Quarterback: F
Jacory Harris has regressed. He may be nicked but that’s not an excuse. He is not on the same with his wide receivers and tight ends and really only seems comfortable throwing to Leonard Hankerson. Harris was 19-for-47 with 225 yards passing. The bright side, he only threw one interception.
Wide Receivers/Tight Ends: F
Chase Ford is light years behind Jeremy Shockey and Kellen Winslow Jr. It’s a shame he’s been in the same sentence as those two All-Americans. Richard Gordon is not any better. Mark Whipple’s offense is strongly centered around tight end production and the Canes have nothing. UM dropped at least five passes and missed numerous routes. The timing and chemistry is off. Aldarius “Gluehands” Johnson left the glue at Miami Northwestern.
Running Backs: F
Damien Berry ran for 101 yards and had a 26 yard touchdown scamper but all will be remembered from Saturday’s debacle is his fumble that led to an easy FSU touchdown. In the Shannon era, Miami has taken care of the football in terms on not fumbling. Saturday was a rare but major miscue. Mike James could not establish anything. Graig Cooper saw his first action since the season opener against FAMU and looked to have a strong burst on the outside.
Offensive Line: F
Harris was only sacked once but UM lost the battle of the trenches big time. The garnet and gold were constantly in the backfield. Jermaine Johnson and Orlando Franklin most likely will shred the game film. It was ugly.
Defensive Line: F-
UM allowed 298 rushing yards and gave up the longest run play in school history after Chris Thompson had a 90 yard touchdown run down the right sideline to put the icing on head coach Jimbo Fisher’s birthday cake. Jermaine Thomas had three touchdowns in the first half. Miami didn’t have one sack. The unit was befuddled by Christian Ponder’s role outs and play fakes. Miss tackles and more technique.
Linebackers/Secondary: F
Sean Spence and Vaughn Telemaque played well despite the embarrassment from their teammates. King Cobra was the leader on defense and VT recorded his first career interception. Other than that, missed tackles were the story. DeMarcus Van Dyke reverted back to his old form. DVD looked like VHS. Brandon McGee got burnt badly by Rodney Smith in the fourth quarter on an audible by Ponder. McGee got beat in isolation.
Special Teams: F-
Matt Bosher missed a 32 yard field goal on the opening drive and things spiraled out of control ever since. Coach Joe Pannuzio’s seat is very hot. He continues to not make adjustments on kickoff coverage. Yes Cory Nelms and Lamar Miller were out but that’s not a valid excuse. Greg Reid was at mid field every time. More illegal blocks in the back and poor discipline.
Coaching: F-
Randy Shannon should be ashamed of himself. What’s the excuse now? A top 25 clash in primetime against the school’s biggest rival and UM came out flatter than my soda in the press box. Shannon took the blame in his post game presser but actions speak louder than words. No emotion was shown on the sideline. He doesn’t know how to maximize talent and the team is consistently inconsistent. This was the second worst loss of his career behind the 2007 48-0 blowout at the Orange Bowl finale. Simply unacceptable.
Justin Antweil may be contacted at jantweil@themiamihurricane.com.