-freeman-miami-hurricanes.jpg" alt="" width="525" height="404" /></a>Look at the quarterback position since Ken Dorsey rode out of town early 2003—38-2 as a starter, having won a national championship and having a second one stolen. Brock Berlin followed; the Florida transfer not getting his due, playing in Dorsey’s shadow—going 20-5 over two seasons and beating the Seminoles and Gators a combined five times over that span.
Since then, a revolving door of mediocrity, underachievers, or guys with potential who came to the right place, at the wrong time. Kyle Wright, Kirby Freeman, Jacory Harris, Robert Marve, Stephen Morris and Brad Kaaya all led to two seasons of Rosier, with a couple of r-freshman not taking the gig seriously, while a true freshman—who almost transferred—learned the ropes.
In defense of many of those aforementioned names, the fact that the coaching staff was also a hot mess during their tenure, as well. Wright’s story alone is a microcosm of the issues Miami has faced since the decline started 15 years back.
Arriving in 2003, redshirting and graduating in 2007—Wright had two different head coaches and four different offensive coordinators over that span; Rob Chudzinski year one, Dan Werner the next two seasons, Rich Olson year four (with Todd Berry in some strange, forced co-offensive coordinator power struggle), followed by Patrick Nix year five.
The inconsistency at Miami has been next-level shocking over the past decade-and-a-half; making the need for consistency even more important than ever. Going back to Diaz’s departure and taking the Temple job; disastrous had both Banda and Patke left, as well. Promoting the two assistants to co-coordinators was consistency-driven—opposed to a forced revamping for the one side of the football where the Hurricanes have found success the past three seasons.
Retaining Williams was another small step towards consistency and building towards something bigger; especially as Perry continues his immaturity-related backsliding—another social media-related setback making waves less than a week before the Pinstripe Bowl against Wisconsin (as well as other rumors that would lead to a four-game suspension if proven true.)
Next step; the Hurricanes need to actually get production out of their ninth option at starting quarterback since Berlin’s departure. Should Williams step in and play up to the role, instead of down—like so many of his predecessors—only then will Miami truly be on a road to recovery.
Quarterback success will also help solve the “chicken versus the egg” debate in regards to play-calling and execution problems Miami continues having with their anemic offense.
<a href="https://allcanes.com/index.php/adidas-miami-hurricanes-pro-bounce-low.html" target="_blank"><img class="aligncenter size-full wp-image-10396" title="miami hurricanes adidas shoes apparel the u" src="http://blog.allcanes.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/12/miami-hurricanes-adidas-shoes-apparel-the-u.png" alt="" width="525" height="244" /></a>Going into the bowl game, UM ranked T-91st in total offense for 2018—down from last year’s ranking of 57th, which was an improvement on 2016′s ranking of 68th. Still, the lack of production has many calling for more play-calling innovation—which is a tall order when there’s no stability at quarterback, offensive line and receivers are dropping balls at an alarming rate.
Perry was 6-of-24 for 52 yards in Miami’s 24-3 regular season-ending victory over Pittsburgh—a game where his receivers dropped seven passes, easily leaving a few scores on the field, while resulting in the Hurricanes’ lowest passing total in an ACC game; something that never should’ve been the case based on some good throws with yards-after-catch potential.
As it goes in sports, winning is a cure-all. Case in point, Miami’s comeback victory against Florida State in October—down 27-7, though ultimately prevailing, 28-27. Lost in the shuffle, the fact that the Hurricanes’ offense went into a first half hole and relied on two huge defensive turnovers, setting up short fields and quick scores—as well as a FSU trick play touchdown (rightly) getting called back—setting up the thrilling win.
Post-game, Miami offensive lineman Tyler Gauthier admitted his unit got worked.
“We got our tails kicked most of the game against FSU. We came back at the end because of the defense. Then we came out here and we played like we are going to get our tails kicked again. I don’t want that to happen. It isn’t going to happen around here.”
“It wasn’t even mental mistakes,” Gauthier said. “It was just getting beat. You can’t have that happen. When you are one-on-one you have to win. I tell guys if you mess up once, that is fine, but don’t let it happen again. If you are going to mess up, you have to learn from it.”
The Hurricanes gave up five sacks to the Seminoles and flat-out got owned—which would’ve been the headline in a loss, but seemingly got buried in the win. Such was the story in 2017 when Miami eked out wins over Florida State, Georgia Tech, Syracuse and North Carolina, en route to a 10-0 start that just as easily could’ve been 6-4.
Until Miami gets things worked out personnel-wise on the offensive side of the ball, it’s senseless to over-scrutinize the play-calling—especially when things are simplified to account for quarterback inconsistency (Perry) or a reduced skills-set (Rosier). Once the Hurricanes have a starter under center who is the entire package—arm strength, precision, wheels, decision-making, maturity and leadership; as well as an offensive line doing its job—that is the day the critiquing of the play-calling officially begins.
That type of success also changes the narrative in regards to recruiting; another Catch 22-type scenario Miami must continue darling with—unable to reel in talent until consistently winning double-digit games-per-season, but also unable to win at a high level without those next-level players needed to become a contender again.
Gone is the era of the player who understands a long-term vision, ready to sign on to be a part of something bigger than themselves. Guys like Edgerrin James, Ed Reed, Dan Morgan, Damione Lewis and Reggie Wayne, who all god on board when the getting wasn’t good—but they took pride in being the guys who put the Hurricanes back on the map. (Hell, Santana Moss isn’t even listed in the 1997 football media guide as a signee—as he took a track scholarship to play for UM.)
Those guys took their 5-6 lumps in 1997, lost the Big East title game at Syracuse, 66-13 a season later—but closed strong with an upset of No. 2 UCLA that brought Miami one step closer to that goal of relevancy. A few missteps in 1999—a second half collapse against East Carolina, weeks after taking No. 2 Penn State to the wire and upsetting Ohio State in the opener—but still getting closer.
Also lost to both Florida State and Virginia Tech that season—the Seminoles and Hokies meeting in the national championship game—but a season later, Miami took down both in a 2000 season that should’ve resulted in a title game birth, but instead, a snub. That snub was enough for Reed and Bryant McKinnie to return for their seniors years in 2001, when more guys still believed in an “unfinished business” team mantra. A year prior, Morgan, Moss, Wayne and Lewis all brought it back for one more go-around, too.
Contrast that to a snapshot of what Miami’s dealt with in the last year, alone—R.J. McIntosh and Kendrick Norton both ignoring sound advice to return for their senior years, dropping like rocks in spring’s NFL Draft and going in the fifth and seventh rounds, respectively.
<a href="http://blog.allcanes.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/12/kendrick-norton-rj-mcintosh-1000-practice-insta.jpg"><img class="aligncenter size-full wp-image-10395" title="miami hurricanes football rj McIntosh kendrick norton the u NFL draft" src="http://blog.allcanes.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/12/kendrick-norton-rj-mcintosh-1000-practice-insta.jpg" alt="" width="525" height="332" /></a>Meanwhile, two r-freshman quarterbacks with golden opportunities to unseat a r-senior intended to be a perennial back-up—neither puts in the work to earn the job, while both found themselves suspended at various points of the season.
A big-time receiver—Jeff Thomas—decides he’s frustrated with a lack of playing time, gets into it with coaches—physically and verbally—and is off the team late in the year, transferring back home to play for an Illinois squad that is 9-27 the past three seasons.
Hard to not see this as another short-term thinking-type situation where a high school phenom is dealing with entitlement issues, preferring to be that big fish in a little pond at a lesser program, instead of doubling down on the worth ethic to truly be “the guy” at Miami—the home of many a legendary receiver.
Now, the latest in this ongoing saga; Williams—who chose Miami over Kentucky in a knee-jerk manner, enthralled with that epic pasting of Notre Dame—getting cold feet because his true freshman season didn’t play out in storybook fashion.
Keeping No. 15 from bailing out was the necessary first step to set the table for springtime success, though the heavy lifting is still there—both for Miami coaches, as well as a quarterback who momentarily lost his way. Rebuilding efforts truly started three years ago with UM’s fourth head coach in a ten-year span.
To expect to be *back* or anything close as year three draws to a close—it remains rooted in where one wants this program to be, versus history, reality and where things should be at this point of the process.
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<title>Manny Diaz & The Future Of Mark Richt’s Miami Hurricanes</title>
<link>http://blog.allcanes.com/miami-hurricanes-football-the-u-manny-diaz-defensive-coordunator-turnover-chain-temple-owls-head-coach-mark-richt</link>
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<pubDate>Sun, 16 Dec 2018 22:02:03 +0000</pubDate>
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<description><![CDATA[<a href="http://blog.allcanes.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/12/manny-diaz.jpg"><img class="aligncenter size-full wp-image-10360" title="manny diaz miami hurricanes football temple owls turnover chain" src="http://blog.allcanes.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/12/manny-diaz.jpg" alt="" width="525" height="345" /></a>The Manny Diaz-to-Temple rumors started flying early last week. Days later, the University of Miami’s third-year defensive coordinator accepted his first head coaching job at 44 years old and third-year head coach Mark Richt found himself having to replace a valuable piece of his staff days before the early signing period—amidst bowl preparations for UM’s rematch against Wisconsin.
Business as usual for a…]]></description>
<content:encoded><![CDATA[<a href="http://blog.allcanes.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/12/manny-diaz.jpg"><img class="aligncenter size-full wp-image-10360" title="manny diaz miami hurricanes football temple owls turnover chain" src="http://blog.allcanes.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/12/manny-diaz.jpg" alt="" width="525" height="345" /></a>The Manny Diaz-to-Temple rumors started flying early last week. Days later, the University of Miami’s third-year defensive coordinator accepted his first head coaching job at 44 years old and third-year head coach Mark Richt found himself having to replace a valuable piece of his staff days before the early signing period—amidst bowl preparations for UM’s rematch against Wisconsin.
Business as usual for a program struggling to find its footing over the past decade and a half. Anytime it appears Miami is taking some type of step forward—the snakebitten feeling somehow returns, always in some new shape or form. All that to say, as the dust has settled on Diaz’s decision—logic and a long-term shift in perspective must come into play.
In the end, the choice to take the Temple job proved not to be about money and 100-percent in regards to opportunity. Diaz was coming off his best season at Miami; his defense ranked second nationally—yet much like his players were snubbed in the all-ACC rankings, Diaz’s phone wasn’t ringing off the hook with big time offers.
Temple was interested, but only offered after their first choice—Texas A&M defensive coordinator Mike Elko—turned down the offer. Unfazed and with ego in check, Diaz still caught a flight north, was diverted to Washington D.C. due to inclement weather, and rented a car to drive to Philadelphia—where it’s a safe bet some soul-searching took place; alone on the open road for hours, with nothing to do but ponder one’s future.
Coaching at the University of Miami was a lifelong dream for the hometown Diaz. In his mid-forties, he grew up in the Decade of Dominance-era—witnessing four national championships from grade school, through his senior year of high school.
It left an indelible mark—and gave him something to chase; coaching, but without any blueprint regarding how to get into the profession, let alone excel in it.
Seventeen years after entering the coaching game as an unpaid graduate assistant at Florida State in the late nineties, Diaz landed at Miami—another second-choice opportunity, after the recently-hired Richt lost out on Dave Aranda, who chose LSU and the bigger payday in Baton Rouge.
The path back to Coral Gables wasn’t an easy one. Some quick backstory.
After graduating from Florida State, Diaz landed a job editing film for ESPN’s NFL Countdown—where his work ethic and tenacity caught the eye of many; most-notably Sterling Sharpe, who mentioned the fiery Diaz to his friend Chuck Amato.
<a href="https://allcanes.com/index.php/miami-hurricanes-classic-starter-jacket.html" target="_blank"><img class="aligncenter size-full wp-image-10364" title="miami hurricanes apparel starter jacket the u" src="http://blog.allcanes.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/12/miami-hurricanes.png" alt="" width="525" height="263" /></a>The Seminoles’ then-defensive coordinator took Diaz up on his, “I’ll do anything” pledge—helping him get an unpaid part-time job in FSUs recruiting office.
To help put food on the table, Diaz spent his mornings as a data-entry processor—while his wife Stephanie worked for a catering company. Another twist; the young family took up residence in Burt Reynolds Hall—the Noles’ athletic dorm—for two years, with a newborn son. Future NFL superstar receiver Anquan Boldin was their next door neighbor.
Diaz eventually followed Amato to North Carolina State for a similar no-pay opportunity, which turned into a job coaching linebackers in 2002—proving to be the foot in the door the 28-year old needed to jump-start a coaching career. Two years later, Diaz coached safeties and special teams for the Wolfpack and by 2006, his first stint as defensive coordinator at Middle Tennessee, where he lasted four seasons.
Mississippi State was next on the coaching carousel, and after a successful season Mack Brown called and Diaz would spend the next three years in Austin coaching the Longhorns’ defense—fired two games into his third season after a historically-bad outing for UT. Brown stepped down at year’s end; the program nowhere near what it was when reaching the national title game four years prior.
The scapegoated Diaz was forced to rebuild, taking a step back and accepting an offer to coach-up Louisiana Tech’s defense. A year later, a second stint at Mississippi State—where he found success that led to Richt tapping him for the Miami job. The rest, as they say, is history.
Diaz took over a Hurricanes defense that was in shambles both scheme- and culture-wise. Five years under Al Golden and an awkward 3-4 game plan implemented by coordinator Mark D’Onofrio—the only thing that looked like Miami were the uniforms and “U” logos on the helmets. The style of play was beyond off; as proven by the 58-0 beat down suffered at the hands of Clemson late October, costing Golden his job and ushering in a new era at “The U”.
Diaz turned things around relatively quickly—while tapping into his hometown DNA year two when creating the legendary, trendsetting Turnover Chain. The motivational tool proved to be the biggest story in college football last season—as Miami burst out the gate with a 10-0 start, reaching No. 2 in the College Football Playoffs rankings by late November.
While 2018 proved to be a setback for the Canes; the missteps were all on the offensive side of the ball. Diaz’s defense remained as disruptive as ever—and with a little offensive help, could’ve easily paved the way for Miami to pick up a few more wins, returning to the ACC Championship game for a second year in a row.
This defensive success is precisely why Richt acted swiftly when promoting safeties coach Ephraim Banda and Jon Patke co-defensive coordinators, while elevating defensive line coach Jess Simpson to associate head coach within a day of Diaz’s presser in Philly.
As expected, the move played out quickly amongst a divided fan base—the logical understanding precisely why this was the only option, while the over-emotional, deluded segment was again up in arms, reinventing ways to pin blame on Richt.
These are the same bunch who immediately blamed Diaz’s departure on either (1) Miami not ponying up enough money to keep him—refusing to believe he left for the opportunity, as well as (2) the inference the Canes’ defensive coordinator saw the program as a sinking ship and wanted to get as far away from Richt as possible.
Hardly sounded the case when Diaz went over the top at his Temple presser to praise Richt, as well as the direction the University of Miami is headed—when he could just as easily have shared quick pleasantries and brought the focus back to the Owls.
“Mark Richt is a great man who’s going to win big at the University of Miami. There’s a lot of great players in that locker room. This program established is bigger than any one person,” Diaz shared. “Myself and the guys on the defensive staff were humbled we had an opportunity to play defense at the University of Miami standard. It’s nothing we invited. It’s been going there since I got into coaching. I know those guys will be fine in the future.”
Regarding that humbled defensive staff, Diaz had tapped both Banda and Patke—who he had history working with in Starkville—to follow him north, which would’ve gutted Miami. Diaz leaving was a big enough blow, but to lose the others—especially Banda, as a recruiter—would’ve been catastrophic for the one side of the ball that has the Hurricanes “back”. UM needs stability and consistency with this successful defense; making the “if it ain’t broke, don’t fix it” adage perfect and timely.
Also lost, when throwing around the standard pie-in-the-sky potential coaching hires—the fact that, (1) quality coordinators aren’t growing on trees and (2) an outside coach would most-likely bring in his own staff, a new philosophy and there would be a transitional period that Miami football simply can’t afford going into year four.
The co-defensive coordinator title will keep Banda and Patke from getting that next-level DC money—while empowering both to take a business-as-usual approach, running the defense they built with Diaz. Retaining these two also keeps Miami’s 2019 recruiting class from completely falling apart at the final hour—while potentially luring players like Shaq Quarterman and Michael Pinckney to return for their senior seasons (as talk weeks back had both leaning towards coming back.)
The lack of another defensive coach also opens Richt and Miami up to making a necessary hire on the offensive side of the ball—which could have Diaz’s departure a blessing in disguise, should Richt decide to make an addition.
An recent article in the Miami Herald had an unnamed Board of Trustees member stating that there would be an off-season push for the addition of an offensive coordinator—with a budget north of $1M annually for this hire. Unfortunately, Richt hasn’t tipped his hat one way or another regarding what direction he’s leaning—putting the veteran head coach at a true crossroads with year four on the horizon.
<a href="http://blog.allcanes.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/12/0592-umfootball-080516-add.jpg"><img class="aligncenter size-full wp-image-10363" title="miami hurricanes manny diaz temple owls shaq quarterman" src="http://blog.allcanes.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/12/0592-umfootball-080516-add.jpg" alt="" width="525" height="336" /></a>Richt ran a pro-style offense over 15 seasons at Georgia, behind solid offensive lines and with the support of a power rushing attack, which lead to two SEC Championships and six division titles. Richt was 145-51 in Athens—including a 9-5 bowl record—but entering year four at his alma mater, it’s a good time to reassess what’s taken place, a where as where things can realistically head.
Can Richt recruit the same caliber of player at both quarterback and on the offensive line to make that preferred pro-style offense work; the type of offense tailored to his play calling? Offensive tendencies are forever changing—and while that doesn’t mean head coaches nationwide need to abandon their schemes, chasing trends and reinventing themselves—there’s something to be said for working with the personnel one has, while adding new wrinkles and layers that not only enhance the current scheme, but also attract recruits looking to be utilized in modern ways.
Six years back Richt’s Georgia squad came up a few yards short of knocking off Alabama in the SEC Championship, which would’ve delivered a berth in the 2012 national championship game against Notre Dame.
The Crimson Tide was your typical ground-and-pound type squad for Nick Saban—though Saban has made sure his offense has grown with the times, turning the keys over to Lane Kiffin; who ran a pro-style at Southern Cal, but transitioned towards the spread with the Tide.
When Brian Daboll took over for the Florida Atlantic-bound Kiffin last season, elements of the spread were still there—thought the first year co-offensive coordinator put more of an emphasis on the run that his predecessor. Still, the scheme-related decisions proved more rooted in the replacement of Jalen Hurts by Tua Tagovailoa—on full display in last season’s national championship game when Tagovialoa entered in the second half and started throwing deep.
The point in that depressing hijack in regards to Alabama’s next-level success; the point that the game’s most-successful head coach is constantly evolving and scheming around the talent he has—opposed to remaining steadfast to a system that worked for him in the past.
Richt stopped calling plays at Georgia in 2006, handing the keys over to Mike Bobo and taking on that CEO-type role massive programs need. He remained hands-off with the offense over the next decade at Georgia, before getting the itch to try again at Miami in 2016—though doing it with the Hurricanes without solid quarterback play has proven lackluster.
Malik Rosier overachieved last season and bottomed out this one—while neither N’Kosi Perry or Cade Weldon took advantage of their true freshman to learn the ropes last year. The fact neither beat out Rosier in spring 2018; the first sign it was going to be a long season offensively for the UM.
All signs point to Jarren Williams being the guy next year; noticable for any who have paid attention to Richt’s comments about the immaturity of his two redshirt-freshmen, in comparison to the promise he sees in No. 15.
Promising as Williams might look, his success will come down to Richt’s personal life and coaching philosophies.
<a href="http://blog.allcanes.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/12/fl-sp-um-hurricanes-manny-diaz-temple-20181211.jpg"><img class="aligncenter size-full wp-image-10362" title="miami hurricanes manny diaz temple owls turnover chain" src="http://blog.allcanes.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/12/fl-sp-um-hurricanes-manny-diaz-temple-20181211.jpg" alt="" width="525" height="365" /></a>Fundamentally, we’re all wired one of two ways; either believing that growth and change are doable at any life-phase, allowing individuals to evolve, get better, improve and try new ways—or subscribing to the belief that we are who we are and once reaching a certain point, we’re done learning anything new. We’re sticking to our guns and doubling-down on what worked in the past, hellbent on proving it can still work today. While there’s no true right or wrong in individual philosophies—one will ultimately prove situationally correct and the other wrong.
Miami received a bit of a blessing-in-disguise for the season finale against Pittsburgh, as the lack of any available scholarship tight ends forced Miami’s offense out of the standard pro-style and into a spread that ultimately gave the Panthers defensive fits. (The 24-3 score could’ve easily have been 41-3 had Hurricanes’ receivers actually held onto the football.)
Could the departure of Diaz also prove fortuitous for Miami? Aside from the successful defensive coordinator getting the much-needed head coaching experience he’ll need, when chasing the opening at UM when Richt retires—the Canes have the room and budget to bring on an offensive mind that might not have been as seamless, weeks back.
A bowl game against Wisconsin in New York City remains the final hurdle for 2018. From there, here’s hoping for a little self-reflection for Richt. 2018 proved to be a bit of a stumble, but there are some clear-cut ways to right the ship for next year, barring the veteran head coach subscribes to the fact that old dogs can be taught new tricks.
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<title>Initial Reaction To Miami Hurricanes’ Pinstripe Bowl Bid</title>
<link>http://blog.allcanes.com/miami-hurricanes-football-the-u-wisconsin-badgers-pinstripe-bowl-preview-new-york</link>
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<pubDate>Mon, 03 Dec 2018 23:10:53 +0000</pubDate>
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<guid isPermaLink="false">http://blog.allcanes.com/?p=10322</guid>
<description><![CDATA[<a href="http://blog.allcanes.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/12/miami-hurricanes-football-the-u-pinstripe-bowl-wisconsin-badgers.jpg"><img class="aligncenter size-full wp-image-10328" title="miami hurricanes football the u pinstripe bowl wisconsin badgers" src="http://blog.allcanes.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/12/miami-hurricanes-football-the-u-pinstripe-bowl-wisconsin-badgers.jpg" alt="" width="525" height="354" /></a>Back-to-back wins to close to the regular season didn’t make much of a difference with a frustrated fan base—but the distinction between 7-5 and 6-6 when it came to bowl season definitely had an impact for the New York-bound Miami Hurricanes.
Sitting at .500 with two to play, on the heels of a frustrating home loss to Duke—bowl eligibility itself was…]]></description>
<content:encoded><![CDATA[<a href="http://blog.allcanes.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/12/miami-hurricanes-football-the-u-pinstripe-bowl-wisconsin-badgers.jpg"><img class="aligncenter size-full wp-image-10328" title="miami hurricanes football the u pinstripe bowl wisconsin badgers" src="http://blog.allcanes.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/12/miami-hurricanes-football-the-u-pinstripe-bowl-wisconsin-badgers.jpg" alt="" width="525" height="354" /></a>Back-to-back wins to close to the regular season didn’t make much of a difference with a frustrated fan base—but the distinction between 7-5 and 6-6 when it came to bowl season definitely had an impact for the New York-bound Miami Hurricanes.
Sitting at .500 with two to play, on the heels of a frustrating home loss to Duke—bowl eligibility itself was in question as Miami prepared for a road trip to Virginia Tech and closed with a home finale against Coastal Division winner Pittsburgh; the Panthers spoiling the Canes’ undefeated regular season bid last year with a 24-14 upset at Heinz Field.
Both the Canes and Hokies were reeling mid-November, but Miami outshined a struggling Virginia Tech squad, 38-14 in Blacksburg—before rolling Pittsburgh, 24-3—seemingly fueled by revenge and a desire to take out some frustration in front of a home crowd on Senior Day.
The Canes will need that same mojo to carry over to the Pinstripe Bowl on December 27th at Yankee Stadium when closing 2018 with Wisconsin, albeit in a lower-stakes affair than last season’s Orange Bowl where the Badgers capitalized on Hurricanes’ turnovers and held on for a, 34-24 victory.
Some have already dubbed this match-up the Disappointment Bowl, as both Miami and Wisconsin had higher expectations program-wise this season—failing to live up to the hype.
<h2>CANES & BADGERS BOTH WITH STEP BACKWARDS THIS SEASON</h2>
The Badgers rolled in with a No. 4 ranking, on the heels of last year’s 13-1 campaign and Big Ten West division title—while the Canes were No. 8 after a 10-3 campaign in 2017, which had Miami winning the Coastal Division for the first time in 14 tries. Despite those high hopes, both stumbled to 7-5 seasons in 2018 and are simply looking to stop the bleeding this post-season.
Miami was tagged by a better-than-advertised LSU squad in the season opener, while Wisconsin’s first setback came at home late September when BYU upset the Badgers. Momentum was seemingly gained in back-to-back wins over Iowa and lowly Nebraska—but Michigan rolled 38-13 at home in primetime mid-October and Wisconsin never recovered from the setback; falling at Northwestern and Penn State before ending the season with a disappointing home loss to Minnesota.
The Canes’ trajectory was different; winning five in a row after loss to the Tigers in Dallas—momentum seemingly shifting after a home victory and 20-point comeback against rival Florida State, who Miami hadn’t topped at home since 2004—but a road loss at Virginia the following weekend, coupled with a quarterback quandary put Miami in a tailspin, with UM dropping four in a row.
A lot of foolish chatter was sparked in the wake of the losing streak; some going as far as to hope Miami didn’t win out and failed to reach a bowl, believing that doing so would expedite the Mark Richt retirement process—which was never an option year three. Still, that contingent of the fan base held strong in their desire to see 5-7 and a six-game losing streak becoming a reality, rooted in desire for change—and little regard for what is, versus what they wish were the case.
<h2>WHAT IS, VERSUS WHAT ONE WANTS OR HOPES FOR</h2>
The frustration topic has been beat up everywhere this season—at allCanesBlog, as well as any Canes-themed message board or U-themed social media pages. So it seems to go with a once-great program that was next-level dominant decades back, in many ways changing the way the game was played, opposed to Miami’s current fight for relevancy and to again become a contender.
A common theme on this site; expectations versus reality—and how an inability to rectify one’s thought process has a direct result on their ability to handle what currently is.
That 10-0 start in 2017; exciting as it unfolded, but also something that needed reexamination as Miami closed with three consecutive losses—manhandled by No. 1 Clemson in the ACC title game, followed by that Orange Bowl loss to No. 6 Wisconsin. Toss in a few too-close-for-comfort wins against Florida State, Georgia Tech, North Carolina and Syracuse—Miami could’ve had a record similar to the one it’s sporting in 2018, had a few lucky breaks gone the other way.
Equally as important; the fact that last season’s most-glaring issue—suspect quarterback play—wasn’t solved prior to this year’s opener against LSU. Both N’Kosi Perry and Cade Weldon redshirted last season and were tasked with learning the playbook, allowing them both to compete for the starting job this past spring; which didn’t seem like the tallest of orders based on how the overachieving Malik Rosier faltered down the stretch.
Despite the colossal question mark at quarterback entering the season—not to mention a young offensive line that’s been reshuffled since spring—heightened expectations were in full force, which is the biggest reason so many were triggered by the mid-season backsliding.
The way the division shook out, had Miami knocked off Georgia Tech and either Duke or Virginia, the Canes would’ve won the Coastal (owning the tiebreaker over Pittsburgh) at 9-3—setting up a rematch against Clemson in the ACC Championship.
Based on Miami’s offensive woes—right up through the anemic performance against the Panthers—one couldn’t expect much better than last season’s 38-3 beatdown by the Tigers in Charlotte, which would’ve left the Hurricanes 9-4 entering bowl season—and with a better bowl, could’ve easily found UM sitting with five losses for 2018, albeit via a more scenic route.
<a href="allcanes.com" target="_blank"><img class="aligncenter size-full wp-image-10334" title="miami hurricanes football allcanes shopping spree for kids the u harry rothwell" src="http://blog.allcanes.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/12/Screen-Shot-2018-12-05-at-3.11.02-PM.png" alt="" width="525" height="231" /></a>Instead, Miami is faced with a chance to close the season with a three-game win-streak, opposed to losing three in a row, which put a real damper on last year’s 10-0 start. The one-loss Badgers got the better of the Canes in the Orange Bowl last season—but this isn’t the same Wisconsin team; a broken down bunch also dealing with coming up short. Much like Miami’s road trip to Virginia Tech weeks back—it sets up to be a battle for pride and the team looking most to avoid another loss in a downer of a season.
Payback was in the air when Pittsburgh rolled south the Saturday after Thanksgiving; the Hurricanes’ defense clamping down, holding the Panthers to 200 total yards—69 on the ground two weeks after Pitt rushed for 492 yards against Virginia Tech.
Offensively, Miami rushed for 293 yards behind Travis Homer, DeeJay Dallas and freshman Cam’Ron Davis—whose tough-running will be needed in the cold against the Badgers. Especially with the Hurricanes’ air attack grounded; Perry only 6-for-24 for 52 yards—stifled by at least a half dozen drops from his receivers.
Another spirited ground effort will be the key as Miami moved the ball semi-well against Wisconsin last go-around—174 yards combined from Dallas, Homer and Rosier—though three crucial interceptions by No. 12 were the difference-maker; especially as his counterpart Alex Hornibrook was 23-of-34 for 258 yards, with four touchdowns and zero picks, en route to Orange Bowl MVP.
<h2>WORSE PLACES TO BE THAN NEW YORK CITY AT YEAR’S END</h2>
Sitting at 7-5 and tied for third in the Coastal Division, hard to complain about a Pinstripe Bowl showdown against a solid Big Ten program—especially considering some of the other destinations being floated around. Some had Miami headed to the Independence Bowl in Shreveport against University of Alabama-Birmingham, which would’ve been a nightmarish scenario with a lot of “how the mighty have fallen” type trolling.
The Gator Bowl was also said to be an option; a showdown against Missouri; while others pegged Miami to hit the Music City Bowl against Mississippi State or Texas A&M—both awful in regards to fan support as Hurricanes fans wouldn’t have descended on either that close to the new year, no to mention going up against two decent SEC squads when UM is struggling offensively.
The Gasparilla Bowl in Tampa against South Florida was another option; playing the Bulls on their home turf—a winnable game for the Canes as USF has been a hot mess on both offense and defense.
Weighing out bowl options based on beatable foes opposed to higher stakes—it’s not the Miami way, but in an era when the Canes haven’t looked like the Canes in a hot minute, the goal right now is a manageable present that helps with the long term.
When all is said and done regarding a disappointing 2018, an 8-5 finish and three-game win streak feel better riding into recruiting season—than 7-6 and “getting a crack at an SEC team”, just to say the Canes did.
All of that “anybody, anytime, anyplace” stuff—that’s not just a foregone era, it’s also a type of player, attitude and approach that no longer exists in college football. The game itself has completely changed—a game that the University of Miami was able to turn on its collective ear three decades back, bringing new levels of speed, athleticism and swag that simply didn’t exist in the wishbone / option (Big8) or three-yards-and-a-cloud-of-dust (Big Ten) eras.
<h2>CANES REBUILDING FOR THE FUTURE; NOT CHASING THE PAST</h2>
There’s no getting *back* to that era of out-talenting that the Hurricanes saw in the 80′s, early 90′s and even in the new millennium. Talent and speed are everywhere in the game, parity has taken over and competition is around every corner.
Where the State of Florida used just have “The Big Three”; there’s now Central Florida, South Florida, Florida Atlantic and Florida International—not to mention quality coaches and solid recruiters at all stops; Josh Heupel, Charlie Strong, Lane Kiffin and UM legend Butch Davis—who also has Ken Dorsey as his assistant athletic director, just for grins.
Toss in Dan Mullen at Florida and Willie Taggart at Florida State (rough year and all, Taggart is still a very solid recruiter)—and that whole “State of Miami” thing that started on the watch of Howard Schnellenberger and continued through the Davis era—long gone.
One plus in this modern era; Miami at least having the money to work back towards competing—something that looked dire a dozen years back; to a point where then-head coach Randy Shannon made a point to harp on it with ESPN when on campus all week for the season finale against Boston College (the Canes pulling out the win on a night where Bryan Pata was honored and Coker’s dismissal announced the following morning.)
Kirk Herbstreit hammered Miami’s facilities all broadcast—something that is no longer an issue a dozen years later. The infrastructure to build a contender is there. No, not at the state school, or big booster-level—but with UM’s intangibles, enough for the Canes to do it right.
The ACC’s revenue share—fueled by TV rights—and hefty adidas contract helped with an indoor practice facility and new football office, as well as a $4M annual salary for a head coach. Weeks back, the Miami Herald’s Barry Jackson mentioned a Board of Trustees member stating that UM was willing to pay in the neighborhood of $1M for a new offensive coordinator, arming Richt with what he needs to bring in a quality guy.
Whether he does, or doesn’t—that will be on the head coach, but the tools are there at Miami to succeed, which wasn’t the case for past coaches.
<h2>CLOSE STRONG AND GET BACK TO WORK</h2>
With all the negativity this season, maybe Wisconsin is just what the doctor ordered—the Canes needing that “revenge” angle to motivate for a “lesser”bowl—and a chance to end on a three-game winning streak, opposed to dropping just as many last year.
From there, “The Decision” and a pivotal moment in Richt’s legacy at his alma mater. Stay the course, or make a few perceived home-run moves this off-season—success better be found, whichever is chosen.
For an offense that struggled all fall and is limping into the post-season—hard not to believe a few coaching upgrades on that side of the ball wouldn’t have an immediate impact on the recruiting trail as the race to close the 2019 class is coming down the stretch.
The next 60 days will be very telling for University of Miami football; leaving us feeling either good, bad or completely indifferent.
Whatever that looks like, getting one against Wisconsin seems like the best way to start.
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<title>Miami Hurricanes’ Reality-Check Regarding Win Over Hokies</title>
<link>http://blog.allcanes.com/miami-hurricanes-football-the-u-virginia-tech-hokies-recap-nkosi-perry-atlantic-coast-conference</link>
<comments>http://blog.allcanes.com/miami-hurricanes-football-the-u-virginia-tech-hokies-recap-nkosi-perry-atlantic-coast-conference#comments</comments>
<pubDate>Tue, 20 Nov 2018 12:34:52 +0000</pubDate>
<dc:creator>admin</dc:creator>
<category><![CDATA[Uncategorized]]></category>
<guid isPermaLink="false">http://blog.allcanes.com/?p=10274</guid>
<description><![CDATA[<a href="http://blog.allcanes.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/11/Screen-Shot-2018-11-18-at-12.39.26-PM.png"><img class="aligncenter size-full wp-image-10279" title="miami hurricanes football the u virginia tech hokies n'kosi perry atlantic coast conference blacksburg" src="http://blog.allcanes.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/11/Screen-Shot-2018-11-18-at-12.39.26-PM.png" alt="" width="525" height="370" /></a>A four-game losing streak is in the rearview mirror, the Miami Hurricanes are bowl eligible and both steps forward came to fruition in the house of a long-time rival that’s had UM’s number over the years. Based on the way things have been playing out as of late, need to stop and celebrate the small victories along the way.
Prior to…]]></description>
<content:encoded><![CDATA[<a href="http://blog.allcanes.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/11/Screen-Shot-2018-11-18-at-12.39.26-PM.png"><img class="aligncenter size-full wp-image-10279" title="miami hurricanes football the u virginia tech hokies n'kosi perry atlantic coast conference blacksburg" src="http://blog.allcanes.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/11/Screen-Shot-2018-11-18-at-12.39.26-PM.png" alt="" width="525" height="370" /></a>A four-game losing streak is in the rearview mirror, the Miami Hurricanes are bowl eligible and both steps forward came to fruition in the house of a long-time rival that’s had UM’s number over the years. Based on the way things have been playing out as of late, need to stop and celebrate the small victories along the way.
Prior to this weekend’s victory in Blacksburg, the Canes hadn’t won a ballgame <a href="http://blog.allcanes.com/miami-hurricanes-football-florida-state-seminoles-recap-2018-atlantic-coast-conference" target="_blank">since battling back from a 20-point deficit against Florida State</a> early October—getting blown out of the ACC Coastal race via losses to Virginia, Boston College, Duke and Georgia Tech.
A loss at Virginia Tech would’ve marked the first time since 1977 that Miami dropped five-in-a-row. Instead, the Canes out-willed an even more broken Hokies’ squad that had dropped four out of their past six—on the heels of an early-season road loss at Old Dominion.
Something was going to give Saturday afternoon at Lane Stadium—a game that at one point looked to shape the division race, now reduced to nothing more than bowl eligibility and survival; as well as winning for the sake of some good old fashioned pride.
While both teams limped into this match-up offensively, Miami definitely had the upper hand defensively as Virginia Tech was coming off a drubbing at the hands of eventual division winner Pittsburgh; the Panthers rolling, 52-22—putting up 654 yards on a once-proud (albeit, young this season) Hokies’ defense, 492 of which came on the ground.
<h2>PERRY (FINALLY) SHOWING MID-SEASON FORM, LATE-SEASON</h2>
N’Kosi Perry got the start at quarterback for Miami—coming off an improved performance in last weekend’s loss at Georgia Tech. Reports all week out of Coral Gables mentioned Perry “watching a lot more film” and studying the playbook a lot more;—”Not just in the facility, but on my own”, Perry shared with the Miami Herald days back.
“Practice has been great, I’ve been a lot more energetic, a lot more positive and I feel like it’s rubbing off on everybody,” the redshirt freshman continued.
The revelation was certainly seen as a much-needed improvement based on the toxic, spirit-less practices that followed after losses to the Cavaliers and Eagles—running backs coach and offensive coordinator Thomas Brown referring to some guys on offensive as a “cancer” for their lack of a buy-in.
Despite the turnaround at Greentree, Miami hardly looked the part on the opening drive, as Virginia Tech moved 76 yards in two minutes for a touchdown. Ryan Willis hit back-to-back-to-back passes; a 14-yarder to Damon Hazelton on 3rd-and-8, followed by a 45-yard hook-up with Tre Turner, which set up the 15-yard touchdown strike to Dalton Keane.
<a href="http://blog.allcanes.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/11/Screen-Shot-2018-11-18-at-12.40.10-PM.png"><img class="aligncenter size-full wp-image-10285" title="miami hurricanes football defense virginia tech hokies" src="http://blog.allcanes.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/11/Screen-Shot-2018-11-18-at-12.40.10-PM.png" alt="" width="525" height="348" /></a>Opponents scoring on their first possession; a big issue in the recent losing streak. Boston College stopped Miami’s opening drive and then marching 88 yards on a balanced, 10-play drive that took 3:38 off the clock. A week later, Duke tore off a 75-yard touchdown run on the first play from scrimmage—before the rain came down and made for a quirky first half.
The Canes jumped on the Yellow Jackets on the opening possession, but Georgia Tech answered with seven of their own—and the capitalized on the short field after DeeJay Dallas fumbled the ensuing kickoff. Three plays later, the Canes were down 14-7 and never got closer than three.
Miami settled for three when looking to answer Virginia Tech’s quick score—though suffered an immediate setback when true freshman Brevin Jordan went down awkward on an ankle after a five-yard reception on first down. A go-to target for Perry all season, the loss of Jordan was crushing.
Equally as painful; the onslaught of drops that continue to plague this season—Dee Wiggins the culprit on 1st-and-10, after Perry got the ball to Travis Homer for an 11-yard pick-up on 3rd-and-8.
It was another one of those plays that doesn’t show up on the stats sheet, but Wiggins’ whiff on a would-be 62-yard touchdown strike—precisely the type of play fans have been clamoring for the coaching staff to call, and the true freshman drops it.
Not to be outdone, the oft-reliable Homer had a gaffe of his own on the first drive of the second quarter—Miami leading 17-14 and looking to add more.
Instead, the junior running back let a perfect ball slip through his hands on a second down wheel route that would’ve resulted in a 70-yard touchdown. Facing 3rd-and-5, a little wind out of the Canes’ sails—Wiggins dropped a perfectly placed pass in the middle of two defenders, five yards past the sticks. A play later, Miami punted—averting disaster thanks to the defense forcing a 46-yard field goal attempt that sailed wide.
With another chance to stick in an early second half dagger, the Canes did just that—Perry with two key runs, before Cam’Ron Davis tore off a 42-yard touchdown run on 3rd-and-2; Miami’s offense line taking care of business and making some room for the true freshman.
Sheldrick Redwine recovered a fumble on the ensuing Hokies drive; jarred loose by a big hit by Romeo Finley—though the Canes went three-and-out.
After Miami’s defense came heavy with a Shaq Quarterman and Zach McCloud sack on third down, the stage was set for a finally-healthy Jeff Thomas to tear off the type of electrifying 51-yard return that had his speed and elusiveness on fully display.
Where Thomas’ special teams play ultimately shut the door on any Hokies’ comeback—the ultimately statement play took place in the early minutes of the second quarter when Quarterman read Willis’ eyes and intercepted a pass on VT’s 23-yard line, returning it to the three-yard line—setting up Perry to toss a perfect fade to Darrell Langham in the back corner of the end zone.
<a href="http://blog.allcanes.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/11/Screen-Shot-2018-11-18-at-12.39.35-PM.png"><img class="aligncenter size-full wp-image-10286" title="miami hurricanes football virginia tech hokies defense the u atlantic coast conference " src="http://blog.allcanes.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/11/Screen-Shot-2018-11-18-at-12.39.35-PM.png" alt="" width="525" height="367" /></a>Down 7-3 before the interception, the Hokies had already amassed 95 yards on what was the second play of their third possession. That all to familiar losing feeling could’ve crept back in had the Miami defense bent and Virginia Tech pushed the lead to, 14-3. Instead, the enough-is-enough moment served as a perfect reminder of what these Canes are capable of when coming to play their game.
<h2>TAKING THINGS IN STRIDE; A MUST AT THIS PHASE</h2>
All that to say, there’s not too much to make out of a 38-14 victory against a Virginia Tech squad that at 4-6 needs to beat Virginia in the scheduled regular season finale—as well as Marshall; a game added this week to replace a hurricane-cancelled showdown against East Carolina from mid-September.
As bad as things have been for the Hurricanes over this past month, the Hokies hot-mess ways date back to that late-September loss at Old Dominion—where starting quarterback Josh Jackson was lost for the season. From there, the Hokies were pummeled at home by Notre Dame (45-23), worked by Georgia Tech (49-28), outlasted by Boston College (31-21) and smoked at Pitt.
All Miami did; break a losing-streak against a team that’s been a punching bag for many this down season.
The Canes still get a tip of the hat, though as the Hokies had taken eight of the past 11 showdowns against UM at Lane Stadium. Even that 2001 national championship-bound squad eked out a 26-24 win the season finale—knocking down a two-point conversion late to put the game to bed, despite the Hokies only being an 8-4 squad that year.
<a href="http://blog.allcanes.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/11/XII6734.jpg"><img class="aligncenter size-full wp-image-10287" title="miami hurricanes football Cam'Ron davis the u running back virginia tech hokies" src="http://blog.allcanes.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/11/XII6734.jpg" alt="" width="525" height="375" /></a>Perspective and realistic expectations are two things that have truly gotten lost over the course of this frustrating football season—with hindsight still not proving 20/20 to some.
One expected—and frustrating—revelation in a good game from Perry at Virginia Tech; the notion that No. 5 has been ready for the moment and revisionist history as to how the four game losing streak played out.
Articles have since popped up stating that <a href="https://www.stateoftheu.com/2018/11/18/18101637/miami-hurricanes-nkosi-perry-mark-richt-malik-rosier-lawrence-cager" target="_blank">Perry should’ve been the guy all along</a>—which he should’ve, based on redshirting last season and having a year to get his business together—but not for the reasons being listed by his biggest supporters. The author of the linked-to article above gushed about Perry’s late second quarter drive from the Miami 29-yard line—the Canes trailing 14-10—writing, “To say the redshirt-freshman was masterful would be an understatement, but he was so much more.”
“Masterful” was sophomore Ken Dorsey going 6-of-7 for 68 yards and a game-winning touchdown in 2000, after Miami had blown a 17-0 lead and trailed 24-20 with 1:37 remaining against a top-ranked, defending national championship Florida State squad that boasted a five-game winning streak over the Hurricanes.
Let’s save the gushing and over-the-top comments for a big game moment when they’re truly deserved—opposed to wasting them for some pointless case-building in a sub-par, rebuilding season.
The author also implied that if Perry didn’t manufacture that late first half scoring drive, “then possibly the Hurricanes don’t have the momentum to come back in the second half”—despite the defense holding the struggling Hokies offense scoreless since the 10:06 mark in the second quarter. Not to mention the powerful running of Davis, who notched two second half touchdowns, the electrifying return by Thomas and two forced fumbles.
Somehow the big game moment and credit for the victory are being laid at the feet of a slow-to mature quarterback’s late second quarter scoring drive—turning a four point deficit into a three point lead—instead of a spirited team effort and some much-needed execution against a broken-down opponent.
<h2>OPPORTUNITY HAS BEEN PERRY’S FOR A YEAR, NOW</h2>
Yes, Miami is in much better hands with Perry, opposed to Malik Rosier—who overachieved and had a magical run last year, but was exposed down the stretch and never regained early 2017 season form. Part of that was due to No. 12 avoiding being put under the microscope early, helping the Canes with a pair of come-from-behind wins against Florida State and Georgia Tech—as losses would’ve cranked up the heat sooner.
In Rosier’s defense, Miami did take a few offensive line hits after last season, while losing some clutch playmakers who did what greats do; help the average look better than they really are. 
 
Mark Walton, Chris Herndon, Ahmmon Richards and Braxton Berrios were all instrumental in the Hurricanes’ 10-0 star last year, while this year’s youth movement—31 freshman on this current squad—took some time to come around. Same for the end-of-season losses of K.C. McDermott and Trevor Darling on a young offensive line that dealt with its fair share of growing pains; starting with the opening season loss to LSU.
The Perry-versus-Rosier argument has been rooted in (over)emotion all season; those in the Perry camp usually abandoning all logic—with some sites going as far as to drum up conspiracy theories as to why Rosier was starting; one stating that Mark Richt and staff hacked Perry’s IG feed and leaked the wads-of-cash footage to justify pulling him against Virginia. Others simply chip away at Richt’s legacy and resume, working to diminish his accomplishments at Georgia—reducing him to an underachiever who “never won the big one”.
<a href="http://blog.allcanes.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/11/Screen-Shot-2018-11-18-at-12.40.31-PM.png"><img class="aligncenter size-full wp-image-10288" title="miami hurricanes football the u defense manny diaz turnover chain shaq quarterman" src="http://blog.allcanes.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/11/Screen-Shot-2018-11-18-at-12.40.31-PM.png" alt="" width="525" height="397" /></a>As for the Rosier camp … news flash; there isn’t one. The logically-minded folks who accepted his role as starter did so realizing Richt went this route because Perry wasn’t doing what was asked of him in regards to taking over the starting role as University of Miami quarterback.
From day one, Richt stated that Rosier would never play for him, due to his mechanics and on-field decision making. A safe bet if the one-time quarterback, former quarterbacks coach and long-time offensive coordinator had a true option he believed in under center—Rosier never would’ve been the choice.
There are two camps and a division in this fan base—and it’s rooted in those who simply wanted Richt to hand over the starting quarterback job to his redshirt freshman, despite the maturity-related issues the long-time head coach oft spoke of—versus those who understood what the man was trying to do as a father, coach, teacher and mentor; seeing that Richt was forcing maturity and pushing Perry to both earn and take the starting job from No. 12.
What life-lesson is taught if that lack of maturity and foolishness is rewarded? It would merely be a short-term solution to a long-term issue as gifting the job to Perry, before he showed the necessary maturity to take over, wouldn’t groom him to be the leader this program needs here and now.
Anyone who spends time in the kitchen and understands the art of cooking realizes there is a process that cannot be rushed. Whether it’s the actual prep work, or the slow, tedious process of tending a garden to grow those necessary ingredients—there are no shortcuts. It takes time and is a painstaking technique.
Hard as it may be for many to accept, Perry simply wasn’t ready to lead this team a month ago—despite that comeback against Florida State and a few big throws after the defense gave him a couple of short fields and held the Seminoles scoreless 26:52 of the second half.
<h2>SHIFTS IN PERSPECTIVE; WHAT IS VERSUS WHAT’S DESIRED</h2>
A week after that come-from-behind victory against a FSU squad Virginia Tech walloped, 24-3—Perry looked all the part of a deer in headlights at Virginia, tossing two interceptions in six attempts and coming off completely discombobulated. The notion he could’ve shaken that off against a Cavaliers’ defense that had his number—it might hold water, until his immature reaction played out on social media days later during the bye.
The venting, the flashing of wads of cash as the kid vying for the starting quarterback role at a university that just got out of the NCAA’s crosshairs for booster money and a lack of institutional control—it reeked of all the maturity-related quips Richt had shared with the media for months.
Yes, it was a bye week and coaches encourage kids to go home to spend time with friends and family and to recharge—but how mind-blowing would it have been if Perry decided to stay on campus that weekend, diving into the playbook and studying film mid-October with the type of vigor he’s shown mid-November? Anyone want to bet who would’ve started against Boston College a week later had that been the case?
Rosier getting the nod in what was supposed to be a bounce-back road game—it was a direct correlation to the maturity the redshirt senior has show, opposed to his counterparts. As it stands going into the final week of the season, Rosier is the only quarterback on Miami’s roster to not get suspended this season—Perry missing the opener, Cade Weldon sitting out four games mid-season and true freshman Jarren Williams not traveling with the team to Blacksburg as he faced a one-game suspension, when finally set to see some playing time.
Maturity has been a constant narrative for Richt and is a topic he’s still getting pressed on as the Hurricanes prep for their final game of the season.
“I think these guys are great kids. I think they’re just learning how to be leaders. They’re learning how to be a quarterback at the collegiate level,” Richt said.
“It’s not like it was in high school and that’s true of all freshmen. They’re all going through it. It’s not easy. They’re so used to being the best ever since they were little boys … Then you get to college and you get surrounded by guys that were the best, and now it’s a little different animal when it comes to competition …. Some of these suspension issues are more guys just not being grown up enough to take care of their responsibilities like they should.”
<h2>QUARTERBACK JOB THERE FOR THE TAKING; NO UNDERCLASSMAN TOOK IT</h2>
Fact is, the role of starting quarterback at Miami wasn’t supposed to be determined in early October—based on the competition and Perry’s pedigree, this is something that should’ve been solved within weeks of the Hurricanes’ Orange Bowl loss to the Badgers back in January.
The purpose of that redshirt season; to learn the playbook in and out and to live in the film room—all the things Perry has been doing since his eureka moment after the Georgia Tech loss. No. 5 is only now finally is saying and doing what he should’ve been doing a year ago this time when Rosier’s dream season began unraveling. Exposed against Pittsburgh, smacked around by Clemson and out-lasted against Wisconsin—the writing was more than on the wall that this was Perry’s team for the taking, yet when spring practice came around, he couldn’t overtake the pedestrian Rosier—when in reality, it shouldn’t have been a contest and Perry should’ve dominated.
This was also the blip in the timeline where Perry got himself suspended for the season-opener; spring football—when he should’ve been planting his flag and plotting his takeover.
At this point, all of this is neither here, nor there—it’s simply an attempt to set the record straight as there’s been too much time wasted watching opposite sides of this fan base argue quarterbacks like they do political leaders. Blaming Richt for Perry’s slow progression or lack-of-maturity; it’s wasted energy, as that camp case-builds to get the third-year head coach fired—an act currently as feasible as the Canes winning the Coastal.
<a href="http://blog.allcanes.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/11/Screen-Shot-2018-11-18-at-12.40.49-PM.png"><img class="aligncenter size-full wp-image-10289" title="miami hurricanes football the u blacksburg virginia tech hokies lane stadium atlantic coast conference" src="http://blog.allcanes.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/11/Screen-Shot-2018-11-18-at-12.40.49-PM.png" alt="" width="525" height="347" /></a> At best, these Canes could’ve found their way towards another division title in 2018—only to get manhandled and demoralized by Clemson; not because Miami is void of talent and doesn’t belong on the same field, but a youthful quarterback behind a struggling offensive line isn’t a recipe for success late in the season when talking about conference title games or reaching the Playoffs.
<h2>TRUE CONTENDERS; SLOW-COOKED, NOT MICROWAVED</h2>
Back to all that chatter about realistic expectations and accepting what is, versus what one wants it to be—the Canes aren’t yet a contender and need more time to get there. One more time, for the record—60-47 from that final season under Larry Coker, until Al Golden got shown the door after Clemson rolled his Canes at home, 58-0 in October 2015.
Just like Perry’s progress wasn’t going to get fast-tracked—neither was Miami’s climb back to the top. All one can do right now is plant seeds, till the soil, water the garden and be patient as it grows. For those who struggle with the whole patience thing—might want to pick up a new Saturday hobby over the near couple of years, because it’s going to take some time to blossom and bear fruit.
For those who have the ability to shift their perspective and find good in what is; start with this—a young quarterback is finally finding his way, and Miami broke a nasty losing streak, earning some much-needed bowl eligibility—as fewer squads need those 15 extra practices right now than these Canes.
In the end, how much different would 8-5 be from last year’s 10-3 run? Miami took down arch-rivals both seasons—Florida State and Virginia Tech—while not yet being good enough to go toe-to-toe with a Playoff-caliber in-conference nemesis like Clemson. So be it. Dabo Swinney needed seven years to make his Tigers a next-level squad, so buckle-in for the ride.
Next hurdle; finding a way to beat Coastal Division champion Pittsburgh—at home for senior day, with no scholarship tight ends available to play. Exact revenge for what took place at Heinz Field a year ago on the Friday after Thanksgiving—and close 7-5, which (sadly) feels a lot better than 6-6. From there, go bowling, rolling prepared, beat someone soundly and close out a three-game win-streak—more momentous than the three-game losing streak that punctuated last season—and keep building.
This fan base has a choice and can pick a side; the fast food-minded lamenters who can’t get over what was, or what they think should’ve been—or those who have slow-cooked or smoked, putting in the prep work, realizing that there’s a process—and that even perceived “setbacks” are growth opportunities that can pay off in the long run.
The decision is up to the individual. Choose wisely, as personal happiness and sanity depends on it.
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<title>Can Miami Hurricanes Find “Mid-Season” Form Final Two Games?</title>
<link>http://blog.allcanes.com/miami-hurricanes-football-the-u-georgia-tech-yellow-jackets-atlantic-coast-conference-nkosi-perry-mark-richt</link>
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<pubDate>Fri, 16 Nov 2018 16:38:23 +0000</pubDate>
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<guid isPermaLink="false">http://blog.allcanes.com/?p=10260</guid>
<description><![CDATA[<a href="http://blog.allcanes.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/11/mark-richt-miami-hurricanes-georgia-tech1.png"><img class="aligncenter size-full wp-image-10269" title="miami hurricanes mark richt georgia tech yellow jackets Atlantic coast conference " src="http://blog.allcanes.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/11/mark-richt-miami-hurricanes-georgia-tech1.png" alt="" width="525" height="351" /></a>Hindsight is always 20/20, but it’s hard not to lament these Miami Hurricanes getting towards a potential breakthrough point mid-November, opposed to a month ago this time when it was truly needed.
Reports out of Coral Gables all week have been positive towards N’Kosi Perry getting the starting nod over Malik Rosier; the redshirt senior’s career apparently done as the Canes have…]]></description>
<content:encoded><![CDATA[<a href="http://blog.allcanes.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/11/mark-richt-miami-hurricanes-georgia-tech1.png"><img class="aligncenter size-full wp-image-10269" title="miami hurricanes mark richt georgia tech yellow jackets Atlantic coast conference " src="http://blog.allcanes.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/11/mark-richt-miami-hurricanes-georgia-tech1.png" alt="" width="525" height="351" /></a>Hindsight is always 20/20, but it’s hard not to lament these Miami Hurricanes getting towards a potential breakthrough point mid-November, opposed to a month ago this time when it was truly needed.
Reports out of Coral Gables all week have been positive towards N’Kosi Perry getting the starting nod over Malik Rosier; the redshirt senior’s career apparently done as the Canes have two to play and are scrapping for bowl eligibility at 5-5.
Perry is apparently “watching a lot more film” and studying a lot more—”Not just in the facility, but on my own”—the redshirt freshman shared with reporters days back. “This week has [gone] really well,” Perry shared with the Miami Herald.
“Practice has been great. I’ve been a lot more energetic, a lot more positive and I feel like it’s rubbing off on everybody.”
As a whole, lots of chatter about how lively practice has been—a stark contrast to the negativity reported in the wakes of losses to Virginia and Boston College; running backs coach and offensive coordinator Thomas Brown going as far as to call some guys on the offensive side of the ball a cancer as they hovered in that no man’s land of not leading, but also not following, either.
How Perry’s newfound love of the process plays out this weekend at Virginia Tech, time will tell—but an overwhelming feeling of frustration and disappointment regarding what it took to get here; it won’t soon be shaken.
<h2>TRENDING DOWNWARD; IT NEVER SHOULD’VE COME TO THIS</h2>
Even if Miami can find a way to pull out wins over the next two weeks—the season finale taking place at HardRock next Saturday when would-be Coastal Division-winner Pittsburgh comes to town—that 7-5 record will be impossible to run from. Especially for a squad that started in the Top 10 and was 5-1 just over a month ago, riding high after taking down arch-rival Florida State at home for the first time since 2004.
There was a bit of fool’s gold last season as Miami eked out wins in several games—late comebacks against Florida State or Georgia Tech, as well as surviving nail-biters against Syracuse and North Carolina. That 10-0 start could’ve just as easily have been 6-4, 7-3 or 8-2—but the Canes got the breaks last year that simply haven’t come this season—a negative trend that started at Virginia weeks back and is yet to be righted.
Zigging versus zagging or second guessing—a reality for all of us. All journeys and experiences are chock full of “what if” moments. For Miami, still riding a four-game losing streak—it’s impossible to not revisit the 11:11 mark in the second quarter at Charlottesville, when Rosier entered for Perry, after No. 5 (apparently) called a few ill-advised audibles and coughed up two interceptions in six attempts—proving not ready for primetime.
<a href="http://blog.allcanes.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/11/miami-hurricanes-georgia-tech-football-defense.png"><img class="aligncenter size-full wp-image-10271" title="miami hurricanes georgia tech yellow jackets football defense" src="http://blog.allcanes.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/11/miami-hurricanes-georgia-tech-football-defense.png" alt="" width="525" height="365" /></a>Despite the Hurricanes’ defense forcing two Cavaliers’ interceptions in the first quarter, Miami still trailed, 10-0 as Perry’s second cough-up was returned 62-yards. A play later, Virginia punched it in from seven yards out and seemed to have full control of what was going to be a grind-it-out, ball-control type of game.
Rosier was pedestrian in his return; No. 12′s first game action since early-on against Florida International three weeks prior. Miami pulled to within three late—offensive play calling finally relying on the Rosier’s legs down the stretch—but boneheaded defensive and special teams penalties in the final minute kept the Hurricanes from seeing the ball again.
Where a huge portion of the fan base wanted Mark Richt to hand the keys back over to Perry, it was a decision that wasn’t as clear-cut for those on staff who’d seen the quarterback quandary playing out daily in practice.
<h2>LACK OF MATURITY FUELED LOSING STREAK FOR CANES</h2>
Outsiders did get a little dose of the maturity-related issues Richt’s consistently spoken about when Perry spent the ensuing bye week airing his grievances on social media—thinly-veiled shots via an Instagram story about his getting pulled, as well as videos with him flashing stacks of cash; not the best look for a program a few years removed from an NCAA investigation where illicit booster money was the main culprit.
On one hand, the reaction out of a 19-year old college athlete can be chalked up to “kids being kids”. On the other, hard to label a scholarship athlete vying for the starting quarterback job at the University of Miami as a “kid”.
With great power comes great responsibility—so those raised stakes result in getting judged accordingly—and Perry should know this, as he was the third-ranked dual-threat quarterback recruit nationally in 2017.
Ahead of him, second-ranked Kellen Mond, who saw action in 10 games for Texas A&M last season, while starting this season—as well as top-ranked Tua Tagovailoa, who led a second-half comeback for Alabama in last year’s national championship game and is almost robotic in his precision this season for the No. 1 Crimson Tide.
Zero “maturity issues” with those two, yet Richt and Miami wind up with the guy who seemingly didn’t put in the work during last year’s redshirt season, was suspended for this year’s opener for boneheaded mistakes and halfway through the season seemed more concerned with airing his grievances over social media, opposed to fighting for and taking the starting job from a redshirt senior who doesn’t possess a quarter of his natural talent.
Perry never saw the field at Boston College after the bye week; which was a direct result of not getting it done on the practice field and showing coaches he was ready to re-supplant Rosier. The result; another lackluster offensive outing—the Canes held scoreless in the second half, worn down by the Eagles, 27-14.
Against Duke the following week, Rosier again got the nod—though Perry saw his fair share of reps; including a shot to tie the game late, forcing overtime—but a slow-paced offense, coupled with a senseless end zone penalty ended any hopes of a comeback.
Still, with Miami dropping a third consecutive game and a division title repeat out of reach, Richt handed Perry the reigns last weekend at Georgia Tech—and while there was minimal improvement, turnovers cost the Hurricanes and another loss was absorbed.
<a href="http://blog.allcanes.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/11/miami-hurricanes-georgia-tech-dj-dallas.png"><img class="aligncenter size-full wp-image-10270" title="miami hurricanes football georgia tech yellow jackets deejay dallas" src="http://blog.allcanes.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/11/miami-hurricanes-georgia-tech-dj-dallas.png" alt="" width="525" height="352" /></a>
Perry was a pedestrian 14-of-23 for 165 yards, with no touchdowns or interceptions—but fumbled on 3rd-and-1 early in the second quarter, just shy of mid-field—which the Yellow Jackets converted into a field goal. This came three drives after DeeJay Dallas coughed up a kickoff return on the Miami 23-yard line, which the Ramblin Wreck turned into seven three plays later.
Dallas’ fumble was his third in three quarters of play; two second half fumbles against Duke with a huge opportunity cost for the Canes in that low-scoring grind of a game.
Where turnovers have swung the wrong direction for a team that’s made a living feasting on opponents’ mistakes the past two seasons, the Miami defense didn’t do itself any favors in Atlanta—losing ways and general dejection penetrating all aspects of these reeling Hurricanes.
Georgia Tech only amassed 304 yards on the night—but went 3-of-4 for 73 yards in the passing game, including a 31-yard touchdown late in the third quarter that pushed the lead to 13. The Canes’ defense also gave up some crucial third downs—three on the Yellow Jackets’ final drive, allowing them to run out the game’s final 6:43 after Miami cut the lead to six—Perry engineering a 15-play, 95-yard drive capped off with a two-yard Travis Homer punch-in.
Toss in seven penalties for 49 yards and losing the time of possession battle by just under ten minutes and it simply wasn’t the recipe needed to beat Georgia Tech in their house.
<h2>MISERY LOVES COMPANY; HOKIES’ BACKSLIDE ON PAR WITH CANES’</h2>
With two to play and bowl eligibility on the line, Miami must tap into whatever positive it can—most-notably, the opening score drive last weekend, as well as the late push that also resulted in a touchdown. For an offense that scored 13 in Charlottesville, 14 in Chestnut Hill and 12 at home against the Blue Devils—any sign of life right now is a positive.
Another break; Virginia Tech is also reeling this season—4-5 on the year and without the services of gritty starting quarterback Josh Jackson, who was injured earlier this season in an upset loss to Old Dominion. Ryan Willis has since taken over and has been as stagnant as any the Canes have had under center; the Hokies dropping four of the past six since his arrival.
Equally as off; Virginia Tech’s Bud Foster-led defense getting chewed up since the midway point of the season. Notre Dame dropped 45 in Blacksburg, while Georgia Tech rolled up 49 and Boston College, 31.
Last weekend at Pittsburgh, the Panthers rolled 55-22 and amassed 654 yards—492 coming on the ground; something Richt obviously noticed as he declared this week that Miami will play running back Cam’Ron Davis in his fifth game this year, meaning the option of redshirting is no more.
Toss in Homer and Dallas and one would think the Hurricanes will look to run the football, taking pressure off Perry and keeping the chains moving—barring the maligned UM offensive line comes to play.
The approach sounds good, in theory—though breeds little confidence due to the style in which Miami lost their last four games; each a mini-disaster of its own.
Falling at Virginia obviously shell-shocked the then-once beaten Hurricanes, but the real disaster came in the way Miami failed to respond to that set back—not bouncing back in Boston College after a bye week, complete with the all the horror stories about lackluster practices and al those “third party” players Brown mentioned.
Certainly the Hurricanes would be able to remedy the situation at home against Duke—which instead became a disaster of its own; the losing streak reaching three in a row before heading up to Georgia Tech last weekend, seeing a modicum of progress, but not enough to turn any corner.
<a href="http://blog.allcanes.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/11/miami-hurricanes-defense-georgia-tech.png"><img class="aligncenter size-full wp-image-10272" title="miami hurricanes defense georgia tech yellow jackets atlantic coast conference " src="http://blog.allcanes.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/11/miami-hurricanes-defense-georgia-tech.png" alt="" width="525" height="380" /></a>
<h2>BUILDING FOR THE FUTURE WHILE TRYING TO SALVAGE THE PRESENT</h2>
Yes, it’s welcomed news that with two to play, the focus is on the future, a renewed Perry is under center, Davis will get his reps at running back and that everyone seems to be towing the company line about still having something to play for, not giving up and getting the seniors to a bowl game—but will it translate into success come Saturday?
The last time the Hurricanes lost five games in a row, it was 1977—and while the Hokies are a shell of themselves this season, Lane Stadium has given UM fits over the past few decades. “Thankfully” the battle of two five-loss teams doesn’t make for prime time television, so Miami and Virginia Tech will duke it out at 3:30pm ET on ESPN.
Perry doesn’t need to be Superman come Saturday, but he can’t give the game away or freelance as he did against Virginia, when earning the starting job last time around. Miami’s offense must be run-first against a banged up and deflated Virginia Tech front seven. Points will most likely be a premium on both sides, so the Hurricanes not only must start fast—but can’t allow a defensive breakdown like we saw against Duke, where the first play from scrimmage resulted in a 75-yard Blue Devils score.
The Canes need to win one to become bowl eligible, while the Hokies need to take this one—as well as next weekend’s match-up against Virginia—so both teams need a the win as bad as the other. This showdown will be about execution, not motivation.
Win today, and it’s not far fetched to believe Miami can muster up enough to take out Pittsburgh at home next weekend—the Panthers clinching the Coastal this weekend if they can take out Wake Forest, shifting their focus to the ACC Championship game against Clemson, on the heels of a four-win season in 2017.
Toss in a lower-tier bowl game victory and a mid-season nightmare can actually end on a positive note; the ship righted going into recruiting season, where Miami needs to make up some ground as this recent backslide has impacted the fate of the 2019 class.
Every journey starts with that first step; for the Hurricanes it begins with showing up on Saturday and taking out an on-the-ropes Hokies squad, in effort to turn things around before they completely derail. It’s again must-win territory—but for reasons impossible to imagine.
What was originally expected to be a match-up that would ultimately decide the Coastal Division—Miami at Virginia Tech is now a matter of survival. Nothing more, nothing less.
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<title>Spread Blame All Around With These Miami Hurricanes</title>
<link>http://blog.allcanes.com/miami-hurricanes-football-duke-blue-devils-recap-hard-rock-atlantic-coast-conference-mark-richt</link>
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<pubDate>Sun, 04 Nov 2018 12:28:38 +0000</pubDate>
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<guid isPermaLink="false">http://blog.allcanes.com/?p=10215</guid>
<description><![CDATA[<a href="http://blog.allcanes.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/11/miami-hurricanes-football-defense.jpg"><img class="aligncenter size-full wp-image-10225" title="miami hurricanes football duke blue devils atlantic coast conference hard rock stadium" src="http://blog.allcanes.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/11/miami-hurricanes-football-defense.jpg" alt="" width="525" height="338" /></a>Just when you thought this season couldn’t get any worse—back-to-back road losses to Virginia and Boston College—these Hurricanes respond with a hold my beer moment and fall to lowly Duke. At home. In Miami’s easiest remaining showdown; one that could’ve stopped the bleeding, while guaranteeing bowl eligibility.
From a preseason Top 10 ranking (albeit, somewhat overrated—even at the time) to an average…]]></description>
<content:encoded><![CDATA[<a href="http://blog.allcanes.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/11/miami-hurricanes-football-defense.jpg"><img class="aligncenter size-full wp-image-10225" title="miami hurricanes football duke blue devils atlantic coast conference hard rock stadium" src="http://blog.allcanes.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/11/miami-hurricanes-football-defense.jpg" alt="" width="525" height="338" /></a>Just when you thought this season couldn’t get any worse—back-to-back road losses to Virginia and Boston College—these Hurricanes respond with a hold my beer moment and fall to lowly Duke. At home. In Miami’s easiest remaining showdown; one that could’ve stopped the bleeding, while guaranteeing bowl eligibility.
From a preseason Top 10 ranking (albeit, somewhat overrated—even at the time) to an average ACC squad scrapping for a postseason game with three to play—it’s a worst-case scenario, nightmare-type season few could’ve imagined after a 10-0 start last fall.
As expected, the vitriol towards third-year head coach Mark Richt is at an all-time high. Last year’s success established a new bar; despite a lot of overachieving and late-game wins that made Miami look better than it really was. The lack of a quarterback, coupled with a sub-par offensive line and losses of key players on that side of the ball—it had more of an impact on this season than expected; all worst-case scenarios all coming to fruition.
Knocks against unimaginative play-calling are understood—though get somewhat of an asterisk, due to the lack of quality under center, as well as an offensive line that has become a full-blown liability. One doesn’t have to be a true X’s and O’s guru to know that you’re not going far without a quarterback or offensive line.
Richt definitely has some soul-searching to do this off-season—both in regards to what he can do to improve his offensive play-calling, as well as re-finding his motivation and fire for what will be his final career stop. Entering year four at Miami, one has to believe he didn’t expect this type of year three setback—which will make for a longer, harder off-season in a city that has little patience, complete with a sports fan base always quick to hurl daggers.
Still, before thinking about what the off-season looks like, Richt must still find a way for his Hurricanes to steal one of the next three games, as few squads in America are in need of an extra month of bowl practice as “The (fledgling) U”. Forget any Coastal dreams; it’s all about win number six right now over the next three weeks.
<h2>LACK OF MOTIVATION / EXECUTION BIGGER ISSUE THAN PLAY-CALLING</h2>
All the angst directed towards the head coach and his play-calling—that’s only a portion of the the problem UM is currently facing. Nine games in and riding a three-game losing streak, it’s time to divvy up the blame and call out the tremendous underachieving and lackadaisical play from a large segment of this team who has visibly mailed it in, is showing no fight and seems more concerned with their “personal brand” than they do finding a way to deliver on Saturdays—doing their part to build a contender.
Richt keeps doing his best to tell the media and convince the fan base that guys are still dialed in—but the lack of effort three game days in a row tells a different story. So does one of the head ball coach’s key assistants. Early last week week, running backs coach and offensive coordinator Thomas Brown called out the Canes for having “too many third party” players. Pressed for meaning on that, Brown dug in.
“I told the offensive after practice there should be two groups of guys on this team. There should be a small group of guys that lead and the rest that follow. And right now, we have too many third-party guys whoa re not leaders and not following and we got to either get rid of those guys or get them on board to help this whole team win.”
Brown put an exclamation point on the sentiment when calling those players “a cancer”. No bueno.
<a href="http://blog.allcanes.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/11/thomas-brown-miami-hurricanes-football.jpg"><img class="aligncenter size-full wp-image-10227" title="thomas brown miami hurricanes football coach running backs offensive coordinator" src="http://blog.allcanes.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/11/thomas-brown-miami-hurricanes-football.jpg" alt="" width="525" height="340" /></a>Travis Homer—in what seemed like an attempt to motivate and lead—called out the offense’s effort at practice, three days after the loss at Boston College. “We definitely need to tighten up … We had ups and downs, but definitely more downs. We need more energy.”
Brown attempted to clarify his running back’s thoughts.
“Practice was not terrible, but there is a standard that we have and are not living up to. There’s a direct correlation between what happens on Sunday, Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday at practice and what happens on game day,” Brown shared. “And our guys, young guys especially, have to understand that you cannot take reps off or have ‘my bad’ in a week because we don’t get reloads on game day.”
The “my bad” mention in Brown’s quote jumps off the page—as it’s a phrase that truly meant something with older-school, championship-caliber players; guys that messed up, owned it and then made a point to get better, or step up. On it’s own, the phrase rings hollow. It only comes to life when the behavior is changed—akin to someone making a life-mistake, apologizing and correcting the offensive behavior. What good is the “I’m sorry” if the screw-ups continue? Seems to be a lot of “my bad” moments with these Hurricanes—yet those same mistakes are on display week-after-week, with no sense of urgency to fix.
More glaring than the unimaginative play-calling; the lack of dog and fight that was once synonymous with Miami Hurricanes football players decade after decade. Even in rough seasons back in the day for this program, there was still an elevated level of passion—guys digging in and getting after it, only to be visibly-shattered when coming up short. Losing crushed their souls, but that disappointment waschanneled into fuel that went into the next challenge—those Canes putting the past in the past and salivating for the next opportunity to go out and take one step, big or small, towards achieving greatness.
<h2>SUNSHINE STATE GOING SOFT-T AS OF LATE</h2>
Former Seminoles great and NFL star Deion Sanders spoke days back about <a href="https://youtu.be/S155zVQvSyI?t=128" target="_blank">the “soft” state of football in Florida</a>. Some will let their personal feelings against the veteran get in the way of the message—most-notably that younger generation quick to dismiss any old school wisdom as dated, or not applicable to them—but those with brains enough to let his words sink in, there’s a lot of meat on this bone.
Sanders reminisced about the days of Miami, Florida State and Florida being perennial Top 10 teams competing for national championships. In contrast, this past Saturday marked back-to-back weeks the Sunshine State’s “Big Three” lost all their games in modern history, going 0-for-6. If that isn’t a red flag, what is?
“I don’t know what’s going on. I think it starts at the crib; it starts at home. We’re so soft with our kids—we’re so regarding them and protecting their feelings and emotions. We’re not raising dogs, we’re raising cats. We’re raising mama’s boys and daddy’s dream kid—instead of getting on these kids and making sure they fight for what they want,” <a href="https://www.facebook.com/RichEisenShow/videos/2127790540815671/" target="_blank">Sanders preached on the Rich Eisen Show</a>.
“I don’t even see kids today thinking about, ‘Man, I can’t wait to work my butt off so I can retire my mama’—man, they thinking about how many followers they can get. How many likes they get on a post; not being great. How many offers they can assume from colleges; not being the best—and this has to stop … Where is the love? Anything you love, you’re gonna give everything to it. Anything you like, it is what it is.”
Incredibly, the biggest dog and alpha on the field Saturday night at HardRock looked like Duke linebacker Ben Humphreys; the senior visibly rattled earlier in the game when feeling he was chop-blocked (he wasn’t) with the Blue Devils down five to the Canes. Still trailing early in the second half, Humphreys recovered a fumble by DeeJay Dallas. A quarter later, protecting a five-point lead—he forced a second Dallas turnover—helping preserve the victory and a prime example of “doing” instead of talking or getting bogged down in complaining. Humphreys’ next-level effort and action-not-words approach flat-out won the game for his team.
The lack of dogs in a state that once produced the baddest ones the game has ever seen; it’s a viewpoint that can’t be argued, as the proof is in the (lack of) results. The softness Sanders’ spoke of proven even further by seeing how Miami players choose to express themselves on social media; specifically in the midst of what is now a three-game losing streak. Yes, social media is prevalent in today’s society—but like anything else, there is a right and wrong way of using technology, tools or mediums. The timing in which several players are choosing to express themselves to their followers—it’s as important as the actually message itself.
<a href="http://blog.allcanes.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/11/deejay-dallas.jpg"><img class="aligncenter size-full wp-image-10228" title="deejay dallas miami hurricanes football running back instagram georgia" src="http://blog.allcanes.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/11/deejay-dallas.jpg" alt="" width="525" height="357" /></a>
<h2>PERCEPTION IS NOW REALITY—SOCIAL MEDIA FOCUS IS A DISTRACTION</h2>
N’Kosi Perry made headlines weeks back due to his social media gaffe; <a href="https://caneswarning.com/2018/10/22/miami-hurricanes-qb-nkosi-perry-on-video-with-wad-of-cash/" target="_blank">flashing wads of money an in Instagram story</a> four days after getting pulled from a Virginia game where he threw two interceptions in six attempts. Perry has since deleted many posts on his page and hasn’t shared much since a few days before the loss at Chestnut Hill; video highlights of the comeback he helped lead against Florida State in early-October.
Where the redshirt-freshman has quieted down some—until a recent tattoo unveiling days back (more on that later)—others have stayed the distraction-fueled course.
The tough-running Dallas posted an image from the Boston College loss with a simple “Growing Pains” caption last weekend—but followed up mid-week with <a href="https://www.instagram.com/p/Bpp8wZ2n8ya/" target="_blank">an image of his touchdown run in the 27-14 loss</a>; this caption reading, “The Devil Couldn’t Even Stop Us”—which made zero sense after the Eagles’ defense held him to 30 yards total and shut out his squad in the second half, while his counterpart AJ Dillion ran for 149 yards and a score for BC.
Can’t imagine how Dallas thought that personal check-me-out moment would go over in a public forum with a long-time, frustrated fan base, but it expectedly fell flat and went up in flames days later after the sophomore running back coughed up two crucial fumbles in the loss to Duke—the Blue Devils scoring 10 points off the aforementioned Humphreys-fueled turnovers in a 20-12 upset.
As happens on social media when one paints themselves into a corner—especially celebrity-types, or athletes playing nationally-televised games—fans chimed in; many harping on No. 13 to better protect the football, getting two hands on it and things to that effect. Instead of heeding the advice (or wisely ignoring the criticism), Dallas took the bait and delivered a “STFU” message—reminding all that he actually plays football, while they should stay in their lane and observe.
Dallas is hardly the only offender—brought up here as he’s simply the latest example of a player posting personal highlight imagery from a loss, instead of seething over the setback and sickened by anything having to do with that game. Somehow a desire to gain followers and accrue likes is now on-par with players actually winning football games. Gone are the days of speaking softly and carrying a big stick—or letting quality play do the talking.
Honestly, can anyone imaging the likes of a Sean Taylor, Jon Vilma or Ken Dorsey taking to the ‘Gram with big moments from the Fiesta Bowl loss to Ohio State? Some great in-game shots that Getty Images nabbed, accompanied with some some half-witted, inspirational, faux-humbled, emoji-fueled quote—simply for the endorphin rush society gets from strangers’ adoration?
They’d have gotten shamed by every other disgusted teammate who cared to the point of feeling physical pain and rage.
<h2>OLD SCHOOLER WEIGHS IN; YOUNG BUCKS BETTER TUNE IN</h2>
One doesn’t even have to go back to that dominant era to be reminded of the type of dogs Miami used to have. Linebacker Jon Beason arrived the year after the Fiesta Bowl, redshirted and played three seasons for the Canes—in an era where the program started it’s overall talent decline, but still had enough right-minded players who bought into the culture and knew they had to live up to the UM ghosts who’d build the program up to championship level. <a href="https://wqam.radio.com/media/audio-channel/11-03-18-jon-beason" target="_blank">Beason also called into WQAM post-game</a> on Saturday night to unload, sharing his thoughts and frustrations.
The former NFL first rounder and three-time Pro Bowler is audibly sick of what he’s seeing out of this program—much more focused on the type of player and how they’re handling failure, more than going the basic fan approach, screaming about coaches and play-calling. The Canes legend sounded like a broken-down, at-his-wits-end parent who simply wants to see his kids succeed and reach levels higher than they’ve personally achieved—while frustrated that the pain of losing isn’t bothering today’s kids; prompting an “enough is enough” moments that has them digging in harder to get better.
<a href="http://blog.allcanes.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/11/jon-beason-miami-hurricanes.jpg"><img class="aligncenter size-full wp-image-10229" title="jon beason miami hurricanes football the u carolina panthers nfl draft pro bowl" src="http://blog.allcanes.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/11/jon-beason-miami-hurricanes.jpg" alt="" width="525" height="357" /></a> No stone was left unturned in the 20-minute call. For those who won’t make the time to dig in and listen; some highlights:
>>> Regarding Perry’s recent social media revelation that he’d inked “FLORIDA” on his left forearm, with an embedded “U” logo, as some type of evidence he’s committed to the program—Beason spoke of it being a hollow, meaningless gesture from the maligned quarterback:
“That’s earned. It’s not a fad. It’s not something you do because it’s cool. It burns me up. You gotta go out and earn it. You have to hurt for it; you have to suffer for it. Great things come with a price. If you just want to show up, have success, be the best player on the field and think you’re just gonna go out there and beat whomever—go to FIU … go to FAU … go there. You can to UM to be great. That’s the standard. Period. That’s par; greatness. It’s not so much a matter of what you see on the field with the players, it’s the aftermath—it’s about how they go about their business afterwards. It’s gotta matter to you more. There has to be more conviction within how you move and why you do it. It’s not just a game.”
The phrase, “it’s gotta matter to you more” remained a theme Beason weaved throughout his long-winded take. In the eyes of this former great, the sentiment these players don’t care enough is a big problem.
>>> Beason did knock the play-calling; especially running back-to-back draw plays mid-field, late in the game when Miami needed a sense of urgency to score, convert and tie—but even that topic was less about coaching and more about the missing fire from the players, who remain unable to self-motivate. Beason still stings from witnessing in-person the ACC Championship loss beat-down suffered at the hands of Clemson last December—speaking like a former great about how that would’ve stayed with him all off-season and how it should’ve served as a motivator in January and February for this team—making guys work harder and sacrifice then, so they’d be ready and better now.
Getting another shot at the Tigers this season; a theme that Beason kept mentioning as would-be fuel that this team just doesn’t seem to have.
>>> At this point of the season, Beason stated that he still doesn’t know who the team leaders are—and said this was a shot at the guys on this squad who he’s befriended and tried to mentor; guys who have the capability to be “the guy”, but aren’t getting it done.
“You don’t lead because you’re a born leader. That’s B.S.. Anybody who tells you that knows nothing about leadership. You lead because it matters to you most, and its necessary. A great player is not great because he can light up the stats sheet; he’s great because he can make the guy next to him better. That’s what we’re missing. I don’t know who it is, or why and what not—but when you look at it from the outside-in, you have to be objective and say, where is that player—and I’m calling you out because it needs to be done.”
>>> Beason spoke specifically about the Boston College loss and the environment—the Red Bandana game, rolling out Doug Flutie and manufacturing hype to get the Eagles and crowd ready for a big game; while nothing seemed to motivate the Canes. Not even a bye week after a loss.
“You had the game last week; they’re doing everything they can to get up for us and we’re not up for them. Go out and handle your business because you can—you’re better. Don’t give them anything. You’ve never seen me raise four fingers in the fourth quarter. You wanna know why? It’s not about the fourth quarter. The first play is as valuable as the last snap of the game. That’s how you play the game … You don’t give them nothing … It’s gotta matter more … I gotta see a little bit more passion. It bothers me.”
Beason also went on about Virginia falling to Pitt on Friday night, which somewhat opened up the door for Miami to get back to the ACC Championship game—winning out and beating four seemingly beatable teams, while only needing the Cavaliers to stumble once more. Even that little bit of extra motivation that should’ve carried over to beating Duke at home—it wasn’t enough and guys were still flat on the game’s final drive with a chance to score, convert and force overtime.
>>> With three games remaining, Beason was asked what advice he’d have for the team down the stretch—needing one win to get bowl eligible, as well as working to close the season strong. Beason explained that he’s had this conversation with current players; winning the Coastal, winning the ACC— they’re byproduct of a bigger season goal—winning the national championship. Those other milestones are simply steps along the way en route to being the best.
Beason circled back to the shots he took at the likes of Florida International and Florida Atlantic; encouraging guys who don’t subscribe to his attitude and approach—go across town to either of those programs. Show up, play football, have fun, play for nothing—meaningless moments—than go be an Golden Panther or an Owl. You sign up for more when playing for Miami.
“Sometimes young men, in some cases boys, have to be pushed. They have to understand the magnitude of the situation. Coaching is a very tough job. You put in the plan and once you get to game day, it’s showtime—you’re already outside of the chalk and you watch, like me. You can’t do a damned thing about the 18-to-22 year old who are out there and essentially keeping your lifeline in tact … These coaches lay it on the line and have a lot at risk, but at the same time, you gotta find somebody—hopefully in all three phases—who can lead and do it the right way.
Not just a good player; guys who show up on game day and do it well—I’m talking about rep-in and rep-out, when you’re with big dog in the weight room, and how you go about preparing and watching film—all that stuff matters. To be able to hold guys accountable to that, that’s the difference.
Ken Dorsey—I never played with him, but I respect the stories that I heard; kicking guys off the field for being two or three minutes late to a players-only seven-on-sevens—THAT’S the type of leadership you need at the quarterback position. When do you lead, it doesn’t matter what position you play—you do it because it’s necessary and it matters to you. If you’re not willing to do it all the time—that’s why guys don’t lead—because it’s very hard. If you want to stand up and say something, you want to be the vocal guy … you have to do it every single day, because if you have a chink in your armor—guys will call you out. It’s hard, but does it matter you that much? If it does, then do it. We don’t have that.”
This deep dive into the words of a former player—it’s to serve as a reminder where the issues currently lie. For any current players who dismiss it as dated or don’t want to hear it; this can’t be as easily-dismissed as online criticism from fans. This is a former great—one that’s played and succeeded at the game’s highest level. Beason’s words can’t get shut down—and it’d be wise of all on this squad to listen to the words like those of a big brother, or caring uncle.
Until this current squad has its own identity and is winning the games it should be winning, criticism is going to reign down. Get used to is as it’s the way the world works. There are pats on the back when things are riding high, followed by un-duckable criticism when things head south.
<a href="http://blog.allcanes.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/11/jarren-williams.jpg"><img class="aligncenter size-full wp-image-10230" title="jarren williams miami hurricanes football the u quarterback" src="http://blog.allcanes.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/11/jarren-williams.jpg" alt="" width="525" height="343" /></a>
<h2>WALK THE WALK YOU’RE TALKING, OR PIPE DOWN</h2>
Miami loved playing the role of media darling last fall when the Turnover Chain arrived on the scene. ESPN rolling to town for a few primetime showdowns, as well as College GameDay making it’s first appearance on campus—ever. Forced turnovers meant mugging for the cameras and having fun in some routs, or thrilling comeback wins. That changes when you’ve made yourself a target and lose. The bigger they are, the harder they fall—so that same chain that served as a motivator; it’s gonna get mocked-to-hell when the losses pile up.
The phrase “talking the talk and walking the walk” was coined for a reason. Bring attention to yourself when things are good—get ready for the abuse when it starts going bad.
Blaming the quarterback quandary and play-calling has been this season’s version of low-hanging fruit and focusing on the smaller picture—but as proven again last night, the Hurricanes don’t have a quarterback, as both Perry and Malik Rosier got their shots, which each as ineffective as the other.
Where Rosier lacks the talent, Perry is void of any awareness—most-noticeable late game when not picking up two blitzing defenders on his right side that resulted in an incomplete pass originally ruled a fumble. Equally as bad, Perry staring down receivers and doing nothing with his body language to mislead the defense, putting his receivers in better position to make plays.
Doubly as frustrating, the fact that these are issues that get fixed with more effort, practice and film study—not to mention, leading by example—which is a prerequisite of any would-be quarterback great. Instead, Perry seems to be more intrigued with the idea and spoils of being a quarterback at a big time program—the brand that is “The U” and playing at this legendary school—opposed to putting in the work to become the quarterback of today, and tomorrow.
In contrast, true freshman Jarren Williams has been much quieter on social media not posting anything since the third week of the season—seemingly more focused on quietly working towards improving. Should No. 15 become an eventual starter, leader and great for Miami—it’d be interesting to track the correlation between on-field success versus a social media absence.
With three games remaining, a safe bet the Hurricanes tap into Williams as he can play in three more contests while still retaining his redshirt. It’d also make sense for Richt to abandon Rosier all-together at this point, as the Coastal is out of reach, No. 12 is a r-senior and the rest of this season should be focused on building towards next year—which doesn’t apply to Rosier. Perry and Williams are set to duke it out next spring, so may as well let them both learn on-the-job the rest of this month.
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