Burning Up

Hello All,

It is hot out lately. Really hot.

Like, sweat up your boxers while driving hot.

You know that old Kerouac passage? “Burn, burn, burn like fabulous yellow roman candles exploding like spiders across the stars.” 

Well, in this heat you are actually burning like an effing roman candle.

It is the twilight of the summer. Soon the heat of August will give way to the beauty of September and October, the earnest days of early autumn when the shadows get long and the leaves get pretty and the weather gets perfect.

For a boy from the south, winter is always the most painful time. Everything is gray and white and brown…the colors of summer are nowhere to be found.

(I guess I should say I live in Los Angeles where winter means “it is in the 40s a couple of times and it rains for a few days”. But I’m rolling, people!)

And yet, I wish I could fall asleep and skip these last few weeks wayward weeks of deep summer, because they are all that stands in between me and my college football.

This has been a busier summer than usual for me. Between a job at which I am seeking a promotion, and a move across town that has taken longer to execute than I ever would have thought, and new going-ons in my social life, I have not gotten a chance to write much.

But that does not mean I am not excited.

Remember all those freshman I wrote about in February, and how excited I was?

They are here.

Remember the ‘Canes that scrapped in every game last year, even though it only won half?

They are better and scrappier.

Not everything is peaches and flowers. Remember that NCAA investigation? Somehow, it still has not be wrapped up, and the black cloud still looms.

The ‘Canes will most likely struggle again as those enticing freshman go through their growing pains.

And yet, an imperfect season is damn better than the dog days of August.

So yes, I am excited.

When it comes to the actual product, I have some thoughts.

I think Stephen Morris has the potential to win a Heisman Trophy one day, and will be the next Miami quarterback to get drafted. He is a gym rat and a leader, plays with fire, and has a great arm. The only thing holding him back is his on-field decision making, which can get erratic. And personally, I think that after the season Jacory Harris had last year (minus one game), there is no reason to expect anything but improvement from Morris.

I think that we need new uniforms.

I think that the young skill guys on offense will be impressive, but sporadic. The hope is that the ebbs offset each other and each game some combination of guys will step up. At running back, Mike James is the rock, but Duke Johnson, Eduardo Clements and Dallas Crawford will add sparks. Ditto receiver, where old hat Allen Hurns gets help from Phillip Dorsett, Rashawn Scott, Malcolm Lewis, Robert Lockhart and others.

I think at this point Al Golden would win the presidential election if he threw his hat in as an independent.

I think the defense will swarm behind the leadership of Anthony Chickillo and Denzel Perryman.

I think at least 3 guys will be named to the ACC All- Rookie team, including Duke and Tracey Howard.

I think this team will not finish 5^th in the Coastal Division.

I think this team will beat Notre Dame.

I think that at some point this season, this team will block a kick.

Most of all, I think I will never tire of the ‘Canes running through the smoke.

Or Enter Sandman at Lane Stadium.

Or “Hook Em Horns”.

Or Yell Practice.

Or Fight On.

Or drinking a beer at 8am while watching college gameday.

Or the satisfying nap you take before you go out to celebrate a ‘Canes win.

Or taking a full Thursday off so as to not miss a snap of the Miami-Virginia Tech game.

There are hundreds of reasons why I love college football, and why every year is the most exciting year I can remember.

I would write more, but I am afraid I will start sweating. It is, like I said, the dog days.

But they are almost over.