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

[Manny Navarro]

Also, Manny no response to the code stuff? Posted by: mra | December 27, 2008 at 11:14 PM

A: I've got to talk to my web designer. I don't control that stuff.

[oby1]

We need talent.. We are missing lots and lots of talent.. and an OC with half a brain...

[Russell]

Running up the gut w/ 1 stinking TO? Where do they come up with this crap?

[mra]

Did anyone see that run at about 2:32 how EVERYONE on Cal's D knew we were running, NIX PLAYACTION PASS MAN.

[Canesfan4life]

I second on the code stuff.

[mra]

Jeez, we're gonna throw for two yards all the way down the field.

[oby1]

NIX... Terrible... 4th down...to much time............

[Canesfan4life]

1:30 to go 12 yards wtf

[mra]

Harris for the first time to me seems wholly inexperienced.

[mra]

WHAT THE HELL WAS THAT?!?!?!?!?!?!

[1miamifan]

Nix and that same play out the back field. The play should be in.

[Russell]

Shannon and Nix 2 months this offseason alone in how to manage the clock. Disgusting!

[Cooperstown Cane]

Unbeleivable with the fu@@2 clock

[pay attention to the U]

the coaching staff killed us in this game wow EVERYBODY WOW

[1miamifan]

SOMEBODY needs to be fired for bad time management.

[Canesfan4life]

a to now fire nix fire Shannon

[MOCanes]

Choke by the player; choke by the coaches. only a miracle can save us now. everyone get on your knees and pray. our Father.......

[UM_alum_92]

I'm a big Shannon supporter but on this loss & the meltdown two seasons in a row, where is the "accountability"?

I know the players also have to be held accountable but when you have coaches with teams like Fresno St. and Appalachian St. giving other programs enough.

Look at the coaching, overall game management and strategy and tell me what has improved?

Don't remember who Shannon was speaking to when he called us "little bloggers" (either Manny or O.Kelly) but some of us have accepted the responsibility spiel and want him to live up to it himself.

[bjoutlaw]

young

[oby1]

Coaching..terrible coaching!!!!!!!!!!!

[Optimus_Cane]

Just got home from a day spent in various airports...

What the heck is going on here? I turn on the TV to see Jacory fumble, the defense give up 7, and the worst clock management I've ever seen....

[sonny crockett]

how does randy shannon still have a job, this is embarrassing game management.?

[1miamifan]

You wasted 30 second and then you call a timeout, sad

[UM_alum_92]

One last comment folks. If Shannon is serious about "high expectations" for people like Marve - all of 19 years old - then he da.. well better be for a MAN LIKE NIX.

[Derrick]

PATHETIC TIME MANAGEMENT

ABSOLUTELY PATHETIC

[Russell]

Manny,

Please grill Shannon and Nix about how they went about burning 2 TOs early in the 2nd half and what the hell were going thru their heads the final drive.

Coop has heart.

[MOCanes]

I agree. JH looks like a rookie here.

[Cooperstown Cane]

this coaching staff SUCKS

[mra]

Wow. I've said this before on here, I've never called for a coaches head, but Nix needs to be fired.

[Mainecane]

Oh man they have horrible clock management. They lost the game with freshman mistakes at qb and poor clock management horrible just horrible. man when your best players are freshman i think miami overachieved this year get some good ol guys to plug in and they might go 8-4 9-3 reg season next year but no better. its horrible how poorly they managed teh clock in this game.

[Canesfan4life]

I hated Erickson but even in his drunken state he never looked this bad.

[Russell]

7-6, as good as Coker's final season. Hip hip hooray. When does next season begin?

[Mainecane]

Yea it seemed like at times harris was calling for nix to get him a play in while time just ran off the clock. Either that or yelling at his teammates to get to line quickly

[1miamifan]

Some said earlier in the week that the coaches will lose this game and the defense need some faster and stronger d-line and linebackers.

[sonny crockett]

it seems like the only reason he is still the head coach is because he is a minority coach, and it "looks good" and makes the school look more diverse, if this was a white coach, he would be fired this is a joke, i live in philly and i thought andy reid and Mcnabb were bad at clock management, geez, ... i dont see any imrovement in our program.

[oby1]

Manny, ask the tuff questions? This was a terribly coached game..

[mra]

HORRIBLE clock management at the end.

[Cane4life]

We have the talent now. Its time to get an offensive minded coach. Shannon is a great defensive minded coach. But UM should be in the end zone a lot more then they have been. To get back to the way we were we need offense.

[pay attention to the U]

I DUNNO ABOUT SHANNON AFTER THIS MAN I TRIED SUPPORT HIM BUT HE HAS TO TAKE RESONSIBILITY THEY PUT JACORY IN A BAD SITUATION THEY HAVE ALWAYS BURNED TIME OUTS IN THE THIRD QUARTER MAN THE COACHES NEED FIGURE OUT HOW TO COACH I DON'T BLAME JACORY JUST THE STAFF WOW

[Cooperstown Cane]

MIAMI COACHING STAFF 0 Miami Players 17

[canethang]

FIRE RANDY SHANNON.... THAT WAS THE WORST COACHING JOB EVER.... CLOCK MANAGEMENT LOST THE GAME. RANDY WASTED 2 MINUTES AND 3 TIMEOUTS AT END OF THE 1ST HALF. AND THEN RUNS 40 SECONDS OFF THE CLOCK AT THE END OF THE GAME.... RANDY SHOULD RESIGN.

[Cooperstown Cane]

you got that right soony

[realityofcanes]

High expectations extend to the coaches too.

Shannon is horrible, too many instances of being outcoached and not being a leader. He was a good def coordinator, but had awesome players.

Nix is a high school coach. You don't run the ball with 2:40 remaining on the first play. Stupid, pathetic, useless.

Next year will be no better with these baffoons coaching.

Lets bring in some dynamic coaches that win with less talent. Big play offense with a defense that already is here and will likely be better next year.

[Roger Madan]

What clock management. Shanon has not shown me he can coach if his team does not even have a two minute drill. Disgusting is an understatement. Sure is a bummer for those of us long time Canes fans we used to won fourth quarters. let us pray the freshmen can turn into something..

[Cooperstown Cane]

SONNY

[bjoutlaw]

no one gave us a chance and our age showed but for me when will we get a OLINE that can BLOCK and a DLINE that can get presure with out BLIZING that should be the focus of our recruting just my 2 cent

[oby1]

FSU showed they have something to build on next year... What do we have?? a coach and OC with no guts.. This is SAD.. is this what we show recruits..is this a future NC team? we can't score, we can't tackle..the state of the CANE union is not strong... Sad Day..

[mra]

oby1...we can't score?

i thought we knocked in 17? Stop overreacting.

[Steve]

Worst two minute offense I have ever seen in the history of football. Jacory didnt show that he was a freshman until that last drive. Lets hope he learns from this and is much better next year. Wish the coaches would have helped him out too.

[Russell]

OK calming down now. Did not expect Miami to win this one and frankly after the quick 14-0 score I'm thankful they didn't get blown out on national television. I do not blame JH at all. He played the best he could but I can not be convinced that is as good as coaching that Shannon and Nix can provide. If so they are grossly overpaid.

Not a black/white issue to the previous poster. Its very difficult to fire a man 2 seasons into his tenure where roughly 1/2 the players were brought in during someone else's regime. Yes I realize Shannon was Coker's DC.

Just saw a clip of WVU's Bill Stewart and I wish Shannon had his outwardly enthusiasm.

Hopefully Spence will give us 3 more years because I look forward to watching him play some more.