Emerald Bowl: Cal 24, UM 17 (F)

Much like U, I'm getting ready to sit down and watch the final game of the Canes' 2008 season from the living room in my house. I'll be checking in with Susan Miller Degnan throughout the night for updates out in San Francisco. Meanwhile, I'll be here providing you with my thoughts on the game.

This game has plenty of storylines. But none bigger than freshman quarterback Jacory Harris, who for all intensive purposes will be the quarterback of this team going forward. We've heard the rumblings for weeks that Robert Marve (suspended for this one) would likely be heading elsewhere after this season. We heard from his high school coach who told me Marve's relationship with coach Shannon wasn't "buddy-buddy." So, tonight's game in a lot of ways, is a glimpse into the future of this program.

Harris is a kid I really believe will be able to help get this program back to the BCS level. He's a tremendous leader who has impressed me with his poise and knowledge since the day I met him in the 11th grade over at Miami Northwestern. Miami probably won't win tonight's game. This Bears team is playing at home and has far less holes on defense than UM does. But I've got a real good feeling Jacory is going to play well tonight and give U hope for the future.

So, feel free to join our in-game discussion below and give me your thoughts heading into this bowl game, during this bowl game and after it.

> By the way, nice win for the Canes today out in New York against St. John's. Miami definitely rebounded from that ugly Clemson loss. Coach Frank Haith wasn't around this week with the holidays to talk to reporters. But we know he worked his team hard after that loss. It paid off. Miami's three losses by the way are all to ranked teams. And the team's strength of schedule is No. 2 in the country right now.

EPPS OUT
> We learned shortly before the game Dedrick Epps will not play tonight after suffering a right leg contusion during practice this week. UM is already shorthanded at tight end. Richard Gordon and Tervaris Johnson were suspended earlier this week for violating team rules. That leaves UM with Chris Zellner as the only real available tight end. Tackle Tyrone Byrd will wear No. 84 tonight and play the tight end spot, mostly as a blocker.

FIRST HALF THOUGHTS...
> How about that? 18th-year senior Romeo Davis comes up with the first big play of the game, stripping Jahvid Best of the ball, allowing Jojo Nicholas to recover at the UM 49.
> Cal makes the second big play and this one means something. A 74-yard catch and run from Nate Longshore to Verran Tucker leads to a 2-yard Jahvid Best touchdown run that gives Cal a 7-0 lead with 7:15 left in the first quarter.
> So far, we haven't been able to see if Jacory Harris can throw the football. Miami continues to go backward on first down before deciding to run it on second and long.
> Best has his second touchdown. A 43-yard run makes it 14-0 with 4:55 left in the first quarter. This could end up getting real ugly quick unless UM's offense shows up. This UM team is not only short-handed, but they can't generate anything positive either right now in the first quarter.
> Got to love Tyrone Byrd battling for that ball from the tight end position. And then Javarris James for catching it off the deflection.
> After getting off to a slow start, Jacory Harris engineers a nice 10-play, 80-yard drive, capped with a 15-yard touchdown pass to LaRon Byrd. Harris converted a 3rd and 9 with a nice 11 yard run and found Leonard Hankerson for a big pickup.
> Canes defense stands tall right after UM's first touchdown by forcing a three-and-out for Cal. Glenn Cook makes a nice play on a blitz on third down, forcing the Bears to throw an incomplete pass. Except for two really bad plays (Best's 43-yard TD run and the 74-yard pass) and another pair of 9-yard Jahvid Best runs, UM's defense has done a good job tackling today and getting pressure on the quarterback.
> Jacory makes his first bad decision in the game, throwing into zone coverage and getting picked off by Michael Mohammed at the UM 42. The Miami defense is going to have to hold here.
> Jahvid Best has 106 yards and two touchdowns on 10 carries. But for some reason, Cal has continued to throw the football. Not sure why.

SECOND HALF THOUGHTS...
> Miami gets good field position to start the second half, but does nothing with it after Chris Rutledge gets flagged for a late hit. The penalty turned a 3rd and 1 to a 3rd and 16.
> Miami averted trouble on its first bad snap moments later when Matt Bosher fielded a bouncer and got his kick off.
> Cal has tried to completely avoid kicking the ball to Travis Benjamin. On three kickoffs now, they've gone short on kickoffs. Benjamin has only had the chance to return one punt and didn't get very far.
> Miami ties the ball game with a 6-yard touchdown pass to Thearon Collier with 7:34 left in the third quarter . Redshirt freshman Lee Chambers makes an appearance on the drive, picking up a key first down on a 18-yard third down run to the Cal 9 yard line. It caps a 10-play, 69-yard drive in which Jacory looked very, very good. Harris is now 17 of 27 for 145 yards, 2 touchdowns and 1 interception.
> One thing Randy Shannon is going to have address after this season is how he used his timeouts. At the end of the first half, Miami used up the final minute and didn't use any of its three timeouts until there were four seconds left. Now, in the second half, Shannon has used two timeouts on defense.
> Cal puts together a 12-play, 76-yard drive to answer Miami's scoring drive. Jahvid Best once again is at the center of all the successful plays, starting the drive with a long run and then picking up 25 yards on fourth and 1. Cal had to settle for a field goal, though, after quarterback Nate Longshore gets stepped on by a lineman backing up out of the pocket and falls to the ground on third and goal.
> Matt Bosher makes his best play of the game yet at the start of the fourth quarter -- getting hit on a punt to give UM a first down.
> The five yard penalty leads to a game-tying 22-yard field goal from Matt Bosher. Lee Chambers comes up big again on the drive with a few long drives. Something not to be forgotten on the drive -- Graig Cooper recovering his own fumble deep in UM territory.
> People are probably going to forget about the play Glenn Cook made late in the fourth quarter to stop Cal running back Shane Vareen on third and one at the UM 17. But it was huge. Giorgio Tavecchio missed a 34-yard field goal with 4:24 left. But Cook's tackle was the play of the drive. OK, the second most important. Jahvid Best going out with an injured hand during the drive following a 20-yard run was big, too.
> Miami caught a break with the missed field goal, but couldn't cash in. Jacory Harris gets sacked by linebacker Zach Follett and loses the football. Two plays later, Nate Longshore finds tight end Anthony Miller for a two-yard touchdown pass with 2:41 left. Does Jacory Harris have another comeback in him?
> Miami got the ball back with 2 minutes, 37 seconds left and ran eight offensive plays. But what everyone is going to be talking about this offseason is the clock management on that final drive. In a word: Disgusting.

Comments

[jaime]

Manny NAvarro_

Please, dude, interview Kirby Hocutt. let him know about how p-- off the fans are about this circus of coaches. I mean, he has to have an opinion doesnt he?

[Cooperstown Cane]

Holy crap 1;30 left in the half and you wait till 4 sec in the half to call a time out give me a break. What the F are you thinking PLAY TO WIN THE GAME YOU JERK.

[CanesMisery]

Well at least we don't have players firing AK47s in front of clubs. Or stealing laptops. Or punching teammates. Or beating up fans.

[Lance Sligar]

There are Sooooo many coaches around the country that would Love!!! to coach our offensive talent. Let's see, how bout Gary Stevens, Greg Mark,even Lou Holtz old but football savvy, for cryin out loud. Ah well keep cherrin, keep fightin, keep believin,keep suppportin, keep shoutin the way we feel. It's all about PASSION backed up with ATTITUDE undergirded with Talent Dedication and mixed with Discipline, I guess we got the discipline part maybe too well.

[dolfans]

exactly...excuse my typing...changes have to be made...its like RS is just sittin back watching the game instead of coaching it

[MOCanes]

Sparano would be a perfect fit for the Canes. He's very passionate about hios Dolphins.

[MOCanes]

Rutledge is a joke.

[oby1]

Terrible play calls to start... What is NIX thinking?... Do they really want to win this game?...and does the band know another song???

[MOCanes]

Our team plays like they are "castrated"......except for a few players. Way tooooo passive.

[CanesMisery]

The weed is good at Berkeley. Their kicker is kicking the ball into the ocean. It's fun.

[MOCanes]

WTF was that??!! Looked like pee-wee league.

[1miamifan]

We have a Lee Chambers sighting

[oby1]

I saw that play on Madden

[CanesMisery]

Lee Chambers? Really? And did that idiot announcer just say LaRon Byrd and Harris were teammates in HS?

[1miamifan]

Chambers has speed and power, let him run the rock

[Manny Navarro]

Where have you been all year Lee Chambers?

[mra]

This Chambers kid, who is he? Doin darn well.

[mra]

Hey nix, here's an idea, PLAYACTION PASS, STOP RUNNING THE SAME RUNS EVERY DOWN.

I'm tired of this guy at OC.

[1miamifan]

No imagination from Nix in play calling.

[mra]

Tie game!

[CanesMisery]

I am stunned. Lee Chambers I want to have your baby!

[1miamifan]

Nice play from the youngsters

[1miamifan]

Misery, that's classic. Now we need the defense to step up.

[MOCanes]

Jacory Harris starting next year? Duh! No sheet Sherlock.

[MalaysianCane]

14-14 now is a ball game.

[oby1]

Touchdown...WOW... But did they have to throw a shot at Marve? Saying that about Jacory....maybe....

[Cooperstown Cane]

WAY TO GO HARRIS IS THE MAN FOR NEXT YEAR . BYE BYE MARVE

[norm]

Finally, somebody who can run the ball. I like the new runningback.

[CanesMisery]

mra and 1miamifan,

I agree with you two. Nix telegraphs plays. If it's a pass he puts them into the shotgun 90% of the time. If it's a run he has the fullback out there. Mix it up. It's sad that this guy is coaching at the U.

[pay attention to the U]

yea man wtf was that guy talking about sayin how many times jh and bryd connected with each other in highschool wow he is from bryd is from new orleans not miami wow that was funny

[1miamifan]

Chambers has been on the bench, he's stronger than Coop and faster than James. He will wear down the d, and then bring Coop in.

[CanesMisery]

Actually we need the Cal OC to keep calling those special plays of his.

[MOCanes]

Marve's probably watching and reading this blog and scratching his head. Holy sheet!. I have often wondered if the guy sitting on the sidelines was rooting for the starter to do well.......you know, so the team wins.

[Manny Navarro]

Cal could have sent a bus through that hole.

[Canes]

Q: What is Jacory wearing on his arm?

[1miamifan]

Defense is getting beat down on the run plays. Randy needs to address those long runs.

[MOCanes]

mis-use of T.O. again.

[pay attention to the U]

the whole family in the nutty professor standing side by side could have went through that hole

[CanesMisery]

How do you not just keep handing the ball off? Even when we know what is coming we can't stop it.

[Cooperstown Cane]

NOW SHANNON CALLS A TIME OUT HAY U HAD THE TO END THE FIRST HALF

[mra]

Man long running plays are the only way Cal is moving the ball.

[1miamifan]

D-line is not getting a push, once that full back gets the MLB, it over and he's cutting on the defense.

[Manny Navarro]

MVP of this game: Cal offensive coordinator?

[CanesMisery]

Yes the ground is our best tackler.

[1miamifan]

Cook, is slow , where is A. Brown?

[mra]

I THINK WE JUST STOPPED A RUNNING PLAY!

[1miamifan]

Good push on the D-line.

[CanesMisery]

What the heck? I wonder how many wins these two teams would have with good coaching staffs?

[Cooperstown Cane]

what the the hell is wrong with this coach and the fu##### time outs

[1miamifan]

Man, hear we go with in the second half Miami burning up timeouts, in the first half, he don't take any.