As I was watching football on Saturday night, I saw one of those Bud Light Commercials. You know, the ones that start with a serious dilemma like a plane crash. Nobody knows how their going to overcome the issue at hand when suddenly a character in the commercial discovers a couple cases of Bud Light and somebody then inevitably says the beer company’s catch phrase: “Here we go”.
It got me to thinking. As I do with almost everything in life, I compared it to football. I related the first part of those commercials (the dilemma portion) to the first month of this season. The hectic, wild ride of non-conference play that provided us with some great matchups. It provided us with “Monster Saturday”. It provided us with UCLA over Texas and Miami over Pitt and Michigan over Notre Dame. The first 4 weeks has indeed been fun.
But…… Here we go.
Just as the commercial turns to a chaotic party of drunkenness, so does the season now turn to the chaotic beauty that is Conference Play. Gone are the dream matchups such as Ohio State vs. Miami and Florida State vs. Oklahoma. Now we start playing the part of the season that matters. No longer will teams be fighting the stranger at the bar. Instead teams will be fighting their next door neighbor, their brother-in-law, their parents.
Conference play puts an end to the first quarter of the season and it takes us into the month of October which is where inevitably the war of attrition truly begins. Slowly, but surely teams fall along the waste side. Upsets, injuries, coaches being fired. This is when the season and conference championship races really takes shape.
Sure there is an excitement about playing a team that you only play once every 20 years (e.g. USC vs. Minnesota). But there is something even more special about turning on the TV and seeing that matchup that has stayed consistent throughout the years. These are backyard brawls. Texas and Oklahoma start the brawling out in the Cotton Bowl on Saturday. Florida and Alabama will continue the bitter emotion well into the night. And so, it begins.
The glitz and glamour of the first quarter of the season is over.
Full fledged Conference Play is upon us.
Showing posts with label Miami Hurricanes. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Miami Hurricanes. Show all posts
Wednesday, September 29, 2010
Monday, August 9, 2010
#3 Miami Hurricanes
Da U is back!!! At least, that is the prediction. The “surprise team” of my Top 25 lands at #3. A lot of people will look at this and think I’m crazy. But wait until after reading to pass judgment.
Coach Randy Shannon brings back the most talented bunch of his 4-year tenure back to South Beach as he attempts to win his first ACC Title and lead Miami to a BCS Bowl game for the first time since 2003. A quick review of recent Hurricane history shows Shannon’s development and recruiting process paying off in a gradual increase in victories: 5 (2007), 7 (2008), 9 (2009)… so it gives credence to an expectation of 11 wins in 2010.
QB Jacory Harris returns as an All-Conference caliber passer and is on the short list for the Heisman Trophy. The Miami native threw for 3,352 yards and 24 TDs in 2009. His confidence soared and was often unshaken as he surprised even his biggest pre-season skeptics. Some of that skepticism was realized, however, due to Harris accounting for over 20 turnovers, including 17 Ints. That is a number that MUST be kept down in order for Miami to have a realistic shot at winning the conference.
The backfield is one of the most talent-laden in the nation. 5 four-star or higher caliber recruits populate this unit, including Damien Berry (616 yards and 8 TDs), Lamar Miller, Storm Johnson, Graig Cooper, and Mike James. Cooper suffered a knee injury in the Bowl game in December, but has made solid progress and hopes to return to the field after posting 695 yards in 2009.
With the recent dismissal of Florida State’s Jarmon Fortson, Miami now holds the banner as the undisputed best WR group in the ACC. Leonard Hankerson leads the way after grabbing 45 receptions for 801 yards in 2009. Speedster Travis Benjamin joins him as the Hurricanes #1 Big Play threat. LaRon Byrd, Aldarius Johnson, and Thearon Collier also return to give the unit unmatched depth. 3 starters come back to the offensive line, and incoming Freshman Tackle Seantrel Hendersen (Top rated Offensive Lineman in the 2010 recruiting class) has a chance to impact the field immediately. The Miami offense has all of the pieces of the puzzle that will allow them to be one of the most potent in the nation.
Defensively, the ‘Canes bring back 9 starters, including 3 All-ACC selections. DE Allen Bailey is rated by most experts as a sure-fire 1st rounder in next April’s draft. Coach Shannon has often called him the “most athletic player on our team”. LBs Colin McCarthy and Sean Spence have a chance to remind people of the Vilma/Williams combination from 2002. The secondary returns all 4 starters including All-Conference CB Brandon Harris. Safties Vaughn Telemaque and Ray Ray Armstrong will cause nightmares for ACC QBs with their ability to swarm the middle of the field. Kicker Matt Bosher also returns after nailing 88% of his field goals in 2009.
The one area that scares me about the Hurricanes 2010 season is an area that they cannot control. Miami will have one of, if not the, toughest schedules in America. After a tune-up against FAMU, Miami faces Ohio State in Columbus in a game that many are calling the Game of the Year. They follow that matchup with 2 more road games against Big East Favorite Pittsburgh and perennial ACC power Clemson. They return home for a clash with rival Florida State and then 2 weeks later face North Carolina, who is predicted to have one of the best defenses in the country. If that weren’t enough, they end the season with 3 consecutive games against former ACC Champions Georgia Tech and Virginia Tech, and Big East stalwart South Florida.
The road to a BCS Bowl is long and hard. 11 wins is not out of the question, but there is practically no room for error for this 2010 squad. The resurrection of “Da U” starts now.
Key Returning Players:
QB Jacory Harris
RB Damien Berry
RB Graig Cooper
WR Leonard Hankerson
WR Travis Benjamin
DE Allen Bailey
LB Sean Spence
LB Colin McCarthy
CB Brandon Harris
Key Games:
Sept 11 - @ Ohio State
Sept 23 - @ Pittsburgh
Oct 2 - @ Clemson
Oct 9 - Florida State
Oct 23 - North Carolina
Nov 13 - @ Georgia Tech
Nov 20 - Virginia Tech
Coach Randy Shannon brings back the most talented bunch of his 4-year tenure back to South Beach as he attempts to win his first ACC Title and lead Miami to a BCS Bowl game for the first time since 2003. A quick review of recent Hurricane history shows Shannon’s development and recruiting process paying off in a gradual increase in victories: 5 (2007), 7 (2008), 9 (2009)… so it gives credence to an expectation of 11 wins in 2010.
QB Jacory Harris returns as an All-Conference caliber passer and is on the short list for the Heisman Trophy. The Miami native threw for 3,352 yards and 24 TDs in 2009. His confidence soared and was often unshaken as he surprised even his biggest pre-season skeptics. Some of that skepticism was realized, however, due to Harris accounting for over 20 turnovers, including 17 Ints. That is a number that MUST be kept down in order for Miami to have a realistic shot at winning the conference.
The backfield is one of the most talent-laden in the nation. 5 four-star or higher caliber recruits populate this unit, including Damien Berry (616 yards and 8 TDs), Lamar Miller, Storm Johnson, Graig Cooper, and Mike James. Cooper suffered a knee injury in the Bowl game in December, but has made solid progress and hopes to return to the field after posting 695 yards in 2009.
With the recent dismissal of Florida State’s Jarmon Fortson, Miami now holds the banner as the undisputed best WR group in the ACC. Leonard Hankerson leads the way after grabbing 45 receptions for 801 yards in 2009. Speedster Travis Benjamin joins him as the Hurricanes #1 Big Play threat. LaRon Byrd, Aldarius Johnson, and Thearon Collier also return to give the unit unmatched depth. 3 starters come back to the offensive line, and incoming Freshman Tackle Seantrel Hendersen (Top rated Offensive Lineman in the 2010 recruiting class) has a chance to impact the field immediately. The Miami offense has all of the pieces of the puzzle that will allow them to be one of the most potent in the nation.
Defensively, the ‘Canes bring back 9 starters, including 3 All-ACC selections. DE Allen Bailey is rated by most experts as a sure-fire 1st rounder in next April’s draft. Coach Shannon has often called him the “most athletic player on our team”. LBs Colin McCarthy and Sean Spence have a chance to remind people of the Vilma/Williams combination from 2002. The secondary returns all 4 starters including All-Conference CB Brandon Harris. Safties Vaughn Telemaque and Ray Ray Armstrong will cause nightmares for ACC QBs with their ability to swarm the middle of the field. Kicker Matt Bosher also returns after nailing 88% of his field goals in 2009.
The one area that scares me about the Hurricanes 2010 season is an area that they cannot control. Miami will have one of, if not the, toughest schedules in America. After a tune-up against FAMU, Miami faces Ohio State in Columbus in a game that many are calling the Game of the Year. They follow that matchup with 2 more road games against Big East Favorite Pittsburgh and perennial ACC power Clemson. They return home for a clash with rival Florida State and then 2 weeks later face North Carolina, who is predicted to have one of the best defenses in the country. If that weren’t enough, they end the season with 3 consecutive games against former ACC Champions Georgia Tech and Virginia Tech, and Big East stalwart South Florida.
The road to a BCS Bowl is long and hard. 11 wins is not out of the question, but there is practically no room for error for this 2010 squad. The resurrection of “Da U” starts now.
Key Returning Players:
QB Jacory Harris
RB Damien Berry
RB Graig Cooper
WR Leonard Hankerson
WR Travis Benjamin
DE Allen Bailey
LB Sean Spence
LB Colin McCarthy
CB Brandon Harris
Key Games:
Sept 11 - @ Ohio State
Sept 23 - @ Pittsburgh
Oct 2 - @ Clemson
Oct 9 - Florida State
Oct 23 - North Carolina
Nov 13 - @ Georgia Tech
Nov 20 - Virginia Tech
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