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Alright, how bout dem Canes!!

k9cane

k9cane

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OK, got back late last night from Hard Rock Stadium. It was a hard fought contest between two top 10 teams. The #Canes came out on top 27-24 in a game that at 21-7 you thought they might run away with -- but this wasn't 2017. The Irish showed some real grit in battling back to tie it at 24 late. Im not sure this loss really hurts them all that much in the big picture but I do think Mario Cristobal and the program needed this victory badly after the way last season concluded.

Nowadays in a 12-team playoff a loss really only impacts your seeding if you win enough games. Last season ND lost to N. Illinois early on and played for the title. That's where the new format hurts the impact and importance of games like this. You can argue if that's a good or bad thing. I know how I feel.

Some thoughts on the game...

- A lot is made over Cristobal's game/clock management but the way Miami played the 'middle eight' (the last four minutes of the first half and the opening drive of the second half as you get the ball) was brilliant. From 7-7 they went up 21-7 in this span with ND never touching the ball. That's something Brady and Belichick would approve off

- at 21-7 Miami forces a punt, gets the ball back. They have all the momentum. And on 3rd and 1 'Marty Mar' Brown slips on a cut instead of just burrowing ahead to get the first down. I thought Miami was just about to really take over the game on that drive.

- To Notre Dame's credit they battled back and as the game went on CJ Carr got more comfortable and started to do some good things out there. They really did try and shield him with the play-calling early on, which is understandable given the setting. Regardless, this is a solid team, they will still be a factor this season

- Solid defensive effort by Miami in game 1 of the Hetherman era. They just looked much more sound than they did at the end of last season

- Malachi Toney might end up with 80 catches this season. He has that early "it'' factor. He will give teams fits with those option routes out of the slot,

- I wasn't a huge fan of the Miami play-calling the last several drives. But I get it, they wanted to control the clock and lean on their best unit (the Oline), but ND was stout(it will probably be the best defense they play all season) but my view is you have an experienced QB put the ball in his hands juuuust a bit more. My view is that as the Miami WR corp get more seasoning Shannon Dawson will be bolder in what he dials up

- Did Miami find a kicker in Carter Davis? I'm not ready to call him Carlos Huerta 2.0 but he hit some key boots in this game after the early bad snap.

- Maybe it's just me, but I like Jordan Lyle more as the back that comes in after Mark Fletcher and 'Marty Mar' Brown softens up defenses with body blows, and then he uses his speed and explosiveness to gash defenses late in games ala James Jackson early in his career.

- OK, 1-0. What do they say about winning? It beats losing. Now onto Bethune Cookman
 
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The back to back TD drives finishing the half and starting the half was absolutely perfect and obviously needed.

Him going into a shell after that first TD to start the half was costly… let that team hang around and let the refs drag that inept offense down the field to tie up the game.

“Don’t let up!”- Jimmy Johnston
 
TexasCane90 said:
The back to back TD drives finishing the half and starting the half was absolutely perfect and obviously needed.

Him going into a shell after that first TD to start the half was costly… let that team hang around and let the refs drag that inept offense down the field to tie up the game.

“Don’t let up!”- Jimmy Johnston
Click to expand...
You know Jimmy was thinking exactly this on the sideline. Hopefully he gets and stays in Mario's ear.
 
I’m happy with the win, but…

Four consecutive drives after the second half opening touchdown netted 23 yards. This included the field goal set up by the tipped interception and nimble 12-yard return by Ruben Bain.

Fun statistics:
  • Bain’s return was roughly half of Miami’s offensive output between going up 21-7 and the game winning drive.
  • Miami 4 possessions after the second half touchdown combined for less time of possession than the touchdown drive.
The issue is not about scoring more points and beating Notre Dame by 21 or 28 points, although that would’ve been great. A few first downs on each of those drives and punting to flip the field likely eliminates the necessity for a game winning field goal.
 
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k9cane said:
OK, got back late last night from Hard Rock Stadium. It was a hard fought contest between two top 10 teams. The #Canes came out on top 27-24 in a game that at 21-7 you thought they might run away with -- but this wasn't 2017. The Irish showed some real grit in battling back to tie it at 24 late. Im not sure this loss really hurts them all that much in the big picture but I do think Mario Cristobal and the program needed this victory badly after the way last season concluded.

Nowadays in a 12-team playoff a loss really only impacts your seeding if you win enough games. Last season ND lost to N. Illinois early on and played for the title. That's where the new format hurts the impact and importance of games like this. You can argue if that's a good or bad thing. I know how I feel.

Some thoughts on the game...

- A lot is made over Cristobal's game/clock management but the way Miami played the 'middle eight' (the last four minutes of the first half and the opening drive of the second half as you get the ball) was brilliant. From 7-7 they went up 21-7 in this span with ND never touching the ball. That's something Brady and Belichick would approve off

- at 21-7 Miami forces a punt, gets the ball back. They have all the momentum. And on 3rd and 1 'Marty Mar' Brown slips on a cut instead of just burrowing ahead to get the first down. I thought Miami was just about to really take over the game on that drive.

- To Notre Dame's credit they battled back and as the game went on CJ Carr got more comfortable and started to do some good things out there. They really did try and shield him with the play-calling early on, which is understandable given the setting. Regardless, this is a solid team, they will still be a factor this season

- Solid defensive effort by Miami in game 1 of the Hetherman era. They just looked much more sound than they did at the end of last season

- Malachi Toney might end up with 80 catches this season. He has that early "it'' factor. He will give teams fits with those option routes out of the slot,

- I wasn't a huge fan of the Miami play-calling the last several drives. But I get it, they wanted to control the clock and lean on their best unit (the Oline), but ND was stout(it will probably be the best defense they play all season) but my view is you have an experienced QB put the ball in his hands juuuust a bit more. My view is that as the Miami WR corp get more seasoning Shannon Dawson will be bolder in what he dials up

- Did Miami find a kicker in Carter Davis? I'm not ready to call him Carlos Huerta 2.0 but he hit some key boots in this game after the early bad snap.

- Maybe it's just me, but I like Jordan Lyle more as the back that comes in after Mark Fletcher and 'Marty Mar' Brown softens up defenses with body blows, and then he uses his speed and explosiveness to gash defenses late in games ala James Jackson early in his career.

- OK, 1-0. What do they say about winning? It beats losing. Now onto Bethune Cookman
Click to expand...
Great write-up. Thanks.

Agreed about the slip on 3rd and 1 when the Canes were up 21-7 in the 3rd. I think the game becomes a snoozer if they finish that drive out with a TD. To me, the Canes were so afraid of the ND run game on defense that it held up their pass rush for most of the 2nd half. Once that threat was gone in the last drive of the game, the line just pinned its ears back and took over.

Yeah, if the Canes get a TD on that drive, I think the run game is off the table for the rest of the game for ND at 28-7.
 
They changed up something @k9cane because first half with more diversity and going for it on 4th down had me thinking they’re gonna be aggressive all game. 2nd half it all flipped.
 
Not going to lie. Play calling looked alot like the 2nd qtrs last year once we started lfast in the 1st.

We have a lot to improve. But we also just played the #6 team in the nation. We can hate Mario for many things, but he can 2 quite well. He can aquire talent and beat top teams in the beginning of the season.
 
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Agreed on play calling paid beck how much to handoff ?
 
CaneinBroward said:
Great write-up. Thanks.

Agreed about the slip on 3rd and 1 when the Canes were up 21-7 in the 3rd. I think the game becomes a snoozer if they finish that drive out with a TD. To me, the Canes were so afraid of the ND run game on defense that it held up their pass rush for most of the 2nd half. Once that threat was gone in the last drive of the game, the line just pinned its ears back and took over.

Yeah, if the Canes get a TD on that drive, I think the run game is off the table for the rest of the game for ND at 28-7.
Click to expand...

I really get the sense that when the WR's get more seasoning and Beck gets more comfortable with them, and some young guys continue to develop, that will change how Dawson approaches things (I hope)
 
Play calling needs to be a little more unpredictable. Part of the reason they let ND back in the game, that and the refs.
 
k9cane said:
I really get the sense that when the WR's get more seasoning and Beck gets more comfortable with them, and some young guys continue to develop, that will change how Dawson approaches things (I hope)
Click to expand...
I am normally not an officiating conspiracy theorist, but I do think the combination of Notre Dame’s talented secondary and seeing how Miami wasn’t going to get any holding calls in their favor played a factor on how Dawson called the game.

Also, Carson threw more than a few passes just off and knocked away or in some cases dropped.
 
The TD drive to end the half was poor clock management. I don't know if that should really be praised.

We were fortunate.
 
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betweeen the marty slip and the other 2 that ended up about a yard short, that game gets broken wide open, We will win those in probably every game we have left, but can cost you against the other strong teams up front
 
Dawson didn’t want to show too much of the play book. Saving it for ACC play 😂.

But a screen pass, a sweep, or targeting Lofton, could have helped a drive or two. All we heard during camp was lofton would be getting more touches.
 
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