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The Great, The Good, & The Bad

Rellyrell

Rellyrell

RellyReez is Back Fa Sheez
Joined
Dec 19, 2013
Messages
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First off I won’t sugarcoat this, although I’m proud of this team & its season, this L hurt just b/c we appeared to be a team of destiny, overcoming it all. However, I want to take this opportunity to recap the highs & lows of this season from my POV.

I know the phrase is “The Good, The Bad, The Ugly,” but for the first time in a while I can’t think of any quantifiable “ugly” situations this season.

•The Great:
-Corey Heatherman & the Def.
-The “never say quit” mentality
-Going back-to-back seasons winning 10+ games (1st time since ‘02-‘04
-Winning 13 games for the 1st time in Program’s History
-Winning NY6 Bowl Games for the 1st time since ‘04
-Making the CFP for the first time in Program’s History
-Going 7-1 vs. AP Top 25
-Malachi Toney
-Keionte Scott
-Ruben Bain
-Akeem Messidor
-Overcoming November woes

•The Good:
-The overall transfer portal haul
-Carson Beck playing complimentary football
-Mark Fletcher’s emergence to end the season
-The OL
-Mario’s adjustments to end the season

•The Bad:
-The penalties
-The lack of discipline in crucial moments
-Not securing the ACCCG
-Dawson’s up & down play calling putting too much pressure on the Def
-Special Teams

We’re going to lose a ton of talent next season, but we also have some building blocks. We played our asses off this season, we were The Cardiac Canes, & we also pulled off another great comeback at the biggest stage. Hats off to Mario & the staff for getting us to this point, but now it’s ur turn; what r u great moments, good moments, & bad moments u witnessed this season? ****, what are some ugly moments u may have witnessed in ur POV?
 
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Rellyrell said:
First off I won’t sugarcoat this, although I’m proud of this team & its season, this L hurt just b/c we appeared to be a team of destiny, overcoming it all. However, I want to take this opportunity to recap the highs & lows of this season from my POV.

I know the phrase is “The Good, The Bad, The Ugly,” but for the first time in a while I can’t think of any quantifiable “ugly” situations this season.

•The Great:
-Corey Heatherman & the Def.
-The “never say quit” mentality
-Going back-to-back seasons winning 10+ games (1st time since ‘02-‘04
-Winning 13 games for the 1st time in Program’s History
-Winning NY6 Bowl Games for the 1st time since ‘04
-Making the CFP for the first time in Program’s History
-Going 7-1 vs. AP Top 25
-Malachi Toney
-Keionte Scott
-Ruben Bain
-Akeem Messidor
-Overcoming November woes

•The Good:
-The overall transfer portal haul
-Carson Beck playing complimentary football
-Mark Fletcher’s emergence to end the season
-The OL
-Mario’s adjustments to end the season

•The Bad:
-The penalties
-The lack of discipline in crucial moments
-Not securing the ACCCG
-Dawson’s up & down play calling putting too much pressure on the Def
-Special Teams

We’re going to lose a ton of talent next season, but we also have some building blocks. We played our asses off this season, we were The Cardiac Canes, & we also pulled off another great comeback at the biggest stage. Hats off to Mario & the staff for getting us to this point, but now it’s ur turn; what r u great moments, good moments, & bad moments u witnessed this season? ****, what are some ugly moments u may have witnessed in ur POV?
Click to expand...

We are relevant for the 1st time in 20 years. Everyone knows the U is back and cfb is scared. Opposing fans hate us again and I love it.

If Miami gets Mensah, we should roll the ACC and be in the playoffs. 10 win season then consecutive playoff appearances? Yeah we’re on the right track. And we WILL win another championship.
 
Rellyrell said:
First off I won’t sugarcoat this, although I’m proud of this team & its season, this L hurt just b/c we appeared to be a team of destiny, overcoming it all. However, I want to take this opportunity to recap the highs & lows of this season from my POV.

I know the phrase is “The Good, The Bad, The Ugly,” but for the first time in a while I can’t think of any quantifiable “ugly” situations this season.

•The Great:
-Corey Heatherman & the Def.
-The “never say quit” mentality
-Going back-to-back seasons winning 10+ games (1st time since ‘02-‘04
-Winning 13 games for the 1st time in Program’s History
-Winning NY6 Bowl Games for the 1st time since ‘04
-Making the CFP for the first time in Program’s History
-Going 7-1 vs. AP Top 25
-Malachi Toney
-Keionte Scott
-Ruben Bain
-Akeem Messidor
-Overcoming November woes

•The Good:
-The overall transfer portal haul
-Carson Beck playing complimentary football
-Mark Fletcher’s emergence to end the season
-The OL
-Mario’s adjustments to end the season

•The Bad:
-The penalties
-The lack of discipline in crucial moments
-Not securing the ACCCG
-Dawson’s up & down play calling putting too much pressure on the Def
-Special Teams

We’re going to lose a ton of talent next season, but we also have some building blocks. We played our asses off this season, we were The Cardiac Canes, & we also pulled off another great comeback at the biggest stage. Hats off to Mario & the staff for getting us to this point, but now it’s ur turn; what r u great moments, good moments, & bad moments u witnessed this season? ****, what are some ugly moments u may have witnessed in ur POV?
Click to expand...
Ugly: losing to a less talented team in the National Title game at home.
 
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The Great

- Young talent ready to take over what Restrepo, Bain and Mauigoa left them over the past couple of years.
- Defense being fixed and ready to play the kind of football that a modern defense plays.
- Winning so many (big) games with critical plays in the most critical situations.
- The experience of making it to a National Title game. We have a standard again.
- So many young adults moving on to the next level and representing something special, which is The U.

The Good

- Growth over the course of the season, despite multiple setbacks.
- Proving doubters wrong after giving them plenty of reasons to doubt.
- Silencing Jay Wimbrow for****ingever.

The Bad

- Losing the biggest game of the season.
- Losing so many valuable players and starters.
- Not having an actual punter and kicker.
- Not knowing whether we will be there again. We can hope for it, but there is no guarantee.

Losing and not making it sucks, but every loss is an experience and every experience is a lesson learned for the future. This team has demonstrated a sense of hunger and drive the further the season went. There was a shift in how we approached things and how we played football. The end has caused us pain, but pain is the best motivator to get up and do it again.
 
It was a great season. We’re more than competitive and relevant again so I’m thrilled. That’s all I was hoping for. This year’s team is probably my favorite team since Ed Reed and ST26. I am actually happy, notwithstanding. I think we can be back in it again but I also remember 24 years ago when I never would have thought we’d not get to another championship game in a quarter century so I’m just thankful that we got here and are back at the upper end of the sport.

Quite an accomplishment. And quite a rise from even 2 years ago.
 
I don’t like the “Losing at home” narrative.
A home game is not a situation where the other team gets the same ticket allotment as you. There was wayyyyy too much red in the stands to act like it was a typical home game. You don’t have to go silent count at home.

Back to the thread:
Good:
Beating OSU, FSU, UF, ND is downright special.
Recruiting
Defense players and scheme was so fun to watch.
Mali Toney is special
Portal
Mark Fletchers playoff run. Dude lit it up in the playoffs.
Program is legitimately relevant.

Bad:
Lack of commitment as a program to special teams.
Offensive game planning
Not winning the **** ACC
TE play as a whole, and Baumans inability to block
Playing to your competition at times..we had lots of games we won that were not as dominant as they should’ve been.
 
The Great: A memorable season where a national title came down to the last 30 seconds. No one predicted this. Beating Notre Dame, Florida State, and Florida in the regular season. Rebounding after a shaky midseason. Beating Texas A&M, Ohio State, and Ole Miss in three straight CFP games.

The Good: So many players contributing. We all know the stars, but so many players contributed to this. Every starter to every last scout player deserves our appreciation and gratitude for forgiving us fans the best season in in a quarter century. I’m 61 years old so I remember that 2000 to 2002 run. How many of you were preteens or teenagers?

The Bad: A midseason blip that almost cost a chance at the playoffs.
 
The great - after losing my Dad a few years ago (UM class of '67), I was able to channel his love for the Canes with my son creating amazing experiences, which to me ultimately is what sport and life is all about, doing things passionately with the people you love. Make the call, take the trip, live life to the fullest extent possible. I haven't always done that but at 53 maybe I'm starting to figure it out. I know the game didn't end our way, but this Canes team is my favorite of all time.
IMG_0353.jpeg
 
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Underrated favorite thing from this year is losing that feeling towards the end of close games. You know the feeling we’d all get that it’s about to fall apart. Due to how they played since SMU, I had full confidence they’d pull it off all the way up to the interception. Moral victories aren’t my cup of tea but I do feel we saw the shift we hadn’t seen before. The shift that was needed to sustain and build from as a program.
 
The Good:

- Resiliency… Everyone assumed typical late season UM would happen after the SMU loss, and they would fold. Instead they put together one of the greatest runs in program history.

- Slaying the Ohio State and Fiesta Bowl ghosts.

- Hetherman, Toney, Bain, Mesidor, Fletcher, CJ Daniels, and Scott.

The Bad:

- Still too mistake prone. Penalties, special teams, untimely turnovers.

- Dawson. Too inconsistent as a play caller.

- Mario’s game management. It has certainly gotten better, but still he lacks the feel of the game in critical moments. Settling for OT vs SMU. Attempting a 50 yard FG with a shaky kicker on 4th and 2 vs Indiana (whereas Cignetti went for it on multiple 4th and 5 plays and they end up scoring a TD).
 
Great: EVAL & DEVELOP - These transfers like Scott and Thomas, our own like Mesi, Lightfoot, Wes, Moten, Bryce, Mali etc etc. This team was full of absolute homeruns in the portal and with our own guys playing lights out. This is the lifeblood of our program - getting the players in is half of it, developing them is finishing the job. Hats off to Mario and his staff for an extremely job well done.

Good: CULTURE - These guys had a killer counterpunch and never ever just decided that the fight was over. We had to be known as the team that nobody wanted to play - that’s culture and all I want is for it to be here to stay.

Bad: Tough one here as this is the best I’ve ever felt about a loss in a long time. It’s similar to what you felt watching the ending to the movie “Friday Night Lights” when the boys lost to Dallas Carter in the State Title game. Idk about you guys but this is the weirdest feeling I’ve ever had about a season, it wasn’t a “winning season” because we had a chance at the Natty and didn’t get it, but it doesn’t feel like a “losing season” either because we essentially won two NY6 bowl games.

PENALTIES: Only one bad/ugly item for me - penalties finally caught up to us as they happened at the worst possible moment, on 3rd downs when we’ve got em off the field.
 
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