Miami players can now focus on the Buckeyes. With a convincing 45-0 victory over Florida A&M Thursday night, the Miami Hurricanes passed their first litmus test. Though, this wasn’t really a test – it was more like those opening questions on ‘Who Wants to Be A Millionaire?’ Speaking of, have you all seen the dude who got the first question wrong on that show? Here’s the clip. Hahaaa. The look on his face is priceless. Anyway, back to the game.
Canes looked good. Real good. But let’s keep things in perspective. a) This was FAMU, and b) there were some concerns that became evident in this game. First, let’s look at the good:
1. Jacory. Thumb? What thumb? Dude looked poised and precise. He is the most valuable player on this team, and it’s not even close. He completed a ridiculous 80% of his passes last night.
2. Blocking. I thought the O Line did a decent job, but the real test comes next week. Brandon Washington and FB Patrick Hill stood out in providing some holes to run through. It was nice to see Seantrel get in there as well.
3. DB20. C’mon Randy, ride this dude like he’s Secretariat. 7.5 yard average, 45 yards rushing, 32 receiving and a TD. Can we get him more than 6 carries, though? He is clearly the best back and has even shored up his blocking.
4. Lamar Miller. Wow. I watched him take the opening kickoff and it was a blur. Reminded me of Devin Hester’s debut against Louisiana Tech. This kid is going to be good. Led the team in rushing and provides a nice ‘fire’ to Berry’s ‘ice.’
5. D Line. Yeah, I know it’s the Rattlers, but 8 sacks is 8 sacks. Forston is back, ladies and gentlemen.
6. Hankerson. Hank is the real deal and is the clear go to WR for Harris. This is exactly what we needed. Much thanks to Mark Duper for his work with Leonard in the off season as it appears to be paying off.
7. Coop. He’s baaaaack. Wow, I still can’t believe this dude suited up and played, having shredded his knee 9 months ago. Great to see him out there and he will surely play a more pivotal role in Miami’s upcoming games.
8. The crowd. 53,674? Wow. Not bad for a I-AA opponent on a weeknight.
Now, the bad…
1. Highsmith. A.J…..Alonzo…this young man is still developing. He’s got the tools to succeed so I hope he does, but he’s just not there yet. There is a clear drop off if Jacory gets hurt and it devastates this team’s title chances.
2. Linebackers. They didn’t play that poorly, but have to contain a scrambling QB. If they think FAMU QB Martin Upkai is bad, wait til they see Terrelle Pryor.
3. Chase Ford. The Juco transfer tight end had a picture perfect pass from Jacory Harris sail through his hands in the first quarter. These running backs and wide receivers will allow for a lot of single LB coverage on the tight end, and Ford (or Gordon or Cleveland) has to step up and reel in catchable balls.
4. Storm Johnson. Aw, man. I really wanted to see this kid. It looks like he’s probably going to redshirt this year, as is Latwan Anderson. I think it’s the right move. Berry and James have the experience and Miller provides a complement to that. Eduardo Clements is going to play on special teams and mop up duty and should excel in the future. With Coop back as well, there’s simply no room for Storm this year. No worries, it just means we can have him for four more years.
5. ESPN3. F me. Please, this is 2010. Can we please air a collegiate football game of the 13th ranked team in the country on television? I’m not asking for HD here in Atlanta, but something other than staring at a friggin computer monitor for three hours would be nice. I already do that for 8 hours a day for my day job. Announcing was OK, I guess. I did find it humorous when the FAMU AD stood next to Jeremy Bloom. Not sure how tall the AD is, but Bloom came up to his belt line.
And there you have it. 8 more days til Hurricane Randy washes ashore the Armpit of America – Columbus, Ohio. We’ll have much more on that game later and eagerly anticipate the vulgar comments left by ignorant Buckeye fans.
{ 2 comments… read them below or add one }
Good showing by the U.
They shut out an inferior opponent, just like they were supposed to. Glad to see the first half offense humming. Good to see the hurry-up and quick-hitters. That type stuff is ideal vs OSU.
On another note……….
Money Mayweather is officially insane.
Offense looks spot on. I think the defense might be the weak link this year (fresh off a shutout, no less). It was good to see our kickoffs reach the end zone this year, too.