The realization hit me early in the 3rd quarter of last nights depressing loss by the Miami Hurricanes to Georgia Tech that they simply weren't going to stop Paul Johnson's option attack as they methodically came out and marched down the field to go ahead 21-14.( The game was tied at 14 at the half). The most overrated statistic in football for years - and especially now - is 'time of possession' but last night it was THE stat of the game and it said it all. Miami had the ball for just over 19 minutes, Tech was on offense for nearly 41. Miami wanted to play a quick tempo and started off well but as the defense couldn't get off the field, it looked like a Ferrari that was stuck in mud.
Once again, a one-dimensional attack was able to squeeze the life out of the Hurricanes. The total yards were about equal( 371 to 352 in favor of Tech) but with their style of offense and their tempo, it's more pronounced. Everyone knew what was coming and once again Mark D'onofrio and his unit were powerless( some would say, clueless) to stop it. GaTech threw all of seven times last night.
Here's a tweet from Tim Reynolds(@TimReynolds) that is about as damning as you can get:
"Canes have given up 300 rushing yards four times in last 15 games. That happened four times in 135 games before that." Now, beyond that, just remember this, this comes in an era where most teams throw the ball much more than they run.
Where the game really ended for me was when it was 21-17 early in the 4th and the Yellow Jackets were faced with a 3rd down and 15th, which is precisely the situation an offense like this struggles so badly. Well, in this case, Patrick Thomas floated a pass down the sideline for a big gain and a first down conversion. At this point, I knew the Canes were cooked. A few plays later the score was 28-17 and that was that.
What a sad, depressing and honestly, boring ball game. Miami is now 3-3 with two conference losses. This season is becoming a disaster, no other way to say it. Al Golden has shepherded Miami through a myriad of issues but in year four of his regime you expect a much better product than what's being put on the field. The fans are angry and former players seem irate.
Can you blame them?
- Anyone remember 1998 when Miami's defense collapsed late in the season against the Cuse, UCLA and then NCState in the bowl game? Butch Davis, who was steadily building back the UM program, released coordinator Bill Miller and brought in a young, passionate assistant by the name of Greg Schiano. I'm sure Davis didn't want to fire anybody( in fact, as I think back on his run as the head coach, I don't recall him firing any other assistant coaches) but he did what he felt had to be done to advance this program.
The question is, will Golden do the same as it relates to a defensive coordinator that just happens to be his best friend? ( And yes, I realize that the problems go much deeper than one assistant). It's become unbearable to listen to some of the post-game press conferences where Golden seems to deflect every problem the defense has and blame other facets of the team when it's clear that the biggest problems with this team lie squarely on this side of the ball.
And for those who will say there is a lack of talent. No argument, this isn't the 2001 squad, but even defensively, go ahead and grab a copy of this current depth chart and look back on it in a few years. This unit will have more than it's fair share of guy in the NFL in the next few years. I'm sure Luther Robinson agrees.
- Bright side on defense was one Chad Thomas. This kid flashed and he showed why he was so highly regarded. I really hope he gets consistent snaps the rest of the year. He's had back spasms but if he's healthy, it will be hard to keep this tall, rangy guy off the field. Thomas just looks like a natural disruptor upfront
- Another game, another special teams blunder. And this time in the form of the fake punt that kept a Tech drive alive( and therefore, another six, seven minutes of game clock that goes with it that kept our offense on the sideline). And who's the special teams coach for Miami?
- I thought the reshuffled O-line did a pretty decent job last night till a few late sacks of Brad Kaaya. But I wonder if James Coley should've just keep feeding Duke Johnson a bit more. Duke, looked really good last night despite a slight ankle ailment( 14 carries for 100 yards and a touchdown). But again, it's hard to do anything offensively if you're on the sideline for seemingly a half-hour at a time. I do think Coley is showing some growth as a play-caller.
- Speaking of which, I like some of the facets and wrinkles Coley has shown offensively in recent weeks. But regardless of whatever they do, the philosophy has to be this: score every time you get the ball and try and get to at least 40 because this defense is bad. It is, what it is. They are under a ton of pressure to basically play perfect games against decent teams.
- Stacy Coley looked more like himself on a few kick returns but did he play at all, offensively? Unless this is an injury situation, this is very puzzling. D'mauri Jones had more targets than he did versus GaTech.
- Kaaya looked really good at times but once again had two picks. Going into the second half of the season this will have to be a point of emphasis. Regardless, I love this kids future. Honestly, as this season has gone downhill, watching Kaaya is about the only thing that really gets me excited about Miami football in 2014( yeah, I'll admit it, one of my life's great joys has been reduced to this).
- Now onto Cincy where Im sure hundreds of Miami die-hards will be in attendance for a noon game at Sun Life Stadium. If that doesn't get the attention of the Miami administration, nothing will.
And that's all, quite frankly, I can't believe I got this much after that garbage this weekend.
Once again, a one-dimensional attack was able to squeeze the life out of the Hurricanes. The total yards were about equal( 371 to 352 in favor of Tech) but with their style of offense and their tempo, it's more pronounced. Everyone knew what was coming and once again Mark D'onofrio and his unit were powerless( some would say, clueless) to stop it. GaTech threw all of seven times last night.
Here's a tweet from Tim Reynolds(@TimReynolds) that is about as damning as you can get:
"Canes have given up 300 rushing yards four times in last 15 games. That happened four times in 135 games before that." Now, beyond that, just remember this, this comes in an era where most teams throw the ball much more than they run.
Where the game really ended for me was when it was 21-17 early in the 4th and the Yellow Jackets were faced with a 3rd down and 15th, which is precisely the situation an offense like this struggles so badly. Well, in this case, Patrick Thomas floated a pass down the sideline for a big gain and a first down conversion. At this point, I knew the Canes were cooked. A few plays later the score was 28-17 and that was that.
What a sad, depressing and honestly, boring ball game. Miami is now 3-3 with two conference losses. This season is becoming a disaster, no other way to say it. Al Golden has shepherded Miami through a myriad of issues but in year four of his regime you expect a much better product than what's being put on the field. The fans are angry and former players seem irate.
Can you blame them?
- Anyone remember 1998 when Miami's defense collapsed late in the season against the Cuse, UCLA and then NCState in the bowl game? Butch Davis, who was steadily building back the UM program, released coordinator Bill Miller and brought in a young, passionate assistant by the name of Greg Schiano. I'm sure Davis didn't want to fire anybody( in fact, as I think back on his run as the head coach, I don't recall him firing any other assistant coaches) but he did what he felt had to be done to advance this program.
The question is, will Golden do the same as it relates to a defensive coordinator that just happens to be his best friend? ( And yes, I realize that the problems go much deeper than one assistant). It's become unbearable to listen to some of the post-game press conferences where Golden seems to deflect every problem the defense has and blame other facets of the team when it's clear that the biggest problems with this team lie squarely on this side of the ball.
And for those who will say there is a lack of talent. No argument, this isn't the 2001 squad, but even defensively, go ahead and grab a copy of this current depth chart and look back on it in a few years. This unit will have more than it's fair share of guy in the NFL in the next few years. I'm sure Luther Robinson agrees.
- Bright side on defense was one Chad Thomas. This kid flashed and he showed why he was so highly regarded. I really hope he gets consistent snaps the rest of the year. He's had back spasms but if he's healthy, it will be hard to keep this tall, rangy guy off the field. Thomas just looks like a natural disruptor upfront
- Another game, another special teams blunder. And this time in the form of the fake punt that kept a Tech drive alive( and therefore, another six, seven minutes of game clock that goes with it that kept our offense on the sideline). And who's the special teams coach for Miami?
- I thought the reshuffled O-line did a pretty decent job last night till a few late sacks of Brad Kaaya. But I wonder if James Coley should've just keep feeding Duke Johnson a bit more. Duke, looked really good last night despite a slight ankle ailment( 14 carries for 100 yards and a touchdown). But again, it's hard to do anything offensively if you're on the sideline for seemingly a half-hour at a time. I do think Coley is showing some growth as a play-caller.
- Speaking of which, I like some of the facets and wrinkles Coley has shown offensively in recent weeks. But regardless of whatever they do, the philosophy has to be this: score every time you get the ball and try and get to at least 40 because this defense is bad. It is, what it is. They are under a ton of pressure to basically play perfect games against decent teams.
- Stacy Coley looked more like himself on a few kick returns but did he play at all, offensively? Unless this is an injury situation, this is very puzzling. D'mauri Jones had more targets than he did versus GaTech.
- Kaaya looked really good at times but once again had two picks. Going into the second half of the season this will have to be a point of emphasis. Regardless, I love this kids future. Honestly, as this season has gone downhill, watching Kaaya is about the only thing that really gets me excited about Miami football in 2014( yeah, I'll admit it, one of my life's great joys has been reduced to this).
- Now onto Cincy where Im sure hundreds of Miami die-hards will be in attendance for a noon game at Sun Life Stadium. If that doesn't get the attention of the Miami administration, nothing will.
And that's all, quite frankly, I can't believe I got this much after that garbage this weekend.
