Eye on the U

B-Rad First-Team All-ACC; Football roster making space; McDermott on Rimington Watch List.

Bryan Radziewski was not his usual self during his last regular-season start, but he was amazing all season -- coming off shoulder surgery nonetheless.

The left-handed junior was among five starting pitchers named to the 2013 All-ACC First Team on Monday.

B-Rad, as he is called by his fans and teammates, ended the season ranked among the conference leaders in nearly every statistical category. He ranked third in ERA (1.64), tied for second in wins (eight), tied for second in complete games (two), third in strikeouts (96) and first in batting average against (.175).

Radziewski is one of three pitchers in the ACC averaging more than 10 strikeouts per nine innings (11.27). The former Baseball America Freshman All-American has recorded 204 Ks over 33 starts and has a 19-4 career record and career ERA of 2.64. 

Miami begins its quest for an ACC title at 3 p.m. Thursday, when it meets No. 1 seed North Carolina in a Pool A matchup in Durham, N.C.

UM lost in the title game to Georgia Tech last year.

RICARDO WILLIAMS OFFICIALLY OFF FOOTBALL TEAM

   Chris Yandle, director of communications for UM athletics, just confirmed to me that 6-5, 251-pound defensive end Ricardo Williams is no longer on the team. A redshirt sophomore, Williams is out of Homestead Senior High. Williams played in one game last year -- against North Carolina. 

   Williams' name has already been removed from the football roster.

   Wide receiver Robert Lockhart Jr., who also has been granted his release, according to Canesport.com, is still on the roster.

    "As far as Robert Lockhart, I have not been informed about anything,'' Yandle said.

   Lockhart is a 6-1, 183-pound redshirt sophomore out of Fork Union Military Academy, via West Boca Raton High.  Lockhart was a four-star recruit by Rivals.com and ESPN. As a high school senior he had 34 catches for 686 yards and six touchdowns. He chose UM over Virginia Tech. Lockhart played in two games last season -- UNC and FSU -- but sustained a season-ending knee injury.

 SHANE McDERMOTT ON RIMINGTON WATCH LIST   

     UM center Shane McDermott is one of 44 players named to the 2013 Rimington Trophy spring watch list. The award is presented annually to the nation's top collegiate center.

    McDermott, a junior, missed spring practice after undergoing offseason shoulder surgery.

     An All-ACC honorable mention selection in 2012 by league coaches, McDermott started all 12 games at center for UM. UM had the ACC's third-best passing offense (295.4-yards-per-game average) and fifth-best total offense (440.2). As a redshirt freshman in 2011, he played in 10 games, allowing no sacks and not being flagged for any penalties.

    McDermott is from Lake Worth. He was awarded the Walter Kichefski Endowed Football Scholarship at the most recent UM Sports Hall of Fame induction banquet. He will earn his bachelor's degree this summer.

    McDermott's younger brother (I won't say "little'' brother as he's 6-6 and approaching 300 pounds), Kc McDermott, has already pledged his commitment to UM for the Class of 2014, a huge get for the Canes.
 Kc is a four-star lineman, according to Rivals.com, and is listed as the 40th best player overall, regardless of position. He is listed as the fifth best tackle in the Class of 2014.

   Notre Dame also wanted Kc, and actually still wants him, but Kc said he's not budging from his commitment to the Hurricanes.  

     SUSAN MILLER DEGNAN

Canes debut at 16; injury report

Frank Haith said Monday the only good thing about being ranked in the preseason was its effect on recruiting. We'll find out soon enough if that true (especially in the case of Durand Scott, one of the New York City's and the nation's top shooting guards, who has UM in his top three with Connecticut and Pittsburgh).

The Canes, who have continued their climb up from when they were in the ACC cellar two years ago, received their highest preseason ranking in school history Thursday morning. The ESPN/USA Today Top 25 Coach's poll has the Canes 16th heading into their season opener on Nov. 15. Only once before -- when UM opened 25th in the Associated Press poll in 1999-2000 -- has a UM team entered the season ranked in the Top 25. This year's AP preseason poll comes out on Friday.

What impressed me most was who UM is ranked higher than in the ESPN poll. The Canes are actually ahead of Georgetown (18th), Florida (19th) and defending national champion Kansas (23rd). Potentially, UM could end up facing three of the Top 5 in the regular season. We know for sure UM will play No. 1 North Carolina twice (Jan. 17 there and Feb. 15
at home) and No. 5 Duke once (over there Feb. 7). But UM could see No. 2 UConn as early as the third game of the season and the second game of the Paradise Jam tournament on Nov. 22. Then, No. 21 Wisconsin could be waiting the next game in the same tournament.

> As usual, the Canes released their injury report Thursday heading into Saturday's noon kickoff against Virginia. And, as usual, there was a surprise or too.

Quarterback Robert Marve (leg) was listed on the probable list alongside running back Lee Chambers (foot) and safety Jojo Nicholas (leg) who have missed the past few games. This is the first time this season Marve has been on the injury report. My guess is whatever he's feeling probably came when he got smacked on one of those sprint draws. Marve is going to play.

But what is of more concern is linebacker Daryl Sharpton (leg) who is listed as questionable. Sharpton has had a pretty good season, starting all eight games at strongside linebacker and ranking second in tackles (49)_ and tackles for loss (5.5) behind Glenn Cook. Senior Romeo Davis spelled Sharpton some last week and was effective with five tackles. What's kind of funny is Arthur Brown is listed as Sharpton's backup. Could this be the week we finally see him at linebacker for real?Receiver Leonard Hankerson (leg) hasn't played since the Florida State game and will likely miss his fourth consecutive game being listed as doubtful.

GETTING TO KNOW THE U with Mollie Rose... This week, we catch up with Canes' receiver Kayne Farquharson. Check out the video below, including last week's interview with Chavez Grant in case you missed it.

Canes need o-line, RBs to step up

Before the season began, UM coach Randy Shannon said the strongest units on his team were the offensive line and the running backs. Through eight games, that hasn't been the story. The Hurricanes aren't getting the type of effort they thought they would from those guys.

The numbers don't lie. Through nine games last season, UM was averaging 175 yards a game on the ground. Through eight games this year, the Canes are averaging nearly 50 yards less (127). While UM's passing game is averaging 10 more yards a game than it was last year, the line has been giving up more negative plays than it did a year ago. Last year, UM gave up 10 sacks in its first eight games. This year, the Canes have surrendered 17 in the same amount of time. Miami also surrendered 47 tackles for loss in 2007. This year, they've given up two more than that number. The only real area of improvement for the offensive line has been penalties. In '07, Miami was flagged for holding eight times and called for false starts seven times through their first eight games. This year, the Canes have been only flagged four times for holding and six for false starts.

"We definitely had higher expectations than what we're getting done," said 6-3, 300-pound junior A.J. Trump, who has started the last four games for UM at right guard. "We've been up and down. We played some good games here and there, not as good as some others. We're trying to gain some consistency and run the ball a little bit better. We're trying to get better."

Miami needs to be better at both running the football and protecting the quarterback -- and quick. Virginia leads the ACC in sacks with 23 this season. Clint Sintim, a 6-3, 254-pound senior outside linebacker, has been the menace. He leads the ACC with 10 sacks this season. Shannon said in Tuesday's press conference Miami will run the football more this week. Since Javarris James came back from his ankle injury against Duke, he and Graig Cooper have been stuck in quicksand. They've combined for 28 touches and 128 yards. There should be an opportunity to run this week against Virginia, which ranks 10th in the ACC in run defense and gives up 147 yards a game.

Not only that, but this week will mark the first time freshmen quarterbacks Robert Marve and Jacory Harris will see a 3-4 defense. Nobody in the ACC other than Virginia runs it. Both Marve and Harris talked Tuesday about how confusing it can be when eight guys drop back into coverage. Last week, was the first time since the Florida game neither quarterback threw an interception. "The 3-4 changes it up a little bit," Marve said. "They can cover more with the eight man drop. It's more recognizing where everyone's at. The 3-4 defense goes a lot off formations. It's more understanding your formation and what they've shown on film compared to what you're going to show. It's a little cat and mouse game."

Said Harris: "It's a very difficult defense to scheme because they can also drop eight and it basically ruins your passing game. We got to try and pound the ball until they bring everybody in the box and then that's when the air attack should start."

The good news for the Canes is the 3-4 won't be as new to its offensive line. Offensive line coach Jeff Stoutland said the Canes face it in practice every week because they usually see it a lot on third down. "We work the 3-4 all year, I don't care who we're playing. I have what I call `Musts.' So in practice I work on a head-up nose guard even if we're not playing a team with a head-up nose guard. Everybody we play plays a 3-4 - on third down they play it. So we work on it every single week so when you get to the 3-4 defense it's not like a brand new deal."

> Stoutland talked with me and a few other reporters for about 10 minutes about the good, the bad and the ugly with his unit this season after Tuesday's practice and even challenged me to hit the pads. We got a good laugh out of it. Stoutland, though, isn't laughing as much about the play of his line. It's been a roller coaster year for his guys and he knows it.

Stoutland said he keeps a chart of how many times his unit runs the perfect play. He focuses on assignment,
technique and effort. "o get a perfect play, if you count up all the plays - if there's 80 plays in a game -- you're trying to get 55 percent or better perfect. You're humming if you're 55 percent or better, and I chart that all the time. We've got to be at that number. It tells you how well you're executing together as a group. Every single day that's what we're trying to do. We look at things, say `Hey, maybe we have to minimize some things, maybe add some things. But that's kind of how we decide our game plan for what we're going to do."

Stoutland said the line has been humming at times, but not enough. But he's encouraged by the improving health of his team. Reggie Youngblood, who went down with a knee injury last month as is playing hurt, is getting healthier by the week. Chris Barney, who went down in fall camp, is starting to progress and might be able to contribute more than just on extra points and field goals. And he said Tuesday he feels like sophomore Orlando Franklin is starting to come on. He also praised Chris Rutledge saying "he didn't grade as high this game, but in the past he's really come on. I'm proud of him for what he's done."

Truth be told, Miami's line may have been miscast as the strength of this team before the season. Aside from three-year starters Jason Fox and Youngblood at tackle, UM had to replace its entire interior starting lineup. And as Stoutland said Tuesday, opponents have been "throwing the kitchen sink" at the line this season to try and rattle the Canes young quarterbacks, who obviously haven't struck enough on those deep passes to keep defenses off. Stoutland said the long run Marve made against Wake was the perfect remedy because it keeps defenses honest.

"Their mission is to break the quarterback's will," Stoutland said. "Get him confused, break his will, get him discombobulated. Our young quarterbacks have made some big plays now. That play Robert pulled and ran it - they're running a game on the back side of that thing and we hit it perfectly. That was a perfectly executed play. When you start to do that, people start to get a little nervous - `Whoa, hold on.' The more we can crack it when people are doing that, the more plays we can make, the more people back off. They'll try you. Last week you see them stemming the whole line back and forth, trying to get you to come off with a false start. I thought our guys handled that really well."

> For those of you wondering if center Xavier Shannon is ever going to bring those high snaps down, don't bet on it. Stoutland said while he's been bothered by the high snaps Xavier Shannon has been releasing lately, he isn't trying to over coach it. "I don't like to over-coach it, because when you start to over-coach it, start go nuts on it, then it goes all over the place," he said Tuesday. "The shotgun snap is a very delicate issue. We monitor that, check it at practice if it's going to the right or left. I don't go overboard with it, though, because I used to do that and then it went haywire. It shouldn't be a bullet snap, just get it back to the quarterback."

> While UM has plenty of veteran lineman this season, we know that won't be the story going forward. We
know UM is trying a strong push to land offensive lineman and are in the chase for some of the country's best with their next recruiting class. Stoutland gave us an update on how the guys here are doing now and how he's working to bring them along. "A name that hasn't been mentioned in a while is Ian Symonette. He's starting to come on. I've been working with him, having individual meetings and trying to get him. I'm looking forward to working with him to the point where he can compete for a job. He's been here long enough, let's go," Stoutland said. "Tyler Horn last week was unbelievable. Harland Gunn had a really good day. The defensive coaches let me know what they're doing and I'm hearing good things."

Stoutland said Symmonette, a 6-9, 351-pound sophomore, has to focus on his change of direction. "A lot of that comes down to knowing what your doing," Stoutland said. "It's all about angles. But if you don't know what angle to take, it's not going to look real good."

Stoutland said he's also spending extra time with freshman Ben Jones, who has worked his way back from injury to the scout team. "He's going to be a very good player. I do some stuff with him after practice to bring his development along. He's like in the minors. I'm trying to bring him on faster - I haven't had a chance to coach him that much because he was injured."

> Speaking of the injured, linebacker Darryl Sharpton, who was nicked up in the Wake Forest game, should be fine for Saturday's game at Virginia. So, should running back Javarris James, who said he's closer to being 100 percent. "I'm starting not to think about," James said of his ankle injury. "My first week back it was in my mind a lot. It's something hard to overcome. I finally feel like I'm almost all the way back. They said there would always be some type of pain the rest of the year and it's just something I got to deal with."

> Count Randy Shannon as a fan of Dancing With the Stars -- especially now that Warren Sapp is involved in the competition. Shannon said he exchanges text messages with Sapp, who is still in the running for the top spot. "I'll tell him `Great move, but you have to get more pizzazz.'," Shannon said Tuesday. " He's always been one of my funniest guys. I knew that it would be great because Sapp really has great feet and is truly a great athletes, has great dance moves."

> As usual, I've uploaded a ton of audio interviews. Feel free to check them out on our UM audio page.

Wake Forest progress report

Three wins in a row for the Canes including what I now consider the most impressive win of the season. In all honesty, while wins against Duke, Charleston Southern, UCF and Texas A&M all obviously count, this was the first time this season I felt Miami beat a good team. Wake Forest doesn't have much of an offense and doesn't score a bunch of points. But the Demon Deacons are still a formidable foe with a very good defense, a group of experienced starters and backups, and a quarterback that up until last Saturday was leading the ACC in passing.

Like I said in Saturday's postgame analysis, Miami got pounded for a quarter by a veteran team. But, then, the Canes turned the tables and played like the more physical team for the better part of the final 2 1/2 quarters. That was impressive. Now to the progress report. My grading system system, in honor of the Canes, is the usual: National championship material (excellent), BCS worthy (good), MicronPC Bowl here we come (average), Coker-esque (poor) and Scout Team reserve (the bottom of the barrel).

Quarterback: For the second week in a row, it was one of UM's young quarterbacks and not their veteran running backs who rallied the troops. Robert Marve wasn't spectacular with his arm, completing 11 of 20 passes for 153 yards. But he did something he hadn't done since his first start at Florida -- he was turnover free. And, he made the biggest play of the game, turning the momentum for good in Miami's favor when he faked on the Wake defense with a 43-yard run to setup the game-winning touchdown. It was the second longest TD run by a QB since 1983 and maybe the most important play of the season for Marve, who showed us all why Randy Shannon gave him the starting job in the first place. He made good throws for the most part Saturday and showed the leadership of a champion. Jacory Harris, meanwhile, didn't regress. He just stepped aside for Marve, finishing 4 of 8 for 41 yards. This week's progress report says: Gator Bowl Here We Come. It wasn't quite BCS worthy, but not MicronPC bad either. 2.5 stars.

Marve impressed me with his speed on the long run, but even more on that long completion to Thearon Collier on third and long late. It's the kind of plays he should be making more often.

Running backs: I know Halloween is just around the corner, but can someone please tell Graig Cooper and Javarris James to stop dressing up like impostors? Coop and Baby J can't force the ball out of Robert Marve's hand for handoffs or steal the playbook from Patrick Nix, but they can do a better job running the football when given the opportunity. They had eight more chances (18) than last week, but finished with 41 combined yards. Wake Forest's defense was very good, and UM's offensive line wasn't, but at some point I want to see these guys make the highlight runs we thought they could. Or, dress like the Coop and Baby J we thought they were. This week's progress report says: Coker-esque. Last week they didn't get enough chances. This week, they didn't earn more.

Receivers/tight ends: Start engraving the offensive MVP trophy for this season and put Travis Benjamin's name on it. It seems like every week he has a key play in a win. He led UM with four catches for 72 yards -- including the long one that setup the first field goal. He also made a nice catch racing out of bounds on a late drive and a nice 10-yard run on a reverse (take notes Baby J and Coop). The rest of the Canes' receivers didn't have as nearly as good-a-day. Thearon Collier had a nice catch late, but Aldarius Johnson had a couple drops and Laron Byrd had another bobble. I love those guys. But they show themselves to be freshman more often than Benjamin. Before I forget, how about a thumbs up for Sam Shields? He made his first catch in weeks and made a nice move to pickup a first down. Maybe, it is a sign of things to come.This week's progress report says: Gator Bowl worthy.Benjamin gets 3 stars. The rest of the receivers get 2. That's another 2.5 rating.

Offensive line: It's time to start ripping into this unit. Jason Fox, you have the right to leave the room. I'm not sure why we were told this unit was the strength of the team (I remember, they have the most experience next to the running back), but it's quite obvious this unit is quite pedestrian. Two weeks in a row of not getting enough push up front to open up holes for the running backs and two sacks allowed against a Wake Forest defense that eight on the season coming in. Not good. And will someone please tell Xavier Shannon to stop hiking the ball to Shaquille O'Neal? Marve is 6-1 my man -- not 7-2. This week's progress report says: MicronPC Bowl Here We Come. It wasn't quite Coker-esque, but it was dangerously close.

The Front Seven: When a team runs the ball 24 consecutive times, there's a reason. Wake felt it could win the battle up front and did for the first quarter and a half. But little gold stars go out this week to guys like Romeo Davis and Adewale Ojomo, who manned up and rallied UM's front seven. Wake finished with 195 yards rushing on 52 attempts, but ad 135 yards at the half. Normally, defenses wear down. UM's got tougher. The Canes also got a nice rush on Riley Skinner, forced a key fumble and sacked him twice. I already gave Ojomo a game ball for that. This week's progress report says: Gator Bowl worthy. I wanted to make them BCS worthy, but getting physically beat for a quarter and a half demoted them.

The Secondary: Wake Forest only attempted eight passes and completed three of them despite having the top passer in the conference. Aside from one long catch and run by DJ Boldin, the secondary also did a nice job wrapping up when the catches were made. Safety Ryan Hill had a nice pass breakup on third down and for the first time this season, teammate Anthony Reddick got to relax. This week's progress report says: BCS Worthy. Hard to grade this unit considering Wake only attempted eight passes. But they still only gave up three completions. Shocking as it might sound, UM's pass defense now ranks 16th in the country. That's not a typo.

Special Teams: Matt Bosher continued his campaign for MVP -- he's got my vote -- with another great day with his toes. Bosher booted a career-long punt last week at Duke. Saturday versus Wake, he absolutely crushed a 52-yard field goal -- another career long. He was 3 of 3 on attempts that included a 36 and 43 yarder and is now 12 of 13 on the season. He shanked a punt -- not a weekly tradition. But he finished with a 47-yarder and 36-yard average. Not bad. The unit also scored major points with their trick play -- the Benjamin to Shields flip which led to UM's first points of the second half. This week's progress report says: National Championship worthy.Randy Shannon and Joe Pannunzio tag-team coaching this unit. There's no question special teams is the honest-to-god strength of this team.

Coaching: This week, the we need to get Patrick Nix out-of-here campaign picked up again because UM was unable to generate much of a running game -- save for the Marve run -- or a passing game -- save for that long Benjamin catch. But I'm not with it. Wake Forest has a good defense and although UM couldn't sustain much, Nix still found ways to at least get in scoring position. Bill Young, meanwhile, put the clamps on Wake's running game when he needed to and he somehow figured out the best way to beat Riley Skinner was to make Wake believe its best not to throw. Shannon, meanwhile, rolled the dice twice on fourth down and didn't get it and went for an onside kick that was good, just not executed. But I like his style. I thought they were good calls. This week's progress report says: Gator Bowl Here We Come. Notice a theme yet?

De'Quan Jones: 'I want to be an all-utility guy'

Just got home a little over an hour ago from trip to Atlanta and UM's Basketball Media Day and want to start this blog by telling you I'm still going to keep my promise and provide you with my usual football progress report later today. So, you football guys that are on the verge of going nuts know I haven't forgotten about you.

But I wouldn't be doing my job if I didn't share with you what I learned from today's basketball media day -- especially considering how much better this program is now than it was before. UM men's coach Frank Haith and Katie Meier addressed the media for about an hour Monday inside the Hurricane 100 room at BankUnited Center and then we got a chance to talk with each of the players on the team. I've got enough material for about 20 blogs. But I'm not going to share it all now. If you die-hards want to hear everything that was said, check out our UM audio page where I always share all of the audio interviews I collect.

But for now, here's part of the Q&A session we had with highly-touted freshman De'Quan Jones, whom Haith said Monday is likely the most highly-touted and athletic recruit he's signed in his five years at UM. Jones (6-6, 190) impressed me with how polished he was answering questions. He already appears to me to have that star appeal. Cyrus McGowan gushed when asked how good Jones was saying he can jump out of the building. We all remember Jones' YouTube slam dunk from high school when he literally flew over a defender -- ala Vince Carter.

Q: People have some pretty high expectations for you. How do you feel going into your freshman season?
A: Expectations are going to be high. I feel like if I just come in and do the smart intangibles, I'll be fine. If I do what they're recruiting me for, rebounding, running the floor, finishing, I'll feel pretty confident.

Q: How high can you jump?
A: I think this summer they recorded me at a 41-inch vertical.

Q: Who have you been compared to?
A: I think my dad kind of compares me to Lebron [James] a little bit. That's a lot of pressure. That's a lot to live up to. That's probably the only comparison I've heard.

Q: How are you meshing with the guys here?
A: The chemistry is great. I think that's the reason I chose Miami because of the chemistry of my teammates. Me and the guys get along great. On the court, off the court. We do everything together. A lot of teams talk about that family atmosphere. But it's really here amongst us.

Q: How about the chemistry in terms of style of play?
A: I think the beautiful thing about our team is that everyone's game compliments everyone. Jack [McClinton] is an excellent shooter. He's surrounded by guys that can get in the lane and drive and dish. I think on the court the chemistry meshes pretty good.

Q: Where do you think you can contribute the most?
A: I just want to try and be like an all utilities guy, rebounding, defense, just whatever the team needs any given night, whether its scoring, rebounding, assists, whatever.

Q: How do you think you can improve your game defensively?
A: I think I can fight through ball screens better. I think that's probably the biggest transition from high school to college. Of course, there's the speed of the game. But it's just the small things if you want to make big plays at this level.

Q: They have an established team, how do you see yourself fitting in?
A: Whatever the team needs. Every team needs the guy that goes out and does the small things.

Q: What was your impression of Jack?
A: Jack is Jack. He's funny. He's been like my big brother. If there is any advice I need, I always hit him up. All the guys are just funny, down to earth. They've really helped me with the transition.

Can you talk about the main reason you wanted to come to Miami?
Q: The main reason was Coach Haith and just the environment. Miami is a beautiful city. I just wanted to come down and choose an environment that best fits me. Plus, my teammates, we get along great. We have great team chemistry and coach Haith is another good reason.

Q: This is a veteran team, how much does that help you in making the transition?
Q: I think it's a great thing. I think that's one of the best attributes of our team. We're a veteran team. They help me out a lot as far as the plays. I think that's one of the best attributes.

Q: Can you talk about the dunk on YouTube and the excitement that created? And are we going to see a little of that here?
A: Hopefully [laughter]. I didn't really notice it until after about week that it was already up a week later when my coach calls me. I still get texts and phone calls from people that say I've never seen that before. It was something that just happened I guess.

Q: What's the story behind the dunk?
Most of the talented players tell you some stuff is done instinctively. It wasn't anything premeditated. It was just a spur of the moment thing.

Q: Coach talked about defense being the one area you need to focus on, but do you feel comfortable offensively?
A: Offensively, for the most part, there's still a lot of things I need to work on like ballhandling and creating opportunities for my teammates off the dribble. But for the most part, I feel comfortable.

Q: Where do you see the program going?
A: I think Coach Haith's biggest thing is he wants to recruit talented players, but also great people. I think great teams require great people. I see nothing but good things happening for the program if we just continue working hard.

Q: Jack said a couple weeks ago he wants to contend for a national championship. Do you see that as a real goal for this program while you are here?
A: Yes sir, I do. I think we just keep working hard and stay focused on the goal overall, I definitely think [a national title] is possible.

I'll keep the rest of the notes brief:

> Haith started his press conference by trying to temper some of the excitement created last week when Jack McClinton told us UM's goal was to win a national title. While he said he believes the Canes have a very good team, he doesn't want anyone getting the wrong idea that the Canes "beating their chests." I think Haith realizes how much the hype Canes are receiving and simply wants everyone to realize his team is still a ways away from getting to that level.

> James Dews has put on eight more pounds to make sure he can handle the bumping and grinding it takes in not only guarding bigger guys in the ACC, but taking the ball to the basket. Dews (6-3) weighed 202 last season and is now up to 210.

> Dwayne Collins says he's taking it as a personal challenge to become more consistent by making sure he plays just as hard in practice as he does in game. "You play how you practice and I don't want to be that guy anymore," Collins said. That guy he's referring to is the guy who lit up Duke, but then finished the season in a slump. That's Mr. Inconsistency. Collins believes he is done with him.

> It's hard not to feel bad for Adrian Thomas and happy for him at the same time. After suffering a season-ending sports hernia injury two years ago and then a season-ending torn ACL last year, Thomas said he was all set to return last spring when he developed a cyst in his injured knee. It cost him the summer. He's been back in action for two months now and says while he no longer has the explosion he used, he really believes he can help the Canes by being "a lockdown defensive guy and someone hits on those outside jumpers."

> If you spot a little old man running up and down the court this season, don't worry. That's probably just Edwin Rios. The 6-foot backup point guard showed up to today's media day sporting a beard and a baldspot on his head. The beard will likely go before the start of the season and so will the struggles he hopes. Last year, Eddie shot 53 percent from the free throw line and 37 percent from the field. "I'm a different player now. I have my confidence again," Rios said. "I believe I'll be a lot better."

> I know some of you have asked about the new practice facility being built at UM. I saw it today and its still in the midst of construction. But it's being built. No word yet on when exactly it will be ready.

> No word either yet on highly-touted '09 recruit Durand Scott, who visited UM this past weekend. I was told by a few other writers today Scott hasn't been answering his phone since his visit. Not sure if that's a good thing or a bad thing.

Check back after 8 for that progress report.

Haith not letting hype distract team

ATLANTA -- Frank Haith put together a winning formula last season for the Hurricanes -- and it doesn't appear he's going to change it much. Last year, he helped the Hurricanes develop an emotional edge before games with the nobody believes in us, we have to prove people wrong battle cry. Miami started 12-0 and went from being picked to finish last in the ACC to finishing fifth in the conference, a 23-11 season and the second round of the NCAA Tournament.

All season long, Haith kept telling his team to believe they could finish in the top half of the conference. And they did. Sunday, UM was picked to finish fourth at the end of the 2008-09 season. While expectations have obviously been raised and the Canes have morphed from the hunters to the hunted, Haith's message remains the same: Play with an edge and finish in the top half of the conference.

It won't be easy. The ACC is tougher. Last year, 65 percent of the conference's starters returned. This year, 73 percent of them are back -- including all five at likely No. 1-ranked North Carolina and a very young and talented Wake Forest team which is on the rise. Four, meanwhile, are back at UM, but also at Duke and Virginia Tech. There are plenty of other dangerous looking teams, too.

Florida State was picked to finish 10th Sunday by the media after finishing 19-15 last season and losing three backcourt stars. But the Noles look a lot like UM did two years ago when injuries ravaged their team, nobody picked them to do anything and they came out and stunned a lot of people the following season. FSU has one of the conference's top guards in Toney Douglas, a big frontcourt and a 6-9 swingman in Chris Singleton who was the player of the year in Georgia. The point is, any team in the ACC can be dangerous on any given night and nearly every team in the conference has a player that can win a game on his own.

As much hype as the Canes will receive over the next few weeks, you can worry about it getting to their heads. But the reality is, it doesn't look like that's going to happen. Hungry and humble are the words Haith and his players kept uttering Sunday. And it looks like they mean it.

All right. I knew I said I wouldn't have anything else for you from the ACC Media Days. But I lied. Here are some more notes I just don't want to get stale.

> Frank Haith not only will have the most experienced team he's ever coached at UM this season with four seniors (Jimmy Graham, Brian Asbury, McClinton and Lance Hurdle) and a roster featuring a combined 226 starts, but probably his most talented and deepest team ever, too. Aside from the seniors, he has junior big man Dwayne Collins (40 career starts), junior guard James Dews (33 starts), junior forward and Arkansas transfer Cyrus McGowan, redshirt freshman center Julius Gamble, redshirt junior forward Adrian Thomas, sophomore point guard Eddie Rios and freshman swingman DeQuan Jones who are likely ready and able to play this season. That's a group of 11, not including freshman power forward Reggie Johnson (6-9, 290) who like Gamble will likely need a season to adjust physically to the college game.

Haith said Sunday he'd like to rotate nine and promised "Jack McClinton is not coming off the floor." Who the other eight are remains to be seen, but I'm pretty sure its a safe better Graham, Hurdle, McGowan, Collins, Dews, Asbury and Gamble will all play. While Haith said Jones (6-6, 190) is going to play, he said his star recruit swingman still has a long way to go to get better on defense. Haith, whose defense improved to second-best in the ACC last year in field goal defense, isn't going to put someone on the floor if they can't play defense.

> Meanwhile, Haith keeps telling us yet again how improved Adrian Thomas is -- especially shooting. In a scrimmage Saturday night, Haith said Thomas made 7 of 10 three-point attempts and said he envisions Thomas in a role where he can play in the post and step out and shoot the three. Haith said Thomas' two-years on the sidelines contributed to his better shooting. "When all you can do is shoot," he said. "You are going to get a lot better at it."

> Haith said ultimately the two biggest keys to his team's success going forward are the point and the post. "If Lance continues to grow and we can continue to get consistency from Dwayne Collins production wise, the sky is the limit for this team," Haith said.

> Haith said Sunday Dwayne Collins has had the best preseason he's ever had at UM and is in the best physical shape he's ever been, too. He said he's been stressing consistency to Collins all summer and he's responded. He said if Collins can become a go-to double-figure scorer in the post "it would help our team immensely."

> Hurdle missed last week's practice with an ankle injury and is expected to miss another week this week and likely UM's exhibition opener. Haith said Hurdle's injury wasn't a bad high ankle sprain "just a small sprain." "The thing I love about Lance is he can guard people," Haith said. "If we can just avoid the foul trouble, then he'll really be able to help us. He'll have taken another step up."

> As for Jimmy Graham, expect him to be in the starting lineup at the start of the season for the Canes but for Haith to closely monitor the situation. Haith said he loves the energy Graham brings off the bench and could eventually move him back into a sixth-man role. "He's scoring more and finishing more around the basket, which is what we really like," Haith said. "He's always been a great defender and I think that's what we want him to understand who is."

> Look for Haith to try tinkering with his lineup plenty early on including going big at times with McClinton at the point alongside Jones, Asbury, Collins and Graham.

> The Canes play one of the country's most challenging schedules this year with a trip to the Virgin Islands for the Paradise Jam, a December trip to Kentucky, a home date with NIT champion Ohio State and the usual tough ACC matchups including a trip to likely No. 1 North Carolina on Jan. 17 (I'm told it will be the first ESPN College Gameday night game of the year). There will be plenty of big TV appearances. Haith said Sunday there could be plenty more in 2009-2010. He said there have been some early talks with Tennessee for a home-and-home series and "a few other Top 25 teams." He said he would also like to renew a series with St. John's. UM likes to recruit the New York City area.

> If you find yourself wondering this season why Lance Hurdle, Julian Gamble, and Dwayne Collins look a little different this season, there is an explanation. Haith told his players this off season he wants them to look more presentable and each has responded on their own accord by getting rid of their cornrows/braids. Both Hurdle and Collins grew out their hair this summer and trimmed it to a more modern-looking fade cut. They aren't the only guys sporting new looks. Sophomore point guard Eddie Rios, who went with the Mr. Clean look last season, has grown his hair back and is likely to sport a beard this season.

> The ACC is making a strong push for the NCAA to pass legislation that would limit the amount of time college basketball players have to decide if they are going to enter the NBA Draft or return to school. Currently, college players have been allowed to enter their name into the draft, participate in NBA sponsored workouts for almost two months and still have time to come back to school.

The ACC believes the rule should limit that time to between 7 and 10 days after national signing day in April. There are several reasons -- one because the NBA spends the entire college basketball season scouting and two because the extra period of time puts college programs in a recruiting pickle. If a player doesn't decide for sure he's leaving until the last minute in June, coaches are usually left without a player to fill that scholarship.

"10 days?," Boston College guard Tyrese Rice said when posed with the idea Sunday. "That's a tough process. You want to sit down and think about it and talk to as many people as you can, get as much feedback as you can. I just don't feel like 10 days is enough to take care of that kind of business."

Florida State coach Leonard Hamilton was part of the ad-hoc committee put together by the ACC, along with associate commissioner Karl Hicks to discuss the proposed plan. Hicks said Sunday the earliest it could go into effect is not until the conclusion of the 2009-2010 season.

> As many of you probably know by now, the NCAA has moved the 3-point line back in men's basketball from 19-feet, 9-inches to 20-feet, 9-inches in attempt to open up more space down low. As Canes fans, there is no need to worry about Jack McClinton. He's hit some in the past from 25-feet out. The guys you should probably worry, according to Boston College's Tyrese Rice, are the big men, who step out and try to hit threes.

"I don't think it changes anything for guards," Rice said. "If you can hit it from 19-9, you can hit it from 20-9. I think it will affect the bigs that shoot the trailer three, things like that. Because that one step is like five steps back for them."

> Duke coach Mike Krzyzewski hasn't been able to get the Blue Devils past the second round of the NCAA tournament since 2005. But don't think for a second its wearing him down. Sunday, he talked at length about how reinvigorated he's become since leading the United States to the gold medal in Beijing this summer. "I'm not basketballed out," Krzyzewski said. "I'm not tired at all. I'm more excited to teach."

Duke returns ACC Rookie of the Year Kyle Singler and should be better in the post with the addition of 6-10 freshman forward Miles Plumlee and the development of 7-1, 260-pound center Brian Zoubek. Last year, Duke was often dominated in the paint and had to win its games by shooting well from the outside. Gerald Henderson said Sunday Duke won't be that team anymore.

As for Kyzyzewski, he talked about the rise of the Canes and gave all the credit to Haith. "He's an outstanding coach. But he's also a good guy and a team player," Krzyzewski said. "I think Frank is a guy kids would really like to play for. He's putting his stamp [on the program]. He's a really good hire for Miami. The school itself is a really good school. But he has one of the better teams in the country right now. He understands he was developing a program and not just building a team for a season."

> OK, enough basketball for now. You'll get your football fix tomorrow with my Wake Forest progress report.

Canes picked to finish fourth in ACC

ATLANTA -- ACC Media Day just wrapped up here at the Marriott Marquis and your Miami Hurricanes have been tabbed to finish as the fourth-best team in the conference this year. Last year, UM was picked last and surprised everyone but coach Frank Haith in finishing fifth at the end of the regular season. UM completed a 23-11 season by losing to Texas in the second round of the NCAA tournament.

Now, the expectations are much higher. I've got tons of interviews with various players and coaches I'll upload later tonight. But the most intriguing thing I took away from today was just how much of a superstar Jack McClinton has become. No, North Carolina's golden boy, Tyler Hansbrough, wasn't here. And yes, he was once again tabbed the ACC's Preseason Conference Player of the Year. But nobody might have gotten more love today than McClutch, who along with Hansbrough, Boston College's Tyrese Rice, UNC's Ty Lawson and Duke's Gerald Henderson were selected to the Preseason All-Conference Team.

McClinton has made a lot of friends in the ACC and impressed a lot of coaches and opponents with what he's been able to accomplish in his two years at UM. Maryland guard Greivis Vazquez who said he used to hate McClinton because he would kill the Terps, but said Jack and him have become close friends after being roommates at Chris Paul's summer camp and now calls Jack "my favorite player in the league." Rice told me he was blown away with McClinton's work ethic when they two attended several camps together. "I thought I worked hard," Rice said. "But this guy will never choose party time or chill time if he can be out on the court getting better. He's so focused, he's not going to let those guys slip no matter what their ranked."

McClinton was his usual humble self when we talked to him this morning about the expectations being placed on him and the team. It's my thought that as long as he stays healthy and doesn't lose his voice, you won't see a drop off with this team. He simply won't let it happen.

Anyway, I don't want to drown you with basketball talk considering the football Canes are hot right now. I'm not sure many of you would care to talk hoops. But I'll have more basketball to share with you as we get closer to the start of the season on Nov. 15. Besides, UM's Basketball Media Day is tomorrow -- and I don't want you to already get sick of a basketball second-helping.

Here's how the 40-writers voted for the preseason teams.

Predicted Order of Finish: 1. North Carolina (40 first place votes) 480 total points; 2. Duke (436); 3. Wake Forest (354); 4. Miami (344); 5. Clemson (306); 6. Virginia Tech (298); 7. Maryland (192); 8. Georgia Tech (186); 9. N.C. State (179); 10. Florida State (145); 11. Boston College (123); 12. Virginia (77). Manny's ballot: 1. UNC; 2. Duke; 3. Miami; 4. Wake Forest; 5. Virginia Tech; 6. Clemson; 7. Florida State; 8. Maryland; 9. Georgia Tech; 10. N.C. State; 11. Virginia; 12. Boston College.

Rookie of the Year: Al Farouq-Aminu, Wake Forest (18); Sylven Landesberg, Virginia (4); DeQuan Jones, Miami (2); Tony Woods, Wake Forest (2); Iman Shumpert, Georgia Tech (2); 7 others tied with one vote. Manny's ballot: DeQuan Jones, Miami.

UM-Wake Forest thoughts

It wasn't pretty. It wasn't a dominant performance. But Saturday's 16-10 win against Wake Forest at Dolphin Stadium was the third consecutive victory for this young University of Miami football team, which is starting put the struggles this program has endured over the last three to four years in the rear-view mirror.

Last week, it was backup quarterback Jacory Harris who keyed UM's turnaround against Duke. This week, it was the other side of the quarterback partnership who ignited the Canes, starter Robert Marve. The red-shirt freshman finally got the offense going in the third quarter with a 48-yard run that setup the go-ahead touchdown. UM's defense, which was shredded on the ground to the tune of 116 yards in the first quarter, buckled down in the second half and didn't allow Wake to move the football with regularity anymore. Meanwhile, kicker Matt Bosher (with the exception of one hiccup) had an exceptional day. It all added up to a third straight victory for the Canes, who beat an experienced team that has won plenty in this conference the past several seasons.

> PLAY OF THE GAME: Marve's 48-yard third quarter run. Until he faked the handoff to Graig Cooper, turned the corner, juked a defensive back and raced up field, Wake Forest had basically kept the Canes in check. Marve's long run setup his own 1-yard plunge and go-ahead touchdown with 8:03 to play in the third quarter.

> IT WAS OVER WHEN: With UM leading 16-10 and trying to run out the clock, Marve scrambled on third and 10 and found Thearon Collier open downfield for a 30-yard gain to midfield. All UM had to do was pick up one more first down to run out the clock.

GAME BALLS
Offense - QB Robert Marve: For all the struggles he had coming into this game, Marve rebounded by making the play of the game, the clincher and scoring UM's only touchdown. He finished 11 of 20 for 153 yards and ran for 56 yards and a touchdown on nine carries. Honorable mention: WR Travis Benjamin. The Blur led the Canes with 72 yards receiving on four catches and his 52-yard catch in the first half setup UM's first field goal. He also hauled in a key third down pass in the second half along the sideline.

Defense - DL Adewale Ojomo: The redshirt freshmen is starting to fill in nicely for the injured Eric Moncur. Last week against Duke, he had UM's only sack. Saturday against Wake, he had six tackles, 1.5 sacks and an important forced fumble which led to UM's last field goal. He also shared a huge sack in the first half when Wake Forest was driving and he stopped their drive at the UM 40 by bringing down Riley Skinner on fourth down. Honorable mention: LB Romeo Davis. Romeo hadn't played much in a while, but was a key cog in stopping the run in the second half for the Canes. He finished with five tackles and made some punishing tackles as Wake tried to run the football up the gut.

Special Teams - K Matt Bosher:Yes, he shanked a punt in the fourth quarter and averaged only 36 yards a punt, but he made all the kicks he had to -- including a career long 52-yard field goal which had yards to spare. Bosher finished 3-of-3 on field goal attempts and made his extra point. ]

A FEW MORE THOUGHTS...
> Shannon has shown himself to be quite the gambler this season. Today, it didn't payoff. But I liked the chances he took. After UM scored to make it 13-10, he called for an onside kick and Bosher delivered a beauty. UM just didn't recover it even though it should have. He also decided to go for it on fourth down twice. The Canes couldn't convert.

> Sam Shields is starting to make plays for this team again. Not only did he make a nice catch and run in the third quarter, but he likely had the second biggest play of the game on the second half kickoff. Shields took a backwards pitch from Travis Benjamin and raced up field to the Wake Forest 45. He then took a shot on the sideline that drew an extra 15 yards to give UM great field position and to give the Canes a sense of momentum.

> After getting just 10 combined carries last week at Duke, Javarris James and Graig Cooper got eight more chances Saturday, but didn't produce a whole lot. The duo finished with a combined 41 yards and couldn't generate enough movement.

> What also impressed me a ton today was how physical UM played after getting whipped in the first quarter at the line of scrimmage. Wake Forest was the older, more experienced team. Yet, it was Miami that was handing out the licks in the second half. Laron Byrd had a catch where he took a shot, bounced off it and left linebacker Alton Curry on the grass writhing in pain. So much for the idea Miami was weak in the weight room. They were much more physical than team, older and more experienced than them.

Gameday blog: UM 16, Wake Forest 10 (F)

Another week, another Canes come-from-behind victory. Trailing 10-3 at the half, the Canes came back to beat Wake Forest 16-10 at rainy Dolphin Stadium in yet another important ACC showdown for UM. The win allows the Canes to stay in the race to reach the conference title game in Tampa. These were the highlights and my thoughts as the game progressed...

SECOND HALF
UM's 1ST DRIVE: The Canes start the second half with some trickery when Travis Benjamin fields the kickoff and pitches it back to Sam Shields, who runs it up the middle and returns it past midfield before getting pushed out of bounds. Shields then draws an additional 15 yards when he gets hit out of bounds by a Wake Forest player on the bench. It gives UM a first down at the Wake 30. After Robert Marve scrambles for five yards on the first play from scrimmage, Alton Curry smacks him down for a 9-yard loss back at the 34 to bring up a 3rd and 14. Marve's third down pass to Aldarius Johnson nearly gets intercepted by Alphonso Smith. Matt Bosher then drills a 52-yard field goal with yards to spare with 13:10 left. Wake Forest 10, UM 6.
WAKE's 1ST DRIVE: Wake starts at its own 22 and goes right back to the running game with its big fullback. But the Canes are ready for it. And on third down, safety Ryan Hill comes through with a big stop. Miami gets the ball back at its own 35 with 11:47 to play in the third.
UM's 2ND DRIVE: The Canes get good field position and give Baby J a carry then call their second time out of the second half after some miscommunication with the sideline. Let's hope it doesn't come back to haunt them. Robert Marve completes a short pass to Laron Byrd then runs for a first down out to midfield. Two plays later, Marve nets the Canes' second-longest run of the season with a 43-yard sprint draw, faking a handoff to Graig Cooper, making an ankle-breaking move and rumbling down to the Wake's 3-yard line. Two plays after that, Marve plunges into the end zone on a 1-yard sneak to give UM its first lead of the game with 8:03 left to play in the quarter. UM 13, Wake Forest 10.
WAKE's 2ND DRIVE: The Canes try trickery on the ensuing kickoff when Bosher pushes through a good, slow roller onside kick. But the Canes are unable to land on the football. UM though survives giving up the good field position at their own 48 and stop Wake on three consecutive running plays and the Demon Deacons are forced to punt.
UM's 3RD DRIVE: The Canes start at their own 20 and start moving down the field with two huge plays by Travis Benjamin, who runs for 10 yards on an end around and then makes a beautiful catch along the sideline on third down. Two plays later, Sam Shields makes his first big play on offense in a long time with a nice catch and run for a first down. UM drives all the way to the Wake 28 yard line, but on fourth down and 1, the Canes go for it and fail when Graig Cooper gets stopped shy of the marker.
WAKE's 3RD DRIVE: Wake Forest picks up one first down on the ground, but then turns the ball over when Adewale Ojomo gets around the corner and hits Riley Skinner. Defensive tackle Antonio Dixon falls on the loose ball at the Wake 45.
UM's 4TH DRIVE:The Canes start with great field position and keep their drive alive when Aldarius Johnson hauls in a third down pass for a first down at the Wake Forest 30. But after Curry drops a near interception, Marve is forced to tuck the ball and run out of bounds on third down. It leads to a Matt Bosher 43-yard field goal with 12:09 to play. UM 16, Wake Forest 10.
WAKE'S 4TH DRIVE:The Demon Deacons start at their own 33 and quickly pick up a first down and move to the UM 46 on an 8-yard Brandon Pendergrass run. but the play gets wiped out with a holding penalty. On third and 15 at their own 39, UM returns the favor. Skinner, scrambles, then throws a pass deep downfield that draws a pass interference penalty on DeMarcus Van Dyke. It gives Wake a first down at the UM 46-yard line. Wake drives down to the UM 23 and sets up for a 40-yard field goal. But Shane Popham's kick sails wide right with 5:47 to play. Now the story becomes, can UM run out the clock?
UM's 5TH DRIVE:Jacory Harris replaces Marve at quarterback as the Canes try to run out the clock. Graig Cooper helps him out early with an 8-yard run. But on third and two, Harris' pass to Aldarius Johnson gets batted away with 4:30 to play and the Canes will have to punt. And the Canes will find themselves in trouble after Matt Bosher gets off a punt off the side of his foot, a 27-yarder. With 4:24 to play, Wake will have the ball at its own 42. Why didn't we see Javarris James or Graig Cooper run the ball there? That might be the question Shannon has to face if Wake comes back and wins this game.
WAKE'S 5TH DRIVE:Wake can't move the football and Skinner's third down pass falls incomplete, forcing the Demon Deacons to punt. UM takes over at its own 25 with 3:13 left.
UM's 6TH DRIVEL The Canes go back to Robert Marve -- and then catch a huge break when on second down, Aldarius Johnson appears to catch the ball, gets stripped and the ball rolls backward out of bounds at the Canes 15. But the play gets overturned and ruled incomplete, moving the ball back to the 25. On third and 10, Marve makes the best of his opportunity, scrambling and finding Thearon Collier for 30-yard gain to midfield, eating up valuable clock. On the next play, Cooper runs the ball for a minimal gain and Wake Forest calls a timeout with 2:23 left. But instead of running out the clock on the next play, UM offensive coordinator Patrick Nix calls a pass play and Marve completes a 9-yard gain to Thearon Collier to bring up a 3rd and inches. On the next play, Marve sneaks ahead for the first down to ice the game with 2:12 to play.

FIRST HALF
WAKE'S 1ST DRIVE: The Deacons take the opening kickoff right down the field on 10 consecutive runs and take an early 7-0 lead on a 1-yard Mike Rinfrette plunge, becoming the first team this season to score on UM on the opening possession of the game. Wake Forest 7, UM 0.
UM's 1ST DRIVE: It fizzles quickly with two dropped passes and the Canes are forced to punt after a quick three-and-out.
WAKE's 2ND DRIVE: After getting smacked around on 10 straight runs on the opening drive of the game, UM's defense stands up and stops Wake Forest on a quick three-and-out to get the ball back.
UM's 2ND DRIVE: The Canes needed a big play on offense and got it -- a 57-yard hook up from Robert Marve to Travis Benjamin, the longest pass completion of the year for the Canes. UM settles for a 37-yard field goal from Matt Bosher, who is now 10 of 11 on the season. Wake Forest 7, UM 3.
WAKE'S 3RD DRIVE: The Demon Deacons still haven't thrown the football and are exposing Miami's run defense, which we all thought was better than this. Wake has 118 yards of total offense on 20 carries. Riley Skinner hasn't even thrown a pass yet. Amazing. When the second quarter starts, Wake has the ball on the UM 10 with a 2nd down and 5. UM linebacker Glenn Cook is finally able to stop the Deacons when he tackles Brandon Pendergrass on third down a foot short of the first down marker. Wake kicker Shane Popham comes on and although his field goal attempt is partially blocked, it still goes through for three points. Wake Forest 10, UM 3.
UM's 3RD DRIVE: Another three and out for the Canes, who are unable to pickup the first down when Robert Marve's third down pass gets thrown a little too hard and goes right through Kayne Farquharson's fingers. For a second it looks like Miami might catch a break when DJ Bolding fumbles a 39-yard punt from Matt Bosher. But Sam Shields is flagged for kick catch interference giving Wake at their own 38.
WAKE'S 4TH DRIVE: After 23 consecutive runs, Wake is finally forced to throw the football and Glenn Cook and Allen Bailey get enough pressure to lead to an incompletion forcing Wake to punt. UM will take over at its 15 after the punt. Jacory Harris is set to replace Marve at quarterback.
UM's 4TH DRIVE: Baby J comes through with his first big play since coming back from injury when he catches a quick dump-off pass and picks up 13 yards and a first down to keep UM's drive alive on third down. But one first down is all UM can pick up. Jacory Harris tries to scramble on third down, but gets tackled at the line of scrimmage and UM is forced to punt. Bosher gets off a 47-yarder and Wake will take over at its 20 with 8:45 remaining.
WAKE'S 5TH DRIVE: I picked Darryl Sharpton as a key for UM and he already has five tackles in what has become a busy day. But just when you thought UM was going to force Wake on another three-and-out, DJ Boldin pops a 45-yard catch and run on a screen down to the UM 33. UM missed several tackles on the play. After two runs net one yard lost, Wake faces a third and 11 and this time fails to pick up the first down when Skinner's pass falls short to Richard Belton. It brings up a fourth down and Wake goes for it. But the drive ends when Adewale Ojomo breaks through with a big sack back at the UM 40.
UM's 5TH DRIVE: Welcome back Kayne Farquharson. Facing a third and 5, Jacory Harris runs playaction and finds Farquharson for a 19-yard gain down to the Wake 36-yard line. On the next play, Harris hooks up with his high school buddy, Aldarius Johnson, for an 7-yard gain to the Wake 29. After a failed sprint draw, UM faces a 3rd and 6 and Jacory goes deep to Davon Johnson but overthrows him. The Canes go for it and like Wake, fail to pick up the first down when Harris gets smacked down at the line of scrimmage.
WAKE'S 6TH DRIVE: Josh Adams and Brandon Pendergrass have been a thorn in the Canes' side all day today and already have a combined 119 yards. Facing a 3rd and 9 at the Wake 46, Skinner finds Adams for a 4-yard gain before Sean Spence makes a nice open field tackle. UM calls time out with 24 seconds left -- not sure why. Travis Benjamin then fields the punt at the 5, gets marked down at the 6. UM decides to run the clock out.

PREGAME THOUGHTS, KEYS TO THE GAME AND MARKET WATCH
Today's game is important in the sense a victory might finally show that this program is really on the way back up and not still in the midst of mediocrity and growing pains.Wake Forest, which won the ACC title two years ago, has been among the most elite teams in the conference the past several seasons. The Demon Deacons (4-2, 2-1 ACC) were ranked in the nation's Top 25 until they lost 26-0 last week to Maryland, but still are one of the best veteran teams (33 players who are in their fourth, fifth or sixth year in the program) in the ACC with one of the top turnover producing defenses in the country and a quarterback that knows how to win in Riley Skinner.

Wake seems to have a Magic Number when it comes to winning games -- 24. When The Demon Deacons score at least 24 points, they are 40-13 -- including 17-1 since 2006 -- under coach Jim Grobe. When Wake scores fewer than 24 points, the Deacons are 10-28.

With that, we'll go to my Keys To The Game for a Canes victory...

1. Do not feed Wake Forest's turnover machine: Only three teams are better in the country at protecting the football and taking it away than the Demon Deacons -- Virginia Tech, Minnesota and Florida. Wake's defense has created 20 turnovers this season (10 INTs, 10 fumble recoveries) while the offense has only given the ball away 11 times (four INTs, 7 fumbles). Wake's offense, which ranks 103rd in the country, survives off it. Of the 112 points the Demon Deacons have scored this season, 44 have come off of turnovers. So, this key for UM is simple -- don't do what you've been doing all year (give the ball away and not take it away). In seven games this season, UM has created 9 turnovers, but given it away 13 times. Amazingly, UM has managed to win its last two games despite losing the turnover battle. But Duke and UCF probably aren't on the same level as the Demon Deacons. Miami QBs have thrown at three interceptions in each of UM's last three games. The Canes are going to want to stay away from Wake cornerback Alphonso Smith (Pahokee grad) who has 17 career picks.

2. Bring the heat on Riley Skinner: Wake Forest's offense isn't great, but when Riley Skinner has time to throw he can pick apart defenses. Skinner leads the ACC in total offense and passing yards and is the heart of this offense. Both Maryland and Navy -- the two teams that beat Wake -- did a great job doing that. Navy sacked him three times and collected all four of Skinner's interceptions in their win. Maryland didn't get any picks, but they did sack Skinner four times and create plenty of pressure. UM's defense had five sacks against UCF two weeks ago and needs a similar effort this week to keep the Demon Deacons' passing offense off balance. Wake will have a new starter at center and likely a freshman at left guard. UM must take advantage.

3. Take advantage of every scoring opportunity: Wake Forest's defense has been one of the best in the country, but so has UM's red zone scoring offense. Miami leads the ACC in Red Zone offense, scoring at a 93.1 percent clip. Wake Forest, meanwhile, like UM (last in the ACC) is one of the worst in Red Zone defense allowing teams to score at a 93.3 percent clip. The key is, though, Wake has allowed the second fewest trips inside their red zone of any team in the ACC at 15. So, when UM gets inside the 20 today, Robert Marve and Jacory Harris have to be very careful with the football and make sure UM comes away with points.

MARKET WATCH
Buy' em
> Darryl Sharpton and Glenn Cook, linebackers: Few guys have been turning up their intensity lately quite like Sharpton and Cook, who rank third and first on the team in tackles and are creating what little pressure Miami does get in the backfield. With a defensive line that isn't creating much pressure these days, both of these guys could ultimately be the only weapons who find much success in creating Key No. 2 for today's game -- pressure on Skinner. According to UM's coaching defensive stats, Cook leads the team with 12 tackles for loss. The Canes are going to need these guys to be flying around today.

> Graig Cooper and Javarris James, running backs: Call it a hunch, but after combing for only 12 touches last week at Duke something tells me Patrick Nix is going to make sure these guys get plenty more work this week after Shannon himself said UM didn't run the ball enough against Duke. Considering how many INT's UM's quarterbacks have thrown in the past three weeks (9) and how much Wake feeds off it, this smells like the day Coop and a healthier Baby J carry this football team. Wake's front seven led by No. 59 Aaron Curry is very good, but not as good as that secondary, which starts three read shirt seniors and a fourth-year junior.

On The Bubble
> Robert Marve, quarterback: There's no two-ways about it, coach Randy Shannon has been in Marve's corner all season and has said he'll be his starter no matter what. But the last two games, Marve has watched Jacory Harris finish the game for the Canes. He may be watching him more and more from the sidelines if he continues to turn over the football. We know Wake Forest is great at creating turnovers and so has Marve, who has been picked in each of his last five games and has nine on the season versus six TDs. Jacory Harris hasn't attempted as many passes as Marve, but has six fewer picks and more touchdowns (5) than he's had lately. Miami needs Marve to play better this week if it hopes to win and Marve needs to play better if he hopes to keep playing.

> UM's secondary: Despite having pretty good back-to-back weeks statistically, even UM's secondary knows it hasn't been playing well and has been getting away with mistakes because other teams are not taking advantage of it. Nothing can cure this group more than a good day against the ACC's passing leader (Skinner) and top receiver, DJ Boldin. Nothing can make it more sick either.

Sell 'em
>Any Canes receiver who isn't a freshman: It's become quite apparent who is now making the plays in UM's passing game -- the guys who just started arriving 10 months ago. Sam Shields hasn't caught a pass in three weeks. Kayne Farquharson has caught 1 since the North Carolina game. Leonard Hankerson has been injured and hasn't caught a pass since the FSU game. Khalil Jones has been MIA since the North Carolina game. And Jermaine McKenzie, who finally got into a game last week against Duke, hasn't caught a pass all season. They should be watching Laron Byrd, Aldarius Johnson and Travis Benjamin get the majority of the work again today.

> PS, I won't be at Dolphin Stadium today. I've been up in Atlanta helping our NASCAR writer Sarah Rothschild since Thursday with a few stories for next month's race in Homestead as well as tomorrow's ACC Basketball Media Days in downtown Atlanta. But I'll be watching today's game from my hotel room. For those of you without ESPNU, the broadcast will be on WQAM.com and GameTracker.

Freshmen have officially taken over

When I first met Kayne Farquharson two years ago when he was signing with the University of Miami out of El Camino Junior College, I knew the Hurricanes were getting someone who loved the limelight. One of the first things Kayne asked me was how soon he might be able to find his way onto the front page of the Sports section.

Fast-forward to Wednesday and Kayne was asking the same question again after seeing the front-page story our Susan Miller Degnan wrote regarding the record true seven freshmen who have found their way into the end zone this season. Kayne tried his best to plead his own case for a front-page story: "I look good on front of The Herald," he told a group of reporters. "Put me in front of the Versace Mansion on Ocean Drive, the only mansion on Ocean Drive. I could just stand in front of the gates like this [striking a pose] with my Hurricanes jersey on. There could be a drop-top Phantom with 24s, an orange one with big rims. Yeah, I like that."

Truth is Kayne, I'm not sure you'll ever find your way back onto the front page. The face of this team -- whether the veterans like it or not -- has slowly become the monster freshmen class brought in to replace you. Over the past three weeks, we've seen the transformation. It started with Travis Benjamin and Sean Spence's big days against Florida State, continued with Brandon Harris' move to the starting spot at corner, Aldarius Johnson's 8-catch performance and Jacory Harris' magical second-half rally against Duke. Think about this for a second. Since Robert Marve's last-second heave skipped off Kayne's fingers and was intercepted by a North Carolina defensive back, UM's sophomore, junior and senior class has combined to account for 25 catches for 163 yards and 1 Chris Zellner touchdown. The freshmen? 30 catches for 379 yards and 7 TDs. Take away sophomore Graig Cooper (12 catches, 37 yards) from the veterans and the gap in production between the vets and young guys is even wider.

The good news is there doesn't appear to be a whole lot of jealousy. And that means Kayne (1 catch for 23 yards since he's near-heroic catch against UNC) still gets to be Kayne. Or, as I'm now going to start referring to him, Kayne Ocho-Dos. Farquharson once again put on a show for the media Wednesday in what has become his weekly ritual in an attempt to play the role of attention-starved receiver (the Canes' version of Chad Ocho-Cinco or Terrell Owens). I got to admit, I laughed at some of Kayne's antics. But I'm sure the coaching staff might get in his ear for being too silly. At one point, he even asked UM SID Kerwin Lonzo when he might get his own show. Lonzo basically ignored him. At least it was entertaining. If you want to listen to the exchange, click on the audio link here.

> One of the best emails I got this week was from loyal Eye On The U reader Chris Cox, who asked me why the media is stressing how the Canes are ranked 102nd in total offense (307.9 ypg) instead of pointing out how UM's scoring offense is ranked 30th nationally (32.6 ppg) and second overall in the ACC. After all, all coach Randy Shannon has ever said throughout his career is that all he cares about is scoring more points than the other team. It got me to doing some homework.

While UM would obviously like to pile up more yardage and do better on first downs (they currently rank 10th in the ACC at a 34.3 percent conversion clip), there are plenty of examples of teams with higher-ranked total offenses and fewer wins than UM. Southern Miss (2-5) is ranked 17th in total offense with 444 yards a game. 0-7 North Texas? They're 50th in total offense. On the other side of the coin, there are about four good teams who have an offense that produces less yardage than UM -- Virginia (4-3) is 104th, Auburn (4-3) is 107th, Virginia Tech (5-2) is 110th and Vanderbilt (5-2) is 118th. Meanwhile, there isn't a team with a losing record or even .500 ranked higher than UM when it comes to scoring points.

> Injuries obviously always play a big role week-to-week and one you might not know about heading into Saturday's game happened to Wake Forest center Trey Baily, who suffered a broken ankle against Maryland
last weekend and has since undergone season-ending surgery. The injury has forced the Deacons to shuffle their offensive line including moving left guard Russell Nenon to center and true freshman Joe Looney to left guard. If Looney starts against UM Saturday, he would become the first true freshman to start for Wake Forest since Oct. 22, 2005.

> As for the Canes' injuries, look for linebacker Jordan Futch, defensive tackle Josh Holmes and cornerback DeMarcus Van Dyke to return this week. All three have been listed as probable. Receiver Leonard Hankerson is likely to miss his third straight game. Also doubtful is sophomore safety Joseph Nicholas. Running back Lee Chambers has been ruled out.

QB drama starting to irk Canes

In his five years at the University of Miami, offensive lineman Chris Rutledge has not been someone to make a whole lot not of noise when it comes to dealing with the media. The big 6-5, 311-pound right tackle has been more like a big teddy bear -- quiet and cuddly. But it should tell you just how tired it appears this UM football team is becoming with the quarterback drama developing publicly about Robert Marve and Jacory Harris when even Rutledge is voicing his displeasure with the questions being asked of his QBs.

Sitting about 20 feet away from where reporters were interviewing Harris after practice Tuesday, Rutledge started his mockery of the media: "Hey Jacory are you tired of being the backup to Robert Marve?," Rutledge shouted. "Jacory shouldn't you be starting? Jacory do you get mad when you go back to the bench? Hey Jacory? Jacory?" A collection of teammates sitting next to Rutledge got a nice chuckle out of the whole performance. But the truth is, this quarterback drama is going to become a lot like a tired joke if it isn't already.

UM coach Randy Shannon started fielding questions about his quarterbacks during his Tuesday press conference before he basically reached his limit and told reporters he was going to put the questions to rest with one long answer (below). He followed it up by telling the media "You all can call their parents, too. I don't care. Do what you got to do to get your story."

Shannon doesn't like the questions, but he has to realize they are going to keep coming as long as Marve and Harris share the position. While he's obviously nowhere near reaching a decision as to who will eventually be THE GUY in the future, we at least got some insight as to how he feels about the drama being stirred up by the media -- and how happy he feels no one is questioning him anymore as to why Jacory was getting playing time in the first place.

"Early in the season people were talking about Robert, don't play Jacory when Marve is doing well," Shannon said Tuesday. "But it's like I said before, this is a partnership of two quarterbacks that are going to help us to win games. I told you before we're going to play Jacory because we're going to need him.

"To me, this is no different than Javarris James and Graig Cooper, Laron Byrd and Aldarius Johnson, Davon Johnson and Travis Benjamin, Allen Bailey and Andrew Smith. They are all in the process of helping us win games at the University of Miami, are young guys, are going to make mistakes, but if we all in this football program understand what we're doing with this football team we'll be fine. People outside want to make a controversy here, a controversy there, but there is no controversy. This is where we're at with this football program."

For their part, Jacory and Marve really are putting the team first. Their coaches aren't just saying it, their teammates are too. Offensive tackle Jason Fox told me Tuesday he was worried after the Duke game Marve might be upset with seeing the bench for the second consecutive game, but was pleasantly surprised to see Marve happy the Canes had won. "I just wanted to make sure he wasn't down or anything because you know that's just the natural reaction, Fox said. "But he was excited we won the game. He just said I have to go back and work harder. The coaches still have all the faith in him and so does this team and he's still going to play and do a great job for us."

Across the board, other teammates backed Fox's claim. Receiver LaRon Byrd admitted Tuesday he worried there would be problems when he first arrived at UM, but says Marve and Harris have made the most of it. "I thought there was going to be a battle, but they're like brothers," Byrd said. "They watch film together. They study together. They teach each other things. Marve has been here a year longer and he'll teach Jacory things. Jacory will then come to us and say this how you to need to run things, your routes, things like that. So we all work together. I don't think its going to be a problem. LSU did it with Matt Flynn and Ryan Perriloux and they won a national championship. Why can't we do it here?"

Marve was pressed on the QB issue plenty Tuesday. So, was Harris. Both keep tossing out the company line. Marve said "As long as we keep winning I'm down for it." Harris said: "We're just trying to win games and whoever is in and taking control and helping us win games, we're both satisfied with that. We just want to win. We just want a ring to have on our finger and just have fun and live life."

Why is it so hard for us to really believe that? Harris probably said it best Tuesday. "I understand what people are saying because before coming in I used to think like that, this is nothing but a competition, I want to start, things like that," Harris said. "But as you come in and see that your playing with somebody that can also lead this team to victory, you also humble yourself, you notice that your not bigger than the team. You aren't the only person that can do the job for the team. And that's how I kind of learned me and Robert, we can do this together. And that's what we basically began doing."

The question ultimately is if Marve and Harris will finish it together. The odds are long and stacked against them, especially for two guys as competitive as they are. But for now, here's a plea from me to the rest of the media to just let these guys play out their freshmen seasons. Nobody is going anywhere right now. Let's worry about it when the season is over. The questions are starting to become about as bad as a tired joke.

TUESDAY'S OTHER NOTES AND QUOTES
> Saturday against Duke, Miami's receivers caught more passes than they had in any game this season and probably had their best day as a collective group too. The reason? They're growing up and they aren't giving away their routes anymore. Last week, offensive coordinator Patrick Nix said of UM's young receivers like Travis Benjamin were lifting their shoulders and giving "tells" to defensive backs about the routes they were running. It appears Nix and receivers coach Aubrey Hill have made breakthroughs in the film room.

"We realized it every Sunday when we'd come in and watch film," Byrd said. "We'd sit down and say man I'm not getting no catches, the quarterbacks are not throwing me the ball. But then, we'd sit down and focus in on ourselves we'd realize I ran this route wrong, I could have had a catch on this route. Coach Shannon would tell us y'all think your open, but your not, you need to get some separation. The defense would tell us the same things like 'you guys are good, but we're still on you. 'We were kind of sloppy on the little things. Finishing the top of the route, bursting off the route, little things like that. We still have to work on them."

> Shannon said Tuesday he likes the fact the Canes do not have a go-to receiver and a different guy every week who emerges as a lead target. But there's a reason freshman Aldarius Johnson now leads the team with 20 catches for 195 yards. He's not only physically imposing at 6-2, 205 pounds and probably the best receiver at squaring his shoulders to make the catch on the team, but Miami's offense has been tailored to his strength -- those short passes where UM receivers have to muscle their way to the ball and for yardage.

The Hurricanes simply aren't throwing the ball very deep downfield. Aside from Graig Cooper's 51-yard touchdown pass to Travis Benjamin, Miami's longest completions of the season have been a 36-yard catch and run by Dedrick Epps, the 29-yard strike Kayne Farquharson hauled in late against North Carolina, the 26-yard TD pass Thearon Collier scored on against Texas A&M and the 27-yard catch and run Aldarius Johnson had late against FSU. The rest of UM's completions have been 20 yards and under.

"I know that nobody can really stick [Aldarius] unless they know he's running the go route and they're playing off," Jacory Harris said Tuesday. "Aldarius is not that fast, but on the other hand, Aldarius is the guy that is going to make that for sure catch. He just knows how to adjust the ball."

> That being said, "Glue Hands" has still been balling lately. Despite going without a catch against UCF, he's had 13 catches in his last three games. Shannon said Tuesday he's taken another step up in his development and Hill said its because he's now learned how to fight for balls -- something he excelled at in high school -- at the college level. Shannon said Johnson, who has often been compared to former Cane Andre Johnson for his physical play, size and soft hands, is probably "a tad step slower" than the former first round pick was when he was a freshman. Johnson took a page from Denver quarterback Jay Cutler (who said he has a better arm than John Elway) and said he believes he'll be faster than Andre when he's a junior.

The good thing is, Aldarius will get plenty of encouragement from Andre to be better than him. Aldarius met Andre when he was in the seventh grade when he used to come to UM to watch him practice and the two have maintained a friendship for awhile. Aldarius said Andre will often call him on gameday to give him words of encouragement. "He calls me and tells me to have a great game," Aldarius said Tuesday. "He called me the week before against Central Florida. He just calls me his little brother, that's it."

Word of advice, feel free to go out and buy AJ's No. 4 jersey. He said while he wanted to wear No. 5 like Andre when he first got to UM, he's going to stick with No. 4.

> Wake Forest coach Jim Grobe said in his Tuesday press conference the team is likely to get its best offensive weapon back for Saturday -- kicker Sam Swank, the school's all-time leading scorer and one of the nation's top placekickers and punters. Swank has missed the last two games with a quadriceps strain. He's definitely a game-changer in the field position battle and a tremendous asset for Wake if he plays.

> I got the sense from Jason Fox Tuesday one of the biggest hurdles for sophomore left guard Orlando Franklin has been keeping down his weight. Franklin (6-7, 334) has been seen several times this season with the oxygen mask on between series. He might be able to play more when he gets in even better shape. "When he keeps his weight down he's able to fly around and really crush people," Fox said. "He's really been picking it up lately... he's actually a pretty intelligent player. It's nice when you can play next to a big physical guy, who is also intelligent."

> Even though UM ran the no-huddle effectively against Duke, don't expect for the Canes to employ it into their offense permanently, at least if you believe what Shannon said Tuesday. "Everyone would like to say let's run no huddle, run two minute. But [defenses] make changes," Shannon said. "When that happens and you don't see the changes and start to get some blitzes, coverage, you can't relay it back to the guys. They're gone, and that's what gets you in a little trouble with that."

> Shannon explained the reason Javarris James (3 carries for 13 yards) got very few carries was "because his foot was numb." Look for more JJ this week against a good Wake Forest defense.

I know there was a lot to digest in this blog, but if you have room for dessert, I've uploaded all the audio interviews I collected from Tuesday. Among the features on the menu. We got safety Ryan Hill talking about how the switch from receiver to starting safety has gone. We got safety Anthony Reddick chiming on just how cool a dude Hill is (he's got a Dodge Magnum tricked out with Canes colors inside and on his rims (black and orange). Marve and Jacory fielding those tough QB questions. Byrd, Travis Benjamin and Aldarius on turning the corner. Jason Fox on everything -- and more.

> By the way, I'm not sure if you guys saw last weeks first episode of Getting To Know The U with Jason Fox, but Herald.com reporter Mollie Rose and I will have a sitdown with Chavez Grant tomorrow to talk about his life off the field. Let me know what you thought of our first take.

Duke progress report

What a difference a week makes. After looking like the 2007 Hurricanes last week against UCF and for the first half against Duke, Miami's young football turned a corner in my eyes this past Saturday. That clicking moment we kept waiting for from the receivers finally happened. And nobody deserves the credit more than Jacory Harris, who brought life, energy and leadership to an offense that sorely needed it.

Coach Randy Shannon said Saturday and reiterated it Sunday that the starting job is still Robert Marve's to have. He's said Marve will start this week against Wake Forest. His reasoning, though he won't really say it, is simple. The last thing Shannon wants is for the quarterback job to become a weekly contest, a focus to take away from his team concept. Starting is one thing, and finishing is another. Harris has obviously done that the last two weeks. He won ACC Rookie of the Week Monday for the second time this year. He earned it. And the truth he's playing like the better quarterback right now. I believe putting Marve back into the starting role sends the wrong message when all you preach is competition. But that's a decision Shannon will have to live with for now. He proved smart by playing Jacory for a few series each game this year when most of U disagreed with it and said it was disrupting the offense. Shannon proved to be right then. He may prove to be right again with this week's decision.

Now, to the progress report. I was busy writing a story this afternoon on high school coaching for the paper and didn't get to my usual progress report until late tonight. My apologies. My grading system system, in honor of the Canes, should be familiar for you guys by now: National championship material (excellent), BCS worthy (good), MicronPC Bowl here we come (average), Coker-esque (poor) and Scout Team reserve (the bottom of the barrel).

Quarterback: There's no other way to put it -- Jacory Harris was the man Saturday. Yes, he threw two interceptions, including one that put UM down 24-14 in the third quarter. But he proved to everyone why Shannon made it a point to play him in every game this season. He led UM on six consecutive scoring drives and finished 18 of 28 for 185 yards and two touchdowns. He also was the team's second leading rusher with 53 yards and a touchdown. He also hauled in pass from Travis Benjamin. Marve did throw a costly interception (again) and sat out for the rest of the game (again). But it still was only one mistake. He wasn't doing a bad job, just not a great one. He finished 4 of 7 for 64 yards and a touchdown. All in all, when you put up 49 points, you've done a good job. This week's progress report says: BCS Worthy. For the record, I believe Jacory should be starting this week. But that's probably why only play the role of coach on Madden.

Running backs: The story coming in was the return of Javarris James. He never got going (3 carries for 13 yards) and neither did Miami's running game. A lot had to do with being down 24-14 and needing to throw the football. But 10 rush attempts between Graig Cooper and James is unacceptable. Shannon pointed it out in his press conference Sunday and its the truth. Miami's not going to win a lot of games in the defensive-minded ACC if its two best backs only get 12 touches (Cooper had 2 catches). This week's progress report says: MicronPC Bowl Here We Come. These guys get held to a higher standard because I consider them UM's best unit. Still, 154 yards rushing on 29 attempts isn't that bad.

Receivers/tight ends: I've got one thought: Finally. The talented trio of freshman receivers -- Aldarius Johnson, Travis Benjamin and Laron Byrd -- had the kind of performance you thought they could but were only hoping for until this week. They didn't just make plays, but the tough acrobatic catches this offense has sorely needed for years. Dedrick Epps included with that key fourth down catch. Johnson had eight catches for 84 yards and a touchdown and proved to be the go-to man for Jacory when the tough got going. It looks like a role he'll have going forward, one we all kind of knew he would grow into. Benjamin, meanwhile, was once again the steady big play threat. They'll obviously have to develop consistency. But Saturday you got a great peak at what the future holds at UM and why Shannon was so excited about the receivers he signed. This week's progress report says: National Championship worthy All I kept thinking about with Aldarius (Andre Johnson), Benjamin (Santana Moss) and Byrd (Michael Irvin) was how much they reminded me of the Canes' glorious receivers of the past.

Offensive line: The Canes gave up two sacks this week, but once again I didn't think any were really the line's fault. They looked more like coverage sacks. Miami didn't run the ball a lot, but averaged 5.3 yards a carry and opened up the running lanes for Harris on the quarterback draws. I also loved the fact left tackle Jason Fox was mixing it up after the whistle. It shows toughness and heart we already knew Fox had. This week's progress report says: BCS Worthy.

The Front Seven: Duke had a lot of success running the football early and the defensive line only produced one sack from Adewale Ojomo. But the adjustments at halftime were made and although UM didn't get to Thaddeus Lewis much, it was enough to make the Duke offense sputter. Duke ran the ball 44 times and only averaged 3.2 yards a carry. That's not a bad average at all. Darryl Sharpton, Glenn Cook and Sean Spence once again played a ton of minutes and combined for 23 tackles on defense and deserve to be commended for it. This week's progress report says: BCS Worthy. Not enough pressure. But still a good day stopping the run.

The Secondary: No interceptions, two pass breakups and thankfully a ton of drops by the Duke receivers helped UM once again cover up what could have been a shaky day for the secondary. Duke finished with 191 yards passing and two touchdown catches. Freshman Brandon Harris had a few shaky moments of his own again. What can you say other than he looks like a freshman. The positive? Senior Anthony Reddick led the team with 12 tackles and didn't miss many. This week's progress report says: MicronPC Bowl Here We Come.

Special Teams: Matt Bosher continued his MVP performance with a 75-yard punt to bail UM out of bad field position. He shanked another punt again. But he's still doing what he has to do for a guy handling all the kicking duties. Bosher had four touchbacks on kickoffs. Shannon has talked about getting Jake Wieclaw into action soon. But if Bosher keeps it up, there will no need to. As for the return game, Benjamin once again had a good day putting UM into good field position. He's bound to break one soon. This week's progress report says: BCS Worthy.

Coaching: By far the best performance of the season since the Texas A&M game if you only count the second half. Offensive coordinator Patrick Nix made the proper adjustments in the second half going to the no-huddle and calling plays for Jacory that worked. Bill Young also corrected the problems UM had stopping the run in the first half. Shannon also was 2 for 2 on rolls of the dice on fourth down. They were huge plays and led to important scores, especially the one right before the half. This week's progress report says: BCS Worthy. You make the right adjustments, rally from a 24-14 deficit, win, score 49 points and you get props.

Gameday blog: UM 49, Duke 31 (F)

Huge, huge, huge, huge win for the Canes today. Trailing 24-14 in the third quarter, the Canes score 35 unanswered points behind freshman quarterback Jacory Harris, who finished 18 of 28 for 182 yards, four touchdowns and 2 INTs.

> There's no doubt the big story now becomes does coach Randy Shannon send Jacory back to the bench in favor of starter Robert Marve. Shannon has said all along Marve would be the starter all year. But the facts are facts and Jacory is the reason UM won today. What is your take? Should Jacory replace Marve as the starter? I believe he should. He's playing better right now than Marve.

> That's one story. The other: Offensive coordinator Patrick Nix had the bounce-back game he was sorely looking for. Despite a shaky first half, he made the proper adjustments and even threw in a few wrinkles to get the offense going. The no-huddle attack in the second half was huge and set Duke back. Do the Canes now go with the no-huddle from here on out? And, is Nix now free of the wrath of Canes fans? Well, maybe for a week.

> Go-to receiver? How about freshman Aldarius Johnson. He caught 8 passes for 84 yards and a touchdown and definitely showed why he and Harris were such a great tandem in high school. Their chemistry was amazing and basically fueled UM's comeback.

> How about UM's defense? They made the key stops when needed in the second half. Duke quarterback Thaddeus Lewis made some plays in the first half, but the defense stepped up big-time in the second half and got the pressure it needed to knock Lewis and his receivers off their game. They also were good on third down, stopping Duke on 11 of 17 attempts.

> On a side note, UM improved to 1-2 in the ACC. Also good news, North Carolina lost to Virginia to fall to 1-2 in the conference. That's the help the Canes needed to try and leapfrog the Tar Heels in the division. Virginia Tech (2-0) and Georgia Tech (3-1) are still ahead. But UM controls its own fate against those teams as well as Virginia (2-1). All the Canes need is for the Hokies to drop a game tonight to BC and UM can win its way into the ACC title game.

In case you didn't know, I was not on the travel squad for Duke. Susan Miller Degnan and Jeff Shain will be there for us today. But I was out at the BankUnited Center this morning with about 150 fans and a few other reporters for the Hoopfest. Here's a link to the audio interviews from today with Frank Haith, Katie Meier, Jack McClinton, Dwayne Collins, Brian Asbury and Jimmy Graham.

A couple of quick notes from today's Hoopsfest:
> Jack McClinton talked about winning a national championship. McClinton really believes the Canes can make a deep run with this team. Jimmy Graham told me McClinton is even better than last season. "I feel like Jack can just continue what he did last year and just do it the whole season from the beginning tip down in that tournament that we have to go to and the NCAA tournament," Graham said. "Those last couple of games, he was penetrating a lot more and doing his little flutter deal a lot more. I feel like your going to see a lot more of that this year because people are playing his shot. He's going to take what they give him this year."

> As for Graham, he wants to be lighter this season. He said he's starting this season at 250 pounds instead of 265 so he can be more athletic. We asked him if UM will be OK this season replacing Anthony King and Ray Hicks with Cyrus McGowan, Julian Gamble and Reggie Johnson. "Julian Gamble is a big man. He's got a big wide body, attacks the glass," Graham said. "Cyrus McGowan is going to be a great player. He's a 6-9 guy who can shoot the three. He plays defense like I do. It's fun playing with him. King and Ray were great players for us. Cyrus is definitely going to help fill that gap and so is Julian. I feel like we have the same strength as last year, if not a little better."

> The Canes have been practicing for two days and a few guys are already banged up. Collins strained his groin Friday and bruised his hip with a fall Saturday. Guard James Dews had to be given an IV by Miami-Dade Fire and Rescue after he cramped up Saturday. He came back and did sign autographs for fans. Redshirt freshman center Julian Gamble was injured Friday and was on crutches Saturday. Haith said he doesn't believe the injury will be extensive.

> Freshman swingman DeQuan Jones is receiving high praise from his teammates. Collins said he's having fun playing above the rim with Jones, who was called by McClinton and Asbury as a great finisher around the basket. "DeQuan is a beast. He's real athletic. As a freshman, he dunks a lot," Collins said. "You know me. I'm into dunking. That's all we do. He's mainly on my team in scrimmages. Yesterday he threw me an alley-oop. I returned the favor and threw him one."

Duke Keys to the Game, Market Watch

I won't be at Wallace Wade Stadium for Saturday's game against the Blue Devils, but I'll still leave you with a preview of the game with the keys to victory for the Canes and of our market watch.

KEYS TO THE GAME
> Get pressure on Thaddeus Lewis: One of the reason's UM was able to escape with a win last year against Duke was because the Canes sacked Lewis nine times including on fourth down with Duke at the UM 30-yard line and the game on the line. We all know UM's front seven has played well against the run for the most part (except that FSU game) and ranks 16th overall nationally. The two problems with Miami's front seven has been giving up big plays to scrambling quarterbacks and not getting to the quarterback enough. The Canes had five sacks last week and appear like they're doing a better job with a healthy Allen Bailey. But this week, it's going to be imperative for Miami to not only get to Lewis, but to make sure he doesn't sneak away for first downs and big gains when he decides to run. In its 27-0 loss to Georgia Tech, the Yellow Jackets did a great job shutting down Lewis and the Duke passing game and getting off the field on third down. UM can't revert to what it did against FSU and North Carolina and expect to win. Duke has given up 11 sacks this season, a little over two a game.

> Establish the running game: When Miami has run the football successfully this season, they've won. The numbers don't lie. In wins, UM has averaged 37 attempts and 170 yards on the ground. In losses, 28 attempts for 82 yards. Duke returns 10 of 11 starters on its defense from a year ago, but the weakness is its run defense, which ranks 81st nationally (161.2 ypg) and next-to-last in the ACC. Javarris James will be back this week and will help a UM running game that sorely needs someone to provide support for Graig Cooper. If James can, then Miami can win this game.

> Win the turnover battle: Robert Marve's seven interceptions in his last three games have been well documented. What hasn't is that UM still isn't creating turnovers on defense. Miami recovered a key fumble on special teams and blocked a punt last week, but dropped a pair of possible interceptions. Ultimately, this defense has made just two interceptions this season (Sean Spence and Bruce Johnson) and recovered three fumbles -- the other two were on special teams. Duke, meanwhile, is a team that thrive on turnovers. In their three wins, the Blue Devils have recovered four fumbles and picked off six passes and won the turnover battle convincingly.

MARKET WATCH
Buy 'em
> Javarris James, running back: Baby J isn't 100 percent, but could be the hero in this game for the Canes, who have sorely missed his running between the tackles. Before he got hurt, JJ was looking as good as he ever has a Cane. Miami sorely needs someone to take pressure of the Canes' quarterbacks. Graig Cooper and JJ are those guys.

> Chavez Grant, cornerback: Nobody might know Thaddeus Lewis better than Grant, who was his teammate for years in Pop Warner ball and as freshmen at Booker T. Washington High. Grant has a 5-0 record going up against his old buddy (between high school and college) and has emerged as the real leader in Miami's secondary. Although he's been moved to the slot at nickelback in favor of freshman Brandon Harris, Grant is likely to be the guy pointing out where Duke's offense will be going in the passing game most of the afternoon. Last week, Grant called out UCF's final play before it happened and it helped Darryl Sharpton, who batted the pass away on fourth down. Duke will often line up leading receiver Eron Riley all over the field. Look for Chavez to be the guy who draws him the most often.

On The Bubble
> Robert Marve, quarterback: Mr. Marve has had major struggles lately and needs a bounce back game in the worst way. His last two outings against FSU and UCF produced these numbers -- 25 completions on 59 attempts, 196 yards, 1 TD and 5 INTs. UM has been throwing the ball 49 percent of the time since Javarris James went down compared to the 58 percent it was when he was healthy. Look for fewer throws from Marve, especially safer ones. If not, we may see Jacory Harris in the game again in the second half.

> Patrick Nix, offensive coordinator: Speaking of bounce back games, Nix needs one maybe even worse than his quarterback. His old team, Georgia Tech, laid the blueprint on how to beat the Dukies two weeks ago. It's called run the football effectively and have it set up the playaction pass. Duke is an improved team. But the Blue Devils don't nearly have the speed and talent North Carolina and FSU has. Miami's offense can't be bad on third down again and can't send Matt Bosher out to punt 11 times again like it did a week ago.

Sell 'em
> DeMarcus Van Dyke, cornerback: Last week, I listed Sam Shields here after his costly interception against FSU basically took him out of the receiver rotation altogether. Here's to hoping the same thing happens for DVD. Shields bounced back with a big fumble recovery on special teams against UCF. DVD isn't making the plays right now in the secondary, dropping an interception against FSU and getting beat for the winning touchdown against UNC. Shannon told us he's basically only in there on Dime situations. Not what the Canes were hoping for after what looked like a promising freshman season.

> Jermaine McKenzie, receiver: I don't think he'll ever see the field this year at this point.

> My prediction: I don't have one this week. I really am completely torn. It smells so much like the Blue Devils are due their big win against UM, especially after coming so close the past two years and considering how bad UM has looked even in its win last week at UCF. Honestly, this game could go a lot of different ways.

Hoopfest '08 on Saturday

Call it Morning Madness, not Midnight Madness.

The University of Miami men's and women's basketball teams will kickoff the start of practice together Saturday at BankUnited Center with a 30-minute open session for fans between 10 a.m. and noon. Hurricanes Hoopfest '08 will feature an autograph session in which fans will be able to meet players and have the opportunity to select their seats for both the women’s and men’s basketball seasons.

Head coaches Katie Meier and Frank Haith will address the crowd and every fan in attendance will receive an exclusive Hoopfest poster and will have the first look at BankUnited Center’s new court design.

The men return four starters including All-ACC First Team selection Jack McClinton from a team which went 23-11 and reached the second round of the NCAA tournament last year. Saturday will be the first opportunity for fans to see highly-touted newcomers DeQuan Jones and Reggie Johnson. The team's first exhibition game will be Nov. 1 against Florida Memorial.

The women’s basketball team brings in a top-25 recruiting class this season, which includes a total of five newcomers. Captain LaToya Cunningham, who is the top returning scorer from a year ago, will lead UM against an impressive ACC schedule that features eight teams that played in the postseason and six that advanced to the NCAA tournament.

> I'll be there tomorrow to cover the event -- and not in Durham with the football team. I'll also be in Atlanta next week for the men's ACC basketball meetings. So, no gameday blog from me this week or next week. I'll watch the games on TV and provide you with my thoughts afterward.

> As for the preseason hype surrounding the men's team, it looks more and more like they will begin the season ranked in the Top 25. Here's a look at some preseason rankings from the experts: Dick Vitale's Top 40 (UM is 21st), Andy Katz (UM is 12th) and the Sporting News (UM is 14th).

Whose eating at Bailey's? Not me

What goes good with possum? Well, if you ask Canes defensive end Allen Bailey, he'll tell you just about anything.

"It has its own taste - you can't really describe it, have to taste it for yourself," said Bailey, who got his first taste of quarterback last Saturday with two sacks in a win against UCF. "I'd eat it usually with collard greens and rice at home."

Bailey (6-4, 285) isn't quite like any other defensive end I've ever met at The U. By now, many of you must know his story. Bailey grew up on Sapelo Island, a tiny island off the coast of Georgia. He used to have to take a boat each morning to get to school. He grew up hunting animals for dinner, things like alligator, raccoons and wild hogs. Physically, he's a freak. If you walk into the UM weight room, it's Bailey's picture that leads all lineman (offensive and defense) in strength, speed and vertical categories. His body fat percentage is a word lean.

And up until last Saturday, Canes fans had been eagerly waiting for him to do something for the team. It looks like he's finally on his way to having the career Canes fans have hoped for. After spending his freshman season at linebacker, Bailey told us Tuesday he wished he would have made the switch to defensive line quicker. Instead, he waited until last spring. Once he did, it looked like he was headed to being the game-changer Miami sorely needed on defense. Then, he tore his pectoral muscle in offseason conditioning. He missed most of fall camp. But now, he appears ready to help this football team.

Miami certainly needs him. Before last Saturday's five-sack output, the Canes defense wasn't applying nearly enough pressure on opposing quarterbacks. The secondary was getting picked apart. Against UCF, Bailey got to the quarterback several times and made hits even though the ball got away. "My pec is fine," Bailey said Tuesday. "I've got about 85 to 90 percent of my strength back in my arm. I felt very comfortable last week coming off the injury and everything, felt it was about time for me to have a breakout game."

Where he ends up playing on the defensive line in the future remains to be scene. With Marcus Forston injured last month, Bailey moved inside to defensive tackle on several third downs against Texas A&M. When he is in the middle, his size and speed is overwhelming. It's the same story on the outside. "He's a big guy, massive," said tight end Dedrick Epps, who lines up against Bailey on occassion. "You just know you have to bring it all or you'll end up on your back. He's just all-around big. Big arms, broad shoulders. He stands about 6-4. He looks at me eye-level and outweighs me by about 30 pounds. I know when I line up against him, I got to be quick off the ball and come with all my strength."

Bailey's legend could grow at UM quickly, especially if he keeps feasting on opposing quarterbacks. But there are some legends -- about his past -- he talked to us about Tuesday we can now confirm as either true or false.

The first, did he kill an alligator with his bare hands? Partially true. "Mama had told me to go outside and kill [the alligator] because it was in a ditch outside and my cousins and nephews were outside," Bailey said. "I shot it. [Laughter] I didn't do all that."

What about snakes? "No. That's not true." How about the hunting? "A few wild hogs," Bailey said. "Those taste different. The meat tastes different, its more wild."

Bailey has already brought a few teammates back home with him during summer and spring breaks. No word yet if anyone has tried the possum or wild hog. But you can count Dedrick Epps and myself as two guys who would politely decline. "Where I'm from we see possums running sewar holes and stuff like that," Epps said. "I wouldn't be the one to try it. But if that's him, that's him. I'd help him hunt it for the joy of hunting. I don't know about eating it."

> Count Javarris James as one of the many believes on this UM team who knows Duke is a much improved team. When asked for his assessment of the game on Tuesday, this is what Baby J had to say: "Those guys are a lot better they've been in the past. This isn't the same Duke team everyone used to push over and run over back in the day. We're not taking these guys lightly. We know its going to be a tough game going to their place. We're getting prepared just like it's a Florida State or a Florida game."

> Miami's No. 1 recruiting Class in 2008 is already paying dividends this season. There are 11 true freshman on UM's two-deep chart. Two, linebacker Sean Spence and receiver Travis Benjamin, are already on their way it seems to All-American status. Both were selected at the halfway point of the season to Rivals.com's Freshman All-American team.

> UM coach Randy Shannon talked Wednesday about how close he came to actually signing with Tennessee and not the University of Miami. Shannon was actually recruited to Tennessee by Duke coach David Cutliffe, who was an assistant at Tennessee at the time. Cutliffe told reporters in his press conference this week Shannon impressed him when he saw him dunk a ball from the foul line. I asked Randy if he could still dunk today. "I'll pull a muscle today and go on injured reserve," Shannon responded. When asked if he might be able to give the Sun-Sentinel's Shandel Richardon a game -- Shandel's the best baller among all the reporters covering the Canes -- Shannon quipped, "I don't know. Shandel's got skills it looks like." I got Shandel by 6 easy.

> INJURY REPORT FOR DUKE: Thursday's injury report did not feature any major surprises for the first time this year. Here's how it read - Probable: OL Chris Barney – Leg, RB Damien Berry – Leg, LB Glenn Cook – Head, RB Javarris James - Leg. Questionable: OL Joel Figueroa – Back, WR Leonard Hankerson – Leg, DL Dwayne Hendricks – Head, OL Reggie Youngblood - Leg. Out: RB Lee Chambers – Leg, LB Jordan Futch – Head, , LB Colin McCarthy – Shoulder, DL Eric Moncur - Leg, S Randy Phillips - Leg, S Vaughn Telemaque – Arm; Surgery/Out for Season: WR Tommy Streeter – Arm, WR Kendal Thompkins - Shoulder.

What's holding back the offense?

The No. 1 question asked by Canes fans this week -- and probably this entire season -- has been: What's holding back the Canes offense? And it is a fair one. After all, how can an offense with more talent at quarterback, more talent at receiver, an improved group of tight ends, and veterans on the offensive line and in the backfield still be ranked six weeks into this season the same as it was at the end of last year (110th overall)?

In search of answers this week, I found plenty of explanations. Tight end Dedrick Epps was insightful with from the receivers perspective. Quarterbacks Robert Marve and Jacory Harris continued to fill us in on just how confused they've been by opposing coverages. And Wednesday, offensive coordinator Patrick Nix was about as honest, open and insightful as he's ever been in his two seasons here.

I'll have a story on what Nix said later tonight (YOU CAN LISTEN TO THE COMPLETE 16 MINUTE INTERVIEW HERE). But I'll try to answer your question right now from what I learned.

Basically, it's a combination of a lot of things.
> Opposing teams are indeed throwing defenses at UM their young players have never seen before and while Nix is making adjustments (Epps confirmed it), his players are not executing them. Shannon said Wednesday he began having his defense throw various coverage schemes at the offense -- not just what they see on tape anymore -- to see how they adjust on the fly.
> Poor route running is a problem and all of the interceptions Marve has been throwing lately are not all his fault. Epps talked at length Tuesday about how coaches are emphasizing running deeper, crisper routes to keep defensive backs off of them. Nix talked at length Tuesday and gave us examples how his young receivers are tipping off defensive backs, including twice last Saturday which led to two of Marve's three picks.
> Miami needs to remain healthy on the offensive line so they can keep the rotation running. UM simply isn't deep enough and must have fresh legs to be effective in both the running and passing game. The injury to Reggie Youngblood hurt Miami bad and forced Chris Rutledge to move from guard to tackle, leaving players like Orlando Franklin gassed and ineffective at many points during the game. The return of Barney and Youngblood this week will help.

Truth be told, nobody on this team believes the offense is doing as poorly as it. Kayne Farquharson laughed out loud when we told him the Canes' offense ranked 110th. "For real?," Farquharson said. "I didn't even know that man. Hearing it is tough. You want to be in the Top 5 in every aspect of the game. If we're 110, then we're the best 110 out there then. It's kind of shocking. But it is what it is."

> The good news for Canes fans is that nobody is pointing fingers -- yet. Unlike last year when you felt this team fold, many guys are still stepping up and taking responsibility for the woes. We'll see how long it lasts.

> For those of you who haven't seen it yet, my feature on Duke quarterback Thaddeus Lewis is up on our website already. I covered Thad when he was at Hialeah-Miami Lakes and always thought the Canes made a huge mistake not going after him or his HML teammate Armando Allen, who is now tearing things up at Notre Dame. Imagine where UM would be today if it would have had those guys each of the past two years?

Lewis can run and make plays with his legs. But what makes him effective is his elusiveness and ability to throw on the run. This year, the Blue Devils have learned how to protect him. Last year, Duke gave up an average of 3.8 sacks a game. This year, they've given up 10 in five games. UM sacked Lewis nine times last year, including what turned out to be the game-clincher by Eric Moncur. UM freshman linebacker knows how important it will be to get to Thad quick Saturday. "He's very talented, real mobile," Spence said. "He's not like a typical running quarterback. He wants to run around and look for the throw. He's not going to look for the run and make plays on his own. He's going to look for his receivers."

Chavez Grant admitted Tuesday UM was able to get away with some mistakes in coverage against UCF because the line finally got pressure on an opposing quarterback. UM had five sacks against the Knights and now has 14 for the season. "For the most part we cleaned up a lot of things, but at the same time we made some mistakes," Grant said of UM's secondary work. "I think it was a little less. But the thing about UCF, they didn't capitalize on our mistakes. We kind of covered them up really well because we were playing fast in the pass rush."

> The big news Tuesday was running back Javarris James and offensive tackle Reggie Youngblood were coming back from injury this week to play. But I'm not a firm believer either of these guys are close to being 100 percent healthy. Both talked after Tuesday's practice about how both are still feeling a lot of pain.

James suffered a high left ankle sprain against Florida. He admitted he's still feeling shots of pain when he makes cuts on his ankle, but said he feels confident he'll play and is around 90 to 95 percent. "I feel a lot more positive than Coach Shannon [about playng]," James said Tuesday. "He's going to do what's best for me. If it was up to me, I would have been dressed a long time ago. But it's just going to be some pain to fight through."

Youngblood injured his left leg, the same leg which he injured as a sophomore. Shannon told us two weeks ago Youngblood would be out for the year. Shannon said it was Youngblood who asked him if he could come back out and give it ago. But I'm sure he got some encouragement. Miami needs Youngblood badly at that right tackle spot. Chris Rutledge and Tyrone Byrd have proven they can't cut it without Youngblood at least in the rotation. "I've been playing with pain since 11th grade," Youngblood said. "It's not nothing I'm used to. I just got to gut it out."

Wednesday, Shannon told us he was hoping to get "anything between 35 to 40 snaps" from Youngblood and 25 to 30 snaps for James. Truth is, it might be less. Shannon, by the way, told us Wednesday its up to Youngblood if he wants a redshirt.

> There is a rumor floating around Sam Shields has been moved to cornerback. I don't buy it. Shannon laughed at it when we asked him about it Tuesday. Shields can't catch the ball too well. But that doesn't make him a corner.

> Shannon was asked why UM hasn't developed a go-to receiver through six games. His answer: youth. "Everybody wants us to have one go-to receiver. But these guys are too young," Shannon explained Tuesday. "It ain't like these guys have been in the system for three years. A lot of them just got here six months ago. Aldarius is the oldest guy we've got at 10 months. You can't do that to [those] young guys."

> Linebacker Glenn Cook landed hard on his jaw late in Saturday's game and didn't practice Tuesday. Shannon told us he did return to practice on Wednesday. But I'm worried he may be one of those surprise guys on this week's injury report. If he is, look for Spencer Adkins to start in his place. I also don't expect running back Lee Chambers -- who had a flash in the pan with a 25-yard run against UCF -- to be back this week. Chambers suffered what Shannon called a "turf toe" injury. I saw him walking in a protective boot Tuesday.

As for other injured players, Shannon told us receiver Leonard Hankerson practiced Wednesday. Safety Vaughn Telemaque did not. Defensive tackle Josh Holmes, who hasn't played in forever, is practicing on the scout team. Shannon, though, is hopeful Holmes might be able to return soon. He's doubtful, probably next week he'll be ready to go," Shannon said. "This week, he's getting over the soreness. If nothing doesn't go wrong, he'll be fine."

> I'm beginning to think we'll never see receiver Jermaine McKenzie get into a game unless somebody else goes down with an injury. McKenzie supposedly was on the verge of getting Saturday. He moved from the bench to standing on the sideline. But his number was never called. He was seen going back to the bench and slamming his helmet down in frustration. Shannon offered this on McKenzie Tuesday: "He's at the Z receiver behind Travis Benjamin and Davon Johnson. He's moved his way up on the depth chart, has been doing well in practice. He has to now execute moving forward."

> As for DeMarcus Van Dyke, who has basically disappeared after being a starter a year ago, Shannon said DVD simply isn't winning the battle in competition. "He just has to keep working hard," Shannon said. "When we put seven DB's in the game he's in that package. As players sometimes you go in the tank a little bit. Against Florida State he made a couple of plays. This week we used our dime package, he did a great job. We're not going to shove guys off on the shelf, we'll find packages with him. And that's what we're doing with Demarcus."

Canes getting healthy

Randy Shannon told reporters during his press conference this morning he has no his idea and no timetable for when his young offense will start clicking and improve on its current 110th national ranking. Canes fans can at least take solace in this -- at least the offense is getting healthier.

Shannon said Tuesday he expects to get two key starters back on offense this week -- running back Javarris James and starting right tackle Reggie Youngblood. James, who suffered a high ankle sprain after two plays against Florida, will need to prove he make cuts on his high left ankle sprain this week in practice. But Shannon sounded optimistic James will play at Duke Saturday.

As for Youngblood, his return is somewhat of a surprise. Last week, Shannon told reporters he thought the senior would miss the rest of the year. Tuesday, Shannon said Youngblood told him "he wants to give it a go."
The return of James and Youngblood as well as reserve Chris Barney, who was injured in fall camp and returned for a series last Saturday, should give a struggling offense a much needed boost. Shannon said the return of James will give UM the tough inside runner they haven't had the past month.

> I'll have more for you later. But I've got to get to today's chat. Feel free to click on the link to left and send me some questions.

TRR: Canes chasing o-linemen

With the high school football season now past the halfway point in most parts of the country, the recruiting scene is starting to tighten up. The number of remaining scholarship offers are being narrowed down for the Class of 2009 as the nation's future college football stars decided earlier and earlier and make National Signing Day irrelevant. At The U, the story is the same. In the past month, the Canes have picked up a trio of verbal in-state commitments, two defensive backs in Kayvon Webster and Jamal Reid and a third running back in Miami-Dade's top recruit, Lamar Miller.

A collection of 16 verbal commitments have been put together for a class that I was told on last National Signing Day by UM recruiting coordinator Clint Hurtt shouldn't exceed 20. So, what does that mean? UM has maybe five scholarships left to put to use (give or take one depending on whether or not defensive end Olivier Vernon sticks) before February 4th. And by all accounts, the Canes' primary focus to fill those spots will be made on the offensive line, where UM is set to lose its starting center in Xavier Shannon and three tackles to graduation after this season.

So, who are the Canes courting? A solid collection of highly-touted names. Canesport.com reported last week one of them is 6-7, 270-pound Arizona tackle Taylor Lewan, considered 47th best at his position by Rivals. Consider him the newest guy UM is chasing. The others are Fayetteville, N.C.'s Xavier Nixon (6-6, 263 pounds and No. 2 according to Rivals at tackle), Utah native Xavier Su'a Filo (6-4, 285, No. 12 among tackles), Ohio native Chris Freeman (6-7, 325, No. 49), Washington D.C. product Peter White (6-5, 340, No. 4 guard) and local product Jared Wheeler (6-5, 31, No. 19 guard). Miami also recently received news it will get a visit from one of the nation's top defensive tackles in Detroit's William Campbell (6-5, 317). Campbell could play offensive line at the next level.

The Canes have two legit offensive line commitments including one from 2008 signee Brandon Washington, who is now in prep school in New York. The other is Cory White of Fleming Island, Fla., who starts at left tackle for his team.

> This week, in bringing back The Recruit Report, I caught up with a few of UM's current commitments including Reid, who told me he's been getting a lot more attention from the nearby Florida Gators since he made his commitment to UM late last month.

‘‘They always were recruiting me, but since I pledged, they've really pushed hard," he said. "I still feel like I'll be a Hurricane no matter what. I gave them my word."

Reid (6-1, 175) is a statistical machine and a player Gainesville Sun writer John Patton has said could be the best receiver to come out of his coverage area in the 10 years he's been covering high schools there. Reid had 10 catches for 221 yards and 2 touchdowns and an interception a 35-0 win over Branford last week. In a 46-28 win over Dixie County earlier this year, Reid caught six passes for 223 yards and scored three touchdowns. Lafayette is 6-0 this season.

Reid said he's playing safety and corner, but Canes coaches want him to come in as a corner. He said he can't wait to come down and visit UM at the end of his season and to check out South Beach. For the last two years, Reid has two younger sisters have lived with his aunt and uncle. His father was sent to jail two years ago and is expected to be released in August.

‘‘I'm from a town of 4,000 people," Reid said with a laugh. "I know Miami has a really nice campus. People always talk about Miami and the beaches, the rap stars, the movie stars. I guess it must be real interesting down there."

> I also caught up this week with a few other players including cornerback Brandon McGee (who is finally only playing defense), defensive end Olivier Vernon (who has his other trips to Alabama and FSU booked), and the coach of defensive tackle Curtis Porter. Enjoy the rest of the recruiting updates.

THE OTHER COMMITMENTS...
Offense
> Bryce Brown, RB, 6-0, 215, Wichita East, Kan.: Bryce, who was elevated into the Rivals.com Top 5 rankings this week, is tearing things up in Kansas. Brown ran for 274 yards on 13 carries and scored six touchdowns as Wichita East rolled over rival Wichita West 54-0. He scored on runs of 24, 47, 69, and 14 yards and his last score came on a 46-yard catch. He now has 1,266 yards on 134 carries with 23 touchdowns in six games. His team is 5-1.

> A.J. Highsmith, QB, 6-0. 186, Fort Bend (TX) Hightower: After picking up play three weeks ago following Hurricane Ike, Highsmith has led his team to three straight blowout wins. It was last week in a 40-7 win against Clements he threw for 191 yards and three touchdowns. Highsmith is now 32 of 62 on the season with 612 yards passsing, 8 TDs and 2 INTs according to the Houston Chronicle.

> Mike James, RB, 5-11, 211, Davenport Ridge: James has led Ridge to three consecutive victories since our last report. He returned a kickoff 90 yards for a touchdown and piled up 202 yards rushing on 33 attempts and a 45-yard touchdown run a 14-0 win over Bartow High. A week later in a 13-10 overtime win against Lake Region, James went down with a shoulder injury after just rushing for 41 yards on 10 carries. But he returned last week and led Ridge to a stirring 14-13 victory against Lakeland Kathleen that featured an 81-yard touchdown run. He finished with 101 yards on 22 carries.

> Lamar Miller, RB, 5-11, 205, Miami Killian: The newest commitment for the University of Miami has been having quite the season for the Cougars. He leads Miami-Dade in rushing and has Killian at 5-1 with 12 touchdowns and 892 yards rushing on 115 attempts. Against Miami Southridge last week, he ran for 150 yards on 20 carries and had the game-clinching 20-yard TD run in the fourth quarter. Against nationally-ranked Lakeland two weeks ago, had 152 yards on 25 carries including two touchdown runs in a 27-22 loss on the road.

> Stephen Plein, TE/DE, 6-6, 240, Fort Myers High: As the team's starting defensive end, Plein has played well in the team's 3-3 start. He is fourth on the team in tackles with 31 and leads the Green Wave in sacks with 3½ on the season. He had two sacks and nine tackles in a 35-28 loss to Baker and hasn't played since.

> Billy Sanders, TE, 6-4, 240, Lake City Coueru d'Alene, Idaho: Sanders had three catches in his first two games, but had three for 28 yards in a a 34-33 win against Del Oro late last month. Sanders' team is 3-3 on the season. Canesport.com reported Monday Sanders is being courted heavily by UCLA.

> Brandon Washington, OL, 6-5, 315, Milford Prep, N.Y.: According to Rivals.com, Washington is still headed to The U next year. Rivals lists him as the No. 2 prep school recruit in the country. Milford Prep coach Bill Chaplick was quoted as saying recently Washington has dropped down to about 315 pounds. "He's so mobile and very physical. He just wants to punish players out there. As good as Charles Deas was for us, Washington is better," Chaplick said.

> Cory White, OL, 6-4, 240, Fleming Island: As the starting left tackle and anchor for the offensive line, White has helped the Golden Eagles off to a 6-0 start. The offense is averaging 32.3 points and 415 yards a game and has only given up six sacks alls season.

Defense
> Antonio Harper, LB, 6-4, 230, Hargrave Military Academy: Playing on the most loaded prep school team in the country -- with an estimated 21 Top 50 recruits by Rivals, Harper has played well for Hargrave. He is ranked 17th overall among prep school recruits.
> Prince Kent, ATH, 6-3, 195, Norcross (GA): Kent scored on two long touchdown passes in a 38-7 win against Chattahoochee on Sept. 27, finishing with three catches for 136 yards. Then, in a 45-0 blowout of Northview, he totaled 122 yards receiving on three catches. Kent is playing both ways for the Blue Devils and six games has 23 catches for 467 yards and two touchdowns. His team is 4-2.

> Brandon McGee, DB, 5-11, 186, Plantation High: Since his team's blowout loss to Miramar, McGee has gotten his team back on the right track with three straight wins. And he's no longer playing offense -- except in spot duty. In fact, he's not even playing corner anymore. "I'm at safety now," McGee said. "I think I'm doing pretty good. In our last game [a 30-13 win over Piper] I had seven solo tackles, a sack, a forced fumble, and a fumble recovery. Coach Davis thought it would be best to move to safety because of my ability to make plays. I like it. But my bread and butter is corner."
McGee said he'll likely play safety the rest of the season with teammate Vladimir Emiellen out for the year. He had an inteception two weeks ago in a win against Ely playing corner. He said he's been to every single Hurricanes home game this season, rooting his future teammates on. "I can't wait to get there," McGee said. "I talk to coach Shannon, coach Hurtt, coach McGriff every other day. They know I'm hungry to come in and help."

> Curtis Porter, DT, 6-2, 334, Charlotte Victory Christian: The Kings improved to 4-3 last week with a 52-8 win in which Porter had about eight tackles and a sack according to coach Frank Crockett. He said Porter has been invited to play in the Shrine Bowl, a local All-Star game played on Thanksigiving weekend in the Charlotte area. This weekend, Porter plans on attending the UM-Duke game along with teammate Justin Fox, adefensive end and Duke commitment. Crockett said Porter has six sacks on the season and is getting leaner. He said Porter is around 320 now and is even being used in a fullback role on offense.

> Luther Robinson, DT, 6-3, 280, Fort Pierce Westwood: Robinson had helped the Panthers get off to a 5-1 start this season. He had a breakout game against Jensen Beach on Sept. 26, piling up six tackles, three sacks and interception. He's got 26 tackles and six sacks this season through five games.

> Olivier Vernon, DE, 6-3, 239, Hialeah American: Vernon hasn't been on the playing field since he sprained his ankle against Coral Reef last month and he's not sure when he'll be back this season. He said he's been rehabbing for two weeks now, but still feels pain when he makes cuts. He has, however, been busy making plans for official visits. He told me Monday night he plans on starting his college tour Nov. 8 at Florida State, followed by a trip to Alabama on Dec. 5. and UM on Dec. 12. He also wants to make a trip to USF "To me, they're all level in my eyes," Vernon said. "They all could win the championship in the next few years. I want to be a part of that."
Vernon said he attended the UM-FSU game and it was "fun." "I really like what UM does as far as rotating guys and keeping them fresh," Vernon said. "I can be a part of that."

> Kayvon Webster, DB, 5-11, 181, Monsignor Pace: The two-way standout has 16 catches for 128 yards and a touchdown on offense for the 4-2 Spartans this season and has set the tone on defense as the team's leading tackler this. He's come up with huge defensive plays -- including a sack and forced fumble late in the game in a win at Naples.

UCF progress report, midseason analysis

It's hard to grade last week's performance against UCF as a progress report considering it felt more like regression. But I'll stick with the theme considering the Canes got the win. Since we are also at the midseason point, I figured I'd also give you an overall grade and thought on each unit as well as an MVP. My grading system system, in honor of the Canes, is simple: National championship material (excellent), BCS worthy (good), MicronPC Bowl here we come (average), Coker-esque (poor) and Scout Team reserve (the bottom of the barrel).

Quarterbacks: For the second week in a row, starter Robert Marve took a step back instead of a step forward. Against a veteran UCF secondary, Marve was 8 of 19 for 74 yards and three interceptions. He admitted afterward he was confused by the coverage schemes UCF threw at him and had never seen it before -- proof positive he's not learning enough or fast enough in the classroom with offensive coordinator Patrick Nix. Jacory Harris, meanwhile, didn't set the world on fire finishing 4 of 16 for 14 yards. But he did play more than he has since he started the season opener in place of a suspended Marve. He failed to lead UM to a scoring drive for the first time this season, but was in there late in the game instead of Marve.
> This week's progress report says: Coker-esque. It wasn't as bad as Kirby Freeman's 1-for-15 performance a year ago against N.C. State, but Marve didn't do anything outside of a 25-yard touchdown pass to Travis Benjamin that looked good. I don't think we are headed toward a QB controversy yet, but Marve needs to stop throwing picks. He's got seven in his last three games and now has 8 INTs versus 6 TDs. UM's pass offense, which finished 108th a year ago, is now 101st in the country.
> Midseason report card: C. Marve has to be considered the MVP, but he is headed in the wrong direction right now and looks a lot more today like he's going to be another Kyle Wright instead of a Ken Dorsey. Nix has turn to this around quickly.

Running backs: Graig Cooper carried the ball a career high 23 times and finished with 90 yards and a touchdown. Lee Chambers, who hadn't carried the ball since the win against Charleston Southern, came in and provided a nice burst with a long 25 yard run. But there is no question in my eyes now this UM offenses misses Javarris James. Cooper always seems to start of great, ripping off nice runs. But he slows down and so does the UM running game.
> This week's progress report says: BCS Worthy. It was another good effort by UM's most consistent unit. But like I said earlier, the Canes need JJ back. And it looks like they'll get him this week.
> Midseason report card: B+. Not having JJ has hurt this group, but Cooper has played exceptional in his absence and earns the MVP for this group and possibly the entire team. But he's going to have to step his game up and prove he can be the featured back for four quarters if he wants NFL scouts to consider him an early round pick a year or two from now.

Receivers/tight ends: Everyone knows how much Marve struggled. But it wasn't a great day for any of UM's receivers either. Dedrick Epps and Cooper led the team with three catches each. Benjamin's 25-yard catch was about the only highlight. My question is, what's the real problem? Can these guys not get open? Are they not running the right routes? Is Nix calling the wrong plays? The bottomline is these guys aren't working in a lot of space. How many times Saturday did you see a UM receiver catch a ball and have any room to manuever? A lot of times, they already had defensive players draped all over them. You can't have success in the passing game if you can't create space. Part of it is the short routes and part of it separation.
> This week's progress report says: Coker-esque. Simply not enough production. I felt like I was watching a rerun of last season.
> Midseason report card: C-. UM has so much speed and talent at this position now. But we're only seeing it in flashes. And those have usually been provided by Travis Benjamin, the midseason MVP for this unit.

Offensive line: Unlike a lot of other critics who might rip this unit for the way they played Saturday, I'm not putting all the blame on their shoulders for the three sacks they gave up. Marve and Harris had a lot to do with it. Each had plenty of time to throw Saturday, but held onto the ball for long periods of time. Harris had an opportunity to throw the ball away the one time he was sacked and instead held onto it to keep the clock running. The running game is where more of my criticism goes. UM ran the ball 43 times and netted just 3 yards a carry. UCF's defense was good. But not that good.
> This week's progress report says: MicronPC Bowl here we come. Chris Rutledge looks like the weakest link on this line at right tackle. When he was splitting time with Reggie Youngblood, he was effective. But with Tyrone Byrd, he's not getting the same results. The good news is Chris Barney looks like he's back, which provides more depth on the interior.
> Midseason report card: B. They've given up some sacks this season and haven't been as good as we thought they were, but they haven't been bad. Jason Fox has been the obvious MVP of the unit.

OK, before we go to the defense... it's time to go to the polls.

The Front Seven: Talk about a turnaround. After looking horrendous against Florida State, UCF provided the perfect remedy for this unit. Yes, UCF wasn't good. But UM made tremendous strides in its open field tackling this week. Daryl Sharpton showed me a lot. And, I don't care who you are playing, if you hold someone to four yards rushing its an accomplishment. Aside from about two scrambles, UM also patched up the problem of giving up first down runs on quarterback scrambles. And how could we forget about the five sacks? After collecting nine in the first five games, that was a major improvement.
> This week's progress report says: National championship material. Bill Young got the job done -- albeit against a weak opponent. But he got it done.
> Midseason report card: B. Of all the units we had questions about coming into the season, I felt this was the one area that needed the most work. All in all, these guys have honestly overachieved. How else can you explain that this group gave up 281 yards rushing to FSU and still ranks 20th in the country in total defense and 16th against the run? After losing Colin McCarthy and Eric Moncur for the season, this unit stepped up and looked like they fixed some major problem areas this week. But that still doesn't mean I'm not worried about this group going forward. UM isn't very deep at linebacker. Thankfully, the Canes have had freshman Sean Spence, the MVP of the group, come in and provide some major minutes and some big plays. Now, if they can get Allen Bailey going and a couple of freshman like Marcus Robinson going you could see even more improvement.

The Secondary: The Knights had one of the worst passing offenses in the country coming and didn't disappoint. Quarterback Rob Calabrese had trouble making simple passes at times. Still, nobody got beat on any deep passes this week and UCF's receivers didn't get very far when they did catch the ball. Chavez Grant looked good back in his nickel spot and had two pass breakups. The bad? The dropped interceptions. Brandon Harris and Jojo Nicholas had chances to make picks. They have to hold onto the football.
> This week's progress report says: BCS Worthy. Only 74 yards passing allowed and a few batted balls in key situations this week helped these guys have their best day of the season.
> Midseason report card: C. Only one interception from the secondary and several blown coverages hurt UM bad this season in losses to North Carolina and Florida State. But we got to remember how short-handed this group is. Despite the woes, UM still ranks 37th in the country in pass defense. That's not too bad. I'll give the nod to Chavez Grant as the MVP of the unit. He hasn't made a ton of plays, but of all the guys in the secondary he's made the fewest mistakes. By the way, anybody seen DeMarcus Van Dyke?

Special Teams: Matt Bosher finally looked human this week, shanking two punts. But he still had a solid day considering he had to punt 11 times. He had some good hang time on the majority of his punts and made a field goal. Travis Benjamin was limited in what he could do this week as UCF kicked the ball high in the air every time they kicked to him, but still provided UM with decent field position. The stain was the 91-yard kickoff return they gave up following an offsides penalty on DeMarcus Van Dyke. The play of the day was provided by Sam Shields, who recovered a fumble to setup the winning touchdown and redeemed himself for drawing a flag on kick catch interference earlier in the game.
> This week's progress report says: MicronPC Bowl Here We Come. The good ultimately outweighed the mistakes since UM won.
> Midseason report card: B+. Bosher has been phenomenal considering he has to handle all the kicking duties. He's averaging 40 yards a punt and is 9 of 10 on field goal attempts. I'm giving him co-MVP honors with Benjamin, who has finally provided UM with a badly needed game-changer on special teams.

Coaching: Last week, I got on Bill Young's case. This week, it's Patrick Nix's turn. His quarterbacks were unprepared for the zone defense UCF threw at them and the Canes were never able to adjust and get the passing game going. Plus, I'm getting tired of those bubble screens. We see them at least once a drive. For a coach who looked creative in those trick plays against FSU, Nix didn't use one against UCF -- not even a reverse. He's getting too predictable. On the flip side, Young did his best to take advantage of a struggling UCF offense and made sure his players not only got to the quarterback this week with sacks, but didn't give up first downs. That's getting the job done.
> This week's progress report says: MicronPC Bowl Here We Come. You can't just have the defense playing well and expect to go anywhere. We saw what happened under Larry Coker when that was the case. Offensive adjustments have to be made.
> Midseason report card: C. Young has to be considered the MVP here. Aside from the FSU game and the final 10 minutes against Carolina, he's done a good job without much -- especially when you consider the injuries (McCarthy, Randy Phillips, Eric Moncur) and losses (Kenny Phillips) this team has had to endure. Really, only one freshman, Sean Spence, has been able to come in and provide a real lift. Young is ultimately doing more with this defense with less than the guy who was here a year ago. Offensively, Nix's clock is ticking. He's got more talent this year than he had last year, better quarterbacks, better receivers, a veteran offensive line and a solid weapon in Graig Cooper. Yet, UM ranks 110th in total offense and 11th out of 12 teams in the ACC. That's what UM ranked at the end of last last year. That's called not getting it done.

So what are your thoughts at the midway point? What are your grades for each unit? Who are your MVPs?

UCF thoughts

I just finished uploading all the audio and video interviews following today's game against UCF. As for my thoughts on the game...

> I know for weeks now many of you have criticized offensive coordinator Patrick Nix for his playcalling and the way the offense has developed. Today was the first time this season I honestly felt Nix deserved the criticism. Not only was UM's offense bad, but I got the sense in the postgame locker room scene players were honestly confused by whatever it was UCF was doing defensively. Robert Marve said UCF didn't do anything defensively he had studied on tape.

Jacory Harris said the same thing, saying UCF "made it look like it was dropping into a Cover 4 defense, but was really playing a Cover 2." It's one thing for a young quarterback to get confused and not understand what it is he's seeing. After all, this was Marve's fifth career college start. But how could UM get so caught off guard? Even if UCF threw a new, confusing defense it hadn't run before or UM didn't see on tape are you telling me it's an entirely new defense no one has ever seen before? At some point, Nix and the rest of UM's assistants have to figure a way to beat it, teach their players to adjust. Miami never did. Instead, UM basically abandoned the passing game and tried to run the football -- to no avail. What happened to not only making adjustments, but those trick plays? Couldn't have Nix thought to use something in his arsenal?

> As for Marve, he now has seven interceptions in his last three games and is definitely not playing like the young budding quarterback Miami wants him to be. He admitted he's taking chances because he's trying to make plays. I can't blame him. The majority of Miami's passing plays are either bubble screens or quick outlet passes. When Marve does get a chance to throw down field, I get the sense he's trying hard to make a play so Nix will cut him loose more. Nix needs to obviously make adjustments. The bubble screens aren't working and the few times Marve has gone downfield, he's been intercepted.

> Maybe, one of the changes should be who starts at quarterback. Jacory Harris didn't do anything to overtake Marve, but he certainly isn't taking chances on his own like Marve appears to be. He did make two nice passes downfield Saturday -- one was dropped by Thearon Collier and the other was caught for a first down. Maybe the best thing would be to sit Marve down for a week and give Jacory a chance. What do you think?

> Defensively, Miami obviously played a much better game than it has in weeks. They got to the quarterback, produced five sacks and held UCF to 78 yards of total offense -- including just four on the ground. But it's awfully hard to judge just how much this unit improved. UCF ranked 113th out of 119 teams in total offense coming in. Here's what I take from it: The Canes did play better in coverage and did wrap up better tackling in the open field. And, they also communicated better, which shows me they are actually learning from their teacher Bill Young.

> I was anxious to see if freshman linebacker Arthur Brown would see the field after being promoted to the second team. He never did except for special teams. I just think Brown simply isn't ready and we aren't going to see him unless another starter goes down. We'll have to see what happened with Glenn Cook, who was knocked out when his head hit the turf late in the game. Miami can't afford to lose Cook. Linebacker is absolutely the thinnest position on this team.

> I'm beginning to think Matt Bosher is getting a little tired handling all of the kicking duties. Saturday, he punted 11 times, kicked off four times, kicked a field goal and an extra point. He shanked two punts. Bosher has been great so far this season, but at some point he's going to need help. We've been told he's been getting time off in practice to rest his leg. We saw why on Saturday.

> Miami gave up three sacks Saturday, but I wouldn't entirely blame the offensive line. Robert Marve had plenty of time to pass Saturday. So did Jacory Harris. Both held onto the football for extended periods of time and didn't throw the ball away.

> Check back for my progress report Monday.

Gameday blog: UM 20, UCF 14 (F)

I'm here at Dolphin Stadium to provide you with highlights as well as my thoughts from today's game against the University of Central Florida.

> Talk about a fitting song. At halftime, UM's band played Don't Stop Believing from Journey. Problem is this first half effort has a lot of people no longer believing things are heading in the right direction.
> I don't know about you, but I feel like I'm watching a replay of the 2007 season. UM is struggling against a bad team and can't move the football.
> Today's attendance: 40,011.

SECOND HALF...
> UCF's 1st drive: The Knights catch a break when Matt Bosher's kickoff bounces out of bounds. But the Knights are unable to do much and are forced to punt. Allen Bailey picks up his second sack of the game on third down.
> UM's 1st drive: The Canes go 3-and-out.
> UCF's 2nd drive: Another UCF 3-and-out.
> UM's 2nd drive: Robert Marve picks up a first down when he finds Dedrick Epps for about a 15-yard gain down to the UM 38. But the drive ends when Robert Marve's third down pass to Travis Benjamin finishes a yard short of the first down marker.
> I've had some computer issues here in the third quarter. UM has the ball on its on 8 and is facing a 3rd and 7 when we come back in the fourth quarter.
> UM's 4th drive: Another UM drive fizzles and the Canes are forced to punt from deep in their own end zone. Joe Burnett fields a 42-yard punt and gets smacked down at the Canes 45. UCF takes over at its own 41 following a punt.
> UCF's 5th drive: The Knights change quarterbacks and Michael Greco slips down at his own 29-yard line for a loss of 12 yards. Brandon Harris then has a chance to pick off his first pass of his career and drops the INT at the UCF 42. The Canes then catch another break when a bad snap sails over the head of UCF's punter before he kicks out of the back of the end zone for a safety with 13:31 left to play. UM 12, UCF 7.
> Just got the stats for the end of the third quarter... UCF has a total of 66 yards total offense and no yards rushing. UM has 199 yards total offense and only 75 yards passing.
> UM's 5th drive: Jacory Harris gets back into the game with 13:24 left and UM at its own 41. But once again UM goes nowhere and Bosher comes in for a punt and UCF takes over at its own 19.
> UCF's 6th drive: UCF looks like its getting smart. Calabreese comes back in at quarterback and the Knights go the FSU offense, running the ball with the quarterback right down the middle of the field for a big 26-yard gain. But that's all that works. UCF is forced to punt and UM takes over at its own 17 with 9:26 to play.
> UM's 6th drive: Harris stays in at quarterback and delivers. Faced with a 3rd and 8 at the UM 19, he finds Laron Byrd for a 14-yard gain to the UM 33. Jacory nearly loses the ball a play later when UCF defenders runs right up the middle on the snap and knocks the ball free. Eventually, UM is forced to punt. That's when UM really catches the break it needs. Joe Burnett has the ball slip right through his hands and Sam Shields falls on the ball at the UCF 5.
> UM's 7th drive: One play later, Graig Cooper scores a touchdown with 5:21 left to make it 18-7. UM then goes for two and scores on a Harris run up the middle to make it 20-7. UM 20, UCF 7.
> UCF's 7th drive: UCF looks like it makes a huge mistake when it bobbles the ensuing kickoff and gets tackled deep inside its own territory. But the Canes make a huge mistake -- DeMarcus Van Dyke -- and are flagged for offsides. On the do-over, Joe Burnett makes up for his previous fumble on punt and returns the kickoff 91 yards for a touchdown with 4:57 to play. UM 20, UCF 14.
> UM's 8th drive: The Canes start at their own 34 and go nowhere on first and second down. On third and 8, Harris gets sacked back at the UM 20 by Bruce Miller with 3:48 to play.
> UCF's 8th drive: Joe Burnett returns the punt to the UCF 41 and the Knights take over with 3:39 left. On first down, Calabrese scrambles for 9 yards to the 50. Linebacker Glenn Cook goes out with an injury on the play. Another Calabrese scramble then picks up a first down. On third and 6 two plays later, Calabrese gets knocked down by Brandon Harris at the UM 36. On fourth and 4, Calabrese tries to find Brian Watters over the middle, but the pass is batted down by Daryl Sharpton giving UM possession with 1:52 to play.
> UM's 9th drive: UM takes three knees and runs out the clock.

FIRST HALF...
> UM's 1st drive: Following an 18-yard return by Travis Benjamin, UM starts at it owns 24 yard line. Talk about a good start -- Graig Cooper takes the opening handoff and runs right up the middle for an 18-yard gain before free safety Jason Venson yanked him down. But that's the highlight of the drive. After two failed runs, Robert Marve gets intercepted by Sha'reff Rashard, giving UCF possesion at the UM 42.
> UCF's 1st drive: The Knights get great field position, but go a quick three-and-out. It gets worse for them when punter Blake Clingan gets off a 6-yard punt giving UM possession at the Canes 32.
> UM's 2nd drive: Freshman receiver Thearon Collier makes a tremendous play on a quick screen pass. After getting initially smacked at the line of scrimmage, he keeps his balance and picks up 12 yards. On the next play, Cooper runs right up the middle for 16 yards down to the UCF 40. Miami then faces a third and 7 at the UCF 37, Robert Marve scrambles out of bounds, but UM keeps the drive alive when linebacker Lawrence Young gets flagged for a personal foul penalty moving the ball to the UCF 22. Benjamin, the star of last week's loss to FSU, then catches his second TD pass of the season when he runs right past the UCF secondary and hauls in a 25-yard touchown pass from Marve. The drive: 8 plays, 68 yards, 2:55. UM 7, UCF 0.
> UCF's 2nd drive: Faced with a 3rd and 9 at his own 21, Rob Calabreese completes a 15-yard pass to Brian Watters for a first down. But three plays later and a few bad Calabreese passes later, UCF is forced to punt. That's when junior Richard Gordon makes the first big play of his career, splitting the UCF punt team to block a punt and give UM possession at the UCF 25.
> UM's 3rd drive: Miami gets great field position but settles for a 35-yard field goal from Matt Bosher with 5:35 left in the first quarter. UM 10, UCF 0.
> By the way, Chris Barney entered the game on that field goal attempt. Amazing. Shannon told us last Sunday Barney, who was injured in fall camp, was nowhere near close to playing.
> UCF's 3rd drive: Another quick three and out for the struggling UCF offense. Miami takes over at its own 25 following a 55-yard punt with 3:42 left.
> UM's 4th drive: Jacory Harris makes his first appearance in the first quarter of a game since his only start against Charleston Southern. Chris Rutledge stalls the drive when he gets called for a false start. The drive ends when Harris puts a pass on the money to Thearon Collier, but Collier drops it after taking a strong hit. Bosher then gets off a 15-yard punt, giving UCF the ball at the UM 43.
> UCF's 4th drive: Once again, UCF is turned away. The Knights take two shots deep downfield at Brandon Harris, but are unable to capitalize and punt the ball into the end zone.
> UM's 5th drive: Miami stalls once again and is forced to punt. UCF's Joe Burnett returns the ball 32 yards to the UM 31 and is saved from scoring a touchdown when Sam Shields catches him from behind on the final play of the first quarter.
> UCF's 5th drive: The Knights get great field position, but go three-and-out. Former Cane Daren Daly makes a 48-yard field goal. But it gets wiped off the board when UCF is flagged for illegal formation. UCF then elects to punt and the ball sails into the end zone, giving UM a first and 10 at its 20 with 14:31 left in the half.
> UM's 6th drive: Lee Chambers makes an appearance -- and impact. His first carry goes for five yards and his next carry goes for 25 after he breaks a couple tackles. But the drive fizzles thereafter. Marve tried a deep pass to Travis Benjamin, but it got batted away. He then scrambled on third and long, but got stopped five yards shy of the first down marker. Bosher then gets off his second bad punt of the game when he nets a 13-yard punt.
> UCF's 6th drive: Ugly, ugly football. UCF's offense appears to be the perfect remedy for this struggling UM defense. Another three-and-out for the Knights. The Canes end up losing yardage on the punt return when Thearon Collier goes backward and UM gets flagged for an illegal punt. UM takes over at its own 10 with 10:36 left in the half.
> UM's 7th drive: Graig Cooper comes back in and rushes twice for a first down. Miami moves to the 50 when Marve gets intercepted for the second time. Johnell Neal steps in front of a 15-yard pass intended to Travis Benjamin at the 38 and returns it 62 yards for a touchdown with 7:22 to play in the first half. UM 10, UCF 7.
> UM's 8th drive: Following a short UCF kickoff to Ryan Hill, Miami takes over at its own 36. But the cautious Canes run the football three times and punt. Bosher gets off a nice 45-yard punt that gets no return when Shields smacks down Burnett at his own 17 with 5:15 left in the half.
> UCF's 7th drive: The Knights finally start moving the football and pick up a first down on a 15-yard completion from Calabrese to Kamar Aiken. UCF converts a fourth and one at the UM 46 to keep their drive alive. But on the next play, Daryl Sharpton comes in on a blitz and sacks Calabrese back at the UCF 47. The drive ends when Allen Bailey picks up a sack on third and long.
> UM's 9th drive: The Canes try to take advantage and get a score before the half. Instead, Marve gets picked for the third time today and the second by Sha'reef Rashad back at the UCF 33 with 27 seconds left. Is it Jacory time?
> UCF's 8th drive: The Knights only get two plays off before the half ends in ugly, pathetic fashion.

PREGAME...
Checking in from Dolphin Stadium an hour before the Canes try to get back on the winning side of things against the University of Central Florida. Today's game, scheduled for a 3:58 kickoff (delayed because of thunderstorms in the area), will be televised on ESPNU. I know most of you don't have ESPNU. I'll provide updates here on the blog drive by drive. But for a play-by-play, visit www.wqam.com for the radio broadcast.

A couple of early notes...
> It looks like we will definitely see more of the freshmen today. Travis Benjamin and Aldarius Johnson are listed as the starters at receiver with Laron Byrd and Davon Johnson as the primary backups.
> Brandon Harris is also still listed as a starter at corner with senior Bruce Johnson. Arthur Brown is listed as the backup at strongside linebacker behind Daryl Sharpton. I've heard to expect Arthur to see a lot of playing time today.

UCF Keys to the Game, Market Watch

I'm going to say it right now. Saturday's in-state showdown with UCF is not a must-win game for the Miami Hurricanes. It's not a conference game or game to decide if the Canes are bowl eligible (so it can't be must win). But it's as close as you get to must-win. I call it a GOTTA HAVE IT win. Why? Because if you lose this game and fall to 2-4 on the season, you put yourself in a position to head toward a very dark place. Not only do you lose some stature in recruiting (and get ripped by everyone in the state who can now officially say you've fallen behind UCF), but you now sink to a level where doubt for the future creeps in.

Coach Randy Shannon has said this team is more talented than his '07 team, even though last year's was 4-1 at this point. We know this team is younger. And we know Miami lost to a pair of 4-1 teams in North Carolina and Florida State by a combined 6 points in the past two weeks. But this week, the Canes simply Gotta Have It. UCF is 2-3. Yes, they played South Florida tough a couple weeks ago. And yes, they'll have 18 players from the South Florida area on their roster who will be hoping to make an impression with friends and family this weekend. But this isn't UCF from a year ago, which finished 10-4 and won Conference USA with one of the best running backs in the country in Kevin Smith. This is a UCF team that is 2-3 with a 58-13 loss to UTEP.

Yes, UM is young. Yes, UM is banged up. Yes, UM had monumental problems last week defensively that need to be addressed. But the U has got to win this week. Because otherwise, all that talk about this program heading in the right direction and being more talented is going to be much harder to believe -- for everyone inside and outside the program.

KEYS TO THE GAME...
1. Play defense:What Miami did last week against Florida State was pathetic. FSU ran for 281 yards, mostly on the legs of its quarterback Christian Ponder. UCF no longer has its star running back, but has still averaged 151 yards a game on the ground in its five games. In three of its games, its been UCF's quarterback and not redshirt freshman running back Ronnie Weaver who has led the team in rushing. So keeping an eye on the quarterback scrambling for yardage will once again be a huge key this week.

UCF ranks 113th in total offense, 109th in passing and 105th in scoring overall. This is a week, Miami's young defense should be able to take advantage and improve on third down and in the red zone.

2. Establish the run early and often: You look at the national rankings for UCF and the only number that positively shocks you is their run defense. The Knights currently rank 26th in the country in run defense -- tops in Conference USA by allowing just under 105 yards rushing a game. But the number is deceiving. UCF held SMU to 25 yards on 21 carries last week in a 31-17 victory, but don't let it fool you. SMU has ranked dead last in rushing in the NCAA for the last three weeks. Against USF, Boston College and SMU, the Knights surrendered an average of nearly 150 yards a game on the ground. Miami abandoned the running game last week after falling behind early. This week, I'm expecting a heavy, heavy dose of Graig Cooper and Derron Thomas. Look for UM to pick its spots more wisely when passing the football, too.

UCF entered the 2008 season with the most experienced defensive secondary in the country with four senior starters who have combined for 155 starts during their careers and a combined 42 interceptions. Cornerback's Johnell Neal and Joe Burnett and safeties Sha'reff Rashad and Jason Venson combined to finish third in the country in interceptions last year and already have 10 combined picks this year to rank third overall. UCF has picked off at least one pass in each of its last 13 games. But, there is a weakness. And that's the big play. Last week, UCF gave up a 94-yard touchdown pass and have given up at least two passing plays of 40 yards or more in their previous two games before it.

3. Win the return/field position battle: Much will be made of Daren Daly facing the Canes, his old team. But the real story on special teams will be who wins the field position battle. Travis Benjamin had a spectacular, breakout game against Florida State and ranks 11th in the country overall in punt returns (17.71 avg) and 10th overall in kick returns (29.86 avg). Benjamin is good. But so is UCF's Joe Burnett, who ranks 10th on punt returns (18.07 avg) and 13th in kick returns (29.00 avg). Burnett already had a 91-yard kickoff return for a touchdown. With how much UCF's offense struggles on its own, Miami has to do a good job wrapping Burnett up and kicking the ball into corners, something UM's Matt Bosher improved on last week against FSU.

MARKET WATCH
Buy 'em

Sean Spence, linebacker: Spence had a solid first career start with 10 tackles and an interception return for a touchdown against FSU. With Colin McCarthy now out for the season, I believe Spence will be the best player on the field for UM on defense. This is his team now in my eyes. I predicted a freshman All-American season for Spence before the year. This week is when it really takes off. He'll lead the team in tackles again and grab another turnover this week.

Graig Cooper, running back: Super Coop had his back-to-back 100-yard rushing streak snapped last week against Florida State. He has by far in my opinion been the best player on the field for the Canes when he's been in there and used the right way. I think he will be again this week. UCF's run defense will make a concerted effort to stop Coop in the running game. But I still think Cooper will have a huge day -- especially catching the ball out of the backfield. Look for two TDs from Coop and more than 150 yards total offense.

Travis Benjamin, receiver/kick returner: Last week was Benjamin's coming out party. This week, I think you'll see UCF deliberately try and kick the ball away from him. That still means good field position for UM and means Benjamin is changing the balance of the playing field. Look for Benjamin to get more involved in the passing game this week -- especially vertically. He and Aldarius Johnson could have huge play days. Despite having a veteran secondary, UCF has been vulnerable to the big play. Benjamin and AJ provide that.

On The Bubble
Brandon Harris, cornerback: Brandon had a tough first career start last week against FSU, getting flagged three times and missing several tackles. I'm willing to bet he gets the start again Saturday and redeems himself. UCF has two solid receivers in Kamar Aiken (6-2, 205) and Brian Watters (6-2, 180). When the Knights do pass they'll go after Harris. If he responds with a good game, then he'll solidify his starting spot. If he struggles again, Shannon will have to go with Plan B and likely have to lean on a veteran and less talented guy like Carlos Armour.

Bill Young, defensive coordinator: Nobody needs a bounce back game more than Young, who made everyone happy with how UM's defense played against Florida for three quarters but whose last five quarters of coaching have been flat out bad. UM blew a 10-point lead against North Carolina with nine minutes to play and then got shredded by FSU last week. Another bad week this week against a bad UCF offense and folks are going to turn up the heat on Young. He needs to make the right adjustments this week, particularly making sure someone like UCF's QB isn't toasting his defense with scrambles.

Sell 'Em
Sam Shields, receiver: Last week's costly penalty as well as a few dropped balls have probably put Sam on the shelf -- if not the dog house. Shannon said earlier this week he plans on using his freshman receivers more and more because his veterans weren't cutting it. Shields is not a freshman. If Sam is going to get back in UM's good graces, he's going to have to make some plays on special teams and whenever he does get in at receiver.

My prediction: UM 34, UCF 21. The Canes are considered a two-touchdown favorite in the game. And although I think they'll come close to covering, I still believe UM is going to sweat this one out for the most part. Ultimately, what helps UM this week is that the Knights aren't very good on offense and simply don't have a go-to player to turn to. Miami does. Graig Cooper will be that guy this week and will do enough to put UM comfortably in front to avoid a few more defensive mental lapses.

OK guys, now it is your turn. Give me your prediction, your keys to the game, your stars of the game and your thoughts.

By the way, yesterday I was on 790 The Ticket with Jorge Sedano to talk about the Canes. Here's a link to our discussion.

UCF injury report

Another Thursday injury report, another round of surprises. Some of its good. Some of its not.

On Sunday, coach Randy Shannon was asked if guard Chris Barney could be back anytime soon to help a UM offensive line which has likely lost starting right tackle Reggie Youngblood for the season. Shannon told us "No. Not right now." Surprise! Barney, who went down with a leg injury during fall camp, is now listed as questionable for Saturday's game against UCF at Dolphin Stadium at 3:45 p.m.

That's good news for the Canes (if its true). UM had to move senior Chris Rutledge back outside from guard to tackle to help rotate with Tyrone Byrd on the right side last week and have an inexperienced Tyler Pipho as the other tackle reserve -- a player Jason Fox told me this week is improving. If Barney comes back, he can now rotate with Joel Figueroa, Orlando Franklin and AJ Trump on the inside.

Also new and good news -- defensive tackle Josh Holmes and freshman offensive lineman Ben Jones -- have been upgraded from out to doubtful, which tells us they may finally be getting healthy enough to return at some point this season.

That's the bulk of the good news, which also includes -- as we expected -- freshman receiver Thearon Collier being listed as questionable. Shannon told us earlier this week he was hoping Collier could play between 15-20 snaps in the slot.

But the rest of the news isn't as encouraging. Receiver Leonard Hankerson (leg) and running back Javarris James (leg) are listed as doubtful and freshman linebacker Jordan Futch (head), running back Damien Berry (leg) and freshman safety Vaughn Telemaque (arm) are out this week. In all, Miami will head into its game this week with the most injuries they've had all season and with five guys considered starters out -- James, Youngblood, Hankerson, linebacker Colin McCarthy and defensive end Eric Moncur.

> I spent a few minutes Tuesday talking with Jason Fox about the state of the team, especially now with so many leaders going down with injuries. Fox basically told me he's not worried because many of the leaders will still be around, coaching from the sidelines like Glenn Cook did last season. Look for our Brian Costa to have a story on the effect of the injuries in terms of leadership in Friday's paper.

> Last week, punter Matt Bosher took quite a whack when he ran for a first down on a fake punt. Bosher didn't duck out of bounds and heard about it from coaches afterward, who told him he needs to be a little smarter than that. Consider it a fearless factor for Bosher's part, who took plenty of whacks playing high school soccer and is unafraid to mix it up with bigger guys. We saw that with his two tackles at Florida.

Should Bosher go down, though, Miami would be in an awfully tough spot. Right now, Robert Marve is considered the only active backup punter with freshman quarterback Taylor Cook not dressing for games. Freshman Jake Wieclaw could potentially come in and kick field goals, but he still doesn't appear ready.

EXPRESS EDITION: Tuesday's news and notes

I'm going to make this an express edition because it's been a long, busy day today out at UM. First off all, for the first time this season defensive coordinator Bill Young met with the media and spoke with us about the way his unit has been playing (HERE IS THE LINK TO THE AUDIO).

> The most interesting comment from Young is that only about 50 percent of his defense has been implemented. There will be more in the story. I would have just preferred to just provide you with a Q&A. But the sports information department said the only way we'll get to interview coordinators is if we write feature stories. Oh well, you got the story and the audio you can tune into.

> The big news this morning from UM was that coach Randy Shannon said starting right tackle Reggie Youngblood is likely out for the season. Strangely enough, I saw Youngblood out at practice. He was wearing braces on both of his legs, but was involved in stretching. Shannon told us after practice Youngblood did not practice. Stay tuned.

> As many of you probably know already, the Canes landed their 15th commitment of the year and third running back in its 2009 class late Monday night when Miami-Dade's top recruit, Lamar Miller of Killian High, announced he was choosing UM. The big development in the Miller saga according to his high school coach Steve Smith was because he finally scored high enough on the ACT (20) to get into UM. Miller looked like he might be an academic casualty. Instead, he got the score he needed and got into the program he always dreamed of playing for. Miller (5-11, 205) is a Top 100 player according to Rivals. He has a Dade-best 95 carries for 742 yards and 10 touchdowns right now through five games.

He's definitely a home run threat when he has the football in his hands. I watched him play North Miami Beach earlier this year, a game in which he ran for more than 200 yards and scored 3 times. Miller is good, but needs to improve his inside running. He's definitely still a great get for the Canes and will make a nice incoming trio with Kansas product Bryce Brown (the nation's No. 1 back according to Rivals) and Davenport Ridge's Mike James. My question is which current Cane backup running back is out of a job? Shawnbrey McNeal and Lee Chambers have a combined 15 carries this season, but haven't played in weeks. Smells like someone will be getting a position change or heading elsewhere.

> Running back Javarris James and freshman receiver Thearon Collier did participate in individual drills today and there's a chance they could play this week. I'm still not optimistic either of these guys play this week. UCF is a non-conference opponent who lost to UTEP 58-13 two weeks ago. Shannon, however, did sound more optimistic about Collier than James.

"He's feeling better," Shannon said. "He ran around Sunday, a little yesterday. We'll up his tempo a little bit. If it's game time and he can help us 18, 15, 20 plays (that'll work)."

> As far as linebacker Colin McCarthyand defensive end Eric Moncur are concerned, Shannon said both could be awarded a redshirt for this season. Moncur (whom Shannon said Tuesday will definitely be out for at least three weeks, but keeps giving us the impression will be out for the year) is a fifth-year senior and McCarthy a junior played in four games this season. The NCAA rule indicates that in order to be eligible for a redshirt you have to play less than 30 percent of your season. If Miami makes a bowl game, they'll have played 13 games this season. That's still over the 30 percent limit. It's still the NCAA, so who knows.

> One of the more interesting comments Randy made Tuesday was in regard to junior receiver Sam Shields, who picked up the costly illegal substitution penalty against Florida State which eventually led to UM settling for a field goal instead of scoring a touchdown and taking the lead. Shields practiced Tuesday but there's a rumor circulating the message boards he could soon be off the team. Shannon left us Tuesday with this cryptic message: "We have to keep coaching him. We're not going to say, `Well, you're on the shelf.' Sam knows he's a third-year guy. Everyone is expecting Sam to make plays, and he hasn't. He's been having opportunities to do it. We'll keep coaching him hard, but we have to give these young guys a chance now. They make plays for us. You're on a roll with something, you ride it till it stops."

Here's some interesting video on what happened on the sideline after Shields was flagged on Saturday.

> One of the other more interesting comments Tuesday came from defensive end Adewale Ojomo, who was asked why UM has had so much trouble getting sacks this season and creating pressures. Ojomo didn't sugar coat his answer and basically told us UM is getting one-on-one situations and simply not winning them.

> I'll have more for you in the coming days. It's just a lot to pack into a blog. Definitely look for the story on Young tonight and for all the audio interviews from today. I spoke with Jason Fox, Sean Spence, Marcus Forston, Robert Marve, Travis Benjamin, Randy Shannon, Matt Bosher, Adewale Ojomo and of course will have Randy's press conference.

Progress report: Florida State

I tried to get this done yesterday, but had Randy Shannon's press conference to get to and then transcribe. So, here it is today. Once again, feel free to share your grades and your thoughts on the progress of this team. In fact, I'll leave you with a few questions to ask yourself: Are you still willing to sit back and watch this team grow? Or, are you getting tired of the losing and demand wins now? And, finally, is this football team better than last year's team which started 4-1?

Onto the progress report. I'll remind you my grading system system, in honor of the Canes, is simple: National championship material (excellent), BCS worthy (good), MicronPC Bowl here we come (average), Coker-esque (poor) and Scout Team reserve (the bottom of the barrel).

Quarterbacks: This was the first time this season Robert Marve and Jacory Harris didn't look like All- Americans. Rather, more like what they really are: freshmen. Marve wass 17 of 40 for 122 yards and an interception. He said afterward the ball was a bit slippery because of the rain, but wasn't really trying to make excuses. Florida State had a lot to do with his problems. The Seminoles defense applied a ton of pressure. Harris, meanwhile, also threw his first interception of the season. But he proved yet again he can at least move the team down the field. He drove UM down the field before the half and had a touchdown pass dropped by Leonard Hankerson in the end zone. Still, coach Randy Shannon said Sunday Harris deserves to play. And I agree with him. He's certainly not hurting the team. This week's progress report says: MicronPC Bowl here we come. The numbers weren't great. But a lot of that had to with receivers dropping passes. I liked the fight both quarterbacks showed dealing with heavy pressure and all in all, there weren't really a ton of mistakes on their part.

Running backs: It's hard to grade this unit this week considering Miami had to abandon the run so early. But here are the facts: Graig Cooper's run of back-to-back 100 yard games came to an end. After getting off to a snails' pace on UM's first two possessions, he finished with 31 yards on six carries and actually moved UM downfield before a sack pushed the Canes back. Ultimately, I thought Cooper did a very good job picking up blitzers in blocking situations, something he asked Shannon to let him do. Marve and Harris after all only got sacked twice despite the constant pass rush. And neither time was it Cooper or any of the running backs' faults. Cooper also led the team in receiving with seven catches. This week's progress report says: BCS Worthy. I'm ultimately grading Cooper and this unit on what they had a chance to do -- catch the ball and block -- and not what they didn't (only 14 rushing attemtps in all). And I thought they did a good job at it.

Receivers/tight ends: Tough day when it came to the drops for the receivers -- especially the veterans like Sam Shields, Leonard Hankerson and Kayne Farquharson. But I thought the freshmen did a great job when given opportunities. Aldarius Johnson appears like he's emerging from the pack. He had 5 catches for 55 yards including a beautiful play late in the game when he broke a tackle and scurried up field for a 27-yard gain on Miami's final scoring drive. Travis Benjamin had the biggest catch of the game on the trick play pass from Graig Cooper and Laron Byrd came through with a key fourth down catch to keep a drive alive. But the veterans are killing this unit. Shannon talked Sunday at length about his receivers and I get the sense he's ready to commit to the freshmen more and more. He also said position coach Aubrey Hill is stressing "stacking" where receivers sort of box out defensive backs to shield them from the ball -- something receivers haven't been doing enough. This week, Hankerson could be out with an injury, which means Jermaine McKenzie (who we thought would play and didn't) will get his chance in the slot with the only other healthy slot receiver on the team -- Farquharson. This week's progress report says: MicronPC Bowl here we come. Like you, I'm getting tired of seeing the drops by the veterans. Wet ball or not, they got to come up with it. The freshman certainly aren't having those problems.

Offensive line: No running game and lots of pressure on the quarterback. That's how the offensive line performed Saturday. The highlight? Left tackle Jason Fox scoring on a trick play. Florida State's front line was obviously better than UM's. The Canes certainly missed Reggie Youngblood at right tackle. Chris Rutledge started in his place -- not Tyrone Byrd like we were told -- and missed a key block early that led to one of two FSU sacks. Overall, for a unit Miami thought it was its offensive strength, this unit played the worst of any Saturday. Still, it was only two sacks officially. So, it wasn't that bad. This week's progress report says: MicronPC Bowl here we come. We all expected more and got less especially early. But Fox's touchdown and the fact there were only two sacks allowed saved the line's grade this week.

The Front Seven: All week long we heard about how great Miami's run defense had performed through four games. Then, they reverted to looking like they did against Virginia a year ago. Christian Ponder didn't feel much pressure at all and wasn't sacked once. Instead, he escaped the pocket on countless occassions and eluded slower Miami linebackers. 144 yards by an opposing quarterback on the run? Inexcusable. The lone bright spots for Miami were freshman Sean Spence, who led the team with 10 tackles and scored on a deflected pass/interception return for a touchdown, and Glenn Cook's stop of Antone Smith on a key third down situation. But that -- and a few nice stops by defensive tackle Marcus Forston in the backfield and one play by Joe Joseph -- was it. This week's progress report says: Bottom of the barrell. It certainly hurt not to have Colin McCarthy and to have Eric Moncur go down. But now this defense must get used to it. Both won't be back this season. There are just too many missed tackles and blown assignments happening. We'll have to see if it really is fixable.

The Secondary: The poster boy for UM's day in the secondary was freshman Brandon Harris, who was flagged twice for pass interference, once for holding and missed several open field tackles. Harris, making his first start at corner, had a bad day and its excusable. But where is the veteran help? Florida State's receivers didn't abuse Miami like North Carolina's did a week earlier. But Miami still didn't do a great job wrapping up. Shannon said there is still too much arm tackling going on. The one positive was Bruce Johnson's interception -- the first for the secondary this season. But there were too many blown coverages and mistakes. How FSU scored on third and goal from the 20 is beyond me. Where were the safeties? This week's progress report says: Coker-esque. I'm beginning to wonder if I should change this category because not even Coker's defensive backfield was this bad.

Special Teams: Here is the one area Miami shined Saturday -- and Benjamin deserves all the credit. He not only scored on a 18-yard end around and a 51-yard catch, but he kept UM in the game and helped a struggling offense with his great returns. He finished with 274 all-purpose yards. Matt Bosher also had a great day. He was 3 for 3 on field goals on a wet field and averaged 45.3 yards a punt (that includes a 57-yarder). He also did a great job on kickoffs, kicking the ball into the corner and not allowing FSU to put together many big returns. This week's progress report says: National championship material. You can't ask Benjamin, Bosher and the special teams unit to do anymore than they did. Well, maybe play defense too.

Coaching: Aside from a few successful trick plays and some good efforts on special teams, Patrick Nix and Bill Young were taken to school Saturday by Jimbo Fisher and Mickey Andrews. Miami didn't fall behind 24-0 by accident. FSU shutdown Miami's running game and put immense pressure on Marve and the quarterbacks with blitzes it seemed UM only was able to adjust to in the second half. Young honestly never made the adjustments to stop Fisher's offense. This week, the real challenge begins for Young who has to find a way to make this defense better without Moncur and McCarthy. This week's progress report says: Coker-esque. All of the offensive woes (drops by receivers) weren't all Nix's fault. But the offense didn't look great. I've already ripped the defense enough.

McCarthy, Moncur likely done for the year

Just got back home from the longest and most interesting Randy Shannon Sunday press conference I've ever attended and unfortunately do not have good news to report.

Linebacker Colin McCarthy, who was a late scratch for Saturday's game against the Seminoles, is done for the season according to Shannon. And defensive end Eric Moncur, who left Saturday's game in the second quarter with a leg injury, could be too.

"Colin is done for the season. He won't be playing anymore," said Shannon, who said McCarthy's injury was related to his shoulder, the same one he injured in high school. "Eric Moncur, fellas, I don't know. I don't know if he'll make it back. After halftime, he didn't come back dressed. Those guys, I don't know their status. I'll let you guys know Tuesday or Monday, but it didn't look very good for Eric Moncur."

"I talked to [Eric] a little bit and I told him I love you to death, but I can't do this to you. We can't do this to you. You can't do this to yourself. You just got to shut it down. We'll send you to a specialist. But right now you're not going to be able to help us this season."

Consider it a huge blow to this Miami defense, which was torched by Florida State for 281 yards rushing and four touchdowns Saturday in the 41-39 loss at Dolphin Stadium. Shannon said the injuries mean freshmen will have to step up. Saturday, Sean Spence got the start in place of McCarthy at weakside linebacker alongside Glenn Cook and Daryl Sharpton. Sunday, Shannon said the team will have to bring Arthur Brown along as well as Kylan Robinson and Jordan Futch. That trio has a combined four tackles this season. Spence led UM Saturday with 10 tackles and an interception.

On the defensive line, Shannon pointed to Adewale Ojomo, Marcus Robinson and Andrew Smith to have to step up and fill Moncur's shoes. Ojomo recovered a fumble Saturday and had three tackles and started the opener in Moncur's place.

"You don't expect these things, but you got to your mind ready for it," Shannon said. "I've learned to be prepared instead of just guessing. Guys got to play -- that's why they came here. Coaches got to get these guys ready in some form or fashion."

> I'll have more for you later from Randy's press conference, which lasted a half hour longer than usual. He even got a pen and started drawing up his depth chart on the dry erase board for us today and talked at length about his vision for this program. But for now, here are some quick, short notes.

> Shannon said it was receiver Sam Shields who made the costliest mistake in Saturday's game. Shields was flagged for an illegal substitution penalty when he came in on a formation he doesn't even play on when Miami had the ball on Florida State's 4-yard line midway through the fourth quarter. The Hurricanes settled for a field goal when they couldn't punch it in the end zone. Shannon said he felt that it was turning point in the game. "I thought definitely we were going to score," Shannon said. "We score, we go up and now Florida State has a different mentality. When your trying to come back in the game, that was the biggest play. Now, you got the whole momentum and now Florida State is [panicking]. That really hurt us."

"I have no idea [why Sam ran out on the field]," Shannon said. "He's not even in that personnel group, first team, second team or third team. That's what had everybody baffled."

> Shannon said he's optimistic Javarris James will be able to play next week. He said James will have to work on inside running drills this week and prove he can cut on his injured ankle.

> Despite the loss, Shannon said he was very proud of the fight Miami showed by rallying in the fourth quarter.

Shannon: "Do we have a long way to go? Yeah"

Just got back upstairs from the the postgame locker room scene here at Dolphin Stadium where it is still pouring rain and there are still Canes fans hanging around, dumbfounded at this loss.

Florida State ran for 281 yards Saturday afternoon. Sophomore quarterback Christian Ponder led the way with 144 yards, becoming the first quarterback to eclipse the 100-yard rushing mark against the Canes since Virginia Tech's Bryan Randall did it in 2002.

I expected lots of anger and frustration following a loss in which Miami fell to 2-3 and 0-2 in the ACC. But I honestly didn't get that sense from players or coach Randy Shannon. I'm not saying there wasn't disappointment. But I got the sense players were actually proud of their second-half rally and content with the effort. It certainly wasn't doom and gloom, which I figure is what most of you are feeling.

Here's what Shannon told reporters: "It was a tough loss tonight. It was a great game. Both teams did a great job of finishing. I thought that we did a lot of great things and a lot of bad things tonight. Offensively, we couldn't get the run game going. We kind of struggled with that early in the game. We gave the ball to Graig Cooper early, but we couldn't get the run game cranked up the way we needed to. Our passing game started off sharp and crisp. They were doing a lot of good things. Then they started picking up blitzes and we made some plays of that. Defensively, we weren't able to hold them consistently. We got them to third down a lot of times, but then we couldn't get off the field. The special teams were tremendous. I thought that was the one phase of the game that kept us in it and gave us the opportunity to win. Special teams is the thing that you always say gives you the chance to win the game. That was the one phase we felt going into the game we had the opportunity to capitalize on. We did and it almost gave us a chance to win the game."

"Do we have a long ways to go? Yeah, I think so because we've got to win the game. I'm not going to make excuses for it. We're going to coach these guys hard. We're going to get these guys back to where they need to be. We're going to teach these guys what it takes to win the game and finish."

> I'll have a full fledged progress report for you soon. But I'm going to get out of here. Feel free to share your thoughts and complaints in the meantime.
> I'll also be uploading all audio and video interviews in the next few hours. Check back in the morning or throughout the night for updates. Here's the link to our audio page.

Gameday blog: FSU 41, UM 39 (F)

Here's today's live blog from Dolphin Stadium as the Canes and Noles throw it down in the rain...

SECOND HALF HIGHLIGHTS, NOTES
> UM starts with great field position in the second half at its own 43, but quickly wastes it with a 3-and-out. Marve goes 1-of-3 on the drive for 4 yards. He was 2-of-8 for 6 yards and 1 INT in the first half.
> Miami was outgained 270 to 52 in the first half with FSU picking up 16 first downs to UM's 4.
> The Canes catch the break they needed when Antone Smith fumbles the handoff and Adewale Ojomo recovers at the FSU 18. On the next play, Travis Benjamin comes around on a reverse and scores with 13:45 left in the half. FSU 24, UM 10.
> The Canes need a stop and simply can't get it. FSU runs the ball right down UM's throat again, scoring a 4-yard run by Antone Smith with 10:50 to play in the third quarter. Freshman Jermaine Thomas highlights the drive with two long runs. FSU 31, UM 10.
> Another long return by Travis Benjamin gives UM great field position at the FSU 41. But Miami can only score on a 29-yard field goal by Bosher with 7:42 to play in the quarter. FSU 31, UM 13.
> The Canes catch a break first with an FSU holding penalty. Then, they catch another when FSU punter Shawn Powell drops a high snap and then kicks it out of the back of the end zone for a safety with 5:50 left in the third quarter. FSU 31, UM 15.
> Here come the Canes. After another nice return by Travis Benjamin to give UM possession at the UM 49, Patrick Nix calls a trick play with a swing pass to Graig Cooper. He then winds up find an open Travis Benjamin for a 51-yard touchdown pass with 5:29 left in the third quarter. We got a ballgame. FSU 31, UM 22.
> FSU answers Miami again. Graham Cano drills a 35-yard field goal as time expires in the third quarter. FSU had a chance at a touchdown, but missed it when Ponder's pass to Greg Carr went off his fingertips. FSU 34, UM 22.
> Miami tries to answer, but Robert Marve's pass to an open Leonard Hankerson is short and intercepted by Tony Carter at the FSU 2 to kill the drive with just shy of 11 minutes to play.
> And just when you thought this game couldn't get any wilder... Bruce Johnson blitzed Christian Ponder in the end zone, Sean Spence catches the deflection at the five and runs into the end zone for a touchdown to pull UM to within a score with 11:23 to play. FSU 34, UM 29.
> Miami needs a stop -- AND FINALLY GETS IT. On third and one, UM linebacker Glenn Cook smacks Antone Smith in the backfield and FSU is forced to punt. Then, it gets wackier, a bad snap hits an upback and after the mess gets sorted out, UM gets possession at the FSU 4 with 9:03 to play.
> The Canes, however, can't cash in with a touchdown. First, an illegal substitution penalty moves UM back yards. A two-yard run by Cooper is followed by an incomplete pass into the end zone to Leonard Hankerson and pass batted at the line of scrimmage by FSU's defense. Bosher then kicks a 24-yard field goal with 8:30 left. FSU 34, UM 32.
> Florida State comes right back answers. Christian Ponder picks up a pair of first downs with his legs and Smith scores on third and goal from the UM 20 when he runs right up the middle with 3:57 left. FSU 41, UM 32.
> Just when you thought it couldn't get any weirder. Jason Fox scores a touchdown on a run. You can't make this up. Problem is there are only 14 seconds left. It's onside kick time. FSU 41, UM 39.

FIRST HALF HIGHLIGHTS, NOTES
> Miami starts freshman Sean Spence in place of Colin McCarthy at weakside linebacker. Freshman Brandon Harris gets his first career start at cornerback in place of Chavez Grant for the Canes as expected.
> Florida State gets a 43-yard kick return by Michael Ray Garvin to open the game and picks up a first down on sophomore quarterback Christian Ponder's scramble. But Miami kills the drive when Bruce Johnson picks up the Canes' first interception in the secondary this season by fighting off Greg Carr in the end zone for the ball.
> Robert Marve comes out firing on UM's first possession. His first pass is a bomb that falls incomplete. His second pass gets deflected at the line and almost gets picked. His third pass does get intercepted by Tony Carter at the UM 43-yard line. Not a good start for Marve.
> FSU cashes in after a few UM mistakes. So far, it's been a tough day for Brandon Harris. He missed a tackle and then gets called for pass interference in the end zone on third down to give FSU possession at the UM 2. On the next play, Antone Smith scores on a 2-yard run to give FSU the lead with 6:54 left in the first quarter. FSU 7, UM 0.
> Miami's second possession is unspectacular. Graig Cooper gets two carries and no yards. He then catches a screen and goes nowhere on 3rd and 10. Matt Bosher's first punt of the day goes 47 yards.
> The Noles move down the field on their third possession and keep picking on Brandon Harris who misses another tackle on a pass play to Bert Reed that produces a 17-yard gain. Miami's defense though stiffens and stops FSU on fourth down at the UM 36 when Spencer Adkins knocks down Antone Smith in the backfield for a loss.
> Cooper finally gets the Canes' offense moving on drive No. 3. He picks up 10, 5 and then 13 yards and moves the Canes offense down to the FSU 35. But on the next play, Marve gets sacked for a nine-yard loss by Neefy Moffett. On the next play, FSU brings the heat again and Marve escapes before throwing an incompletion. The drive eventually fizzles and Miami pins FSU at its 11-yard line on a punt. Marve is of 1-of-6 so far on the day with 0 yards and 1 INT.
> Florida State is running right through the Canes. Christian Ponder literally runs right through the center of Miami's defense for a 55-yard run before Brandon Harris finally wrestles him down at the UM 27-yard line. Two plays later, Smith runs right up the middle for a 19-yard touchdown run with 10:08 to play. It could be a long day for the Canes. FSU 14, UM 0.
> Miami's fourth possession starts like the last one finished -- with the Canes backing up. Derek Nicholson smacks Derron Thomas in the backfield for a 6-yard loss. Miami punts and FSU takes over at its own 23 after a 57-yard punt by Bosher.
> WQAM reports defensive end Eric Moncur has been taken to the locker room with a lower body injury.
> The Noles score again and this is turning into a blowout. Greg Carr hauls in a 15-yard pass from Ponder in front of Bruce Johnson, capping a 9-play, 77-yard drive with 3:24 left. Brandon Harris got flagged for pass interference on the drive to keep it alive. Antone Smith continues to blow past UM's defense on the drive, picking up big chunks. FSU 21, UM 0.
> And the big return Randy Shannon predicted from Travis Benjamin finally happens. He takes the ensuing kickoff 59 yards to the FSU 38-yard line before Michael Ray Garvin takes him down. Jacory Harris comes in at quarterback and immediately gets smacked for a 9-yard loss. Two plays later, Florida State gets the ball back when Harris gets pressured and Dekota Watson picked off the pass at the FSU 42-yard line.
> FSU adds three with a 53-yard field goal by Graham Gano with 1:03 to play. Another key play on the drive involves freshman Brandon Harris, who gets beat. FSU 24, UM 0.
> Jacory Harris finally gets Miami's offense on the board. He moves UM downfield with a 20-yard pass to Leonard Hankerson. Moments later, Hankerson had a drop in the end zone. Three plays later, Matt Bosher comes in and kicks a 28-yard field goal as time expires. FSU 24, UM 3.

PREGAME
It's time to throw it down. The Canes and Noles will smash heads this afternoon at Dolphin Stadium at 3:30 p.m. The game will be broadcast regionally on ABC and ESPN2, which shows you how far this rivalry has fallen in the last few years. Not much. I know some folks say this rivalry doesn't matter anymore. It may not be the best game anymore, but I guarantee you it still will be one of the top two or three rated games of the weekend.

ESPN's Lee Corso said on College Gameday this week these programs will never get back to where they used to be. I disagree. In two years, Miami and FSU could both be ranked in the Top 5 when they meet at Dolphin Stadium again. There are so many young, talented players on both of these teams. I think the worst is in the past for both of these programs.

OK, now that I got that off my chest, its time to get you get ready for kickoff. Before we get to this week's Market Report, here are my keys to the game for a Canes' victory.

KEYS TO THE GAME
1. Take advantage of the youth and inexperience on FSU's offensive line: The depth chart will show you FSU starts three freshman and two sophomores on its front line. But the truth is the Noles have two starters in right guard Rodney Hudson (14 starts) and center Ryan McMahon (16 starts) who aren't pushovers. Both were freshmen All-Americans. Miami has to attack the right guys today -- that's the right side of this line where Will Furlong and Zerbie Sanders are. Not only do the Canes need to do a better job putting pressure on the quarterback. But they also have shut down FSU's running game up the middle. Joe Joseph, Marcus Forston, Dwayne Hendricks and Antonio Dixon have to show up today.

2. Protect Robert Marve: Florida State's run defense is one of the best in the country and I'm expecting them to do a good job slowing down UM's running game, which is already without Javarris James. That means Robert Marve is likely going to have to deliver the big plays on offense today. So far this season, Marve has had plenty of time to throw. I expect FSU to turn up the heat today. The Noles have 13 sacks in four games this season. Remember what Kyle Wright's first start was like? Nine sacks. If Marve feels to much heat, turnovers are bound to happen. Marve is going to get dirty today. He just has to have some time to make plays.

3. Win in the Red Zone: Miami-Florida State games always come down to who best takes advantages of their scoring opportunities. Field position is always huge. But even bigger is what you do with the football when you have a chance to score. So far, Miami has done a great job in the red zone. They've scored 87.5 percent of the time, second best in the ACC. The Canes simply can't afford to have a dropoff today. Defensively, UM has to step up its game. We saw what happened when North Carolina got in the red zone last week. They scored every time. Miami needs at least one or two stops this week.

MARKET WATCH
Buy 'em
> Robert Marve, quarterback: Nobody is going to have a bigger impact on today's game for the Canes than Marve. You could say that for every game. But I really feel he's going to have to shoulder the load today. So far, Miami has shown great balance in its playcalling. Last week, it was an even 33-33 run/pass. I expect UM to have to throw the ball a little more today. And I'm calling for Marve to be the star.
> Eric Moncur, defensive end: Since coming back from injury and the death of his mother, Moncur has had moments where he's starred. He had the interception against Texas A&M. Last week, he was one of two Canes to have a sack against Carolina. Today, he'll be starting opposite freshman left tackle Andrew Datko, a kid who was on St. Thomas Aquinas' state championship team a year ago. I'm picking Moncur to eat him up and lead UM's defensive charge.

On The Bubble
> Sean Spence, linebacker: Guess who is going to take the majority of the snaps in place of the injured Colin McCarthy. The star freshman has all the hype. Today is his opportunity to back it up. I expect the Noles to come running right at him. If Spence has a good day, UM should have a good day. If he struggles, the Noles could have another huge day on the ground. Spence needs to step up today.
> Tyrone Byrd, right tackle: If FSU is going to come after anyone on Miami's offensive line its Byrd, who will start in place of the injured Reggie Youngblood. Chris Rutledge will also see time at tackle. But today is the day Byrd, a fifth-year senior, has to play his best game as a Cane. If he and Rutledge struggle, it could be a long day for Marve and Miami's offense.
> Brandon Harris, cornerback: According to the depth chart we got today and following what we heard this week from practice, Harris will get his first real start at corner today opposite Bruce Johnson. He's played only nickelback this year. Considering UM's secondary woes, there is going to be a lot of pressure on Harris to have a good day today. And you better believe FSU is going to try and come after him.

Trade 'em in
> Richard Gordon, tight end: Last week, Gordon had two balls thrown his way and he dropped both of them. I'm expecting Chris Zellner and Dedrick Epps to see the majority of snaps today at tight end.

> My prediction -- UM 20, Florida State 19: In traditional UM-FSU fashion, I expect this game to come down to the final moments. Ultimately, I believe Marve will be the difference. I see the Canes coming from behind late to take the lead and then finishing this week to stay above .500. FSU is going to miss a field goal when it matters.

> Now, it's time for your predictions, your stars of the game and keys to the game... Share...

McCarthy out for FSU game

Linebacker Colin McCarthy, one of the heroes of last year's win at Florida State, will not play in Saturday's game against the Seminoles according to a late announcement by the University of Miami's sports information department Friday night.

It's listed as a shoulder injury according to the report. Consider it bad news for Miami, which is already going without starting right tackle Reggie Youngblood (leg) this week. It is, however, an opportunity for freshman linebacker Sean Spence. Look for Spence to start in McCarthy's place. McCarthy ranks third on UM's defense in tackles with 18 this season. Guess it also means Spencer Adkins will see more time at linebacker, as well as true freshman Jordan Futch.

Q&A with Patrick Nix, more notes

Quite simply, there hasn't been a man who has caught more heat from Canes' fans this season than offensive coordinator Patrick Nix. The second-year coordinator, who came to UM from Georgia Tech, heard it first for his conservative game plan against the Gators. Then, a week later, fans forgave him as Miami put up 41 points in a blowout of Texas A&M. Now, his name is back in the complaint box because Miami blew a 24-14 lead with nine minutes to play for what fans believe was conservative play-calling late in the game (how easily we forget what happened to UM's secondary).

Nix, like defensive coordinator Bill Young, hasn't done many interviews since the season started. But I was able to get him for about six minutes Wednesday after practice (consider that a lengthy one-on-one interview these days) to talk about the development of his quarterbacks, what he's seen and liked from Robert Marve and Jacory Harris so far, if taking Marve out for a series disrupts his rhythm, and why he's coaching from the sidelines this year instead of the press box like most coordinators do.

Q: In a game like this, a rivalry game, [former Canes quarterback and Sun Sports analyst] Steve Walsh told me today the most important thing is probably just protecting the football and not making turnovers. What's your take?
A: That's the most important thing in every game. If you have turnovers you lose. If you don't generally you have at least a chance to win. I wouldn't say its just a rivalry game. Every game in the same. You talk about rivalry and rivalry is good. You got to do that every game. You got to do that every day in practice.

Q: What have you seen from Robert in his first three starts. He's had moments where he's looked great and then one or two moments were he may have made a bad decision. How would you assess his decision making?
A: The last play of the game Saturday I wouldn't [call it bad play]. I'd tell him to throw that one 10 out of 10 times. With 10 seconds left you sure can't throw it away. The other ones, he's actually made great reads. He and Jacory both. I think Jacory has played really good and made great reads. And Robert has played really good and made great reads.

Q: Is there still anything after the first three games Robert hasn't done well that you are still stressing to him?
A: No. They're both the same. We work on everything every day. We haven't played many games so every day is kind of a new day for him. Every week is a new week. There are a lot of things we have to continue to stress and work on, a lot of fundamentals just base things to continue to stress with all of them being so young.

Q: People on the outside were real excited about Robert and Jacory because of the accolades they achieved in high school and had some big expectations for them. After three, four games, do you think they've performed ahead of schedule?
A: I don't know ahead of schedule because I don't know what schedule is. I know a lot of the average fans like to put a schedule on it. But that's why they're average fans. You can't put a schedule on it. They're both doing really well. They're both giving us a chance to win and making plays and doing good. If that's ahead of schedule, then that's good. They're both executing, moving the offense, doing what they're supposed to to do and giving us a chance to win.

Q: Some folks have made a big dilemma about taking Robert out for a series and putting Jacory in. The argument is it slows down the offense, messes with his rhythm. What do you say to that?
A: I don't say anything to it. I mean, I don't know. I've seen a lot of guys... I don't think its really messed the rhythm up of Robert a whole lot. I think he's played pretty good whenever he's been in. I don't know that if its messed his rhythm up. I wouldn't say that.

Q: As far as when they've decided to tuck the football and run -- which hasn't happened often -- have they been doing it at the right time?
A: Yes. They haven't done it much. I guess. To be honest with you I couldn't tell you. I'd have to go back and look at film. But there has not been an issue with that.

Q: Jacory was telling us a funny story last week about how you were yelling at him a couple months back and then apologized because you realized he still wasn't 18. Do you still treat them like young guys or has that stance changed a little now that they have a few games under their belts?
A: I don't treat them like veterans because they're not. It's just like the interception against Texas A&M. That was the first time Robert had ever seen that look. You can't give every look in practice. That's impossible. He's seen it and now that he's seen it, I never expect him to make the same decision again. Just like North Carolina. The first interception he threw there was one of two or three bad decisions he's made all year. Now that he's made it and seen I don't expect him to make it again. But at the same time these guys are going to make first time mistakes and that's just part of it. They're not veterans. We have high expectations for them -- Very high expectations for them. But at the same time, I'm realistic. I'm going to coach them. I'm going to teach them and I'm going to work with them to get them better and not assume that they know anything and they're going to be able do anything. But at the same time expect them to go out there and perform and execute.

Q: They both talked about how much they like the fact you are on the field with them. Most coordinators are up in the box. What do you see as the benefit of it?
A: Probably just being able to communicate with them, eye to eye and talk to them and keep them calm and tell them what's going on. And probably as much as anything, keep other people away from them. A lot of times when you are in the box there are a lot of people that like to give their 2 cents and everybody is an expert at the quarterback position and want to tell them. But they don't understand the reads at all. They don't know what's going. So, I'm able to shelter them a little bit from that also. But the biggest thing is just being able to sit down and talk to them and explain to them what's going on, what we're fixing to do, any thoughts for the next drive, get their thoughts, those kind of things.

Q: Will you spend the rest of the year on the sidelines? And are you happy with the help upstairs?
A: Oh yeah. We'll re-evaluate it after the season. [Coach Aubrey Hill] does a great job upstairs. They do a great job.

*** HERE IS THE LINK TO OLD UM AUDIO PAGE. I know the new Herald web layout has made it hard to find. If you guys want to listen on the interviews, click on the link. Here's the direct link to my interview with Nix.

> If I had to pick one player on this team to root for it would definitely be redshirt freshman receiver Jermaine McKenzie. Not only is he one of the nicest, most respectful yes sir, no sir guys on the team to talk to, but he's got a great attitude too. After his scary accident last year, he's been battling every week to not only get healthy but to prove to coaches he deserves a chance in the rotation at a position now loaded in numbers. When Miami played at Florida and Texas A&M this year, McKenzie was left off the travel roster (68 players go). He still drove himself to Gainesville, alongside UM's bus, to watch the Canes play. This week with freshman Thearon Collier going down, McKenzie has finally gotten off the scout team and into the rotation at the Z position (split end) with Khalil Jones, Sam Shields and Travis Benjamin. Here's to hoping J-Mac gets a ball thrown in his direction this week.

"All this week I've been dreaming about this Florida State game, catching my first pass, my first touchdown," McKenzie said Wednesday. "It's just very exciting to come out and show what I can do with Florida State. I just take it day by day. Inside, Im I've very excited. But on the outside I've got to stay within my game and play. I have no idea [when I'll be in]. I just know when my number is called I'll be ready."

> This week's injury report actually didn't have any surprises: right tackle Reggie Youngblood (leg), receiver Thearon Collier (chest) and reserve running back Damien Berry (leg) were the new names on the list. Shannon said Wednesday Youngblood's injury didn't require surgery and that it would likely be week to week. Collier's injury was a "pain tolerance" injury. Collier did practice somewhat Wednesday, but still obviously isn't healthy enough. I think Berry is headed toward a redshirt.

> I used most of my quotes from former Canes quarterback Steve Walsh in my quarterbacks story today, but there were a few Walsh thoughts that didn't get in. One, he doesn't believe, unlike the past when FSU and UM played, that this is a make or break game for both young quarterbacks. He called Saturday's game simply an opportunity for Marve to further prove this is his team. Walsh said he called Marve a left a message on his voicemail after his first start against Florida, but hasn't called him since. His take on Marve through three games: "I real love his mobility, his arm strength. But he's got to improve a little bit with his decision making. There was one play against North Carolina where he took a sack instead of getting rid of the ball. But I like the way he moves, throws on the run. He's just got to keep working hard and making it his team. Eventually, one of these guys is going to have to take this job by the horns and make it theirs."