Tag: Miami Hurricanes (Page 4 of 6)

      Miami upsets Oklahoma to end daunting stretch

      October 3, 2009 /

      Jacory Harris is special.

      A week after completing just nine of 25 passes for 150 yards and an interception in a loss to Virginia Tech, Harris bounced back to lead Miami to a 21-20 win over Oklahoma on Saturday night.

      Harris was far from perfect as he threw two interceptions and took four sacks. But he also threw three touchdown passes while completing 19 of his 28 pass attempts for 202 yards.

      How the Canes won this game is a bit of a shock. They were penalized 12 times for 115 yards, turned the ball over twice and trailed 10-7 at halftime.

      But Miami opened the second half by marching down the field and capping the drive off with a Dedrick Epps’ 11-yard touchdown pass from Harris. Midway through the third quarter, Harris struck again, this time on a 38-yard touchdown pass to Travis Benjamin.

      The Sooners railed with 10 points of their own, but the Canes managed to play keep-a-way for the final four minutes and 18 seconds to secure the win. In a murderers’ row of games, Miami was able to knock off ranked opponents Florida State, Georgia Tech and Oklahoma, with its only loss coming against Virginia Tech last week. The Canes will gladly welcome Florida A&M next week.

      OU freshman quarterback Landry Jones didn’t make many mistakes, but he didn’t do enough in the second half to lift the Sooners to a victory. He finished 18-of-30 for 188 yards and a touchdown, but his average pass went for just 6.3 yards and he only had three completions for over 20 yards. (Miami also sacked him three times.)

      It’ll be interesting to see what Bob Stoops and Oklahoma plan to do with Sam Bradford. The season certainly isn’t over, but with two losses already on their belt, it’s highly unlikely that the Sooners will be playing for a national championship again. So is there any rush to bring Bradford back? With a home game next week against Baylor coming up, it might be wise to give Bradford another week off.

      Then again, with Texas coming up on October 24, Bradford might need to face Baylor to shake off the rust. It’s an interesting dilemma for Stoops and the Sooners.

      College Football

      Sam Bradford to return this week?

      September 30, 2009 /

      The Oklahoman reports that Sooners quarterback Sam Bradford split snaps with the first team in practice this week with redshirt freshman Landry Jones and might be ready to play Saturday against Miami.

      Stoops still isn’t ready to announce whether Bradford will play Saturday at Miami, but said Bradford hasn’t had any setbacks in his recovery and wasn’t particularly sore Tuesday morning after throwing during Monday’s practice.

      “That’s positive in that everything to this point that he has done he has handled in a positive way and he has made daily progress,” Stoops said. “That part is encouraging. But it’s just too early to determine his status for Saturday. I’m not able to give the answer yet, until we see what Sam’s capable of throughout the week. Is he able to make all the throws? Is he able to do it without too much soreness? How does he react the next day?

      If Bradford plays on Saturday, it would signal a remarkable turnaround from where he was at a few weeks ago. Some were suggesting that his season was over and now he has a chance to play this week.

      Hopefully Oklahoma isn’t rushing Bradford back onto the field too soon. I doubt Stoops would put the success of the team over the health of his player (or at least, I hope he wouldn’t), but if Bradford continues to progress throughout the week then there might be no reason for him to sit out.

      Even though VA Tech shredded them on the ground last week, Miami has an aggressive front seven – one that could cause problems for Bradford if he’s rusty upon his return. It’ll be interesting to see how he progresses throughout the week and whether or not he’ll play against the Canes on Saturday.

      College Football

      No. 11 Virginia Tech makes easy work of No. 9 Miami

      September 26, 2009 /

      Tyrod

      Virginia Tech treated their fans in Blacksburg on Saturday to a victory over one of the hottest teams in college football. With a win, Miami would have taken a large first-place lead in the competitive ACC. Unfortunately for them, Virginia Tech came in prepared and eager to please their hometown crowd. Their defense was able to control Miami’s star quarterback Jacory Harris, sacking him three times and forcing one interception. More importantly, Hokies quarterback Tyrod Taylor ran the ball very well, receiving excellent pass coverage to the tune of 75 yards. Running back Ryan Williams was also vital, racking up two touchdowns and 150 yards on 34 carries and two receptions. Hard to believe he’s just filling in for the injured Darren Evans.

      After saying this week he looked forward to playing in front of a hostile crowd, he fumbled as he was being sacked on his fifth play, setting up a Hokies touchdown, and his day never got much better.

      Harris threw an interception that set up another score and pushed the Hokies lead to 31-7 lead. By then the fans who had braved the horrid conditions wanted to stay and enjoy every minute.

      Harris and the Hurricanes did drive 46 yards in five plays for a touchdown just 1:43 into the third quarter, pulling them within 21-7. After Miami forced the Hokies to punt, they drove to the Virginia Tech 30 with a chance to make the quieting crowd really nervous.

      Instead, with the help of two drops by Jimmy Graham, Miami faced a fourth-and-13 from the 33, went for it and Harris’ 9-yard completion to Dedrick Epps came up four yards short.

      Before this game, Miami found themselves ranked in the top 10 for the first time since 2005. It’s been a grueling road as Virginia Tech was their third ranked opponent in as many weeks. Fans have high hopes for Jacory Harris and company as the Miami football program is suddenly important once again. We’ll see if they can take something from this loss and rebound next week against Oklahoma.

      College Football

      2009 College Football Picks & Predictions: Week 4

      September 23, 2009 /

      Here are my picks for Week 4 in college football.

      Last week I went 3-1 straight up and just 1-3 against the spread, so gamblers – fade at will. (By the way, those are also my season totals because I didn’t make picks for the first two weeks, although I probably would have gone 8-0 so feel free to give me the undeserved credit.)

      Arkansas at No. 3 Alabama, Saturday, 3:30PM ET
      Arkansas certainly has an offense capable of hanging with most opponents given the vertical weapons they have in Greg Childs, Jarius Wright and Joe Adams in the passing game. But ‘Bama defensive coordinator Kirby Smart should throw a variety of looks at Razorback signal caller Ryan Mallett and use blitzes to help generate a rush. The Tide lack a pass-rushing presence on their defensive line, but their secondary is experienced and should handle whatever Bobby Petrino throws at them on Saturday. I expect ‘Bama to take away Michael Smith, Broderick Green, Ronnie Wingo and the Arkansas’ running game and force the Razorbacks to become one-dimensional. With Julio Jones expected back this week after missing last Saturday with a knee injury, the Razorback defense could be in trouble. ‘Bama will look to take control of this game in the second half with a balanced offensive approach and pull away in the fourth quarter.
      Odds: Alabama –17.5.
      Prediction: Alabama 41, Arkansas 20.

      No. 9 Miami at No. 11 Virginia Tech, Saturday, 3:30PM ET
      The Canes are quickly becoming one of the more talked about programs in the nation this year courtesy of quarterback Jacory Harris. Thanks to an improved pass protection and his ability to see the entire field, Harris played exceptionally well in Miami’s wins over ranked opponents Florida State and Georgia Tech, respectively. But the key to a Canes’ victory will be running the ball to set up Harris and the passing game. Frank Beamer’s squad has not done a good job of stopping the run so far this season and if Miami can get versatile running backs Javarris James and Graig Cooper some running room early on, they might set up Harris to make big plays in the passing game. Defensively, Miami could be burned by Tyrod Taylor’s running ability if it doesn’t stay disciplined when shooting gaps. Taylor, who has been more patient as a passer this season, needs to use his legs if he sees that the Canes are too aggressive up front. Miami must also contain running back Ryan Williams, who has been excellent filling in for the injured Darren Evans. While Blacksburg is one of the toughest places to play in college football, Randy Shannon has his team playing with a swagger and they won’t be intimated on the road. This is going to be a thrilling game and one that might come down to the wire. I’m going with the hot team, however, and predict a win for Miami.
      Odds: Miami –2.5.
      Prediction: Miami 24, Virginia Tech 20.

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      College Football

      Randy Shannon, Jacory Harris have made Miami relevant again

      September 18, 2009 /

      The last time the Miami Hurricanes started a season 2-0, they finished 9-3 and thumped Florida in the Peach Bowl.

      Thanks to a head coach who has brought swagger back to the program and a playmaker at quarterback, Miami has started 2-0 for the first time since 2004. With their 33-17 win over Georgia Tech on Thursday night, the Hurricanes have started their ’09 season by beating two ranked opponents. (The first was Florida State, whom Miami beat 38-34 on September 7.)

      Randy Shannon has made his mark on a Hurricane team that is playing more inspired and focused than in years past. And it’s clear that with Jacory Harris under center, Miami finally has a quarterback that can make plays in the passing game and keep the chains moving.

      In the victory over Tech last night, Harris completed 20 of his 25 pass attempts for 270 yards and three touchdowns. He’s just a sophomore, but he shows a calm, cool demeanor in the pocket and doesn’t appear to get rattled when a play breaks down. As long as he continues to mature as a passer, he’s going to be a Heisman candidate in the near future.

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