Sunday Perspective: Season Still Lies Ahead
Sept. 12, 2010
By: Rob Dunning
CORAL GABLES, Fla.– It rarely goes as planned. All of the hope coming in was about how the `Canes would avenge the loss in the 2003 Fiesta Bowl and jump up into the Top 5 and steal national headlines.
Unfortunately the plan has changed.
Yesterday’s loss at No. 2 Ohio State still stings. That doesn’t mean it won’t go away though. There are too many instances of teams that have faltered early and rallied to do big things. The University of Miami has done it time and time again.
Countless other programs have done it too.
Does a loss in the house of the second-ranked team in the country really hurt your résumé that much? It can be argued both ways but if the `Canes get on a roll and put this game behind them, a BCS appearance is just as possible now as it was 3:39 p.m. Saturday afternoon.
Let’s not forget `Canes fans – we haven’t even started ACC play yet. Take care of business in the ACC, and we’ll be in Charlotte for the ACC Championship game. Take care of business there, and we’ll be in the Orange Bowl. Let’s not forget it is the middle of September and there are 10 regular season games ahead of us.
Our mistakes yesterday can be fixed. We weren’t beaten physically. We weren’t out-coached. We made too many mistakes and we couldn’t recover. Plain and simple.
Anyone who watched the game Saturday has to feel good about the talent level on this Miami football team. Sean Spence is back, picking up a career-best 11 tackles. Damien Berry tore up a strong Ohio State defense, nearly becoming the first back in years to rush for 100 yards against the Buckeyes. Leonard Hankerson is on a different level right now. Don’t forget about Lamar Miller, who had every OSU fan at the Horseshoe holding their breath on every kickoff. And then there is Chase Ford, who surely reminded UM fans everywhere of Jeremy Shockey or Jimmy Graham with that great touchdown grab in the fourth quarter.
The point is, it’s early and we are good.
Remember the 2000 `Canes? Losing at No. 15 Washington in the second week of the year and then rattling off nine straight wins before a victory over Florida in the Sugar Bowl. What about ’83, when Howard Schnellenberger’s `Canes lost their opener before winning out to claim UM’s first championship.
Former `Cane and Tampa radio host Dan Sileo may have stated it best in a tweet Saturday night: “Keep the faith. We got beat in 1983 28-3 by Florida. And ripped off 11 in a row on the way to the title.”
There are plenty of other examples.
The 2008 Florida Gators lost early to an unranked Ole Miss team only to bounce back and go the distance. Twice LSU has dropped an early regular season game this decade before going to win championships, including in 2007 when they lost twice – to Kentucky and Arkansas – before winning it all. The precedent is there.
It’s natural to want to win every game. It’s also natural for Miami fans to expect championships every year. That standard has been set in Coral Gables and that is what makes this place so special. No one wants to win more than Randy Shannon, these coaches and these players. There’s no doubt about that.
Nothing changes after Saturday’s loss. Focus on the next practice. Focus on Pittsburgh. Focus on the ACC schedule. As you’ve probably noticed watching the first two weeks of the college football season, this conference is up for grabs.
Let’s rally around this team `Canes fans. There is still a lot left to be settled.
A few other Takeaway Notes:
By: Chris Freet
There is a good level of maturity on this team that bodes well for the immediate future, as well as the length of the regular season. During the postgame press conference Jacory Harris, Damien Berry and Travis Benjamin all put the loss on their shoulders and admitted, “You can blame me for this loss.” Berry not only blamed his physical performance, but added that he needed to be a better leader and make sure the offense had improved focused on the road at Pitt in 11 days.
The final stat sheet was remarkably balanced except for a couple obvious areas: Turnovers, penalties, and field goals. The Canes gave up 23 points off turnovers and left six points on the turf due to one blocked field goal and one missed field goal.
The average yards per play were 5.3 for Miami and 5.4 for Ohio State. Miami actually held the advantage on the ground averaging 4.3 yards per play compared to OSU’s 3.7.
Miami was 7-for-15 on third down conversions… a conversion rate that usually leads to a win. Ohio State was 6-for-18.
When Lamar Miller described his 88-yard kickoff return for a touchdown, his eyes lit up as he described the “crease” opening in the coverage. You could feel the energy as his eyes lit up and it’s no wonder he shot through that huge hole and to the house in less than a blink of the eye.
The speedster not only outran the coverage but his distance from the defenders increased from about two yards to 10 yards by the time he reached the end zone.
The massive opening was created by three players in particular. Pat Hill held the left side of the defense at bay, while Shayon Green and Ramon Buchanan cleared the zone that Miller ran through.
One other note on the kickoff return: Junior linebacker Jordan Futch made his season debut on that return. If you watch a replay, you will notice him running downfield with Miller. It is great to see the Hollywood native back from injury and contributing to the Canes.
Give Travis Benjamin full credit for setting up his punt return for a touchdown. Ohio State defenders appeared to be expecting him to fair catch the ball, over ran the coverage and Benjamin did the rest.
The rest of the game, Ohio State kicked away from Benjamin and Miller on both kickoffs and punts.
