10 Keys to the Hurricanes Forgetting the Past and Having a Successful Season

The considerable amount of sports noise that engulfed and threatened to dismantle the Miami Hurricanes football program the past four weeks, seems to, at least for now, be coming to a grinding halt. 

Gone for the present moment are the overzealous voices of media pundits spewing attention-grabbing catch phrases like "death penalty" and "lack of institutional control."

Gone also are the distractions of key starting players (QB Jacory Harris, wide receiver Travis Benjamin, ends Olivier Vernon and Adewale Ojomo, tackle Marcus Forston, linebacker Sean Spence and safety Ray-Ray Armstrong) awaiting the possibility of being suspended by the NCAA for accepting impermissible gifts.

The only question that lingers, particularly with a disappointing loss to an undermanned Maryland Terrapins team on national TV, as well as the polarizing insertion of Jacory Harris as the starting quarterback, is whether this 2011 team under the direction of Al Golden can put the past behind them and have a successful season. 

Here are 10 keys for the Hurricanes to consider to achieve this goal

Embrace Second Chances

For some in the 2008 recruiting class, this second chance in being given the opportunity to continue their football careers, is also a last chance at living up to the highly regarded reputation that it came in with.  This class had many college football experts believing that the Miami program was on an upward swing with a chance to compete for multiple championships.

It's been disappointing to say though, that the collective collegiate careers of Jacory Harris, Sean Spence, Tommie Streeter, Aldarius Johnson, Marcus Fortson and a wide list of others were marginal at best. 

But now is not the time to dwell on what could have been.  Now is the time to embrace the opportunity for one more shot at redemption. 

Look at the Remaining Schedule

The Hurricanes face four teams that are currently ranked on their schedule.  Starting with playing Ohio State tonight, those four ranked teams, aside from USF, are starting quarterbacks with limited game-time experience. 

The edge here should go to the Hurricanes.  Jacory should be focused (knowing that if he struggles he will be quickly replaced by Stephen Morris), more mature in his decision making (not locking on to one primary target and forcing the ball into double coverage), and more important he will be healthy (lest we forget that Jacory played with an injured thumb that affected his throwing motion and ability to grip the ball). 

Buy What Al Golden is Selling

Confused, predictable and aloof were just a few of the adjectives that were used to describe the coaching regime under Randy Shannon.  Players seemed to be put in a position where they couldn't succeed, coaches proved unwilling to adapt their play calling and media relations were strained.

Not so under Golden, who has embraced his role as the unquestioned leader of this football program.  He has been more vocal in addressing player issues with the media than his predecessors, held players more accountable, and given the team a sense of direction despite the cloudy outlook of the program going forward.

Get This Playmaker Involved

Much has been made of the emergence of Allen Hurns (the sophomore wide receiver out of Miami Carol City) and the accolades he is receiving from the Miami coaching staff.  Reliable, physical and consistent are a view of the praises being thrown his way.

Couple Hurns' story with the improved play of Tommie Streeter, and it might be easy to forget the dynamic capabilities of Travis Benjamin. 

But we shouldn't forget that no UM receiver caught a touchdown pass last week in Maryland, and having a player like Benjamin, who can score a touchdown in a variety of ways, is a nice weapon to have.

Get the Tight Ends Involved

Speaking of weapons, I know it's been a long time since this guy played for the Hurricanes, but it's worth mentioning that if the Hurricanes want to be successful in running a pro style offense, they need to make targeting their tight ends a consistent part of their offensive game planning.

Al Golden has stated in the past that he wants to be more aggressive in this area, so we should expect him to game plan more with this idea in mind starting with the game tonight versus Ohio State.

Make Lamar Miller Your Feature Offensive Weapon

Much has been made about the returns of Jacory Harris and Travis Benjamin.  But Lamar Miller is the offensive face of this team.  Miller possesses the type of offensive capabilities that can completely take over a game, using his explosiveness to be effective with limited amounts of space.

Other than the center and Jacory, no other player should touch the ball more than Miller.  Among the things that Al Golden lamented after the loss against Maryland was not making sure that Miller got the ball more.

As he becomes more comfortable in the passing game, his role will undoubtedly increase.

Ignore the Fans

This might sound like a bit of a head scratcher considering that this program needs some positive reinforcement given the off-the-field issues and lack of winning. 

But UM has thrived on the us-against-the-world mantra, and that might be exactly the type of attitude they need to weather through what might be one of their most difficult seasons. 

Besides, it's not like the fans have been ultra supportive given their porous attendance records.  Nor have they been strong enough to ignore the constant media bias that spills out whenever anything controversial pops up at this university.

Ignore the Media Too

Laughable should be the word used to describe the coverage of the Nevin Shapiro scandal and his dealings with the Hurricanes athletic program.  Media members, who bask in the hype surrounding the UM program, did their due diligence to shout from the mountain tops that Miami should get the death penalty and that the president should resign.

All for what amounted to free meals and drinks.  Feel free to yawn at his subject with current LSU players facing possible criminal charges for beating a man half to death. 

Maybe the crown of Thug-U should finally go to someone else more deserving.

Don't Make Beating Ohio State the High Point of the Season

The ability of the Hurricanes beating Ohio State seems more and more plausible given the fact that this team was almost upset at home by Toledo featuring a quarterback in Austin Dantin who could barely complete a 10-yard pass vs. Boise State. 

But why stop there when this team has yet to get to the ACC Championship game.  Revenge should definitely be on the minds of the Hurricanes when they play Ohio State, but their goal should remain the ACC Championship and playing in a relevant Bowl game. 

Get to a Relevant Bowl Game

No more Hyundai, MPC Computer or Peach Bowls. No more throwing up the U sign when you're getting blown out by lesser talented opponents. 

It's time to put those dreadful games and their history behind you and embrace the task that lies ahead.

It's time to return to relevance.