Dec 26 2008
Bears ready to give Hurricanes a storm of thier own
Miami was so good in the ’90’s that they were given one of the cockiest nicknames in college football - The U. Nearly every school in FBS is a ‘U’ so to call their school ‘The U’ is a presumption that they are the only university in FBS worth noting.
Since the new millenium The U has reverted back to the ‘Canes and now the Hurricanes. It seems that with every passing year, their nickname has gotten a little longer. After an absence from the bowl scene for two years, they are back and hoping to shorten their name once again by beating Pac-10 favorite, Cal.
It’s not going to happen.
While Miami is better than they’ve been over the last couple of seasons, they still have a long way to go before they’ve reached the pinacle of excellence that led alumni to rename them into the catchy one-letter name that they are still known as…barely. Other universities such as Ohio State have begun calling themselves the U as well.
There’s a problem for Miami in the Emerald Bowl. They play Cal. The Bears aren’t last year’s team that was a timeout away from being #1 in the nation, only to fall from grace to a lowly 7-6. This is a team that has already weathered the storm of also-ran status and emerged stronger for it.
The Cal Bears are coming into this game touting one of the best linebacking units in the country, a Heisman candidate for 2009, one of the most opportunistic secondaries in the nation, and a fallen star-quarterback looking for redemption.
Nate Longshore will be starting for a Bears passing attack that has had trouble getting off the ground all season long. They rank 79th out of 119 FBS teams in passing offense averaging 195.5 yards-per-game in the air.
Longshore is one of only three quarterbacks to ever throw for 3,000 yards in a season and he’s also one of only two Cal quarterbacks to throw for 50 touchdowns in a career. He’s a gunslinger, and because of that, he’s been booed by Berkeley fans and found a home on the bench for half of the year all due to costly mistakes. If Longshore can keep from throwing the types of costly interceptions that end up in six points for the other team, this game won’t even be close.
It won’t be close not because of the passing game. It won’t be close due to the fact that Miami can’t stop the run - the thing that Cal does best. Jahvid Best comes into the game ranked first in the nation in yards-per-carry with an 8.0 average. The biggest problem for opponents is that when he’s out of the game, an equally explosive back comes in to replace him. Shane Vereen won’t get the type of hype or playing time that Best does, but he’s averaging over five yards-per-carry and has the same ability Best has in taking it in for six.
Facing those two running backs would be a concern for any team, but for Miami it’s even more dire. Over their last two games, they let up 691 yards on the ground. 691! In Cal’s final regular season game, Best rushed for 331 yards against a pitiful Washington Huskies defense. These ‘Canes don’t look to be much better. If Best can get to the century mark by the end of the first half, this game is most likely finished.
When the Bears are potent on the ground, they are equally tough to defeat by air. Cal has one of the top defenses in the nation ranking 25th against the rush, fifth in passing efficiency defense, and 24th overall. In other words, Miami’s offense would be happy with 24 points - which I predicted they’ll get at the Cal Bears Examiner. The only problem is their defense would be happy if they could get out of the game only letting up 41 - another prediction of mine.
The U could be back in a year or two, but until then they’ll have to suffer through another long season after the type of beating they’ll be getting on December 27th, 2008 at the Emerald Bowl.
