No. 17 Miami Wraps Up Regular Season at USF
Nov. 24, 2009
Game Notes | Press Conference Quotes | TUESDAY PRESS CONFERENCE REPLAY
CORAL GABLES, Fla. –No. 17 (BCS) Miami hits the road for its regular season finale Saturday as the Hurricanes head to Tampa to face the USF Bulls. The game will be televised by ABC with a mirror broadcast on ESPN for those markets not receiving the game locally on ABC.
Miami finished off its home schedule with a 34-16 win over Duke on Senior Day which saw the Hurricanes score 21 points in the fourth quarter to rally for the win. Miami racked up 496 yards of total offense against the Blue Devils, which was the seventh time this season Miami has gone over 400 yards in a game and fourth time in the last five games. Miami is on pace to finish with 5,000 yards of total offense this season, which would make the 2009 Hurricanes the eighth team in school history to accomplish the feat. UM needs just 819 yards in the next two games (bowl game included) to gain the second-most yards of total offense in a single-season, behind the 5,367 put up by the 1984 Hurricanes. The 2003 Hurricanes were the last to put up 5,000 yards in a season.
Sophomore quarterback Jacory Harris earned ACC Offensive Back of the Week honors Monday for the fourth time this season after throwing for 300 yards for the fourth time in 2009 and third time in the last four games. He completed 25-of-43 passes for 348 yards and two TD passes in the 34-16 win over Duke. On the year, Harris has passed for 3,003 yards with 21 touchdowns, 17 interceptions and is completing 60.4 percent of his passes.
Heading into Saturday’s game against USF, Harris ranks 29th nationally in passing efficiency (141.2). Against Duke, he became the first Miami QB since Ken Dorsey in 2002 to top the 3,000-yard mark and the seventh UM quarterback to accomplish the feat in a single-season.
Miami receiver Leonard Hankerson hauled in a career-high eight catches for 143 yards, including a 44-yard touchdown reception. Hankerson continued his streak of being the only Hurricane to have a catch in all 11 games this season. He currently leads the team with 42 receptions for 752 yards and four touchdowns. His 752 receiving yards are the most since Andre Johnson had 1,092 yards in 2002.
Travis Benjamin has 447 receiving yards on 25 receptions and four TD catches while LaRon Byrd has 28 receptions for 403 yards and a touchdown. Tight end Jimmy Graham had career-highs in catches (5) and receiving yards (73) against Duke. He leads the `Canes with five touchdown catches this season and has 14 catches for 183 yards.
Colin McCarthy leads the team with 83 tackles (47 solo, 36 assisted) and has 8.0 tackles for loss. Middle linebacker Darryl Sharpton earned ACC Defensive Lineman of the Week honors after picking up a career-high 12 tackles including a career-best 11 solo stops. He intercepted his first career pass and returned it 73 yards for a TD. He ranks second with 79 tackles.
Kicker/punter Matt Bosher leads the team with 83 points (13 field goals, 44 PAT’s). On the year, Bosher ranks second in the ACC in punting (42.5) and fourth in field goal percentage (86.7).
GAME 12 INFORMATION
Date: Saturday, Nov. 28, 2009
Location: Raymond James Stadium (Tiftway Bermuda 419), (65,857) in Tampa, Fla.
Kickoff: 3:30 p.m. (ET)
Television – ABC (mirror broadcast on ESPN)
Mike Patrick (play-by-play)
Craig James (color)
Webcast – ESPN360.com
Tape Delay Telecast – CSS
Mon., Nov. 30 at 7 p.m.; Thurs. Dec. 3 at Noon
Local Radio – 560 WQAM, 1450 ESPN Deportes
560 WQAM
Joe Zagacki (play-by-play)
Don Bailey Jr. (color analyst)
Fans can also listen online at www.wqam.com
1450 ESPN Deportes En Español
Joe Pujala (play-by-play)
Joe Martinez (color analyst)
Websites
Miami (www.hurricanesports.com)
USF (www.gousfbulls.com)
THE MIAMI-USF SERIES
Saturday’s meeting will be just the second all-time between Miami and USF, with the Hurricanes coming away with a 27-7 victory on Oct. 1, 2005 at the Orange Bowl. The Hurricanes have never played at Raymond James Stadium. The last time Miami played in Tampa, the `Canes defeated the University of Tampa, 28-26, on Sept. 28, 1974.
A `CANES WIN OVER THE BULLS WOULD…
– Secure a nine-win regular season – the first since 2005.
– Give Miami a 4-2 record on the road this year.
– Give Randy Shannon a two-win improvement for the second straight year (5-7 in his first season and 7-6 last year).
THE COACHES
Randy Shannon is in his third season as Miami’s head coach and owns an overall record of 20-16. Jim Leavitt is in his 13th season at USF and has a career record of 94-55.
`CANES OWN RARE DISTINCTION
Miami is one of just nine FBS teams that ranks in the nation’s Top 35 in both total offense and total defense. The `Canes rank 33rd in total defense (330.45) and 34th in total offense (413.55) this season under first-year coordinators Mark Whipple (offense) and John Lovett (defense). Miami is joined by Alabama, Florida, Texas, TCU, Boise State, Oregon, Arizona and Oklahoma as the nine teams nationally that boast similar success on both sides of the ball.
BERRY BURSTS ONTO THE SCENE
Junior running back Damien Berry saw his first action at running back against Florida A&M on Oct. 10, running for 162 yards and a touchdown on just 14 carries. Little did anyone know it was the beginning of an impressive streak of performances from the Belle Glade native who was a converted safety who had spent the majority of his collegiate career on special teams. In seven games at running back this year, Berry has 473 yards rushing on 77 carries (a team-best 6.1 yards per carry). He leads the Hurricanes with eight touchdowns, scoring at least one touchdown in every game he played offense – including two in Miami’s 52-17 win over Virginia on Nov. 7. He has averaged 67.6 rushing yards per game since the FAMU game, which would rank him sixth in the ACC in rushing yards per game.
RELOADING UNDER SHANNON
Since taking over the helm of the University of Miami football program in 2007, the Hurricanes have improved every year under head coach Randy Shannon. After the `Canes went 9-3 in 2005 and 7-6 in 2006 in Larry Coker’s final two seasons at Miami, the `Canes finished the 2007 with a 5-7 mark in Shannon’s first year. In his second year at the helm in 2007, Miami improved by two games, going 7-5 in the regular season before a loss to Cal in the Emerald Bowl. Miami has improved yet again this year, already surpassing last year’s win total with two games remaining. The `Canes have also shown steady improvement in ACC play under Shannon, going 2-6 in 2007, 4-4 in 2008 and 5-3 in 2009. Miami’s eight wins this season are the most by a UM team since the 2005 squad finished 9-3. If Miami is able to win its final two games, the `Canes will finish with double-digit wins for the first time since 2003.
TOUGH TO RUN ON
After allowing 149.6 yards per game on the ground through the season’s first five games, the Hurricanes defense has allowed just 88.2 yards per game over the last six. Miami has also allowed just two rushing touchdowns over the last six games after allowing six in the first five games. Miami has also allowed its opponents to reach 100-yards rushing just twice since Oct. 10, holding Clemson – one of the ACC’s rushing teams – to just 84 yards on 34 carries. The `Canes are allowing just 3.25 yards per carry over the last eight games dating back to UM’s win over Oklahoma on Oct. 3.
