Well, not much I can add at this point after Miami dropped to an incredibly disappointing 6-6 by dropping their last game of the regular season to Pitt by the score of 35-23. Like the rest of you guys I was in a bit of a haze and numb as I watched the fights on HBO after switching over from ESPN2 . Just think about it, a team with Duke Johnson, Clive Walford, Phillip Dorsett and Denzell Perryman finished at .500.
Forget winning the ACC, or the coastal, this team couldn't even win more games than it lost playing in what is at best, can be described as a mediocre conference.
This is a direct indictment of Al Golden in his fourth year.
On Sunday morning we woke up to the news that Nebraska- who ran up and down the field on the Canes earlier this season - had fired Bo Pelini, a coach who consistently won 9 games a year( and by 'consistent', basically he won 9 games every season) and had a mark of 67-27. But Cornhusker Nation would not stand idly by because they have standards and their administration understood that. Yeah, winning 9 games is nice and all - but not at a program with the storied tradition and standards of NU.
Now the question is: Does Miami still really care about football?
It was just 14 months ago that Miami was 7-0 and in the top ten( but for the most part that was a mirage given the very soft schedule to begin the 2013 season) and since that point, well, Miami has lost more games than it's won. Golden keeps talking about 'the process' but without any real progress, it doesn't mean much. I'm sure many of you have read the damning numbers: Miami's overall record during Goldens tenure compared to Randy Shannon( who by the way, was let go in his fourth season), the record in ACC play, etc. It's bad. No other way to say it and the reality is that this year was supposed to one with tangible evidence of moving this program forward because the reality is that above mentioned players were in their final years at UM( and guys like Erick Flowers, who is a junior could be making himself draft eligible).
Did I mention this same Pitt team lost to Akron..... at home?
6-6.
It says it all.
As for Golden, well, he's not saying much at all, having cancelled this media availability for Sunday.
So silence truly is Golden.
- From the very first defensive drive, it was clear that Miami players had packed it in. They seemed to be avoiding contact and were letting a banged up James Conner roll downhill on them. Yeah, it wasn't exactly the type of defensive outing that will help Mark D'onofrio win the Broyles Award. Like other games this season, it was frustrating to see an opposing offense just body-punch their way down the field, grinding the clock and just methodically marching towards the Miami goal line.
The stats may the UM defense has improved but as Ben Franklin once said,"There are lies, **** lies and statistics." Sorry, but I saw a unit that in the biggest games failed.
- Offensively, well, with the defense struggling they needed to be perfect and they were far from it. Brad Kaaya got off to a really good start but struggled in the second half. Overall, he had an outstanding freshman campaign but like any other first year player he has a lot to work on. If there is anything that gives us hope as a fan-base it's 15. It'll be interesting to see how he develops physically after his first off-season in Miami. But looking ahead, no Duke, no Dorsett, no Clive( who I hope is OK) and perhaps no Flowers, can this unit be better next season?
- You can debate all you want about Duke being among the true UM greats( for my money, he absolutely is) but make no doubt about it, he deserved a better fate. If there was anything truly worth watching the last three seasons it's 'the Eight Ball'. He will truly be missed by this fan-base. I just wish this program didn't fail him so badly.
- I thought Art Kehoe's unit really struggled again this week. They failed to open up consistent running lanes for Duke and the past two weeks Kaaya was getting hit more than he was earlier in the season. Maybe the injuries and shuffling finally took it's toll. Overall, though, I like the future of his unit. If there has been one unit where they have recruited well, it's upfront offensively.
- Special teams were below-average the whole season. And whether it was returning kicks or covering them, Miami was sub-par in it's production and nothing changed versus Pitt. For a squad with this many athletes that's inexcusable. Justin Vogel turned out to be a good punter but I do think finding a kickoff specialist should be a priority. Miami might literally be the only team I saw this season that didn't have someone who could consistently bang the ball deep into the endzone.
- Most disappointing player this season in my view was Stacy Coley, who after a really nice frosh season, basically disappeared. From the opening kickoff at Louisville where was destroyed by James Burgess Jr. he was essentially a non-factor. But what I didn't understand was his utilization. Instead of using him to stretch the defense( outside of deep shots against Duke - that he dropped - and FSU - where he was overthrown) he was used on a bunch of short routes and bubble screens. How he bounces back next season is key. But 2014 was eerily like the sophomore slump of Lance Legget.
- In my opinion does UM dismiss Golden? No. And to me that is a huge risk. Think about it, the 2015 team will probably not have the pure talent of this years team. There's a chance that they might go 6-6( or worse) again. Well, guess what, now you've squandered another year and Kaaya will be halfway through his Miami career. Next years team will rely on a lot of underclassmen and yeah, the you can just hear the 'youth' card being brought out.
But again, just how important is football to Miami?
Forget winning the ACC, or the coastal, this team couldn't even win more games than it lost playing in what is at best, can be described as a mediocre conference.
This is a direct indictment of Al Golden in his fourth year.
On Sunday morning we woke up to the news that Nebraska- who ran up and down the field on the Canes earlier this season - had fired Bo Pelini, a coach who consistently won 9 games a year( and by 'consistent', basically he won 9 games every season) and had a mark of 67-27. But Cornhusker Nation would not stand idly by because they have standards and their administration understood that. Yeah, winning 9 games is nice and all - but not at a program with the storied tradition and standards of NU.
Now the question is: Does Miami still really care about football?
It was just 14 months ago that Miami was 7-0 and in the top ten( but for the most part that was a mirage given the very soft schedule to begin the 2013 season) and since that point, well, Miami has lost more games than it's won. Golden keeps talking about 'the process' but without any real progress, it doesn't mean much. I'm sure many of you have read the damning numbers: Miami's overall record during Goldens tenure compared to Randy Shannon( who by the way, was let go in his fourth season), the record in ACC play, etc. It's bad. No other way to say it and the reality is that this year was supposed to one with tangible evidence of moving this program forward because the reality is that above mentioned players were in their final years at UM( and guys like Erick Flowers, who is a junior could be making himself draft eligible).
Did I mention this same Pitt team lost to Akron..... at home?
6-6.
It says it all.
As for Golden, well, he's not saying much at all, having cancelled this media availability for Sunday.
So silence truly is Golden.
- From the very first defensive drive, it was clear that Miami players had packed it in. They seemed to be avoiding contact and were letting a banged up James Conner roll downhill on them. Yeah, it wasn't exactly the type of defensive outing that will help Mark D'onofrio win the Broyles Award. Like other games this season, it was frustrating to see an opposing offense just body-punch their way down the field, grinding the clock and just methodically marching towards the Miami goal line.
The stats may the UM defense has improved but as Ben Franklin once said,"There are lies, **** lies and statistics." Sorry, but I saw a unit that in the biggest games failed.
- Offensively, well, with the defense struggling they needed to be perfect and they were far from it. Brad Kaaya got off to a really good start but struggled in the second half. Overall, he had an outstanding freshman campaign but like any other first year player he has a lot to work on. If there is anything that gives us hope as a fan-base it's 15. It'll be interesting to see how he develops physically after his first off-season in Miami. But looking ahead, no Duke, no Dorsett, no Clive( who I hope is OK) and perhaps no Flowers, can this unit be better next season?
- You can debate all you want about Duke being among the true UM greats( for my money, he absolutely is) but make no doubt about it, he deserved a better fate. If there was anything truly worth watching the last three seasons it's 'the Eight Ball'. He will truly be missed by this fan-base. I just wish this program didn't fail him so badly.
- I thought Art Kehoe's unit really struggled again this week. They failed to open up consistent running lanes for Duke and the past two weeks Kaaya was getting hit more than he was earlier in the season. Maybe the injuries and shuffling finally took it's toll. Overall, though, I like the future of his unit. If there has been one unit where they have recruited well, it's upfront offensively.
- Special teams were below-average the whole season. And whether it was returning kicks or covering them, Miami was sub-par in it's production and nothing changed versus Pitt. For a squad with this many athletes that's inexcusable. Justin Vogel turned out to be a good punter but I do think finding a kickoff specialist should be a priority. Miami might literally be the only team I saw this season that didn't have someone who could consistently bang the ball deep into the endzone.
- Most disappointing player this season in my view was Stacy Coley, who after a really nice frosh season, basically disappeared. From the opening kickoff at Louisville where was destroyed by James Burgess Jr. he was essentially a non-factor. But what I didn't understand was his utilization. Instead of using him to stretch the defense( outside of deep shots against Duke - that he dropped - and FSU - where he was overthrown) he was used on a bunch of short routes and bubble screens. How he bounces back next season is key. But 2014 was eerily like the sophomore slump of Lance Legget.
- In my opinion does UM dismiss Golden? No. And to me that is a huge risk. Think about it, the 2015 team will probably not have the pure talent of this years team. There's a chance that they might go 6-6( or worse) again. Well, guess what, now you've squandered another year and Kaaya will be halfway through his Miami career. Next years team will rely on a lot of underclassmen and yeah, the you can just hear the 'youth' card being brought out.
But again, just how important is football to Miami?
