Monday, December 30, 2013

Final Report Card and MVPs for 2013 Season

Here are the final grades for the 2013 season.

Offense: C-
Defense: D+
Special Teams: C

Now for my team MVPs

On offense, it's gotta be Duke Johnson. Before getting hurt in the FSU game, this guy was our big play threat and one that opponents feared. He was well on his way to a possible 1,500 yard season before getting hurt @FSU. Next year, a healthy Duke, could be a darkhorse Heisman contender.

On Defense, its tri-MVPs, Denzel Perryman. 106 tackles, 5 of them for a total loss of 15 yards. Shayon Green with 68 tackles, a team 10.5 of those for a total loss of 30 yards. Tracy Howard with a team leading 4 INTs.

Well, in the end, it was a rollercoaster ride of ups (7-0 start, #7 in the country), and downs (2-4 down the stretch). 

Sunday, December 29, 2013

Report Card vs Louisville (Russell Athletic Bowl - Orlando)

When the matchup first came out, we knew going in that this was a very good Louisville Team we would be facing in the Citrus Bowl. Defensively, this was a Top 10 Defense in the country we were going to be facing here. They won't beat themselves. I thought one of the keys going in was to try and force some mistakes

For all the storylines going in: Teddy vs UM. The QB we have in Morris vs the one we could have had if Golden had not told him to take a hike when he told he wasn't being promised the starting job like Randy did. We could have had Teddy, Eli, and a couple of others we let get away to Louisville.

What I saw last night was nothing like the Miami Hurricanes I used to know. What I saw in Louisville was the CANES of yesteryear when we would dominate every opponent and beat every opponent down.

The performance Teddy had last night was a microcosm of how this Defense has been a failure on Mark D'Onofrio's watch and why many people believe that Teddy will be possibly the #1 pick in May's NFL Draft. He went 35-45 447 yards, 3 TDs, 0 INTs. He surgically picked apart our secondary. If there was a bright spot with the D, its the fact that we held their running game to 107 yards total. The bad news was that we once again allowed over 500 yards total offense (551 to be exact). They scored on 8 of their 11 possessions. They were 8-14 on 3rd Downs, including 6-8 in the 2nd half (75%).

As for Louisville's D, they are the real deal. They swarmed, they pressured Stephen all night, they sacked him 4 times for a total loss of 39 yards. He did go 12-27 160 yards, 0 TDs, 0 INTs. We went three and out 5 times. Our offense was 0-for-11 on 3rd Downs,

I was very disappointed in the Offensive Line's lack of protection for Stephen. They looked lost, confused, and not knowing who to block at times. It was like a Chinese Fire Drill. Utterly disappointed in the O-Line, and that's on Kehoe, whom I've been one of his biggest supporters, but not last night.

Now to the Report Card:
Offense - F (174 yards total offense the whole night, and only 14 yards rushing)
Defense - F (554 yards total offense allowed, could not get stops on 3rd Downs, allowed Teddy to pick it apart all night).
Special Teams - D (Really, one of the few bright spots from Last night, our first points of the game was on Patty O's Punt downed at the 1, which leads to Deon's safety a few plays later. We only had their punter punt just once the whole night).

If you listen to Golden after the game, you can tell how disappointed he was on last night's performance. Listen to Golden's answer at the 6:14 mark. Here's what I take from it, there are going to be changes made in the off-season, make no mistake about it. Also, listen to his answer at the 10:50 mark on that.


He also mentioned there is no timetable for us to be back as a National Power. That to me is a little disturbing. As I said the other night, the #CANES are at a crossroads. Which way do we go from here? That's going to be one of the questions that MUST get answered between now and Spring Practice in March.

Win or Lose, I still stand behind the U.

Monday, December 9, 2013

CANE Bowl Opponent: Louisville

Its official, we will be facing the Louisville Cardinals in the Russell Athletic Bowl in Orlando on December 28th.

Here's a comparison of each opponent by the numbers: 

CANES Total O vs Louisville Total D
446.8 (39th) vs. 257.9 (2nd)
Louisville Total O vs CANES Total D
453.1 ypg (34th) vs. 415.8 (76th)

CANES Scoring O vs Louisville Scoring D
35.9 ppg (24th) vs 12.4 ppg (3rd)
Louisville Scoring O vs CANES Scoring D
35.1 ppg (29th) vs 26 ppg (58th)

CANES Rushing O vs Louisville Rushing D
172.5 ypg (63rd) vs. 86.3 ypg allowed (2nd)
Louisville Rushing O vs CANES Rushing D
150.2 ypg (80th) vs. 182.3 ypg allowed (81st)

CANES Pass O vs Louisville Pass D
274.3 ypg (29th) vs. 171.7 ypg allowed (8th)
Louisville Pass O vs CANES Pass D
302.9 ypg (18th) vs 233.4 ypg allowed (71st)

CANES 3rd Downs vs Louisville 3rd Down D
56-148 [38%](T-85th) vs. 46-161 [29%] (2nd)
Louisville 3rd Downs vs CANES 3rd Down D
90-161 [56%] (2nd) vs 75-184 [41%](75th)

CANES Pass Efficiency vs Louisville Pass Efficiency D
152.67 (20th) vs. 99.55 (5th)
Louisville Pass Efficiency vs CANES Pass Efficiency D
170.64 (4th) vs. 119.19 (34th)

CANES Sacks vs Louisville Sacks Allowed
28-173 [2.33 pg](T-39th) vs. 25-184 [2.08 pg allowed](T-67th)
Louisville Sacks vs CANES Sacks Allowed
39-271 [3.25 pg] (T-1st) vs 13-108 [1.08 pg allowed](T-14th)

CANES RZ O vs Louisville RZ D
43-52 [83%](T-59th) vs. 25-35 [71%](8th)
Louisville RZ O vs CANE RZ D
47-53 [89%](23rd) vs 20-37 [82%](T-51st)

CANES TFL vs Louisville TFL Allowed
59-243 [4.9 pg](109th) vs 70-287 [5.83 pg allowed](T-57th)
Louisville TFL vs CANES TFL Allowed
94-410 [7.8 pg](9th) vs. 57-236 [4.75 pg allowed](T-25th)

CANES KR vs Louisville KR D
51-1282 1 TD [25.14 ypr](8th) vs 59-1317 [22.32 ypr allowed](88th)
Louisville KR vs CANES KR D
26-603 1 TD [23.19 ypr](28th) vs 40-800 [20 ypr allowed](38th)

CANES PR vs Louisville PR D
27-305 1 TD [11.3 ypr](T-29th) vs. 13-15 [1.15 ypr allowed](2nd)
Louisville PR vs CANES PR D
27-206 1 TD [7.63 ypr](70th) vs. 16-196 [12.25 ypr allowed)(108th)

Net Punting
CANES 38.92 NET (24th)
Louisville 37.25 NET (52nd)

Turnovers Lost vs Turnovers Gained
CANES vs Louisville
21 TO's Lost (14 INTs, 7 Fumbles Lost)(T-68th) vs. 26 TO's Gained (16 Picks, 10 Fumbles Rec.)(T-19th)
Louisville vs CANES
10 TO's lost (4 INTs {2nd Fewest}, 6 Fumbles Lost)(2nd) vs. 27 TO's Gained (18 Picks, 9 Fumbles Rec.)(T-13th)

Turnover Margin
Louisville +16 {1.3 avg} (2nd)
CANES +6 {.5 avg} (T-29th)

1st Down O vs 1st Down D
CANES vs Louisville
233 yards total (T-88th) vs 169 yards allowed (Leads Nation)
Louisville vs CANES
276 yards total (40th) vs 259 yards allowed (T-77th)

Completion %
Louisville 276-394 (70%)(3rd)
CANES 214-357 (60%)(57th)

Time of Possession
Louisville {33:00 pg}(6th)
CANES {26:00 pg}(118th)

Bottom Line, when you break it down. This is a very very good Louisville Team we will be facing in the Citrus Bowl on December 28th. Defensively, this is a Top 10 Defense in the country we're going to be facing here. They won't beat themselves, so if we force some mistakes and looking at the numbers, they don't make many, we'd better take advantage because this is a team in Louisville that forces a lot of turnovers.

For all the storylines going in: Teddy vs UM. The QB we have in Morris vs the one we could have had if Golden had not told him to take a hike when he told he wasn't being promised the starting job like Randy did. We could have had Teddy, Eli, and a couple of others we let get away to Louisville.

Anyway, it's going to be a nice matchup here and we'll see what happens. 

Saturday, November 30, 2013

Report Card and Game Balls @Pittsburgh

Here's my report card and Game Balls to give out for yesterday's regular season finale win @Pittsburgh

Special Teams wise, we force a turnover on the opening kickoff, when Patty forces a fumble and we score 3 plays later. Of our 4 penalties yesterday, just one on this unit, (the block in the back on Walter in the 1st quarter on a Kick Return by Jamal). Matty had a solid game yesterday with 2 FGs (one from 29 in the 1st, and the other from 39 in the 4th). Another solid return game with 92 yards of total return, like last game, all on KR's. What a game from Patty overall. it was rock solid with 3 of his 4 punts being inside the 20 and zero touch-backs. On Kickoffs, he was good there. The Kick Return Defense in my opinion, regressed yesterday, allowing 176 yards of returns (all on KR's). Garrett Kidd had a very good game, recovering a fumble and making a tackle. We started drives on Average from our own 30 and Pitt started drives from their own 25, which is still ok, but we could still do better pushing the average back a little more.   Grade: B

Offensively, we were outstanding. we had 476 yards of total offense. 296 yards passing 180 yards rushing. The big games here on the ground came from Stacy and Gus the Bus with 73 and 64 yards respectively. We had contributions from Dallas and Eduardo. We had a big and historic game out of Hurns here having 173 yards on 9 catches and finished the regular season with 1,183 yards, the first since Andre Johnson in 2002 to go over the 1,000 yard mark for receiving in a season. Stacy had a big game as well with 73 yards receiving on 3 catches, and 2 TDs. Very solid game from Stephen here going 17-28 296 yards, 3 TD, but the big numbers are 0 INT and wasn't sacked at all. However, that said, we still need to be better and clean up those silly mistakes. Of the 4 penalties yesterday, 3 were on the offense (Two false starts (one on Ereck, and the other on Stacy), and the holding call on Danny). What a job by the OL, not allowing a sack in this game and giving Morris time in the pocket to throw and opening holes in the running game. Bottom line, ok, but this type of performance won't cut it in a bowl game vs a very good opponent, and especially not going 4-11 (36%) on 3rd Down conversions. Need to do a better job on 3rd down conversions. Grade: B+

Defensively, we forced a turnover (Pick). The pick was by Artie. However, we did allow 501 yards of total offense to a so-so Pitt team, and we allowed another 100 yard rushing game from an individual standpoint (Bennett with 141 yards on 21 carries and 1 TD). In the 1st half, we allowed 104 yards rushing, and 109 passing. At times we made Tom Savage look like a Heisman candidate. In the 2nd half, we allowed 116 yards rushing, and 174 yards passing (147 yards alone in the 4th Quarter). It did step up and make the plays that had to be made. I seem like a broken record here, but again, lack of a pass rush reared its ugly head as we only had 1 sack, their receivers had nice games as a team (Boyd had 98 yards on 9 receptions, and a TD). Pitt on 3rd downs were 6-14 (43%). We did better on 3rd down Defense, but we can do better there. However, we forced Pitt into 3 three and outs. The good part here was that of the 4 penalties we had in this game, none were on the D. We still allowed a little too many X-Plays yesterday (namely the 45 yarder by Bennett on Pitt's first TD). Again, against a good team that we'll face in a bowl game (likely either Louisville in Orlando, or an SEC team in Atlanta [Texas A & M or LSU], those types of errors come back to bite you. Still a work in progress here. Grade: C-

Now, to Game Balls. This week, I'm going to give out four game balls. 
  1. Garrett Kidd - 2 tackles, 1 fumble recovery
  2. Pat O'Donnell - 4 punts, 3 inside the 20, no touchbacks. 1 FF.  
  3. Allen Hurns - 9 receptions, 173 yards (1,000 yard season, just the 4th in CANES history to do that)
  4. Stacy Coley - 171 all-purpose yards, 3 TDs (73 rushing, 73 receiving, 25 KR yards).
  5. Stephen Morris - 17-28 296 yards, 3 TDs, 0 INTs, sacked 0 times. 
Overall, we got the big lead, but we again got sloppy. In the end, we again kept grinding and got it done. That being said, again there were still some ME's (Mental Errors), that still need to be fixed, namely the penalties, which are still issues that have to be fixed. We don't know when our next game is. That will depend on what happens today (Saturday 11/30) in both Chapel Hill and Charlottesville. Regardless, it'll be nice to have the 15 extra practices this year and not have our season end too soon. We'll see what happens and GO CANES!

Wednesday, November 27, 2013

My take on Beckham's new stadium in Miami and what it means for UM

The following is per the Herald on the new MLS Stadium in Miami and my take on it

The following is from Alyce Robertson, chief executive of Miami’s Downtown Development Authority, who said and I quote in reference to a stadium at the Port of Miami:

“If we think in a traditional manner, then there’s going to be some challenges on the transportation,” This was in reference to the cars that people are used to taking in for games. Robertson added that you can walk and take the Metromover to Heat games. 

The questions on whether UM should get in with Beckham on sharing a new stadium are these:
  1. Gameday Traffic - Now, picture Game Day vs FSU, and you have 45-50K fans for a Noon game. You have a potential for a nightmare as some on Twitter have mentioned already, especially the Saturday Morning cruise ship arrivals at the Port of Miami. If I'm Donna, one of the questions I'm asking myself: "Is it worth it? "
  2. Parking - According to the City officials, "limited parking" could be built underground, like the AAA. Another question, UM officials would have to ask here: How much more parking space would be available? How much parking would be set aside for Hurricane Club donors? Would tailgating be allowed at the lots? If you believe Deputy Mayor Chip Iglesias,  he says that "some fans could park in the same Biscayne Boulevard lots they use for Heat games and then walk over the bridge to the port." 
  3. Capacity - Now Iglesias thinks that 25 acres could be available, enough for a 25,000-seat stadium with expandable seating for various events. My thinking on the various events would be yes, that stadium could be expanded for UM football, if we join in with Beckham and his group. The question, I would be asking if I were Donna is how much expansion could work at the new stadium? I would believe 35K for UM football?, with expansion to 45-50K for big games like FSU. Also, he says that there would be a  mega-yacht marina and perhaps a waterfront promenade. Another question would have to be asked here too. How much boat parking would be available on gameday?
  4. Mass Transit - I'll go back to Alyce Robertson's quote and believe that for this to work, Tri-Rail needs to have more trains for Night games in the new stadium going back to Broward and Palm Beach. This has to be an effort with BCT and Palm Tran in order for this to happen. MDT can make this work without question. 

If I'm Donna, those are a few things I would be asking Beckham and his group if I'm going to have UM join in. 


Feel free to chime in on this. What are your thoughts? Should we (CANES), join Beckham in his new stadium? 

Sunday, November 24, 2013

Report Card and Game Balls vs UVa

Here's my report card and Game Balls to give out vs Virginia. 

We set the tone with the pick 6 by Tracy 6 seconds into the game. Virginia hung around because of two things:

  • They were 11-20 (55%) on 3rd downs
  • A balanced offense (243 rushing, 240 passing)

Offensively, we had 304 yards of total offense. 214 yards passing, but just 90 rushing. Dallas Crawford had a decent game with just 55 yards on 16 carries, but 2 big TDs. We had a big game out of Hurns here having 126 yards on 6 catches, with 1 TD. Stacy had a big game as well with 81 yards receiving on 5 catches, with a TD. Decent game from Stephen here going 13-26 214 yards, 2 TD, 1 INT. However, that said, we still need to be better and clean up those silly mistakes. Of the 7 penalties yesterday for 70 yards, 2 were on the offense (Both on Brandon, one for holding and the other was a false start). The OL did allow a sack in this game. Bottom line, ok, but this type of performance won't cut it in a bowl game vs a very good opponent, and especially not going 5-14 (36%) on 3rd Down conversions. This unit, especially Stephen, has to play better if we are to win. Grade: C

Defensively, we forced 4 turnovers (1 FF and 3 Picks). The FF was the TD by David. We allowed 483 yards of total offense to a very bad UVa team, and we allowed a 100 yard rushing game from an individual standpoint (Parks with 130 yards on 26 carries and 1 TD). In the 1st half, we allowed 208 yards rushing, but 32 passing and their QBs were gashing our defense. However, In the 2nd half, we allowed just 45 yards rushing, but 218 yards passing. It did step up and make the plays that had to be made. Something that's been disturbing all year, lack of a pass rush. We only had 1 sack, their receivers had nice games as a team. UVa on 3rd downs were 11-20 (55%). However, we forced UVa into 4 three and outs. Of the 7 penalties we had in this game, 3 were on the D (One on Rayshawn for the Targeting, PF on Luther, and a Roughing the Passer call on David). We did allowed a little too many X-Plays yesterday, and if it weren't for the fact that the Cavaliers committed 10 penalties yesterday and were -2 in TO Margin, they maybe win yesterday. Against a good team that we'll face in a bowl game, those types of errors come back to bite you. there were some ME's here as well that need to get fixed before the Pitt game on Friday in a short week. Grade: C

Special Teams wise, of our 7 penalties yesterday, just one on this unit, (the hold on Ronald Ragula in the 1st quarter on a return). Matty had a FG in the 3rd from 33. Another solid return game with 60 yards of total return, all on KR's. What a game from Patty overall. After the long return allowed, it was rock solid with 5 of his 7 punts being inside the 20 and zero touch-backs. On Kickoffs, he was rock solid with all 6 of the 8 KO's he had being Touchbacks. The Return Defense was a little off yesterday. UVa had just 80 yards of returns (41 on KR's, and 39 on PR's). We started drives on Average from our own 35 and UVa started drives from their own 26, which is ok, but we could do better pushing the average back a little more. We have one more game to get this improved. Overall, very good, but need to clean up the penalties here. Grade: B-

Now, to Game Balls. This week, I'm going to give out four game balls. 
  1. Pat O'Donnell - 7 punts, 5 inside the 20, no touchbacks. 8 kickoffs, 6 touchbacks.  
  2. Allen Hurns - 6 receptions, 126 yards, 1 TD.   
  3. Stacy Coley - 5 receptions, 81 yards, TD, 2 KRs, 50 yards. 131 all-purpose yards.  
  4. The 2013 Senior class - Thank you for staying around when the times were very bleak. You are the foundation for future classes to measure up against. 
Overall, I felt we were sloppy, however, we again kept grinding and got it done in the end. That being said, there were still some ME's (Mental Errors), that still need to be fixed, namely the penalties, which are still issues that have to be fixed. I'm glad we finally got the UVa monkey off our backs on Senior Day. The penalties are still a problem, and still a little bit too many of those for my liking. Nice to get back on the winning track here. Let's finish strong on a short week vs Pitt on Friday at 3:30 up at Heinz Field in Pittsburgh and will be seen on ABC. GO CANES and Happy Thanksgiving to one and all! 

Sunday, November 17, 2013

Report Card @ Duke

Just when I thought it couldn't get any worse, yesterday's performance up in Durham proved me wrong. This is definitely the low point of the Golden era to date. I will dare say, yesterday's performance, to me, rivals that of the 48-0 OB finale in 2007 vs Virginia (by the way, our opponent this week in the Home finale at Noon on ESPNU). Like last week, we score first on Matty's FG, then we stop Duke on the next drive and force a punt, and after Stacy takes a punt back to the house to make it 10-0, we had a real chance to bust this game wide open on Stacy's PR, however, give Duke credit, they responded with the first of 4 Brandon Connette Rushing TD to make it 10-7.

Next drive, Stephen drives us down the field and we finish with 7 on that drive on the TD pass to Herbie. Its 17-7 at that point and I thought to myself, ok, now we're going to blow this sucker wide open. 

However, the mistakes started to come in the 2nd quarter. The pick by Stephen on the tipped ball that was intended for Herbie there, started to turn the game in their favor because 6 plays later, they make us pay for that mistake with the Powell TD, and instead of possibly 24-7 us, its 17-14 us (14 point swing, and mo was on their side at that point). We did stem the tide a bit with Matty's second FG of the day to make it 20-14. Next drive, Duke would get the lead, 21-20, on a 10 play drive, in which they converted on three 3rd downs, all of them short yardage situations, capping with Connette's 2nd of 4 TDs on the day rushing. You can tell that that TD that gave Duke the lead really took the wind out of our sails there because they got the ball first to start the 2nd half and the D really started to fall apart from there. 

Yesterday, like the three weeks, was a very poor excuse of a defense. What I saw again from Mark D'Onofrio's scheme was utterly embarrassing and completely inexcusable. 543 yards allowed (291 yards allowed in the 2nd half, same as last week vs VT. Boone goes 20-27 in the 2nd half for 183 yards, same amount of yards Thomas had against us last week) Of those 543 yards allowed, 358 of those were on the ground and 185 by both Boone and Connette combined passing. We didn't win the TO battle again yesterday (-1) and when you don't win the Turnover Battle, you're not going to win many games. However, yesterday was no excuse not to beat a team you should beat in your sleep 9 out of 10 times. This loss is squarely on the Defense. Duke started their drives from their own 31 on Average, and we started our drives from our own 18 on average. Not going to win many games that way when you have poor field position to start with. 

We had no Three and Outs, which is good, however, we had three 4 and outs, and the fourth was one where we went for it and lost the ball on downs. We did force Duke to have three 3 and outs. The Time of Possession wasn't that big a deal in this game, however, what really showed the ineptness of our defense under D'Onofrio was the fact that in spite of not allowing Duke to convert on 3rd down in the 2nd half (0-6), they were 5-13 overall, on 4th down, we couldn't stop them in those two big spots. On the other hand in those same situations, we were 5-15 in those spots and just 1-7 in the 2nd half. 

I'm going to give the report card and its going again be very simple. 

Offense: C+
Defense: F
Special Teams: C

I don't know where we are right now, but once again, we've gagged away a shot to go to Charlotte to face FSU. Make no mistake, and if you believe Joe Zagaski this morning when he said that Golden will make major changes in the off-season, I tend to believe it. Heads are going to roll from this fiasco in Durham yesterday, that's for damn sure. If we have some pride left, I'd better see it vs UVa on Saturday in the home finale. That team has beaten us three straight years and we need to get back on track very quickly up at home on Saturday at Noon on ESPNU.

Tip of the cap to David Cutcliffe. What an amazing job he's done to turn that program around in Durham. If they get to Charlotte, FSU will have all it could handle from them. Yes, FSU will still win that game, but if they think they're going to steamroll the Blue Devils in Charlotte, they have another thing coming. That's all for this week. 

Monday, November 11, 2013

CANES @ Duke by the Numbers

With back to back losses to FSU and VT, we need to get back on the winning track, with the focus now turning to a trip to Durham, NC on Saturday Afternoon at 3:30 p.m. on ESPNU vs Duke, which is coming off a win vs NC State last week at home. Here's the breakdown by the numbers:

Total O vs Total D
CANES Total O vs Duke Total D
446.3 ypg (41st) vs 386.8 ypg allowed (57th) 

Duke Total O vs CANES Total D
409.3 (64th) vs 384.7 ypg allowed (54th)

Scoring O vs Scoring D
CANES Scoring O vs Duke Scoring D
35 ppg (32nd) vs. 22.2 ppg allowed (33rd)

Duke Scoring O vs CANES Scoring D
33.4 ppg (42nd) vs 23 ppg allowed (41st)

Rushing O vs Rushing D
CANES Rush O vs Duke Rush D
179.3 ypg (58th) vs 167.2 ypg allowed (69th)

Duke Rush O vs CANES Rush D
165.9 ypg (69th) vs 151.9 ypg (50th)

Passing O vs. Passing D 
CANES Pass O vs Duke Pass D
267 ypg (36th) vs 219.6 ypg allowed (40th)

Duke Pass O vs CANES Pass D
243.4 ypg (58th) vs. 232.8 ypg allowed (T-69th) 

Red Zone O vs Red Zone D 
CANES RZ O vs Duke RZ D
.775 (T-92nd) vs. .714 (T-12th)

Duke RZ O vs CANES RZ D
.821 (T-74th) vs. .808 (T-51st)

Pass Efficiency vs Pass Efficiency D
CANES PE vs Duke PE Def.
154.65 (17th) vs. 123.81 (59th)

Duke PE vs CANES PE Def. 
134.52 (59th) vs. 121.29 (47th)

Sacks vs Sacks Allowed
CANES Sacks vs Duke Sacks Allowed
25-145 [2.78 pg] (T-24th) vs. 12-70 [1.33 pg] (T-32nd)

Duke Sacks vs CANES Sacks Allowed
17-108 [1.89 pg] (T-64th) vs. 11-101 [1.22 pg] (T-20th)

3rd Down O vs 3rd Down D
CANES 3rd Down O vs Duke 3rd Down D
42-108 [39%] (73rd) vs. 52-147 [35%] (34th)

Duke 3rd Down O vs CANES 3rd Down D
47-126 [37%] (81st) vs. 53-137 [39%] (58th)

On the surface, Duke doesn't scare me as much when I look at their numbers. However, they have returned two punts back to the house this year and they are 18th in the nation and 2nd in the ACC in Punt Return Yardage with almost 13 ypr (12.88 to be exact). Our STs are going to have to play a lot better than they did vs VT. Where Duke does the real damage is in the 2nd half, outscoring opponents by a combined score of 166-82. They have two very good QBs that are over 1,000 yards for the season in Connette (1,411 yards) and Boone (1,172). Make no mistake, we'd better get the bad taste of the last two losses out of our mouths very quickly, because come Saturday Afternoon up in Durham, we're going to face a Duke team that is very very dangerous, and Cut will have them ready to play, and they're playing for a trip to Charlotte, so we need to come out and match their intensity pretty quickly, because if we don't, it'll be trouble. Let's back on track this week, and GO CANES! 

Sunday, November 10, 2013

Report Card vs VT

Last night was one of the most pathetic performances I've seen from the Miami Hurricanes since the 48-0 OB finale in 2007 vs Virginia. Last night's game, to me, rivals it. After we get the first TD from Stephen to Stacy for 84, and we stop VT on the next drive and force a punt, we had a real chance to bust this game wide open on Stacy's PR, and was just about to go up 14-0, when he fumbled, and VT recovered, and instead, it was 7-7. (14 point swing and VT had gotten the mo). 

On the ensuing Kickoff, Artie has a big return and possibly take one back to the house, when he loses the ball and VT recovers that. 5 plays later, after Tracy forces a fumble, they take the lead for good at 14-7 on the very next play after Tracy's FF that VT recovered.  Early in the 2nd after we went 3 and out, we have a bad snap, and Patty puts his knee down and VT has a very short field starting at our 17, and score two plays later to go up 21-7. 

One play that told the story about our night was the Stanford TD on 3rd and 17. The tackling was abysmal. On that play, a stop had to be made and at worst, you hold them to a FG, instead, he goes 32 yards for the TD, and instead of maybe 24-14, its 28-14. That's a four point swing right there in Tech's favor. 

Another was the forced fumbles we caused that could have swung mo back our way, instead, VT was Johnny on the spot both times. It seemed the breaks went their way. The second FF that was recovered by VT for the TD, turned out to be the back-breaker. We did the right thing on that, but they were a step faster than we were on those both times. 

Last night was a very poor excuse of a defense. What I saw last night from Mark D'Onofrio's scheme was utterly embarrassing and completely inexcusable. 549 yards allowed last night (291 yards allowed in the 2nd half. Thomas goes 10-12 in the 2nd half for 183 yards) Of those 549 yards allowed, 183 of those were on the ground and 366 by Thomas passing. We didn't win the TO battle last night (-2) and when you don't win the Turnover Battle, you're not going to win many games, and last night vs a Top 10 Defense in Tech, we didn't win and we certainly won't win when you have -8 yards rushing in the 4th quarter like we did last night. This loss is on really two areas: Defense and Special Teams. VT started their drives from their own 28 on Average, and we started our drives from our own 24 on average. 

We had 4 Three and Outs last night, to just 2 for VT. The Time of Possession in the 2nd half was startling, and shows the ineptness of our defense under D'Onofrio. VT had the ball for 21:32 to just 8:28 for our Offense. For the game, VT was 57% on 3rd Down conversions. In the 2nd half, they were 78% on 3rd Down conversions. On the other hand in those same situations, we were 3-12 in those spots. That won't get it done vs a team as stout as VT is, especially on D. 

I'm going to give the report card and its going to be very simple. 

Offense: D-
Defense: F
Special Teams: F

I don't know where we are right now, but let's understand this, we do not control our own fate anymore after that fiasco last night. We have to get back on track very quickly up in Durham on Saturday at 3:30 on ESPNU against a very good Duke team. That's all for this week. 

Monday, November 4, 2013

CANES vs VT By the Numbers

With FSU out of the way, the focus now turns to Saturday Night at 7 p.m. on ESPN vs Virginia Tech, which is also coming off a loss to Boston College at home. Here's the breakdown by the numbers:

Total O vs Total D
CANES Total O vs VT Total D
458.1 ypg (38th) vs 253.2 ypg allowed (3rd) 

VT Total O vs CANES Total D
348.1 (101st) vs 364.1 ypg allowed (31st)

Scoring O vs Scoring D
CANES Scoring O vs VT Scoring D
36.4 ppg (32nd) vs. 16.9 ppg allowed (8th)

VT Scoring O vs CANES Scoring D
22.1 ppg (100th) vs 20.6 ppg allowed (25th)

Rushing O vs Rushing D
CANES Rush O vs VT Rush D
198.3 ypg (34th) vs 102.7 ypg allowed (9th)

VT Rush O vs CANES Rush D
116.8 ypg (107th) vs 148 ypg (48th)

Passing O vs. Passing D 
CANES Pass O vs VT Pass D
259.9 ypg (43rd) vs 150.6 ypg allowed (Leads Nation)

VT Pass O vs CANES Pass D
231.2 ypg (65th) vs. 216.1 ypg allowed (36th) 

Red Zone O vs Red Zone D 
CANES RZ O vs VT RZ D
.769 (95th) vs. .824 (60th)

VT RZ O vs CANES RZ D
.679 (118th) vs. .808 (T-51st)

Pass Efficiency vs Pass Efficiency D
CANES PE vs VT PE Def.
152.43 (20th) vs. 90.72 (2nd)

VT PE vs CANES PE Def. 
117.47 (91st) vs. 111.55 (19th)

Sacks vs Sacks Allowed
CANES Sacks vs VT Sacks Allowed
23-134 [2.88 pg] (T-21st) vs. 16-114 [1.78 pg] (T-57th)

VT Sacks vs CANES Sacks Allowed
28-171 [3.11 pg] (11th) vs. 8-81 [1 pg] (T-16th)

3rd Down O vs 3rd Down D
CANES 3rd Down O vs VT 3rd Down D
39-96 [41%] (66th) vs. 37-128 [29%] (5th)

VT 3rd Down O vs CANES 3rd Down D
46-140 [33%] (106th) vs. 45-123 [37%] (44th)

Make no mistake, we'd better get the bad taste of the FSU loss out of our mouths very quickly, because come Saturday Night, we're going to face a VT team that is very very good defensively, and you can make the case that they're even better than FSU defensively in some areas. With a Bud Foster Coached team, we know what we're facing here. We'd better give VT our full attention this week because this is going to be, IMO, a very low scoring game on Saturday Night at home. Let's get back on the winning track and GO CANES. 

Sunday, November 3, 2013

Report Card @FSU

Going into last night's game, we were a 21 point underdog. Most of the experts predicted an FSU blowout and that's eventually what happened. I thought we had a pretty good chance to win up there, but tip your hat to FSU, they made the adjustments and we didn't, and in the 2nd half, they took over and we had no answers for it. We did get banged up, with the biggest one being Duke with a severe ankle injury and according to his mom, is done for the year, which is a very tough blow. Which means, guys like Dallas Crawford, Eduardo Clements, and Freshman Gus Edwards are going to have to step up and carry the load going forward. Going in, here were my keys to a CANES victory at Doak and the end results from last night:
  1. No Turnovers - Absolutely under no circumstances can we turn the ball over because that's asking for big trouble in a hostile environment like we're going to face. FSU is 11th in the country in Turnover Margin at +8 (1.1 per game). Ball security is going to be critical in this game. Stephen Morris cannot have a 4 INT game up there like he did in Chapel Hill and expect to win. That cannot happen. Most of their turnovers they force is via the Pick. (End Result: Even in TO margin, and FSU 10 pts off 2 INTs, not going to beat a great team like FSU when you don't win the TO battle for 4 quarters and we did not last night in the 2nd half). Grade: F
  2. Morris has to be at a minimum 65% completion rate - Morris' completion rate this year is 60% (.599). He needs to manage the game properly and on occasion, take shots downfield when they are there. He's going to be facing the best pass defense in the country in FSU, which allows just 153.7 ypg passing on the season. FSU opp pass completion rate is 52%. Their opponents pass efficiency rate is 95.92, which is 5th in the country. He must make very good decisions on Saturday Night. (End Result: 16-28 (57%), 192 yards, 2 TD, 2 INTs, Sacked Twice) - Grade: D
  3. Run the football effectively - If there's a weakness in the FSU defense, its vs the Run, which is 29th in the country allowing 135.7 ypg on the season. The magic number, IMO, is 175 yards rushing combined from Duke, Dallas, Clements, et al. I feel if we're close to that or exceed it, I think we have a very good chance to leave Doak a winner. No fumbles at all. I go back to ball security because at times this year, it has been an issue and up there, we cannot have fumbles lost here by the backs in this game. We have to do what BC did on the ground and they were very effective at it too. (End Result: 29 carries, 115 yards combined and like BC, in the 2nd half, we could not run the ball effectively, especially after Duke got hurt) - Grade: D
  4. TDs, not FGs - FSU's RZ Defense isn't as good as in years past (this year, they are tied for 33rd with Wisconsin in that department with opponents converting 76.5% of the time. We have to finish drives with TDs, not FGs. We cannot leave any important points on the field in a game like this. (End result: Matty misses a FG, left at least 3 on that first drive and against a great team like the Noles, you cannot leave any points on the field when you have a chance to cash in). - Grade: F 
  5. Pressure Winston - Our defense is 11th in the nation in Sacks, averaging 3.14 per game. Its going to be imperative to get to Winston early and we must rattle him early and often because if we give him time to throw, he's going to pick us apart. You can force Winston into mistakes. Make him have to beat our defense throwing. That's a risk because FSU is 11th in the country in Passing offense, averaging 341.4 ypg. They're 3rd in the nation in yards per completion averaging 16.83 ypc. Our Defense is 10th in the country in Pass Efficiency with a 104.77 rate. (End Result: Winston 21-29, 325 yards, 1 TD, 2 INTs (both turned into 14 points for us), 6 carries, 27 yards, sacked once. The D was picked apart by Winston of the game but especially in the 2nd half, where Winston was 12-14, 161 yards. When you allow a great player like that to take over a game, our D had no answers in the 2nd half for him). - Grade: D
  6. Stop FSU on 3rd Downs - FSU hasn't been in many 3rd down situations this year, in fact, they have the fewest attempts in the country (69), but when they are in these situations, they convert 52% of the time. The last two weeks vs Carolina and Wake, our defense has allowed opponents to convert 13 out of 31 attempts (42%). Its vital, the D makes stops on 3rd downs and gets off the field. We have to make FSU have to convert the long yardage situations on 3rd down. (End Result: Here's where I give FSU credit, on 3rd and long situations, they made the plays. They were overall 11-15 (73%) on 3rd downs. Against a great team like this, you have to get the D off the field in these situations and we could not make the big plays on 3rd down to get the D off the field, after the Deon pick). - Grade: F
  7. Field position - This is a battle we have GOT to win. FSU starts their drives on average from their own 31. Their opponents have started their drives from an average of their own 26. We cannot expect our offense to have to go 80+ yards per drive. We have to have short fields to work with. Make FSU have to go 80+ yards per drive and not allow the big play. FSU's PR Defense is next to last in the country with opponents allowing 26 ypr on Punts, while our PR Defense is 101st allowing 11.5 ypr. On KRs, they are 28th allowing 740 yards in Kick Return Yards. We lead the nation in KR yardage averaging almost 30 yards a return (29.62). FSU is 17th averaging 25.13 per return. Our KR Defense is tied with UCLA for 22nd allowing 466 yards in Kick Returns. FSU is 29th in PR yards averaging 11.8 per return, while we're tied with W. Michigan for 62nd averaging 8.1 ypr. We have to play a clean game here and no penalties because in a game like this, field position is going to be crucial. (End Result: This is more of a wash from a field position standpoint. Tip my hat, we made them had to go 80+ yards on a few drives there, and they got the job done. Matty misses a FG, We made FSU just punt only once, and that's not acceptable at all. Patty had one of three punts be a touchback and another inside the 20. We did what we had to do here for the most part, but again, tip your hat to the Noles, they made the most of the poor field position they started with). - Grade: C-
Those were my keys to a CANES win up in Tallahassee, but unfortunately, that did not happen. Way too many mistakes with poor tackling and where FSU really did the damage was in the running game. 4 of their TDs were on the ground, and this was another key coming in, we had to stop the run first, and we did not do that at all. Very poor performance by the D and last night, the D broke. We allowed 192 yards rushing and 4 TDs, and 517 overall. Not going to beat a great team like FSU when you allow that many yards, especially in big spots. 20 points allowed in the 2nd half, not going to get it done. Defense Grade: F

For the O, in the 2nd half, we had six drives. They ended as follows: Punt, Pick, Downs, Pick, Downs, End of Game. Against a great team like FSU is, you have to try and get points whatever way possible. Tip your hat to FSU's D coordinator Pruitt. He made the adjustments in the 2nd half, and Coley didn't. I like Coley, but in the 2nd half last night, Pruitt outcoached Coley badly. Grade: D (only because of the good 1st half).

Bottom line, we need to shake this off, and get ready for VT at home on Saturday. We have to learn from last night and if there was anything we did learn after last night, its that to beat a great team like FSU, you have to be efficient for 4 quarters, not 2 like we were last night. We'll see the Noles again in Charlotte in 5 weeks and we'll have to play a whole lot better, especially in the 2nd half, if we're going to beat a great team like this. We let it get away from us, hopefully, we learn from this loss, and I'm very confident we will and hopefully, the next time we play FSU in Charlotte, the result will be much different and in our favor.

Win or Lose, I will always stand with the []_[]. See you next week and as always, GO CANES! 

Wednesday, October 30, 2013

Keys to the game @FSU

As you know by now, we are a 21 point underdog on Saturday Night at Doak Campbell Stadium in Tallahassee. Game time is 8 p.m. on ABC with College Gameday in Tallahassee. 

Most of the experts predict an FSU blowout on Saturday Night. I think we have a pretty good chance to win up there. Here are my keys to a CANES victory at Doak. 
  1. No Turnovers - Absolutely under no circumstances can we turn the ball over because that's asking for big trouble in a hostile environment like we're going to face. FSU is 11th in the country in Turnover Margin at +8 (1.1 per game). Ball security is going to be critical in this game. Stephen Morris cannot have a 4 INT game up there like he did in Chapel Hill and expect to win. That cannot happen. Most of their turnovers they force is via the Pick. 
  2. Morris has to be at a minimum 65% completion rate - Morris' completion rate this year is 60% (.599). He needs to manage the game properly and on occasion, take shots downfield when they are there. He's going to be facing the best pass defense in the country in FSU, which allows just 153.7 ypg passing on the season. FSU opp pass completion rate is 52%. Their opponents pass efficiency rate is 95.92, which is 5th in the country. He must make very good decisions on Saturday Night. 
  3. Run the football effectively - If there's a weakness in the FSU defense, its vs the Run, which is 29th in the country allowing 135.7 ypg on the season. The magic number, IMO, is 175 yards rushing combined from Duke, Dallas, Clements, et al. I feel if we're close to that or exceed it, I think we have a very good chance to leave Doak a winner. No fumbles at all. I go back to ball security because at times this year, it has been an issue and up there, we cannot have fumbles lost here by the backs in this game. We have to do what BC did on the ground and they were very effective at it too. 
  4. TDs, not FGs - FSU's RZ Defense isn't as good as in years past (this year, they are tied for 33rd with Wisconsin in that department with opponents converting 76.5% of the time. We have to finish drives with TDs, not FGs. We cannot leave any important points on the field in a game like this.
  5. Pressure Winston - Our defense is 11th in the nation in Sacks, averaging 3.14 per game. Its going to be imperative to get to Winston early and we must rattle him early and often because if we give him time to throw, he's going to pick us apart. You can force Winston into mistakes. Make him have to beat our defense throwing. That's a risk because FSU is 11th in the country in Passing offense, averaging 341.4 ypg. They're 3rd in the nation in yards per completion averaging 16.83 ypc. Our Defense is 10th in the country in Pass Efficiency with a 104.77 rate. 
  6. Stop FSU on 3rd Downs - FSU hasn't been in many 3rd down situations this year, in fact, they have the fewest attempts in the country (69), but when they are in these situations, they convert 52% of the time. The last two weeks vs Carolina and Wake, our defense has allowed opponents to convert 13 out of 31 attempts (42%). Its vital, the D makes stops on 3rd downs and gets off the field. We have to make FSU have to convert the long yardage situations on 3rd down. 
  7. Field position - This is a battle we have GOT to win. FSU starts their drives on average from their own 31. Their opponents have started their drives from an average of their own 26. We cannot expect our offense to have to go 80+ yards per drive. We have to have short fields to work with. Make FSU have to go 80+ yards per drive and not allow the big play. FSU's PR Defense is next to last in the country with opponents allowing 26 ypr on Punts, while our PR Defense is 101st allowing 11.5 ypr. On KRs, they are 28th allowing 740 yards in Kick Return Yards. We lead the nation in KR yardage averaging almost 30 yards a return (29.62). FSU is 17th averaging 25.13 per return. Our KR Defense is tied with UCLA for 22nd allowing 466 yards in Kick Returns. FSU is 29th in PR yards averaging 11.8 per return, while we're tied with W. Michigan for 62nd averaging 8.1 ypr. We have to play a clean game here and no penalties because in a game like this, field position is going to be crucial. 
Those are my keys to a CANES win up in Tallahassee. 

Sunday, October 27, 2013

Report Card and Game Balls vs Wake Forest

Here's my report card and Game Balls to give out vs Wake Forest. 

Gotta give Wake Forest credit, they killed us on 3rd downs, and on the first drive, they just pound it down our throats. I felt we played a clean game from a turnover perspective and when we needed a play from the D late, we came up with the big pick to clinch the win. We were again out of sync for most of the game and this is still a big problem that almost cost us again yesterday. The good part here was that we didn't turn the ball over in this game and was a +1 in turnover margin. We still have to get the ME's fixed. For the most part though, we again found a way to win late. We did commit 6 penalties for 56 yards, which was a big problem vs a team that doesn't beat itself. However, we still have to clean the mistakes.  

Offensively, we had 391 yards of total offense. 200 yards rushing and 191 passing. Duke had another big game yesterday, with 30 carries for 168 yards and 2 TD (including the GW with :53 left). Dallas Crawford had a poor game with just 35 yards on 7 carries. We had some decent games out of Herbie here having 47 yards on 4 catches, with 1 TD. Clive had a good game as well with 33 yards receiving on 4 catches.  Decent game from Stephen here going 17-28 191 yards, 1 TD, 0 INTs. Again yesterday, on the last drive, he stepped up and was a leader with two big completions that led to Duke's GW TD. Duke was the man on the final drive, having 7 carries for 42 yards. However, that said, we still need to be better and clean up those silly mistakes. Of the 6 penalties yesterday, 2 were on the offense (One was a false start on Brandon and the other was an illegal procedure on Shane). The OL did allow another sack in this game. Bottom line, this type of performance won't cut it in Tallahassee. This unit, especially Stephen, has to play a whole lot better and start much faster in Tallahassee if we are to win up there. Grade: C

Defensively, we forced the pick late to seal the win. We allowed 361 yards of total offense last night, however, just 59 of those yards were rushing, and again, we didn't allow a 100 yard rushing game from an individual standpoint. In the 1st half, we allowed 66 yards rushing, but 132 passing and Price had his way with our defense most of the day. However, In the 2nd half, we allowed just 3 yards rushing (-10 yards rushing in the 4th quarter), but 132 yards passing. The rush defense did a pretty good job, however, the tackling is still an issue. and the pass defense was sloppy in the 1st half, but in the 2nd half, it stepped up and made the plays that had to be made, especially at the end with the Antonio Crawford pick. We sacked Price twice, however that Campanero kid from Wake killed us. We allowed him to have 88 yards on 10 receptions and 1 TD. Still, we need to have a complete game from the Defense. To emphasize this point, Wake on 3rd downs were 8-16 (50%) and only forced 2 three and outs. Of the 6 penalties we had in this game, just 1 was on the D (The PI call on Antonio). We did allow 2 X-Plays yesterday, and one of them almost cost us yesterday, and that was the TD in the 4th on a Wheel route. The D came up big again when it had to, but still, there were some ME's here as well that need to get fixed because mistake like that will kill us up there if we don't fix them. Grade: C

Special Teams wise, of our 6 penalties yesterday, half were on this unit, and two on Jamal Carter alone (one for holding and another for an illegal block in the back). Matty did miss a long FG from 40 in the 3rd, but made one from 34 earlier in the game. Another solid return game with 126 yards of total return, 37 on PR's from Stacy, and the 3 KR's from Duke for 75 yards. Solid game from Patty overall. The Punting game was very solid with two of his 4 punts being inside the 20. On Kickoffs, he was rock solid with all four KO's being Touchbacks. The Return Defense was pretty good. Wake had just 20 yards of returns (19 on KR's, but just 1 on one PR). We started drives on Average from our own 32 and Wake started drives from their own 20, which is excellent. We have to fix the penalties, because those type of penalties give up hidden yards and field position, which against FSU up there, that's asking for trouble. Overall, very good, but need to clean up the penalties here. Grade: C

Now, to Game Balls. This week, I'm going to give out three game balls. 
  1. Duke Johnson - 30 carries, 168 yards rushing, 2 TDs (including GW with :53 left), 3 ret., 75 yards (213 all-purpose yards). 
  2. Antonio Crawford - 1 Game-clinching INT. 
  3. Stacy Coley - 2 receptions, 52 yards, including a big catch, that would ultimately change the game from a field position standpoint.  
Overall, I felt we were sloppy, however, we again kept grinding and found a way to win late. That being said, there were still some ME's (Mental Errors), that still need to be fixed, namely the penalties, which are still issues that have to be fixed. The penalties are still a problem, and still a little bit too many of those for my liking. Close games like this build character, and it felt like we were going through the motions again yesterday. Efforts like we had the last two weeks will not cut it vs FSU, because if we play like we did yesterday and in Chapel Hill, we'll get beat and beat badly. Bottom line, we gotta clean up the mistakes before the trip to Tallahassee Next Saturday Night in Primetime on ABC at 8 p.m. (with Gameday up there too). 7-0 is a good feeling right now, but we could still get better and cut the ME's out. Take care and GO CANES! BEAT FSU!

Wednesday, October 23, 2013

My take on NCAA ruling

Well, its been over 24 hours since the NCAA came down with its ruling on us. Its what I expected the day before it came out. 9 scholarships lost over 3 years (3 per year), but no bowl ban, and to me, that's the big one right there, no more postseason bans. 

Now, that the NCAA cloud is gone, we're going to see a much more aggressive Al Golden on the recruiting trail, especially in South Florida. The wall is being fortified and strengthened and teams like Florida, FSU, Notre Dame, SEC, and the Big 10 that have taken top talent away from South Florida, those days are OVER! While I understand we can't keep everyone, we're going to keep as much top talent in South Florida as possible. As the slogan for this season goes, and its very accurate here: FULL SPEED AHEAD!, and after yesterday, it takes on additional meaning as from here on going forward, it will be FULL SPEED AHEAD for us. 

Great days are ahead of us and the road back to dominance starts this week vs Wake Forest at Sun Life Stadium. Hopefully, it'll be a sellout (in fact, its very close to that right now). 

Monday, October 21, 2013

NCAA report to be released tomorrow 10 a.m.

As you've heard by now, the NCAA will release the final report tomorrow morning at 10 a.m., with a press conference an hour later. UM will get the report first at 10 a.m. Look for some statement from somewhere in the Ashe Building (re: Donna) sometime after that. 

There's a real possibility we could get hit with another bowl/postseason ban, but that's very unlikely. What is likely however is going to be scholarship reductions and show causes for former CANE coaches. Here's something to remember here: We'll have 15 days to appeal any or all of the sanctions that the the NCAA announces. I don't expect any more postseason bans. 

Here's my take and what I expect to happen tomorrow. Look for a reduction of 'ships (I would say 3-5 a year for 3 years). They're going to be show causes (I suspect Clint Hurtt would be one of the main ones getting a show cause). There will be a hit tomorrow, but I don't expect it to be a big time hit (i.e., postseason ban), but I do expect a hit on 'ships end tomorrow. 

After tomorrow, we can put this behind us and get back to the business at hand of winning National Championships again. 

Friday, October 18, 2013

Report Card and Game Balls @UNC

Here's my report card and Game Balls to give out @ Carolina. 

Wow, where do you begin on last night's game? Well, here's my take on it. I felt we were pretty sloppy and out of sync for most of the game and this is a big problem that almost cost us last night. We turned it over 4 more times in this game and was a -2 in turnover margin. We have got to get those ME's fixed. For the most part though, we found a way to win late. We did commit 4 penalties for 30 yards, which is an improvement from last game vs GT when we committed 7 for 54. However, we still have to clean that up some more. 

Offensively, we had 556 yards of total offense. 234 yards rushing and 322 passing. Duke gets knocked out of the game with a concussion in the 1st half, and Phillip also gets hurt in the 1st half as well. According to Al Golden, Duke should be back for next game. Before he was knocked out, he had 8 carries for 83 yards. What a big game out of Dallas. He had 33 carries, 137 yards, 2 TDs (including the GW with :16 left). Big night out of Hurns in the receiving game with 98 yards on 6 catches. Solid games all around from Herbie here having 54 yards on 3 catches. Phillip (before getting hurt) and Clive had some good games as well with 68 and 57 yards receiving respectively.  Poor decision making from Stephen with the 4 picks, but fortunately, they only converted a FG. On the last drive, he stepped up and was a leader with three big completions that led to Dallas' GW TD. However, that said, we still need to be better and clean up those silly mistakes. Of the 4 penalties last night, 2 were on the offense and both of those penalties were false starts. The OL did allow another sack in this game. Bottom line, we need to get the ME's fixed now before we go up to Tallahassee in two weeks. Overall, very sloppy performance but found a way to win late and that's what teams of destiny do, but we can still be better. Grade: C-

Defensively, we forced 2 more turnovers in this game, both being picks.  Although we allowed 500 yards of total offense last night, just 105 of those yards were rushing, we didn't allow a 100 yard rushing game from an individual standpoint. In the 1st half, we allowed 57 yards rushing, but 234 passing and Renner had his way with our defense most of the night. In the 2nd half, we allowed 48 yards rushing, but 161 yards passing. The rush defense did a good job, however, the tackling was awful at times. and the pass defense was sloppy in the 1st half, but in the 2nd half, we sacked Renner 3 times. Still, we need to have a complete game from the Defense. They stepped up when they had to in the 2nd half, allowing just 2 FGs. We held the Tar Heels to 5-15 on 3rd down conversions, and forced 7 three and outs, including twice in the 4th quarter. Of the 4 penalties we had in this game, 2 penalties were on the D (The PI call on Tracy, and offsides call on Curtis). We did allow an X-Play in the 2nd quarter on the TD. The D came up big again when it had to, but still, there were some ME's here as well that need to get fixed before the trip to Tallahassee in two weeks. Grade: C

Special Teams wise, this unit came up huge with the Blocked FG and LaDarius returning it for a TD. Matty did miss a long FG from 43, but overall, good game from him. Another solid return game with 103 yards of total return, all on KR's. OK game from Patty overall. The Punting game was very solid with one of his punts being inside the 20. However, on Kickoffs, he did have one go out of bounds, which gave up some field position there. We did not have a penalty called on our ST units last night. We need for that part to be consistent. The Return Defense was much better last night for the most part, though missing tackles was an issue here. Carolina had 71 yards of returns (68 on KR's, but just 3 on one PR). We started drives on Average from our own 25 and UNC started drives from their own 29. There are some areas that still need some fixing and they are very fixable here, specifically tackling. Those ME's are easily fixable and need to be fixed now before we go up to Tallahassee in two weeks. Overall, very good, but there is some room for improvement, and I felt we did that last night. Grade: C

Now, to Game Balls. This week, I'm going to give out three game balls. 
  1. Dallas Crawford - 33 carries, 137 yards, 2 TDs (including GW with :16 left)
  2. Tracy Howard - 2 INTs
  3. Allen Hurns - 6 receptions, 98 yards. Some big catches on the final drive. 
Overall, I felt we were sloppy, however, we kept grinding and found a way to win late. That being said, there were still some ME's (Mental Errors), that still need to be fixed, namely the penalties and ball security, which are still issues that have to be fixed. The penalties went down last night, there are still a little bit too many of those penalties for my liking. I'm glad we had a game like this, because it shows that if you go through the motions against a good team like FSU, you'll get beat and beat badly. Bottom line, we gotta clean up the mistakes before the trip to Tallahassee in two weeks. We have one more game to clean up the ME's and that's next Saturday vs Wake Forest at Noon on ESPNU. 6-0 is a good feeling right now, but we could still get better and cut the ME's out. Take care and GO CANES! 

Monday, October 7, 2013

Report Card and Game Balls vs GT

Here's my report card and Game Balls to give out vs GT. 

My take on Saturday's win vs GT in the ACC opener is this. I felt we did well for the most part, however, the sloppiness was still there in this game. We turned it over 4 more times in this game and was a -1 in turnover margin. For the most part though, we found a way to win late. We did commit 7 penalties for 54 yards. Gotta clean that up some more. 

Offensively, we had 551 yards of total offense. 224 yards rushing and 324 passing. Duke had a huge game with 184 yards on 22 carries. Solid game out of Dallas with another 31 yards on 5 carries and 2 more TDs. Big day for Hurns in the receiving game with 108 yards on 4 catches and 1 TD. Solid games all around from Stacy here having 74 yards on 3 catches. Phillip and Clive had some good games as well with 66 and 28 yards receiving respectively and a TD each.  Few things that concerned me after this game. Same deal as last game, ball security is still an issue here. Duke loses another fumble, this time in our own side of the field, and it cost us 7. He needs to be better at protecting the football in key situations. Stephen threw 2 picks in this one, the fortunate thing here is that it didn't lead to GT points. Need to be better and clean up those silly mistakes. Of the 7 penalties on Saturday, 4 were on the offense and 2 of those penalties were false starts. The other 2 were holding. The OL did allow a sack in this game. Bottom line, we need to get the ME's fixed now that we're in ACC play. Overall, good performance, but could be better. Grade: B-

Defensively, we forced 3 more turnovers in this game, 2 picks, one being a pick six by LaDarius to seal the win and the other a fumble forced and recovered. Although we allowed 354 yards rushing, we didn't allow a 100 yard rushing game from an individual standpoint. In the 1st half, we allowed 221 yards rushing. In the 2nd half, we allowed 113 yards rushing. The rush defense, considering, who we were facing, did an ok job. However, we need to get the rush defense better fortified going forward now that we're in ACC play. We held the Yellow Jackets to 6-16 on 3rd down conversions, but only 2 three and outs. Another issue we'll have to get fixed is our 4th down defense. GT in those situations was 4-5. That has to be fixed because later in the year, they're going to be some close games we need to shore that up. We sacked their QB's twice. Of the 7 penalties we had in this game, 2 penalties were on the D (offsides call on Justin and the unsportsmanlike call on after the Pick 6. We held GT, who doesn't throw the ball that often to just 66 yards passing on 6-19. We did allow 4 rushing TDs in the game. The D came up big when it had to, but still, there were some ME's here as well that need to get fixed before the trip to Chapel Hill on the Thursday Night after the BYE week. Grade: C+

Special Teams wise, better game out of Matty here. Another solid return game out of Duke with 114 yards of KR's, and 133 yards of total KR/PR in this one. Solid game from Patty in the Punting game and on Kickoffs. The downer here was that we had two big X-Plays here called back by really stupid penalties (one of which cost us 6), In games where field position is going to be vital, these are mistakes we can't have. The Return Defense regressed a little bit here. GT had 135 yards of returns (115 on KR's, but just 20 on one PR). We started drives on Saturday on Average from our own 26 and GT started drives from their own 35. However, the matter we really need to fix is the one penalty and that was the offsides on Antonio on the Kickoff after our first score.   Very fixable here. Gotta be better on the return Defense and not giving opponents short fields to work with here. Those ME's need to be fixed now that we're in ACC play because those mistakes come back to bite you, especially, if the game is in the balance here. Overall, good, but there is some room for improvement, and I felt we did that here. Grade: C+

Now, to Game Balls. This week, I'm going to give out three game balls. 
  1. Duke Johnson - 22 carries, 184 yards rushing, 4 KR's, 114 yards (298 all-purpose yards)
  2. Shayon Green - 9 Tackles, 1 sack, 1 TFL
  3. Allen Hurns - 4 receptions, 108 yards, 1 TD
Overall, I felt we played well, we kept grinding and found a way to win late. That being said, there were still some ME's (Mental Errors), that still need to be fixed, namely the penalties and ball security, which are still issues that have to be fixed. Still a little bit too many of those penalties on O (4 to be exact), and the other 3 on D and STs. The ones that bother me the most were the 4 on O, specifically the 2 holding penalties. Those are drive killers right there. In a close game against a good opponent, those type of penalties can come back to bite you. Gotta be sure we correct those going forward now that we're beginning ACC play next Thursday Night @Carolina at 7:30 on ESPN. 5-0 is a good feeling right now, but we could still get better and cut the ME's out. Take care and GO CANES! 

Monday, September 30, 2013

Report Card and Game Balls @USF

Sorry that I'm late with this. Here's my take on Saturday's win up in Tampa vs USF. I felt we did well for the most part, We did have some mistakes, and we were sloppy with the ball, turning it over 4 times and going into ACC play now, we have to cut those out. Stephen reinjured his ankle in this game, but other than that, all three phases of the game did pretty well. 

Offensively, we had 540 yards of total offense. 165 yards rushing and 375 passing. Duke had 84 yards and a TD on 14 carries. Solid game out of Gus the Bus (53 yards on 10 carries), and Dallas with another 34 yards on 13 carries and 2 TDs. Big day for Hurns in the receiving game with 81 yards on 5 catches. Big game for Stacy here having 96 yards on 4 catches, with two of those catches being for 6. Nice performances from Phillip and Herbie with the latter having a TD. Few things that concerned me a bit here. Ball security being one of them. Twice Duke loses fumbles in the red zone costing us points here. Need to clean that up there. Ryan and Gray each threw picks, Gray's was a Pick 6. Need to be better and clean up those mistakes. Of the 7 penalties on Saturday, 5 were on the offense and 3 of those penalties were false starts. The other 2 were: holding and Delay of Game. Gotta correct those ME's going forward now that we're going to start ACC play. Overall, good performance, but could be better. Grade: B-

Defensively, we forced 3 turnovers in this game, one being a pick and the other two were fumbles forced and recovered. WE did give up the TD near the end of that game. We did allow USF's back Marcus Shaw to get 127 yards on 20 carries with 1 TD, but other than that, we held the Bulls to 99 yards rushing and 288 yards total offense. The good part was after the 1st quarter, where Shaw had 64 of his yards, our D holds them to 63 yards the rest of the day. Still though, we need to get that run Defense shored up a little bit more before GT comes in on Saturday for the beginning of our ACC play. We held the Bulls to 2-14 on 3rd down conversions and 7 three and outs. We sacked their QB Bench 5 times. Of the 7 penalties we had in this game, not one penalty on the D. Tremendous work here overall. Grade: B+

Special Teams wise, Matty misses a chip shot to end the half. We had Duke returns the opening kick to the 5 where we score on the next play. We had 97 yards of returns (66 on KR's and 31 yards on PR's). The downer here was that we had two big X-Plays here called back by really stupid penalties (one of which cost us 6), In games where field position is going to be vital, these are mistakes we can't have. The good part was that our Return Defense did a very good job here, holding USF to 81 yards of returns (52 on KR's and 29 on PR's). We started drives on Saturday on Average from our own 40 and USF started drives from their own 19. However, the matter we really need to fix are the 2 penalties we committed here (again, one that cost us 6 on Duke's KR) last night in this area.  One was being the block in the back on Tracy and the other being the hold on Big Mo on Duke's TD that was called back. Those ME's need to be fixed before we start ACC play on Saturday vs GT because those mistakes come back to bite you, especially, if the game is in the balance here. Overall, good, but there is some room for improvement. Grade: C

Now, to Game Balls. This week, I'm going to give out two game balls. 
  1. Stephen Morris - 11-16, 222 yards, 2 TDs, 0 INTs
  2. Jimmy Gaines - 7 Tackles, 1 Fumble recovery for TD
Going forward, very good effort, but there were still some ME's (Mental Errors), that still need to be fixed, namely the penalties and ball security. Still a little bit too many of those penalties on O (5 to be exact), and the other 2 on STs. The ones that bother me the most were the 2 on STs because that's hidden yardage you can't afford to lose in those situations and it cost us 6 points. In a close game against a good opponent, those ST penalties can come back to bite you. Gotta be sure we correct those going forward now that we're beginning ACC play next week vs GT at home at 3:30 on ESPNU. 4-0 is a good feeling right now, but we could still get better and cut the ME's now. Take care and GO CANES! 

Sunday, September 22, 2013

Report Card and Game Balls vs Savannah State

I felt we did very well last night, especially the 2nd, 3rd, and 4th units. The only downer from last night is the injury to Stephen in the 1st quarter, but overall, all three phases of the game were dominant as expected. 

Offensively, we had 639 yards of total offense and almost a balanced attack here. 324 yards rushing and 313 passing. Big night for Gus the Bus (113 yards and 3 TDs on 12 carries), and Eduardo with another 75 yards. Big night for Hurns in the receiving game with 100 yards on just 2 catches, with one of them being for 6. Nice performance from Sandland having 76 yards receiving on 6 catches, with one being for 6. The downers here were of the 10 penalties last night, 7 were on the offense and 3 of those penalties were false starts. The other 4 were: illegal motion, holding unsportsmanlike conduct, and delay of game. Also, their D hurried our QBs twice. Gotta correct those ME's going forward. Overall, excellent performance. Grade: A-

Defensively, we forced 4 turnovers in this game, all being picks. WE did give up the long TD late in the 3rd, but other than that, we held Savannah to 213 yards total offense, however, and this would be a concern of mine here (163 yards were rushing), we need to get that shored up a little bit more before ACC play starts in two weeks vs Georgia Tech. We held the Tigers to 2-13 on 3rd down conversions and 8 three and outs. We sack their QBs 4 times (2 by AQM). Of the 10 penalties we had last night, not one penalty on the D. Tremendous work here overall. Grade: A

Special Teams wise, we didn't punt or kick a FG last night, and we didn't need to. Duke returns the opening kick to the 5 where we score on the next play. We had 208 yards of return yards, however, just 25 yards on PR's, and we need to be a little better there. We started drives last night on Average from Savannah's 48 and Savannah started drives from their own 18. However, the matter we really need to fix is the 3 penalties we committed last night in this area.  One was being offside on a kickoff, we got called for two illegal blocks in the back here. (one on Raphael and the other on Jamal). Those ME's need to be fixed before we start ACC play in two weeks. Overall, very good, but there is some room for improvement. Grade: A-

Now, to Game Balls. This week, I'm going to give out four game balls. 
  1. Gus Edwards - 12 carries, 113 yards, 1 TD
  2. AQM - 2 sacks
  3. Allen Hurns - 2 receptions, 100 yards, 1 TD
  4. Dallas Crawford - 5 carries, 48 yards, 2 TD
Going forward, excellent effort, but there were some ME's (Mental Errors), that still need to be fixed, namely the penalties. Too many of those on O (7 to be exact), and the other 3 on STs. The ones that bother me the most are the ones on STs because that's hidden yardage you can't afford to lose in those situations. In a close game against a good opponent, those ST penalties can come back to bite you. Gotta be sure we correct those going forward. Next week, @USF up in Raymond James Stadium at Noon on ESPNU. 3-0 is a good feeling today. Take care and GO CANES! 

Wednesday, September 11, 2013

Report Card and Game Balls vs Florida

Just back from South Florida (came back on Monday) where I did attend the game on Saturday. Still ecstatic about the biggest win at the U since 2000, when we beat FSU in the OB that day. Couple of thoughts about the big win vs Florida.

Tackling was very good. The Defense came up big when it had to in key spots. The 5 turnovers we forced was just amazing. Of the 5 penalties for 58 yards we had in this game, only one was on the defense, and that was the PF on Luther in the 1st quarter. I thought we did a very good job shutting down their running game. Being out there a bit long for my taste (38:20). Guys were swarming and gang tackling. We forced them to punt 10 times in the game. They were 6-15 on 3rd Downs (40%), so I felt we did well on that regard. We did allow 413 yards total offense and sacked Driskel twice, both times causing fumbles, which the D recovered both times. We did have an effective pass rush in this game. We won the turnover battle in this game being a +5 in that regard. In the 4th quarter, we allowed the Gators just 2 yards rushing on 7 carries. The D bent, but didn't break. Grade: A-

Offensively, we did have some big time issues, especially after the 2nd TD pass from Stephen. Ereck Flowers gets called for two holding penalties and Allen commits a PF in the red zone, fortunately, that penalty didn't hurt us as we would score a TD four plays later. We had 143 yards in the 1st quarter, however, just 69 yards after that (68 of those total yards in the 2nd half). Also, we were 1-11 on 3rd Down conversions. That will not cut it down the road vs teams like FSU. Grade: D

Special Teams, we allowed the Blocked Punt. We had 71 yards of total returns (56 on KR yards by Duke, and the other 15 on PR yards by Dorsett). Patty had two punt for TB's, and that's not good, because that's 40 hidden yards allowed here. However he did have one of his 9 punts inside the 20. However, on the Kickoff, he had one go out of bounds, which gave UF the ball on their 35, more hidden yards allowed here. We need to be much better here and get this area of our game fixed going forward. Grade: D

Now to Game Balls. This week, there's only one game ball to hand out and it goes to the entire Defense for forcing 5 turnovers (2 INTs and 3 fumbles recovered). 

Overall, solid effort, especially by the Defense, however, we can and must get better and correct some of the ME's (Mental Errors) going forward. 

See you on Sept 18th for the Savannah State Preview. 

Sunday, September 1, 2013

Report Card and Game Balls vs FAU

First, I'm happy with the victory on Friday Night over FAU 34-6 at home. Couple of things I felt we did well on. Defensively, I thought we did a very good job shutting down their offense. Guys were swarming and gang tackling. We forced them to punt 10 times in the game. They were 6-19 on 3rd Downs, so I felt we did well on that regard. We held them to 250 yards total offense and had 5 sacks on the night. We did have an effective pass rush in this game. Of the 8 penalties total, 3 were on D and all were 15 yarders (The PI on Crawford, one on Denzel for a personal foul and another one early in the 2nd quarter) Overall, solid effort here, however, need to cut those penalties out and I would like to see us force more turnovers and win the turnover battle. 

Offensively, we had a delay of game penalty on our first play from scrimmage and a false start in the first quarter. In the 2nd quarter, the O didn't have a penalty called on them. In the 3rd Quarter, we had a false start called on Seantrel. No penalties in the 4th. The drops were still a problem, we dropped two sure TDs early in the game, but thank goodness for Duke having a huge game there, with 186 yards on 19 carries and a TD before coming out later due to the fact he was feeling a little woozy, but he'll be ready to go next week. Nice game for Stephen, going 15-27, 160 yards, 1 TD, 1 INT (hopefully, by the next game, it'll be 0). We did lose Scotty late in the game to a collarbone injury. It didn't look good when he came out. We'll see what the report is on that shortly. 

Special Teams, 2 of the 8 penalties were here. We get called for an illegal block in the 1st quarter when D'Mauri gets called for a block in the back. Later on a kickoff after Duke scores the TD, Tyrone gets called for an offsides penalty. We had 62 yards on Punt and Kick Returns, while they had 73 yards (67 of those on Kick Returns). Our punt return Defense did a good job, though the 2 Touchbacks by Patty, is fixable. However, the TBs on Kickoffs were just outstanding. Kicking game was solid with 2 FGs by Matty. 

Overall, solid effort, however, we can and must get better and correct the ME's (Mental Errors) going into the next game and I feel we will do that. 

Report Card:
  • Offense: B 
  • Defense: B- 
  • Special Teams: B
Game Ball this week goes to Duke Johnson. 19 carries, 186 yards 1 TD in 2 1/2 quarters of work. 

I will be back next Friday from Ft. Lauderdale with a preview of the game vs Florida in Armageddon. 

Sunday, August 18, 2013

2013 Miami Hurricanes 12 part Opponent Series - Part 12 - @Pitt Nov 29th

Nov 29th - @Pitt (Regular season finale)

In the 12th and final part of the 2013 Miami Hurricanes opponent series, we’re going to preview one of the two newest members of the ACC and that’s the Pittsburgh Panthers (Syracuse being the other), our opponent in the regular season finale on November 29th at Heinz Field in Pittsburgh.

Here’s what you need to know about the Panthers:

They are led by Paul Chryst (Wisconsin '88), who was 6-7 in his first season in the Steel city. He was tapped to be the new boss of the Pitt program in December 2011 to not only stabilize the program, but have some consistentcy and strong direction going forward. Also, he was brought in to implement more of a Pro-Style offense and away from the spread. The pro-style fits the personnel he has and for the future to give them an identity. He’s the right man for that job at this time in their program’s history, especially now with the move to the ACC from the Big East. 
He’s had a lot of success at Wisconsin, where he made his mark on the national stage. Where it really got started for him was in Corvallis under Mike Riley has his first OC there. He was there for  two years, from 1997-98, where he helped that program get its first five-win season since 1971; When Riley bolted Corvallis for San Diego, he went with him to become the Chargers TE Coach from 1998-2001. He came back to College Football in 2002. That year, he went to Wisconsin, to hold the same position he had in San Diego. In 2003, he would go back to Corvallis to rejoin Riley on his staff from 2003-2004. In 2005, he came back to Madison, this time, to be the Co-offensive coordinator and TE coach; and a year later, he would be the sole OC there, as well as being the QB coach under Bret Bielema (now Arkansas HC).
While in Madison, his offenses were just amazing. In a six-year stretch from 2006-2011, they won 10+ games four times, which includes a combined 32 wins in his final three seasons there. They went to the Rose Bowl in back to back years (2010 and 2011). In 2011, that offense he was in charge of, scored a program-record 618 points, which broke their own record of 539 points just the year before, and scored 40+ points nine times that season. Teams in the league took notice, as some of the teams there were looking for a top-notch coordinator in 2009 and 2010, but Chryst brought his time for the right opportunity and when Pittsburgh called, Chryst accepted the job in 2012, being the new HC there. He has a plan for Pitt and what they want to do there. They will be a tougher bunch once Chryst has his guys in place ready to roll.
Let’s break down the Pittsburgh Panthers:
Offensively: What can you say about Senior QB Tom Savage? Well, he’s been the second coming, a bust, a transfer (twice) and one that some people wrote off. He gets a chance for redemption in 2013 as he will be a starter for the 2nd time in his career. When he was at Rutgers, he was supposed to be the savior for that program, but in 2010, his career and the Scarlet Knights could not handle the pressure of higher expectations. As a result, he went to the desert, where at Arizona, he sat out the 2011 season as a transfer at the time, because he had played right away for Rutgers, A not-so-funny thing happened along the way. 2011 was to be Savage's redshirt sophomore season. However, in that off-season, the Wildcats hired Rich Rodriguez. As a result, he decided to transfer to Pittsburgh, where he came as a walk-on transfer in 2012. He had to sit all of last season due to NCAA transfer rules. In the spring, he was going to compete for the starting job during spring drills.
This is the M.O. on Tom Savage:
·         This guy has a rifle arm that can succeed at the next level.
·         The down side: The accuracy isn’t there as much.
·         His footwork is pretty slow, and given the trouble with their O-Line, that will be an issue if he cannot be protected as much.
Although Savage gives  Chryst the option of the pure pocket-passer, they could go more the athletic route in either RS Freshman Chad Voytik or Freshman Tra'Von Chapman. With them in the mix, their future is very bright. With Savage behind Center, the other two QBs can get more used to the college game, and the offense flourishes. One thing that must be clear: Chryst and his staff have to accept the fact that turnovers, the occasional mental mistake, and the lack of Savage’s mobility in the pocket comes with the package Savage brings to the table.
The receiving core gets Senior Devin Street (73 receptions for 975 yards) back. There’s a chance he could have a 100 catch season, especially, when you’re an All-ACC receiver like he is and has a big-time quarterback to work with. This could be a very special season for him. He’s their go-to guy here, a la Larry Fitzgerald back in the day. After Street, there’s really no one else there of note. At TE, it’s going to be up to Sophomore TE J.P. Holtz (13 receptions for 173 yards) to step it up and be that secondary option to get the double/triple teams off of Street. Even though would-be junior Drew Carswell, got dismissed from the program over the spring, you might want to keep an eye on Manasseh Garner, who fills in for Carswell as the other TE. At WR, outside of Street, they need big time performances from Kevin Weatherspoon, Ed Tinker and Ronald Jones, otherwise, they’ll go to a youth movement with the main guy there being Freshman Tyler Boyd.
As for the running game, losing would-be Sophomore Rushel Shell via transfer doesn’t hurt them in the short-term, but longer term is another story. Their staff had big plans for him as he was expected to develop into one of the top backs in the conference over time. As for this season, they should be fine with Junior Isaac Bennett returning and his ability to be the man that’s the go-to back. He’s not an explosive back, but he’s a patient back and in Chryst’s system, that’s important. If he stays healthy, this could be a guy that makes a run at a 1,000 yard season. As with the WRs, depth is the big issue here as well. After Sophomore Malcolm Crockett, they don’t have anyone else of note here.
As for the Offensive Line, this group is going to have for the opener on Labor Day vs FSU, the following:
·         Two freshmen
·         A converted D-Lineman
They’ll have back in their regular positions: Senior Cory King and Junior Matt Rotheram, who will go back to the Guard spots (King on the left side and Rotheram on the right side). If Pitt wants to have a very good running game, and running between the tackles?, have your upper classmen go inside. With King and Rotheram going back to the Guard spots, they can insert RS Freshman Gabe Roberts into the starting lineup at the Center spot. Doing that, you get a question: What happen at the Tackle spots? They have RS Freshman Adam Bisnowaty as the likely starter at LT and former DL T.J. Clemmings at RT, but don’t expect that for too long though. They have very high hopes for the five-star prospect in Dorian Johnson to ultimately win a job there from day 1. likely at RT, where he’ll learn this season, but ultimately be the man at RT.  Bottom line, here’s what we have for the Pitt O-Line in 2013:
·         RS Freshman at LT (Bisnowaty)
·         Returning starter moving over to LG (King)
·         RS Freshman at Center (Roberts)
·         Returning starter at a moving over to RG (Rotheram)
·         Either a Converted DL (Clemmings), or true freshman (Johnson) at RT.
This will be very interesting to see how this plays out.


Defensively: This is a pretty good defense coming back. They will be up there with the likes of FSU and VT as one of the better defenses in the conference. This could be one of the surprises this year. However, there are two issues coming into the season and that would be at DE and FS. Nonetheless, they have the talent to be one of the better D’s in the ACC. The leader of that Defense is Senior DT Aaron Donald (64 tackles, 18.5 for loss). This guy is a All-American, and you’ll see him drafted very high in the next NFL Draft. He’s the kind of guy that can blow up opposing offenses. This guy is clearly the best lineman in the ACC. Along with Donald, they have back Senior NT Tyrone Ezell (39 tackles, 7.0 for loss). Having those two, gives them an interior that’s going to be a force to reckon with. Those two alone, as we saw in 2012 (Final season in the Big East), can carry their whole Front 7, but they need their DE’s to step up and produce off the edge. Simply put, returning starter Bryan Murphy must step up his game here. They also big production from the other DE’s returning such as former Ohio State transfer David Durham and junior Devin Cook. With all the focus of opposing OL’s, on trying to stop Donald and Ezell drawing attention, there's no reason why those DE’s can’t find open lanes to the QB off the edge. The lack of a pass rush off the edge really holds them back from being a Top 10 defense Nationally.

At LB, with Senior MLB Shane Gordon (48 tackles) being out this spring due to an injury, their staff got a chance to get a very good look at RS Freshman Mike Caprara, who will be Gordon’s backup this season. However, Caprara is going to have an impact in certain packages they use. At the outside positions, look for Todd Thomas (59 tackles) to be the starter on the weak side and former QB Anthony Gonzalez converting to Defense to start on the strong side. In the spring, they looked very good. The depth here is very good, albeit, very young. When you have the stud that Donald is on the DL, there will be plays to be made here..
In the secondary, the only question here is at FS. Here, they were to supposed to have converted LB Eric Williams be the guy there. However, after the spring, he was booted off the team. So now, the way they’ll likely go is with Senior Jason Hendricks (90 tackles, 6 interceptions) there returning to the FS spot and have former Michigan transfer Ray Vinopal move into a starting role. Their CB’s are pretty solid with CBs K'Wuan Williams (47 tackles, 4 interceptions) and Lafayette Pitts (35 tackles), back. If they get the safety positions worked out, this secondary is going to one few teams are going to want to throw on.
Special teams: Well, the thing that former kicker Kevin Harper will remember in his career in the Steel City was the one kick vs Notre Dame that he missed. Overall, though, he had a good career, but he’s gone now, and will have to be replaced. They’re going to look to either Drake Greer, a former walk-on, or incoming freshman Chris Blewitt, who Chryst recruited in the last class. That should one to watch there. At punter, they’re good with Senior Matt Yoklic back. This is one of the better punters in the ACC. The return game, needs a lot of work. Who will be the ones to step up at KR/PR?

In Closing, the D they have is very good and by themselves, can win them 8-9 games. The only thing that prevents the Panthers from being a 10-11 win team is their O. They have little to no depth of quality there. If their O-Line can’t open up holes for the backs to hit, it’ll be a long season in the Steel City because of the fact that they don’t have a QB that can win consistently.
My prediction for the Pittsburgh Panthers in 2013 is 6-6, and no bowl game.
The series is now over and I want to take this time to thank all of you for enduring with me throughout the series and here’s to a great College Football season ahead.