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No more Excuses Al, it is time to get a big win.
Al Golden needs to gets things going this week against a big road test in Lincoln, Nebraska. In his 4th year, a loss to Louisville on the road on Labor Day Night and a unimpressive victory against FAMU had fans wanting heads to role. Former players are getting frustrated with the showing on the field. However, after watching the Arkansas State game today, I did see improvement and it made some fans calm down. Offensive Coordinator James Coley opened the offense more against Arkansas State, we saw more routes, bubble screens, wheel routes, and some Duke split out wide. Kaaya looked more poised in the game, and he found his favorite receiver of the day Phillip Dorsett who had 201 yards and 2 TDs. Kaaya looked good for the most part by going 16-24 for 342 yards with 4 TDs, these stats reflect the most recorded ever by a Miami freshman QB. Considering those stats, Kaaya is already in good company with names like Ken Dorsey and Jim Kelly. In the Louisville game, the defense played well for the most part, but the offense didn’t help them out. They were consistently on the field, which means eventually they would give up some points. The defense managed to hold an up-tempo offense to 329 yards against Arkansas State, which they usually had troubles in the past containing (usually giving up 500+). It is time for Al Golden to put it together with the talent on his team.
The Talent
Next week there are no more excuses for Golden. Most fans can agree the TALENT is finally there for Golden and Co to get a huge road win. Let’s look at the 4 and 5 star players on the roster now if you to say “recruiting stars matter”.
Rankings from rivals.com
From 2011
• DE Anthony Chickillo 4 Star
From 2012
• S Deon Bush – 4 Star
• OL Ereck Flowers – 4 Star
• DE Jelani Hamilton – 4 Star
• DB Tracy Howard – 5 Star
• RB Duke Johnson – 5 Star
• LB Raphael Kirby – 4 Star
• DE Tryiq McCord – 4 Star
• WR Malcolm Lewis – 4 Star
From 2013
• WR Stacy Coley – 4 Star
• CB Artie Burns – 4 Star
• DB Jamal Carter – 4 Star
• ATH Corn Elder – 4 Star
• DE Al Quadin Muhammad – 4 Star
• QB Kevin Olsen – 4 Star
• LB Jermaine Grace – 4 Star
From 2014
• WR Braxton Berrios – 4 Star
• OL Trevor Darling – 4 Star
• DE Chad Thomas– 5 Star
• DE Demetrius Jackson – 4 Star
• QB Brad Kaaya– 4 Star
• OL KC McDermott OL – 4 Star
• RB Joseph Yearby – 4 Star
Coaching?
That’s 23 players who were highly touted respectively by other programs. Ask yourself how would these guys perform at other Universities? Al Golden’s record against teams that finished the season with at least 8 wins at Miami is a whopping 1-12. He was 0-11 vs. teams with .500 record at Temple with less considerable talent of course. He has a record of 13-12 in the ACC with going 0-3 against in state rival Florida State. In every big time game, it seems Golden, D’Onofrio, and Coley get out coached by other coordinators. That’s been evident in these big time games, so can Golden and this team beat a decent Nebraska team on the road in a hostile environment? If Kaaya plays like he did against Arkansas State, I believe they certainly can. However, I am concerned for our preparation for these kinda of games, we never seem to show up at big time games such as: Notre Dame in 2012, Kansas State in 2012, FSU 2012 and 2013, the bowl game against Louisville, the season opener this year, and the Virginia Tech game last year (which we had the chance to clinch the coastal division). It is evident so far this season, the defense has shown improvement being ranked 8th in the nation so far which is huge considering the Canes finished last season ranked 90th in total defense. Pound for Pound our talent level matches up to Nebraska, and at the end of the day it will come down to X’s and O’s to decide this game. Will Golden have these guys ready?
Development?
Looking at the Hurricanes team now, I believe that they have some really good talent all around. Surprisingly, the Defense is coming on this year with TFL’s, Sacks, and Turnovers led by Denzel Perryman and Thruston Armbrister, who the staff was able to pick up late in the recruiting process in 2011. Armbrister came in as NO STAR recruit, and he played safety in high school. Now a solid SAM Linebacker with a new pass rush characteristic. He might be a real example of player development under Al Golden because of the outstanding season he is having. Although, the credit goes to him for putting in the work off the field to better himself as well. Former Cane, Allen Hurns scored two touchdowns on his first NFL debut. Denzel Perryman looks like a world beater, and McCord has shown flashes. However is Golden really getting the best out of his players? Tracy Howard is really having a down year so far, he is not living up to that 5 star ranking. The offensive line has looked terrible so far this season the right side with Gadbois and Isidora. Art Kehoe has to get the OLine to be better if we want to have a good season. Ereck Flowers could be easily one of the best OL in the country, but would excellent coaching put him there? I think there are two variables, players are suppose to be put in position to make plays by the coaches, and the coaches job is to motivate and get the best out of their players. In reviewing other game film and most recently Arkansas State, I saw players are put in the position to make plays.
It is just a matter of execution.
The Cloud?
USC on the road last week was able to defeat a good Stanford team on the road with Steve Sarkisian. Much like our program, USC faced NCAA sanctions and woes. However, USC is playing with basically a NFL 52 man roster (very limited on depth), bowl games bans and lost 30 scholarships. Are they making excuses? No, they are playing ball and getting coached up. Penn State made recent news with their NCAA scandal coming to an end. They look very competitive in James Franklin’s first year with a good win in Dublin, Ireland against UCF. Could we defeat Central Florida right now? Could we beat Stanford? Are you that confident? Noted, USC just lost on the road against Boston College, but the theme here is that Golden needs a big time win NOW.
I understand the NCAA “Cloud” hurt our recruiting efforts in the past couple years, but Golden still managed to do quite well in recruiting with the uncertainty. No Bowls in 2011 or 2012, which in 2012 we won the ACC outright. I am sure most fans want to see Miami win the Coastal in dominating fashion, not by a coin flip. There are no more excuses for Golden anymore to not get this win against Nebraska. The only significant wins in Golden’s tenure were against Florida in 2013 and Ohio State in 2011 which both teams would drop off significantly by the end of those seasons. Therefore, Golden and the Miami Hurricanes can not make excuses about the NCAA Cloud effecting outcomes of these big time games. It is time to show up.
Conclusion
We can rationalize that starting a Freshman quarterback will have bumps and bruises (many if that), but don’t handcuff the kid. I was happy Coley opened the offense up against Arkansas State. We saw Kaaya’s immaturity vs. Louisville with some poor decisions on two interceptions, but we saw some improvement against Arkansas State. This will be his second road test in a hostile environment, will he be ready? I know we will have some growing pains for sure, but the play calling has to improve and be consistent like in the first half of yesterday’s game. I want to see these players improve, and I want them to develop. I know if these players got some around coaching, the outcomes would be more in favor of the fans. Al Golden has to get this rolling; he has fans wanting to fly a banner for him to be fired. He seemed to calm some fans down yesterday with a good team win against Arkansas State. All this negativity will go away with a win at Nebraska because winning cures all things. Special teams, the offensive line, and penalties has to be cleaned up for Nebraska week if Golden wants to get this team to be ready to win.
Go Canes.