Hello All,
Well, after harping on consistency last week, I am going to go ahead and stay consistent with my lack of a breakdown for the game again Vagina...errrr, Virginia...Tech. Which is actually Virginia Polytechnic Institute, which is abbreviated as VPI. And yet, The Hokies (still not sure what a Hokie is) are commonly referred to as VT. And yet I digress.
This is a weird week for Miami fans. It is a rivalry game that Miami has to win in order to stay alive in the conference race and have any hope of playing for the conference title...so in that sense, it is huge.
There is a feeling of impending doom though. Even if we win this game, which is a coin flip (more on that in a second), VPI would still have to lose to Virginia the following week. Not bloody likely. VPI is really good (and yes, they did lose to James Madison) and Virginia sucks something awful (and yes, they did beat Miami). Which means as 'Canes fans, if we win hell will be raised...after all, this team lost to JMU so they can't be very good/were overrated/are possibly behind the JFK assassination attempt; if we lose, the next week will go something like this: VPI comes out flat against the Cavs, who outplay the Hokies at the outset only to fail to capitalize fully...you know, go up 10-0 when it could have
been 21-0, something like that...and then fall during a 3rd quarter blitz featuring two highlight reel plays from Tyrod Taylor and touchdowns on offense, defense and special teams for the Hokies. Final score: VPI 42, UVa 17.
Anyway, the moral of the story is that Miami put itself in yet another bad situation in which we have to rely on an inferior team to clean up our mess (this year it is Virginia, last year it was Duke) because we could not take care of business ourselves.
As much as it pains me to say this, at this point it is time to start looking toward next season. To get some momentum to carry into the spring, it would be nice to win out and send the message that this team really is able to batten down the hatches when necesarry. In doing so, the 'Canes might catch a break. Virginia might rise up again. But that would just be gravy at this point. The rest of this season serves one purpose: win out and shut some people up.
Win the bowl game.
Finish off this recruiting class and put the inconsistencies of this season in the rearview.
Establish an identity going forward: We are going to run the ball and play smashmouth d. If you don't like it, there's the door. And that goes for coaches too.
No breakdown of this game is necesarry or even really worthwhile. The teams are pretty even talent wise. VPI has been more consistent this season, but Miami at its best wins this game. The stats don't matter here; VPI may be ranked 65th in run d, but until I see us gash them a little I will assume they are the same Tech D that shows up every year and hits us in the mouth. They play intense, borderline dirty football. Every yard will be a fight.
I look forward to it, and if I were a player with any sort of desire to lock down some stature heading into the offseason, so would I. That's what these final games have become: a proving ground.
Other Picks
Last Week: 2-6
Season: 42-31 (2-7 in Upset Specials)
LSU over Ole Miss
-Seriously guys, think of a better name than "Magnolia Bowl". Like "Battle for the Prize Double Wide"! Kidding. Seriously Bill, kidding.
Nebraska over TAMU
Iowa over Ohio State (the rankings say I am supposed to care about this one)
Miss St. over Arkansas
-That joke I made about the Magnolia Bowl? I immediately regret not using it here. Damn it.
Baylor over Oklahoma (Upset Special)
- I have noticed that I have certain trends I stick to with these picks. Early, I had a hunch on FIU...let's not talk about it. I think I have picked Baylor in this space 4 seperate times. I have picked against Auburn twice. And my record is 2-7, so you know this is great strategy. And yet, I keep doing it...
Always guard the inbound passer.
Well, after harping on consistency last week, I am going to go ahead and stay consistent with my lack of a breakdown for the game again Vagina...errrr, Virginia...Tech. Which is actually Virginia Polytechnic Institute, which is abbreviated as VPI. And yet, The Hokies (still not sure what a Hokie is) are commonly referred to as VT. And yet I digress.
This is a weird week for Miami fans. It is a rivalry game that Miami has to win in order to stay alive in the conference race and have any hope of playing for the conference title...so in that sense, it is huge.
There is a feeling of impending doom though. Even if we win this game, which is a coin flip (more on that in a second), VPI would still have to lose to Virginia the following week. Not bloody likely. VPI is really good (and yes, they did lose to James Madison) and Virginia sucks something awful (and yes, they did beat Miami). Which means as 'Canes fans, if we win hell will be raised...after all, this team lost to JMU so they can't be very good/were overrated/are possibly behind the JFK assassination attempt; if we lose, the next week will go something like this: VPI comes out flat against the Cavs, who outplay the Hokies at the outset only to fail to capitalize fully...you know, go up 10-0 when it could have
been 21-0, something like that...and then fall during a 3rd quarter blitz featuring two highlight reel plays from Tyrod Taylor and touchdowns on offense, defense and special teams for the Hokies. Final score: VPI 42, UVa 17.Anyway, the moral of the story is that Miami put itself in yet another bad situation in which we have to rely on an inferior team to clean up our mess (this year it is Virginia, last year it was Duke) because we could not take care of business ourselves.
As much as it pains me to say this, at this point it is time to start looking toward next season. To get some momentum to carry into the spring, it would be nice to win out and send the message that this team really is able to batten down the hatches when necesarry. In doing so, the 'Canes might catch a break. Virginia might rise up again. But that would just be gravy at this point. The rest of this season serves one purpose: win out and shut some people up.
Win the bowl game.
Finish off this recruiting class and put the inconsistencies of this season in the rearview.
Establish an identity going forward: We are going to run the ball and play smashmouth d. If you don't like it, there's the door. And that goes for coaches too.
No breakdown of this game is necesarry or even really worthwhile. The teams are pretty even talent wise. VPI has been more consistent this season, but Miami at its best wins this game. The stats don't matter here; VPI may be ranked 65th in run d, but until I see us gash them a little I will assume they are the same Tech D that shows up every year and hits us in the mouth. They play intense, borderline dirty football. Every yard will be a fight.
I look forward to it, and if I were a player with any sort of desire to lock down some stature heading into the offseason, so would I. That's what these final games have become: a proving ground.
Other Picks
Last Week: 2-6
Season: 42-31 (2-7 in Upset Specials)
LSU over Ole Miss
-Seriously guys, think of a better name than "Magnolia Bowl". Like "Battle for the Prize Double Wide"! Kidding. Seriously Bill, kidding.
Nebraska over TAMU
Iowa over Ohio State (the rankings say I am supposed to care about this one)
Miss St. over Arkansas
-That joke I made about the Magnolia Bowl? I immediately regret not using it here. Damn it.
Baylor over Oklahoma (Upset Special)
- I have noticed that I have certain trends I stick to with these picks. Early, I had a hunch on FIU...let's not talk about it. I think I have picked Baylor in this space 4 seperate times. I have picked against Auburn twice. And my record is 2-7, so you know this is great strategy. And yet, I keep doing it...
Always guard the inbound passer.
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