CLO4LEAF's blog: "Miami Hurricanes 2007 Season"

Finally this dreadful season has come to an end,and my beloved Hurricanes are not going to a bowl for the 1st time in 10 yrs,and I for one am glad after the way they played this season..To lose to Oklahoma,Virginia Tech,and possibly Boston College is one thing,but to lose to North Carolina,North Carolina State,Virginia and barely beat Duke for the 2nd consecutive season is unacceptable by this schools standards...Only game they actually played and showed true Miami pride is when they beat Florida State,which I enjoyed tremendously..but to lose the final home game at the Orange Bowl,to Virginia 48-0,is a complete embarrassment,they say Randy Shannon is a defensive specialist,well where the hell was the D in that game? and against VT,same thing no D,and definately no D against Chokelahoma,but I didn't expect them to beat the Sooners,but I did expect a game of it...Well they finished 5-7,worse than Cokers last season,so we'll see next year how much of a coach Shannon is,and if this season is of any indication,then I must say this LORD HELP OUR CANES!!!! Until next year Canes Fans,I'm outtie GO CANES 1983-87-89-91-2001 NCAA National Champions

BOSTON (AP) -Boston College ended a 15-game losing streak against Miami to head into the Atlantic Coast Conference title game with a victory. And the 15th-ranked Eagles didn't even need Doug Flutie to do it. Matt Ryan threw for 369 yards and three touchdowns Saturday to lead BC to a 28-14 win, BC's first victory over Miami since the 1984 "Hail Flutie" pass that ended one of the greatest games in college football history. "What Doug did ... and all that, that was great," BC coach Jeff Jagodzinski said. "Now they're going to talk about what Ryan did and what (safety Jamie) Silva did and what (defensive lineman) Nick Larkin did. We've done something special up to this point, and it's a good thing to keep building on the tradition." Boston College (10-2, 6-2 ACC) will play for the conference championship in Jacksonville, Fla., on Dec. 1 against Virginia Tech, which beat Virginia 33-21 Saturday for the Coastal Division title. BC already clinched the Atlantic Division with last week's victory over Clemson. But they wanted the win, anyway. "Coach was telling us we didn't want to go in with a flat tire, with a setback," said receiver Rich Gunnell, who caught nine passes for a career-high 135 yards. "We want to go in with all the momentum we can." The Hurricanes (5-7, 2-6) failed to qualify for a bowl game for the first time in 10 years. "Very disappointing," coach Randy Shannon said. "A lot of guys' expectations when they come to the University of Miami is to win." The Eagles beat the Hokies on Oct. 25 when Ryan threw a 24-yard touchdown pass across the field with 11 seconds left. The victory propelled him into the race for the Heisman Trophy, an award no BC player has won since Flutie did following the 48-yard pass to Gerard Phelan as time expired that beat Miami on Thanksgiving weekend in 1984. But Ryan fell back out of the race with the Eagles' back-to-back losses to Florida State and Maryland, which dropped them from No. 2 in The Associated Press rankings down to No. 18. Virginia Tech has won four in a row since losing to BC, including the winner-take-all matchup against Virginia. "We knew the other team was going to come in with a win," Ryan said. "We wanted to match their momentum." Ryan completed 26 of 43 passes and finished with 28 touchdowns for the season to break the school record Flutie set in '84. Andre Callender ran 15 times for 96 yards and a 45-yard touchdown that made it 28-14 after Miami hung close for most of the game. The Eagles won 10 regular-season games for the second consecutive season. With a victory next Saturday, they would play in the Orange Bowl - their first-ever appearance in a Bowl Championship Series game. Kyle Wright completed 23 of 42 passes for 198 yards and two touchdowns, finishing his college career with 478 completions to pass Bernie Kosar and move into third on Miami's all-time list. But Wright also threw an interception and lost a fumble. BC's turnovers kept it close, and the Hurricanes cut the deficit to 14-7 early in the third on a 23-yard pass to Ryan Hill, one play after Glenn Sharpe intercepted Ryan. Near the end of the quarter, BC got the ball on Wright's fumble, then Ryan fumbled it back two plays later. Wright led the Hurricanes on an eight-play, 41-yard drive, hitting Sam Shields from the 2 to tie it with 11:44 left in the game. That's when BC took over the game. Ryan hit Gunnell on the right sideline and he broke free for a 49-yard gain, then Clarence Megwa laid out for a 22-yard touchdown pass to complete the two-play, 16-second drive that made it 21-14. After Miami went three-and-out, Callender broke through the middle and went 45 yards to the end zone. "We had some momentum coming back, then they come back and score," Wright said, his eyes watery as he spoke. "Two plays, they take the lead back. It felt like we were going to win. It hurts that we lost."

BLACKSBURG, Va. (AP) -Branden Ore hasn't had the year he or Virginia Tech expected, but the Hokies tailback is hitting his stride at the right time. Ore ran for two touchdowns, both times plowing over a Miami defender to get to the end zone, and No. 10 Virginia Tech beat Miami 44-14 on Saturday in the Hokies' final tuneup for a huge game with rival Virginia next weekend. "I just felt good out there and I was able to make the cuts and moves that I wanted to make," Ore said after rushing for 81 yards on 15 carries. "The offensive line created holes for me. That made it a lot easier." Virginia Tech (9-2, 6-1 Atlantic Coast Conference) moved into a share of first place in the Coastal Division with Virginia. The teams will play on Saturday in Charlottesville with the winner moving on to the conference championship game Dec. 1. Ore, who has not approached the form that produced nearly 1,400 yards rushing and 17 touchdowns last season, signaled that the nicks and pulls that have slowed him all season had finally subsided with a 22-yard run on the Hokies' second offensive play. He said the offensive line, finally healthy too, made it possible. "You've just got guys in their right spots, in the right positions so they're able to create more holes, and I just attacked the holes that they created," he said. Sean Glennon threw a touchdown pass to Justin Harper and Jahre Cheeseman and Carlton Weatherford had scoring runs for the Hokies. Weatherford's was his first career touchdown and came on a day he and 19 other seniors were honored before the game. Harper was among them, and followed his best game with probably his best catch, an over-the-shoulder, one-hand grab of Glennon's pass in the right corner of the end zone. "Offensively we feel like we're hot and we're rolling right now," Harper said. "We've just got to carry it into every game. We've got to keep this thing rolling." Glennon was to share time with Tyrod Taylor at quarterback, but Taylor pulled a muscle in his left side on a scramble in the third quarter and Glennon got most of the snaps. Taylor could have returned, the school said. Miami (5-6, 2-5), coming off a 48-0 home loss last weekend in its final game in the Orange Bowl, came out looking like a team that had given up. The 'Canes went three-and-out on each of their first three possessions, trailed 17-0 after the first quarter and had been outgained 150-6 before Kyle Wright brought them out of their slumber. Making passes repeatedly as he was getting hit, Wright drove Miami into Hokies territory three times in the second quarter, but got only one score out of it. The first time, Wright was sacked and stripped of the ball by Barry Booker at the Tech 18. The next time, Virginia Tech stuffed consecutive runs from the 1 by Javarris James and took the ball over on downs. On the third trip, Wright ran it in from the 4 himself 21 seconds before halftime. "It seemed like it was too late before we realized we could play with them," Wright said. "We fought our way back into it, and everybody was positive and ready to go. "It's frustrating when you fight back like that, move the ball up and down the field on every drive. It seemed like some guys were shocked that we were back in it." The Hurricanes scored on their first possession of the second half, with Wright hitting Leonard Hankerson with a 1-yard pass to make it 20-14. But the Hokies drove 68 yards in six plays, with Ore getting the last 38 on four runs, to answer with a touchdown of their own. It never got close again. The game also marked the return of Hokies linebacker Vince Hall, who missed four games with a broken left forearm and wrist. Hall had a team-high 13 tackles. Wright finished 21-of-36 for 215 yards, and Miami had minus 2 rushing yards. "It got to the point where we just had to throw every time," said James, who carried 10 times for seven yards. "They did a great job of getting pressure and that's what hurts. Kyle's jersey was too dirty tonight."

MIAMI (AP) -- There were dozens of former star Miami players in attendance for the Orange Bowl's farewell, including some wearing national championship and Super Bowl rings as No. 23 Virginia ended Miami's 70-year stay at the famed stadium in stunningly one-sided fashion Saturday night. Mikell Simpson had a pair of 1-yard touchdown runs and quarterback Jameel Sewell scored twice, as the Cavaliers posted a 48-0 victory. Chris Cook had a 44-yard fumble return for a score with 2:26 left, putting Virginia's effort into the Miami history books. It topped the 44-0 beating Notre Dame put on the Hurricanes at the Orange Bowl in 1973. It was Miami's first home shutout loss since Oct. 4, 1974 against Auburn, and the Hurricanes' worst defeat since losing 66-13 at Syracuse on Nov. 28, 1998. The last time Miami lost this badly at home was in 1944, when Texas A&M beat the Hurricanes 70-14. Farewell, Orange Bowl. It'll likely be demolished within a few months. Sewell completed 20 of 25 passes and 288 yards for Virginia (9-2, 6-1 Atlantic Coast Conference), which led 31-0 at halftime, a margin that turned an already-sad night for some Hurricanes downright funeral. Virginia did most of its damage with its trio of tight ends, who caught 10 passes for 154 yards. Kyle Wright completed 9 of 21 passes for 94 yards for Miami (5-5, 2-4), which ended its Orange Bowl run on a three-game losing streak and needs a win at either Virginia Tech or Boston College over the next two weeks just to become bowl-eligible.

MIAMI (AP) -Steven Hauschka's fourth field goal, a 42-yarder in overtime, lifted surging North Carolina State to a 19-16 win over Miami on Saturday. Hauschka made three field goals in the final quarter as the Wolfpack (4-5, 2-3 Atlantic Coast Conference) overcame a 13-7 deficit to win their third straight game - and give coach Tom O'Brien his first-ever win at the Orange Bowl. Daniel Evans was 19-for-40 passing for 207 yards for N.C. State, which also got a 27-carry, 89-yard effort from Jamelle Eugene. Miami kicker Daren Daly missed two field goals, including a 27-yarder on the first possession of overtime. The Hurricanes (5-4, 2-3) lost despite running 60 times for 314 yards against the ACC's worst run defense. But the Hurricanes simply couldn't pass the ball at all - Kirby Freeman, playing for the injured Kyle Wright, was 1-for-14 for 84 yards and three interceptions. Freeman's lone completion was a touchdown pass to Darnell Jenkins that put Miami up 10-0, but the Hurricanes sputtered the rest of the way. Down 16-13 after Hauschka's 47-yarder with 6:55 left, the Hurricanes ran on the first 15 plays of their final drive of regulation, getting to the N.C. State 10 with 33 seconds left. Out of timeouts, Miami called two passing plays, but Freeman's attempts toward Sam Shields were both broken up in the end zone. So Daly kicked a 27-yard field goal with 19 seconds left, sending the game to overtime. Miami got the ball first, and all six plays were rushes - including on third-and-10 from the 12. Daly then missed a 27-yarder wide left, and moments later, the Wolfpack were celebrating. Miguel Scott, DaJuan Morgan and Jeremy Gray had interceptions for N.C. State, which hadn't been to the Orange Bowl since 1982. So this win was a long time coming. Javarris James ran for 103 yards and Miami outgained N.C. State 398-317, but things were so bad offensively that, at times, the Hurricanes decided it was better to go without a quarterback. During the second quarter, one possession after Freeman threw an interception to Scott - receiver Lance Leggett either ran the wrong route or one Freeman wasn't expecting - the Hurricanes had Jenkins line up as quarterback and take snaps on two straight plays. Those two plays went for minus-12 yards, so that experiment ended quickly. But Freeman had one great moment, finding Jenkins later in the quarter for an 84-yard TD pass. The Wolfpack bit when Freeman faked a handoff to Graig Cooper, giving Jenkins time to get behind two defenders. He caught the ball and raced the final 40 yards to the end zone. N.C. State became the first visitor to get a first-half score at the Orange Bowl this season with 2:04 left until intermission. Evans' 1-yard run cut it to 10-7 and capped a nine-play, 66-yard drive. Miami went up 13-7 late in the third on Daly's 33-yard field goal - one play after Jenkins was ruled out-of-bounds on what would have been a touchdown catch. The Wolfpack scored on their first three possessions of the fourth, with Hauschka connecting on field goals of 31 and 35 yards before his 47-yarder made it 16-13.

TALLAHASSEE, Fla. (AP) -- Colin McCarthy returned a fumble 27 yards for Miami's second touchdown in 11 seconds late in the fourth quarter and the Hurricanes beat Florida State 37-29 Saturday. For the first time since 1977, the rivalry game that helped decide so many national titles during the 1980s and 90s was played with neither team ranked. Fittingly, the Seminoles and 'Canes combined for nine turnovers, five by FSU. Minutes before Miami's two quick touchdowns, the Hurricanes (5-3, 2-2 Atlantic Coast Conference) appeared to have lost their best chance to get the win when Kirby Freeman was stopped for no gain on a fourth-and-1 at the Florida State 1 with 5:29 left and the 'Canes trailing 29-24. But Freeman, who replaced injured Kyle Wright in the first half, drove Miami 83 yards in a 1 1/2 minutes to take the lead 30-29 on a 13-yard pass to Dedrick Epps with 1:15 left. Xavier Lee, who was intercepted twice, then fumbled after being hit by Miami's Teraz McCray, and McCarthy ran it in for the clincher. Lee threw two interceptions and lost two fumbles for Florida State (4-3, 1-3). He completed 14 of 32 passes for 208 yards in his third start this season. The Seminoles wasted five field goals by Gary Cismesia and Antone Smith's first 100-yard game of the season. Smith finished with 114 yards on 22 carries. Cismesia's fourth field goal, from 45 yards, gave Florida State a 26-24 lead late in the third quarter of the back-and-forth contest and he added another from the same distance early in the fourth quarter for the 29-24 lead. The Hurricanes had grabbed a 24-23 lead on a trick play midway through the third quarter when place-kicker Francesco Zampogna took an over-the-shoulder toss from his holder and found tight end DajLeon Farr on a 26-yard scoring pass. Wright, who hurt his left ankle, was 6 of 10 for 88 yards, but threw an interception that put Florida State into a 17-14 lead. Toddrick Verdell's 45-yard touchdown run was followed by a Cismesia field goal that put the Seminoles ahead 20-17 at halftime. Miami also scored two quick touchdowns in the first quarter to grab an early 14-3 lead. The Hurricanes went ahead 7-3 lead on Wright's 1-yard run on a scoring drive highlighted by Wright's 64-yard third down pass to Darnell Jenkins. Greg Cooper then added a 2-yard TD run set up by a fumble by Florida State's Smith. Florida State coach Bobby Bowden, who has 370 career coaching wins, is now just one ahead of Penn State's Joe Paterno.

MIAMI (AP) -Tashard Choice ran for a career-high 204 yards on 37 carries, quarterback Taylor Bennett rushed for two touchdowns and Georgia Tech controlled the second half to beat Miami 17-14 on Saturday. Travis Bell's 39-yard field goal with 7:34 left was the eventual game-winner for Georgia Tech (4-3, 2-3 Atlantic Coast Conference), which became the fourth team since 1978 to beat Miami in three consecutive seasons, joining Notre Dame, Virginia Tech and Florida State. And this Georgia Tech win - just like the previous two - dealt the Hurricanes' ACC hopes a serious blow. Shawnbrey McNeal had a 39-yard touchdown run on a fourth-down play for Miami (4-3, 1-2 ACC), which came in allowing 111 rushing yards per game, but let Choice eclipse that by the midpoint of the third quarter. The Yellow Jackets trailed 7-0 at halftime, and came out after intermission with a simple plan: Give Choice the ball. It worked. Choice went 54 yards on Tech's opening drive of the second half, and the Yellow Jackets pulled into a 7-7 tie when Bennett curled to his left and made a 10-yard sprint for the score. Miami went three-and-out on its next possession, and Georgia Tech rode Choice again on its next drive, giving him the ball eight times on an eight-minute, 14-play, 77-yard grind capped by Bennett going in on another bootleg from 3 yards out. The Hurricanes answered with a long drive to tie the game. McNeal came through again on fourth down - getting 6 yards on fourth-and-1 from the 15 - and Kyle Wright hit Sam Shields with a 4-yard scoring pass with 10:37 left in the game. But after Bell's field goal, the Hurricanes stalled. The drive could have started at the 25, but an unnecessary roughness penalty on Derron Thomas sent Miami back to the 13, and the Hurricanes managed only a couple yards before punting. Miami never got the ball back, and was outgained 244-79 in the second half. Miami cornerback Bruce Johnson got his first career interception with 6:32 left in the first quarter, wrestling what would have been a touchdown away from Georgia Tech's Greg Smith in the right corner of the end zone - setting up the drive where McNeal scored the game's first TD. And the Yellow Jackets wasted another opportunity in the second quarter. With about 7 1/2 minutes left before halftime, backup quarterback Josh Nesbitt darted through the left side of a 14-yard gain, which would have taken Georgia Tech to Miami 23. But left guard Matt Rhodes was flagged twice on that play, first for holding and then for unnecessary roughness. So instead of third-and-1, the Yellow Jackets were faced with second-and-38 and wound up punting.

Well looks like it's back to the same ol Canes as last year...Like last year,we started off 3-1 and then finished 6-6 on the year and sqeeked out a bowl win over Nevada...I can see losing to Oklahoma 2nd game of the season,and from watching Canes virtually destroy Texas A&M,and then struggle to beat Duke just like last year,and then turn around and lose to North Carolina today is just sad...I mean come on now,did Butch Davis intimidate us that bad that we allowed the tarheels to score 27 straight points ,for crying out loud what happened to our D,and is Kyle Wright trying to lose the starting job again,so he passed for 300 yrds and 2 TDs,but he had 4 INTS,GOOD GRIEF SHANNON,these are the cupcakes of the ACC,if we struggle to beat Duke and then lose to NC,then I can only imagine what's going to happen against GT AND FSU,and then the rest of our season,Shannon get it straightened out or you will be no better than the coach you replaced,atleast Coker had a 60-15 record,and your record is 3-2...Hopefully we get it right next week....GO CANES

MIAMI (AP) -- Randy Shannon's debut as coach of the Miami Hurricanes was a breeze. Javarris James ran for two touchdowns, Tavares Gooden and Calais Campbell had interceptions to set up easy scoring drives, and the Hurricanes recorded six sacks while beating Marshall 31-3 Saturday. Graig Cooper ran 12 times for 116 yards in his first college game, James rushed for 99 more and Kirby Freeman completed 9 of 21 passes for 81 yards and a touchdown as Miami (1-0) won its final season-opener at the Orange Bowl. Bernard Morris completed 16 of 27 passes for 162 yards for Marshall (0-1), but was intercepted three times. Unranked entering a season for the first time since 1998, Miami looked at the opener as its first chance to prove this isn't the same sort of team that stumbled its way to a 7-6 record last season. The Hurricanes didn't waste time suggesting their new coach will change things around. Shannon is a Miami native, was a star linebacker at the school and spent 14 years as a Hurricanes assistant. He was defensive coordinator the past six seasons under Larry Coker, who was fired in November and watched Saturday from the Orange Bowl's third floor -- as a TV analyst. Shannon probably liked most of what he saw, too. Gooden caught Morris' deflected pass midway through the opening quarter and ran it back 35 yards to the Marshall 1 -- not scoring only because Morris hopped on his back inside the 5 and eventually wrestled him down. On the next play, Freeman hit DajLeon Farr with a scoring pass that put Miami up 10-0. Campbell's interception came with 3 1/2 minutes left in the second. The 6-foot-8 defensive end released from a blocker and made a one-handed snare of Morris' pass, getting taken down at the Marshall 24. James scored on a 5-yard run three plays later for a 17-0 edge. James pushed the lead to 24-0 with 7:06 left in the third with a 5-yard score. His 50-yard run on that drive was nullified by a holding penalty, but Cooper took off on a 56-yard scamper one play later to set up the Hurricanes' third touchdown. Anthony Binswanger's 37-yard field goal with 13:37 remaining ensured Marshall would avoid the shutout. Tight end Chris Zellner recovered a fumble in the end zone with 1:51 left for Miami's final touchdown. Marshall has dropped eight straight games against teams from BCS conferences, getting outscored 228-84 in those matchups. It doesn't get any easier next week for the Thundering Herd; they host No. 3 West Virginia.

NORMAN, Okla. (AP) -- By the time Oklahoma quarterback Sam Bradford threw his school record-tying fifth touchdown pass, the bad memories from past Miami games were long gone. Malcolm Kelly caught three of Bradford's TD passes and Reggie Smith returned a fumble for a score as the No. 5 Sooners rolled over Miami 51-13 in their first meeting since the Hurricanes swept three games in the 1980s. "That didn't matter," Oklahoma coach Bob Stoops said. "It makes for a good story, but that's a long time ago." Bradford completed 19-of-25 passes for 205 yards in his second career start as the Sooners (2-0) evened the all-time series at three games each. All three of Oklahoma's losses came in a three-year span when the Sooners went 33-0 against all opponents except the Hurricanes. Stoops said he introduced his players to the rivalry's history on Monday, but after that "they're rolling their eyes. That's 20-some years ago. Most of them weren't even born." Stoops said even he had a hard time going back that far, but he hoped the win was a lift for Sooners fans who had been "storing those hard feelings all those years." "I can't say I thought a lot about that," said Bradford, who wasn't even two months old when the last Miami-Oklahoma game was played. "I was really trying to play for today." Oklahoma built a 21-3 first-half lead on Bradford's touchdown passes of 23 and 24 yards to Kelly and Smith's 61-yard return of a Javarris James fumble, the third-longest fumble return in Sooners' history. Neither starter Kirby Freeman nor backup Kyle Wright could mount enough of a comeback, and Miami (1-1) suffered its most lopsided defeat since a 66-13 loss to Syracuse on Nov. 28, 1998. "Today wasn't a very good day for the University of Miami," said first-year coach Randy Shannon, who was a linebacker on the Miami teams of the mid-1980s. "The guys have to understand that when you come up to an opponent like the University of Oklahoma, they are a very great team and have a lot of talent just like we have a lot of talent." Under Freeman's guidance, Miami settled for a field goal after getting a first-and-goal at the 8-yard line following Oklahoma sophomore Derek Shaw's snap over punter Michael Cohen's head. Through seven offensive drives, Freeman completed only two passes for 10 yards and Miami had only one first down. That's when Shannon made a change. Wright, who split starts with Freeman last season, led an 18-play, 52-yard scoring drive that was extended by a fake field goal and two pass interference penalties in the end zone. Wright finished it with a 6-yard touchdown pass to Ryan Hill to pull Miami within 21-10 before the half. The Hurricanes had a chance to cut into the deficit even more after Chris Brown fumbled on Oklahoma's opening second-half drive, but again settled for a Francesco Zampogna field goal. Miami finished with 139 total yards and seven first downs. "As a team, we want to go out and win every game like everybody else does. But we think on a consistent basis, we can come out and show something to the nation and we'll take each week as a stepping stone," Sooners safety D.J. Wolfe said. Sparked by Juaquin Iglesias' 43-yard second-half kickoff return, Oklahoma responded immediately on a shortened field and tight end Jermaine Gresham caught Bradford's third touchdown pass. Bradford and Kelly hooked up again for a 30-yard scoring strike, with Kelly making an over-the-shoulder reception, to make it 38-13 early in the fourth quarter. Kelly finished with 102 yards receiving on four catches. Bradford then added a 9-yard TD pass to fullback Dane Zaslaw to match the school record set by 2003 Heisman winner Jason White and 2000 Heisman runner-up Josh Heupel. Last week, Bradford broke Heupel's record for yards in a half and tied White's mark with 18 straight completions. "I'm really not surprised," Bradford said. "Knowing the guys that are out there with me, I can't explain it. It's unreal how good those guys out there are." Following a 79-10 win against North Texas in the opener, Oklahoma is averaging 60 points per game. "From the beginning, we've known that this offense has a lot of capability. We have a lot of potential," Bradford said. "We know if we go out there and we play hard and we play smart that we definitely have chances to be a great offense." Wright was 7-for-14 for 65 yards. Freeman, who returned late in the third quarter, was 3-for-9 for 17 yards. James and Graig Cooper, who combined for 215 yards rushing in a 31-3 win against Marshall last week, were held to 54 yards