Happy New Year

Hello All,

Well, unfortunately, it is time to wrap up the 2009 Hurricane football season.

I took two hundred pages of notes this season, or roughly 4000 times more than two season ago. It was at times frustrating, as evidenced by the three cracks that I inflicted on my Blackberry screen (I get a little worked up) throughout the season. However, more of the time, it was uplifting. It marked another step in the right direction and gave me a lot of hope for bigger and better things next season.

Here are my season ending awards:

Most Valuable Player Award: Jacory

Let's just say that, good or bad, this team went as Jacory went. When he was good, this team was unstoppable. When he was bad, so was the team. Sometimes this all happened in one game. He did, however, grab this team and make it his own, which is what an MVP does. Runner Up: Jason Fox

Defensive Player of the Year: Brandon Harris

Sharpton surged late, and McCarthy and Bailey had big years as well. But Harris rarely got beat, rarely took a dumb penalty and eveolved as the season went on in to a very good cover corner. Additionally, he wasn't afraid to come up and thump someone, as evidenced by his three forced fumbles. And he made the one play of the season that made scream so loud I woke my neighbors (the strip sack of Landry Jones in the OU game). Seriously. They came over and asked if we were ok. I wish I were kidding. Runner Up: Bailey

Player Responsible for the Most Excalamtion Points (!!!!!!!!!!!!!): Jimmy Graham

This guy could literally shit himself on the field and I would have thought it was awesome. As I have said, this guy was my favorite basketball player for years because of his heart and tenacity. He played football the same way. If he had ever dunked a touchdown pass, I might literally have died of a rush of blood to the head. Runner Up: Thearon Collier

Rookie of the Year: Mike James

Filled every role we asked him to this season. Gets bonus points for starting at fullback and kick returner...let me know of another guy in America currently filling that role. Runner Up: Olivier Vernon

Best Hair-Do: Olivier Vernon

The Mohawk. 'Nuff said. Runner Up: Jacory

Looked Best in His Uniform: Ray Ray Armstrong

Just looked like a machine sent back through time to destroy receivers going over the middle. Leads me to believe that every single defensive player on the roster should be required to wear the dark visor. Can we make this happen? Give me one good reason why we can't. Runner Up: Graig Cooper

Most Overlooked by the Fans: Graig Cooper

You wouldn't think this, but Cooper actually had a BIG TIME season. He was great in blitz pick-up, a solid receiver and a hard runner. He eliminated the dancing in the backfield and stopped tackling himself. He was the most reliable big play threat and probably the most inappropriately maligned player on the roster. Godspeed in your recovery from injury Cooooooooooop. Runner Up: Jared Campbell

Winston Wolf Award: Damien Berry

He didn't care what happened before he came in or what happened after. He took care of his business and solved problems. A perfect sledgehammer running back. Runner Up: None.

SIDENOTE: The other day Bill turns to me and says "Why the hell didn't Tiger Woods just call the Wolf?" Fanatastic question.

Tom Robinson Most Sympathetic Figure Award: Eric Moncur

This guy went balls to the wall all the time, and as a result he couldn't stay healthy. A shame, because this was a great kid with a lot of talent and a truly inspiraional story.Runner Up: Javarris James

Best Moment: Aldarious Johnson's catch on 4th and 16 against Wake Forest

The three plays before this were terrible and mind-boggling. The throw on this play looked high. Johnson looked double...nay, triple... covered. And yet, he still made the play. And the rest is history. Runner Up: Jacory Harris Throw/Travis Benjamin Catch late against FSU

Best Game: Miami beats Florida State 38-34

If I have to explain this, you are a moron. Runner Up: Miami loses to Clemson in OT

And there you have it. My stomach will never be the same (pretty sure I now have an ulcer...Go 'Canes!), and neither will my phone. I wouldn't trade it for anything.

Thanks for the memories!

Just Out Of Reach

Hello All,

The Miami Hurricanes season was lost in a Game of Inches (wow, that sounded like the beginning of an ESPN article, no?).

Miami just never seemed to get the inch they needed in big spots.

A foot on the sideline here. A diving catch for the opponent there. Jacory was a couple of inches off on his passes, and Wisconsin was able to keep the game an inch or two out of the grasp of the Hurricanes.

At the end of the day, the ‘Canes lost because, as Al Pacino said in his famous “Any Given Sunday” locker room speech, they were unable to win the inches that were everywhere around them.

It was sadly poetic that the game would end on a ball that landed an inch short of Thearon Collier on 4th and 14. The turf gave way from under him on his cut, he couldn’t get back to the ball, and just like that a late game surge of momentum was wasted and the game over.

Wisconsin won because, at the end of the day, they were slower.

They worked seconds off of the clock throughout the game. They squared up and caught balls with no real concern for making something happen after the catch. After all, that is what they do. They play station to station football. This is the type of football that Earl Weaver would have played. They grind it out. They try and take speed out of the game when they can.

And in this game, it was just what the doctor ordered.

Miami just got beat in every aspect of the game.

Miami caught their fair share of bounces, but time and again they were unable to make anything happen.

While the final score was close, the game really was not. This was very much like the Virginia Tech game, the only other time the ‘Canes were taken completely out of their element.

Wisconsin, to their credit, forced the ‘Canes in to a slow-down, pound it out affair for which they were not well equipped. The Badgers, even after a blitzkrieg first 23 seconds saw the ‘Canes return a kick for a touchdown (called back to the 16 after a phantom penalty…and why wouldn’t it be?) and then readjust and score a touchdown on the ground, never took their eye off the ball. They did exactly what everyone expected, and did it very well.

Miami, meanwhile, was confusing to watch. The offense lacked any sort of rhyme or reason for all but the second to last drive, which was run out of the shotgun no-huddle against a prevent defense.

Jacory was not himself; he looked far more injured than lost to me, but others may have a different opinion. The offensive line was outfoxed by the Wisconsin defensive line. The receivers could not keep their footing. The whole unit was a mess.

The defense was not without fault. They could not find a way to cover Lance Kendricks, who finished with seven HUGE catches, most seemingly for big gains on 3rd Down.

However, when the unit is forced on to the field for the majority of the game (I do not know the exact statistics because I was too upset to look at the game stats and have now vowed to never look at them) and still only gives up 20 points, forces multiple turnovers and holds the opposing offense to 3 second half points, your team should win.

And the ‘Canes didn’t.

The game was just out of their reach all night.

Am I shocked? Yes.

Here’s why:

All year long, this team has held the capability to lay over and play dead for 58 minutes and then make something out of nothing. They seem to thrive on winning when they shouldn’t.

After the ‘Canes cut the lead to 6 and went out for the onside kick, my brother and I joked “Twenty bucks Matt Bosher recovers his own kick here.”

And then he actually did it.

Right after a score. With just over a minute left. At midfield. Were the ‘Canes going to score? Yes.

SIDENOTE: Billy Stein, in the midst of our near-heart attacks: “If we had a sister, Bosher could definitely bang her.”

And then the ‘Canes went 4 plays and game over. I don’t know if there was anyone in the stadium who though we were going to lose that game after recovering the onsider.

And maybe that is the best way to wrap up this blog written after the season finale.

We might not have won them all, but we expected to win them all. Even when the odds were completely against us, we never thought this team was out of it.

Last year, the team found itself in pretty much the same scenario against Cal. They didn’t win then either. I also remember never thinking they were going to. I hoped they would. I wanted them to. I was mad that they didn’t. But deep down, I didn’t expect them to.

This year I did.

On paper, this season will only represent a 2 win improvement.

For anyone that watched this team, even in a bowl game that can only be described as a debacle, they know that the reality is vastly different then what the paper will tell you.

Best wishes to Graig Cooper and any one else who sustained an injury, best of luck to those leaving the team (once a 'Cane, always a 'Cane) and, as always, guard the inbound passer.

Fight Night

Hello All,

Yesterday was the first time that my brother, father and I attended a Miami Hurricanes game together.

This is actually a much bigger deal than you would think, seeing as we were raised from a very young age to be ‘Canes fans by our parents and my brother is almost 21 years old now.

However, we always had problems making it to games while living in places like Wisconsin and Texas until my brother graduated from high school. My brother and I were always on fall sports teams, so traveling down to Miami wasn’t much of an option. We would have loved to go and watch the ‘Canes play if they were in the area, but surprisingly, the ‘Canes don’t make many trips to Wisconsin (although the baseball team did come to Minneapolis for a tournament once; maybe the greatest weekend ever, as my brother and I got to batboy for the team that a couple months later won the College World Series).

My dad and I were finally able to attend a game together when I was a junior, but again, my brother attending Ole Miss presented a problem to him being able to join us.

Anyway, we were finally able to get to a game together in Tampa on Saturday. Let’s just say it was definitely worth it.

PRE-GAME

- We get in the car at 8:45 AM (yes, 7 hours before kickoff) and don’t stop until we get to Steak ‘N’ Shake. At 10:30 AM. When we step in, the host asks us if we’d like breakfast menus. Billy Stein, after looking confused for a minute, as if he didn’t understand the question: “No… we want a meal.”

- We get a nice view of Tampa from I-275. Billy Stein: “Gainesville, you’re f%&*#’ out. Tampa, you’re f$*#&#’ in. SUPERSTAR.” (I begin to realize my brother has become a combination of Kenny Powers and Stiffler…)

- We park and pull out the football…because that’s what you do at a football tailgate. Except, apparently, in Tampa, where footballs are not allowed. At a FOOTBALL tailgate. In a grass lot. Excuse me? The girl working the lot told us this was because of liability concerns. I would like to meet the doucher that sues a stadium when their car gets bumped by a football at a tailgate. Occupational hazard? I think so! Anyway, we put the football away.

- …That is, we put it away until the fun police walked away, at which point every single group in our row took their footballs out and started throwing them around. It was like when the teacher leaves her 3rd Grade classroom during a test. The second that door closes, all hell breaks loose.

- Some dude working for the stadium (with one of the worst ear piercings I have ever seen) comes over and says if we don’t stop throwing the ball he will take it away. Since we weren’t standing near our car (meaning he had no idea which one we were in), and because this guy was so annoying, my brother and I completely ignore him and keep throwing. When he stepped toward my brother to try and get the ball, Billy threw it to me. When he came toward me and tried to take the ball, I threw it to Billy. And so began the best game of monkey in the middle we have ever played.

- Sidenote: He never got the football.

- The tailgate lot was actually a lot of fun. We met up with friends and were surprised by how many ‘Canes fans there were. Dad: “It seems like there are more UM fans here than at a home game.” Sad, but possibly true. Also, props to Chris, Trent, Steve and Russo for making a tailgate that literally consisted of sitting around and drinking beer in to a kickass time.

- Another downside to the tailgate: big time lack of port-o-johns. This resulted in 20 minute lines to use the bathroom. Luckily, we were near some woods. I simply stepped behind the trailer located next to the woods and…well, you know the rest. Maybe the funniest scene of the day was ten random dudes (USF fans, Miami fans, we were all friends here) lined up on a fence giving each other “bones” before/after taking a pee and constantly checking over our shoulders for cops. Would the cops have really done anything? I don’t think so. But then again, they tried to confiscate our football.

- During warm-ups for the game, my brother and I managed to make either immediate friends or enemies of everyone in our section, depending upon what colors they were wearing. Maybe it was when the Bulls were singing their alma mater and we started a “ ‘Canes over here” chant. Maybe it was the sheer volume. But no matter what you want to call it, it was certainly fun.

- Official verdict on the new uniforms: I like them. I don’t love them, and I wish we would go back to the old school uni’s from the late 90’s. However, aside from the dumb threading on the shoulders and the dual-colored pant stripes, these looked great. The white shoes were a great touch. Also, they made the team look bigger and faster. Which is always a good thing.

- Also of note during warm-ups: Chris Hayes was in uniform for the game, which was awesome to see. And I must say I was impressed that the coaches, anticipating pooch kicks, had Daryl Sharpton, Jimmy Graham and John Calhoun in the kickoff returners-line.

1st HALF
- Miami starts with two big first downs to Hank and LaRon Byrd. The long first drive ends with a touchdown to Hank. (7-0 UM)
- Billy Stein, pissed off after an Ole Miss loss in the Egg Bowl and excited about the touchdown: “Big 4 my brown hairy ass!” to the lady in front of us booing. She deserved it.
- Miami forces a 3&Out
- Miami then stalls a productive drive and is forced to punt
- Sharpton, all of a sudden playing like a man possessed, forces a fumble on B.J. Daniels. Or as the Stein boys took to calling him, Willie Beamen.
- Baby J is running hard, and picks up a first down and then the touchdown. (14-0)
- Billy Stein decides that his new favorite thing is throwing the upside down horns to any USF fans in our vicinity. The best part is that they have NO comeback. Surprisingly gratifying.
- USF kicks a field goal (14-3)
- Miami brings in the sledgehammer, Damien Berry. So far, they have followed the game plan. Pound away and set up playaction. USF’s pass rush is great, but the middle of their D is soft. This is exemplified as Berry picks up 17 big yards. Two first downs later (big plays to Mike James and Aldarious Johnson), Berry rips off a 16 yarder to set up a Baby J touchdown. (21-3)
- Billy Stein just glares at the USF fans down if front of us. Honestly, it was little scary…I had never seen that look in someone’s eyes before.
- Brandon Harris gets a pick, but the offense can’t capitalize and goes 3&out. On the next USF possession, Miami gets big plays by Andrew Smith and Sean Spence (back from injury) to kill a drive.

HALFTIME
- Miami is executing their game plan flawlessly. They are establishing the run and then using it to set up the pass. They have completely stopped the Bulls running back, and most of USF’s yards have come on broken plays in which Willie Beamen just runs around until something happens. Let’s just say I am feelin’ prettaaaaayyyyyyy good.
- Also, a sign that you are an irrelevant football program: during every possible break in the game you are running promotions. Free movie tickets. Free appetizers. Free EVERYTHING. At one point they offered free tickets to the game we were ALREADY AT. It was like a minor league baseball game. Simply ridiculous.

2nd HALF
- USF comes out with a big drive, as expected, to drive down inside the five. Brandon Harris almost had a pick six on the first pass of the half after he jumped an out route, but he let the ball glance off his fingertips. As if poetically, Daniels then leads his team down the field.
- Miami’s D toughens up and stops USF cold on the first 2 plays from the two yard line for no gain. However, on third down, Daniels scrambles for approximately 10 seconds, avoiding multiple tackles and then delivering a strike in to the back of the end zone. (21-10)
- …we have to get a score here…
- Miami goes 3&out. Uh-oh…
- And right about this time, a common theme for the half begins. I turn around when I hear a scuffle going on a few rows back. A female USF fan is yelling something at a male UM fan. He is telling her to leave him alone. Her male friend (also a UM fan…yep, there was a fight between UM fans at an away game) comes down to make things worse. The second guy has his hat knocked off, which leads to the logical response of throwing a haymaker. So now we have a fistfight between two UM fans in the section. Fighter #1 shakes off Fighter #2, only to start being kicked in the back by the female fan that started this mess (she has lost her balance and fallen in to the row behind him). Of course, she is a woman so she is not supposed to be hit. Surprisingly, Fighter #1 shows amazing restraint and does not hit her. And this is why families like the one to my left, who had brought their four little girls to the game (they were buddies with me and Bill by the end thanks to their UM facepaint), avoid football games.
- Billy Stein during the melee: “HIT HER IN THE FACE!!!!!!!”
- Miami and USF exchange three straight 3&out until Miami gets the ball and Berry rips off a big run. Which leads to a 34 yard touchdown pass from Jacory to Dedrick Epps. It looked to me like he was actually aiming for Benjamin, in which case the pass was five yards underthrown. And there were three USF players and two Miami players in the area. But the pass dropped right in to Epps’s chest, and you really can’t complain about touchdowns. (28-10 UM)
- Colin McCarthy kills the next USF drive with a 13 yard sack on Beamen…
- DING DING DING…fight number two. This time, a real mountain of a man in a blue shirt got pushed by some other guy. Well, big man put an end to that pretty quickly, burying about 10 right crosses in to the other guy’s face. And here’s the best part: security let him stay after questioning (I suppose it was self-defense, but REALLY?!?!?)…and kicked out the guy who was busted open! Talk about getting the shaft.
- Coop rips off a big run…
- FIGHT #3! This actually just turns in to a shoving match which spills down the aisle, but the security guards (who are now an occupying force in our section) throw everyone involved out on their ass. And who said the cheap seats weren’t any good? I got three undercards to go with the main attraction!
- Anyway, not much else happened. Lee Chambers and Berry ran well, Bosher added a field goal (31-10) and the defense held strong. ‘Canes win! ‘Canes win!

POST GAME
- I will have more in-depth analysis of the team in the coming weeks leading up to the bowl. However, over cigars after the game, the three of us talked about how we thought that 9-3 was the ceiling for this team before the season. And that ain’t bad.

OTHER GAMES I WATCHED

- Texas vs. Texas A&M: This was one hell of a game and one hell of a performance from Colt McCoy. However, I do not know if it was any better than C.J. Spiller against Miami or Toby Gerhart against Notre Dame. They don’t give me a Heisman vote, but still, my current Heisman ballot:
o 1. Spiller
o 2. Mccoy
o 3. Gerhart
o 4. Tebow
o 5. Clausen
- Rutgers vs. Louisville: Really Louisville? Really? It is so embarrassing to think that we lost to this team in the last five years…
- Cincinnati vs. Illinois: The only noteworthy nugget for this one? ‘Cincinnati’ is really hard to spell. And here’s somethin’ else: I think that both TCU and Cincy (and maybe Boise) could beat UF. Or’Bama. Or Texas. They both play some hard nosed defense and explosive offense. Just puttin’ that out there.
- Ohio vs. Temple: Temple is 9-3?!?!?!?!?!!??!!?!?!?!? When did this happen?
- Auburn vs. Alabama: I swear to God, it is impossible for a team I like to run an effective two minute offense.The ‘Canes? Nope. The ‘Phins? Nope. Anyone playing Florida and Alabama? Nope.
- West Virginia vs. Pitt: Annnnnnd the ‘Neers singlehandedly save my picks for the week. And maybe their coach’s job.

Best Game: Stanford vs. Notre Dame

Best Uniform: The ‘Canes. I like the white shoes…

Game Ball Goes To: Gerhart and McCoy. Duh. NOT Mark Ingram.

Worst Uniform: LSU, for messing up a great helmet. Breathe easy, Mizzou.

Trojan Enz © Boner of the Week Award: Stanford, for almost letting Golden Tate (the same guy that had destroyed them ALL GAME) beat them by playing soft coverage on the final drive of the game. Luckily, they managed to hang on. But still. Big time mess up.

Non-BCS Name You Should Know: Al Golden, Temple coach. They’re 9-3?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!

Always guard the inbound passer.

Clemson: Kind of Like That Chick From Entourage

Hello All,

Welcome to what is possibly the most confusing week of any team’s season: the week they play Clemson.

Clemson is kind of like the Alexis Dziena of the college football world. Every time I see Alexis on the screen, I have an internal debate. I know she is supposed to be hot; otherwise, she wouldn’t be on screen. Half the time she is gorgeous. However, the other half the time she is debatably attractive; some might say categorically unattractive. Sometimes, she looks like the freshman in high school who has potential but hasn’t realized her potential yet so she dates down to raise her self esteem. That, in a nutshell, is Clemson: Great one week, unfulfilled and kind of trashy the next.

Example: Clemson struggled to beat Middle Tennessee State, fell behind three early scores to Georgia Tech only to rally for the near-win, beat Boston College, lost a close game to TCU, lost to Maryland, and then beat Wake Forest.

In their two marquee games, they played well but lost. They beat BC and Wake, but there’s also the loss to Maryland. That makes them 2-1 in the games they were supposed to win and 0-2 in the ones they weren’t supposed to. They are more unpredictable than Zeta Tau Alpha.

Why is this confusing? Because I have watched them play and they are undeniably talented. They hit big plays and have two of the nation’s elite playmakers in Jacoby Ford and C.J. Spiller. They are the underdog in this one, and they have not won in that role yet; however, they have acquitted themselves well by keeping it close with Top 15 programs. They always play Miami tough; Miami, however, has responded remarkably well in the spotlight this season.

Miami is 2-0 in the games they were supposed to win and 3-1 as an underdog. However, they have played every game under the lights but the Virginia Tech game, and we all know how that turned out.

Like I said, confusing.

The game plan to beat the Tigers seems to be to force quarterback Kyle Parker to beat you. He is completing less than 50% of his passes, and as many have said, is overly reliant on the big play. Further, Clemson has struggled to get Ford and Spiller the ball at times, and that cannot happen if they want to win.

On defense, their front seven is fast and physical. Here is another area of confusion: Miami stood up very well to Oklahoma’s vaunted front 7 but struggled last week with UCF’s blitz. Clemson is closer to Oklahoma, but HAD to have seen the Knights tape. Again, I am absolutely at a loss as to my expectations.

And, as we seem to say every week, the game could come down to special teams, where the Tigers have Ford and Spiller lurking and the ‘Canes have struggled in coverage.

Ladies and gentlemen, I give you Clemson Week!

BREAKDOWNS:

QB: Jacory has been great, but cannot turn the ball over here. He will be seeing man coverage, which will be easier to pick apart than the zones he has struggled at times to beat. Parker is struggling for Clemson, and if John Lovett is smart, Miami will be blitzing early and often. EDGE: Miami

RB: Stats may not say it, but Javarris James, Graig Cooper and Damien Berry have taken turns as highly effective runners for Miami. Clemson features the duo of Spiller and Ellington, both of whom are explosive. They also have former Miami recruit Jamie Harper in reserve. Spiller reminds me a lot of Michael Goodson from the 2007 and 2008 Texas A&M teams, who Miami was able to contain reasonably well. EDGE: Even

Receivers: Ford is explosive, but Parker is erratic. The ‘Canes, on the other hand, will have all hands on deck and ready to go with the return of Aldarious Johnson. EDGE: Miami

Offensive Line: Matt Pipho will struggle for the ‘Canes against the Clemson front, so the key will be helping by chipping with either a tight end or a fullback when the ‘Canes pass. Again, just like Oklahoma, the ‘Canes should be in max protect, as the receiving corps will be able to get open against man coverage (meaning the use of three receivers instead of five is just fine). EDGE: Clemson

Defensive Line: The Tigers feature DeQuan Bowers and Ricky Sapp, two elite defensive ends. The Hurricanes have plenty of good players but have been hit by the injury bug and have not been as productive as might be hoped. EDGE: Clemson

Linebacker: Both teams have solid units. Sean Spence and Colin McCarthy are playing like men on a mission for the ‘Canes, and Clemson is lead by Brandon Maye. EDGE: Even

Secondary: Miami is at an advantage because Parker struggles, but look for Ford to make a big play or two (unless Brandon Harris plays the best game of his career). Meanwhile, the Tigers are taking their man coverage against a quarterback with deadly accuracy and an arsenal of receivers. EDGE: Miami

Special Teams: Ford and Spiller have the Tigers in the Top 10 in the nation in both kick and punt returns. ‘Nuff said. EDGE: Clemson

Coaching: Shannon and crew actually have a pretty solid edge over Dabo Swinney and staff. EDGE: Miami

THIS WEEK’S GUEST

After Rachel broke the streak last week, I present to you Trent Mullins, born and bred Southerner who will try and keep the ball rollin’:

"As one of the 6 people who read this blog, let me just first and foremost express what an honor it is to be selected to make the celebrity pick this week for Stein on the Sidelines. I know he typically calls it a “guest” pick, but not this week.

Not many great matchups on the slate this week in CFB. College GameDay is in Provo for the TCU Horned Ladainian Tomlinson Went Heres vs. the BYU Big Love Morman Weirdo Cougars….Herbstreit could/should have 6 new wives by the time he leaves.

Needless to say, I think that Auburn v. LSU may actually be the best matchup of the week. I have been a resident in SEC country my entire life, and it is by far the best football conference in America. From the tailgates all the way to the radio shows. It’s not even close. Seriously. Sorry Stein on the Sidelines.

Before I make a pick and throw a score out there, let’s take a look at the recent history of the matchup and some fun facts
• Both schools share the Tiger as their mascot. Auburn for some reason also has a “War Eagle” as their mascot. It’s been explained to me as “Dude, the Tiger is our mascot but ‘War Eagle’ is our battle cry”….I guess that makes sense to them.

• Either Auburn or LSU has won at least a share of the SEC Western Division championship for five of the last six years

• The home team won every game from 2000-2007, until LSU beat Auburn on the road last year

• This has been one of the best games in the SEC the last 2 years. With both being decided by game-winning TDs in the waning seconds. Both by LSU.

• LSU had won 4,367 consecutive home night games before losing a tough one to Florida two weeks ago, and they should have lost to UGA the week before had the referees not intervened in one of the most heinously bad/unnecessary/WTF were they thinking calls I have ever seen.

• Auburn hadn’t had an impressive road W since 2007 until it beat Tennessee and Lane Kiffin (and his boner inducing wife) in Neyland Stadium 3 weeks ago…They have since lost 2 in a row, but they always play well in Baton Rouge.

I think the game is going to come down to QB play (like most games do). Jordan Jefferson and LSU certainly have more offensive weapons, but Jordan Jefferson is terrible. He is another perfect example of college coaches searching for the next Vince Young. This applies to Senator Tressel in Columbus as well. Just being big, black, athletic, and quick DOES NOT instantly make you a good quarterback. I’m sure Jefferson will have a fine career in Baton Rouge. He is still young. But as of now, I have to give the QB edge to Auburn and Chris Todd. 12 TDs v. 2 INTs. A certain upgrade from Brandon Cox and Kodi Burns. Auburn’s RB, Ben Tate, is no slouch either.

Now I’m going to completely contradict everything I just said and predict LSU the winner. And here’s why:
• Some of my friends (who happened to go to Auburn) made the journey to Baton Rouge in 2007 for the game. They are girls so they wouldn’t be able to tell me anything about the actual game itself, but they didn’t need to. I had heard enough. A 65 year old woman sitting in front of them, spent the entire game turned around in her seat heckling these poor girls with incoherent, Cajun, expletive laced tirades, all while throwing popcorn on them every few minutes. These are the grown-up LSU fans.
• Upon leaving the stadium after LSU’s late come-from-behind victory, they witnessed what is either the most hilarious or most horrifying thing I have ever heard of. I’ll let you be the judge. An LSU young fraternity man (Lets call him Jimbo), clearly excited about the game’s outcome, spots a 60-70 year old Auburn fan, holding hands with his wife, walking towards him. Clearly irate at the disrespect this old man was showing him by quietly walking to the car with his wife, Jimbo proceeds to walk in front of this couple take his Solo cup full of beer and chuck it at the elderly AU fans, striking the man upper chest/neck area, spilling beer all over them and yelling “F*** You!”….

4,367 consecutive home night games. Look it up if you don’t believe me. I think Jimbo’s a 7th year Senior this year. This one kicks at 7:30 PM…

LSU 17 – Auburn 10

EDITOR’S NOTE: Thanks Trent. However, here is where I have to disagree. I know the SEC is probably the best conference, but the fact that everyone considers it a foregone conclusion is ridiculous this season. I say this mostly because of the referees, which have completely taken away most of the conference’s credibility for this season.

Shall we take a look?

Warning, this will get lengthy.

Today the SEC suspended a referee crew based on their glaring miscues in two games. The two games were the matchups between Georgia and LSU and Florida and Arkansas.

In the Georgia/LSU game, the referees called a phantom celebration personal foul late with about a minute left on Georgia’s go-ahead score. The resulting longer kickoff meant LSU started with the ball at about midfield. Of course, LSU scored, won the game and preserved their undefeated record to set up a Top 5, marquee showdown with Florida 2 weeks later.

This was a bad call that changes the shape of the season for both teams. But it never had me questioning the legitimacy of the conference. Until I thought about it yesterday, after the SEC apologized for the SAME CREW’s mistake in the UF/Arkansas game I made fun of last column.

There were two bad penalties back to back, a personal foul called on an Arkansas lineman who was bracing himself from the charge a Gator lineman made at him (the one the conference apologized for) and a pass interference call which essentially hand delivered the Gators the score (admittedly, pass interference is the worst called penalty in sports and seems to always be made at the worst time, no matter the conference). This, coupled with the fact that Arkansas was called for 10 penalties compared to the Gators’ 3 (in a fast, physical SEC game) really got me thinking though.

Doesn’t it make sense for the SEC to have a bias toward their top 3 programs, which this year are Alabama, Florida and LSU? Don’t you think that the SEC officials probably are told ahead of time “if it’s close, lean toward the big guys”? This is the most corrupt conference in football at other levels, featuring pay-for-play scandals, street agents and felons playing for just about every team. The LSU win set up the marquee matchup two weeks later, and the Florida win kept the Gators the #1 team in the country.

Now think about this: what if those two borderline at best judgment calls don’t get made? Georgia and Arkansas both realistically win the games, as they had all the momentum to those points. After the LSU game, you would have Florida at 1, Alabama at 2 and the next best team, Georgia, right around 10th (assuming they would have moved up 7 spots, which seems to be the typical move for a win like that). Then, two weeks later Florida beats an LSU team probably ranked 11th or 12th, but a 10 point margin probably is not enough to keep them ahead of Alabama, who crushed Ole Miss, a Top 20 team at the time. Now you have Alabama #1, Florida #2 and the third ranked team as LSU, who is now probably right around #10 (remember, Georgia gets drilled by Tennessee…it wasn’t even close enough to think they might have won with the confidence built from the LSU win). Then, after Florida loses to Arkansas, they probably drop to right around 9 or 10. So you have Alabama as #1 (and rightfully so), LSU at #8 and Florida at #9. That is still the best conference in football, but how much better is it than, say, the ACC (a terrible conference in my opinion), who has Miami at #7 in this scenario, Georgia Tech at #10 and Virginia Tech at #14?

The scary thing is to think of all the close games in the SEC that may have been influenced one way or the other by questionable calls. The SEC is the best conference in the country, but if they use the referees to manipulate that ranking, will we ever know? The problem with conferences like the ACC and the Big East is that the teams cannibalize each other, and no one is immune. Well, if the refs in the ACC (who are terrible in every game anyway and usually err against Miami at the worst time possible) started protecting the interest of Miami, Florida State and Virginia Tech (the three traditional ACC powers) in every close game, don’t you think they would be Top 10 teams every season?

I’m not trying to say that there is a conspiracy; merely, I am stating that it seems rather convenient the way things have played out in what has so far been a mediocre season of college football, even for the SEC. And maybe the SEC isn’t as great as everyone thinks.

MY PICKS

Last week was better, as I went 5-3 to improve to 16-23 (ouch). I also went to 0-5 in upset specials. Here is this week’s carnage:

Alabama over Tennessee: This will be closer than you would think, like the UF-UT game. But Alabama is just too much football team for anyone right now.

Florida State over North Carolina: On Thursday night, the ‘Noles finally will show up and win an ACC game. On the road. Against a better team. I have no rhyme nor reason for saying this. Is this a mercy pick? This might be a mercy pick. It feels like it is…is FSU really that bad? I’m not even upset. I feel bad for them. Wow. Well, at least I will want to murder every student at their school again next season. It’s the little things…

Georgia Tech over Virginia: In what has actually become an important game. I think the annual Al Groh “Listen guys, we need to win a lot of games or I am getting canned and don’t think that means that you will keep your scholarship because you probably won’t” Campaign stalls here. By the way, is the ACC the 2nd best conference right now (knock on wood knock on wood knock on wood knock on wood knock on wood)? The Big 12 sucks outside of Texas and the hard luck Sooners, the Big 10 always sucks, the Pac 10 is really only USC and Oregon, and the Big East is Cincinnati and a bunch of interchangeable parts. Who saw that coming? I still think the ACC champion, whoever it might be, will lose at least once more. But this is a weird season.

Arkansas over Ole Miss: Sorry Bill (a little reverse jinx perhaps?).

Boston College Over Notre Dame: They said more Hail Marys this week…ba dum cha!

Oklahoma over Kansas: In the least upsetting upset ever. I don’t like this Oklahoma team and don’t even feel bad for them for losing Bradford for the season (who I like). But does anyone really think they’re losing this game? Also, I just picked four straight road teams. I noticed this as I was typing. Maybe I should be the one saying the Hail Marys…

USC over Oregon State: They got their token loss to a weakling out of their system already.

Texas over Missouri: Because their defense is just too good to justify the upset special pick. But don’t worry, it’s coming.

USF over Pitt: Again, no clue why, I’m just going with my gut.

Wake over Navy: Because I know you all care. Wake wins just to make Stein on the Sidelines more nervous about next week’s game.

UPSET SPECIAL: BYU over TCU

Yes, it’s a cop out. Not that big an upset. Picking the home team. But I need to break the five game losing streak for my upset special, and I am sick of everyone talking about TCU and Boise State. So why not kill 1.5 birds with 1 stone?

Always guard the inbound passer.

If He Can Do It, Why Not Me?

Hello All,

I was pondering the other day as to how I could get this blog noticed by more people so that I could finally get picked up by ESPN and get paid to sit around, watch sports and write about it. Then it dawned on me, in the form of a text update from the New York Times (all the news print to fit).

Someone should nominate me for the Nobel Prize for Literature! I mean, who cares that I haven’t actually written a great book? We all agree that I have the potential to one day, maybe, possibly write something that will change the world, right? I don’t see any problem with this. In fact, I think that starting now I will be launching the Stein on the Sidelines for Nobel Campaign. YES WE CAN!

To get things started, I will be providing a non-partisan discourse on the upcoming Miami vs. UCF football game and sending a surge of picks in to my season total, which is deteriorating quickly.

The Golden Knights are a tough football team, there is no doubt about it. Last season, the Hurricanes made the mistake of taking them lightly and almost suffered a defeat as a result. However, it is a new season, and the Whipple Stimulus Plan has helped to stabilize what was a crumbling offensive system. Interceptions are still a problem for Jacory Harris, and UCF can be opportunistic. However, overall, the success of Jacory Harris has trickled down to the masses, and the unit as a whole has seen remarkable growth; the Union is strong.

Here is the breakdown of what should be a 2-3 score win for the ‘Canes.

Quarterback: Harris needs to cut out the interceptions but has played remarkably well thus far, getting all of his receivers involved and pushing the ball downfield early and often. Harris has been particularly effective working the middle of the field, and UCF doesn’t have the speed at safety and linebacker to take away the center third. Meanwhile, UCF’s Brett Hodges has thrown six touchdowns and six interceptions against Samford, Southern Miss, Buffalo, East Carolina and Memphis (not exactly murderer’s row). EDGE: Miami

Running Back: After Damien Berry’s breakout, Miami looks better than ever. Graig Cooper and Javarris James will be rested, Lee Chambers will be desperate to show he still belongs ahead of Berry on the depth chart, and Mike James will continue to be a multi-purpose threat. UCF’s leading rusher is Brynn Harvey, who is definitely solid but not much more. EDGE: Miami

Receiver: UCF has a guy named Rocky Ross, a personal favorite of Stein on the Sidelines. However, Miami’s strength in numbers gets the advantage. EDGE: Miami

Offensive Line: Miami’s has played well. UCF’s has not been physical enough to average more than 3.5 YPC. Against Miami’s front, the Knights will have to be better. EDGE: Miami

Defensive Line: Well, assuming Miami has eight guys healthy, they are more talented and have performed better. However, UCF’s Bruce Miller and Jarvis Geathers each have 4.5 sacks and could create some heartburn for Jacory. EDGE: Miami

Linebackers: Miami is just too talented here, although the loss of Jordan Futch hurts. EDGE: Miami

Secondary: This should be the game that the secondary creates multiple turnovers for the ‘Canes. It is safe to assume that the Knights will pick Harris a time or two, based on the fact that Harris throws two every game lately. EDGE: Even

Special Teams: Matt Bosher and a fleet of gifted returners gives Miami the advantage, but watch out for UCF’s Quincy McDuffie. EDGE: Miami

Coaching: Randy Shannon and staff are starting to gel and have the soft part of their schedule to tighten things up. EDGE: Miami

THIS WEEK’S GUEST

Like I said, this is one girl who can talk some football. Well this week our guest appears to have done A LOT of homework. Probably more than I did for this entrie post. I am actually a little embarassed. Ladies and gentlemen, my friend and your favorite, Rachel Russo, trying to get guest pickers off the schnide:

"First of all, I’d like to thank Dan for giving me “the highest form of praise” in his last blog entry by saying that I, a measly girl, could talk about football. Now call me old fashioned, but I’m not even that big of a fan of women in general talking about sports and I don’t really consider myself to be an exception. His complement was touching none the less. On the other hand, it also set me up for failure. Since Dan declared to all of the world that I actually “know” football I can’t guest pick this game based on who has the best looking quarterback (Josh Nesbitt over Tyrod Taylor any day) or what team colors I like the best (maroon and orange together? barf). I started to get nervous that the whole world would be judging my football assessing skills. But then I realized that the only people judging me would be the 5 or 6 of you who actually read this blog (Editor's Note: ZING!) and let’s be honest, I’m not worried about you guys ;)

Before I actually get to the whole picking thing let me just give you a little more background info. I am from the great state of Virginia, Richmond to be exact (which is much classier than Blacksburg, by the way). Approximately 25% of my graduating class went to Virginia Tech, including all but one of my good friends. Growing up in VA you are expected to stay there, if not for life, at least for college. You
can’t imagine the confused looks and questions I had to deal with when I said I was going to the University of Miami instead of an in-state school. After a summer full of hearing about how great VA Tech was going to be and attending a million maroon and orange themed parties I started my freshman year full of resentment towards anything Hokie related. As a result, there is no game I look forward to more than the yearly Miami vs. Virginia Tech match-up. During my time at the U we went 2-2 and those losses hurt deep, adding to my resentment of Virginia Tech. So even though I’m committed to rooting against VA Tech football at all times, I’m going to try to not let all that bitterness cloud my judgment. Let me know how I do…

(SIDENOTE: Is it Stein on the Sidelines, or do the people in Virginia sound obnoxious? This is two guest pickers with pretty much the same story. And here I thought that they were all like Stein on the Sidelines' personal hero, General Stonewall Jackson. Take that, preconceptions.)

Let’s get to it- I’m here to guest pick this week’s match-up between the Techs, Georgia and Virginia. This is a hugeee ACC game between what I consider to be two of the top three teams in the ACC (Miami being the other, obviously). Both teams won big games last week. VA Tech stomped on Boston College and GA Tech should still be high off of their win against FSU.
Supposedly, Virginia Tech is one of the top five teams in the country and is in the running for a national championship (I’m not buying it). I still think that the Yellow Jackets can take this one though, and here’s how: DEFENSE.

This game is going to come down to who has the better defense. GA Tech needs to step it up. Allowing 400+ yards is unacceptable to say the least. They have been plagued with injuries (but who hasn’t?) and the healthy players have had to deal with mid-season tweaking along with some position shifts. I’m hoping the necessary changes have been made and the Yellow Jackets come out looking polished and focused. That brings me to my next point…GA Tech needs to stay focused on what’s going down in Bobby Dodd at 6pm, October 24, 2009 and nothing else. If they can get past this week with a W the future looks very bright. They can’t let those thoughts distract them though from doing what needs to be done Saturday night.

In terms of offense, I’m looking for a stellar game from Jonathan Dwyer. Lord knows I love me a good running back and alongside Jahvid Best (stud) and Graig Cooper (<3), Dwyer is one of my favorites. Nesbitt has been doing an awesome job of utilizing the passing game (Editor's Note: Debatable?) and some solid connections with Demaryius Thomas, among others, would be an added bonus.

So in case you haven’t figured it out yet, I’m going with GA Tech on this one (as should any good Canes fans out there, by the way). A Georgia Tech win helps us as much as it helps them. Here’s to the Hokies first conference loss on Saturday night. If I wasn’t going to be in Orlando cheering for my boys, there is nothing else I would rather watch."

PICKS

Well, last week was a debacle in every sense of the word. I should never have started this. Anyway, I went 1-9. My upset special failed. My guest picker failed. I am just waiting on a kidney to go at this point. My season record fell to 11-20 overall and 0-4 in upset specials. So, here are the 10 picks that will get me back over .500:

Texas over Oklahoma: Colt McCoy gets his revenge and makes his Heisman statement. Plus, his eyes are dreamy.

USC over Notre Dame: Duh.

Nebraska over Texas Tech: Alphabet Suh is a beast for the Huskers and can singlehandedly create enough pressure up the middle that he can break the Red Raider scheme.

Alabama over South Carolina: I always think it is funny that when they highlight a single image for each team in ESPN promos, South Carolina’s is always their coach, Darth Visor. Not a good sign in a game this big.

Boston College over North Carolina State: BC wins this week’s coin flip in the Tom O’Brien Classic.

Wake Forest over Clemson: Clemson at noon at home a week before a possible primetime game in Miami? TRAP!

Iowa over Wisconsin: If this were at night in Camp Randle, I would say “Upset Special”. But it isn’t. And I’m not.

UPSET SPECIAL

USF over Cincinnati: The Bulls at home on Thursday night on national television are very dangerous, and Cincy needs to prove to me that they are legitimate national contenders.

So there you have it. The seems like pretty much all I need to win the Pulitzer, no? Or at least get nominated. Anyway, STEIN ON THE SIDELINES FOR THE NOBEL!

Always guard the inbound passer.

And Here Comes the FAMU Band!

Hello All,

I walked in to work on Monday and received one of the biggest compliments I have received all season. Since there is not much else to talk about this week (every sportswriter in the world should be made to write “I will not write about Tim Tebow’s practice sessions” 1000 times on the blackboard), I will enlighten the masses.

To start, I am working in a mechanic shop. Yes, a mechanic shop that services semi-trucks. I change tires. They literally weigh twice as much as I do. As you can imagine, I am not the world’s greatest fit for this job, what with my Bachelor of Science and comeuppance in the “city” that is DePere, WI (population: 20,000; this is the big-time for the folks I work with).

Some highlights of every single day at my job:
- Walk in and put my manly looking brown bag lunch (which holds within it a granola bar and a sandwhich; not quite the half pound of Hamburger Helper mixed with half a can of bread crumbs I saw a coworker eat today) in the refrigerator.
- I do my best to communicate in a series of fragments that consists mostly of “how ya doin’” and “how ya doin”.
- Log in to the computer as the other four shop guys marvel that I have mastered the computer program in four days but take half an hour to back up a trailer. Yes, a full half hour to back a semi-truck trailer in to a parking spot. Try it sometime. It is ridiculous. And these guys do it in like two minutes. And yet I digress.
- Dread the inevitable “this truck needs two tires” instruction from my boss.
- Essentially, I take three times longer than everyone else to do anything and feel about as qualified as Larry David is to give a commencement speech. I thought the actual tires would be the hard part. Forget the fact that the tires weigh as much as they do; I have a hard time handling the air gun (essentially a big, powerful, compressed air powered screw driver) that it takes to loosen and tighten screws.
- I cannot understand half the things my boss says, as he speaks a dialect of Redneck that may be unique. Listen, I have lived in North Carolina, Texas, Tennessee, Wisconsin, Georgia and Florida (amongst other places). I have heard just about every version of English imaginable. And this is ridiculous.
- I get “dirtier than a chimney sweep”. And yet, my co-workers who do the same work stay remarkably (almost eerily) clean. The solution? I have no clue.

Anyway, where were we? Ah, yes, the compliment.

One of the guys I work with is about 6’8” and a solid 250 lbs. He is also dead silent most of the time. Anyway, I walked in to work the other day and was greeted with a simple “How ‘bout them ‘Canes?”

I couldn’t believe what had just been said to me. Listen, Stein on the Sidelines loves many things: Cornhole. Jeeps. Kelly Clarkson. The I-Tunes Visualizer. Twenty minutes of staring in to space every day. Patrick Swayze movies. Chicken (fried), cold beer on a Friday night, a pair of jeans that fits just right and the radio up (Wait, is that a song? Damn it! Damn it Zac Brown Band!)

But what I really like is when a big, silent, imposing, Florida Gator-rooting Good Ol’ Boy comes up to me and compliments my football team, which is admittedly probably too big a part of my life.

And why am I writing about this? Well, again, Miami is playing Florida A&M this weekend, and there is not a wealth of storylines. So really, I am just talking about a change in the perception of our program. No, not the type of recognition that comes from beating conference foes and longtime rivals like Florida State and Georgia Tech. That type of recognition really only comes from close-followers of the program and from headline-hungry media members.

It takes something special to get the auto-mechanics of the world to take notice. They live in a world of no-nonsense. Everything serves a purpose, and they don’t do well with frills. Very similar to a truck engine. And what Miami did last weekend was enough to prove something to the auto-mechanics of the world, the types of people who require real proof before they pay attention.

What did they prove?

That the ‘Canes are back? Well, I would say that this team still has a lot of improvement to do before they could be put in to the same sentence as the teams that built “The U”.

That the ‘Canes are national title contenders? Again, probably not this season. This team will still have a few more missteps and probably will lose 1 or 2 that they shouldn’t. It’s just the curse of the bulk of your contributors having less than two seasons of experience.

That the ‘Canes are worthy of everyone’s attention? Hell yes, and it feels good to be relevant again. Now, the trick for this team will be (just like before Virginia Tech) to keep their foot on the gas (see, it all ties back to the mechanic shop…well done Stein on the Sidelines) and not let a team sneak up on them. Because it would be embarrassing as hell to lose a game to FAMU.

And now, on to the FAMU Breakdown, rapid fire edition. As can be expected, Miami has much more talent than the Rattlers. However, do not be surprised if FAMU has some success at different points. They throw the ball well and Miami struggles to cover the pass. They say the real difference between D-1A teams and all the other teams is the talent in the trenches. FAMU might play better than expected early, but Miami should be able to wear them down as the game goes on and pull away (Miami’s real advantage is in depth in this game, assuming FAMU has some fast Florida athletes at the top of their depth chart at the skill positions).

Quarterbacks: Miami has Jacory Harris. EDGE: Miami

Running Backs: Javarris James just ran for 150 yards on one of the top defenses in the nation. EDGE: Miami

Receivers: Miami has over ten players with a catch this season and can substitute 6 players without much drop off at wideout. EDGE: Miami

Offensive Line: D-1A athletes vs. D-1AA athletes. EDGE: Miami
Defensive Line: D-1A athletes vs. D-1AA athletes. EDGE: Miami

Linebackers: Sean Spence and Colin McCarthy. EDGE: Miami

Secondary: Miami will get the edge but only because FAMU’s receivers will be easier to contain than Miami’s. EDGE: Miami

Special Teams: FAMU’s Leroy Vann has received national accolades for his dominance in the return game, but he hasn’t faced athletes like Jordan Futch, Arthur Brown and Ray Ray Armstrong (hell, even Corey Nelms) in coverage. Matt Bosher is punting extremely well. EDGE: Miami

Coaching: Randy Shannon’s crew is starting to hit their stride. EDGE: Miami

Week 4 Picks in Review

Well, that was a disaster. Great upset special, Dan. Tennessee over Auburn, really? I struggled like Vinny Chase in his PSA with Matt Damon. The carnage, when all tallied, resulted in a weak 4-7 (weaker than Vinny’s check to the One x One Foundation?) that brought my season record to 10-11, including 0-3 in Upset Specials. Also, guest pickers moved to 0-2. Woof.

This Week’s Guest

This week’s guest is future Nobleman and Magistrate Francis Carbone, picking the big one, LSU vs. Florida:

"Hello there Steininites, this is God himself. I was requested to preview the University of Florida versus Lousiana State University football contest that will happen on this Saturday. I haven't checked the time, but let's just assume it's 8PM because no human being ever wants to miss a *THRILLING* SEC matchup. Ever. Because when it comes to football the South Eastern Conference is somewhere between the NFC West and the 1985 Chicago Bears in skill, excitement, prowess, and good ol' fashion football playin'. Both of these teams in our matchup could beat the Lions so fast their sisters wouldn't even know they left the bed.


If you couldn't tell, this matchup has me all atwitter that I simply don't even know where to start. Actually, instead of calling it the matchup, let's call it National Championship Game I. It's just easier.


Florida (4-0, 2-0) has to travel the grueling 600 miles on separate planes to Tiger Stadium. After having played arguably the toughest schedule in the nation this year with Troy, Charleston Southern, a blowout of a talented Tennessee team and Kentucky, the Gators should be more than prepared to handle a stadium that can register on the richter scale. For those of you not in the loop, the Florida quarterback was knocked out of last week's Kentucky game by an illegal hit, and will be unavailable for National Championship I. Presumably, he didn't want his presence to have an undue effect on such a fine SEC football game that he let himself get hit. Otherwise I'd say this game would be a Tennessee-Style blowout: 62-0. However, Florida is a team that is known for two things: 1) Affidavits and 2) Depth. Their backup QB is theoretically just as good, so I won't hold it against them.


That being said, LSU (5-0, 3-0) has more than a realistic shot in National Championship I. Playing at home is a big plus, and you need everything you can get when playing the 33rd NFL team. Apparently, LSU students have gotten a hold of cell phone numbers for various people associated with the program (read: the backup QB and coordinators) to harass and intimidate Florida before they even step on the field. I wholeheartedly approve of this as LSU is stealing a technique that Dan LeBatard invented back in his days as a UM student when the Hurricanes were allowed to look at Notre Dame. LSU's front seven are some of the best in the country this year and will bring size, speed, agility and literacy to the the Gator offensive line. Combine this constant pressure with crowd noise and this game may well be as difficult at the epic Troy game at Ben Hill Griffith the other week.


The Tigers are going to pressure the Gators with the goal of rattling the quarterback, stuffing the run, and forcing bad mistakes and low percentage plays out of the offense. The Tiger offense is coming off of a huge win against Georgia that involved their sick offensive line puking on field during drives. Even with the illnesses the O-line was able to create holes, and establish the run with Charles Scott, which is what will happen in this game.


I'll take LSU in the best goddamn football game you'll ever see, 28-27."

Francis also included the following conclusion: "Oh by the way, I'm pissed because I actually had to rot my brain with research for these sisterf&@$#%s." This is why we're friends, ladies and gentlemen.

My Picks

Missouri over Nebraska: Blaine Gabbert pulls the Brett Favre on the Huskers.

Florida State over Georgia Tech: The ‘Noles stand strong by their coach and postpone the “Fire Boobah” talk for at least one more week.

Michigan over Iowa: This is the type of game Iowa loses every time they shoot up in the rankings.

Maryland over Wake Forest: I literally flipped a coin. That is all the ACC is anyway, right?

Georgia over Tennessee: Unless the referees penalize a Georgia player for waving to his mom in the stands.

Auburn over Arkansas: The Tigers score in bunches and the Razorbacks can’t play defense. Which is the SEC way of saying they suck. But because they play in the SEC, they don’t suck, they just “struggle defensively”. Which is a nice way of saying they suck. Wait, where was I?

Wisconsin over Ohio State: Not as big an upset as you might think. Trust me (says the guy who picked Indiana to beat Ohio State last week). If I were a gamblin' man I would bet on this.

Oregon over UCLA
Stanford over Oregon State


UPSET SPECIAL: Ole Miss over Alabama

I actually think that Alabama is the best team in the country, but I am thinkin’ the Rebs could do it. Jevan Snead is bound to be productive at some point, and ‘Bama has to go to Oxford for the game. Ah, hell, let’s call a spade a spade. I am picking Ole Miss because I hate Nick Saban and I would love to see my brother’s school knock him down a notch. Hotty Toddy!

Always guard the inbound passer.

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.

A Statement, One Way or the Other

Hello All,

Time to preview week 5 of the college football season.

Last week was a tough one, on many levels, for the ‘Canes.

This week is their chance to bounce back against another ranked opponent, at home, in primetime. Oklahoma is a very good team that borders on great when Sam Bradford is playing. They are not invincible, however, as BYU proved early in the season. Really, BYU won because they caught Oklahoma off guard with they physicality.

If Oklahoma watched tape of the Virginia Tech game, Miami should be able to do the same (really, Oklahoma has got to be licking their chops). Whether they do or not is really a matter of which defense shows up: the one that shut down Georgia Tech or the one that got mauled by Virginia Tech.

Here is the breakdown:

Quarterback: Jacory Harris is a very good quarterback, no doubt about it. However, he is still young and is prone to the mistakes that young quarterbacks make. He will make some this week against a wrecking crew defense that will bring the noise.While Harris has gotten a lot of publicity, Oklahoma’s Landry Jones has been playing very well for the Sooners, who have an explosive system that feeds off of its running game and puts up points in bunches. The x-factor here is Bradford. I will not believe he is out until I see it. If Bradford plays, the Sooners will probably win (as they did 2 years ago). If it is Jones, than Miami will not be at a disadvantage; the edge may be with the ‘Canes in this case, as this will be his first prime time test on the road against a fast defense. EDGE: EVEN (if Jones starts)/ OKLAHOMA (if Bradford starts)

Running Back: Graig Cooper and Javarris James are solid but proved last week that they are not game changers on their own. They need a good passing game to take pressure off. They also need better play calling, as both are better with a lead blocker and cannot beat the blitz to the edge, as they were being asked to do. As for Oklahoma, the 1-2 punch of Demarco Murray and Chris Brown is sure to give the Miami defense fits, particularly after Ryan Williams and Tyrod Taylor shredded them. EDGE: Oklahoma

Wide Receiver: Laron Byrd and Leonard Hankerson have emerged as go-to guys for Harris, and Travis Benjamin will have a better game on a dry track. I also think that Jimmy Graham will come up with a big play somewhere to atone for last week’s drops. Oklahoma is replacing their top 2 receivers and has not yet found a go-to guy. Jermaine Gresham will be sorely missed, as Miami has not been able to cover elite tight ends for years. EDGE: Miami

Offensive Line: If the talent is equal, which it probably is, then the edge goes to the team that will face less pressure. Miami was unable to create pressure with their front four last week. EDGE: Oklahoma

Defensive Line: Oklahoma is nasty on the front four, lead by Gerald McCoy (who I think is the best defensive player in college football), Jeremy Beal and Auston English. Miami is talented but banged up right now. Marcus Forston, Andrew Smith and Olivier Vernon have got to contribute this week or the Sooners will march up and down the field at will. Allen Bailey has been great but cannot do it all, and the depth issues last week really showed down the stretch. EDGE: Oklahoma

Linebacker: Miami’s unit, aside from Colin McCarthy, was unable to do anything last week. Sean Spence has got to hold the edge better against the run, and Daryl Sharpton really can only be relied upon in short yardage situations, where his lack of lateral speed can be hidden. Oklahoma is lead by Ryan Reynolds and is tough as always. It is quite impressive the job this team did in shutting out Tulsa’s juggernaut offense and a lot of that goes to the linebacking corps. EDGE: Oklahoma

Secondary: It doesn’t matter how good Oklahoma is here, because Miami has been terrible so far. EDGE: Oklahoma

Special Teams: Miami’s return game is not bad, but they cannot cover kicks and gave up a blocked punt last week. EDGE: Oklahoma

Coaching: This is a tricky one. While Bob Stoops has a great reputation, he has fallen short repeatedly in recent years against fast, talented teams (USC, Boise State, West Virginia, Florida, Texas, etc.). Randy Shannon and crew must adapt this week, because if they stick dogmatically to their gameplan as they did against Virginia Tech than it will be another blowout. Whipple and Lovett both must show more willingness to take what is given. That means creative offensive play calling (like the first two games) and more blitzing on defense. This is a tentative pick, but Oklahoma has the advantage until the Miami staff proves it is back to where it was against Georgia Tech. EDGE: Oklahoma

Now, that looks like a blowout. However, I think this will be a close game. Miami is not nearly as bad as they played last week, but this was always going to be the toughest of the first 4 games. Can Miami win? Yes. Will they? No clue.

POINT, COUNTERPOINT: Can Miami Score Enough to Win?

This week, I start a new segment with my buddy Justin Antweil of WVUM radio. We will both be answering the same question, touching on what I perceive to be the biggest questions facing the ‘Canes. I think it is a given that the Sooners are going to score, so Miami’s best chance to win is to go blow for blow with them and hold on at the end. So, the question is, can Miami’s offense bounce back?

Justin:
Miami Can Score! Sure, the Oklahoma Sooners defense has been stout. Coming off back to back shutouts after the stunning loss to BYU, this team is really motivated. The defense is playing with a chip on its shoulder, as it is getting overlooked because fans and analysts are more obsessed with the right shoulder of an injured player.
Come Saturday night at 8, No. 8 OU battles No, 17 Miami. The ‘Canes offense can exploit the OU defense, which has forced 4 picks and 2 fumbles. The key for the offense is to be aggressive. Mark Whipple strayed from his traditional game plan last weekend in soggy Blacksburg. Whipple must continue to implement the crossing routes and create constant movement that will cause confusion for the crimson and cream.
Whipple must utilize his weapons. Junior receiver Leonard Hankerson continues to thrive and haul in difficult catches every week. LaRon Byrd is proving he is worthy of wearing an orange and green 47. Dedrick Epps looks healthy after tearing his ACL in December. Sure, Jimmy Graham is a fan favorite, but let him catch balls in low pressure situations to get his confidence up. Don’t throw him in to the fire just yet.
Be aggressive and good things will happen.

Stein on the Sidelines:
I agree with Justin that the ‘Canes offense can score on this team. The question is which offense will show up.
Justin mentioned crossing routes and being aggressive. I agree with both. However, he doesn’t mention WHY we were able to be aggressive in the first two games: Jacory was standing in the pocket unpressured on almost every play. Whipple was using max protect schemes, using only 2 receivers as route runners on first down. Sure, there was a lot of motion and shifting, but in the end, at most 3 receivers were running routes while everyone else helped the o-line. The receivers ran intermediate and deep crossing routes and Jacory has a lot of time to find them open.
Last weekend, Whipple went away from the max protect and the o-line was exposed, most specifically Matt Pipho. The Miami o-line is solid but has some weaknesses. Virginia Tech found these weaknesses and Whipple never adjusted.
Justin is underselling the Sooner defensive front. As I said, the Sooner front 7 is big and fast and will be coming hard until Miami proves they can stop them.
Whipple needs to go back to the max protect, because if Jacory has time to throw, Byrd, Hankerson, Epps, Travis Benjamin, Thearon Collier and even Jimmy Graham can make big plays at any point in time.
The solution is not in the passing schemes, but the blocking schemes. Keep Jacory upright and Miami can score in bunches. The early pass will set up the run, which will set up play action, which will lead to touchdowns. However, if Oklahoma blitzes successfully early on, Miami will be in a hole and a repeat of Virginia Tech is very possible.
Max protect for max points.

Week 4 Picks in Review

I have been avoiding writing this section like I would avoid sharing a drink with George Christopher in “Bored to Death”.

My upset special barely missed, but I was off pretty much everywhere else. While it was a guest picker that picked Ole Miss, I was responsible for predicting Cal in “a close one” and Penn State “in a blowout”. Alas, I went 6-3, which is respectable. That brings me to 6-4 on the season. Guest pickers are 0-1.

This Week’s Guest

This week’s guest is close friend of Stein on the Sidelines, Steph. She is a native of Northern Virginia, so I asked for her opinion of the North Carolina- Virginia matchup in Chapel Hill. Take it away Steph:

"When Dan asked me to guest write for this blog my first reaction was to laugh in his face. Anybody who knows me at all will tell you that I have absolutely no business writing for a football blog. I don't really have any business even reading a football blog, considering most of the time I have no idea what is going on when it comes to sports.

However, since it's apparently my responsibility to make a prediction for the UNC v. UVA game, I'm going to go ahead and go with UNC. Mostly due to my intense dislike for the entire institution of UVA and anything associated with it. There are a variety of reasons I have problems with UVA.

First of all...southern Virginia. Enough said.

They also have the idea that twelve kids sitting around in a basement playing beer pong is a "really raging party."

But the worst part is the general student body. If you ever find yourself in a conversation with a kid from UVA it will probably go a little something like this:

"So, what school do you go to?"

"Why, I go to the *dramatic pause* University of Virginia," They will then wait expectantly for you to drop to your knees before them and/or begin to cross yourself. "Where do you go?" I

n my particular case, with the response "The University of Miami," this tends to be the reaction:"Oh. Mmm," they respond in what can only be described as a sympathetic tone.

They might even accompany this with an understanding nod, as if you had just admitted that you were partially mentally retarded. I think you all get the point. I've met kids from Yale, Stanford, and Princeton. I have a very close friend who goes to USC for film, one of the best schools in the country for his major. And NONE of them carry themselves they way that kids from UVA do. I really fail to understand how this mindset came to be. Yes, UVA is a good school. Yes, it is difficult to get into. But it's not Ivy League. It's not MIT.

I guess you could say I'm not the biggest fan. So yeah. Go Tarheels. Or is it Tar Heels? Whatever."

Admirable for her brevity and absolute willingness to allow personal prejudices to cloud football predictions, folks.

My Picks

West Virginia over Colorado: After watching Colorado get smacked by both Colorado State and Toledo, I have no hope that they will be able to stop Noel Devine. None. Zilch. Nada. If I were a gambler, this would be my stone cold lock of the week. It won’t even be close.

Michigan over Michigan State: I’m going to go out on a limb here and say Sparty will keep it close, maybe even lead in to the 4th quarter, and then blow it. The only question is how. My prediction: they will try a fake field goal when up 6 and throw an interception on the play. Michigan will score 14 unanswered and run away with it.

Georgia over LSU: I don’t even really consider this an upset. LSU has not been very impressive, and they have to travel Between the Hedges for a big game with the Bulldogs, who have quietly been piling up points. I see this being a good game, but Georgia gets back in the national discussion with a win. This will also make it 5 straight weeks a top 5 team loses.

Georgia Tech over Mississippi State: After the Bulldogs almost knocked off LSU, they will be too drained to take on Tech’s physical offense. Tech by two scores.

Ole Miss over Vanderbilt: This was actually a tough call (sorry Bill). Jevan Snead needs to get going and should this week. But Vanderbilt has become a sneaky tough place to win on the road, and Snead will have his hands full. I think Ole Miss has too much talent, but keep an eye on this game.

USC over Cal: I was going to pick Cal here in a bounce back game, but then we all heard about the tragic accident involving Stafon Johnson. I think USC wins this one for their teammate, and I wish him a very speedy recovery.

FSU over Boston College: FSU needs the win, and typically when a team this talented needs a win they find a way to get it. It will be tough on the road, but the FSU speed will juuuust pull one out. Also, this is one of the strangest choices for a College Gameday site yet.

NC St. over Wake Forest: This Wolfpack team is quietly playing well, and Wake just lost to BC.

Clemson over Maryland: Clemson bounces back, but Kirk Herbstreit is right: they don’t play well when it isn’t a TV game. Ralph Friedgen would love to catch them napping, but his team just isn’t there yet.

Tennessee over Auburn: I wanted to go with Auburn on the road, but my dad talked me out of it. Lane Kiffin needs an SEC win, and his defense just stopped Florida’s spread for most of their game. Auburn is good on offense, but Tennessee ain’t Ball State, and Auburn ain’t Florida.

UPSET SPECIAL: Indiana over Ohio State

My dad thinks I am an idiot for making this pick. I am more afraid about the ramifications of this pick backfiring than E was when he was waiting to hear if he has Drama’s STD. However, I am sticking by it. I think that Ohio State is playing too conservatively even by their standards, and I think that Indiana got a taste of upset in last week’s near-win against Michigan. Call me crazy, but never call me a coward. You could also call me 0-2 in upset special picks so far.

Always guard the inbound passer.