Impressions From the Marshall Game

I'm very mixed about today's performance. I was happy to see the defense make plays and create turnovers, but not happy to see misdirection, and gadget plays out of the shotgun continue to work against this defense. Going back a few years to when Rasheed Marshal of West Virginia used to torch the Hurricanes out of the shotgun on gimmick plays that involved misdirection, Miami's front seven have a problem reading and breaking down these plays. One good thing was that we didn't see the number of mistakes created by over pursuit among our defenders as we have seen in the past. Colin McCarthy was particularly impressive as the strong side outside linebacker.

On offense I think Kirby Freeman proved today that he can manage a game if the gameplan is conservative, but that his decision making and accuracy is very poor. I will be shocked if he can do anything other than minimize mistakes next week in Norman. Perhaps Patrick Nix will put some option plays and bootlegs in the playbook for next week, but Freeman isn't decisive enough to be trusted to make the right decisions on option plays. The running game was solid, with Graig Coope showing flashes of brilliance in his first game and Javarris James dominating between the tackles. This is no surprise as Miami could have similarly dominated on the ground in 2004 and 2005 had then Offensive Coordinator Dan Werner trusted Tyrone Moss and Frank Gore more than he did. The great legacy of Larry Coker's reign with the Hurricanes wasn't simply the slippage in the program but the failure to play to the team's strength as a potentially lethal power running team. Miami's WRs once again proved today that they are average at best and save a nice effort by true Freshman Leonard Hankerson the Hurricanes cannot be considered more than a below average passing team. This means we should continue to see a double dose of Javarris James and Graig Cooper and throw the ball as little as possible. If Miami's line blocks well, the Hurricanes can run the ball down the throat of the opposition and limit turnovers, sacks and the other foolish mistakes the Hurricanes QBs have made over the past five seasons.

A word about the Orange Bowl. I've loved everything the stadium has to offer from atmosphere to great site lines. But today when feeling fatigued in the hot afternoon sun the concessions ran out of water, I was longing for the move to Joe Robbie Stadium. Later the concessions had water, but it was a warm bottle. Once again the Orange Bowl seemed unprepared for a Noon start and with only 39,000 in attendance it is totally unacceptable.