2010 NCAA Football Preview: University of Miami
Football, winning, and the University of Miami are things that go hand in hand. The Hurricanes have been one of the most successful football teams of all time and don’t know how to do much else then win. With five national championships under the school’s proverbial belt, the most recent in 2001, the Hurricanes are fourth on the all-time list of AP Poll Champions.
Besides winning national titles, no one knows how to streak quite like the ‘Canes do. They hold the longest home game winning streak in NCAA history, 58, spanning nearly a decade from October 12, 1985, till September 24, 1994. During that time they set the mark for the sixth longest winning streak from September 23, 2000, to January 3, 2003.
Their current quarterback, Jacory Harris, knows a little bit about streaking as well. When attending high school in Miami at Miami Northwestern High School he went undefeated, winning two state titles. For the 2010 season the Hurricanes find themselves ranked 18th in preseason polls; as good a time as any to get another streak going for Harris and the ‘Canes.
Offence
When your team starts the preseason ranked 15th in the nation you must have a few things going for you and the ‘Canes definitely do.
At quarterback they have one of the most promising young signal callers in college football and a potential Heisman candidate either this year or the next in Harris. Harris made winning look natural in high school and wants to do the same at Miami. Harris started off his first season as a starter in 2009 with wins over two top 25 opponents, #19 Florida State and #13 Georgia Tech, before getting his first loss as a starter (dating back to high school) to Virginia Tech.
The play of Harris will be the key to the success of the ‘Canes in 2010. Fans and coaches are hoping that the young quarterback will continue to mature and cut out a lot of the inconsistency that plagued him in 2009. His completion percentage varied wildly throughout the season, one week at 80% on 20 of 25 passing attempts and the next 36% on nine of 25.
What will help him most is a better offensive line. Only two starters return, the guards Orlando Franklin and Joel Figueroa; the team lost all their tight ends as well. If they can fill those holes and senior running back Graig Cooper can successfully return from injury then the Cane offense will be in business.
Defence
With nine returning starters to the defensive side of the ball, the team should be able to continue where they left off last season or get better.
The defensive line looks to be the strength of the unit even though they lost Eric Moncur and Joe Joseph. Sophomore Marcus Forston is expected to start at defensive tackle. Forston played at Miami Northwestern with the ‘Canes quarterback, Harris, and has at times been compared to former NFL great Warren Sapp. Allen Bailey could have easily entered the draft but opted to return for his senior year; Bailey will look to build off the success that got him named an all-conference player in 2009.
All four starters in the secondary return as well. Brandon Harris is another all-conference selection from 2009; as just a sophomore he made 49 tackles and had two interceptions. He was also named a second team All-American by SI.com and third team by the Associated Press; he is already considered a high round draft pick for the 2012 draft.
After losing in the Champs Sports Bowl the ‘Canes are eager to get back on the field and prove themselves, and with the number of returning starters (seven on offense and nine on defense) the team should have no problem improving off of last season in a hurry especially with future Heisman candidate Jacory Harris behind center.
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