Eye on the U

Hot time in MIami: Gators at Canes in football: noon on Sept. 7 on ESPN.

University of Miami tailgaters might want to get to sleep early on Friday, Sept. 6th. That's because the highly anticipated Florida Gators at Miami Hurricanes football game was announced for a noon kickoff at Sun Life Stadium on Saturday, Sept. 7 on ESPN -- upsetting fans who would rather have a night game.

A night game would certainly be a great draw and the event to party around at Sun Life. UM would get heavy-duty exposure. And let's face it, night games are always more fun (unless you're on deadline or savor getting broiled outside).

Turns out that ABC has NASCAR from Richmond, Va., that night and ESPN is broadcasting the Notre Dame-Michigan football game in prime time. A game has not yet been announced for the prime-time ESPN2 slot.

"We requested and lobbied ESPN for an evening slot for the game vs #BeatUF.'' tweeted UM athletic director Blake James. "Unfortunately, they were unable to accomodate.'' 

 I just got off the phone with ESPN spokesman Mike Humes, whom I asked about the noon start.

"Essentially, we looked at all the options and this was the best available window for the game,'' Humes said. "We average probably around three million viewers for that time slot. So it wasn’t like, 'Let’s put the worst game on at noon.' The noon window does really well with fans.

"We view this as a great matchup. Scheduling games is like putting together differrent puzzles with different time zones and commitments, and this was the best window.''

 UM AD James also tweeted this: "espn/abc wanted to take game national 3:30 slot is regional coverage."

Humes said the 3:30 p.m. ABC game is Oregon at Virginia.

In other Canes football news, the Aug. 30 season opener at Sun Life Stadium against FAU will kick off at 8 p.m. Aug. 30 -- a Friday -- and will be aired by ESPNU.

SUSAN MILLER DEGNAN 

UM Canes to Honor 1987 National Champions -- and how about College World Series bound Stony Brook?

As the Hurricanes continue to prepare in the weight room and on their own during seven-on-sevens for the 2012 football season, the University of Miami announced Monday that it will honor the 1987 Canes at halftime of the homecoming game against Florida State on Oct. 20 at Sun Life Stadium.

The 1987 national champion Canes were coached by Jimmy Johnson and finished 12-0, defeating top-ranked Oklahoma 20-14 in the Orange Bowl for UM's second national title.

The Hurricanes, then ranked No. 3, defeated then-No. 4 Florida State at Tallahassee on Oct. 3, 1987, after being behind 19-3 late in the third quarter. UM's memorable comeback encompassed three quick scores: a 49-yard reception from Steve Walsh to Melvin Bratton; a 26-yard completion from Wash to MIchael Irvin (plus a two-point conversion to tie it at 19); and a 73-yard touchdown from Walsh to Irvin to put UM ahead with 2:22 left.

The Canes stopped an FSU attempt at a two-point conversion and finally won 26-25.

I like the homecoming game being against a heavy-duty opponent. It shows moxie.

NOW, FOR BASEBALL

By now, I'm sure you know that Stony Brook shocked the college baseball world by defeating No. 7 National Seed LSU in a super regional to advance to the College World Series for the first time in its history. Stony Brook is the No. 4 seed that made UM look bad (in addition to UM making itself look bad, actually) in the opening game of the Coral Gables regional.

I was sure after that tournament that Stony Brook was the real deal, but it's hard to convince anyone that a no-name school from Long Island in the the America East Conference is a team with which to be reckoned.

 "They outplayed us really in every phase of the game,'' LSU coach Paul Mainieri told reporters after the Seawolves clinched with a 7-2 victory over LSU (winner of six national titles). "The people in the South haven't heard much about Stony Brook, but they know who they are now.''

  Stony Brook defeated LSU in two of three games and trailed only once in those games: when LSU's Mason Katz hit a walk-off single in the bottom of the 12th in the super regional opener. The Seawolves outhit LSU 15-3 in the series finale.

  According to the Associated Press, the Seawolves are the first team from New York State to reach the College World Series since 1980, and the first team from the Northeast since Maine did it in 1986.

  Stony Brook became the second team to open the NCAA Baseball Tournament as a No. 4 seed in a regional and reach the College World Series. The first was Fresno State in 2008. Fresno State went on to win the title that year -- the last time UM was in the College World Series.

  I didn't mean to go on and on about Stony Brook (52-13), but in light of what happened to UM in Coral Gables, I thought it was telling that a similar fate awaited LSU (47-18).

  SUSAN MILLER DEGNAN