His Name Is Al Golden

This was his past.

This is his present and future:



I went from cautiously optimistic at the time of the hire to pumped and confident after yesterday. I think this was a great fit. As Kent Brockman once said, "From now on we'll all be taking golden showers. What?"

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A Requiem For Randy Shannon: What This Says About The U

Did Randy Shannon deserve to be fired?

Yes. Let me repeat what I said on Monday: you will not find a better man in college football coaching anywhere. Randy Shannon overcame tremendous odds just to make it to Miami, let alone be a part of three national championship teams. Only a horrible person who passes themselves off as a Hurricane fan would hold any hostility toward him. That being said, the man was not cut out to be the head coach of this team. It hurts to type it but it is the truth.

Shannon did wonders in the classroom and off the field. His grad rates were bested only by Army and Navy and his APR score was even better than Stanfords. His single arrest during his tenure came when Robert Marve, who would later transfer to Purdue, broke a car mirror during a fight with his girlfriend. Those accomplishments are commendable, they are praiseworthy, and they are what got him his contract extension last year and would have kept him at UM another season. I believe in these goals the program as much as anyone, but it cannot be the single driving force behind football at your school if football is your main source of athletic revenue. Ideally, you want to run a clean program that is successfull academically and win football games. Shannon only gave you one of the two.

Can I pinpoint the problem? No. I have heard various stories from everywhere. Yes, I have a few (very few) contacts on the inside that I heard rumblings from. Shannon was too loyal to certain players, Whipple was forced on Shannon and the two never got along, the players didn't agree with Whipple's playcalling, etc. The bottom line was the performance on the field. 28-22, 16-16 in a mediocre ACC, 0-2 in bowl games. The final game against South Florida was an appropriate final straw. The Canes out-matched the Bulls on paper with first-year coach Skip Holtz setting out to rebuild the program. Miami went scoreless in the first half. Then with the game tied at 10, Storm Johnson seemingly saved the day with a 71 yard scamper. Yet in crunch time, the Canes let a true freshman walk-on who was replacing the injured starter B.J. Daniels march down the field for the tying TD. South Florida won in overtime. The Randy Shannon era was encapsulated in a nutshell.

Going 7-5 with the talent on this team is simply inexcusable. The great recruiting classes Shannon pulled in have matured in age, but not development. All year long, asinine penalties, lapses in concentration, and foolish turnovers costs them games. Shannon never even came close to playing for an ACC title and when he did, the team choked. For all the good that Shannon did, one of the basic tennants of coaching at Miami is winning games playing in big time bowl games. His failure to accomplish these goals and the regression of his results deservedly led to his firing.

While I mentioned above the off the field work Shannon did let me ask you something: did the perception of Miami's football program ever change? College football is an old boy system. Just look at the schools that stay on top on the bowl system in place opertaing under the guise of non-profits. People hold onto old ideals, whether it is the "magic" of Notre Dame or the "tradition" of southern football. The point is the detractors still subscribed to the theory that the U was a bunch of thugs. So the academic progress should strictly be an insitutional goal, and not used as a public item. No one was mentioning Miami's successes in this area while Shannon was coaching, but once he was fired people came out supporting him for that reason alone.

Now that the Gruden rumors seem to be dying away, Miami has a real chance to turn the corner like they did way back with Schnellenberger, with Jimmy, and with Butch Davis. If they get the right coach that can use the talent and fertile recruiting grounds famously termed the "State of Miami" by Schnellenberger then Miami should be competing for a BCS bowl every season. There is a notion being floated around that Miami is short on money and facilities. Once again, this is people working on notions that are old and out-dated. The issue of playing in Sun Life Stadium is what it is, there will never be an on-campus football stadium and there are much worse places to watch a game than Sun Life. Considering Edgerrin James helped get a new weight room built and NFL players still spend their summers there working out and that The Rock donated money to get new locker rooms built, I'd say facilities are on doing okay. They don't have a behemoth museum like some schools but you definitely are not left wanting. Add to this a new $5 million plan to renovate the athletic center does not give the appearance of struggling either.

The other factor when it comes to money is the firing itself. Shannon had just signed a four-year extension before the season, which came with a buyout. Someone had to step up and swallow that money for the school because the athletic department itself sure as hell was not footing the bill. Then added to that AD Kirby Hocutt is reportedly willing to offer $3-4 million per year for a new coach. There is clearly some money in the coffers at the U.

Miami has a niche in college football. It is not your traditional big conference school that churns out mobs of mouth-breathing fans every year. Our fraternity of fandom is pretty small, almost minuscule compared to the football powers. But it's one I am proud to be a part of. When I traveled down to the U this October and partied and tail-gated with what turned out to be a 60% full Sun Life Stadium, I couldn't care less about a full house. I was there to support my team with others I knew cared as much about them as I did. The value of your football program is not measured in attendance, how well your fans travel, or message board traffic. Miami has risen to the upper echelon of college football with a low rating in all those categories. The U is the exception to the rule, gate crashers that turned college football on its side and some people are never willing to let that go. We cannot duplicate our history but we can build on it. This year there will most likely be a Hurricane taken in the first round after a one year absence. Prior to that it had been 20 years straight. The strength of the U is the former players who come back and connect with the present players to show them it is a special thing to wear the U on their helemt. That may come off sounding cheesy but it is true. The strength of the U is players like Santanna Moss, who were not highly recruited but played with a chip on their shoulder and were willing to outwork anyone else.

Miami needs a coach who will foster this strength but not let it keep the program from moving forward. Acknowledge the past, but make your own destiny in the record books. Unlike when Shannon took over, the cupboard is full of talent that is waiting for someone to take them to the next level. There's nothing we can do but wait. If I had to throw a name out there since it seems clear that Gruden will not become the coach, it is Dan Mullen. He knows the state, he knows offensive football, and he has finished with a better record than Miami this year with far less talent.

I hope Randy does well wherever he goes and he is still appreciated for all the years he put in, but as Tom Petty once said, it's leaving time.

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The Times They Are A-Changin'

More on Randy Shannon coming. Here is the statement he released:

I am proud of the last four years at the University of Miami and what we have been able to accomplish. I have a deep respect and appreciation for the young men who have played here during my tenure.

We established three winning seasons; continually improved in the Atlantic Coast Conference over the last four years; brought in strong recruiting classes; and just as importantly, made tremendous strides off the field with our academic progress rate and graduation success rate among the best nationally.

I believe that I leave the Hurricanes football program with a stronger foundation upon which they can continue to build. I thank President Shalala for the opportunity. Those that know my history know of my passion and dedication to the 'U', and only want success for this University moving forward.

--Randy Shannon

Before I write my big summation piece on the situation, I just want to say you will not find a better man in college football coaching anywhere. I am a passionate fan but nothing can change what Shannon has meant to the program at The U. I wanted Shannon to lead Miami to success on the field as bad as anyone. It's been two days and I still do not have a good handle on how I feel about everything. One thing I do know is that I am frustrated about why it came to this.

At least Andre Johnson knows how to let off some steam for the U's frustrations.



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Stylin' and Profilin'

Back at work today after my 3 day weekend down at The U. What a weekend, and not just from a football standpoint. The Canes got a 33-10 win over North Carolina and I got to see a lot of old friends, eat at all the old haunts, and threw (more than) a few back. The fairweather fans had flown after the F$U game, and Sun Life only sat 60% full. That didn't stop the ridiculous tailgate we had going, the local talent from being on full display, or our spirits from being dampened. If Miami plays with that kind of energy and passion the rest of the year, I don't care if it results in losses. Even the stoic Randy Shannon was body bumping players.

A 15 yard penalty for Shawn Spence riding Brandon Harris like a horsey and Orlando Franklin bringing his Ric Flair impression to the table was refreshing.


We are going to try to focus on college football this week, as we have slightly ignored it. Work is busy so who knows what we get to. I'll have to manage my timeouts better than Kirk Ferentz.

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10 Years Ago A Ball Sailed Right

Ten years ago today, one of college football's greatest rivalries added another epic chapter. I had the pleasure of being there on that hot Miami day in October 2000. I saw a lot of great games in the Old Orange Bowl; I saw wide rights and lefts, Kellen Winslow sky what seemed like 20 feet for a 4th and 11 pass, a comeback after being down 33-10 to Florida, Devin Hester being ridiculous, and so on. The game in 2000 though is still my all-time favorite.

Miami had climbed out of probation and was again fully stocked with NFL talent. Florida State was the number one team in the country. There were a lot seniors like Dan Morgan and Santana Moss that had suffered a 47-0 defeat a few years earlier at the hands of the Seminoles. The Orange Bowl was packed, the place was electric. One of the great things about the OB being an incredibly old stadium, along with all the bad things, was that the stadium would literally shake when a full house went crazy. I don't think I ever have heard a crowd as loud as when Jeremy Shockey caught the go-ahead TD pass from Ken Dorsey with 46 seconds left.



This weekend the rivalry again is renewed. Now not as much is on the line as 2000. Miami got the royal screwjob by the BCS computers and missed out on the national title game even though Florida State was behind them in the polls. Both teams have shown flashes of brilliance but fell short against top ten teams on the road. They do not play in the same division of the ACC but a win on Saturday gives them a big step forward in securing a place in the ACC title game. The key to the game will be Miami's defense, their D-line in particular, against Seminole QB Christian Ponder. Miami's defense has been revitalized on the strength of a punishing and deep D-line. Ponder has been a Cane killer so far in his career. He has gone for over 300 yards in his two games against Miami. Rick Petri, the returning Miami D-line coach has Miami turning up the pressure with the front four and making tackles in the backfield. With Miami once again getting pressure, it has lead to some turnovers which they have not been getting in the last few seasons. There is one catch though, Ponder can move around and scramble just like Pryor from Ohio State. If Miami hopes to keep the Florida State offense contained they must tackle Ponder before he scrambles away to make a throw or run upfield. It should be another great chapter in the history of these two schools and thankfully it has the Saturday night spotlight.

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It's the Friday of Fridays

To me it is another lifetime. January 3rd, 2003. I was a senior at the University of Miami. Myself and two friends drove from Coral Gables to Tempe Arizona for the BCS national championship game. We drove there in a Honda Civic. As I stood on the bench seats for the fateful 4th down play, dehydrated from the salt on the Tostitos chips they were handing out, I watched as the ball went incomplete and as I was being dragged to the ground by my friends and fellow fans my peripheral vision caught a yellow dot come from out the opposing endzone...

Days later, munching a soggy Whopper in Burger King with my then girlfriend and her father I vowed that I would never recover from this loss. It is the kind of silly promise you make to yourself when you are young and full of misguided purpose. How could we turn it over 5 times? Why did Taylor (RIP much love) take that pick out of the endzone and let Clarett strip him? How did Roscoe fumble that long pass? What happened to Willis' knee (answer: it exploded)? Why did the refs wrong us?

It is only years later I have come to grips with reality, the sports world at large, and this game. A 60-ton hammer called life is mostly responsible. You see, when I was at the U I lived a charmed life. Not to get bragadocious but I got poon on the reg, was in phenomenal shape, hung out with a group of teammates that were just as crazy and didn't give a shit just like me, did a bunch of stupid acts that should have resulted in myself getting arrested or seriously injured, gave no thought to the future only the present. In short, I had swagger. The type of U swagger that the school is loved or hated for now. I was in a sports utopia as well; not only were the Canes dominating in football, but out of nowhere the Patriots won the 2001 Super Bowl. I was feeling invicible.

As I look back now, the moments since I graduated to now have made me much more of a regular, thoughtful person. I still cheer for Miami with every molecule I have, but I don't have any illusions. I still apreciate the "old days" and have respect for what Miami did to college football in the 80s, and like to make swagger jokes and throw up the U. It is all in jest at myself and support the guys on the field though, I don't live by that credo and how could I? I didn't create it. The program went into a free-fall after that night in Tempe. I had my own issues to sort out as well and now as I stand here over 7 years out of college I like to think I can look at the world lucidly. Miami lost the national title game to Ohio State, plain and simple. I still steadfastly maintain the call by back judge Terry Porter was horrible and incorrect but I'm over the game. People who have heard me argue about why the call was so erroneous might raise an eyebrow about me not being bothered by the result of the game anymore but it is true. Only the call and people defending the call upset me. Just like if the pass interference was never called Ohio State fans would be upset over the call of Gamble's catch going out of bounds late in the 4th quarter. In summation game:lost, call:shitty and wrong.

This brings us to tomorrow. A game I have been waiting years for. When I say years, I don't mean the seven since the Fiesta Bowl. I mean the 2 or 3 since this game was announced. I don't think revenge can be exacted if the Canes pull off the upset. A lot of former players have been preaching that to the current players and some of the current players have said that in one form or another. Who am I to tell them different? The game means different things to different people. I just want Miami to win to have a landmark victory against one of the programs I dislike the most and to see if they can move forward into national contention again.

I will not get into chalk talk about this game. Both teams have been preparing for a long time for it and knows what the other one will try to do to win. The game will come down to who can impose their will in the trenches and who takes care of the ball better. I think at home, in possibly wet conditions (60% chance of rain last I heard) Ohio State gets it done. I want to see the Canes fight though, unlike their effort last year in Blacksburg, and prove they can compete on the same field as the Buckeyes. Next year, when Jacory Harris and the rest of the baby Canes are seniors I expect them to be in the title hunt, but that won't happen unless they step up this year.

Chasing revenge can be more damaging to you than your target. They say the best revenge is living well. Miami got screwed more in 2000 than 2002. They cannot go around college football skulking as Edmund Dantes anymore. It's time to leave the Canes of the mid-2000s behind and begin the new chapter, one that hopefully includes winning. Tomorrow as I watch the game with some fellow U-grads, I will drink I will curse, I will bitch about calls, I will get as worked up as I ever have about a sporting contest but after it is over I will not feel that revenge was either enacted or missed out on.




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If Ya Smellalalalalalalallowwwwww....

Pretty much have one focus this week. Some quick NFL predictions but other than that it is all about the Miami-Ohio State game. I would ask what the hell Dwayne "The Rock as I will always know him" Johnson is doing filming Fast and the Furious part 5 but who cares. The man could do The Tooth Fairy and 50 sequels and he would still be the man.

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It's Friday

It's also the Friday at the start of a Labor Day weekend so celebrate like the good University of Miami faithful at their 42-0 victory over FAMU last night and throw a douche with a ponytail down a section of stadium seats (see :14).

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Days of Wine and Rowing

Over at the Desonesto Doctrine, my friend Adam did an awesome write-up on what being a rower in college entailed. Adam was my teammate for two years and like me also coached after he graduated. You can check out his article HERE. As a bonus, he included some photos taken by a photography company at a few of our races. The above photo shows me in all my glory at the Avaya National Championship race in 2001. We got to race on the same course used in the 1996 Olympics. It's always fun to look back on the good ole days.

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Shockey and Powers

K-Swiss still hanging in there, or they owned by one of the sneaker conglomerates? The funny thing here is that which guy is a parody of the other? Mind. Blown.

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Extensions, Smart Thugs, Higher Expectations At The U

Randy Shannon recently received a four year extension as football coach at the University of Miami. We all know that college coaching contracts are barely worth the ink and paper used to construct them, but it serves more as a symbolic gesture that the administration approves of what the coach has done thus far. The commitment to Shannon is a reward for his work off the field of competition more than on it.

While Shannon took over a program in complete disarray and improved the program's wins in each of his three seasons from 5 to 7 to 9, there is a large contingent that wants him gone. While the main contingent of Miami fans is small in numbers compared to their larger public counterparts, it is no less forgiving. The school has 5 national titles under its belt in the past 30 years and there are those that think they should be in contention every year. Larry Coker did a great thing for the school, he steered the rudder on one of the greatest college football teams ever to a title. After that things fell apart, some of which was Coker's fault and some of which was not. Either way the Randy Shannon era began with a bare cupboard and a team rife with off the field incidents, an on the field brawl, and the murder of one of its star players.

While it is easy to point out the troublemakers Miami has produced during their historic rise to prominence in college football, there have been just as many if not more success stories within the program. Shannon is one of them. His experience as a kid from the bad part of town, who became a champion at Miami and a player and coach in the NFL has turned into a pipeline of recruiting that has the Canes poised to turn their fortunes around. When Randy came in he made it clear that the players would go to class and stay out of trouble. So far it has worked. The team has escaped the police blotter and was even recognized by the NCAA for its success in the classroom.

Yet with the perverse world we live in those accolades are seen as a negative to many. They believe the only way for Miami to be successful is to channel the brash behavior of teams of the past. This idea is not only asinine, it is impractical. The NCAA Football Committee is getting ready to put into effect a rule that would call back touchdowns for live ball taunting; times have changed. The "Swagger" the Canes became known for cannot be displayed in the same manner as in the 80s, early 90s and even from a decade ago. A lot of this desire comes from a peak at other rivals who are having football success. The big program in this picture are the Florida Gators. Florida has had almost 30 players arrested over the past four years but the results on the field overshadow everything. This has led to the false assumption that Miami needs to "thug it up" in order to vault ahead of Florida in the state once again. That could not be further from the truth. Shannon has collected great talent using his methods, there is no need for introducing a negative element. College football is not the wild west like it used to be, the media scrutiny and amount of money at stake have taken away that rebel attitude which Miami required to become a powerhouse. The closest thing to a rebel in college football is Boise State or Orrin Hatch.

The steps taken by Miami to clean up the program should be seen as positive. However, the bottom line is winning. Shannon has shown improvement but he still has a ways to go in actual game management and league titles. The revitalization of the Miami football program cannot be made unless they take control of the conference. The ACC has ironically been made into more of a joke after their expansion to 12 teams. Virginia Tech has been the lone school to boast success on a national stage and that still came without a title. Miami fans want to dream about reclaiming national titles but they need to start thinking inside the conference, hell inside their own division. Anything short of a trip to Charlotte for the ACC Championship will be a disappointment. Considering two road trips to Columbus and Pittsburgh in the first four weeks of the season, 2011 should be the target year for national title aspirations.

With the Hurricanes recently gaining the ficticious NFL pipeline crown as well as these new developments in the program, confidence is at a high it has not been at for a long time in Coral Gables. One thing Shannon detractors cannot deny is that he has brought in the talent and has the players conducting themselves the right way, the only missing piece is the hardest: a national title.

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EDSBS Talks With Uncle Luke

If you ever want to discuss the U in the 80s, Luther Campbell is the best and most candid source. Everyday Day Should Be Saturday interviews him in a must read. He expounds on Jerome Brown, the Butch Davis era, the next U documentary, coaching youth football, and his kids using "mouthpieces" instead of "pacifiers".

LUTHER CAMPBELL: THE EDSBS INTERVIEW [EDSBS]

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It's A Friday Photobombing

As we end the week and prepare to delve into a weekend that will culminate with the setting of the brackets, it is tmie to embrace a lofty tradition: photobombing popular sports icons with the throwing of the "U". We have our first example here on an unsuspecting Bobby Bowden:

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Perhaps it is not a grand accomplishment to get anything past ole Bobby nowadays but a fun moment nonetheless.

For the pièce de résistance, here is a young lass giving the U business to Tebow at the Super Bowl this year:

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Well done my lady. No word on whether Tebow charged $75 for the photo or not.

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Duke Does Not Respect The "Littleuns"

During the Blue Devils 81-74 victory over Miami tonight, dissension occured in the new Castle Rock, also known as the Bank United Center. While Jon Scheyer was attempting free-throws Coach K alerted the refs to a noise in the stands. It turns out it was a student blowing into a conch shell. The refs, ever eager to please the Rat King, removed the conch from the student's possession. It is this kind of blatant disregard for the order of the tribe that led to Piggy's downfall. Respect the conch people!



[UPDATE: Video of the incident!!!]

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I Did Not Watch The Pro Bowl

Even though the U was in full force.

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Excuse Me While I Rip This Guy: Team of the Decade

Through certain channels I learned that ESPN was still squeezing the college football orange after the end of the season up until signing day. This has led to a similar phenomenon around the interwebs of making decade lists in different categories for different sports. Pat Forde has chimed in on a variety of topics while looking back on the last ten years of college football. The one that caught my attention was his "single most dominant team of the decade" post. Upon hearing about this at the office I immediately began a plan in my head to attack his analysis and reasoning because he chose the 2004 USC Trojans over the 2001 Miami Hurricanes. While I had a myriad of things to do at work I decided to wait until I got home and then read Forde's article and then proceed to rip it in a tribute to FJM/Big Daddy Drew-Peter King style. However, when I got home and clicked on said post, the reasoning behind his choice was not very involved and neither were the remainder. It appears we have a classic mail-it-in job by Pat. A quick relevant topic that would provoke debate and remembrance among its readers but did not require any real thought. That's fine, but one of the glories of the internet is that irrelevant people can bitch on irrelevant blogs about inane ramblings of paid journalists who sometimes get lazy on the job. Fear not! I will press on and attempt to show that the best team we saw take the field in the aughts were the 2001 squad from the U. The analysis after the break.

The single most dominant team of the decade boils down to a two-squad debate: USC '04 or Miami '01.

Okay, I can get down with this.

The Hurricanes produced an astonishing amount of pro talent and stampeded to a perfect record

Also true.

but they also were slightly lessened by facing an underwhelming Nebraska team in the 2002 Rose Bowl.

How does them facing a Nebraska team that did not necessarily deserve to be there lessen who they were as a team? They did win that game right? Hmm, let me check: 37-14. Yeah was pretty much no contest. So Miami should be docked points because the BCS is stupid and illogical?

The Cornhuskers should never have been there after being humiliated by Colorado but got the nod anyway.

I cannot argue this point. Nebraska got drilled by Colorado for their lone loss. This lead to them losing a tiebreaker to get into the Big 12 title game. Texas from last year would agree that sometimes you don't get into the conference title game because of 5th level tiebreakers. There was no other undefeated team. A one-loss Oregon team were who many thought should be there, but we can't turn back the clock and by all means Oregon could have pulled an upset but they were not superior to the team Miami fielded.

USC '04, meanwhile, stamped its final mark by annihilating undefeated Oklahoma, 55-19, in the 2005 Orange Bowl.

Anyone who watched that game, much like the Miami Rose Bowl could see that the opponent was not in the league of the victor. Must I really rehash Oklahoma's recent BCS bowl history aside from their 2000 title(an Orange Bowl in which they really should have played[and most likely would have lost to] the Hurricanes who beat FSU 13-2 that year but got the nod which led to a change in the BCS formula). In 2004 Oklahoma was not the only undefeated title contender. The Auburn Tigers went undefeated, in the SEC, and were denied a chance to play USC. Maybe USC would have not won by such a big margin, or at all, because SEC SPEED IS BLINDING FAST OMGWTFBBQ!!!11one. See it works both ways, every BCS year you can point to who the champion should have or could have played to win the title.

This was the best Trojans team from the best program of the decade.

I concede the Trojans had the program of the decade, no argument from me there and 2004 might have been their best team but this is determining which team is the best of the decade, not the best of the best program. We all know Miami has sank in stature during this decade, but in 2001 they were the elite of the sport.

The Trojans became just the second wire-to-wire No. 1 team in the AP poll (Florida State did it in 1999), finishing it off with that absolute crushing of the Sooners.

Are we really using this as evidence? Preseason polls! USC was voted number one and stayed there because they did not lose. Miami started number two behind Florida, who would lose twice. Miami had slapped the Gators 37-20 around in the Sugar Bowl the previous season yet voters somehow voted Florida higher in that preseason. How can this be criteria for deciding which team is better?

The score was 38-10 at halftime for a USC team that combined dazzling offense (Matt Leinart, Reggie Bush, LenDale White, Dwayne Jarrett, Steve Smith, Ryan Kalil, Deuce Lutui) and brutal defense (Lawrence Jackson, Mike Patterson, Shaun Cody, Lofa Tatupu).

Using words like dazzling is a fabulous way to accentuate your argument or a 6th grade book report on the Twilight Series.

Andre Johnson, Jeremy Shockey, Clinton Portis, Bryant McKinnie, Vince Wilfork, D.J. Williams, Jonathan Vilma, Ed Reed … those are just some of the future NFL stars who populated this Hurricanes roster.

Yeah, they are just some. 16 players from that team ended up being drafted in the first-round of the NFL draft, including 5 from in the subsequent 2002 NFL draft. I know pro drafting spots and to an extent pro performance is not the ultimate indicator of a team's greatness on the college football field, but in this category Miami wins over USC hands down.

The surprise is not that the Hurricanes stomped their way through the season undefeated -- it's that they were prevented the next year from repeating.

You had to throw this in there didn't you? What a stupid thing to say. It has nothing to do with the 2001 team that the 2002 team was not awarded the 2002 BCS title. The 2002 Hurricanes were very talented but they did not have the same roster(no Portis, McKinnie, Shockey, Rumph, Buchanon, OR ED REED) and we will not venture down he road of the interference call again.

How come at the end of the USC description you did not say "The surprise is not that the Trojans stomped their way through the season undefeated-- it's that they were prevented the next year from repeating."

Sound familiar no? The 2005 Trojans ran to the title game following their 2004 season but lost to Vince Young and Texas with Leinart and Bush. Yep, they failed too. Why no mention of that?

All in all, both teams are great but if you are going to put one above the other you need to come up with better reasons that one team played a certain team in the title game and one team was not ranked number 1 at the beginning of the season.

Now to some stats:

-Miami scored 42.6 ppg, allowed 9.75 ppg, 32.9 avg. margin of victory, NCAA record for consecutive margin of victory over ranked opponents -- they beat #14 Syracuse 59-0 and then #12 Washington 65-7. 6 All-Americans.

-USC scored 38.2 ppg, allowed 13.0 ppg, 25.0 avg. margin of victory, Matt Leinart won the Heisman, 6 All-Americans.

-Miami beat 5 ranked opponents, USC 3.

-The draft info has been mentioned but just to reiterate:
Miami has 14 stars from that team still in the league. Back-ups from that team were Kellen Winslow, Sean Taylor(RIP), Antrel Rolle, and Vernon Carey.

USC has an impressive list as well (53 players that were on that roster are now in the NFL) including Keith Rivers, Steve Smith, Bush, Lofa Tutupu, Fred Davis, Ryan Kalil, Winston Justice and LenDale White. However some of them were not as high profile in the league for their play like Leinart, John David Booty and Matt Cassell(both never really played in 2004), Dwayne Jarrett, and the infamous Mike Williams.

Before the 2005 Trojans lost to Texas in the Rose Bowl ESPN held an online poll about the best college football teams of all-time; only the 2001 Hurricanes were voted ahead of USC. Pat Forde may have a history of bashing the Canes and this may have just been a 5 minute article throw away, but it does not make him any less wrong in my view and those that agree with me. The 2001 Hurricanes were the best ever. I'll end it by letting them say it in their own words:

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Positive Season Ends In A Thud

Before the college football season began, there was cautious optimism about the Miami Hurricanes. Reticent hope of a fruitful season. An upturned eyebrow of speculation over a tough schedule. In my season preview for my Hurriances, a team that delights, shames, and infuriates me all at once, I predicted an 8-4 record and a Gator Bowl appearance. I got the losses right and they would have been in the Gator Bowl if not for the Bobby Bowden farewell-dang gum-aww shoot tour. Of course that record was going into the bowl so the Canes were actually one better at 9-3 going into that game last night. Then Miami threw up all over themselves. A 20-14 loss to a Wisconsin team that was playing the Big Ten brand of football that led the conference to a 1-6 record in bowl games last year has put a sour taste on the end of a season that met, if not exceeded expectations, and threw a wet blanket on any high preseason rankings for next year.

After the first two wins of the season, the trumpets were blaring declaring Miami was 'back'. Jacory Harris was getting insane hype after only two good games. A reality check at Virginia Tech toned it down somewhat. The Canes battled back like I hoped they would against Oklahoma. Sitting at 3-1 with the prospect of being favored in their remaining games produced images of BCS bowls dancing in Miami fans' heads. However inconsitency and mistakes cost them two more games against Clemson C.J. Spiller and North Carolina.

Through the whole season up until their previous game against South Florida, a realistic Canes fan was happy with how the season turned out and eager to get to next season. The dud they laid last night washed all of that away. The big kick return to open the game seemed to a sign that Miami was all in for the game. Fifty-nine minutes later all you could do was shake your head. Wisconsin did a tremendous job with their gameplan: run the ball, dominate both lines, pass away from the Miami corners, and avoid miscues. The miscues is a bit misleading considering Wisconsin lost two fumbles, but Miami did not do anything with it.

All that is left are these facts for Miami fans:

Randy Shannon is 0-2 in bowl games and in both cases the team was ill-prepared, out-0coached and played flat.

Jacory Harris may have had a sweet fade, but he has a long way to go before he is considered a great college QB. Don't get me wrong I like him as a player and a personality but he has to limit his mistakes and continue to grow.

Sweet fancy Moses that field was attrocious last night. Cooper getting injured hurts about as much as the loss. [Update: he might be out until 2011, cripes.] Big thumbs down to the Champ bowl for allowing that condition of field.

The offensive line is downright bad. Does Art Kehoe need to come back? Jason Fox did not play and he will not be back next year. The line will have to prove it can pass protect and run block against a physical D-line next year for the team to be legit.

In total a season that was better than expected ended with a huge letdown. The canes have a lot to figure out in the offseason and they better because they travel to Columbus on September 11th.

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A Festivus For The College Football Fan In Us.

Over at College Game Balls they have presented an airing of greivances forum for the college football fan. It is a good time to get frustration of your chest, particularly about all the ways your own team dissapointed you this season. I came up with my list for my Miami Hurricanes while dancing around the aluminum poll. Here is what I came up with:

Jacory Harris: J-12 you made some nice plays this year and it is good to have a competent QB again. But do you realize you can throw the ball away right? You don’t have to lob meatballs down the field if everyone is covered and just hope one of your athletic receivers comes down with it. 17 picks, DO NOT WANT NEXT YEAR.

MSM and CFB fans: You realize that the documentary of the U was past tense right? Shannon may have been the bag man but that was 20 years ago when CFB as a whole was completely different. /Points you attention to Florida’s 27 arrests over past 3 years and 251 traffic violations.

Clemson: Seriously go fuck yourselves. We all know you have some good wins coupled in with horrible losses every year, thanks for picking that day in Miami to go off.

Miami special teams coach Joe Pannunzio: Nice decision kicking to Spiller, really nice job there. Ever heard of a squib kick? Oh that’s right you messed that up against F$U.

North Carolina: You guys just have our number what can I say. Guess that really isn’t a greivance.

Ohio State: Grats on another BCS bowl, so richly deserved. I hope you sent Terry Porter his annual gift/check.

USC: Our dynasty ‘83-’91 > than yours ‘03-now.

Florida: Put us on your schedule you bastards. I know it generates so much money playing the Citadel every year. It’s funny you guys would be rolling us for like 5 years straight if you hadn’t cut off the series.

Notre Dame: Speaking of scheduling, you guys back out of renewing our series with a home and home. Word to the wise, look at the history of Catholicism and dare to call us criminals.

The school’s administration: You all looked like a bunch of political pansies for blackballing the U and its makers. The documentary sheds light, again, on events that took place two decades ago. It is part of the school’s past for better or worse and gave national attention to the school so quit acting like you’re above it.

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They Call Him Ray Ray

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Larry Coker Returns to College Football

Larry Coker is making his return to college coaching at the University of Texas at San Antonio. He is not inheriting a program of tradition and championships, he is building a program from scratch. UT-San Antonio will begin playing FCS football in 2011 with hopes to move on to FBS a few years after that. The Roadrunners have brought back Coker to coaching in the hopes he will ignite college football in a big city in a state where football is king. Coker and San Antonio hope that he can rekindle that magic he had for a few years in Coral Gables.

Coker had been a lifetime assistant at schools like Oklahoma, Ohio State, and was the offensive coordinator at Miami under Butch Davis. When Davis left for the Cleveland Browns following the 2000 season, the players lobbied for Coker to get the job. At that point how could the administration argue with the players' desires? The 2001 Hurricane team is regarded by many as the best college football team of all time. Coker led the Canes to an undefeated season and national championship. He went 31-1 to start his head coaching career. It started to go downhill from there however. The recruiting slipped, losses mounted, and Coker began to feel the heat. In his final season, 2006, the Canes lossed defensive player Bryan Pata to murder and had an on-the-field brawl with FIU. The brawl is one of the first things people point to when they accuse the U of being "thugs". Coker was fired after the final game of the regular season after amassing a 60-15 record (that's an .800 win percentage).

I firmly believe that Coker got a bad shake of things. Current head coach Randy Shannon was the defensive coordinator on the team but the problem was with the offense. Coker never found a suitable replacement for himself, and the Miami offense turned anemic. Shannon was drowning in the same predicament until he hired Mark Whipple in the offseason. The Canes offense has seen a resurgence so far this year. It is hard to gauge how Coker is remembered by the Miami faithful. He should be remembered for guiding the ship to success after Butch Davis fled. Yet most will see him as the coach who let Miami slip into mediocrity in the middle part of this decade.

When I was at Miami and waiting on line for tickets to the 2003 Fiesta Bowl Coker came by and thanked the fans and provided pizza for us who were waiting in the rain. No one ever doubted Coker as a person and that will be a big strength for him as he builds the program. I will be rooting for the Roadrunners when they start their program up in 2011.

The hiring of Coker is similar to what Georgia State is doing with their start-up football team. They begin play next year with NFL and college coaching veteran Bill Curry at the helm. What better way to introduce football to these big urban areas than by bringing in a coach with the experience and credentials to succeed. Many more programs are entering the football fray in these instances, like Charlotte who will begin their college football in 2013. The addition of these big names might bring along bigger expectations from teams that are coming out of nowhere, but Jim Leavitt has been able to bring South Florida out of obscurity to rankings in the polls so the future may be coming quick.

Coker, Who Won It All at Miami, Starts Over With Nothing [NYT]

H/T TBL

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