"Midseason Assessment -- Hurricanes Halfway Point"
by Chris Bello - October 21st, 2005

After twelve straight quarter against patsies, Miami was licking its chops for Georgia Tech this weekend. Finally, a quality ACC opponent was going to line up against the Canes after recent match up against South Florida, Duke and Temple.

October 22nd is now November 19th. Miami gets another week to practice, heal and gear up for a brutal stretch of football as Hurricane Wilma has postponed this weekend’s contest against Georgia Tech. The Canes take the field October 29th against the Tar Heels – a revenge game from last season’s 31-28 loss to North Carolina. An unexpected bye week is actually welcomed with quarterback Kyle Wright letting a throwing hand injury heal. Defensive back Randy Phillips and defensive tackle Brian Pata can also use some rest as they are nicked up.

Still, after playing down to their competition recently – a solid showing against a legit conference opponent was what fans were clamoring for this weekend. Shelve those emotions for one more week, Miami Faithful Appreciate the bye week because come October 29th – it’s all business.

5-1 and No. 6 in the land after stumbling out the gate against Florida State. Damn, what this team wouldn’t give to have another crack at 1st and goal from the 2-yard line in the final minutes, huh? Then again, get that win at Florida State and maybe there isn’t that same sense of urgency at Clemson a week later.

I said earlier this season that I felt better at 0-1 this year than at 1-0 in 2004. I still feel better at 5-1 right now than I did at 6-0 a year ago. I think that first loss affected this current team. I think it’s good to not have that top four ranking halfway into the season, as we did entering North Carolina in 2004 and Virginia Tech in 2003. This Miami bunch is battle tested. Tagged out the gate by Florida State, hung on in triple overtime at Death Valley against Clemson and made a statement against the likely Big XII North champs Colorado, 23-3.

From there, the patsies. No disrespect to those foes – but hardly Miami caliber programs. South Florida escaped with a 27-7 beating, which could’ve easily been 51-7 had the Canes executed and finished plays. When breaking down film, head coach Larry Coker assessed that Miami left 24 points on the field that night. Frustrating, but easier to tolerate after coming out and smacking up Duke to the tune of 52-7 a week later.

Game number six of this season as possibly more frustrating than the opening week loss.

34-3 at Temple. In most cases, optimism would surround a 31-point victory. Not when you’re playing the 0-6 Owls. Not when up 27-0 after the first quarter. Not when your young offense only plays a quarter and a half. Not when your starting quarterback only gets ten reps – a few of those behind the second string offensive line, where he wound up suffering a minor injury.

Why did Miami’s ground game struggle so? It’s oft joked about that the Canes’ second string should be able to whoop up on inferior competition. Last week they had their chance to shine. They didn’t.

Final three quarters of play – Miami’s Second String 7, Temple 3.

At day’s end, Hurricane Wilma is a blessing in disguise for the now No. 6 Canes. Between Wright’s thumb, back up Kirby Freeman’s lack of experience and the out of nowhere firing of defensive line coach/former defensive lineman Greg Mark – this week reeked of chaos.

If Wright faltered, the injury wasn’t fully healed or the Canes lost - this coaching staff would never hear the end of leaving their most valuable weapon behind a paltry second-string offensive line. Come out flat and the untimely firing of Coach Mark would’ve been called a distraction. Point being, unless Miami rolled Georgia Tech – it’s toughest foe in over a month – and Wright threw for 400 yards, 3 touchdowns and no interceptions; the boo birds would’ve been in full force.

North Carolina. Virginia Tech. Wake Forest. Georgia Tech. Virginia.

That’s the revised schedule. No longer two ACC games at home before the trek to Blacksburg. Miami has a mere four quarters separating them from the biggest game of 2005.

With no game preview this week, let’s instead grade out where things are at six games into this season. Come next weekend, there is no breathing room until the end of November. This truly is halftime 2005 and we’re about to find out if Miami is indeed a second half team.

Team: Hard to grade out as we’ve seen so many different versions of Miami circa 2005 and its players. Mistake prone against Florida State, gritty as hell at Clemson, didn’t execute at times against Clemson, flat out sloppy against South Florida, worked Duke like a rib and dominant for 25% of the day at Temple.

End result, 5-1 and No. 6 in the country - its collective fate in its hands as far as the rest of this season goes. Win at Virginia Tech and most will feel this program is on the right track. Lose to the Hokies a third straight time and there will be many questions to answer. Might not be a fair assessment of the program – but after 9-3 in 2004 and 18-6 since the last loss in Blacksburg, The U and its coaching staff are under the microscope. Too much talent to not compete for a National Championship every season and after four straight BCS games from 2000-2003, two straight non-BCS games would be a disaster.

Talent will only get the Canes so far. It’s time this coaching staff truly leans on these kids and drives home the point of executing, finishing and focusing. The playmakers are in place. Start making plays.

Offense: Almost anything would’ve been an upgrade after what was witnessed in 2003 and 2004. This offense was definitely green in the season opener. Greg Olsen, Lance Leggett and Ryan Moore all dropped crucial passes against Florida State. Kyle Wright under threw the deep ball and put some other passes behind his receivers. At game’s end, Wright, Moore and Olsen looked like a well-oiled machine – but all for not as ‘the drive’ resulted in no points.

Tyrone Moss was a superstar against Clemson and seemed invincible on occasion, but on another given week he’d look more than mortal. Back ups Charlie Jones, Derron Thomas and Andrew Johnson have had trouble gaining traction, with no one solidifying that #2 spot.

Of course much of this must be blamed on shaky offensive line play – even more frustrating being that it’s a senior-laden line featuring once projected first round left tackle, Eric Winston.

While Miami is 5-1, it is extremely frustrating to see the lack of offensive production against weaker opponents. With five regular season games remaining against solid ACC opponents, the Canes must pick up the pace – especially in the red zone – or going 5-0 down the stretch isn’t an option.

Defense: How does Miami continue to reload on this side of the ball? It’s almost mind-boggling. Outside of 2004’s lack of production at linebacker, the Canes have had one of the most dominant defenses in college football this decade. This 2005 bunch is right up there with the greats.

Preseason injuries to Carlos Armour and Glenn Sharpe were a blow for the secondary. Losing sophomore sensation Anthony Reddick against Florida State would’ve broken many secondaries – but Miami tossed true freshman Kenny Phillips into the mix and it’s been smooth sailing. Brandon Meriweather continues to get better each game and is truly developing into the next great Miami safety.

Definsive line has been steady and the Canes are ranking #1 in several statistical categories – an upside from playing South Florida, Duke and Temple back to back.

The linebacking core is still looking for the perfect trio. Tavares Gooden is out, Willie Williams is still green, Jon Beason is living up to his nickname “The Beast” and Rocky McIntosh is good when healthy. Still, this unit has been inconsistent at times and if there’s one position on the field where Miami needs that Kenny Phillips true freshman-like impact, it’s at linebacker.

Like 2004, we’re entering that stretch of the season where poor play at linebacker will kill Miami against the run. Mobile quarterbacks like Marcus Vick, Reggie Ball and Marques Hagans will give Miami fits if they don’t buckle down at the linebacker position.

To Randy Shannon’s credit, his collective unit is getting it done yet again. He has changed up his schemes in 2002 – allowing more blitzing, playing more zone coverage and being less Vanilla. Coaching a good defense is all about staying one step ahead of opposing offenses and the Canes have done a good job of that thus far. Still, the meat of the season is ahead – so before giving Shannon all the credit in the world, let’s see where Miami’s defense is come late November.

Special Teams: A true downer this season for so many reasons – most notably the lack of seeing Devin Hester work his magic. Sure, he’s been electrifying against the likes of Duke and Temple – but that wasn’t the Hester which Miami fans grew to know and love. Deebo has made his career on the big play against the big time team at the perfect time. Be it his opening kickoff return against Florida (2003), blocked field goal against Florida State (2004), punt return against Louisville (2004) or Peach Bowl heroics against the hated Gators last January with a fumble returned for score and interception – we’ve seen nothing like that in 2005.

In this year’s opener in Tallahassee, Hester proved to be a liability for the first time in his career. Those are the moments when Miami needs their playmaker to shine. He didn’t. With Roscoe Parrish departing a year early, many expected this unit to actually improve with Hester. It hasn’t. He is still possibly the most electrifying player in college football – but unless he makes game changing plays against the likes of a Virginia Tech or Virginia – the Canes are getting little out of this marquee player.

As for the kicking game, again – very frustrating. A decade worth of karma came back to bite Miami against Florida State. Two missed kicks and a botched snap might’ve made up for Wide Right I, II, III and Wide Left I. Jon Peattie has been suspect this year. Only nine field goals made and against Temple, a missed extra point. Peattie didn’t get a chance at a game winner in Tallahassee, but when he needed to deliver with the game on the line (second OT at Clemson), he did. Still, misses add up against good defenses. It was the difference maker against the Noles and could be against the Hokies. Peattie needs to get his 2003 groove back.

Regarding punting, Brian Monroe has been good enough – but hasn’t been nearly as solid an asset as he could be based on leg strength. Five crucial games ahead and field position will be the difference in a handful of them. Monroe needs to rediscover whatever helped him average 41.2 yards per punt last season.

Midseason Final Analysis: Again, difficult to predict where Miami can go because of all the intangibles – and because this team hasn’t been battle tested since facing Florida State and Clemson back to back.

At this point in 2003, Miami was 6-0 and ranked #2 in the country. It went on to lose two of its next three games. Last season, 6-0 and ranked #4 before rolling into North Carolina and being upset by a 21-point underdog. The Canes lost three of the last five regular season games in 2003.

With North Carolina, Virginia Tech, Wake Forest, Georgia Tech and Virginia ahead – Miami could go 5-0 or just as easily 3-2 depending on if this team executes, makes plays and has the grit to pull overcome adversity where it failed in the past. The Canes have lost their past five by an average score of 4.6 points per game – all very winnable contests.

Yet again, this season comes down to one big game. That proverbial monkey on their back foe who’s been in their head two straight seasons now – Virginia Tech. Win in Blacksburg on November 5th and sky’s the limit for this season. Miami will control its destiny and get that bounce back in their step. 5-3 in ACC play last season with the Hokies stealing that inaugural year thunder. Miami is 7-4 in conference play since joining the ACC. Lose to Virginia Tech and that’s back to back seasons playing second fiddle to a lesser program. It’s unacceptable.

North Carolina is next up. A shot at a revenge game – something Miami has thrived on in the past, most notably Washington (2001) and Boston College (2002.) In a perfect world, the Canes throttle the Tar Heels with a solid effort and roll into Blacksburg in two weeks clicking on all cylinders. Anything less and a win over the Hokies isn’t in the cards.

The Prediction: Miami 34, North Carolina 10



Born and raised in Miami, FL and a CanesTime.com columnist since 1996, Chris Bello now resides in San Diego, CA and handling online sales and providing content for allCanes.com. Feel free to send your comments or to contact him at chris@allCanes.com