Report Card vs FSU

My take on last night's game. We showed some fight, we battled out there. Defensively, I thought we did pretty well for the most part. However, offensively, the protection for Stephen wasn't as sharp as it usually is. Credit the FSU D for that. FSU made the plays they needed to make and they left with the win. The game went pretty much as I suspected it would. It was like the '98 game. We just couldn't make that one game changing play and they did. Tip your cap to the Noles, again, they made the plays they needed to make and that's what it came down to. I feel from a recruiting perspective, we're still in play for a lot of the recruits that are on the fence after our gallant effort last night.

 

That out of the way, time for the Report Card.

 

Offense: D:  O-Line allows 4 sacks. Running game was ineffective. We had -12 yards rushing in the 2nd half on 7 carries. 137 yards of offense in the 2nd half, against that vaunted FSU D isn't cutting the mustard. The blocking was little to non-existent there. We had 5 three and outs. The pass protection was just terrible. Stephen Morris played his ass off last night with a bum ankle. We had our chances in the passing game, we just didn't execute that one big game changing play. 4-16 on 3rd Downs isn't going to get the job done, especially when you're in long yardage as the O seemed to be most of the night, and especially when you're 1-8 in the 2nd half on 3rd downs. Very poor all around here.

Defense: C-:  This is a game where I'm not going to place total blame on the D. I thought this was Coach D's better called games. We didn't allow FSU to convert in the 2nd half on 3rd down (0-4), However, when you're out there for 18:35 of the 2nd half, trying to make plays and getting right back on the field after the O goes three and out, you're going to be tired and FSU's O-Line took control of the game. We did force two turnovers early on, however, we couldn't make the plays in key spots that we needed to make. We allowed FSU to go for 129 yards rushing in the 2nd half and 218 overall. In the 1st half, I felt the D did a pretty good job. We did sack EJ Manuel twice. We broke up 6 passes and hurried Manuel once. They played with heart, and brought the heat, but in the end, FSU's O made the plays needed to make to win. Hopefully, we can get better here, but still much to do on this side of the ball. 

Special Teams: C-: Another solid game from Dalton in the Punt game. The Special Teams D did a very good job. Jake had a solid game with two FGs. We didn't have a kick return at all last night, there, you have to tip your hat to their Kicker Hopkins. That guy is money, he's not the typical FSU kicker that we've seen in the past. We did allow the big kick return to Joyner. Overall, I felt we did very well here. Though the field position in the 2nd half was an issue. FSU started overall from their own 34, but in the 2nd half, they started drives from their own 40. We started our drives from an average of our own 32, but our own 27 in the 2nd half. In the 1st half, we started from our own 35 on average while FSU started from their own 28. We could be better here, however, overall, not too bad. 

 

In closing, we could use the BYE week to rest some key guys, especially Morris and get ready for VT on the Thursday Night after the BYE. Hopefully, we can build off the strong points of last night's game and correct some weaknesses. I get the feeling we're going to see the Noles again on December 1st in Charlotte for the ACC title.
 

 

Florida State Preview

Its finally here. Gameday vs FSU. Folks, I'm going to make no delusions here. This is an outstanding football team we're facing tonight. When you look at the numbers, you'll see why.

National Ranks in parenthesis, some, of not most of them is ugly to look at.

Total Offense vs Total Defense
CANES 437.6 ypg (42nd) vs FSU 222 ypg allowed (3rd)
FSU 530.6 ypg (12th) vs CANES 506.6 ypg allowed (117th)

Scoring Offense vs Scoring Defense
CANES 27.9 ppg (T-62nd {Rice}) vs FSU 11.6 ppg allowed (4th)
FSU 46 ppg (6th) vs CANES 32.3 ppg allowed (93rd)

Rushing Offense vs Rushing Defense
CANES 140.8 ypg (86th) vs FSU 74.9 ypg allowed (5th)
FSU 233.1 ypg (16th) vs CANES 253.7 ypg allowed (118th)

Passing Offense vs Passing Defense
CANES 296.7 ypg (24th) vs FSU 147.1 ypg allowed (6th)
FSU 297.4 ypg (23rd) vs CANES 252.9 ypg allowed (86th)

Pass Efficiency vs Pass Efficiency Defense 
CANES 127.4 (81st) vs FSU 90.9 (3rd)
FSU 173.4 (5th) vs CANES 138.1 (82nd)

TFLs Allowed vs TFLs
CANES 4.6 (T-24th {Michigan St.}) vs FSU 6.3 (T-45th {Fresno St., Ohio})
FSU 5 (T-41st {Northern Illinois, Toledo, TCU, BC, South Carolina}) vs CANES 4.9 (T-97th {Ohio St.})

Sacks Allowed vs Sacks
CANES 1.14 pg (T-22nd {Northern Illinois}) vs FSU 2.4 pg (T-34th {Arkansas, Missouri, Wisconsin})
FSU 1.57 pg (T-48th {Utah St., Vegas, Wisconsin, NW}) vs CANES 1 pg (T-107th {Arizona, Kansas, Troy})

3rd Down O vs 3rd Down D
CANES 44.4% (45th) vs FSU 23% (Leads Nation)
FSU 44.3% (46th) vs CANES 44.2% (89th)

Time of Possession
CANES 25:40 pg (117th)
FSU 29:37 pg (66th)

Turnover Margin
CANES +2 (.29 pg) (T-44th {Cal, Michigan St., South Carolina, UCLA})
FSU +1 (.14 pg) (T-55th {Northern Illinois, Rice, VT, Ole Miss})

Net Punting
CANES 34.35 avg (101st)
FSU 34.7 avg (96th)

Punt Returns vs Punt Return D
CANES 7 ypg (T-77th {Fresno St., Arizona St.}) vs FSU 6.67 ypg allowed (51st)
FSU 14.8 ypg (14th) vs CANES 18 ypg allowed (116th)

Kick Returns vs Kick Return D
CANES 24.4 (29th) vs FSU 15.9 allowed (6th)
FSU 29.6 (3rd) vs CANES 14.3 allowed (2nd)

For us to win tonight, it's going to take a near perfect game to do it. In that, I mean, no turnovers, finish drives with 7s instead of 3s. Taking advantage of short fields and making FSU have to go 80+ yards per drive. We have to stay out of 3rd and long situations, especially against a defense that leads the nation in 3rd down Defense. We have to get the crowd in the game early and often and the way you do that is with big plays. It wouldn't shock me if we try to hit a big play early if its there.

This will not be the blowout many CANE fans suspect. This is a big game from a recruiting perspective. There will a lot of recruits at this game tonight. If this is a replay of the 2010 game in which we got blown out 45-17 by the Noles, recruiting in South Florida would be set back 2-3 years if not more, that's how devastating it would be if a replay of 2010 happens tonight. Matthew Thomas from Booker T would be gone to FSU for sure. Denver Kirkland would be gone to FSU as well.

In fact, here is a list of players that will be at the game tonight:
CANES Commits in Bold
2013:
ATH Ray Lewis, 5-10, 190, Lake Mary Prep (Fla.),–Commit/Official Visit
LB Jermaine Grace, 6-1, 205, Miramar (Fla.)
OL Denver Kirkland, 6-5, 335, Miami (Fla.) Booker T.
LB, Matthew Thomas, 6-3, 205, Miami (Fla.) Booker T.
TE Jeremy Kerr, 6-6, 255, St. Petersburg (Fla.)–Commit

2014:
WR Ermon Lane, 6-2, 172, Homestead (Fla.)
LB Richard Yeargin III, 6-3, 210, Hollywood (Fla) Chaminade-Madonna
RB Sony Michel, 5-11, 195, Plantation (Fla.) American Heritage
K Christian Pereira, 6-2, 185, Orlando (Fla.) Timber Creek
DE Chad Thomas, 6-4. 225, Miami (Fla.) Booker T.
ATH Travis Rudolph, 6-0, 175, West Palm Beach (Fla.) Cardinal Newman–Commit
CB Nigel Patten, 5-9, 165, Miami (Fla.) Booker T.

2015:
ATH Jordan Cronkrite, 5-11, 185, Miami (Fla.) Westminster
ATH Tim Irvin, 5-9, 182, Miami (Fla.) Westminster
RB Jacques Patrick, 6-2, 215, Orlando (Fla.) Timber Creek

That's why the importance of keeping it close tonight is vital. Look at the talent here, we can ill afford to get blown out tonight at home to FSU for the 2nd time in 3 years because most of that talent would bolt to FSU or UF. 

Realistically though, I see this game being like 1998 in the Orange Bowl (RIP). FSU gets a nice sized lead, only to have us come back and make a game of it. However, I think FSU will make more key plays than we do and they come out with the victory.

My prediction: FSU 31 CANES 20.

Report Card vs North Carolina

Highlights: Miami vs. North Carolina

Looking at yesterday's game, once again, the D gives up almost 500 yards to Carolina (177 to Gio Bernard alone on 27 carries, with 1 TD). The 3rd down conversion rates were the same for both teams (6-15). The reason we lost this one yesterday was because we lost the turnover battle (-1). You rarely win games when you lose the turnover battle. We wasted a near 100 yard rushing game out of MJ. We did win the field position battle (Average drive starts: Carolina from their own 21, us from our own 22).

This was one of those games where you have a chance to win, but don't make the plays needed late to win.

That said, time for the Report Card.

Offense: C:  Offense did so-so. First possession, the penalty on Malcolm on 4th and 1, was a momentum killer because it pushed us back 5 yards and we ultimately had to punt. Two picks in the 1st half, the first one near the red zone on our next possession, was another killer right there because that's points we left on the field (7, and that ultimately would come back to bite us late). We turned the ball over on downs on the next possession on 4th and 3 when Hurns couldn't make a play. Later the 2nd Morris pick was at the 7 of Carolina. We allow a sack on the final drive that was a back-breaker for us. There were some bright spots, but we have to get rid of the dropsie disease because once again yesterday, it reared its ugly head in key moments.

Defense: D-: Once again, the D allows almost 500 yards of total offense to Carolina (486 to be exact), and we had little to no answer for Bernard, who went for 177 on 27 carries and 1 TD. We gave Renner almost all day to throw. Though EJ did get the pick early in the game (and had 4 tackles, 2 TFLs) we made Renner look too comfortable in the pocket. We did break up 5 passes yesterday. Denzel had an 11 tackle game (3 TFLs). Carolina was 6-15 (40%) on 3rd down and of those, 3 of those conversions were from 5 yards or less, but what was really disheartening there was the fact that twice, we allowed them to convert on plays more than 6 yards and in big spots too. We killed ourselves here with bad penalties. The PF on Brandon after the run by Romar of Carolina on their 2nd possession. We have another penalty where we have 12 on the field. However, the missed by Barth bailed them out there. On their 2nd possession of the 3rd quarter, the D makes a stop, only to have a PI call on Brandon keep their drive alive, but once again, the D rose up to make a key play and get off the field. Overall here, still needs work to get better. There was some, but not by much from last week.

Special Teams: C: I could tell that this staff had little to no confidence in Jake making kicks in pressure spots, hence, that's why we went for it a lot on 4th downs. Another solid game out of Dalton Botts. 2 of his 3 punts were downed, one of which inside the 1. We did win the field position battle (Carolina started from their own 21, CANES from their own 22). There's still some work to do here. Jake needs to get his confidence back before Saturday Night vs FSU.

In closing, overall, this is one of those games where you have a chance to win late, but we don't make the plays needed to be made in key situations. Tip your cap to Carolina, they made the plays they needed to make and we didn't. That's all there is to it. We know the challenge ahead of us on Saturday Night vs FSU in Primetime on ABC. Gotta get back up and play an outstanding Seminole team.

North Carolina Preview

National Ranks in parenthesis

Total Offense vs Total Defense
CANES 441.3 ypg (40th) vs UNC 312.3 ypg allowed (20th)
UNC 486.7 ypg (23rd) vs CANES 510 ypg allowed (118th)

Scoring Offense vs Scoring Defense
CANES 30.2 ppg (T-54th {WMU}) vs UNC 17.8 ppg allowed (26th)
UNC 44 ppg (9th) vs CANES 34.7 ppg allowed (101st)

Rushing Offense vs Rushing Defense
CANES 134.2 ypg (89th) vs UNC 86.3 ypg allowed (11th)
UNC 200.3 ypg (32nd) vs CANES 250.7 ypg allowed (116th)

Passing Offense vs Passing Defense
CANES 307.2 ypg (15th) vs UNC 226 ypg allowed (62nd)
UNC 286.3 ypg (31st) vs CANES 259.3 ypg allowed (91st)

Pass Efficiency vs Pass Efficiency Defense 
CANES 132.7 (64th) vs UNC 113.16 (30th)
UNC 153.4 (22nd) vs CANES 146.79 (102nd)

TFLs Allowed vs TFLs
CANES 4.17 (T-18th {Ohio}) vs UNC 8.3 (T-6th {BYU, LSU})
UNC 6.17 (T-79th {VT, UK, UConn}) vs CANES 5.2 (T-82nd {Minnesota})

Sacks Allowed vs Sacks
CANES 1.17 pg (T-26th {USF, Arkansas St.}) vs UNC 2.5 pg (T-32nd {Arkansas, Missouri, Duke, Toledo, Cal, Temple, Oregon St.})
UNC .67 pg (T-11th {Ohio, Duke, Tulsa}) vs CANES 1.17 pg (T-102nd {Clemson})

3rd Down O vs 3rd Down D
CANES 45.1% (41st) vs UNC 34.78% (35th)
UNC 45.98% (36th) vs CANES 45% (T-94th {Idaho})

Time of Possession
CANES 24:54 pg (116th)
UNC 27:06 pg (107th)

Turnover Margin
CANES +3 (.6 pg) (T-33rd {LSU, Oregon, South Carolina})
UNC +5 (.83 pg) (T-23rd {New Mexico, Ohio St.})

Net Punting
CANES 35.43 avg (88th)
UNC 39.1 avg (31st)

Punt Returns vs Punt Return D
CANES 7 ypg (74th) vs UNC 3.3 ypg allowed (21st)
UNC 13.9 ypg (23rd) vs CANES 16.7 ypg allowed (115th)

Kick Returns vs Kick Return D
CANES 24.7 (29th) vs UNC 20.8 allowed (57th)
UNC 26.3 (18th) vs CANES 14.4 allowed (4th)

A couple of stats jump out at me here. First, their D vs the Run. It is very good. They are as you can see 11th in the nation in that category. Another that jumps out is the TFLs. They are tied for 6th with BYU and LSU in this category. They swarm to the ball carriers very quickly. Their Punt Return D is very good. They only allow 3.3 ypg here. The opportunities when we have them, we need to take advantage to give the O good field position.  Our Run D will be tested tomorrow with trying to stop UNC RB Gio Bernard. He lit VT's vaunted D for over 200 yards last week.

In the end, I believe we'll make just enough plays to win. Gametime tomorrow is at 2:30 on ESPNU.

My prediction: CANES 38 Carolina 31

Report Card for game vs Notre Dame (Chicago)

Well, last night's game, on the first possession, we had two golden opportunities to really set the tone in this game, but didn't take advantage at that point and you could tell from there that the air just went out of us from that point on. Another chance we had late in the half to cut the ND lead to 7 was missed when Jake missed a FG that didn't have a chance from the start. In the 2nd half, when we needed a stop on the 1st possession by ND, it didn't happen, they scored and from that point, they dominated in the 2nd half and we had no answer for them at all. Tip your cap to the Irish, they just kicked our butts in the 2nd half.

Here's the ugly report card for last night's game

Offense: D- : Only 285 yards of total offense and of that, just 84 yards rushing. (Duke 22 yards on 8 carries, MJ 28 yards on 6 carries). The dropsie disease was very much in evidence last night, especially on the first possession, two drops by Phillip that would have been 6 for us. Yes, Morris was 18-35 for 201, but after he was harassed and hurried in this game, really from the 2nd quarter on. Morris was hurried 5 times last night and the O-Line did not adjust to that at all. The O-Line didn't allow a sack which was good, but the ND front 7 really took it to our O-Line in this game. Also, didn't help when Stephen's TD was called back by Jonny's holding penalty on the next possession after the two drops by Phillip on the first one. Jonny killed us with two penalties on that drive. Poor performance last night all around here. You will not win games against Top 10 opponents when you have just 84 yards rushing.

Defense: F : Here are the ugly numbers allowed. Total offense by ND: 587. Of that 587 yards allowed, 376 of those yards were on the ground. We allow two of their rushers to go over 115 yards rushing (Atkinson III 123 on 10 carries 1 TD, and Wood 118 on 18 carries 2 TDs). We even allowed McDaniel to score a late TD. We did try to blitz last night but to little or no avail. Just 1 QB Hurry all night (Bush). The penalties here were just as bad. The personal foul on EJ on the 1st drive kept a ND drive where they ultimately scored. Later, an offside penalty on Corey on ND's first drive of the 2nd half, kept a scoring drive for them alive and they ultimately got 7 there and for all intents, ball game over at 20-3. Complete disaster all around by the D. They allowed ND to get on all their possessions in the 2nd half 4 TDs. On ND's 2nd possession of the 2nd half, they went to the running game and we could not stop it at all and they knew it was coming. Their O-Line just dominated our front 7 last night. We allowed 34 first downs to ND last night. Completely inexcusable.

Special Teams: D- : Gabriel's BS roughing the kicker call on 1st punt by ND, kept their drive alive and they ultimately got 7 from it. Later at 13-3 ND, Tyrone gets called for an illegal block in the back that pushes us back from a field position standpoint. ND started their drives from an average of their own 18 while we started our drives from an average of our own 28. Usually when you win the field position battle, you usually get the win. Last night was certainly not the case at all. Jake misses a key FG that would have cut the ND lead at Half to 7. Botts did have a TB in this game, but three of his punts were inside the 20. Overall, very poor performance by the Special Teams.

In closing, we have to bounce back from this and forget this game. This game is over and the next focus needs to be on Carolina, which had an impressive win over VT yesterday. We're home for the next three games, and it'll be good to get back to Sun Life and hopefully back on the winning track.

Notre Dame Preview

After 22 years, the Miami Hurricanes will be playing Notre Dame in the regular season tonight at Soldier Field in Chicago. Gametime is 7:30 on NBC.

Notre Dame's Defense is very good. They are 3rd in the country in Scoring Defense, 9th in Pass Efficiency Defense, 15th in Total Defense, 19th vs the Pass, and 29th vs the Run. There are few matchups to watch in this game tonight.

Duke and Mike James vs the Notre Dame front 7, especially LB Manti Te'o. I'm going to look for at least 4-5 yards on 1st downs. Their Defense in those situations is 20th in the country, allowing 16.75 per game. ND's 3rd Down Defense is horrible. They are 72nd in the country in that department, allowing opponents to convert almost 40% of the time (39.66% to be exact), compared to ours, which is 94th with opponents converting almost 45% of the time (44.93% to be exact).

Ball protection is going to be vital in this ball game tonight because ND is 3rd in the country in turnover margin (2.25 per game or a +9). Under no circumstances can we turn the ball over because that's going to be asking for trouble. Also, protecting Stephen Morris is going to be critical because the ND Defense is 9th in the nation in Sacks averaging 3.5 per game. A matchup that I'm going to be watching in this game is LT Malcolm Bunche vs RDE of Notre Dame Stephon Tuitt. Tuitt is T-2nd in the nation in sacks per game with 1.5. Bunche needs to neutralize Tuitt and protect Morris' blind side. The matchup I want to also watch here is WR Rashawn Scott vs ND CB Bennett Jackson. I wouldn't be surprised if he's switches to go up against Dorsett. A matchup I like is Dorsett vs their other CB Russell who's very suspect. I think that's a matchup we can exploit all night.

The key to this game will be the Notre Dame Offense vs the CANE Defense. Can the CANE D step up and have a solid game for 4 quarters. We have to stop Riddick and Atkinson III. Also, another matchup to watch in this game tonight is the ND TE Eifert vs the CANE LBs (Corneilus/Paul, EJ, and Denzel). We have to not make Eifert a factor in this game because if he is, it's going to be a long night because that will open up the running game even more.

In the end, it'll be close, it'll come down to a couple of plays and who makes them.  I think in the end, we'll make just enough plays to win this game and leave Chi-town with a big time signature W on the road.

My prediction: CANES 31 Notre Dame 27

Report Card and Game Balls vs NC State

What can you say about yesterday? In the 1st quarter, we were clicking on all cylinders, however, late in the quarter, when we had a chance to put the Wolfpack away, we didn't do that, and for the rest of the game, we made more interesting than necessary. At the end of the day, though, we got the win, which is the most important. We're 4-1 (3-0 in the ACC), and getting ready for a trip to Chicago on Saturday Night vs Notre Dame on NBC. 

The Report Card for yesterday's game:

Offense: B-: The down side is that we only had 85 yards rushing yesterday on 32 carries as a team. Against a great team, numbers like that won't win many games. The up side, we had 651 yards of Total Offense (566 of those were in the air from Stephen Morris, who set a ACC record to boot in this game). Only one penalty on the O (False Start on Jeremy). We didn't finish drives strong in the middle of the game. We had 3 three and outs, and some 4 and outs. We did get the GW from Stephen on the 3rd and 11 play to Phillip. Need more consistency here and finish drives strong. We didn't take advantage of the short fields the D gave us, and to be a great team, we need to take advantage of those situations. 

Defense: C-: I liked the fact that we forced 6 turnovers (4 fumbles and 2 picks). What I didn't like was the fact that we allowed 664 yards of total offense (224 of those rushing, including 120 from Creecy alone on 19 carries). They need to stiffen up more in that area. I liked that we did sack Glennon twice, but didn't like the fact that we allowed him to go for 440 yards passing and 4 TDs. This area needs to get better and be consistent for 4 quarters. They did step up when it was needed though. 

Special Teams: C-: Three missed FGs by Jake, left 9 points on the field there, that could have cost us big time, against a great team, that'll come back to bite us. However, Dalton Botts had another solid game in the Punting area for us. Two huge punts inside the 5. They started their drives from an average of their own 20, while we started ours from an average of our own 32. On kickoffs, we were beginning drives from our own 25. The kicking game almost cost us a win yesterday. This area, especially with Jake, needs to shake this tough performance off because we're going to need him in big spots later in the year. 

Now to Game Balls. This week, I'm giving out 5 game balls:

1. Stephen Morris: 26-49, 566 yards (ACC record), 5 TDs, 1 INT. Simply phenomenal on that GW TD play. 
2. Phillip Dorsett: 7 receptions, 191 yards 2 TDs (including GW) 226 all-purpose yards.
3. Rashawn Scott: 6 receptions, 180 yards 2 TDs
4. Eddie Johnson: 7 tackles (1 TFL), 1 sack, 2 Forced Fumbles, 1 pass broken up
5. Dalton Botts: 2 big punts pinning NC State inside the 5, 0 TBs, 4 punts inside the 20

In closing, there were many mistakes made yesterday and points were left on the field. If we're going to take that next step, we have to take advantage of short fields we're given and we have to finish drives strong with TDs, not FGs. The question is which CANES team comes to Chicago on Saturday Night? The one that was dominant in the 1st quarter? or the one that was going through the motions for most of the game? If the latter shows up, it will be ugly in Chicago. If the former shows up, we win handily. 

NC State Preview

Its gameday at Sun Life Stadium as this afternoon, the CANES will take on the NC State Wolfpack at Noon. Both teams are 3-1, however, this will be the conference opener for NC State, while for the CANES, this will be their 3rd conference game of the season. 

Let's look at both teams by the numbers: 

(Note: National rankings in parenthesis)

Rushing vs Rush D
NC State 145.5 ypg (83rd) vs CANES 226 ypg allowed (109th)
CANES 159 ypg (T-67 {WVU} vs NC State 119 ypg allowed (35th)

Passing vs Pass D
NC State 245.5 ypg (53rd) vs CANES 226.25 ypg allowed (65th)
CANES 269 ypg (37th) vs NC State 206.75 ypg allowed (40th)

Total O vs Total D
NC State 391 ypg (76th) vs CANES 452.25 ypg allowed (98th)
CANES 428 ypg (50th) vs NC State 325.75 ypg allowed (30th)

Scoring O vs Scoring D

NC State 28.5 ppg (T-63rd {Michigan}) vs. CANES 32.5 ppg allowed (T-95th {FAU})
CANES 33.5 ppg (T-46th {L'Ville}) vs NC State 15.75 ppg allowed (27th)

TFLs allowed vs TFLs
NC State 7.75 TFLs allowed (T-111th {SC, UCLA}) vs CANES 6 TFLs pg (T-53rd {K-State, Duke, Minnesota, UCF, Wake})
CANES 4.5 TFLs allowed (T-31st {Minnesota, L'Ville}) vs NC State 8.5 TFLs pg (T-8th {UConn, BYU, LSU, Cincinnati})

Sacks Allowed vs Sacks 
NC State 3.5 spg allowed (T-113th {New Mexico State}) vs CANES 1.25 spg (T-94th {TN, UF, Miss. State, Wyoming, Miami (OH), Iowa})
CANES 1.5 spg allowed (T-42nd {UGa, Cuse, Cincinnati, Clemson, WMU, UVa, Akron, EMU, Fresno, Wyoming, Iowa}) vs NC State 2.75 spg (T-23rd {Bama, WKU, Fresno, Minnesota, Utah, Utah State, Toledo, WMU})

3rd Down O vs 3rd Down D
NC State 30-68 44.1% (47th) vs CANES 27-57 47.3% (105th)
CANES 31-61 50.8% (20th) vs NC State 13-51 25.5% (12th)

Turnover Margin
NC State +3
CANES -2

When you see the video of the TN game in the opener you can see that if we give Morris time to throw, he will torch that NC State secondary like TN did in Atlanta. We have faster and better receivers than TN does. You'll notice the pressure their defense puts on Glennon. One of the keys today will be to pressure Glennon and make him uncomfortable in the pocket. The D needs to build off the win @GT and continue to get better. 

Another key to this game will be to get Duke going and need another solid game out of Mike James. The receivers are the question, how much will they step up in the absence of Malcolm Lewis? We need to get the TEs going in this game today. 

I think in the end, this game will be close for a half, but in the 2nd half, I think the CANES will be too much and just too many weapons for NC State to overcome. 

My prediction: CANES 35 NC State 17

Report Card and Game Balls @GT

Well, what can you say about the miracle in Atlanta yesterday? This team did not quit, though it could have after giving up 36 unanswered points after being up 19-0 after one quarter. This team kept battling back and found a way to win. I believe yesterday, we turned the corner and hopefully, we build off this win and move ahead to where we need to get to. 

With that said, on to the report card:

Offense - A-: We were 11-16 on 3rd Down conversions. We had 609 yards of total offense. The O-Line had a very solid game allowing 0 sacks and doing an excellent job opening up the running lanes and protecting Morris in the pocket. The running game with Duke and MJ were very solid. Solid game all around here. However, Stephen did throw a pick and we lost a fumble. 

Defense - B-: The good side is that they came up big when they had in the OT session stopping GT on the 4th and Goal play. However, there are a few concerns here. For one, we allowed 419 yards total offense (287 of those on the ground, and 248 of those from the 2nd quarter on). We did sack Tevin Washington once. GT was 6-13 on 3rd downs. We had 8 TFLs for 27 yards and broke up a pass. The downer here is that we didn't force a turnover and that needs to change going forward. There is some improvement that can be made here, but still a solid game when it needed to have it. 

Special Teams - B: No touchbacks on the Punts. No touchbacks on Kicks, and Jake kicked one out of bounds, giving GT good field position on the first drive of the 2nd half and they scored the TD on that. He was 2-3 on FGs as well. We had one inside the 20 and Dalton had a punt downed inside the 10. In a game where field position was critical, GT started their drives from an average of their own 34, while we started drives from an average of our own 25. Gotta be better in that area. We had 101 yards in kick returns yesterday and 18 on Punts, while we allowed 84 yards on Punt returns and 93 on Kick returns. The Special Teams defense needs to clamp down on that a little more. Overall, solid effort, with room for more improvement. 

Now its on to the Game Balls. This week, I'm giving six game balls out. 

1. Phillip Dorsett - 9 receptions, 184 yards 1 TD and 202 yards all-purpose. 
2. Stephen Morris - 31-52, 436 yards, 2 TDs, 1 INT. 
3. Davon Johnson - 7 receptions, 107 yards. 
4. Dalton Botts - 2 punts, 1 inside the 20
5. The Entire Defense - Came up big when it had to in that OT session stopping Tech on 4th and Goal
6. Mike James - 15 carries, 89 yards, 3 TDs (including the GW in OT). 

Solid effort all-around yesterday, there are areas on the Defense where we could still get better at, but I think yesterday, we finally turned the corner and hopefully we build off this win and keep getting better as the season goes on. 

Georgia Tech Preview

This afternoon at 3 p.m., its the CANES vs the Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets at Bobby Dodd Stadium up in Atlanta. You can see the game on the Regional Sports Network (i.e. Sun Sports, FOX Sports South, etc). 

When we played GT last, it was last year at Sun Life Stadium, when GT was #23 in the country and we manhandled the Jackets 24-7 and held them to 134 yards rushing on the day. This year, GT looks pretty good. They manhandled a very good UVa team last week racking up 461 yards rushing and almost 600 yards in total offense (594 to be exact). Make no mistake, our D will have their work cut out for them today. However, I really feel this D is going to step up and make plays. Injury wise, Denzel Perryman, Curtis Porter, Raphael Kirby, and Andrew Swasey are out for the game today. Allen Hurns and Vaughn Telemaque will play today, and its a big boost to get them back healthy and on the field, especially the latter. We must get off the field on third downs and make GT have to convert in long yardage situations (i.e., 7 yards or more). We can't have GT be in short yardage situations on 3rd down. Johnson isn't afraid to take a shot on 4th down, so the D needs to be aware of that. GT doesn't throw the ball that often, but when they do, we have to be aware of that. However, their M.O. is the running game, and that MUST be the focus of the D, stay in their lanes, and finish tackles. Simply put Assignment Football. 

Offensively, we need a solid game out of Stephen Morris. He was 20-35 for 211 last week (1 TD, 1 INT). Also, big games are needed from Duke and Mike James, but also I need to see a solid game out of Eduardo Clements. Protecting Morris will be critical because of the fact that last week, GT had 2 sacks on UVa's QB (Rocco). In the receiving area, need the TEs to come up big today, and also, I need to see Thompkins and DJ (Davon Johnson) finally step up and produce in key situations. 

In the end, I think we'll stop the Triple Option, and I think we'll make enough key plays to win the ball game today. 

My prediction: CANES 27 GT 10

Report Card and Game Balls vs Bethune-Cookman

Thoughts on Yesterday's game. Offensively, big performance from Duke. We had 426 yards total offense. Nice performance from Morris going 20-35 211 yards, 1 TD, 1 INT. However, of our 9 penalties, 4 of them on the Offense and all of them were false starts. Those are drive killing penalties you can't have. I didn't like the fact that the game was a little too close for comfort going into the 4th only up 24-10, but we got the job done and move on to 2-1 on the season.

Defensively, good performance from Tyriq McCord with 5 tackles (2 sacks, 2 TFLs). Shayon Green with 8 tackles and 1 broken up pass. However, we did allow 233 yards rushing (127 in the 2nd half, 106 in the 1st half), but compared to 255 yards rushing allowed last week vs K-State, its a slight improvement, but we can still do better. The down side is that Denzel was hurt, might not play in the next game @Georgia Tech. We did have 3 sacks in this ballgame and had a pick. Didn't like the fact we were EVEN on the turnover margin, against a good team, that's asking for trouble. We allowed 355 yards total offense, which was a little better, compared to almost 500 yards allowed vs K-State. However, there is still room for improvement here. 

Special Teams, Duke with the 95 yarder on the kickoff for the TD gave us a jolt confidence wise. Nice performance from Dalton Botts with 3 of his 4 punts inside the 20 and no touchbacks. Phillip had 4 PRs for 21 yards, helps with the Field position game. We started drives from an average of our own 41, while Bethune started their drives from an average of their own 20, which is very good special teams defense by us. 

Now to the Report Card:

Offense: A- Gotta cut the false starts out, but other than that, running game was much improved yesterday, and no three and outs, however, we do need to improve our 3rd down conversion rate, we were 4-11 in that regard, compared to 5-12 vs K-State, slight regression there. The passing game was much better here.

Defense: C  Now, I know its been much maligned, but they did come to play yesterday. compared to the almost 500 yards allowed vs K-State. Yes, we did allow 355 yards total offense, however, 233 yards were on the ground, and again, compared to the 288 yards rushing we allowed vs K-State, 233 allowed is a slight improvement, but there is much room to get better here and they will get better at stopping the run. The pass rush finally made an appearance yesterday, getting 3 sacks and a pick. I didn't like the fact that Bethune converted 7 out of 19 on 3rd downs, however, compared to the 8 of 11 K-State converted, its an improvement, but we can still be better in this area as well. 

Special Teams: A  Duke with the huge kick return for 6 gives us a big shot in the arm here. Pinning Bethune deep after Dalton's 3 of 4 punts inside the 20 was huge from a Field position standpoint. Malcolm Lewis had a 39 yard return on a kickoff. Dorsett had 21 yards on 4 PRs. Outstanding effort by the Special Teams unit yesterday. 

Game Balls: This week, I'm handing out four game balls. 

1. Duke Johnson: 14 carries, 94 yards, 2 TDs rushing. 3 receptions for 57 yards, and of course the 95 yard Kick return for a TD. 247 yards all-purpose yesterday. 
2. Stephen Morris: 20-35 211 yards, 1 TD, 1 INT
3. Tyriq McCord: 5 tackles, 2 sacks 2 TFLs
4. Dalton Botts: 3 of 4 punts inside the 20, 0 touchbacks, 0 punt return yardage allowed

Yes, there is room for improvement and we'll need to get better stopping the run in the next game because the opponent is Georgia Tech on the road with the Triple Option. The key in the next game is assignment football. 

Bethune-Cookman Preview

This is the home opener for the CANES. The opponent is a familiar one in Bethune-Cookman. When they last met, the CANES had to work hard for a 45-14 victory over the Wildcats last year at Sun Life Stadium. 

Looking at Bethune-Cookman, this is a team that doesn't give up. They have a pretty good QB in Jackie Wilson from Fort Lauderdale. However, the Wildcats have had slow starts to their first two games, so hopefully, that trend will continue and the CANES start out much faster than they have the first two games, both times falling behind 14-0. 

When you look at last year's game, we started slowly in the 1st half, leading just 14-7, but pulled away in the 2nd half with 42 unanswered points to win comfortably. We know tomorrow, we can't have that happen again. The Defense must come out fast and make a statement for 4 quarters and get the taste of the loss in Manhattan, KS out of their mouths. The D cannot allow 422 yards like it did last year against the Wildcats, because that's going to be really asking for trouble. They held the ball for just about 39 minutes (38:59 to be exact). We have got to win the time of possession battle and we must win the turnover battle. 

We need a big game out of Duke, but I need to see a bigger game from the Defense tomorrow. I think we'll see that. This unit has to come out and make a statement in this game. 

In the end, I think we'll get big games from Duke, the D and on Special Teams. 

Prediction: CANES 42 Bethune-Cookman 14

Report Card for game @K-State

What could you say about yesterday? We were terrible in all three phases. 

Once again we fell behind 14-0, but this time, there would be no comeback. A couple of plays really turned the mo against us. 

At 7-0 in the 1st and on 3rd and 1, Eduardo gets the 1st down, but loses the ball and Brown recovers the fumble for them. and five plays later, its 14-0 K-State. 14 point swing on that fumble. Later at 17-3, first play of our next drive, Duke drops a sure TD pass that would have cut the K-State to 7 at 17-10. Instead, its a 3 and out series, that's another 14 point swing of momentum in their favor, because instead of 17-10, its 24-3 K-State. The one that really told how timid we were yesterday was the last drive at the end of the 1st half. At 24-3 down, we have a chance to get momentum our way with 7, instead we settle for 3 and instead of 24-10 down, we're down 24-6. Coming out of the locker room, we couldn't seize the mo and we had to punt, and K-State scores on that drive, 31-6, game over. They would add 21 more after that in the 4th. 

Once again yesterday, I didn't like the fact that we didn't have a pass rush at all, it was non-existent. I also didn't like the fact that we had 4 penalties for 30 yards, while K-State had 2 penalties for 12 yards. 

Time for the report card:

Offense: D- The reason for that is that of the four penalties yesterday, 3 were on the offense. We could not get the running game going. The sobering numbers: 29 carries, 40 yards (1.4 ypc). We had just 262 total offense yesterday, after having 415 last week up in BC. They handcuffed Duke by holding him to just 19 yards in just 6 carries. Credit K-State's D for doing a great job keying on Duke. Mike James wasn't much better either. Just 27 yards on 9 carries. The O-Line allowed Morris to be sacked 5 times, and fumbles twice, losing the ball both times. The one bright spot here was Clive Walford having 61 yards on 3 receptions, and 1 TD (near the end when K-State had the game well in hand). Very poor game all-around yesterday.

Defense: F  Once again, we allowed too many big plays and the biggest concern to me was no pass rush. We allow Colin Klein to have a big game. 71 yards rushing and 3 TDs. The pass defense was a little better, allowing just 210 yards passing, however, we allowed 498 yards total offense, and of those yards, 288 of those were on the ground, which included 106 yards by John Hubert alone. This unit could not get off the field on 3rd downs. When we needed a stop, it wasn't there. They were 72% on 3rd down conversions (8-11), and all of those were with less than 5 yards to go, the 3rd downs were short yardage situations. -2 in turnover margin will not win you games, and especially against a very good team like Kansas State is. 

Special Teams: D  Jake had two field goals. However, the return game was non-existent. The fact that K-State didn't punt until the near the end of the game was very disheartening. The bright spot is that Duke had 141 yards in Kick returns on 5 touches. When you give a team like K-State short fields to work with, they take advantage, especially when you have a running game like they do. They started drives from an average of their own 41, while we started our drives from an average of our own 28. That's not going to get it done. 

Its time to forget this game, but learn from it and fix the mistakes we made for next game on Saturday vs Bethune-Cookman in the home opener. GO CANES!

Kansas State Preview

Tomorrow afternoon at High Noon in Manhattan, KS at Bill Snyder Family Stadium, we will play the Kansas State Wildcats. The game can be seen on FX. In Spanish, it'll be a first for FOX Sports Deportes, as it'll be the first time since 1996 that a major college football game has aired on that channel. 

As for the game, Let's look at the matchups

CANES O-Line vs K-State D-Line

LT Bunche (RS Soph 6'7" 325) vs RDE Adam Davis (Sr. 6' 247)

LG Felicano (RS Soph 6'5" 314) vs RDT Vai Latui (Sr. 6'2" 299)

C McDermott (RS Soph 6'4" 295) vs """"""""""""""""

RG Linder (Jr. 6'6" 308) vs LDT John Sua (Sr. 6' 294)

RT Flowers (Fr. 6'6" 314) vs. LDE Meshak Williams (Sr. 6'3" 245)

K-State has a lot of experience on the D-Line and our O-Line is going have to step up and run block better, especially against Sua and Latui on the inside. Felicano and McDermott are going to need big games tomorrow. We had 139 yards rushing last year at Sun Life against these guys on 27 carries. If we have another big game from Duke tomorrow, we win. 

K-State O-Line vs CANES D-Line

LT Corneilus Lucas (Jr. 6'9" 324) vs RDE Green (RS Jr. 6'3" 260)

LG Nick Puetz (Sr. 6'4" 304) vs. RDT Pierre (Soph. 6'4" 300)

C B.J. Finney (Soph. 6'4" 303) vs """""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""

RG Keenan Taylor (Soph. 6'1" 290) vs. LDT Smith (Sr. 6'2" 315)

RT Cody Whitehair (RS Frosh 6'3" 300) vs LDE Chick (Soph. 6'4" 262)

We allowed 265 yards rushing last year (166 from John Hubert and another 93 out of Colin Klein). That cannot happen tomorrow or we will not win. We need to pressure Klein and make him have to beat us throwing the ball. 

A couple of matchups I'm going to be watching tomorrow.

I really want to see Duke vs K-State's LB's (Arthur Brown, Tre Walker, and Justin Tuggle). Its time Mike James and Eduardo Clements step up because you know they will key on Duke after the big game vs BC last week. 

I want to see more of the TEs in this game for us make more plays. Its time Dye, Cleveland, and Walford all step up and make plays vs the K-State LBs. 

CANES WRs vs K-State Secondary

WR Allen Hurns (Jr. 6'3" 192) vs. RCB Nigel Malone (Sr. 5'10" 180)

WR Phillp Dorsett (Soph. 5'10" 185) vs. LCB Allen Chapman (Sr. 5'11" 176)

WR Malcolm Lewis (Frosh 6' 192) vs. CB Randall Evans (Fr. 6' 190)

K-State WRs vs CANES Secondary

WR Tremaine Thompson (Jr. 5'8" 167) vs. LCB Finnie (Soph. 5'10" 183)

WR Chris Harper (Sr. 6'1" 234) vs. RCB McGee (Sr. 6' 194)

WR Tyler Lockett (Soph. 5'11 175) vs CB Howard (Fr. 5'11" 175) or Gunter (Jr. 6'2" 198)

The secondary needs to step up in this game while K-State's WRs are nothing to write home about, they will make plays if we fall asleep, so the Safeties have to have a big game tomorrow in the help coverage, namely VT and Kacy Rodgers II need big games tomorrow. 

We have to do a better job stopping the TEs and a matchup I'm going to be looking for is Travis Tannehill vs our LBs (Johnson, Perryman, and Cookie). Time to Cookie to step up and produce tomorrow. 

Here's a stat that stood out to me on last year's game at Sun Life: 3rd down conversions. K-State in those spots were 9-15 (60%), while we were just 4-10 (40%). We have got to a better job stopping K-State on 3rd Downs, we have to make them convert on long yardage situations and get our D off the field. Klein kept a lot of their drives in those situations. These guys don't turn the ball over, so protecting the football is going to be more critical and we cannot give them short fields to work with because that'll be asking for trouble. Here's another stat that stood out, when K-State leads at half, they are 150-5 (97%, 6-0 in 2011). So fur us, a fast start is critical, because if we fall behind early, that crowd will be involved and we need to keep the crowd out of the game. 

I think we will step up and make some key plays. This game will be close throughout. I think it'll come down to a couple of key plays, I think we'll make enough key plays to get out of Manhattan with a big time victory on the road. 

CANES 27 K-State 17 

Videos from the Boston College Game

Photos from the game @Boston College

Report Card and Game Balls for BC Game

Being at the game up here in Boston yesterday, a couple of notes. 

The tailgating here is virtually non-existent. 
The atmosphere in Alumni Stadium was so-so at best. They had their moments especially when they were up 14-0 early. They were into the game. 

However, when we started to clamp down and Stephen got going, you could see the momentum begin to turn our way, and especially more so after the Pick 6 by Denzel to tie the game at 14 at the end of the 1st quarter. I could tell we didn't quit, we kept battling out there and the D stepped up when it had to. We ended up with a +2 in the turnover margin, which is pretty good. I like that we were 11-21 on 3rd downs. 

But, I didn't like the fact that we didn't have a pass rush at all, it was non-existent. I also didn't like the fact that we had 9 penalties for 76 yards. I also didn't like the fact that Morris was telegraphing his throws, however, that's fixable. Something Sileo mentioned last night on the postgame was the fact that we allowed I think 5-6 big plays over 20 yards, that needs to change for next game vs K-State. 

Time for the report card:

Offense: B+ The reason for that is that of the nine penalties yesterday, 3 were on the offense, which included 2 false starts. But, the 208 yards rushing and 415 in total Offense, which included 135 out of Duke, raises this grade here. 

Defense: B- Once again, we had little to no answer for the FB screen wide and the TE. We allowed too many big plays and the biggest concern to me was no pass rush. That has to be fixed for next game. Allowing 441 yards passing and 512 yards total offense, that's a concern, but the Denzel pick 6 made up for that and being +2 in turnover margin raises this grade here. 

Special Teams: A- Botts came up big when we needed him to, from a field position perspective. Two punts inside the 20 and two fair catches were big for us there. 110 yards in KO returns, but only 9 on Punt returns.  Jake with two big FGs, the first to give us the for good middle 3rd, and the other to basically seal the victory in the 4th. 

Time for Game Balls. For this game, I'm giving out three game balls. 

1. Duke - 7 carries, 135 yards, 2 TDs. 214 yards all-purpose. 
2. Perryman - 7 tackles (1 TFL), a pick 6
3. Botts - Two punts inside the 20. Came up big when it was needed in the 4th, pinning BC at the 8. Also a heads-up play to take the safety to run clock out in the end. 

Its time to head back to NJ from here in Boston and hopefully we'll correct the errors for next game on Saturday vs K-State on the road. GO CANES!

Gameday in Chestnut Hill

My fellow CANES, today is the day we've longed waited for. Its Gameday. There are going to be a couple of things to watch today. 

1. How Morris does as the full-time starter without having Jacory to look over his shoulder. 
2. How the LBs do against the BC offense. Also, finishing tackles (fundamentals). 
3. How our secondary does against the BC passing game. 
4. A consistent pass rush vs Rettig. If you saw BC's spring game, BC was just awful. 
5. How well our O-Line plays opening holes for the backs and giving Morris time to throw and stretch the field vs a very suspect BC secondary.

Here's what I look for today:

1. For Morris to have a 300 yard passing game.
2. For the Defense to get a Pick 6
3. A 100 yard rushing game from James. 
4. A big CANES win

I will post some photos from the game tonight and here's to a big CANES win today here in Chestnut Hill. GO CANES!

Game vs Boston College

Good evening from Beantown where I will be attending the game tomorrow in Chestnut Hill. Game time is 3:30 on ABC/ESPN/ESPN2 (Gameplan, Regional Coverage). This is the season opener. The road to #6 begins with a team that we had no business losing to last year in the Eagles of Boston College. 

This time, we will be ready to play this game. Kuchely is gone to the NFL, so he can't bail them out like he did last year with the Pick 6 to seal the Eagles victory at Sun Life. I expect big games from Morris, the LBs, and our secondary. This one will get ugly for BC very quickly. No contest tomorrow as the starters will be out of the game by the start of the 4th quarter. 

Prediction: CANES 42 Boston College 14

Part 12 of 12 part CANE 2012 opponent series

In the 12th and final part of the 2012 CANE opponent series, we'll talk about the 2012 Duke Blue Devils.

Let's be honest here, when you think of Duke, the first thing that comes to mind is Coach K. Very few people mention Duke and football in the same sentence. To put that in perspective, did you know that the football team has only been in 2 bowl games since 1961, and none since 1994, when they went 8-4 and lost in the Hall of Fame Bowl 34-20 to Wisconsin. The Blue Devils haven’t been ranked in the AP poll since December 6th, 1994 when they were ranked 25th. Let's be very clear here, they will never be on the level as the hoops team is. However, when they hired David Cutcliffe in 2008, he was given the job to make Duke respectable on the gridiron. His 4 year record is less than stellar going 15-33 in that stretch, which averages about 4 wins a year. Before Cut arrived in Durham, they were even more pathetic going 6-45 under former coach Ted Roof. That is 21 wins in 8 years, that's just god awful. 

Last year, they had another forgettable seasong going 3-9. They started out 0-2 including a 23-21 loss to FCS power Richmond before winning 3 games in a row against Boston College (Miami's opening day opponent this year), Tulane, and FIU. They promptly lost their final 9 games of the season, though their losses were by 10 points or less to teams such as Wake Forest, Virginia Tech, Virginia, and Georgia Tech, all of whom went to bowl games.

There is hope in Durham as they have most of their starters and back-ups returning in 2012, however, the big question is how much? Their schedule is brutal, with 7 teams ranked in the Top 40, and not to mention the fact that this a very young team. 

Let's start with the Offense: Kurt Roper has been Cut's OC for all of his 4 years in Durham. The way Cut and Roper make the Offense work is that they'll use plenty of passes to the sidelines, and count on an efficient hurry-up offense. The offense was ranked #61 in the country in 2011. 

They have 5th year Senior Sean Renfree (6'5" 225) back to run Cut's offense. In the passing game in 2011, they weren't too bad, ranking 28th nationally in passing with an average of 272 yards a game. He was very efficient with his passes, completing 65% of his passes last year for 2,891 yards and 13 TDs, however, he did get picked off 11 times. Also, he did get sacked 18 times, but also had 4 TDs rushing. RS Sophomore Anthony Boone will be the back-up to Renfree. In 2011, he threw for just under 300 yards with a touchdown and a pick. Where Boone did his damage was with his legs, as he was their third leading rusher on the team with 129 yards, and 4 TDs. When Renfree is gone after this season, he's going to be their QB whom they have very high hopes for. 

They also get back their two leading rushers from a year ago, that's the good news. The bad news is that their running game was last in the ACC, and 5th to last in the country, averaging a measly 94 yards per game. Junior Juwan Thompson (5'11" 225) had 110 carries, 457 yards, and 7 TDs rushing, but also had 22 receptions for 182 yards, with 1 TD. Senior Desmond Scott (5'9" 190) carried the ball 72 times for 367 yards, and 2 TDs. He also had 25 receptions for 135 yards. They add to the mix in 2012, a pair of talented, freshmen whom the staff is very high on in Shaquille Powell (5'10" 205) and Jela Duncan (5'10" 200). Look for them to get some action in the backfield. 

In the receiving core, they had two go-to guys in Connor Vernon and Donovan Varner. Vernon (6'1" 200) is  back for his Senior year, however, Varner is gone to graduation. In 2011, he had 61 receptions for 713 yards, and 3 TDs. Vernon had 70 receptions for 956 yards, and 5 TDs. The question here is that who will line up across from Vernon and fill Varner's big shoes? They are very thin at WR. One of their former WRs, Brandon Braxton moved to the defensive side of the ball at Safety, after he had 40 receptions last year. Sophomore receiver Blair Holliday (6'3" 205) was in a jet ski accident on July 4, and almost died. However, he did suffer a severe head injury and was finally able to speak just a few weeks ago for the first time since the accident. They won't have RS Sophomore TE Braxton Deaver at their disposal because he's gone for the year with a broken kneecap, and that's after he already tore his ACL in January and broke his thumb in the  off season. The only ones with experience coming back are Sophomore Jamison Crowder (5'9", 175) and RS Junior Corey Gattis (5'11" 165). The backs should be able to pick up some of the slack with the receptions, however, look for a lot of double teams on Vernon unless someone else steps up and produces. 

If there's a bright spot here, its that seven offensive linemen are back and this group has a combined 90 games experience, including 5th year Senior Center Brian Moore (6'2" 285), and RS Junior tackle Perry Simmons (6'5" 300). Their running game will be better due to the depth and experience here which is plentiful. 

On the other side of the ball, defensively, this was a very young unit, under DC Jim Knowles. He uses  uses a 4-2-5 defense. They were 105th in the country, however, since they get most of their starters back in 2012, they will be better here, hell, it can't get any worse here. 

Let's start with the D-Line. The line must replace tackles Charlie Hatcher and Curtis Hazelton, who are gone to graduation. On the outside, their Ends RS Senior Kenny Anunike (6'5" 260) and RS Sophomore Jordan DeWalt-Ondijo (6'4" 240) combined for a whopping 6 tackles for loss, 5 sacks, and two forced fumbles, however, they missed spring practice due to  injury. If they're not ready to start the season, RS Junior Justin Foxx (6'3" 245), RS Sophomores Dezmond Johnson (6'4" 250), and Jamal Wallace (6'4" 275) are healthy at DE and will have to step up until Anunike and DeWalt-Ondijo come back later in the year. This is a deep unit here. Filling the shoes left behind by Hatcher and Hazelton are RS Junior Sydney Sarmiento (6'4" 300)  at one tackle, and RS Sophomores Nick Sink (6'5" 285) and Steven Ingram (6'2" 315) battling for the other spot at DT. 

Now to the Linebackers, they get back Junior Kelby Brown (6'2" 220) and Senior Austin Gamble (6'1" 245). In 2011, they combined to have 12.5 tackles for loss, which included 3.5 sacks. They'll add Freshmen Keilin Rayner (6'3" 255, who's a converted NG) and Deion Williams (6' 230) to a unit that will be very strong for them in 2012. 

They have to find a way to replace safety Matt Daniels (who signed with St. Louis as a undrafted FA) in the secondary. In 2011, he had 4 tackles for loss, a pick and broke up 14 passes. Here's where Braxton is going to replace him. RS Junior CB Ross Cockrell (6' 180) is back in 2012 after breaking up 9 passes last season and also had a pick. They also get back their other three Safeties in Senior Walt Canty (6'1" 220), 5th year Senior Jordan Byas (6'1" 220), and RS Junior August Campbell (6'3" 225).

Their strengths on D are the LBs, and in the secondary. The big question here is whether the D-Line can put an effective pass rush consistently for their back 7 to be effective. 

On Special Teams, They're going to have to find a way to replace both kicker Will Snyderwine and punter Alex King. Its going to be up to RS Freshman Will Monday to handle both those responsibilities. He does have a strong leg and his punts hung in the air for a long time on the High School level, however, if he stumbles, its going to be up to Sophomore kicker Jack Willoughby and/or junior punter Spencer Rogers to pick up the slack there. 

Look for Crowder to return both kicks and punts. He did have some promise in 2011 as a freshman. 

They were third in the nation in 2011, when it came to covering kicks, as they allowed just 17.5 yards a return. If this is still a strength, it might tough for opponents to go 80 yards every time down.

Now, to their Schedule, their non-conference schedule outside of a trip to Palo Alto, is easy. They had better take advantage of it because the conference schedule is brutal. They host FIU in their opener, before heading out West. Figure they'll be 1-1 coming home to face North Carolina Central and Memphis. Figure they'll be 3-1, barring anything unforeseen. 

Here's where it gets brutal for Duke. They play 7 of the 8 teams from the conference that went to a bowl in 2011, except for NC State. They have to go to Wake Forest, Virginia Tech, Florida St, and Georgia Tech. They do get Virginia, Clemson, North Carolina, and Miami (in the season finale) at home. They will be underdogs in every conference game.

Outlook, yes, they will be better on both sides, however, at the end of the day, looking at that conference schedule and how brutal it is, I can't see them winning a league game this year. Whit the seat getting warmer in Durham for Cut, another 3-9 season could be the straw that breaks the camel's back and Cut might be shown the door if that happens, which I predict will happen. 

That's it for the 12 part opponent series for the Miami Hurricanes in 2012. The season starts in 7 days and here's to a great season of College Football ahead. 

Part 11 of 12 part CANE 2012 opponent series

In Part 11 of the 12 part opponent series, we're going to preview the 2012 South Florida Bulls, a team that just might win the Big East this year. Last year, they were very disappointing after having high expectations in 2011. They went 5-7 and missed out on a bowl game for the first time since 2004.  Let's look at each area of the 2012 Bulls

Offensively, they have RS Senior B.J. Daniels (6' 217) back and the strides he's made in his career are just amazing. In 2011, the picks went down from 13 in 2010 to 7 and the TD passes went up from 11 in 2010 to 13 last year. He has better command of the Offense and this is a player that won't make as many mistakes now that he would have earlier in his Bulls career. There's reason for high optimism in the Tampa Bay area this season. One of those reasons is because of the receiving core coming back. 

RS Junior Sterling Griffin (6' 194) had a team high 43 receptions in 2011, in spite of the fact that he missed their four games of the season. Also, they add Florida transfer RS Sophomore Chris Dunkley (6' 180) to the mix. This kid has a world of potential, that's why the CANES were very high on him during the recruiting process a few years ago, and Sophomore Andre Davis (6'1" 207) is going to be a player that could have a breakout season. At the TE position, they have a converted WR in Senior Evan Landi (6'3" 236) who might be able to have another big year. 

The running game is going to take a big hit in 2012, with the early departure of their leading rusher from 2011 in Darrell Scott (undrafted FA who signed with Dallas), so other guys are going to have to step up and fill those big shoes left behind. The guy that will carry most of the load is 5th year Senior Demetris Murray (6' 215), however Senior Lindsay Lamar (5'9" 180), who's a converted WR, is going to have to come up huge in 2012, if they to contend for a Big East title. To put in perspective how important Scott was last year, they led the Big East in rushing, however, with Scott gone, that changes dramatically.  Their passing game was 2nd in the conference, so they should be fine there and to be frank, their Offense wasn't the issue, their D was..

Speaking of Defense, there's a new man in charge in Tampa, and his name is Chris Cosh. He's comes from K-State and is going to have to find a way for his defense to step up and make plays late to seal victories. To more specific, the  losses to Cincinnati, Rutgers, Miami, and the now Big East – departed West Virginia really hurt because if they win say two to three of those games (Cincy, RU, and WVU), they might have gone to a bowl game, maybe even win the Big East and be in a BCS game. 

The strength of their D is at LB. Senior Sam Barrington [6'1" 230], 5th year Senior Michael Lanaris [6' 236], RS Junior DeDe Lattimore [6'1" 232] all return in 2012. Their secondary also return some quality players, specifically Seniors CB Kayvon Webster (5'11" 198), and 5th year Senior SS Jon Lejiste (6' 205), and Junior FS Mark Joyce (5'10" 200). The big question there is who will be their other CB?

If there's a concern in Tampa, its on the DL because its pretty thin. RS Junior Ryne Giddins (6'3" 266) need have a huge year, so far in his career, he's only been able to have flashes of greatness. They need him to be consistently great, which he can be. 5th year Senior DT Cory Grissom (6'2" 316) is back as well, however,  he suffered a broken ankle in the spring and there are questions whether he can stay healthy all year. The one that the coaching staff have their biggest eye on is Junior Tevin Mims (6'3" 245), who came from the JUCO ranks. If they can get the DL to stay healthy and put a solid pass rush together and can penetrate the running lanes, watch out because their back 7 is very good. 

On to the Special Teams, they have a decent Kicker in 5th year Senior Maikon Bonani. The problem with him is his inconsistency. He misses a 27 yard FG at the end of the Rutgers game last year, which would have won the game, instead, they lose 20-17 in OT. At the Punter position, they have a RS Freshman in Mattias Ciabatti who may be able to take over if their incumbent Justin Brockhaus Kann can't hold him off. 

Here's how I see the Bulls in 2012: This team has all the tools to win the Big East title this year. However, the fast starts and pitiful finishes have prevented that from happening. That's been the M.O. in the Bay area for years (Fast starts and then crash and burn at the end), The question is can they step up and be hot all year and win the BE title. 

If they are to do that, they need to be much better on 3rd downs and their defense has to step up and make plays late. Looking at their schedule, they have to go out to Reno early to face a pretty good Nevada team, then fly back cross-country for a game at home on a Thursday Night vs Rutgers. If they can get by both Nevada and Rutgers, they can possibly be 4-0 when Florida State comes calling on September 29th at Raymond James Stadium. In the end, I'm predicting for USF in 2012 a 9-3 season.

In the 12th and final part of this series, we'll preview the 2012 Duke Blue Devils.