No letdown for Hoops squad

after last night's 71-47 thrashing of the Noles in front of another sellout at the BankUnited Center. We had the edge on the boards 44-32 and 15-2 on 2nd chance points, meaning we dominated on the offensive glass, in fact, of the 44 rebounds we had, 12 of them were offensive. We held FSU to 31% from the field (16-52) and 18% from the land of 3 (3-17). 

If there's a concern I have, its from the charity stripe. We were just 64% from there (9-14). In close games, we need to be better from there. FSU did go to the line 17 times and made 12 of them (71%). Fast break points is something we're going to have to defend a little better against. We were outscored there 9-4 in that category. We need more production from the bench, FSU's bench outscored our bench 28-19.

It was an impressive win, but we need to be better in a few areas, because if we want to make a deep run in March, we have to improve a few areas. More production from the bench, and better transition defense are two key areas we need to shore up. Reggie was just 1-8 from the field in 22 minutes of action. 5 points, 6 boards, but also had 2 blocks. In March, that won't cut it, Reggie has to be a bigger force down low and we must get him the ball and ride him as much as we can. 

Overall, big win for us, we'll enjoy it a little bit today, but come Wednesday night, its back to business, this time on the road in Blacksburg, VA vs the Virginia Tech Hokies at 9 p.m. 

As for the rankings this week, I don't think we'll hit the Top 10 yet, I think we'll hover around say 12-15 when the rankings come out. 

My take on the Coley hire and recruiting effects

The James Coley hire today was HUGE in many respects. First, from a recruiting perspective. This hire for us and we take away FSU's biggest weapon in South Florida. This assures that we'll be locking down South Florida for next 5-10 years easily.

Second, he and his family live in the area and he went to Norland (in the shadow of Sun Life Stadium).  Third, he and Mario (Cristobal) are very close and you add Coley to the mix, and once the NCAA cuffs are off of Golden, we're going to be a major force nationally in recruiting as evidenced in this small class already. 

For the recruits still on the fence, I want to piggyback what Peter Ariz posted earlier this evening on this point and give my take on how each situation plays out. 

• Thomas: I had said for weeks even before the Coley hire that "6" was a lock to be here. After the Coley hire, I think we've clinched "6". Unless something really unforeseen happens, "6" will be a CANE on NSD. Peter said that Denzel Perryman was with him for a good part of last night's game at the BUC vs Duke and when you add to the fact that Barrow and Golden have been on him for a long time now, and also the addition of Coley as well as another piece of information Ariz received, I think its 99% he chooses us.
• Collins: The atmosphere at last night's game really give us a major boost with Collins above all else here. According to Ariz, he was with Duke for most of the night, and his mother, who really wants him to come here, was also at the game. Has you've all seen already, Collins stood and threw up the "U" as students chanted his name and he soaked it all in. He was seen on campus with his mother well after the game was over. Ariz thinks he would be very surprised to see him anywhere other than Miami. However, I would add some caution here. This weekend, he's supposed to take an OV to Arkansas, who has been pushing very very hard to get him there, specifically Bielema, who's been wanting him since he was at Wisconsin, before bolting Madison for Fayetteville. Florida was also in the mix too for a while, however, with the addition of Coley, and the NCAA issues, now more and more likely on the back burner, our staff can minimize those issues a lot now. I think Florida is fading here and our hand has been strengthened dramatically in the last 24-48 hours here.  
• Stacy Coley: Ariz in his update, spoke with his Head Coach, Former CANE RB Donnell Bennett, and he told him that he really loved the atmosphere at the game last night. For him, this was a rare appearance because it seems to me he's keeping the process very close to the vest. To see him there, is big from our standpoint. Here's where James Coley can pay big dividends here. He's going to be more hands-on here. While Lawrence Dawsey has been handling Coley's recruitment to FSU, ever since Eddie Gran bolted north for the Queen City, and they are close. You have to tip your hat to Carroll here in the short time he's been on Stacy. The thing in our favor here is  that Bennett wants him at UM and I agree with Ariz on this, it will the factor that puts us over the top here. I think its more and more likely Stacy Coley will be a CANE on NSD. 
• Bryant: Now, here's where Coley isn't a factor. Odell Haggins has been the one handling Bryant's recruitment for a couple years now for FSU. Ariz said that D had a visit with him today at his H.S. in Delray. In our favor is Golden, who, I think is the best closer in the country and with the disarray at FSU this off-season and the momentum building for us in the 24-48 hours, I put the chances of Bryant coming here at 75/25. 
• Grace: Yes, Charlie Strong is making a (pardon the pun), strong push to get him to go to Louisville, however, in the end, I'm with Ariz on this, I'd be stunned, if Grace isn't a CANE at 2 p.m. on NSD when he announces on ESPN. His teammates (Lewis and Howard) are on the roster and you can be sure, they're in his ear even now as we speak. 
• Edwards: A wild card that Ariz mentions here is Staten Island (NY) Tottenville RB Augustus "Gus" Edwards. He will visit here on 2/1 for his final OV. He's a Syracuse commit right now (committed on 7/10/12). He was looking at FSU before the big bombshell news that Coley was coming here. Coley was his recruiter in Tallahassee. This is one that needs to be watched closely here. I would disagree with Ariz here on the point that Edwards was going to come here. However, with the addition of Coley, I'm tending to go more and more with the possibility of Edwards and Collins coming here. If we were to add Edwards, in addition to the three recruits from NJ already, it would back up the statement Golden made in his very first news conference when he was introduced as the new CANES coach back in 2010, we will be very active in the Northeast and be a major presence up there. 

We'll see how things play out on NSD, but I think we're in very good shape here. 

Recruiting for week of 1/21/13

This weekend, we had a few visitors come in for Official Visits. Most of them loved their time here, and hopefully it'll pan out come National Signing Day on February 6th. 

We did get a huge pickup this weekend with the signing of Ufomba Kamalu from Butler CC in Kansas. He's a big boy at 6'5" 280 and the staff expects him to be on the D-Line and move over to DT. Now, what does this mean from a standpoint of Keith Bryant and Jaynard Bostwick? Probably not much at all. We need more depth on the D-Line, especially on the interior, and I think this is the immediate impact player we've been looking for on the JUCO level for months now, since we lost out on Lavon Hooks and Toby Johnson. 

This was the weekend where we're going to start to get an idea oif who's coming and who's not. Next weekend, we have two players coming in, but from the DC area: LB Yannick Ngakoue from Washington DC Friendship Academy and DT Donta Wilkins from Dumfries (VA) Potomac. With Ngakoue, this is his last OV he's taking. I would suspect though that this is a target Florida State is after hard, and more so if they don't get Matthew Thomas from Miami (Booker T. Washington). Keep this in mind, his teammate from last year is Eddie Goldman, who went to FSU last year. Maryland is in the mix too, and they're going to do everything they can to keep him home, especially with the move to the Big 10 in 2014. 

As for Wilkins, this is a kid that is committed to Virginia. However, with the visit here, I would suspect its a free trip for him, but this is a sleeper to watch, especially if we don't end up getting either Bryant or Bostwick. He's 6'2" 305 and a run stuffer and a pass rusher, which we need and like Ngakoue, this is his last OV in the process. 

If Grace goes to Louisville on Thursday, then look for this staff to focus hard on Ngakoue as that 2nd LB with Thomas. This coming weekend is going to be important here. 

My take on the NOA

I read the CBS Sports.com report and here's my take on it. 

From a football perspective, I don't think you're going to see anymore post-season bans imposed on the Football end. However, you will see Scholarships reduced over the next 2-3 years. However, from the Basketball end, it might a totally different story. I think there's a chance you might see a post-season ban and limits on visits and contact with recruits. 

With that being said, if you figure the NOA is officially released next week, you then have the 90 day window to address the allegations in the NOA in writing, which would put it at April 15-16th, two days after the Spring Game at Sun Life Stadium. Then, as the source in the CBS Sports story mentioned, you're looking at Mid-June for the CANES brass to appear before the COI (Committee on Infractions). 4-6 months after that, a final ruling. which would be at the earliest October 15th, but no later than near the end of this year (December 15th). That would be right in the middle of recruiting for the '14 class. 

The way I think this plays out. I don't think we're going to use the full 90 days, these in both the Hecht Center and in the Ashe Building, really want to get this done, right away and put this behind us ASAP. The new NCAA penalties take effect on August 1st, and there's a possibility that we might get hit with the new tougher sanctions here. Though, I don't expect that to be the case when its all over. 

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.