"Can't polish a sneaker" has been my opinion of the Canes OL for years now. I have blistered them. Particularly the veterans of this group starting back with watching blitzers go by untouched at LSU when even a hand-check would have helped, and then at that sack-fest at UF. But I saw some actual holes being opened against an SEC front Sat night. Yes, could have done without Clark's mistakes, but it was the best performance by a Cane's OL against a decent team in years.
This is the position group I have wanted to see get up off life-support for years now. It's what I know and I know it's the hardest position group in football to find five guys that fit and can play physical football as a group. They were so much more physical Sat.
The experts can argue about throwing, catching and game calling. But I was, and still am, glad we have a former O-Lineman as HC in a program that obsesses about Skills, but seldom gave thought to why it wasn't winning with them. I didn't know that much about Mirabal, but he said his OL wouldn't be a weakness - Brass Balls of a statement with what he had to work with - but so far, they haven't been. ST and WR group own that.
We win at LSU and UF with this OL, and should have won this one, based on stats. The RBs had some confidence hitting the hole.
Be honest, most of us (who actually have a relationship with reality) penciled this in as an L in those 9-3 or 10-2 predictions for this season. This staff scrambled to fill huge holes, introduce a new staff, system and culture. I know everyone's tired of waiting, I am too. But I'm a Canes fan looking for positives this year and I am encouraged with this been-a-problem-OL-group's showing thus far.