Recollected Dozen, Game 3: 2005 Miami @ Clemson

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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 2005. President George W. Bush is in the first year of his final term in office. The week of September 17th, 2005 saw Gold Digger by Kanye West featuring Jamie Foxx top the Billboard Hot 100 list. And The World is Flat by Thomas Friedman was #1 on the New York Times fiction best seller list. Gas was $2.77 a gallon. The big news story was the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina hitting Mississippi and devastating the Gulf Coast, including breaking levees in New Orleans and flooding the city.

The Combatants

Miami entered the game at 0-1, having lost the season opener at Florida State.

Clemson entered the game at 2-0, having beaten Texas A&M and Maryland.

The Context

This was a matchup of 2 ranked teams.

The Canes came into this game off of a loss and a bye week, having opened with FSU on Monday Night Football in Tallahassee. It was game that featured several mistakes, dropped passes, and ultimately a dropped hold on a FG attempt which gifted the Seminoles a 10-7 win. But no one was sure if the Canes were any good.

For Clemson, they had won 2 games by a total of 4 points. Against Texas A&M, they kicked 6 FGs and won 25-24, including hitting the game winning FG with 2 seconds left. Against Maryland, the Tigers trailed by 10 heading into the 4th quarter. But back-to-back TDs saw them escape with a win.

The narrative coming into the game was that Miami had cracked under the pressure in a close loss while Clemson had done the opposite, twice.

The Game

Both defenses came out ready to play and the teams exchanged 5 punts (3 for Clemson, 2 for Miami) with the longest drive being 11 yards.

Finally, the Canes put together a strong drive. Kyle Wright completed pass to Ryan Moore for 16 yards, Quadtrine Hill for 9 yards, and after a holding penalty put the Canes in 3rd and long, Darnell Jenkins along the sideline for a big conversion. Tyrone Moss would pick up the next first down via the ground, but the Canes would have to settle for a FG, which Jon Peattie put through to nudge the Canes in front 3-0 at the end of the 1st quarter.

Clemson immediately responded going 85 yards in 5 plays, in a minute of time of possession. After Charlie Whitehurst kept the ball on a QB sneak for 2 yards, the Tigers crossed up the Canes’ defense on a shotgun RPO where Whitehurst ran for 65 yards. 2 plays later Whitehurst would complete the TD pass that put Clemson ahead 7-3.

Both defenses settled down after that, and there were 3 consecutive punts.

It would be the Tigers who would put together the next drive, set up by a long throw from Whitehurst to Curtis Baham up the seem of the Canes defense for 38 yards on 3rd-and-7 from the Clemson 23. Miami would stiffen, but Clemson converted a 4th-and-1 at the Canes 30. Finally, after gifting Clemson another 1st down with consecutive offside penalties, the Canes forced a FG, which Clemson made to go up 10-3.

Miami’s offense responded, in a roundabout way. After Tyrone Moss picked up a first down on 2 runs, the Canes pitched the ball to Devin Hester who did Devin Hester things, running for 36 yards to the Clemson 22-yard line. On the next play, Kyle Wright was temporarily knocked out and Kirby Freeman came in. That stalled the drive, but Peattie hit another FG, and the lead was trimmed to 10-6.

The half ended that way, with Clemson up 10-6, but with the game finely balanced between 2 offenses that had a few explosive plays, but were mostly dominated by the defenses.

Hester opened the 2nd half with a strong kickoff return to the Canes 43. After Tyrone Moss carried the Canes across midfield to the Clemson 41, disaster struck. Wright was sacked for an 8-yard loss, and then a holding penalty pushed the Canes back further. They ended up losing 2 yards on the drive and punting from their own 41, but Brian Monroe hit a perfect punt and pinned Clemson inside their 10.

After the Canes D forced a 3-and-out, the offense took over on the Clemson 47. After Wright hit Jenkins for another critical 3rd down conversion, Moss took over. He carried on 5 consecutive plays, taking the Canes inside the Tigers’ 10-yard line. From there, Wright dumped to Hill on a screen pass for the go ahead TD, putting Miami up 13-10.

A series of errors resulted in no points on the next drive. After Clemson drove the ball to midfield, the Canes forced a punt. But they roughed the kicker, giving Clemson a first down on the Canes 30. But when the Canes held Clemson at the 28, the Tigers false-started on a FG attempt. Backed up 5 yards, they tried and missed a 50-yard FG.

Miami’s offense responded by trying to put the game away. Derron Thomas got some rare action, and carried for 4 and 12 yards for one 1st down, and then another 4 yards to get Miami into range at 3rd-and-6 at the Clemson 47. From there, on the last play of the 3rd quarter, Wright hit Sinorice Moss for 43 yards to the Clemson 6. 2 plays into the 4th quarter, Tyrone Moss scored the TD that put Miami up 20-10 early in the 4th quarter.

On the next drive, the Canes made multiple penalties which allowed the Tigers to put together a few first downs, but they ultimately punted. Moss and Charlie Jones combined on the next drive to muscle down a few first downs, and get the ball into Clemson territory. The drive stalled, but Monroe’s punt pinned Clemson at their own 19, with only 7:01 remaining.

It took Clemson 10 plays to go 81 yards. The Big play was a 23-yard completion to Baham to the Canes 10. Whitehurst would QB sneak for a TD from there. Miami’s defense, brilliant all day, failed to force a 3rd down. It was now 20-17.

Miami’s offense needed a first down to ice the game. After Moss gained 4 yards on 2 plays, Wright was sacked on 3rd down. Monroe’s punt put the Tigers at their own 44 yard line with 1:15 left.

Whitehurst hit Baham for 11 and 14 yards, moving to the Canes 31. From there, he hit Chansi Stuckey for 21 yards to the Canes’ 10 with 41 with 26 seconds left. Clemson was 10 yards from victory. On 3rd-and-10, with 23 seconds left, Whitehurst had Stuckey wide open in the end zone, but overthrew him. Whitehurst was hit as he threw and had to rush the pass, but after the game, this was pointed to, justifiably, as a moment where Clemson could have won the game. The Tigers did hit a FG to tie it at 20 and force OT.

Miami got the ball first. Moss gained a yard on 1st down. On 2nd-and-9, the Canes made a holding penalty, and Miami was at 2nd-and-19. Wright hit Greg Olsen for 8 yards, and then on 3rd-and-11, Wright hit Ryan Moore for a huge gain down to the Clemson 6. With that new life, it was time for Tyrone Moss, who scored a TD 2 plays later. The extra point put the Canes up 27-20.

Clemson immediately started moving on their next drive. They needed a TD, but gained 10 yards on 1st down. After consecutive catches netted 8 total yards to the Canes’, Clemson found themselves at 4th-and-2. The play broke down, but Whitehurst fired a bullet into the end zone and found Baham who made the catch that tied the game at 27.

Miami’s defense put together a strong possession on the next drive. Clemson only gained 2 yards on 3 plays, but made the FG to go up 30-27.

The Canes offense knew a TD could win the game. After Moss was stuffed for a 2-yard loss, Wright hit Moore again, for 16 yards to the Clemson 11. Moss gained 9 yards on the next 2 runs. On 3rd-and-1 from the Clemson 2, the Canes called on Moss, but for once, Clemson stopped him for no gain. The Canes had the option of going for the win on 4th-and-1 from the 2 or for kicking the FG and forcing the 3rd OT. Larry Coker elected to kick and the game went to a 3rd OT tied at 30.

The game would be over in 4 plays.

After a reverse to Sinorice Moss gained no yards, the Canes would call Tyrone Moss’ number again. And he delivered. Moss scampered over the right-side, outraced the defense to the sideline, and laid out over the pylon to score the TD that put Miami ahead for good. Wright threw incomplete on the 2-point conversion, but the Canes took a 36-30 lead.

Clemson would throw an incompletion, then Kenny Phillips intercepted Whitehurst, dropping to one knee, and flinging the ball into the air victoriously.

Miami 36, Clemson 30 in 3 overtimes.

Highlights: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Jfkv2hybh3s

Full Game: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=alukz8Pt44Y

Why is it Memorable?

This is one in a series of classic games the Canes and Tigers played. And the only one the Canes won. The previous year (2004) the Tigers won in OT, and in 2009, they would do so again.

But this game was about the late, great Tyrone Moss. The Miami offense didn’t do much. Wright made some clutch throws, but only threw for 155 yards. Moss was called upon to carry the load, and he did, carrying 31 times for 135 yards and 3 TDs, including 2 in OT. Moss was the Canes rope-a-dope on the day. He leaned on that Clemson defense all day, often stymied, but never defeated. And after wearing them down, he knocked them out in OT.

Kudos should also be paid to the Canes’ defense. For much of the game, Clemson really struggled to move the ball.

Speaking of Clemson, their role here should not be diminished. They could have gone away multiple times but didn’t, which turned this from a comfortable Miami win to a classic game.

The images of this game that live on years later are of Moss diving into the end zone, of the entire team celebrating victory, and of Tommy Bowden, exhausted from the game, going to a knee at midfield.

We all felt that way after this win, which ended in sweet relief.

The Aftermath

Miami would use this game to propel the season forward, culminating with the much more famous demolition of Virginia Tech in November, which propelled the Canes to the #3 ranking in the country. That game would also likely cost the Canes the season, as Tyrone Moss left with an injury.

That would ultimately be fleeting, as 2 weeks after that, they lost at home to Georgia Tech 14-10, costing them the ACC Coastal and a shot at a rematch with Florida State. The Canes would go to the Peach Bowl, where LSU would obliterate them. Most of the offensive staff was fired after that game, and Larry Coker was out a year later.

For Clemson, their close calls did not end here.  They would lose in OT the next week to Boston College, then lose by 4 to Wake Forest, before recovering to win 5 out of 6, with the loss coming by 1-point to Georgia Tech. Clemson would win their bowl game, and finish 9-4, with their losses either coming in OT or by a combined a 5 points.

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

 

Recollected Dozen, Game 4: 2004 Louisville @ Miami

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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 is in the final year of his first term as president. The week of September 29th, 2012 saw Goodies by Ciara featuring Petey Pablo top the Billboard Hot 100 list. And The Dark Tower by Stephen King was #1 on the New York Times fiction best seller list. Gas was $2.04 a gallon. The big news story was the recent concluded final presidential debate between Bush and John Kerry. The first debate was held on the campus of the University of Miami.

The Combatants

Miami entered the game at 4-0 and was ranked #3 in the country.

Louisville entered the game 4-0 and was ranked #17 in the country.

The Context

Miami had beaten FSU in OT to start the season and had rolled since then. There was very little doubt that this was a national title contender (that presumption turned out to be wrong as the season unfolded). The Canes, fresh off a “disappointing” Orange Bowl winning season that fell short of a National Championship, were looking to make amends. This was also the Canes first year in the ACC.

Louisville was in Conference USA, a conference that they were way too good for. No one was sure how good Louisville was, but this was the opportunity for them to test themselves. In the BCS Era, for Louisville, winning this game would allow them to attend a major bowl game.

The Canes were heavy favorites for this Thursday night clash in the Orange Bowl.

The Game

The game started as expected. The Canes forced a 3-and-out, with Louisville losing 15 yards. After a poor punt, the Canes drove inside the Louisville 5. But perhaps the first time there was an indication that this would not be a walk in the park came when the Canes were stuffed on 4th-and-1 and turned i t over on downs.

The Canes forced another punt, and this time cashed on on field position, with Greg Olsen catching a TD to put the Canes up 7-0.

On the next possession, Miami forced a 3rd-and-10, and then Louisville’s offense turned on like a light switch. They completed a pass of 14 yards to convert the 1st down, then followed that with plays of 10, 25, 24, and 1 yard for the TD to tie the game.

Miami then threw an interception, which allowed Louisville to hit a FG and take a 10-7 lead on the first play of the 2nd quarter.

After a 3-and-out, Louisville immediately marched 76 yards on 9 plays, including converting a 3rd-and-9 and a 3rd-and-7 for the TD that put Louisville up 17-7.

Keep in mind that there was very little confidence in the Canes’ offense, so a 10-point lead felt substantial. We knew this was a game.

And after a few punts, Louisville pushed the lead out further. The Cardinals once again converted multiple 3rd downs, including a 3rd-and-9 and a 3rd-and-3 for the TD that put Louisville up 24-7.

Heading into the half, Louisville was dominating. In addition to converting several 3rd downs, the Cardinals had outgained Miami 249-103. After the Canes TD to go up 7-0, their next 5 drives were -5, 3, 5, 18, and -1 yards.

The game did not feel over, but the Canes did look a bit helpless.

Devin Hester returned the opening kickoff of the 2nd half for a TD, igniting the crowd, bringing Miami back into the game…except it was called back on a penalty. But the Canes still built off of it. Berlin hit Roscoe Parrish for a critical conversion on 3rd-and-14. Then Quadtrine Hill took over, carrying on 4 of the next 6 plays to take the Canes inside the Louisville 15. Berlin hit Parrish for the TD on the next play to cut the lead to 24-14.

New half, new Miami. Louisville would surely crumble from here…except they did the opposite. After a holding penalty backed up the Cardinals into 3rd-and-19, they threw underneath for 10 yards. On 4th-and-9, the Cardinals faked a punt, and Lionel Gates ran for 39 yards. The Canes defense once again stepped up, forcing Louisville into a 3rd-and-12…but again couldn’t make the critical play. Stefan LeFors hit Tiger Jones for 22 yards and a TD that pushed the lead back out to 17.

But the Canes offense was now in rhythm, and responded back with another TD drive, this time on the strength of Berlin hitting Akieem Jolla twice, first for a critical 3rd down conversion and again for the TD to cut the lead to 10.

Now the Canes D stepped up, forcing a punt. Miami’s offense went 82 yards, but stalled inside the 5. Unlike earlier, where they went for it inside the 5, this time the Canes decided to kick the FG and cut the lead to a one-possession game at 31-24 at the start of the 4th quarter.

Then, it seemed like Louisville would finally crumble. LeFors fumbled on the next possession, and the Canes took over at the Louisville 22. LeFors was also injured on the play and Brian Brohm, a true freshman, would play out the rest of the game. But Louisville would not crumble, instead, forcing the Canes to 3rd-and-2, and stuffing Frank Gore for a 1-yard loss. Larry Coker decided to kick the FG, and the Canes were down 31-27.

Louisville converted one first down, but a penalty stymied them and they punted from the 37.

That punt lead to one of the iconic plays in Miami Hurricanes’ history, as Devin Hester took the punt back right past the Louisville coverage team, faked the punter out, and went to the end zone to put Miami up 34-31 with 8:11 left. Mike Tirico’s call of the return is perfect.

With the stadium rocking, the loss inevitable, and a backup QB in the game, certainly Louisville would finally go away. Instead they marched right back at the Canes, going 80 yards in 9 plays, scoring the TD with 4:35 left that put them up 38-34.

Hester, once again, was determinative. He returned the kickoff to the Miami 44, setting up a shorter field. After Berlin scrambled for 11 yards and threw 2 incompletions, the Canes converted a 3rd-and-10 by Lance Leggett making a catch for 26 yards. After the Canes ended up in 4th-and-4 at the 8, Berlin hit Darnell Jenkins for 5 yards, just getting the first down.

Tyrone Moss gained 2 yards and Frank Gore scored the TD with 53 seconds left to put the Canes up for good at 41-38.

Louisville was able to move the ball some, including getting out to midfield after gaining 18 yards on on 4th-and-4. But they ran out of times and downs, and with 5 seconds left, the Hail Mary came up short and Antrel Rolle intercepted to seal the game.

There was a minor kerfuffle as Louisville slammed Rolle down and there was some jawing, but Miami gratefully escaped with a win.

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

Full Game: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mL7bUo_pNoY

Why is it Memorable?

So many reasons. But I think we could argue this game is memorable, so I almost disqualified it from this series. Certainly the Hester punt return is.

But I don’t know that we remember this game as we should. For one, this game is as memorable for the losers as much as the winners. Most comebacks involve the losing team imploding, making mistakes. Louisville did the opposite.

The Canes kept coming, and the Cardinals kept responding.  When Hester delivered what seemed like the knockout blow, Louisville retook the lead.

Coming into this game, the Canes hadn’t even allowed a passing TD. Mike Tirico talked in the opener about how the Canes were targeting shutouts…and Louisville put up 38.

This game was distinct from a comeback like the UF 33-10 comeback in 2003 in that UF built that lead on the back of Canes’ errors, and once Miami got rolling, it was obvious that the Canes were superior. In this game, it felt like if Louisville had more time, they would have scored again. This game could have gone back-and-forth forever.

And what else can we say about Brock Berlin. His uncanny ability not just to lead comebacks, but to have the entire team believe in his ability to do so is something that has been lacking since. This game always felt alive because Brock Berlin was always able to win games.

Last but not least, this was the last great game in the Orange Bowl. In 2007, the Canes beat Texas A&M in a night game, but that was nothing like this. We didn’t know at the time that the Orange Bowl would be gone in 3 years. But when we look back at great nights in the OB, this was really the last one.

And Tirico added to the moment from start-to-finish. When the Canes came out of the tunnel, he opined about how it lacked luxury boxes but had so much more than that. And, as Hester took the punt into the end zone and ESPN prepared to break for commercial, Tirico’s off the cuff remark that “he takes it to the house, and what a house it is” captured the spirit of what the OB was.

Tirico, one of the transcendent voices of college football, didn’t know he was sending off the Old Girl, but he gave it a fitting tribute.

The Aftermath

This was actually a changeover for the Canes. Coming into this game, the narrative was that the Canes offense, and in particular Brock Berlin, were the problem and that the defense was one of the best in the country.

That changed with this game. This ended up being the only year that Randy Shannon did not have a Top 10 defense as Defensive Coordinator, and Brock Berlin ended up as one of the more respected QBs the Canes have had this century.

The Canes would stay undefeated for another week, beating NC State 45-31, but it was obvious that the defense was not up to standard. That cost the Canes the next game, in a 31-28 loss to UNC.

Miami ended up not winning the conference for the first time since 1999, but did recover to beat Florida in the Peach Bowl.

For Louisville, this game cost them a shot at a BCS bowl. They absolutely crushed everyone else they played, and then beat Boise State in the Liberty Bowl. But this loss prevented them from going to a better bowl game than that.

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

 

THE EXTRA YARD: What’s Real in Dolphins Rumors?

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So, what are they doing now?

Trading up for Joe Burrow? Cool. Oh, staying put for Justin Herbert? Nice. (Not really) Oh, I got it. They are trading up to #3 for Tua Tagovailoa. Nah. A trade down for Jordan Love is likely. Makes some sense.

Confused yet? I’m not. What has happened this offseason with the approximately 1,764 different scenarios concerning the Miami Dolphins and their Quarterback position, is nothing short of hilarious.

Now that “Dolphin Targets” Tom Brady and Matthew Stafford are settled in, we are left with the draft prospects to speculate about. No other story has gotten as much traction as that of the possible “interest” in trading up for Joe Burrow at #1. It has made the rounds from the pages of the Miami Herald, to debate fodder on First Take and Undisputed, to whole segments on ESPN Sportscenter and the NFL Network.

 

So what’s true? Our own Chris Kouffman (@ckparrot) of the Three Yards Per Carry Podcast reports that he has been told there is merit to these reports. So who is driving this? Well, let’s examine. First of all, we were told that there was a plan in place when the team was shedding salary and trading standouts Laremy Tunsil and Minkah Fitzpatrick for several 1st round picks. We know that the plan COULD NOT have been to use the assets gained, to secure LSU star Joe Burrow since he had not yet embarked on his historic season at the time, and was little more than a 3rd day draft pick by most analysts. No front office is good enough to foresee what Burrow did in 2019.

So, was the plan at the time to secure the assets necessary to land Alabama star Tua Tagovailoa? That is the most likely scenario, considering what Tua’s standing with draft analysts was at the time. He was a near unanimous #1 prospect at QB. So what does the hard evidence tell us? We know they liked Justin Herbert enough to devote considerable resources to scout him for two years. Same goes for Jordan Love.

As for Tua Tagovailoa, the talk has been plentiful, and Dolphins brass always seemed to find it’s way to watching Crimson Tide games in person, while many other alternatives that included Herbert and Love were available. So all this Joe Burrow love is headed by ownership (Stephen Ross)? Maybe. We do know this front office is tight lipped and Head Coach Brian Flores is not the leaky and gossipy type. So if ownership wants him, then it’s over, they will act on it, right? No. Not that easy. The Bengals still have to trade him to you.

You can get this article ready for @OldTakesExposed and be prepared to laugh at every word I wrote in here if they do in fact trade up to #1, because I’m calling BS.

My partner on 3YPC, Simon Clancy (@siclancy), said it best. “It’s arrogant to assume that you just wave 3 first round picks in the Bengals face and they are just gonna give you Joe Burrow.” He’s gonna be a Bengal folks. He is from the area. His girlfriend is from the area. He was recruited to Ohio State originally. He is a relatively clean prospect who just had a historic season. He fits the offense. Cincinnati head coach Zac Taylor also coached Justin Herbert at the senior bowl, and the talk was that he was “enamored” with him. So the Dolphins got to trade what? 5 first round picks? To move up for a guy that Cincinnati might not take? (Herbert smokescreen) They are not doing that. They are NOT trading up to #1. The Bengals won’t trade the pick, and the Dolphins won’t part with the necessary ammunition to get Joe Burrow. Forget the smoke. There will be no fire.

 

So what’s real? Not much. At this time of year, teams go into a shell, and the real decision makers are not leaking to beat writers, although ownership very well, may. Agents are working the “refs” (the media), and leaking favorable info themselves, while playing PR agent for their guy. The truth is likely this: Nothing has changed. The more time goes by, speculation feeds on itself and narratives develop. One guy in a position of some clout, says something, goes on the record, and a story is born.

The story in and of itself is real, accurately relayed to the public from real and good sources, but in the end, it’s speculation from the source, since too many moving parts are required for the story to become reality. What is real is what we have been following all these many months. The Bengals will take Burrow at #1, and the watch will be on for who trades up for Tua Tagovailoa, and what the real projection is from NFL teams concerning Justin Herbert. There is your drama. There is your intrigue. It’s Tua vs. Herbert. Not Dolphins assets vs. Bengals desire.

 

Alfredo Arteaga (@Alf_Arteaga) is one-third of the trio that does the Three Yards Per Carry (@3YardsPerCarry) podcast.

Season In Review: Goran Dragic

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The NBA season isn’t over yet, though it appears to be trending that way. For the purpose of this exercise, let’s assume the plug is being pulled. We have a large enough sample to evaluate what went down, and what we should expect moving forward. For the next [insert time frame here], I’ll be reviewing every relevant player on the Heat in positional order — guards, wings, forwards, and bigs.

First up is Goran Dragic, the seasoned Slovenian in the midst of a complicated season, to be kind.

Offense

Relevant stats: 16.1 points, 49.1 percent from two, 37.7 percent from three (5.8 attempts, career high), 76.9 percent from the line (4.1 attempts), 5.1 assists

As the saying goes, you can’t teach an old dog new tricks. It was evident early in the year that Dragic had never heard the saying, much less put stock into it. The role shift and minutes dip did a wonder on Dragic’s legs, and that coincided with a bounce-back year offensively.

Much of Dragic’s interior craft remained the same. Despite another marginal loss of burst off the bounce, he was able to finagle his way into rim opportunities due to his physicality, footwork, and understanding of angles.

It took a little more work for him to gain inside leverage, though. His pick-and-roll frequency — the percentage of possessions he used in pick-and-roll — increased from 51.8 percent to 56.5 percent this season via Synergy. But once that advantage was created, Dragic proved he could still get the job done in the paint.

You see the lack of burst, and the skill Dragic possesses in the clip above. The pair of screens force what should be a favorable switch with Davis Bertans. Bertans actually does a decent job of staying attached, but Dragic is able to use Bertans’ positioning against him, spinning left and creating enough room to cash in the floater.

Dragic converted 58.8 percent of his non-post-up shots at the rim this season — over 10 percentage points better than his injury-ravaged campaign in 2018-19 (48.4), and more in line with what he did in 2016-17 (58.1).

What really caught people (read: me) off guard was Dragic’s work off the bounce. Via Synergy, Dragic graded out in the 85th percentile as an off-the-dribble shooter, generating 1.036 points per possession on those looks.

He became more comfortable pulling up against defenders that dipped under picks. He started unleashing a bevy of side-step and step-back triples against unsuspecting enemies.

That confidence extended to drives, where he made the rare shift from a cautious passer to daring one. The pocket pass windows he often passed on (I had to) were now being utilized. The lobs he missed — or flat-out wouldn’t throw — were added to the assist tally. It felt like we were watching someone control Dragic on 2K, rather than the real-life, risk-averse version.

This wasn’t the best offensive season of Dragic’s career, at least not statistically. However, Dragic looked like the most complete version of himself. The outline of a three-level scorer with plus-passing chops were there. That, along with his decision making, is why Erik Spoelstra trusts him with long second half stints and closing opportunities.

Calling Dragic the Sixth Man of the Year may be a little rich for my taste. He was, however, pretty firmly in the mix because of his offensive contributions.

Defense

Relevant stats: 0.6 steals, 1.0 steal rate, six charges drawn (3rd on team)

If you’re wondering where Dragic’s 6MOY case falls apart, it’s on this end.

Of course, the easy counter to that would be Lou Williams and Jamal Crawford winning five of the last six, to which I’d reply, “That ain’t right, either.”

Anyway.

Dragic’s decline on defense has been steep. It has been ugly. It has been bad. The lack of lateral quickness shines through in the possessions he has to defend on-ball. Effort and IQ aren’t issues; he fights over picks against pull-up artists, and ducks under against non-shooters. He generally knows where to be, digging down from the nail or displaying solid awareness at the edge of Miami’s zone.

It just … doesn’t matter all that much if you can’t get to those spots, or bother opponents when you get there. Take this possession against the Magic for example.

Dragic does nothing wrong on this play. He’s matched up against Markelle Fultz, a guy more known for literally relearning to shoot than he is for his actual basketball talents. Dragic spins under the screen and beats Fultz to his spot, but then Fultz hesitates and jets to his right.

Dragic isn’t able to slide fast enough to stay in front, so he concedes inside leverage. Once Fultz gains that angle, he’s able to body Dragic on the layup attempt. Dragic’s lack of length hurts him here, as he isn’t able to bother the attempt despite putting his hand up.

There is only so much a team can do to hide a point-of-attack liability. The Heat have stashed him on non-threatening wings. He’s been placed at the edge of the zone. They’ve shown willingness to have Dragic hedge-and-recover against wing pick-and-rolls. They switch more to help him stay in front — though that change coincides with the additions of Jae Crowder and Andre Iguodala.

It hasn’t mattered that much with Dragic specifically. Teams have hunted him at the end of games, and it’s easy to project that being a crunch-time strategy in playoff games.

Moving forward

This postseason could’ve been huge for Dragic. If he was able to prove that his offensive chops overshadowed his defensive shortcomings, he would be in for quite the (short-term) payday. It still might come. The Heat brass love him. and he’s stated on multiple occasions that he wants to retire in Miami.

Can’t say I blame him.

What this season has made clear is that the reserve role is what’s best for him. Limiting his workload has done wonders for his body. Facing lesser, or at least slightly-tired competition made his life a little easier. The bounce-back in rim efficiency is an encouraging sign. If the pull-up shooting proves to be real, he’s going to be an effective offensive weapon for at least a couple more seasons.

The defensive questions aren’t going away. He’ll likely be worse on that end the next time we see him. That should affect his viability as a late-game option in games that matter, and that should lower his market value a bit.

If I had to guess, Dragic will be back on a 1+1 deal in the 16-18 million-per-year range. His usefulness as a sixth man is pretty clear. Beyond that, he’s a reliable lead ball-handler that Spo can trust while Kendrick Nunn gains experience.

Recollected Dozen, Game 5: 2012 NC State @ Miami

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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 as president. The week of September 29th, 2012 saw One More Night by Maroon 5 top the Billboard Hot 100 list. And A Wanted Man by Lee Child was #1 on the New York Times fiction best seller list. Gas was $3.82 a gallon. The top international news stories involved civil wars in Somalia and Syria.

The Combatants

Miami came into the game at 3-1, with the loss being a blowout to Kansas State.

NC State also came into the game at 3-1, with their loss being a 2 TD loss against Tennessee.

The Context

It was still young in the season, and both teams were trying to find themselves. Miami came into this game having just played an OT classic against Georgia Tech the previous week. No one really knew what to think of Al Golden’s team at this point, but we were pretty sure the defense wasn’t good.

For NC State, they had a big time QB in Mike Glennon, and the questions were around Tom O’Brien. No one really expected NC State to compete for the division with FSU and Clemson.

The Game

No one played defense. At all.

And it was a sloppy, poorly played mess.

The game somehow started with 3 consecutive punts, but that was not representative of where this game was heading.

On their 2nd possession of the game, NC State went 68 yards, with chunk plays of 28 yards and 43 yards (through the air and ground) setting up a 1-yard TD run.

The Canes came right back, going 75 yards in 3 plays after Stephen Morris hit Rashawn Scott for 52 yards, Phillip Dorsett for 5 yards, and Allen Hurns who made a great catch in the end zone from 14 yards out to tie the game at 7.

The Wolfpack’s first of many implosions came on the next drive, after a horrible kick return and a penalty, they started on their own 8, and promptly snapped the ball over Glennon’s head. Glennon was tackled out of the back of the end zone retrieving the ball, and the Canes took a 9-7 lead.

It took the Canes just 5 plays to go up 16-7, with Morris hitting Hurns for 40 yards and Dorsett for the 24-yard TD. NC State could not cover the Canes WRs. And after Miami forced another punt (which Dorsett returned for a TD, but was called back on a block in the back), that would prove true again as Morris hit Scott for a 76-yard TD on 3rd-and-2 to put the Canes up 23-7, still in the 1st quarter.

At this point, it looked like the Canes were going to roll to a win, but the slop-fest was just getting started.

The Wolfpack wasted a 50-yard kickoff return to the Miami 44, when 4 plays later, inside the Canes 25, they fumbled and AJ Highsmith recovered. The Canes marched on another drive, moving inside the NC State 5-yard line. On 1st-and-goal from the 2, and with the Canes threatening to go up 30-7, Morris threw an interception with 15 seconds left in the quarter on a play where Clive Walford was wide open and the ball was thrown high, which turned a TD into a touchback.

On the last play of the quarter, Glennon hit Quintin Payton for 73 yards to the Canes 7, mercifully ending an insane quarter. One play into the 2nd quarter, Glennon connected with Tony Creecy for a TD to cut the lead to 9 when the Canes were 2 yards away from making the margin 23 just 20 seconds prior.

With the game at 23-14, and after a rare Miami punt, there is no other way to describe the next series of possessions other than stupid.

-NC State fumbled after one play, and the Canes recovered on the Wolfpack 16.

-After failing to punch the ball after advancing to 1st-and-goal at the NC State 4, which included a fake FG conversion, Jake Wieclaw missed a 19-yard FG.

-NC State strung together a nice drive, moving all the way to the Miami 9. Tobais Palmer caught a pass underneath, and was crossing the first down marker, seemingly destined for the end zone when Brandon McGee just took the ball from him in one motion and returned it to the Canes’ 28, with a personal foul on NC State tacking on another 15 yards, flipping the field position.

-Miami went 3-and-out and punted.

-NC State fumbled again, this time on their own 29, and the Canes recovered.

-Wieclaw missed another FG, this time from 41 yards out.

The game went into the half that way, with Miami up 23-14. Miraculously, NC State fumbled 3 times, entered the Canes red zone, and the Canes had 2 easy FGs in a total of 6 possessions, and yet no one scored.

NC State would fix the scoring drought on the 1st drive of the 3rd quarter. In a game that was conditioned by repeated big plays, NC State finally put together a long drive, but it was, of course, aided by a huge Miami mistake. The Canes actually forced a 3-and-out, giving up 9 yards on 3 plays. But when NC State punted, the Canes ran into the kicker, giving the Wolfpack the first down. From there, NC State marched down the field, culminating in a TD pass on 3rd and goal from the Miami 4 to make the score 23-21. The Wolfpack had eaten up 6:46 off the clock.

After both teams exchanged punts, the game went absolutely crazy again.

-The Canes went 90-yards for a TD, with the big play being a 40-yard completion to Phillip Dorsett. There was another 1st down mistake-aid when NC State jumped offside when the Canes were facing 4th-and-2 at the NC State 7 and attempting a FG. Duke Johnson scored on the next play.

-NC State made another kickoff mistake and started at their own 3. But that just delayed the inevitable as they put together a 97-yard TD drive which included multiple 4th-down conversions, the last of which being Mike Glennon hitting Bryan Underwood for 28 yards and a TD. This should have brought the Wolfpack to within 2, but of course, another screw-up was around the corner and they missed the XP. So the score remained 30-27.

-It took the Canes 7 plays to score their next TD, with the big play being a Dorsett catch of 46 yards. Scott ended up catching the 13-yard TD after the ball bounced off an NC State defender’s face mask (cause why not?) and Miami lead 37-27.

-But NC State only needed 6 plays to pull back within 3, and with  5:35 left in the game, the Canes were clinging to a 37-34 lead.

The teams had exchanged 4 consecutive TDs and racked up 341 yards on those possessions, with the only blinking being that NC State missed an XP so the Canes had gained a point in that back-and-forth. That point would prove critical.

Stephen Morris wasn’t done with big throws, hitting Davon Johnson for 41 yards. But the drive stalled and once again Jake Wieclaw missed, this time from 43 yards out.

NC State now had the ball with just under 4 minutes left and a chance to go in front. They promptly drove into Canes territory, but a false start short-circuited the drive. They did, however, hit a 50-yard FG to tie the game at 37.

With a chance to win the game, Morris connected on consecutive passes totaling 35 yards to take the Canes to the NC State 40. But the drive actually stalled, and for the first time in 8 possessions, a team punted. And the punt was perfect, as Dalton Botts dropped it down at the NC State 4.

There was 1:03 left. NC State had an obvious kicking game advantage, and were at their own 4. The prudent thing to do would be to run the clock out and go to OT. And they actually tried, but the Canes defense was so bad, they couldn’t actually stop the run and Shadrach Thornton busted free for 17 yards. Now, with the ball at their own 21, with 55 seconds left, and with a kicker who had just nailed a 50-yard FG, the Wolfpack decided to attack…and Mike Glennon threw an interception on a deep ball which Thomas Finnie easily caught after QB-WR miscommunication.

There were only 48 seconds left, but the Canes did have the ball on their own 39. 2 plays netted -1 yards. The second play, an attempted run that lost yard, resulted in boos reigning down from the stands. On 3rd-and-11, Morris went for broke, eluding several tacklers, dropping back to his 30, and just letting rip deep to Dorsett who collected it and galloped into the end zone for a 68-yard TD that put the Canes ahead 44-37 with 19 seconds left.

There were only 19 seconds left, but NC State somehow managed to screw up 2 more things. They messed up the kickoff and started from their own 3, and then after gaining 20 yards, Mike Glennon threw an INT on the game’s last play, as AJ Highsmith grabbed it and the Canes somehow came out with a 44-37 victory.

Highlights: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8GMIbuNjs88

First Half: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aOvLRvwWakE

Second Half: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7oUBL0YAvF0

Why is it Memorable?

Holy Crap. First, the Dorsett play is famous, but how we got there is insane.

This game was an offensive explosion and just a series of mistakes.

NC State had 664 yards. But they also had 14 penalties for 100 yards and 6 turnovers, including 4 fumbles, and missed an XP.

For the Canes part, they only had the 1 turnover, but missed 3 FGs.

Miami racked up 651 yards, Stephen Morris set a school record with 566 passing yards. He also threw 5 TDs, which was tied for a school record until Jarren Williams broke it in 2019 against Louisville. Phillip Dorsett (191 yards, 2 TDs) and Rashawn Scott (180 yards, 2 TDs) combined for 371 yards and 4 TDs.

NC State multiple times messed up kickoffs and started at their own 3-yard line. Miami’s defense was so bad it benefited from not being able to stop the run because NC State accidentally gained too many yards trying to run the clock out and force OT, which convinced them to try and score in regulation, forcing the turnover that led to the Canes’ winning TD.

Miami should have easily gone up 30-7 in the 1st quarter, but Morris threw high to a wide open Walford and gifted the Wolfpack an Interception. Both teams made penalties on punt/FG plays by jumping offsides ultimately keeping drives alive that went for TDs.

The game was as exciting as it was poorly played. It appeared to be 2 talented yet bad teams (and it was).

The way the game ended probably provides the best summation of this game. With the clock not running, NC State false started. Al Golden, fist in the air, charges out onto the field, confusing the official who thought Golden must know the rule and announces that the penalty requires a 10-second runoff (it does not). Tom O’Brien concurred and shook Golden’s hand, only for the line judge to come in and correct everyone…all of which enabled NC State to turn the ball over again.

This was the quintessential Al Golden game. Terrible defense, massive confusion, mistakes, not understanding the rules of football at times, exciting play makers on offense that can explode, and just overall exciting but low quality.

The Aftermath

Since we actually covered the previous game in this season, we already covered how this season ended for Miami. But this was a game where they gave up over 600 yards and won. It confirmed that the defense was horrible. The Canes went 7-5 this year, and won 3 games where they gave up 36, 37, and 45 points…and managed to lose a game where they scored 40.

That Al Golden pretending that this defense was ever going to turn around is just ridiculous. But it is also a fatal flaw in his approach, opting for conservatism versus aggression, trying to rope-a-dope opponents for a team and school that thrives on aggression and knockout blows. Yes, D’Onofrio was a horrible DC, and proved so again at Houston. But that is almost a footnote. As this game proved, even in victory, Golden was just never going to do anything. There is no way to fix the defense when the head coach’s philosophy is just wrong.

So, even in victory, we saw how untenable the approach was. And a week later, everything came crashing down to earth as ND beat the Canes by 38 kicking off a 3-game losing streak

For NC State, they recovered and immediately won against Florida State the next game, handing FSU their only conference loss. It was part of an up-and-down season for the Wolfpack, who would also play Clemson well, but lose to UVA and UNC.

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

 

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.