FIUcane56
Freshman
- Joined
- Nov 30, 2011
- Messages
- 276
http://ftw.usatoday.com/2014/07/miami-is-the-most-underrated-team-in-college-football
SIAP...Not a bad article. I posted it for your viewing pleasure...
Miami has its flaws. Not the city. The city has beaches, great food, and no winter. But the University of Miami football team, which hasn’t been ranked in the preseason Amway Coaches Poll since 2010, has been left out yet again.
But this year, it’s a head scratcher.
Since Al Golden’s arrival, the Hurricanes have admirably overcome tough NCAA sanctions that hit the program in 2011. In 2013, for example, the program claimed nine wins for the first time since 2009. But there were struggles. The Hurricanes’ only big victory was over rival Florida, and they had losses to Florida State, Duke, Virginia Tech and lost their bowl game to Louisville. But the team’s 9-4 record is among the things showing Golden is moving in the right direction.
Another thing is the talent. Miami boasts one of the best college football players in the country in running back Duke Johnson. Last year he rushed for 920 yards in eight games before suffering a year-ending ankle injury. If he stays healthy, Johnson, who will be the team’s offensive leader, is a potential Heisman Trophy candidate. He will be exceptionally key after the departure of three-year starting quarterback Stephen Morris.
Replacing Morris could be transfer Jake Heaps, who started his career at BYU in 2010, where he completed 57% of his passes for 2,316 yards and 15 touchdowns as a freshman. The former five-star recruit transferred to Kansas, sat out in 2012, and had a disappointing 2013 for the Jayhawks, completing just 49% of his passes with eight touchdowns and 10 interceptions. He decided to transfer again, and is competing for the starting job in Miami.
“For me, I made this decision for a reason,” Heaps said on a conference call with reporters this week, according to the Miami Herald. “I didn’t come here to be the backup. I came here to play, but you have to come and earn that. No one is going to give that to you and that’s what I knew coming into this situation and that’s what I wanted.”
He’s competing with five other quarterbacks for the starting job, including senior Ryan Williams, who was Morris’ backup last year and is recovering from a knee injury.
The team’s top returning receiver is Stacy Coley, and there’s strong depth behind him so whoever Miami’s new quarterback is will have weapons out wide to compete with the ACC’s best cornerbacks.
Their defense isn’t bad either
Miami’s defense finished 13th out of 14 ACC teams last season, but should be better in 2014, and is led by senior linebacker Denzel Perryman, who had a team-high 108 tackles last year.
Miami isn’t ranked—though the program did receive 45 votes in the coaches poll—yet teams with worse 2013 records like Ole Miss (8-5), Kansas State (8-5), North Carolina (7-6) and Texas (8-5) are ranked. The Longhorns didn’t even win their bowl game and Mack Brown resigned. So what gives?
How will the Hurricanes stack up against Florida State?
The Hurricanes have some pieces to be excited about and the media picked them to win the ACC’s Coastal Division and play Florida State for the conference championship for a reason. Their first game is against conference newbie Louisville, who beat them in the Russell Athletic Bowl last season, but has a new coach and quarterback. Its first real test after that is on Sept. 20 on the road against No. 22 Nebraska. Miami should be able to manage most of its schedule after that until the showdown with top-ranked FSU at home on Nov. 15.
And as Golden recently told the Miami Herald, “For us at the University of Miami to get back to where we want to be, we’ve got to win that game.”
Look for Miami to be named on this poll by the end of the year, and probably much sooner than that.
SIAP...Not a bad article. I posted it for your viewing pleasure...
Miami has its flaws. Not the city. The city has beaches, great food, and no winter. But the University of Miami football team, which hasn’t been ranked in the preseason Amway Coaches Poll since 2010, has been left out yet again.
But this year, it’s a head scratcher.
Since Al Golden’s arrival, the Hurricanes have admirably overcome tough NCAA sanctions that hit the program in 2011. In 2013, for example, the program claimed nine wins for the first time since 2009. But there were struggles. The Hurricanes’ only big victory was over rival Florida, and they had losses to Florida State, Duke, Virginia Tech and lost their bowl game to Louisville. But the team’s 9-4 record is among the things showing Golden is moving in the right direction.
Another thing is the talent. Miami boasts one of the best college football players in the country in running back Duke Johnson. Last year he rushed for 920 yards in eight games before suffering a year-ending ankle injury. If he stays healthy, Johnson, who will be the team’s offensive leader, is a potential Heisman Trophy candidate. He will be exceptionally key after the departure of three-year starting quarterback Stephen Morris.
Replacing Morris could be transfer Jake Heaps, who started his career at BYU in 2010, where he completed 57% of his passes for 2,316 yards and 15 touchdowns as a freshman. The former five-star recruit transferred to Kansas, sat out in 2012, and had a disappointing 2013 for the Jayhawks, completing just 49% of his passes with eight touchdowns and 10 interceptions. He decided to transfer again, and is competing for the starting job in Miami.
“For me, I made this decision for a reason,” Heaps said on a conference call with reporters this week, according to the Miami Herald. “I didn’t come here to be the backup. I came here to play, but you have to come and earn that. No one is going to give that to you and that’s what I knew coming into this situation and that’s what I wanted.”
He’s competing with five other quarterbacks for the starting job, including senior Ryan Williams, who was Morris’ backup last year and is recovering from a knee injury.
The team’s top returning receiver is Stacy Coley, and there’s strong depth behind him so whoever Miami’s new quarterback is will have weapons out wide to compete with the ACC’s best cornerbacks.
Their defense isn’t bad either
Miami’s defense finished 13th out of 14 ACC teams last season, but should be better in 2014, and is led by senior linebacker Denzel Perryman, who had a team-high 108 tackles last year.
Miami isn’t ranked—though the program did receive 45 votes in the coaches poll—yet teams with worse 2013 records like Ole Miss (8-5), Kansas State (8-5), North Carolina (7-6) and Texas (8-5) are ranked. The Longhorns didn’t even win their bowl game and Mack Brown resigned. So what gives?
How will the Hurricanes stack up against Florida State?
The Hurricanes have some pieces to be excited about and the media picked them to win the ACC’s Coastal Division and play Florida State for the conference championship for a reason. Their first game is against conference newbie Louisville, who beat them in the Russell Athletic Bowl last season, but has a new coach and quarterback. Its first real test after that is on Sept. 20 on the road against No. 22 Nebraska. Miami should be able to manage most of its schedule after that until the showdown with top-ranked FSU at home on Nov. 15.
And as Golden recently told the Miami Herald, “For us at the University of Miami to get back to where we want to be, we’ve got to win that game.”
Look for Miami to be named on this poll by the end of the year, and probably much sooner than that.
Last edited:
