Miami Hurricanes Football Season Preview

Somebody just dropped a nasty skunk into the locker room of the Miami Hurricanes. Newly hired coach Al Golden was not expected to have to deal with all of these off the field allegations right out of the gates.

This is a Hurricanes program that is still looked at as one of the talented in the country, but we still do not know who is going to line up on the field let alone who will even be suiting up. This 'Canes team is a prognosticators worst nightmare! Can they ride the ship and overcome the albatross known as the month of August? 

Sour Taste in Their Mouth

The battle at the QB position is certainly a question mark with Jacory Harris throwing 32 INTs the past two seasons while only throwing 14 TDs a season ago (24 in’09).

Harris came into last season with a ton of hype after returning all of his weapons. The Ohio State game in Columbus was a deciding game that turned the season in the wrong direction.  Harris threw four picks, one which was picked off by Cameron Heyward that was nearly returned for a pick six. 

The timing of the pick was awful. The ‘Canes were down 26-17 to start the fourth quarter where Miami was driving inside the Buckeyes 10 yard line.

A touchdown pass from Harris and we could have been looking at a possible upset, instead an 80 yard INT return for a near TD and the Buckeyes essentially won the game on that play alone.

The pain does not end there though. Harris ended up starting in the Sun Bowl and threw three more picks against the Notre Dame Fighting Irish in their 33-17 beatdown (27-3 at half). 

Explosive Backfield Brings Back Memories

Despite all the struggles on the field, the quarterback is a position that must improve if the Hurricanes have any chance at improving upon their record.

This Hurricanes offense is still loaded with solid talent. In my opinion, the backfield is the reason there is optimism in 2011. Even with Storm Johnson transferring back to the state of Georgia there are two studs waiting in the wings licking their chops for action.

Mike James is a solid backup for a sensational sophomore by the name of Lamar Miller.

Miller was just a freshman last year, but he still ran for over 500 yards and found paydirt six times with a 6.0 yard per carry. He also caught 11 passes for 96 yards in the 11 games that he appeared in.

This backfield may not be as deep as the days of Willis McGahee, Clinton Portis and Frank Gore though the talent is still present in Coral Gables.

Premier OL in ACC Still?

The offensive line was the key in stretch parts a season ago. It was either very good or just flat out bad. Orlando Franklin is no longer anchoring the line so look for Seantrel Henderson to be the new stud up front alongside Brandon Washington.

Oops! Henderson underwent back surgery and is now expected to miss perhaps the entire 2011 season. Miami has not been catching many breaks as of late, but this line has the ability to slow games down and ultimately give their playmakers time to run downfield. 

Luckily, Washington is on my First Team All-ACC and may even crack an honorable mention for All-American consideration because of his huge 6’4”, 320-pounds frame that moves well.

Jermaine Johnson will be the other bookend tackle with Henderson whereas Gunn will be on the opposite of Washington at left guard. Brandon Linder seems to have the edge over Johnson at right guard and is starting Labor Day night.

Harland Gunn is back as the starting center, which is great news with all the QB issues. The OL has four of the five coming back with only Orlando Franklin being gone.

Will They Stay on the Field and Then Be Able to Produce?

If the OL does its job of protecting the QB and opening some truck sized holes for the backs then the hype machined receivers need to finally live up their billing.

Catching the ball is the first priority, but getting open has been much more difficult than most imagined it to be.

Travis Benjamin and LaRon Byrd are the expected top producers and they both have speed to burn. Benjamin is only 5’10”, 175-pounds but can take it to the house on any given play.

Byrd is a lanky, long strider of a runner at 6’4”, 220-pounds. Byrd needs to be more physical with the big body that he has when going up for a catch in the redzone or let alone in traffic.

Aldarius Johnson (6’3”, 205-pounds) is another experienced veteran that has not lived up the hype as he is coming off a 15 catch 157 yard season with zero touchdowns. Plus, he may be suspended for the season depending on what goes down with all of the allegations/scandal.

Bring in the next Hurricane great that is filled with a ton of talent. Enter Tommy Streeter (6’5”, 215-pounds).

Streeter went to the same high school Jacory Harris went to (Northwestern H.S.) and despite playing different positions, many expect a lot from Streeter as he approaches to crack the starting lineup for now being a so called veteran as a junior. Allen Hurns is expected to start for the suspended Benjamin in the opener.

If the ‘Canes can get consistent production from their receiving corps in 2011, it will make things much easier for whoever is under center. 

The Media Should Be Talking About on the Field Play

The old Hurricanes defense that was full of All-Americans was built up front. The ’Canes front four has been fairly weak as they ranked 74th in America in 2009 in sacks (23). However, they have improved upon that racking up 37 sacks this past season which ranked ninth.

So, the defense got a whole lot better right? Wrong!

Miami only ranked 29th in America in total defense (329 YPG). Fewer and fewer NFL stars are emerging and the linebacker have not  panned out like we all thought they would.

Remember, sports and more importantly college football is about two things: Expectations and Entertainment. The ‘Canes have only made entertainment off the field lately as there has not been a day to go by lately where somebody is not talking about that scum named Shapiro. Give the talk up and let's starting talking about football played on the field, please.

Ray Ray Needs to Become an AA

The LB corp took a hit with Colin McCarthy graduating.  Sean Spence bulked up to 224 and is the leader of this defense. Ramon Buchanan and Jordan Futch are the other expected starters with Kelvin Cain and Jimmy Gaines (expected starter at MLB) both getting some looks as well.   

Spence can be a world beater and should be First Team All-ACC if his team can close out ballgames and pull off victories.

The secondary is fairly young despite a great pair of safeties. However, the corners are brand new and are very questionable going into the season.

JoJo Nicolas started at safety for the majority of the season last year, but the depth is mediocre. Lee Chambers is a former running back and is in his first full year as a corner in an improving ACC.

Thomas Finnie (Freshman) and Brandon McGee (Junior) are the expected backups, but there may be a bunch of different looks that new defensive guru Mark D'Onofrio is in charge.

Ray-Ray Armstrong is a solid 6’4”, 215-pounds that needs to lower the boom a bit more. Armstrong only started three games backing up Jojo Nicolas who has now been moved to corner. The strong safety position is set in stone for the future All-American assuming Armstrong is cleared to play and is ready to go Labor Day night against the Terps.

The other safety that many Miami fans expected big things from a season ago was from Vaughn Telemaque. He had the hype machine as full as Ed Reed and Sean Taylor had during their freshmen and sophomore seasons, so Telemaque needs to just stay consistent. 

What to Do at Quarterback and with the Team?

Miami was second to last in America (119th) with 36 turnovers in 13 games last season. Throw in nine fumbles lost and there is no wonder why this offense was an absolute mess last year.

Overall, there is a load of talent and even more so than the past few years. It is imperative that they stick and stand behind their quarterback. That is easier said than done though with all of the possible suspensions to be handed down on Jacory Harris at QB.

It is the same old story with not only the secondary, but with the entire team. Consistency!

Stephon Morris is only a sophomore so if he has to sit for the season behind Jacory Harris (assuming he is not suspended), it is not the end of the world since Harris should improve upon his past few seasons. If he struggles and is the same guy his whole career, Morris is the guy.

Jacory Harris is a now a senior and needs to put together one last solid season. He stands tall in the pocket at 6’4”, but does not take hits well at only 195 pounds (see Virginia hit among many others).

The real vital question is what the hell do you if you are in the shoes of Al Golden. I know I would not be playing my studs if I knew there was proof that they violated NCAA rules. However, until proven guilty it is very difficult to bench your horses with the win now, money hungry attitude that society lives in.

How big of a risk is it to play all of these starters? As a former coach can you trust the allegations and just assume they are accurate and bench your players when they mean so much to your team?

No group of players should be more important than to the team, program, fans and to most importantly to yourself. If you play them and they are proved guilty from all of the allegations then all of your victories this season would be returned and perceived with nothing but a bagel and a fraud. 

The decisions that poor Al Golden has to make in time for kickoff against Maryland are endless!  

Drama's Forecast

Miami’s biggest test will come in the first two weeks of the season as they travel to College Park to take on the Terps in the opener and the following game they come back home to take on a sneaky Buckeyes team.

Early October trips to Blacksburg and Chapel Hill (Have Never Won in Chapel Hill) will tell us if the ‘Canes are officially back, but those may actually be the two toughest games of the season outside of a trip to Tallahassee.

With all the questions on who is going to play and who is going to stay on the team, this season could be a tough one to digest.

Consider it a huge success if Miami can find a way to make an upper echelon bowl and manage to get their ninth or 10th victory by the bowl game.

(Note: If I have misspoke please comment and give us your take on what you think will happen as far as the suspensions and how it will impact their record with a prediction)

RETURNING STARTERS: 6* Offense/ 7* Defense

PROJECTED RECORD: 9-4, 5-3 (If Harris and majority of defenders miss whole season I see 7-6 year)

PROJECTED FINISH: Second in Coastal, Third Overall

PROJECTED BOWL: Chick-Fil-A Bowl

Sources: http://miamiherald.typepad.com/umiami/