How Do You Like Me Now?

Hello All,

Well, my hands have finally stopped shaking for long enough to sit down and type up my recount of the Miami- Oklahoma matchup, alternately the most frustrating and gratifying win I can remember.

Now I know what you are telling yourself.

“There’s no chance he is going to do another running diary for this game.”

And you could not be further from the truth ladies and gentlemen.

PRE GAME

Comin’ to you live from the Stein family football cave, eagerly anticipating the fourth leg of Miami’s gauntlet to open the stadium.

ABC shoots it down to Joe Robbie…errrrr Pro Player…errrrr Dolphin…errrrrrr Landshark Stadium, where we are greeted by Kirk Herbstreit and Brent Musbrger. YES! The last good two man booth in college football! We are off to a great start.

Let’s just say that this game is not setting up well for Miami. In what promises to be a physical game, Miami’s starting fullback (Pat Hill), starting defensive end (Olivier Vernon) and two starting safeties (Randy Phillips and JoJo Nicolas) are all scratches. Actually, the Nicolas thing might be good. Is that mean? Or is it just sad? Anyway, all of a sudden our lead blocker in the running game, only reliable defensive back and yet another defensive linemen are gone.

Down on the field, Miami is in the Orange over White. Phew.

My dad and I decide that we want Jimmy Graham to catch the first touchdown. Not only would it get him over the hump after last week’s performance, but it would get the stadium rockin’.

I motion to nickname Landry Jones “The ‘Stache”. Done and done.

1st QTR

• God damn it, it appears “The ‘Stache” has been thought of. Scratch that idea.
• Miami wins the toss and chooses to receive. This is perfect. Set the tone early. Get a score right out of the gates. Love the aggression.
• And we get right in to our typical gameplan, facing a 3rd and Medium early…and Randy Shannon calls for a timeout. Awesome. 1:32 in to the game and we are down a timeout. I mean, it’s only EVERY game that we end up needing one more timeout than we have down the stretch. I am sure that won’t come back to bite us in the ass.
• Jacory hits seldom used Tervarris Johnson for a first down out of the timeout. Again, this is why Mark Whipple is awesome. Johnson, in his previous three years, was essentially a wasted scholarship, listed at different times as the 4th string cornerback, nickelback, safety, tight end and now fullback. And he just got the offense started in the Oklahoma game. Love it.
• Harris follows up by throwing a bad interception. It looks like Leonard Hankerson broke off his flare route; Jacory threw it anyway, trusting that Hankerson WOULD NOT break off his route.
• The defense, after having the tempo dictated to it last weekend in Blacksburg, will surely come out blitzing and forcing the issue. Wait, they’re not? They’re doing the same thing as last weekend? Dan is getting angry…
• And Oklahoma marches down the field and scores a touchdown, beating Sam Shields something like 57 times on the drive. (7-0 OU)
• Question: If Miami knows that Sam Shields is a liability in coverage and is willing to deal with his growing pains as he learns the position, why not just put Brandon McGee and Jamal Reid out there? Why play a senior over freshmen when you’re going to get beat anyway. Nothing against Shields, because I admire him for taking one for the team and switching sides of the ball as a senior. Hell, I think it is a testament to his work ethic that he has earned a starting spot already. But this is four straight games that he’s been terrible in.
• Miami gets the ball back, and Jacory throws another bad interception. This would be slightly less aggravating if it was not on a jump ball in the middle of the field to Travis Benjamin (all 5’10” of him). WTF?!
• Marcus Robinson comes through with a sack after abusing his blocker. Meanwhile, Ray Ray Armstrong has looked great so far at safety. The kid has a nose for the ball, to be sure. He has not been tested in coverage yet, but he has done everything asked of him to this point. My point about playing the freshmen in the secondary just got made for me, and I thank you.
• And Shields just got beat again. Sam Shields is the football equivalent of the Washington Generals.
• DeMarcus Van Dyke gets called for borderline pass interference. This is not going well. It is a small miracle that the quarter ends with Miami only down a touchdown.

2nd QTR
• As if on cue, Oklahoma comes out of the quarter break and fakes a field goal. My dad knew it was coming. I knew it was coming. Musburger knew it was coming. And still, the Sooners got 2 ½ yards when they needed 2. Although, I would say that they referee spotted the ball a little charitably; either way, 1st Down Sooners.
• Sam Shields gets called for a ticky tacky facemask penalty…at this point, Miami has been called for a facemask and a pass interference, and twice has jumped offside. In a game against a great team, you just cannot help them by bailing them out with penalties. Just can’t do it (wow, did John Madden just take over this blog for that bullet point?)
• Miami holds and forces a field goal. (10-0 OU)
• Graig Cooper busts a big return, which then gets called back for clipping.
• Jacory hooks up on 2 straight plays to Aldarious Johnson, who is back in the rotation and providing Miami with another reliable third down option.
• After peppering Oklahoma along the sidelines and spreading them out, Baby J breaks a 50 yard run up the gut. HUGE momentum play.
• Jacory hits Jimmy Graham over the middle. TOUCHDOWN ‘CANES!!! Sometimes, my dad and I are prophetic. Not often. But sometimes. (10-7 OU)
• Miami comes down on kick coverage and traps Oklahoma inside its own 10…only to have to re-kick because of an offside penalty. That’s right, offside. On the kickoff. This is starting to get beyond frustrating. What’s a good word? “Infuriating”? That seems a little overdone. Either way, it feels like someone has electrodes attached to my gonads, and every time Miami does something good they send a shock through the wires. I am almost pre-conditioned to expect a flag on every big play for Miami. I am the most pitiful Pavlovian Dog you can imagine.
• Oklahoma goes 3 & Out after the re-kick.
• Miami follows suit
• Miami holds on D again, but Shannon does not use his timeouts on defense, instead being content to go in to the half down three. Yep, just got shocked again. Right in the gonads.

HALFTIME
• Well, the D has played solid ball, despite the penalties. My question is why don’t we ever blitz? Think about it. The whole defense is predicated on speed. Lovett is afraid to blitz because he doesn’t want our corners on an island. The problem is that because he never sends a blitz, the opposing quarterback just sits back and picks apart the coverage anyway. At least if we blitz we force the issue and a quick throw, especially against a statue like Landry Jones. Furthermore, as witnessed in the Georgia Tech game, this defense feeds off of big plays. All they need is one or two big hits to get rolling. Even if the blitz is not one hundred percent effective, it will still get the fire going inside of our defense. They will loosen up and start playing fast instead of tentatively. Am I the only one who knows this? It just can’t be. BRING THE NOISE!!!!!
• An underrated drink combo: Jack and Sprite. Don’t think, just do it. And then call me tomorrow and thank me.
• My mother: “Why aren’t all the old players on the sideline anymore?” A great question. For years, this weekly homecoming defined the Miami program. And now, it seems like the players on the sideline are few and far between. Yet another example of why this program is not where it used to be.

3rd QTR
• Corey Nelms, a walk on, comes out and lays the wood on the opening kickoff. Where the hell did that come from?
• Brandon Harris comes off the edge on a cornerback blitz and blindsides the quarterback, forcing a fumble that Miami recovers. This play was like Madden ’05 (the last one I played consistently), when you were about to hit stick someone and the screen slowed down and the controller started thumping like a heart beat. You knew something awesome was about to happen. Landry Jones looked like he had almost stopped playing. My dad thought there must have been a whistle blown because Brandon Harris was moving so much faster than everyone else. And all this on the first play of the half, when Lovett did the unthinkable and called a blitz. Shocking.
• Miami goes for the jugular on the first play, throwing to Dedrick Epps in the end zone for a touchdown on the first play. And we all thought tight end would be this team’s weakest position. I am not even going to bother with all of the caps and exclamation points, because I think it is obvious that three plays in to the second half the ‘Canes just went up on Oklahoma. (14-10 UM)
• Eric Moncur and Allen Bailey, the two best linemen do far this year for UM, make big plays to set up a 3& Out..but wait, flag down…and its pass interference on Sean Spence. Worst call yet, which is saying something. More on all this later.
• Oklahoma is melting down. They just called for personal fouls on back to back plays. And one of their running backs is trying to bait Moncur (a 25 year old, 260 pound defensive end for Carol City) in to a fight. YES!!!!!!!!!
• Oklahoma is really starting to play some dirty football. My dad quips “Our defensive linemen need to protect their lower extremities, huh?” Line of the night, easily.
• Jacory gets the ball and throws deep…he has Travis Benjamin…touchdown ‘Canes! (21-10 UM)
• Ramon Buchannon flattens the Sooner kick returner on the ensuing kickoff…where the hell did this kick coverage come from???
• At the end of a play, Oklahoma’s 330+ lb offensive lineman spears Ray Ray Armstrong from behind, clearly after the whistle. No call. In my life, I have been angrier about refereeing once before. And that was when it cost Miami a National Title. Seriously, this is pathetic. Armstrong is hurt on the play, and the refs call NOTHING. It’s like Bob Stoops told his linemen “sweep the leg”. And the refs were in the huddle. And vowed to say nothing about it. It reminds me of the scene in “The Express” (yes, I saw it, and enjoyed it…don’t you judge me) when The Texas players start punching Ernie Davis after a play and they call Davis’s team for a personal foul when they come to break it up. Just absolutely terrible. (That's right, two movie references in one bullet point)
• On a bright note, Sean Spence is having himself a bounce back game. The kid is everywhere. Good to see him back doin’ his thing.
• You’ll never believe this, but the refs just screwed Miami on a roughing the kicker penalty. Joe Joseph busted through the line and almost blocked the punt. He dove off to the side, specifically to avoid the punter (which is impressive considering he is 315 lbs). The punter comes down and lands on top of Joseph’s back (NOT A PENALTY; officially, not a penalty, according to the rule book) and then flops to sell it. Herbstreit even calls the kid out for laughing about it on the sideline (my man crush on Herbie continues to grow). The refs not only throw the flag, but assess 15 yards instead of 5 for just running in to the kicker; earlier in the game, they gave us 5 instead of 15 when Ray Ray collided with the punter while he was IN THE AIR. The result is a first down deep in Miami territory for the Sooners. We all know how this ends…
• Touchdown Sooners…and a balatant holding penalty goes uncalled. Go figure. (21-17 UM)
• Joseph is getting yelled at by everyone on the sideline. Honestly. Not warranted. He did exactly what he was supposed to and got called for a BS penalty. Not his fault. The alternative is to try and not block the kick. Which definitely would get him yelled at. Damned if you do, damned if you don’t.
• Miami and Oklahoma trade 3 & Outs. Eric Moncur comes up big again.
• The longest 3rd quarter ever concludes.

4th QTR
• Joseph gets his redemption, knifing through the Sooner line and planting the running back in the backfield to force a Sooner punt.
• Jacory makes a clutch 3rd down throw to Aldarious
• Baby J breaks off a 20 yard run
• Thearon Collier almost catches the dagger, a bomb that he laid out for full-extension and came just short on.
• Miami punts, and the Sooner return man fields it on the 1…here come the ‘Canes…and the return goes out to midfield after a blatant block in the back on Sam Shields springs the returner. This is turning in to a comedy of officiating errors.
• Marcus Forston just jumped offside for the third time. Someone needs to recommend decaf to the big man.
• The D comes up huge and forces a field goal. (21-20 UM)
• Jacory converts a 3rd and Long to Aldarious on a fake pitch play that was executed perfectly. Whipple called the pitch out of that exact formation shift three times in the first 3 quarters, all to set up the fake when it mattered. Textbook.
• Miami gets the ball back and is in 3rd and Long. This is the play of the game. Timeout is taken.
• Coming out of the timeout, Jacory completes to Epps for the 1st down. That should be the ballgame… Oklahoma is out of timeouts, Miami just needs to bleed clock…
• Baby J rips off a 14 yard run. Ballgame. MIAMI WINS! 3-1!!!!!!!!

The Morning After
• Gameball goes to: Javarris James
• I don’t really know what to say. I am still giddy. The defense came up huge, the offense made plays when it mattered, and the team overcame an awful start and terrible officiating to win. What more can you ask for?
• It was all worth it for Randy Shannon’s reaction. I thought he might cry afterward. I had never seen him happy before, but after this game he looked like a little kid. And why not? This is a legitimate signature win, beating a Top 10, national title contender from out of conference in primetime on national television. That is what Miami football is all about, and he knows it better than anyone else.
• There are obvious flaws, particularly pass coverage. But the ‘Canes will be favored in every game from here on out and should have learned its lesson about hype in Blacksburg. 11-1 is entirely possible (although still not likely) and that would put the ‘Canes firmly in the National Title conversation (if everything bounces their way). And all this a year ahead of schedule, with a treacherously thin offensive line and a banged up defensive unit. This feels pretty damned good. This was all about redemption. Miami redeeming last week’s performance. Miami getting revenge for the last matchup with Oklahoma. Shannon getting revenge against all of his naysayers (who you will find in droves after a loss and barely find at all after this kind of win). And most of all, loyal fans being redeemed after following this team through the valley of the last 4 seasons. This song was just too sweet.

Other Games I Watched
• Louisiana Tech vs. Hawaii: It would be easy for me to make a joke about Hawaii’s head coach and his homophobic comments before the season. Especially at a University formerly nicknamed the Rainbow Warriors. But I’m not going to. Stein on the Sidelines is classier than that. Anyway, Louisiana Tech smacked them and looked great doing it in their old school red, white and blue uniforms.
• West Virginia vs. Colorado: When I’m right, I’m very right. My dad and I had important stuff to discuss during this game, namely the Tyler Hansbrough cell phone commercial. So let me get this straight: Little girl posts sign for lost dog. Nameless guy takes a picture, which he sends in a mass text to all his friends. Hansbrough gets text and does the same. Hansbrough’s friend finds dog and texts him back. Hansbrough goes and collects the dog, and then brings it back to the little girl. Meanwhile, the original unnamed guy receives no credit while Hansbrough receives ALL the credit. And this is acceptable? Yet another reason to hate Tyler Hansbrough- he is a Glory Hog.
• Pitt vs. Louiville: This was when we found out that LaGarrette Blount is going to be reinstated at Oregon. What, is he seeing a Buddhist?
• Wisconsin vs. Minnesota: Why are they playing in October for The Axe? And why is Eric Decker still seeing single coverage?
• Dartmouth vs. Penn: This is the first leg of VS’s great doubleheader, followed by William & Mary vs. Villanova.
• Virginia vs. UNC: Sorry Steph.
• FSU vs. BC: The Mark Herzlich story is great, and I love the move by Gameday to go there this week. That being said, wouldn’t it be nice if FSU won a game every now and then?
• Washington vs. Notre Dame: ND scored on a 4th & Goal conversion that shouldn’t have been. In what is apparently the world’s darkest stadium. As much as I hate them, there is no denying that Golden Tate and Kyle Rudolph are studs. Also there was a great moment on the sideline, wherein NBC’s bimbo sideline reporter was trying to demonstrate what a turf toe is. The camera, mid-sentence, panned away from her back to the game that was between plays….and the bimbo, apparently angry, craned her neck to get back in to the shot and interrupted the guys in the booth that had started speaking again. High comedy. They missed the start of the play because of her temper tantrum. Seriously. I guess maybe you had to see it. (Snarl)
• LSU vs. UGA: Choke
• Penn State vs. Illinois: We landed on this game randomly at one point, and this was the literal conversation
-Dad: Who gives a s#$t?
-Stein on the Sidelines:

Best Game: Miami vs. Oklahoma. For everything I said above.

Best Uniform: Iowa. They always look great in the black over gold.

Game Ball Goes To: Toby Gerhart, Stanford. Pretty sure I misspelled his name at some point on this blog, but I don’t care, because this kid can play and has made Stanford in to a contender. Plus, he plays baseball too. And that always wins you points with Stein on the Sidelines.

Worst Uniform: Kentucky’s monochromatic royal blue with sparkly helmet paint. Here’s lookin’ at you, Ty.

Trojan Enz © Boner of the Week Award: The referees, and not just in the Miami game. There was the Notre Dame no-call on 4th & Goal, a terrible excessive celebration call in the Georgia game, and just an overall emasculation of the game throughout this season.

Brian Rolle “Should’ve Been a ‘Cane” Award: Corey Liuget, Illinois. This kid is a stud that can play defensive end or tackle, much like Allen Bailey. He went to Illinois because he liked the coaches and wanted to get out of Miami. How is that workin’ out? On top of that, Miami needs as many quality linemen as they can get, and this kid is being wasted at Illinois.

Non-BCS Name You Should Know: Damaris Johnson, Tulsa. This kid can flat out play receiver. Watched him early this season and he was the one kid that you had to watch no matter what he was doing on the field. Just electric.

Always guard the inbound passer.