Miami Is in Wonderland, Florida Tosses and Turns, and USC Has Nightmare

After last weekend’s games, some teams are having sweet dreams, others are tossing and turning, and a few are in the midst of a nightmare.

USC, Florida, and Miami were particularly interesting this week with each team turning in an astonishing performance.

No. 3 USC fell to Washington (yes last year’s 0-12, Pac-10 doormat) 16-13, No. 1 Florida, a 30-point favorite against Tennessee, scored 23 in a win over the Volunteers, and the Hurricanes avenged four consecutive losses to Georgia Tech, including a 41-23 loss last year in which the Yellow Jackets’ triple-option offense racked up 472 rushing yards, with a 33-17 victory.

Miami Hurricanes 2-0 (2-0 ACC)

It may be too early to announce that the Hurricanes have come back to glory, but Miami has already avenged two stinging losses from last season—against ranked foes no less.

Last season Florida State and Georgia Tech ran all over Miami, with the Seminoles’ Antone Smith rushing for four touchdowns in Miami and the Yellow Jackets executing the triple-option to perfection in a win in Atlanta. This year has begun much differently, with the team still sporting the same colors but a new attitude.

In the first game of the season, Miami avenged last year’s embarrassing 41-39 home loss against Florida State, and started the season in good fashion, holding on for a dramatic 38-34 victory. The win was great but there were lots of questions about head coach Randy Shannon and Miami’s defense.

In Miami’s second game, the Hurricanes held the Yellow Jackets and their run-oriented attack to only 95 yards. Sophomore quarterback Jacory Harris continued to play well and after throwing for 386 yards against the 'Noles, he finished with 270 passing yards, three touchdowns, and no interceptions in the 33-17 win over Georgia Tech.

Although the Hurricanes have lost three quarterbacks since the end of last season, including former starter Robert Marve, the offense seems to be on the right track with Harris at the helm.

The backfield and receiving units are talented, versatile, and deep with several players contributing in major ways in the first two games. In two games, Harris has thrown touchdown passes to five different players and three different players have scored rushing touchdowns.

The best part about the Hurricanes’ quick start this season is that they’ve beaten two consecutive ranked teams in front of a national television audience (the first game was on a Monday night, the second on a Thursday night). But danger lurks ahead with the Hurricanes playing at No. 11 Virginia Tech and at home against No. 10 Oklahoma in their next two games.

Shannon may have been on the hot seat at the beginning of the season, but if he can find a way to pull out a win in Blacksburg, Va. and another at home against the Sooners, he may become the hottest coach around with four consecutive wins against ranked opponents.

USC Trojans 2-1 (0-1 Pac-10)

The Trojans were missing something against Washington.

Maybe it was Steve Sarkisian, the Trojans former offensive coordinator-turned University Washington head coach. Maybe it was Mark Sanchez. Maybe it was Matt Barkley.

For many Trojan observers, however, USC’s problems began a long time ago. In 2008, after a now-typical season featuring the usual Pac-10 title and a loss to an unranked foe, USC defeated Penn State 38-24 in another ho-hum Rose Bowl victory to finish last season with a 12-1 record.

Yet, the writing was on the wall in December of last year when Sarkisian was named the head coach at the Washington, taking USC’s defensive coordinator Nick Holt with him. Additionally, the loss of three starting linebackers (Rey Maualuga, Brian Cushing, and Clay Matthews) was expected but, nonetheless painful.

The offseason also featured another setback in Mark Sanchez’s surprising decision to leave USC for the NFL after starting only 16 games for Southern Cal.

As the offseason lingered the nightmare only became worse. First, Aaron Corp was selected to be the new Trojans signal-caller, but then he hurt his left leg in summer practice and All-American, highly-touted freshman QB Matt Barkley was thrust in the starter’s seat for the season opener against San Jose State.

After leading the team to a 56-3 rout against the Spartans, Barkley helped USC defeat No. 5 Ohio State on the road, 18-15.

But when it rains it pours and just when everyone felt that USC had overcome all the above obstacles, Barkley hurt his right shoulder and USC’s best player, All-American safety Taylor Mays, injured his right knee in the ultimately costly victory over the Buckeyes. 

Plus, USC was already missing projected starting wide receiver Ronald Johnson due to a collarbone injury and projected starting cornerback Shareece Wright, who was declared academically ineligible at the eve of the 2009 season.

A quick recap: The Trojans also lost their offensive and defensive coordinators prior to spring practice. USC lost its starting quarterback to the NFL, his backup to injury, and his backup’s backup to injury, too. Two starting defensive backs are out and the No. 2 wide receiver is out, too.

Certainly losing to Washington doesn’t bode well for USC, and if the Huskies were tough to score against how will the Trojans fare against Oregon, Notre Dame, Oregon State, and California with a depleted receiving corp and a freshman or inexperience sophomore at quarterback?

There were some positives to take from the Washington game, too. Though Jake Locker led Washington to the game-winning field goal in the final seconds, USC’s defense remained solid.

Although Corp was dismal with limited opportunities, RB Joe McKnight is showing why he was such a valuable high school recruit, as the junior notched his second 100-yard game of the season against a Husky defense stacked against the run.

Despite the challenges, the Trojans should finish strong because Pete Carroll is a defensive mastermind. The Trojans are only surrendering 11 points a game and the Pac-10 has been Carroll’s punching bag. Like a prizefighter dropped by a punch out of nowhere, the Trojans should get back up and continue to bully the Pac-10.

Florida Gators 3-0 (1-0 SEC)

Florida is still No. 1. They have the nation’s longest winning streak at 13 games. Tim Tebow is still the quarterback and Urban Meyer is still the head coach for the defending national champions.

But the public consensus is that the Gators lost something in their 23-13 win over Tennessee in the Swamp. Maybe it was their sense of invincibility or their opponents’ fear of their offense.

Still, a 30-point line over a conference rival featuring former NFL assistant Monte Kiffin as the defensive coordinator and All-American safety Eric Berry, the SEC’s 2008 Defensive Player of the Year was probably a stretch by the oddsmakers in the first place, and both teams only combined to score 36 points.

Kiffin’s defense played well and Berry had nine tackles (two for losses) and an interception, but Monte’s son, head coach Lane Kiffin, couldn’t get the Volunteer offense moving. Florida had two interceptions against Vols QB Jonathan Crompton, who has thrown seven picks in three games this season.

Tebow didn’t throw a touchdown for the first time in 30 games and gave away a costly fumble in the fourth quarter as two of his turnovers led to 10 of Tennessee’s 13 points. The Gators’ offense isn’t as potent without gamebreakers Percy Harvin and Louis Murphy who’ve both hauled in NFL touchdowns this season.

However, Meyer, a collegiate defensive back at Cincinnati, has one of the best defenses in Florida football history and the secondary is one of the team’s biggest strengths. Cornerback Joe Haden and safety Ahmad Black both logged interceptions against Tennessee.

The Gators have a tough schedule ahead featuring games at No. 7 LSU (a team that’s defeated Florida the season after each of its previous national championships), against No. 21 Georgia in Jacksonville, and against No. 18 Florida State at home.

Eventually, another star will emerge on Florida’s offense and its defense has enough firepower to take the team back to the SEC championship game.