Miami vs. FSU...It's Back

Hello All,

Last night, as you all know by now, was epic. Miami vs. FSU the way it is supposed to be.

Below is my recap of the game, aided by the notes I took as the game was played.

Pre-Game

My dad and I spent all day outside on the front porch, listening to good music, drinking Budweiser and

throwing a football around. Of course, this was after I played three sets of tennis and hit the gym for an hour in the morning. Let’s just say I had some nervous energy to get out.

Anyway, by 7:30 pm I was on such a high that if Randy Shannon had given me a helmet, I would have run out there and wrecked someone from Florida State (or died trying--- probably the latter).

7:15 rolls around and ESPN throws it over to the pre-game coverage, and we are greeted by: Rece Davis, Lou Holtz and Mark May.

Mark May and Lou Holtz may be the two worst analysts in major sports. Holtz is a mush-mouth who has never really forgiven Miami for beating his overhyped Notre Dame team like they stole somethin’, including going for it on 4^th and 43 from their own 3 yard line early in the game and converting. His partner, May, is a bitter former player who this year has taken to wearing a pair of eyeglasses that would make Cyclops jealous. As if to make it worse, they throw it back to the studio for an update on tennis…and we are introduced to the studio team of Wendi Nix and Jesse “The Bachelor” Palmer for the second time this weekend. Palmer, another awful analyst, is famous mostly for going on a lame reality tv show when he realized his career as a quarterback was going down the drain. He also went to UF, which means he will forever have an inferiority complex when it comes to the ‘Canes.

Needless to say, all three pick the ‘Noles.

At this point, I am ready for some football.

1^st QTR

· I don’t know about you, but I could go for some bad Kenny Chesney music before kickoff…Oh, Thanks ESPN! I can’t wait to hear this song four times a game, every game, all season! This is our moment, indeed!

· The ‘Canes are wearing their white over orange. This is one of the top five uniforms in college football, up there with Texas (white over white), LSU (white over yellow), Oklahoma (crimson and cream) and Florida State (garnet over gold). The meaning: two of the top five uniforms in football are on the field tonight! This is one side story that just never gets explored.

· SIDENOTE: The worst uniforms? Oregon, Maryland, and Penn State are pretty rough. No one compares to Virginia Tech, however.

· Miami receives and gets a solid return from Graig Cooper. They then run their first play under much hyped new offensive coordinator Mark Whipple, and it is a screen to Javarris James…wait, he’s gaining yards…a 20 yard gain on a screen?!? Somewhere, Patrick Nix, king of the 3^rd and long bubble screen, is chartreuse with envy.

· 4^th and 1 for the ‘Canes, in No Man’s Land. They can’t kick the field goal, and the field is too short to get off a good punt. Whipple sends his offense out on to the field…and converts! I am beginning to like this team.

· I turn to my dad and say “We should go deep.” Two seconds later, Jacory Harris finds Travis Benjamin for a 39 yard touchdown down the field. Bedlam ensues in the Stein Family Football Den. (7-0 Miami)

· Florida State begins a long march to the end zone. I was a little excited at this point, so my notes are pretty illegible, and I have not yet gotten to watch a replay of the game. However, here is what I think I was thinking: DeMarcus Van Dyke and Jo Jo Nicolas surprised me by coming up and making tackles; Steven Wesley made a big play (he has been underrated for two seasons now); Randy Phillips, the supposed leader of the secondary, failed to deliver safety help over the top on a big gain (uh-oh…); Sam Shields, new to the corner position, gets beat on 3^rd and 23 (here it comes…); the ‘Canes burned their second timeout with 5 minutes left on the clock in the 1^st QTR (I have seen this before…); and Sean Spence gets beat for a touchdown by some stiff the ‘Noles have at tight end (yep, saw this coming). (7-7)

· The next Miami drive features big plays from Cooper and Thearon Collier, whom many had rumored was falling in to the dog house because of a lack of conditioning and would not even be travelling (proving once again the validity of “insiders” on message boards). However, the ‘Canes bog down and are forced to punt.

2^nd QTR

· After a FSU punt, the ‘Canes give us our first Mike James sighting, and he comes up with a solid play. However, on third down Orlando Franklin, our 330 lb guard, gets pushed aside by FSU’s 240 lb linebacker Dekoda Watson for a sack. How? Ladies and gentlemen, YOUR 2005-2009 Miami Hurricanes offensive line!

· Fast forward to the middle of the 2^nd quarter, when the game seemed as if it were going to settle in to another monotonous battle for field position and field goals, when suddenly Leonard Hankerson…yes, THAT Leonard Hankerson… comes up with a ridiculous circus catch for the ‘Canes on a 40 yard pass in to double coverage. The ‘Canes bog down again, but Matt Bosher pins FSU at the 2. I get my second wind. Also, around this time, I see one of my friends from school on the screen. Let’s just say she is a knockout blonde that drives a red Jeep (which I rode in once…sigh). And listens to classic rock. I guess when I say friend I mean I thought we were friends and overzealously waved when I saw her on campus, which she usually returned with a “Hi Dan”. And I do mean “usually”. As in not 100% of the time. And yet I digress.

· Florida State marches down the field, as QB Christian Ponder dissects the Hurricane secondary, setting up a 52 yard field goal for FSU’s true frosh kicker. That’s right. His first career field goal was a 52 yarder. Remember when FSU used to miss field goals? Last year, they had the nation’s best kicker, and his replacement just hit a 52 yarder. Against Miami. In his debut. I feel like this should be repeated. Also, at this point Ponder has completed like 76 straight passes. Doesn’t bode well… throwing was supposed to be his weakness.

· Miami gets the ball back and gets big plays from Dedrick Epps in the middle of the field, Collier and Javarris, who runs right through the teeth of a blitz for a first down. All this sets up a Javarris plunge for 6. Dan Stein is now in a dead sweat from screaming. Inside. In the air conditioning. He’s a mess. (14-10 UM)

· Ponder gets the ball back and starts marching down the field. He has gotten in to the type of zone in which my dad and I fully expect every throw he makes to go for 6. That is how good he is and how bad the Miami secondary is.

· Ponder, inside of a minute left in the half, launches one down the field…and RANDY PHILLIPS PICKS IT OFF IN THE END ZONE!!!! For anyone who followed Miami football last season, they understand that this is a BIG deal. As evidenced by my exclamation points.

Halftime

· Well hey Jesse Palmer! Long time no see! Wait, what’s that? You have nothing of significance to add? You want to me to go use the bathroom while you talk? Well ok, but only if you insist.

· The quarterbacks have been disgustingly good. So far, only Ponder has made a mistake, and his was at the end of the half and did nothing to really hurt the ‘Noles. Harris has surprised everyone by going 10-15 for 177 yards and a touchdown in the first half. That’s 17 yards per completion. I am officially on the Whipple bandwagon. I also enjoy the way he is down on the sideline giving anyone who crosses him an ass-chewing. Always good to see a coach that knows how to coach. Not that I am bitter for the past four years.

· I am genuinely concerned about the lack of blitzing. Ponder has had all day to throw, and is destroying the Hurricane secondary.

· Also, the Miami team has had more cramps in this game than the entire Zeta Tau Alpha sorority tailgate. The problem with cramping? Once it starts, it usually does not stop for the rest of the game, as it is hard to catch up on hydration. This could sway the game in the second half if it stays this close.

· Dad and I prepare for the inevitable FSU 17-0 run to start the second half. It’s like the same record on repeat.

3^rd QTR

· And, if you didn’t already know, this is our moment. Thanks Kenny Chesney! I had forgotten in the 15 minutes since I last heard your song.

· I know this is hard to believe, but FSU returns the kick to somewhere near midfield, and then get an extra 15 yards tacked on for a personal foul…on Bosher. Our kicker not only had to make the tackle, but he also lost his cool and body slammed the returner. Maybe he could play safety?

· Jo Jo Nicolas gets called for ridiculous pass interference in the end zone. Nicolas thought it was a good idea to lay out an FSU receiver in full view of every referee when the ball was nowhere near him. Brilliant, simply brilliant. Florida State punches it in, yet shanks the extra point. Steve’s text message: “That will haunt them.” (16-14 FSU)

· Jacory connects on a big play to high school teammate Aldarious Johnson, but then misses Javarris on a swing play a couple plays later that might have gone for six, bringing on another Bosher punt.

· My mother, who very casually watches football, screams at the TV in another room “they are giving him all day to throw”. My 52 year old mother, who has never discussed any form of x’s and o’s that weren’t related to tic-tac-toe in her entire life. It is that obvious that we need a blitz.

· Jacory throws an awful interception in to double coverage.

· Ponder takes advantage of the fact that Miami left their secondary in Coral Gables and lead his team down the field for 6. (23-14 FSU)

· This is the tipping point. Miami needs a score on this drive if they hope to keep within striking distance. Ponder is playing too well to fall behind by two touchdowns.

· As if on cue, Cooper gashes out a 60+ yard kick return. Epps rambles for 25 yards on a crossing pattern, moving the ball inside the 5. However, Whipple gets too cute near the goal line and after two failed pass plays and an ill conceived run, Bosher kicks the field goal. My dad looks like Whipple just desecrated a loved one’s grave. (23-17 FSU)

· FSU is on the march again, and Miami needs to create a turnover (which is like asking a blind kid to pick you out a ripe banana). Ponder drops back…Marcus Robinson beats his defender...Ponder is hit…HE FUMBLED…MIAMI’S GOT IT!!!!!!!! Miami needed a turnover and made it happen. If you don’t realize how big a deal that is, look at how many exclamation points I just used.

· Jacory finds Benjamin for 29 before Cooper blasts a run down the sideline to the 2. Jacory dives in…THE ‘CANES ARE BACK ON TOP! (24-23 UM)

4^th QTR

· This our moment! Wait, did I just quote Kenny Chesney? DAMN YOU ESPN!

· SIDENOTE: I know that it’s tradition to hold up four fingers going in to the fourth quarter, and I always observe the tradition. However, who came up with this? With the introduction of the TV timeout between quarters, this has become America’s greatest answer for obesity. If these UF girls did it more often, they would be rid of that pork-loin shoulder in a jiffy. I had to switch hands like 176 times to keep the four fingers up. And yet I digress.

· Just saw the season flash before my eyes. Matt Pipho, a 300 lb lineman, whiffs on a 17o lb freshman cornerback, who comes in untouched and put his helmet on Jacory’s shoulder as he makes the throw. The ball flutters up in to the air, is intercepted and returned to The Barn. On top of that, Harris is grabbing his throwing shoulder, the same that he injured at the end of last season. The same one that controls the entire season. A small part of me dies. (31-24 FSU, after a two point conversion)

· ESPN shows A.J. Highsmith, our true freshman backup quarterback that looks like an 18 year old (Wait, he’s only 18? I remember when I was 18. I had never had a beer. I thought sideburns were cool. AAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!!!!) warming up. Harris is flexing his shoulder with the trainer. I pray.

· Harris jogs on to the field after a solid Cooper return. The offense looks bad, like they no longer can pass the ball (which, with Harris’s shoulder possibly torn up, they probably can’t). Then, Harris finds Hankerson for a conversion of 3^rd and 14…

· Jacory finds Benjamin for a conversion of 3^rd and 6…

· Jacory finds Collier for a conversion of 3^rd and 6…

· Jacory has Cooper wide open down the sideline…the ball is too high…Cooper jumps…AND CRADLES IT IN!!!!!!! TOUCHDOWN ‘CANES! We’re going to win. (31-31)

· FSU begins its march. The Miami Run D has disappeared, and quickly FSU is threatening. However, Shields comes up big in coverage, and FSU kicks a field goal. (34-31 FSU)

· Miami gets the ball back, and Harris quickly fins Benjamin for 40 down the sideline. But wait, the play is under review…still under review…man, I could go for some Kenny Chesney music…and it’s upheld! I exhale.

· Cooper slashes in for the touchdown! (38-34 UM)

· I begin to worry. Miami has left Ponder a full two minutes to work with. Not good.

· FSU sneak Reid in as the upback, so that the pooch kick from Bosher which was intended specifically to avoid Reid ends up in his hands, and he returns it to the 40. Uh-oh.

· Ponder takes his team down the field, and with about 20 seconds left they have the ball inside of the 10.

· Brandon Harris gets called for phantom pass interference in the end zone. Shades of Miami- Ohio State are flashing before my eyes…this is not going to end well. Ball on the 2.

· Harris responds by knocking away the fade intended for the 6’5” Jamon Fortson. Time for two more plays.

· Shields blankets Fortson, pass incomplete. 1. MORE. PLAY.

· Ponder is flushed out by the blitz… he rolls and fires a bullet to Fortson…the throw is low…INCOMPLETE! Miami wins it!!!!!!!!!!!!

· …catches breath…

· MIAMI WINS IT!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

· Wait, they’re reviewing the play…we have gotten too many of these calls tonight…the official is out of the review conference…CALL UPHELD! MIAMI WINS IT!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Postgame

· This might be a knee-jerk, but that game was probably the best ever played in the series. The speed was back. The offenses were great. The game ended on a goal line stand. What more could you ask for?

· Game ball goes to Jacory Harris for staying in command and leading a gutsy drive while injured. In his postgame interview, Harris said that he was throwing the ball with two fingers on the first drive back after hurting his funny bone. That is how legends are made. Harris finished with 386 yards passing, the most ever for a UM quarterback in this series, to go along with 2 throwing scores and 1 running. Suck it Mark May.

· Travis Benjamin, Graig Cooper, Thearon Collier, The O-Line, Matt Bosher, Brandon Harris and Javarris James had BIG games for the ‘Canes.

· Negatives: Bad clock management, bad substitution patterns, lack of aggression on D, awful squib kick at the end, cramping and even more injuries piling up.

· Positives: The O-line protected Harris, who holds on to the ball FOREVER, very well and gave him lots of time to throw. The receivers held on to the ball, and the defense came up huge when needed. Whipple’s offense kept everyone guessing.

· My favorite moment was the back to back tests for Brandon Harris at the end. He responded to the interference call by knocking the ball away from a receiver that was both bigger and faster than him. It was symbolic of the whole game. Both teams continually battled back. In the end, on wanted it just a little bit more. Beautiful to watch.

· That folks, is why I wrote the following as my Facebook status when I woke up. I cannot think of a better way to end this than with the words that started my day: “Every year, two teams square off and take this sport to a new level, two estranged brothers battling not for petty bragging rights, but for their livelihood. They set this game on a national holiday, on national television. Throw out all the records, all the predictions. Forget what happened last year. This not just another game. This is Miami vs. FSU.” Cue the Kenny Chesney!