In early 2000 I remarked that Miami's fans were on another planet. While UM Football continued to dominate the local talk show circuit and message boards lit up about Butch Davis' coaching competence as well as recruiting while Miami was mired in a five year string of losses to rivals Florida State and Virginia Tech, Miami's Basketball team was achieving a remarkable feat: A third straight season with double digit wins in the Big East and a Regular Season title in America's best Basketball conference, while nobody noticed. That Miami could win the Big East in Basketball but couldn't in a much weaker Football league led me to remark that Miami being an urban university should be a Basketball school.
The 2000 Canes proved me dead wrong. After an early season loss in Seattle to Washington, the Canes ran the table and were passed over by the BCS for a spot in the title game thanks to Florida State's lock on the computer rankings. For better or for worse, the BCS changed its formula after Miami, the consensus # 2 in the nation who had a higher strength of schedule than FSU finished behind FSU in the computers thanks to margin of victory a statistic that rewarded Bobby Bowden's running up of the score in the 4th quarter against his son at Clemson and his former assistant coach Chuck Amato of NC State, while Miami was punished for Butch Davis' classiness in sitting on big leads versus Syracuse and Virginia Tech, two games in which Miami led at halftime by 23 and 28 points respectively. Davis could have run up the score on Syracuse who was helpless in that game but he refused to.
After being snubbed, the Canes proved a point by beating Florida in the Sugar Bowl despite losing 1,000 yard rusher James Jackson early in the game to injury and Santana Moss for much of the game as well. Ken Dorsey had his best season as he tossed 28 TDs and only 5 INTs, while James Jackson, Clinton Portis and Jason Gaethers provided a running attack that was as good as any in the nation. Recievers Reggie Wayne, Santana Moss, Andre King and Andre Johnson gave Dorsey a compliment of weapons as did the emergence of unheralded TE Jeremy Shockey.
The defense was led by all everything Dan Morgan, a linebacker who has to be considered one of the great players to ever play College Football in this state. Ed Reed and Damione Lewis were also defensive leaders.
2000 Miami
McNeese State 61-14
@ # 9 Washington 29-34
@ #23 West Virginia 47-10
@ Rutgers 64-6
#1 Florida State 27-24
@ Temple 45-17
La Tech 42-31
#2 Va Tech 41-21
Pitt 35-17
@ Syracuse 26-0
Boston College 52-6
# 7 Florida 37-20 (Sugar Bowl)
Thursday, January 18, 2007
# 9: 2000 Miami Hurricanes
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
Posts
3 comments:
Florida State was the best team in the nation that year and despite all of Miami and the media's whining the Noles rightfully played for the title. Had we had Snoop Minnis in the title game we would have crushed Oklahoma.
The rules of the BCS were clear. The decision by Butch Davis NOT to throw the ball in the 2nd half of games showed that he was worried his team would turn the ball over and let their oppoenents back into the game. Chris Weinke won the Heisman that year and was the best QB to ever play the College game. FSU earned it and I urge you to revise or take down this inflamatory and factually incorrect posting.
I've completed more pro passes than Chris Weinke.
UW owned Miami in 2000!!!! Ken Dorsey whined and complained so much after that game!!!! He said that Washington players were hitting to hard...WHAT A WHIMP!!!!Ken Dorsey sucks balls, he will never be good in the NFL!!!!
Post a Comment