Dolphin Stadium felt like the Orange Bowl in the 3rd and 4th quarter today. Really it felt like the good old days. But these are tough times and Miami's defensive collapse allowing FSU to convert four third and longs despite a frenzied crowd and all the momentum. The last a 20 yard draw to Antonie Smith was unforgivable.
I love the fight Miami showed tonight and obviously didn't leave the game early as I was seriously considering at halftime. However, Miami is suddenly a losing program. We cannot get around that fact. Here are some "fun facts" to prove it.
- Miami is 1-8 in its last 9 ACC games
- Every single team in the ACC has won a game in the league since Miami's last win.
- Every single ACC team has won a game at home in the league since Miami's last ACC home win.
- Miami has not beat a Division 1A/FBS team at home in over a year. Miami's last two wins against D 1A/FBS teams were both on the road
- Miami has lost to Florida and FSU in the same year for the first time since 1982
- Miami has lost five consecutive home games in the league
For all those touting Miami's freshman "playmakers, " a refresher on recent freshmen WR studs at the "U."
- Ryan Moore caught 44 passes as a Freshman in 2003. The rest of his career was forgettable.
- Lance Leggett caught some key TDs as a Freshman in 2004. On the road at Georgia Tech and NC State among others. The rest of his years at Miami were horrible.
- Sam Shields, tonight's goat whose key penalty probably cost Miami the game, and who also dropped 3 passes tonight. He had 37 catches for over 600 yards as a freshman and has gradually gotten worse.
What I did like tonight:
- I'm a huge fan of the option (the real option not the chuck and duck, gimmick laden stuff Florida and West Virginia run) and as much as it pains me to say it, I loved seeing FSU run the option regularly with Christian Ponder. The irony is that Bobby Bowden was probably the first coach in the nation in the mid 1970s to dump the option entirely, and now in his probable swan song, FSU is running it.
- Travis Benjamin got the crowd excited every time he touched the ball. You could feel the electricity in the place every time he touched it.
- I thought Miami's secondary did okay. The problem came when FSU went 5 wide on third downs and spread the field: Miami didn't have enough healthy corners or safeties to throw out there.
- Matt Bosher. I always like the tough, gritty kicker/punter/kickoff specialist/leading tackler on special teams/4th down conversion specialist.
- The play call by Pat Nix to have Graig Cooper throw the halfback pass.
- The crowd and its ability to electrify the Canes.
Everything else, most notably rushing three on third and long situations, the poor penetration of both the o-line and the d-line from the Canes as well as the early abandonment of the running game after Graig Cooper broke a big run for a first down in the first quarter. He carried the ball one more time the entire game, on first and goal in the 4th quarter with Miami trailing 34-29.
Bottom Line:
With Virginia's win today no doubt remains that Miami is the worst team in the ACC and among the worst in a BCS conference. As much as today's game was exciting and entertaining, giving up 41 points to a team that scored 3 at home against Wake, kind of tells all we need to know. Miami is nowhere near where it's fans think it is and recall who told you LAST YEAR that Miami would have a losing record.............yours truly. This year getting to 6-6 if you look at the remaining games is going to be nearly impossible. Honestly, I think 5-7 again would be a major accomplishment and should be looked upon as a good coaching job by Randy Shannon. Thank goodness for Basketball!
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