Miami vs. Ohio State: Zoom-In College Football Game of the Week
We're just a day away from what is shaping up to be the premier game of the early part of the college football season.
On Saturday afternoon, the Miami Hurricanes will battle it out with the Ohio State Buckeyes in Columbus in a rematch of the famed 2003 Fiesta Bowl.
The two programs are both some of the most storied and prestigious in the sport, and this is a matchup that deserves the proper attention.
Here's what you need to know about Saturday's big game, which could possibly have national title implications.
Redemption
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“Bad call, bad call!”
Dan Fouts said it best. The announcer was right on the money with his description of the pass interference call levied against Miami cornerback Glenn Sharpe. The call, considered one of the worst in college football history, changed the outcome of 2003 Fiesta Bowl and changed the course of college football.
The Miami Hurricanes had their mystique stripped, and the program has yet to fully recover from the loss that cost them the national championship.
Jim Tressel and the Ohio State Buckeyes, on the other hand, have done pretty well for themselves, which makes things all the more difficult.The Canes watched as Tressel’s team rose to an elite level after the title win. The Buckeyes have been to six BCS bowl games, including two BCS title games in the seven years since that fateful Arizona night.
This Miami program is ready to exact revenge on that Big Ten team that sent them into a tailspin of mediocrity.
Miami Ready To Return To Dominance
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Before the night of the Fiesta Bowl, the Canes were on a three season run that saw them total an eye popping 45 wins.
They were certainly the cream of the crop in college football, and were a team built on two components: Having a whole lot of future NFL first rounders, and having a whole lot of swagger.
The Canes had both, and it showed as they ran up and down the field on opponents every weekend.
After the Fiesta Bowl, that all seemed to slowly vanish.
The team hit it its low point during the 2007 season when it suffered a 48-0 loss at the hands of the Virginia Cavaliers to close out the infamous Orange Bowl. The team finished that year with a 5-7 record, and failed to reach a bowl game in Randy Shannon’s first season as coach.
Shannon has slowly been building things up since then, and now finally looks like he has the team ready to contend on the national scene.
A win over the Buckeyes would be a huge boost to this program.
Heisman Campaigns
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There’s a strong Heisman buzz surrounding both of the quarterbacks taking part in this contest.
Many assume this is Terrelle Pryor’s year to win it. The 6‘6" signal caller is the leader of the No. 2 team in the nation, and poised for a monster year. The only worry is if he’ll put up impressive enough passing numbers.
For Jacory Harris, there’s no doubt he can put up the passing numbers. With the running back by committee approach the Canes are taking, they are sure to toss the ball around a lot this year. Harris has some great receivers to throw to and he's matured a lot as a passer since arriving at Miami two years ago.
The winner of this anticipated matchup could skyrocket to the top of the Heisman list.
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Terrelle Pryor Facing the Heat
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It started with a loss to USC at home, and then got worse from there with a loss to Purdue.
The critics and doubters were anxiously waiting for Terrelle Pryor to slip up so they could come in and pounce, and they finally found their opportunity.
“He’s not good enough, he can’t win the big one,” they said.
All Pryor did to answer them was put up the best performance we’ve seen in the Rose Bowl since Vince Young in the National Championship game. Now the question is whether Pryor will follow Young’s path and win a national championship.
The expectations are there for that type of year, and anything less would seem a bit disappointing. The pressure is on Pryor to lead this team to the big stage.
Randy Shannon and Jacory Harris Looking for Statement Win
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Randy Shannon knows the deal. The former Hurricane linebacker turned head coach knows that the only thing people care about at Miami is winning. If you can’t win, you won’t last at Miami.
When Shannon went through the trials of a 5-7 season in his first year on the job back in 2007, he knew the team needed something extra to get back to its winning ways.
He found that “extra something” in the form of a hometown quarterback who weighed less than 170 pounds. That skinny kid was Jacory Harris of Miami Northwestern High School.
The coach and his pupil have come up with some great wins in their two years together.
In 2009, the Canes’ victories over Florida State, Oklahoma, and Georgia Tech all made people take notice of the resurgence of the program.
Still, the two have yet to come up with that truly defining victory yet.
A win in Columbus would change that.
Miami Offense Vs. Ohio State Defense
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The Miami offense will likely be without running back Graig Cooper for this one. Cooper, who tore his ACL in last year’s bowl game against Wisconsin, experienced a leg injury in the Canes’ season opener against Florida A&M.
Miami should be alright without him. Damien Berry will be the main guy, but Lamar Miller will see some carries as well. Berry, a 5‘11", 215 lb senior, rushed six times for 45 yards last week.
Without a consistent run game at their disposal, Miami’s offense will need a clutch performance from Harris, who will have a tough task trying to pick apart the experienced and savvy Buckeye defense. He’ll hit the underneath routes, but can the junior QB make those few big plays through the air that can really change the course of the game?
Safety Jermale Hines will have something to say about it.
Hines and linebacker Brian Rolle could be the two most important individual players for Ohio State’s defensive success. There’s no doubt though that the most important unit is the defensive line.
Led by senior defensive end Cameron Heyward, this defensive line needs to step up and make sure they shut down the run. If Miami is unable to get a consistent ground attack moving, their offense will have a much tougher time marching it down the field.
Miami Offensive Lineup
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QB: Jacory Harris (12)
RB: Damien Berry (20)
FB: Pat Hill (30)
WR: Leonard Hankerson (85)
WR: Travis Benjamin (3)
TE: Richard Gordon (84)
LT: Orlando Franklin (74)
LG: Harland Gunn (66)
OC: Tyler Horn (63)
RG: Brandon Washington (72)
RT: Joel Figueroa (61)
Ohio State Defensive Lineup
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DT: Dexter Larimore (72)
DT: John Simon (54)
DE: Nathan Williams (43)
DE: Cam Heyward (97)
LB: Ross Homan (51)
LB: Brian Rolle (36)
LB: Andrew Sweat (42)
CB: Chimdi Chekwa (5)
CB: Devon Torrence (1)
SS: C.J. Barnett (4)
FS: Jermale Hines (7)
Ohio State Offense Vs. Miami Defense
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Dear Ohio State offense, this is not a Big Ten defense you're about to face.
This Miami front four is big, fast, and physical.
The battle up front between Ohio State's experienced offensive line and Miami's strong defensive linemen will be a big determining factor into who comes away with the win in this one.
Ohio State wants to establish the rushing attack with Brandon Saine and Boom Herron in order to keep the pressure off Terrelle Pryor’s shoulders.
If guys like DT Marcus Forston and DE Allen Bailey can play like disruptive forces, it will throw Ohio State's offensive gameplan out of whack.
Bailey will be the key figure in Miami's pass rush. If the 6‘4", 290 lb. senior sensation can do a good enough job getting in Terrelle Pryor’s face, it could the make quarterback a bit gunshy.
The match up in the passing game that could be very interesting to watch is Ohio State WR DeVier Posey vs. Miami CB Brandon Harris. The two are some of the best players in college football at their respective positions.
If Harris can contain Posey, and if Bailey can disrupt Pryor, it could be a long night for Ohio State’s offense.
Ohio State Offensive Lineup
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QB: Terrelle Pryor (2)
RB: Brandon Saine (3)
FB: Zach Boren (44)
WR: DeVier Posey (8)
WR: Dane Sanzenbacher (12)
TE: Jake Stoneburner (11)
LT: Mike Adams (75)
LG: Justin Boren (65)
OC: Mike Brewster (50)
RG: Bryant Browning (70)
RT: J.B. Shugarts (76)
Miami Defensive Lineup
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DT: Josh Holmes (92)
DT: Marcus Forston (99)
DE: Olivier Vernon (35)
DE: Allen Bailey (57)
LB: Sean Spence (31)
LB: Kylan Robinson (36)
LB: Colin McCarthy (44)
CB: Brandon Harris (1)
CB: DeMarcus Van Dyke (8)
SS: Ray Ray Armstrong (26)
FS: Vaughn Temaque (7)
Prediction: Miami 28, Ohio State 17
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Miami's defensive front four proves to be too much for the Buckeyes to handle.
Miami will right its wrong, and in the process, turn the 2010 college football season upside down.
Jacory Harris, welcome to stardom!
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