Recollected Dozen, Game 6: 1991 Miami @ Boston College

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This is part of a series on Canes football games that have been lost to history. Information on the series including other articles is available here. 

The Year

The year is 1991. President George H.W. Bush is in the 3rd year of his presidency. The week of November 23rd, 1991 saw When a Man Loves a Woman by Michael Bolton top the Billboard Hot 100 list. And Scarlett by Alexandra Ripley was #1 on the New York Times fiction best seller list. Gas was $1.11 a gallon. The top news story was Magic Johnson’s HIV diagnosis. Freddie Mercury would pass away from AIDS the day after this game and announced he had AIDS on this day.

The Combatants

Miami came into the game at 10-0 overall and ranked #1 in the country.

Boston College was 4-6. This was their last game of the season.

The Context

This game was about Miami. The Canes were the number one team in the country, and coming in off a thrilling 17-16 win over a Florida State, a game known as “Wide Right I.” Miami had San Diego State at home the following week, then the Orange Bowl between them and a 4th National Championship.

Boston College was in their first year under head coach Tom Coughlin. They had struggled record-wise, but out of their 6 losses, 4 were to ranked teams.

Miami was favored by 20-25 points depending on the bookmaker, and was expected to blow threw Boston College.

The Game

The game started as expected. Michael Barrow intercepted the ball on BC’s first possession, and a few plays later, Gino Torretta hit Coleman Bell in the back of the end zone for a TD. The Canes failed to convert the Extra Point, when the snap was fumbled and Carlos Huerta picked it up and tried to do a drop kick. The lead was 6-0.

BC immediately responded. The Eagles converted a critical 3rd-and-9 on their own half of the field (which came after a 2nd-and-19 after a holding penalty) to get deep into Canes’ territory. After a few runs, BC QB Glenn Foley hit TE Mark Chmura for the go-ahead TD as BC took the lead 7-6.

The Canes came right back, this time for a FG and took the lead back at 9-7.

After several punts were exchanged, BC drove to the Canes’ 1 yard line, but fumbled on a pitch that the Canes recovered. 2 drives later, the Canes would extend their lead. Martin Patton was the big hitter for the Canes, in place of Stephen McGuire, who had been injured earlier in the game. Patton had big runs and receptions to help lead the Canes inside the BC 20. On 1st-and-goal from the 2, Patton finished the drive with a TD.

The half ended with a Ryan McNeil interception on a Hail Mary and the Canes took a 9-point lead into the half, tracking to cover the spread.

The second half saw both teams struggle offensively. BC had one decent drive into Miami territory, but couldn’t cash it in. Miami returned the favor getting stuffed on 3rd-and-1 just across midfield and had to punt.

Finally, BC put together a drive late in the 3rd quarter. On 2nd-and-17 from the Canes 20, BC QB Glenn Foley evaded a rusher and threw across his body to the corner of the end zone for a diving TD that cut the lead to 16-14.

At the start of the 4th quarter, the Canes had the ball near midfield after gaining only 4 yards in the 3rd quarter. Going for it on 4th and inches. Patton looked to be stopped short, but his second and third efforts earned the first down. On 2nd-and-10, on the edge of FG range, Gino Torretta eluded multiple rushers, spun out of a tackle, and flipped to Patton for a huge gain inside the BC 20…but it was wiped out by a penalty so the Canes had to punt, which they did for a touchback.

After another BC punt, the Canes took the ball into BC territory with Patton and Kevin Williams making key plays. The Canes’ drive stalled at the BC 21, but Carlos Huerta hit the FG to put the Canes up 19-14 with 5:22 left.

The Canes D forced a 3-and-out and the offense tried to run the clock out and ice the game. A huge run by Patton was wiped out by a holding penalty. On 3rd and long, Torretta hit Lamar Thomas for a 1st down, as Thomas tiptoed on the sideline past the marker, at the Canes 45. But the officials completely blew the spot and marked him a yard short (there was no replay). Dennis Erickson made a gutsy (possibly crazy) decision to go for it. Not converting would have given BC an opportunity to score the winning TD on a short field. But Larry Jones did convert. The Canes then converted another 1st down and with a running clock, and 1:40 left, the game appeared over with the Canes inside the BC 40.

But inexplicably, the Canes threw on 2nd down, which stopped the clock. On 3rd and long, the Canes had the perfect play call. They threw a screen pass to Patton, which Torretta timed perfectly, but as Patton cut back for the first down, he fumbled. BC recovered and with 1:20 left, they were somehow still in the game.

Foley immediately hit Chmura to the BC 45 with about a minute left. On 3rd and long, Foley rolled out and threw another strike to the Canes 25-yard line. Here, Michael Barrow and Kevin Patrick combined for the play of the game. With BC out of timeouts, Barrow flushed Foley, and Patrick sacked him at the BC 40. The clock wound down, and BC was only able to snap it with 9 seconds left, when BC false started. In modern football, this would result in a 10-second runoff and the game ending. But BC was able to line up and snap it after the ball was reset. They snapped it with 2 seconds left, and threw an unsuccessful Hail Mary.

The Canes won 19-14 to survive.

Full Game (no huddle): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VGuOktEvkZM

Why is it Memorable?

How is it not? This Miami played 3 one-possession games in 1991. One is the Penn State game, another is Wide Right I, and the 3rd is this.

It’s eerie how similar this game is to the much more famous 2001 BC game that ended with the iconic Mike Rumph to Matt Walters to Ed Reed TD. Both games involve Miami not playing well, but seemingly doing enough to just stay ahead. Both involve the Canes hanging onto a 5-point lead late in the game. Both involve the Canes offense, which had struggled most of the game, putting together a methodical drive that seemed destined to end the game with a victory. Instead, it was the backup RB, in the game because of an injury, who fumbled at a critical time to breathe new life into BC. The Eagles then moved into scoring range with plenty of time to spare, only for the Canes’ D to step up with one last, big play and end the game.

Martin Patton is a forgotten name when Canes’ RBs are discussed, but this win, and with it a National Championship, don’t happen without him.

We also must remember how recent the “Hail Flutie” miracle was at this point. And as the Hail Mary floated towards the end zone, all of the Canes Family watched in horror with fear of a repeat.

The context of this game informs its stature as hidden. The week before was Wide Right I. After it, the Canes would demolish San Diego State and then easily win the Orange Bowl. Because there were no other competitive games after this, and because the stature of the Florida State game is so big, the narrative after the fact has been that the title was won in Tallahassee.

But this game also paved the way for the Canes to win the National Championship, and should really be remembered more fondly.

The Aftermath

Let’s dispense with BC first. This game was actually seen as a turning point for the BC program. Coughlin would turn them into a winner starting in the next season, and would obviously go on to great success in the NFL.

For the Canes, this was the last test in a National Championship season. For whatever reason, this National Championship is probably the most overlooked for Miami. Perhaps because it was book-ended by two famous bowl seasons, the infamous Texas Cotton Bowl and losing the 1992 National Championship to Alabama in the Sugar Bowl. Perhaps because it was a split title with Washington.

The 2001 team is considered the greatest team in College Football history. But the 1991 team is not far off. They rolled through almost all competition. They had only 3 games decided by one possession, with this game being one of them.

The 1991 team also featured a Heisman Trophy QB (he would win it the following year), NFL players all over the team, and the best LB corps in college football history. No one was going into the Orange Bowl and beating this team, so this was truly the last test, and one they passed.

Miami would drill Nebraska in the bowl game to win a share of the National Championship. The only disappointment was that they did not get a chance to play Washington and claim sole ownership of the title. The next year, the Canes would go undefeated again before losing the bowl game to Alabama.

This 1991 Championship is the last the Canes would win for a decade, making this win even more important in hindsight.

Have memories of this game? Tweet us at @vrp2003 and @5ReasonsSports

 

Miami Dolphins shouldn’t risk future for Joe Burrow

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By now you’ve probably heard about a potential proposed trade between the Miami Dolphins and Cincinnati Bengals. Miami wants to try to trade with Cincinnati for the top pick in next month’s draft. It is pretty clear that they are trying to make a push for the LSU quarterback Joe Burrow. However, would that be the right move?

We have seen the Miami Dolphins accrue assets over the last year or so, and build their team in free agency. They are in a very good spot right now in terms of their roster. Sure, there are holes that need to be filled. However, they are in a better spot right now than they were a year ago. When you really think about the prospect of the Cincinnati trading away their chance at a potential franchise quarterback, it seems highly unlikely. For now, anything is on the table.

Do I think the Miami Dolphins should make a push for Joe Burrow? My answer is a little bit complicated. First, I’ll go on the record and say that I believe he is a better quarterback than Tua Tagovailoa. I believed that before Tua suffered his unfortunate injury, and I still believe it now.

The Miami Dolphins should stay put on potential trade

In terms of logistics however, the Dolphins would be wise to stay put. Should an opportunity for this trade arise, I wouldn’t do it.

Miami has a ton of draft capital this year. they have the fifth overall pick, the 18th overall pick, and the 26th overall pick. For a franchise looking to build, that’s a lot of capital to rebuild a team with. Miami would probably have to give up those assets in order to acquire the LSU star.

Cincinnati would undoubtedly want a king’s ransom in return. I wouldn’t blame them.

This draft is particularly deep with talent this year, and Miami would have a ton of opportunities to grab impact players. It doesn’t make sense to sacrifice a chance at significantly rebuilding an organization, in one draft, for one quarterback. It’s tempting, it really truly is.

Burrow is an extremely good signal caller. However, my sticking point is what it would take to get him. Miami would be wise to just let this draft play out, and use the picks they have.  Leveraging them all for one player would not be worth it. Burrow seems like a sure thing, but it would be wise to not mortgage the future.

Recollected Dozen, Game 7: 2008 Miami @ Virginia

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This is part of a series on Canes football games that have been lost to history. Information on the series including other articles is available here. 

The Year

The year is 2008. President George W. Bush is entering the final few months of his presidency. The week of November 1st, 2008 saw Whatever You Like by T.I. top the Billboard Hot 100 list. And The Brass Verdict by Michael Connelly was #1 on the New York Times fiction best seller list. Gas was $2.40 a gallon. The top news story was the upcoming Presidential election, which would take place 3 days after this game.

The Combatants

Miami came into the game at 5-3 overall and 2-2 in conference. They had lost games to Florida (who would eventually win the National Championship), North Carolina by 4, and Florida State by 2.

Virginia was also 5-3 but 3-1 in conference. They started the year with an expected blowout loss to USC, then had surprising consecutive road losses to Connecticut and Duke to start the year 1-3. But they’d since won 4 consecutive games, and entered the Miami game having won consecutive games against ranked opponents.

The Context

Both teams were on win streaks. For Miami, it was 3 games and for Virginia, it was 4 games.

The big story for the Canes was the QB controversy. Both Robert Marve and Jacory Harris had split time. Early in the year, Marve took a majority of the snaps and played a majority of the downs. But increasingly, Jacory Harris was eating into Marve’s time. Marve was still the starter, but it was now week-to-week to determine who would be the “main” quarterback.

For both teams, the ACC Coastal was there for the taking. The Canes had 2 conference losses, but only one was in division. At this juncture, both teams were in the mix, with Miami still to face Georgia Tech and Virginia Tech (2 of the teams in front of the Canes) and with Virginia only having the one conference loss, both teams virtually controlled their own destiny.

The Game

This was actually a big game, and it showed with nerves early in the game. On the opening kickoff, Virginia fumbled but recovered.

The Canes were not as fortunate, as Travis Benjamin let a punt bounce, and the punt hit him for a muff, recovered by Virginia. But Miami held the Cavaliers to a FG, and only trailed 3-0.

Robert Marve got the first drive and delivered. He hit Thearon Collier on his first throw for 43 yards on a diving catch, and after Graig Cooper carried the Canes into the red zone, Marve ran into the end zone on 3rd and 5 from the 6 on a fantastic scramble where he eluded several defenders for the go ahead TD to put Miami up 7-3.

It didn’t take long for Virginia to take the lead again. On the next possession, Virginia ripped off 3 chunk plays in a row: (1) a 33 yard completion, (2) a 16 yard run by Cedric Peerman, and (3) a reverse to Kevin Ogletree to put the Cavaliers up 10-7.

The teams then exchanged 4 punts, but Miami had Matt Bosher, and he was (and still is in the NFL) a weapon. That 4-punt exchange allowed the Canes to start a drive at the Virginia 43. And into the game came Jacory Harris. Harris hit Davon Johson for 18 yards, but the drive stalled a yard short of the 1st down when Jacory Harris hit Kayne Farquharson for 7 yards on 3rd and 8. Bosher did make the 33-yard FG to tie the game at 10.

Once again, Virginia immediately responded behind Ogletree, Peerman, and QB Mark Verica. The 9 play, 80-yard drive ended with Verica throwing a 2-yard TD. The Canes only forced one 3rd down on the drive, which was converted via a pass interference. Virginia would take that 17-10 lead into the half, with Jacory Harris finishing the half.

At the half, Virginia was moving the ball well, and Miami really just had the one drive. Neither Miami QB was playing well, but they did have some success on the ground through Graig Cooper.

Marve started the second half, and threw an interception on the first possession near midfield. The Miami defense was strong, however, and forced a punt after the Cavaliers only gained 4 yards despite taking over at the Canes’ 44-yard line.

The next Miami drive was a disaster. after a completion to move the ball out to the 20, Graig Cooper fumbled and and it was recovered at the Canes’ 33 by Virginia. The back-to-back turnovers should have sunk the Canes. But once again, the defense held strong and forced a 38-yard FG, which Virginia missed.

Miami had escaped 2 turnovers in their own territory, still down only 17-10. Miami’s offense didn’t respond, but Bosher did, uncorking a 58-yard punt that gained the Canes some valuable field position and at least had the Cavaliers starting at their own 30.

After Virginia punted, pinning the Canes inside their own 10 again, Jacory Harris entered the game, and Marve would not play again. But that didn’t solve the Canes problems as a sack after one first down had Miami punting again.

Virginia put another drive together, but this time missed a 48-yard FG at the beginning of the 4th quarter. This time the Canes drove to midfield, but punted again. UVA’s next drive took them to the Canes 27. But Allen Bailey had a huge sack on 3rd-and-2 which pushed Virginia out of FG range. The Cavaliers punt was perfect, and they downed it at the Canes 5-yard line.

At this point, with 8:01 left in the game, Miami was 95 yards from the tying TD. Virginia had 4 drives into Canes’ territory in the 2nd half, and hadn’t scored.

Randy Shannon had no good choices, but his choice, to give the true freshman Harris the ball in the shadow of his goalposts, lead to one of the great forgotten drives in Miami history.

On the first 2 plays of what would eventually be a 15-yard play, 95-yard TD drive, Miami threw incomplete and then lost 2 yards on a run. At 3rd-and-13, and facing the prospect of another punt, Harris hit Sam Shields (still playing WR at this point in his career) for a big conversion at the sticks.

After a false start once again put Miami behind the sticks at 1st-and-15, Harris hit Shields for 6 yards and fullback Patrick Hill for 10 yards to move the Canes to their own 26. There was still time to punt if the drive went wrong, but when Harris hit Davon Johnson for 17 yards on the next play, this drive went from a chance to tie the game to the chance to tie the game.

Consecutive Cooper runs took Miami into Virginia territory at the Virginia 47 before Reggie Youngblood false started to knock Miami back again. But on 2nd-and-14, Harris hit Aldarius Johnson for 18 yards and a 1st down.

But once again, the Canes lost yards on 1st down, this time falling back to 2nd-and-12 on the UVA 35 before before Cooper ran for 14 yards and took the ball to the Virginia 21 with 1:15 left. The Canes called a timeout.

If you thought the Canes were done going the wrong direction, you’d be wrong. Miami false started to go backward to the 26, and then Harris threw consecutive incompletions. Miami called a “planning” timeout with 1:04 on the clock and 3rd-and-15 on the Virginia 26.

Whatever the plan was, it worked. Harris hit Laron Byrd in the corner of the end zone who made a leaping catch while being interfered with to tie the game at 17.

Virginia still had a chance to win in regulation, and drove to the Canes’ 42 yard line, but Sean Spence forced a fumble and miraculously, the Canes now had a chance to win. And Harris immediately hit Travis Benjamin for a huge gain to the Cavaliers’ 38 yard line. After Cooper got the Canes closer. Bosher had a chance to win the game from 51 yards away. But he missed and the game went to OT.

In OT, after one first down, the Canes once again false started and found themselves at 1st-and-15. After Cooper got the Canes to the 9-yard line and a convertible 3rd down, Jacory Harris hit Aldarius Johnson for a TD in the corner of the end zone to put the Canes up 24-17.

On Virginia’s first play, Peerman broke into the clear for 10 yards but Lavon Ponder stripped the ball out, Romeo Davis recovered, and the Canes had miraculously won 24-17.

Full Game: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sHc9pMHqwJ8

Why is it Memorable?

Honestly, this game is pretty much ho-hum and borderline garbage until there are 9 minutes left in the game. Then it got crazy. Allen Bailey’s sack prevented a FG that would have put the game out of reach. On the full game highlight, you might want to start with the Bailey sack.

What else can be said about the Canes offense, and in particular, Jacory Harris on the last drive and OT?

The Canes earned 1st downs after being at 3rd-and-13, 1st-and-15, 2nd-and-14, 2nd-and-12, 3rd-and-15, and 1st-and-15. You’re not supposed to be able to do that, period, and especially not with a true freshman QB.

So many of the Canes young players stepped up and made plays. There wasn’t really a pecking order, so many players rotated in and made plays. 10 players had catches, with no player having more than 3 catches. The only star on the day offensively was Cooper, who had 24 carries for 131 yards.

This game was also memorable for being a classic ACC affair. The estimable, late, great Mike Hogewood was on the sideline. And who can forget Doc Walker in the booth? The effusive Walker just loves football, and makes those watching his games love it as well. He labeled half the players on each team a “Baller” and even upgraded Graig Cooper to “Primetime Baller.” Walker closed the game by yelling “checkmate!” when the Canes recovered the winning fumble.

To cap off the ACC-ness of this game, Ron Cherry was on the field, reffing the game.

This just felt like a classic ACC game on Raycom Sports…which is something we’ve lost with the ESPN family of networks holding the entire broadcast package at this point.

The Aftermath

The Canes won the following week against Virginia Tech at home, and found themselves one win away from their first ACC Coastal title, with a team primarily leaning on freshman.

Miami went to Atlanta and got absolutely destroyed by Georgia Tech. They could not stop the option (the last and only time that would happen until Al Golden broke the Miami defense).

But for this week, after this game, with the youth on the team, and the character they showed, this really felt like the beginning of something special. As the players came off the field, they were celebrating, throwing up the U. And that includes Robert Marve, who was benched in the 4th quarter. This team was growing together and it’s really hard to imagine this would end in so much failure a few years later.

This season would end on a 3-game losing streak, with a loss to NC State after the GT game, and a bowl loss to Cal. Marve was gone at season’s end, transferring to Purdue. This was technically as close as the Canes came to playing in the ACC Championship Game under Randy Shannon. The 2009 was better and more mature. But these 2008 Canes played a game in Atlanta to win the ACC Coastal (an NC State loss would not have mattered had they defeated GT because of tiebreakers).

For Virginia, this game was part of a complete collapse. The Cavaliers never recovered from this loss, and would drop their last 3 games to finish 5-7 and miss a bowl game.

But that drive…we should never forget that drive and that moment when a bunch of young kids, fresh out of high school, disproportionately from South Florida, went 95 yards and restored our hope in this program. That the hope was fleeting, that the dawn was false, does not diminish this moment.

Have memories of this game? Tweet us at @vrp2003 and @5ReasonsSports

 

Recollected Dozen, Game 8: 2009 Miami @ Wake Forest

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This is part of a series on Canes football games that have been lost to history. Information on the series including other articles is available here. 

The Year

The year is 2009. President Barack Obama is in the first year of his first term in office. The week of October 31st, 2009 saw I Gotta Feeling by the Black Eyed Peas top the Billboard Hot 100 list, which it had done so since July 11th. And The Lost Symbol by Dan Brown was #1 on the New York Times fiction best seller list. Gas was $2.64 a gallon. The top news story in America was the so-called “Balloon Boy Hoax” where parents claimed their child was in a homemade hot air balloon that had been mistakenly released. After a search found the balloon with no child inside, the parents were found to have fabricated the entire story.

The Combatants

Miami entered the game at 5-2, and 2-2 in conference.

Wake Forest was 4-4, and 2-2 in conference.

The Context

The previous week, Miami had essentially thrown away their best chance at an ACC Coastal title, and without a standout powerhouse team in the conference, they had also likely lost a chance at an ACC title. In a classic game that included several Hurricanes mistakes, including playing Sean Spence with a torn ACL while trying to cover CJ Spiller with him and a botched squib kick, the Canes ultimately fell in OT.

The Canes were still officially in the ACC title race (they would be eliminated 2 weeks later with a loss at North Carolina), but they now needed a lot of help. The disappointment of a team that started the season brightly and then threw away a special season on a mistake-filled afternoon was palpable. The Canes started the year with 4 consecutive games against ranked teams, and went 3-1, with the only loss being at Virginia Tech. The Clemson loss was in an easier stretch of games and was a shock to the system.

For Wake Forest, they were coming in on a losing streak, and needed 2 wins for bowl eligibility. They came into this game on a 2-game losing streak, including a disappointing 3-point loss to Navy. They were looking to turn that around here.

The Game

We were worried about a Miami hangover from the Clemson game, and boy did we get one.

Or, more succinctly put: Wake Forest was by far the better team on the day.

After a Miami punt, Wake Forest marched down the field going 78 yards, but the Canes held inside the 10-yard line and forced a FG. After another Canes’ punt, Wake Forest went the full distance going 53 yards to take a 10-0 lead with 2:23 left in the 1st quarter. But they weren’t done yet, going 80 yards for their 3rd consecutive score, and now were up 17-0 with 10:21 left in the 1st half.

At this point, in addition to being up 17-0, Wake Forest had outgained Miami 211-87.

To try and change momentum, the Canes went to a no-huddle offense. The change of pace caught Wake Forest off guard, and the Canes went 67 yards in 5 plays to pull within 10. Aldarius Johnson caught the 35-yard TD pass after the Canes went no-huddle and snapped it against a confused Wake Forest defense.

Wake Forest did respond, however. After both teams exchanged punts (the first Miami had forced all day), Wake Forest once again drove, this time for a FG.

The Canes got the ball with 33 seconds at their own 36. A FG seemed like a long shot with the way they’d failed to move the ball, but Jacory Harris hit Thearon Collier for 29 yards, then Graig Cooper rushed for 29 yards before Harris hit Collier again down to the 3-yard line with 8 seconds left. Miami still had a timeout, and therefore the luxury to attempt a run, which they did and which Damien Berry scored on with 3 seconds left to cut the lead to 6 at the half.

Wake Forest had thoroughly dominated the game, but Miami’s quick strike ability had kept them in the game. Ultimately, those themes of Wake Forest minimizing points and Miami’s ability to score quick would decide the game.

The second half looked like it would follow the first half when Wake Forest immediately strung together a drive, taking the ball inside the Canes 35-yard line. But, on an 11-yard completion, Sam Shields stripped the ball and Vaughn Telemaque recovered, keeping the deficit at 6.

After 3 consecutive punts (2 by Miami, 1 by Wake Forest), the Demon Deacons got the offense going again. Wake Forest went 82 yards in 9 plays, capped off by a 44-yard TD pass to go up 27-14.

When Harris followed that up with an interception, this game felt over. But Miami’s defense held without giving up yardage for one of the few times on the day, and Miami continued to hang in the game. After more punts, Wake Forest received the ball near the start of the 4th quarter and promptly drove to the Canes 27-yard line. But they missed the FG, and miraculously, the lead was still only 13.

After yet another Miami punt (the offense was going nowhere), the Canes were bailed out by a muffed punt. The ball bounced inside the Wake Forest 5-yard line where Sam Shields recovered. One play later, Harris hit Tervaris Johnson in the back of the end zone to cut the lead to 27-21.

The total yardage in the 2nd half at that point was Miami 24, Wake Forest 186…and yet the score for the 2nd half was 7-7.

The Demon Deacons went on the march again, hoping to restore a 2-possession game. But after crossing midfield, Riley Skinner threw a pass into coverage which was batted in the air and intercepted by DeMarcus Van Dyke.

With just under 9 minutes left, and the ball in decent field position starting at their own 36-yard line, now was the time for Miami to seize the game. They promptly gained a solitary yard on 3 plays and punted. Wake Forest put together a decent drive, eating clock and moving out of deep in their territory. A holding penalty killed the drive at midfield, but a solid punt put Miami at their own 18 with 2:36 left and only one timeout.

Miami had to go the end zone on this drive, or it was game over. Jacory Harris fired 2 incompletions, then hit Collier for 29 yards on a beautiful corner route. On the next play Harris was sacked, and then threw 2 more incompletions. It was 4th and 16 at their own 41, but the Canes had to go for it anyway with only 1:32 left. Harris stood in the pocket, taking a hit as he lofted the ball to Aldarius Johnson, who made a leaping catch for 29 yards at the Wake Forest 30. The stunned Demon Deacons struggled to lineup as Harris hit Travis Benjamin on consecutive plays for 17 and 13 yards, the latter of which resulted in Benjamin making a sliding catch in the front corner of the end zone to score the go ahead TD and put Miami up 28-27 with 1:08 left.

With backup QB Ryan McManus having replaced Riley Skinner (who left with a concussion on the previous drive), Wake Forest tried to get the ball into FG range. Wake Forest did move the ball, but was fighting the clock. When McManus scrambled to the Canes 43-yard line, then fired an incompletion on the following play, Wake Forest had 4 seconds left. Rather than try the Hail Mary, they opted for a 60-yard FG, which was nowhere close.

The Canes had escaped, 28-27.

Highlights: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rOfzr_Jvl9g

Why is it Memorable?

It’s hard to imagine a less deserving win. Miami stole this game. We’re actually used to be on the wrong side of one-sided games, where the Canes gain a ton of yards but can’t finish drives. This was the opposite.

Wake Forest outgained Miami 555-356. They had ample opportunities to put this game away.

Yet the Canes made a handful of plays that ultimately finished drives and won them this game. The names contributing to this win…Jacory Harris, Travis Benjamin, Aldarius Johnson, Graig Cooper, Thearon Collier, Damien Berry…they bring back memories of hope and what could have been. On the day, Miami ran 21 times for 26 yards, Jacory Harris was sacked 6 times, and yet they persevered.

Perhaps, the most shocking stat is the combined time of possession on Miami’s 4 TD drives was a total of 3 minutes and 55 seconds. And they literally did nothing the rest of the game. They had multiple drives that gained negative yards. Meanwhile, Wake Forest had multiple 40+ yard drives that yielded no points.

Jacory Harris did throw for 330 yards, but it was really a handful of drives where those yards came. We also should not forget Aldarius Johnson, who ended up never playing another down for Miami in the aftermath of the Nevin Shapiro scandal. He was fantastic in this game, and his leaping catch on 4th and 16 by itself makes this game memorable.

In the end, Miami converted multiple 3rd and 4th and longs, had 14 of their 28 points come via 2-minute drills at the end of halves, another 7 on a 2-yard drive off a muffed punt, and the final 7 come via a no-huddle attack…and Wake Forest basically dominated everything else and lost.

The Canes didn’t deserve to win, but did.

The Aftermath

Miami blew the 2019 season. There’s no other way to put it. They somehow navigated this start to the schedule:

In position to win the ACC Coastal and probably the conference, and then imploded against Clemson. In a game in which the Canes’ outgained Clemson, they gave it away with 4 turnovers, a botched squib kickoff, and a busted coverage…and found themselves in overtime. In OT, Miami drove inside the Clemson 5, couldn’t punch it in and kicked a FG. They then somehow gave up a 26-yard TD pass on 2nd-and-11 when it looked like they might force a long FG. That really blew the season.

In the aftermath of that, this Wake Forest game became a footnote, but likely balanced out the record since Miami did not deserve to win this game. The real question is, had they held on against Clemson, do they then win this Wake Forest game more easily, do they win at North Carolina later in the year, do they win the ACC Coastal and the ACC? We’ll never know.

In hindsight, the 2009 Clemson game was the one that told the story of the Randy Shannon Era. He brought in talent, got it to the precipice, and blew it at inopportune times. The Wake Forest game was a reminder of the heart of those teams, and their ability to make plays.

This team ended up being the best of the Randy Shannon Era, losing the Champs Sports Bowl to Wisconsin. But on paper, and the way they played much of the year, they were the ACC’s best team. It’s unfortunate that the results didn’t show it.

For Wake Forest, they were midway through a 5-game losing streak that ultimately saw them miss a bowl game at 5-7. In addition to this loss, they had two 3-point losses, and 2 overtime losses. So all told, 6 of their 7 losses came by a FG or less, with 2 in OT. This was likely not even Wake Forest’s most heartbreaking loss of the year.

Have memories of this game? Tweet us at @vrp2003 and @5ReasonsSports

 

Why We Should Care About Sports

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Given we are in the midst of a global pandemic, you make ask yourself – why should I care about sports?

A simple trip to the grocery store can induce crippling anxiety.

The news is a constant cycle of hopelessness.

Leadership stateside, is let’s just say questionable.

We’ll debate politics when (if) this is all over during 2020, already one of the worst years in recent memory.

For now it come down to waiting desperately in seclusion.

Hopefully.

 

“Adapt or die” has never held more significance.

That is why a wholesome distraction such as sports is therapeutic.

With the global news consumed by COVID-19 the world turns to outlets such as ESPN, the “Worldwide Leader” for some normalcy.

We should be enjoying a different kind of March Madness right now.

Opening Day in Major League Baseball.

Meaningful NBA and NHL games as the Heat and Panthers fight for postseason position.

The Miami Hurricanes baseball team was real good.

All now an illusion, a mirage when seems as distant as when you could say hello to your neighbor.

And shake their hand.

The NFL Draft is moving ahead as planned, sort of.

 

It will happen in a way we have never seen before.

We can’t wait!

Fill out your mock drafts until your hearts are content.

Even if they are unconventional, or irrational.

Enjoy a newfound camaraderie with fellow sports fans.

Maybe even reach out to your favorite athletes and say hi.

 

The Five Reasons network is committed to bring sports fans even more content during this time.

Subscribe to the 5 on the Floor Miami Heat podcast here.

For the latest Miami Dolphins the 3 Yards Per Carry podcast has you covered, subscribe here.

Five Rings Canes is rolling out new content regularly, you can find them here.

We also have a YouTube channel where we discuss all things in the world of sports and beyond.

Recollected Dozen, Game 9: 2012 Miami @ Georgia Tech

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This is part of a series on Canes football games that have been lost to history. Information on the series including other articles is available here. 

The Year

The year is 2012. President Barack Obama is in the final year of his first term in office. The week of September 22nd, 2012 saw We Are Never Getting Back Together by Taylor Swift top the Billboard Hot 100 list for the 3rd week in a row. And Fifty Shades of Grey by E.L. James was #1 on the New York Times fiction best seller list. Gas was $3.83 a gallon. In addition to the ongoing US Presidential Election, the top news story was worldwide attacks on several US Embassies, with the most notable being in Benghazi, Libya, where 4 Americans were killed.

The Combatants

The Canes entered this game at 2-1, with the loss being a 39-point blowout at Kansas State.

Georgia Tech was 2-1, having lost an overtime game to Virginia Tech.

The Context

For the Canes, the story was Al Golden. The Nevin Shapiro scandal was the new normal, but even with that context, the previous season’s disappointing record did have one silver lining…all 6 losses were one possession games. The thinking was that with marginal improvement, the Canes could turn those losses into wins.

That narrative collapsed in the second game of the season when the Kansas State Wildcats demolished Miami. The gap between Miami and a decent team (which is what Kansas State was at the time) was startling.

In hindsight, all the signs of Golden’s demise were present, but at this juncture, it was still a situation where most fans were trying to balance the scandal with the play on the field and figure out what represented the true quality of an Al Golden team.

The Game

This game is absolutely crazy.

For Miami, this game was about Stephen Morris, Mike James, and Phillip Dorsett.

Morris got going early, and threw a 65-yard TD pass to Dorsett on the game’s 3rd play. The Canes would then drive for a FG, which was set up by another 40-yard completion to Dorsett.

And this is where Georgia Tech had a mental breakdown. On the kickoff, the GT kick returner broke the plain with the ball and knelt it, resulting in a safety and putting the Canes up 12-0. With the short field (the Canes started at the GT 48 yard line), Miami drove for Mike James’ first TD of the game to put the Canes up 19-0, literally on the last play of the 1st quarter. That drive also featured the injury that would short-circuit Malcolm Lewis’ career.

On the subsequent kickoff, once again, the Canes stuffed GT, this time inside their 10-yard line. Up by 19 on an option team, the Canes appeared to be in control. But D’Onofrio happens.

In a stunning 2nd quarter explosion, The Yellow Jackets started to methodically destroy the Miami defense. The Canes caught a seeming reprieve when offsetting penalties wiped out an 80-yard run. But it didn’t matter as GT capped off a 91-yard drive with a TD.

The Canes offense appeared to get back in gear on the next drive, but Dorsett fumbled at the end of another long catch (this one for 32-yards) and GT immediately had the ball back. They went 57 yards in 6 plays to cut the lead to 5 at 19-14.

Next it was time for Miami special teams to fail. On the next possession, Miami punted and it was returned 56 yards to the Canes’ 23. The defense shut down GT’s option, and put the Yellow Jackets in 3rd and 11…where they promptly gave up a 17-yard completion to a team that could not pass. But they weren’t done giving up long 3rd down plays. 3 plays later, on 3rd and goal from the 10, the Canes allowed the GT QB to run, Tevin Washington, to walk into the end zone, almost untouched. To rub salt in the wound, GT went for 2 and completed a pass on it, to go ahead 22-19.

The rest of the half featured Stephen Morris forcing a deep ball into coverage for an INT, and the half essentially running out from there. Miami won the first quarter 19-0, but somehow lost the 2nd half 22-0 and was down 22-19 at the half.

If you expected an inspired halftime reaction, adjustments to stop the offense that everyone knew GT would be running, or even a competitive response coming out of the half, you would be disappointed. It took only 4 plays for GT to go 65 yards and go up 29-19.

The Canes did finally put a solid drive together, but had to punt from midfield. Once again, the Canes did a poor job in punt coverage, and GT returned it to their own 40. On the next play, they completed another long pass, this one for 58 yards, and were in the end zone one play later.

From 12 minutes left in the 2nd quarter to 10 minutes left in the 3rd quarter, the Yellow Jackets scored 36 points in a row, and took a commanding 36-19 lead.

But the Canes did not sink. They embarked on a long, methodical drive that went 74 yards on 17 plays, culminating in a FG that cut the lead to 14 points and at least stopped the 36 point streak.

Miami’s defense also finally settled in, and forced a GT punt. 82 yards from the end zone, the Canes went on another long drive, this time all the way to the end zone, with Mike James picking up the TD, and cutting the lead to a one TD game at 36-29.

It seemed like Miami was back in the game, and immediately forcing another punt put the Canes in great shape to tie the game. Starting from their own 8, the Canes once again put together a long drive, going 88 yards in 10 plays. But they couldn’t punch it in despite having 1st and goal at the 3-yard line. And then Jake Wieclaw missed a 22-yard FG.

That should have been game over. One gut punch too many. And when GT was able to run 8 plays before punting, and drop the ball inside the Canes’ 10-yard line again, Miami found themselves 91 yards from the tying TD with only 2 minutes left.

Stephen Morris promptly completed 4 consecutive passes to Davon Johnson, totaling 50 yards and taking Miami to the GT 41. From there, Morris hit Duke Johnson for 25 yards. Two Yellow Jacket penalties took the Canes to the GT 10-yard line with 27 seconds left. Mike James scored his 3rd TD of the game on a middle screen pass from Morris and miraculously, the Canes had tied the game at 36 and sent it into OT.

On the first possession of OT, GT drove inside the Canes 5-yard line. On 2nd and 5 they got 2 yards, then another yard on 3rd down, setting up 4th and an inch at the 1. GT trusted their option attack…and shouldn’t have. Eddie Johnson destroyed GT QB Tevin Washington and stopped him just short of the 1st down.

Miami just needed a FG, but Mike James ended the festivities on the 2nd play of the Canes’ possession, going 24  yards for the game clinching TD, his 4th of the game. The Canes won 42-36.

First Half: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TMTktztcA8A&t=2s

Second Half: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tCeMf1wMMYg

Why is it Memorable?

Where to start? First, I linked the half highlights above because it a “no huddle” cut, meaning you get through both videos in roughly an hour and fifteen minutes. I encourage anyone with some spare time to do that.

This game featured huge performances from Stephen Morris and Phillip Dorsett, who totaled 436 and 184 yards, respectively. Mike James scored 4 TDs (3 rushing, 1 receiving). Duke Johnson also had an impact on the ground and through the air.

Davon Johnson came out of nowhere to step up. He had 107 yards receiving, but 50 came on 4 consecutive plays on the last drive of regulation.

And time and again, both teams look like they were down and out, and then came back. Eddie Johnson had the highlight reel hit in OT to stop GT, but in regulation, on GT’s last true possession, Anthony Chickillo made 2 consecutive, huge tackles to hold GT short of the 1st down or they would have run the clock out without Miami having the opportunity to drive for the tying TD.

On the negative, yet uplifting side, this game will also be remembered for the horrific injury that Malcolm Lewis sustained, and Al Golden’s compassion in that moment. That moment was Golden’s finest as the Miami Head Coach.

In the end, this was a game that saw the Canes score the first 19 points, GT come back and run off 36 points in a row, and then the Canes digging deep to score the last 23 and win OT. You’ll be hard-pressed to find a game that streaky and one in which a team lost despite scoring 36 points in a row. But that is what happened on this day.

The Aftermath

Neither team was good, and this would show up repeatedly. The Canes would run their record to 4-1 before imploding with 3 straight losses, tacking on a heartbreaking loss at Virginia late in the year, and finishing 7-5.

This was the “transition” year in the Al Golden tenure. One in which the Canes took their final bowl ban, and entered the offseason for the last time not knowing what their sanctions would be. It was also the year that Golden transitioned from close losses to blowout losses. In addition to the aforementioned Kansas State blowout, the Canes lost badly to Notre Dame and Florida State.

For Georgia Tech, they would recover to “win” the ACC Coastal, but ultimately finish 7-7, losing the ACC Championship game to Florida State.

Miami, North Carolina, and Georgia Tech ended up in a 3-way tie atop the ACC Coastal. North Carolina had the tiebreaker, but received a postseason ban from the NCAA. This made it a 2-way tie between Georgia Tech and Miami, and this 42-36 OT classic could have conceivably sent the Canes into a rematch with FSU and their first ACC title game. Ultimately, Miami opted (correctly) to self-impose a postseason ban. At 7-5, getting slaughtered by FSU for a 2nd time and then losing a bowl game didn’t seem wise when they could sacrifice those games for less restrictions later (this worked as the Canes received a slap on the wrist less than a year later).

So, Georgia Tech was the last team standing for not being banned from postseason play, and ended up making it to Charlotte. 2 years later, Georgia Tech would win the ACC Coastal again, this time with a much better team. They lost a nailbiter to FSU there, 37-35, but recovered to blowout Mississippi State in the Orange Bowl, which was the best season of Paul Johnson’s tenure.

For Miami fans, this was probably Al Golden’s second best season, and perhaps the one that most filled the fans with a false sense of optimism. Performances like this were a mirage that made everyone feel good about wins, but were ultimately huge warning signs of an impending implosion, particularly on defense.

Have memories of this game? Tweet us at @vrp2003 and @5ReasonsSports

 

Recollected Dozen, Game 10: 2004 Miami @ Virginia

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This is part of a series on Canes football games that have been lost to history. Information on the series including other articles is available here. 

The Year

The year is 2004. President George W. Bush had been re-elected to a second term 11 days prior. The week of November 13th, 2004 saw My Boo by Usher and Alicia Keys top the Billboard Hot 100 list for the 3rd week in a row. And Metro Girl by Janet Evanovich was #1 on the New York Times fiction best seller list. Gas was $1.96 a gallon. In addition to the recently concluded election, the Middle East topped the headlines, as the War in Iraq saw insurgents capture Mosul, while in an unrelated Mideast matter, Iran was working on a deal over their nuclear arms program (some things stay the same).

The Combatants

This was a Top 20 matchup.

The Canes were 6-2, with 2 conference losses.

Virginia came into this game at 7-1.

The Context

The Canes were reeling coming off consecutive losses. Having peaked at #4 in the polls, the Canes had lost consecutive games to North Carolina by 3 on a last-second FG and to Clemson by 7 in overtime. They had fallen to #18 in the AP Poll.

Virginia had only one loss, to Florida State.

But the Seminoles had already lost twice. With Virginia Tech leading the ACC, but also having a loss, and with both teams still having to play Virginia Tech, the winner of this game controlled their own destiny in the ACC.

This was the last year before the ACC switched to divisions, so whoever finished on top of the regular season standings won the conference. This was also Miami’s first year in the ACC.

The Game

The best word to describe this game is intense. Miami actually never trailed, and yet the entire game felt like it was on razor’s edge.

Miami had 2 long drives in the 1st quarter. The first resulted in a missed FG, but the second lead to a Frank Gore TD.

Virginia answered immediately with a TD to tie the game. Roscoe Parrish (much more from him later) returned a punt 45 yards to set up another Canes TD.

The Canes took the 14-7 lead into the half, but one of the themes of the day began to present itself as the Canes drove to the UVA 27, but went for it on 4th down and got stuffed. That, coupled with the earlier missed FG, meant the Canes had left at least 6 points on the field.

The second half saw both teams exchange punts before UVA tied the game late in the 3rd quarter with a 3-play, 67 yard drive capped off by Alvin Pearman’s 34-yard TD run.

Miami answered with a 43-yard FG (a similar distance to the FG that the Canes neglected to kick earlier) to take a 17-14 lead into the 4th quarter. After forcing a punt, the Canes had an opportunity to put some distance between themselves and the Cavaliers, but Larry Coker chose to punt from the UVA 34-yard line. Miami’s John Peattie was a reliable kicker, and the overall decisions to pass on FGs, as well as an uncharacteristic miss, saw the Canes up by 3 instead of 9.

On the next UVA punt, Roscoe Parrish once again got loose, breaking a few tackles, and this time took the return all the way to the house, putting the Canes up 24-14 with 7:38 left. On the next play, Brandon Meriweather picked off a pass and that sealed the game, except it didn’t.

Instead, the Canes lost 4 yards on 3rd and 1 at the UVA 41 and punted. Then UVA scored a TD in 4 plays and 79 yards in less than a minute to cut the lead to 3. All of a sudden, it was game on with 3:22 left.

Frank Gore had been the Canes’ offense on the day carrying 28 times for 195 yards and a TD. But with UVA stacking the box, he netted 5 yards on 2 plays. Brock Berlin, who was having an efficient, conservative game, was called on. His play-action completion to Talib Humphrey not only got the first down, but picked up 34 yards after Humphrey ran through several tackles. The Canes picked up 6 yards on 3 plays, getting down to the UVA 25 with 58 seconds left and the Cavaliers out of timeouts.

Miami had the option of kicking the FG, throwing underneath to ice the game, or…going for broke and throwing it to the end zone.

At first, Coker sent out the FG team, but was waiting to take a timeout with 1 second on the play clock. He did so, but Peattie took and missed the FG anyway. The play didn’t count because of the timeout, but perhaps that convinced Coker to go for it, because he, and his team went for it all.

On a play action pass, Parrish showed up again, making a twisting 25-yard TD reception, which this time finally ended the game, with the Canes winning 31-21.

Highlights: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hYEbgipN0g4

Why is it Memorable?

This was the first time since 1999 that the Canes were out of the National Championship picture, so there is certainly that element. The game had an odd feeling.

Miami’s 2 big time players carried them. Frank Gore, playing with a bad ankle, carried 28 times for 195 yards and a TD, and also had a reception for 4 yards, which means 29 touches and 199 yards…while injured. It’s hilarious to look back on this game and hear the commentators talk about how Gore’s 2 ACL injuries have slowed him down. They were almost nostalgic about what could have been. 16 years later, Gore is still playing and is a lock for the NFL Hall Of Fame. And you know what? He actually COULD have been better. Gore is ridiculous.

And if this series of articles is about anything, it’s about greatness forgotten, and Roscoe Parrish fits that bill. Roscoe is an all-timer at Miami, but he lived in Devin Hester’s shadow as a returner, and was a little too diminutive to be a true NFL superstar, which is often how Miami’s players are measured. Yet this game showed just how great Roscoe was. Parrish had 4 yards rushing, 50 yards receiving, and 121 yards in returns for a total of 175 yards.

This game was also a throwback to when the Canes used to know how to effectively use the FB. Talib Humphrey had 3 critical receptions for 49 yards, including a huge late 4th quarter 3rd down conversion and a TD reception.

But this was also just a great college football game, and a reminder of why we love the sport. Packed house, perfect football weather. Both teams kept trading blows, the momentum swung wildly back and forth, and eventually, the Canes landed the knockout blow.

As color commentator Tim Brandt exclaimed toward the end of the 3rd quarter, “What a football game!”

The Aftermath

Oh, what could have been.

For the Canes, this was their best chance to win the ACC. The Canes jumped up to #9 in the polls, and subsequently crushed Wake Forest setting up a de facto ACC title game at home against Virginia Tech.

But Miami lost that game 16-10, and with it, the ACC. With the ACC switching to divisions and 2004 being a transition year, this was the last time there was not a conference championship game.

At the time, the assumption was Miami would be a regular participant in that game, but it would be 13 years until the Canes made that expected appearance, and in the 15 years since the 2004 VT loss, they’ve been unable to win the conference. A home win against Virginia Tech could have ended that narrative before it started, and if it had, this 2004 Virginia game in particular would be pointed at as the game that propelled them.

The Canes would recover to beat Florida in the Peach Bowl, and finish the year ranked 11th, but in hindsight, the ACC was there for the taking.

For Virginia, the season crated a bit from here. They did recover to win against Georgia Tech in Atlanta, but lost badly to Virginia Tech and then lost in overtime to Fresno State in the MPC Computers Bowl. A footnote to this game is that both of Virginia’s coordinators would go on to be head coaches, and fail miserably.

Ron Prince went to Kansas State, where he was fired after 3 years. He’s currently the head coach at Howard. And Virginia’s Defensive Coordinator is a major contributing factor to both the Canes’ 13-year ACC Title Game drought and overall inability to win the ACC. Suffice it to say that those are 5 years of our program we’re never getting back.

Probably the most ridiculous oddity surrounding this game is that the Canes head coaches from 2001-2015 were all coaching in this game with Larry Coker (Miami HC), Randy Shannon (Miami DC), and Al Golden (Virginia DC) all participating.

Have memories of this game? Tweet us at @vrp2003 and @5ReasonsSports

 

Recollected Dozen, Game 11: 1997 Miami @ Boston College

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This is part of a series on Canes football games that have been lost to history. Information on the series including other articles is available here. 

The Year

The year is 1997. President Bill Clinton was in the first year of his second term. The week of October 18th, 1997 saw Elton John’s Candle in The Wind top the Billboard charts for the second week in a row. And Flood Tide by Clive Cussler was #1 on the New York Times fiction best seller list. Gas was $1.23 a gallon. The big news story was Bill Clinton using the line-item veto on a military spending bill. A year later, line-item vetos were declared unconstitutional.

The Combatants

Miami entered the game at 1-4, on a 4-game losing streak. The previous week, the Canes had been destroyed by Florida State, 47-0.

Boston College was also struggling, and entered the game at 2-4.

Combined, both teams had lost 7 in a row. This was only the 2nd year that college football allowed for overtime, and it would be needed.

The Context

The Canes were struggling under the weight of probation and were seriously threatened with finishing the year with a losing record.

Boston College was not in any better shape.

Both coaches, Butch Davis and Tom O’Brien, were huge question marks.

The Game

The Canes came out inspired, motivated to wipe out memories of being dominated by Florida State.  Immediately, Edgerrin James housed a 69-yard TD and the Canes were up 7-0.

The Canes weren’t done yet, as Reggie Wayne made a diving TD on a pass from Ryan Clement to make it 14-0. Shockingly, in the 6th game of the season, that was the first TD that a Canes’ WR had caught all year.

James scored again in the 1st quarter, and Miami eventually lead 24-3. A late TD by BC at the end of the 2nd half cut the lead to 24-10.

Both teams were unable to stop the run and each team ended up with well over 300 yards rushing. James set a school and conference record with 271 yards, while Boston College had 2 runners go for big yardage, with Omari Walker going from 185 yards and Mike Cloud adding 157 yards.

James notched his 3rd TD of the game late in the 3rd quarter, and with the Canes up 31-17, the game felt over.

It. Was. Not.

BC responded on the back of Cloud, who ripped off several big runs, including a 37-yard TD to cut the lead to 7.

More troubling for the Canes was that James hurt his shoulder and had to leave the game. Without James, the Canes tried to ice the clock. With 3:37 left in the game, on 3rd and 7 near midfield, the Canes were a conversion away from pretty much putting the game away. Instead, Clement had a miscommunication with Bubba Franks and BC collected an easy interception, which was returned to the Miami 33. Walker punched the ball in to tie the game and send it to overtime, which was the first time that either program had played in overtime.

BC won the toss in OT and the Canes had the first position, they scored easily with Trent Jones getting into the end zone. The Eagles answered with their own TD, again with little resistance.

In the 2nd OT, on the first play, Walker went 25 yards to put the Eagles up 44-38. This is when Tom O’Brien made the curious decision to go for 2. The Canes defense stiffened and forced an incompletion.

Miami didn’t make it easy. Needing a TD to tie (and XP to win), the Canes immediately moved inside the 15 yard line. But that’s when things seemed to derail. Clement took an awful sack, losing yardage back to the 22-yard line. But Clement would make up for it. On 3rd and 17, he threw this strike to Darryl Jones who made a diving catch in the end zone. Andy Crosland nailed the XP after an interminable wait involving multiple timeouts, and the Canes won 45-44.

Full Game: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8A1SLX7Qj2U

Why is it Memorable?

This was the first OT in school history. It was also a huge learning experience for a young Canes’ team that would eventually bring the program to the top of college football.

It’s also really interesting to see so many of the young, great Canes’ players before they were great. Santana Moss wore #48 in this game, and was behind Darryl Jones on the depth chart. You could see the talent in Bubba Franks and Dan Morgan. The team was young, but flashed ability.

And then there was Edgerrin James. 32 carries 276 yards, 3 TDs. James would break that yardage record a year later against UCLA, but what a performance.

For a program reeling on a losing streak, and for a young team that had been kicked multiple times, this win was crucial.

There is also a huge BC angle, and the newness of OT in college football might have played a role in this game. It is quite possible that BC Head Coach Tom O’Brien was unaware that he could kick an extra point in the 2nd OT. After the game, he said the official, while neglecting to name which one, told him that BC had to go for 2, but that he knew that wasn’t the rule, but went for 2 anyway. It was a confusing explanation that didn’t really make sense. That decision helped the Hurricanes to a character-building victory.

The Aftermath

Both teams would miss a bowl game, but Miami actually played decently down the stretch of the season. After starting 1-4, they finished the year 4-2, with this game being a turning point. While this Canes team finished 5-6, they were clearly better than some of the recent 6-6 Canes teams, but in the early 90s, you had one less “free” win (“free” is in quotes because let he does not lose to FIU cast the first stone).

For Boston College, they would finish the year 4-7, but they were also starting to build something.

Probably one of the more interesting things is to look how things worked out for the respective coaching staffs.

Butch Davis went on to rebuild Miami into a National Power, leaving a year short of a National Championship to go to the NFL. Larry Coker, Davis’ Offensive Coordinator, would take over for Davis and win a National Championship.

Meanwhile, Tom O’Brien built Boston College into a consistent winner. By 1999, BC started to consistently make bowl games. And win those games. Between 2000-2005, Boston College would win 6 consecutive bowl games. O’Brien would leave BC for NC State after the regular season with 7 consecutive winning seasons and only one of those seasons with less than 8 wins. His offensive coordinator in this game, Jeff Jagodzinski, would return to BC to take over for O’Brien after spending several years in the NFL. He was unceremoniously fired in retribution for interviewing for an NFL head coaching job.

So, despite both teams struggling in 1997, and this game being a matchup between 2 teams that failed to make bowl games, both programs were on the ascendancy and would player bigger, more meaningful games in years to come.

Have memories of this game? Tweet us at @vrp2003 and @5ReasonsSports

 

Guts Check: Heat Draft Notes, Summer Strategy, Goran Good Graces

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Hope still exists that the 2019-20 NBA season resumes and the Miami Heat can make a playoff run. Heat Nation is looking forward to finding out who this team is, as is the organization. Unfortunately, that day may not come any time soon, if at all.

If the season does not resume, the reality is the Heat may currently be equipped with all the data they are going to get heading into the off-season.

So while playoff runs and real basketball are still the hope, this down time inevitably provides valuable moments to evaluate options related to the NBA draft and free agency.

When games are not being played and practices are at a halt, it gives top level executives and coaches a unique opportunity to work cross functionally with the scouting department more than usual.

2020 NBA Draft Notes

Should the Heat elect to keep its 2020 1st Round Pick, which is probably 50/50 if I had to put odds on it at this way too early of a moment, here are some names I think Heat fans should be keeping close tabs on for now:.

  • Kentucky Wildcat Guards Tyrese Maxey and Ashton Hagans are both on the Heat’s radar if either were to be available when Miami selects (in the first round or elsewhere) according to a league source. Riley loves his Kentucky players.
  • The POA defensive chops of Duke’s Tre Jones appeal as a back-court player to supplement the already potent offensive young core in Miami.
  • The Heat are especially enamored with the potential of Florida State’s wing Devin Vassell according to a league source. However, Vassell is currently projected to likely go before Miami picks in the first round.
  • Duke freshman center Vernon Carey Jr. and Minnesota big man Daniel Oturu are among the frontcourt players the Heat have registered interest in as prospects according to a source.
  • The Heat may shift more focus to the front-court in this draft it they plan to move on from Kelly Olynyk and unrestricted free agent Meyers Leonard. In that case the list of viable big man prospects will expand in the next few weeks/months.

This all operates under the assumption that the Heat even keeps this 2020 first round pick.

Summer Strategy

League circles suggest the Heat may attempt to package the 2020 1st round pick with a useful player/expiring contract such as Kelly Olynyk to consolidate for multiple purposes.

Those purposes include:

  • Trading up or down in this draft to acquire a player they like (Vassell or Oturo are speculative examples of players they could target in pre-arranged trades to be executed after new league year)
  • Shed the $13.6 million left on the contract of Olynyk along with the salary associated with the 2020 1st Round Pick. In efforts to clear over $40M in cap space for this summer.
  • This could help the Heat get extra creative and retain all the current core FAs it desires – on 1-year contracts – and remain out of the luxury tax. (Core FA for 1 year deals = Goran Dragic, Jae Crowder & Leonard)
  • Derrick Jones Jr. projects as the only potential multi-year contract player considered viable. But only if the per year salary number is in line with 2021 spending. Dragic, Leonard and Crowder are all candidates to receive 1 year maybe-just-maybe-slightly-above-market-value offers. All in efforts to not sacrifice flexibility for Summer 2021 and remain out of the luxury tax next season.
  • Create additional flexibility to pounce if Joel Embiid, Victor Oladipo, CJ McCollum or Bradley Beal become available via trade. Those are the names to watch closest from the star trade market by my view. A lopsided salary swap, where the Heat absorbed additional salary along with any of those noted All Stars is one path the Heat will explore. Some folks around the league think these targets appear far more realistic than Giannis Antetokounmpo for Miami. Not sure I’m buying that personally.

Goran Good Graces

Recently reports surfaced that Goran Dragic may be gearing up for a lucrative, short term contract to remain in Miami next season.

After almost trading Dragic last summer, only to have him come back to Miami and embrace his bench role in 6th man of the year fashion, the Heat are looking to find a way to make it work with its former All Star. The Dragon & Jimmy Buckets bromance has only reinforced the sentiment to find a way to retain Gogi. However, don’t rule out the possibility of Dragic being open minded to working with the organization from a salary perspective if it were to allow for a significant upgrade to the roster. Goran wants to win.

Cam Wake

Homecoming for Cam Wake is not as Crazy as you Think

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Could a homecoming for Dolphin legend Cam Wake be a possibility?

He was going to retire they said.

They were apparently wrong.

 

At age 38 Wake would be entering his 12th NFL season after spending last year with Tennessee.

It was a forgettable time in the Volunteer state as Wake would see action in just nine games and compile 2.5 sacks.

Wake played his first 10 years in Miami and quickly established himself as one of the premier pass rushers of his era.

During his time as a Miami Dolphin, Wake was an exemplary professional both on and off the field.

 

Wake played fewer than 14 games in a season just once in Miami, when he missed nine games after an Achilles injury in 2015.

His ability to get off the edge was elite and even when he lost some burst, Wake was still effective.

In his last season in Miami, 2018 Wake managed just 6.5 sacks, his lowest total since his rookie year.

Wake would see his snap counts dwindle after the 2015 injury, from a career high 82% in his All-Pro 2012 season to just 48% in 2018.

However in a situational basis in 2016 and 2017, Wake was extremely formidable.

In 2016 after returning from the Achilles injury, Wake had 11.5 sacks despite playing in just 51% of the defensive snaps.

Wake would follow that up with 10.5 sacks on a 58% snap count in the 2017 season.

Miami focused heavily on defense in free agency, adding players that could fit their defensive scheme.

They will still need to bolster their defensive line, whether with additional veterans of via the draft.

Signing Wake to a 10-year veteran minimum deal would cost just north of one million dollars.

A price tag that should not raise many eyebrows.

If Wake can give you 20 snaps a game, with even five or six sacks for the season, that would be a good investment.

Not to mention the positive mentorship he offers.

His place among revered Dolphins would likely be well received by both the fans and his teammates.

So why not?

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Image credit Tony Capobianco.