Meant to make this post yesterday afternoon, then last night, then fell asleep early after pounding blackened fish and Rice-A-Roni, still didn't win Lotto, so here I am getting my daily cup of Colombian from Europa with a little mini-jambalaya of topics.
FOOTBALL
Wide receiver Glenn Coleman got the wind blasted out of him on the play that resulted in Troy's fumble return touchdown, then spent Tuesday dealing with bruised ribs and a stiff neck.
According to FIU coach Mario Cristobal, defensive tackle Joshua Forney suffered a sprained ankle when we went down in the third quarter.
MEN'S BASKETBALL
Only on TV.
The Sun Belt coaches voted FIU 5th in the six-team Sun Belt East and honored only one player, DeJuan Wright, with a preseason All-Sun Belt selection (second-team at that). Somewhat predictably, FIU coach Isiah Thomas didn't show pique at the poll even if he felt it.
"We just want to play well every night," Thomas said during Wednesday's Sun Belt men's basketball teleconference. "Clearly, the people making the poll think other teams have better players than we do and they probably do."
But, Thomas said, he hopes the team learned from the way they lost several close games last year.
"We lost with a young group that hopefully learned the importance of making foul shots, not making key turnovers in situations," he said.
Thomas also thinks the team's got a better grasp of defensive concepts he wants to execute, which involve a lot of trapping, switching and rotation. FIU's foul problems last season, he believes, came after they got seduced into "excessive gambling" by their success at making steals: "We were second in the league in steals. I think our team got too excited about trying to steal the ball rather than containing their man and forcing a tough shot."
By the way, FAU coach Mike Jarvis responded to being the East Divsion favorite and the consensus overall favorite with some suspicion and paranoia -- "I know there are people who pick us to win because they don't think we will. It's the ol' set up game" -- but also said, "every team I've coached that was expected to win has."
What Jarvis can't be happy about is the only place FIU's been shown any love, the Sun Belt Network schedule. The Panthers have three games on the Sun Belt Network while FAU has only one. That one is the game at FIU Jan. 21. FIU's also on against North Texas, a Feb. 9 home game, and on the road Feb. 16 against Arkansas-Little Rock.
The FIU women will be on Sun Belt Network Dec. 11 at Western Kentucky live. The women's Jan. 21 home game against FAU will be on the next day at 1 p.m.
VOLLEYBALL
Sabrina Gonzalez had a team high 15 kills, Jovana Bjelica had 11 kills, freshman Silvia Carli had three service aces as FIU crushed FAU 3-0 (25-9, 25-22, 25-16) Wednesday night. FIU's 14-7, 6-4 in the Sun Belt. Or, put another way, 14-4, 6-0 in the Sun Belt against everyone except Western Kentucky and Middle Tennessee State.
This is IT's comming out party!!!
FINALLY, no more headcase JUCCO's.
ALL ABOUT THE TEAM!!
GO PANTHERS!
Posted by: chiaPanther | October 27, 2011 at 01:05 PM
Sorry chiPanther, Isaiah beat you to the coming out party.
http://change-production.s3.amazonaws.com/photos/wordpress_copies/gayrights/2010/08/isiahthomasnoh8-250x250.jpg
Posted by: Buc Nasty | October 27, 2011 at 01:53 PM
Thanks to all who have signed our petition for a new stadium. For those who don't know about it, here it is again:
http://www.change.org/petitions/the-university-of-miami-build-a-stadium-for-our-miami-hurricanes-football-team
Btw Buc, I tried several times to post this petition on UM's blog, but Manny keeps erasing it. For some reason he does it want it. Regardless, I have it circulating over our campus. Just need 8,000 more signatures.
Posted by: Jeff Simon | October 27, 2011 at 11:36 PM
doesn't*
Posted by: Jeff Simon | October 27, 2011 at 11:37 PM
Hmmm....is that two in a row?
Posted by: chiaPanther | October 27, 2011 at 11:46 PM
Is anyone scared to play UM anymore? Also, since being in the ACC, they have not won anything. Goes to show you how easy UM had it in the 80s and 90s playing as an independent and in a basketball focused Big East. Can you imagine if UM was in the SEC, they would have a bunch of sub-par .500 years.
Posted by: NYCFIUFan | October 28, 2011 at 12:39 AM
It looks like a lot of UM fans dressed up as empty orange seats for Haloween.
Posted by: NYCFIUFan | October 28, 2011 at 12:40 AM
Great Game!!!!! Tough loss for the Canes, but hey, you guys should be used to it already!
Posted by: NYCFIUFan | October 28, 2011 at 12:41 AM
FIU Fanatic where have u been? I miss u buddy...Answer your phone
Posted by: Buc Nasty | October 28, 2011 at 01:59 AM
Crowd for a thursday game lol:
https://www.facebook.com/#!/photo.php?fbid=2535035423988&set=a.2384244734315.2140001.1496659700&type=1&theater
Posted by: I am FIU | October 28, 2011 at 04:35 AM
@Jeff Simon it's not the University you are at war with for an on-campus stadium. It's the city of Coral Gables and they are not having it.
Posted by: Hugh Vballz | October 28, 2011 at 10:55 AM
There were twice as many people at that Thursday game than have ever attended a game at FIU.
40,403.
lol?
Posted by: Buc Nasty | October 28, 2011 at 11:27 AM
Can the HURRICANES PLEASE win 7 games.....Is this possible ?
I want to see a 9-3 FIU team destroy U in a BOWL GAME ON NATIONAL TV. That will be the NAIL in the COFFIN before the NCAA reduces U to 15 schollies a year.
Posted by: FIUBlueandGold | October 28, 2011 at 11:31 AM
FIU beats U hands down. Look at Ur sorry team, terrible coaching and players lack true passion for winning.
It is also embarrassing, as true a Miamian, to see that scUM Life Stadium full of trash people on national TV. You'd think they released 30k from the local jails. Bunch of shaved head goatee wearing cuban thug sissies !!!
Anyone reading this that actually graduated from Miami, I feel bad for the reputation you have as fans. All that scUM that adopted the program makes your school look 2nd rate.
Posted by: FIUBlueandGold | October 28, 2011 at 11:32 AM
Buc Nasty are u serious? Are u really that dumb and nieve? Do u think that just because it was announced 40,403 that it was actually that amount? Bro look at the photos of the game, there was not even 20,000 there. Ur a joke! OH and by the way ur FIU #1 fan!! Its quite obvious...
Posted by: Buc Nastier | October 28, 2011 at 11:34 AM
I'm not nieve.
I don't need to look at photos, I was there. Crowd wasn't that bad for a Thursday night game.
And my point is - how are FIU fans making fun of UM's stadium? How are FIU fans making fun of UM's crowds?
There weren't 15,000 people "announced" at your last game.
What kind of twisted logic is going on in your heads where that makes sense?
Posted by: Buc Nasty | October 28, 2011 at 11:52 AM
Look... very few people were at FIU's game on Tuesday and very few people were at UM's game last night. You can't spin it any other way, ESPN cameras don't lie.
Its more embarrassing for UM though, because you know... FIU is a commuter school, right? LOL
Posted by: calm | October 28, 2011 at 02:53 PM
Joe Robbie is a 70,000 seat stadium that looks empty with an announced crowd of 40,000.
FIUs stadium is a 20,000 seat stadium that looks empty with an announced crowd of 15,000.
And I'm the one who needs to "twist" things to say that those crowds aren't equivalent?
Posted by: Buc Nasty | October 28, 2011 at 05:36 PM