Monday Musings: Working Out the Kinks; Stolen Joy

IIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIT’S Monday! Which means it’s time to dive back into the orange-and-green-hued pool of thoughts in my mind.

1) Miami won, but the first half was about as ugly as anything I’ve seen in my life, at least Miami-football-wise. The offensive line, which started well, fell into an abyss and gave up three sacks. TVD was off the mark. The secondary gave up some big plays. We punted a lot. Meh. Very forgettable.

2) Fortunately, that’s exactly what these types of games are for: to stumble through the kinks and get right for the games that matter. The offensive line imposed its will in the second half, as Henry Parrish, Jr. continues to look like the clear lead back on this team. Can’t wait to see him in ACC play with the full playbook unleashed. The defense was a force in the second half, allowing one drive of more than 6 plays and pitching a shutout while forcing 2 turnovers (with another later forced on special teams). So yeah, it took awhile, and the spread wasn’t quite covered, but Miami pulled away and showed its superiority by mid-third quarter Saturday.

3) And if you’re a fan of Texas A&M or Notre Dame, I bet you wish you’d be in the Canes’ shoes today, so it’s always important to keep things in perspective.

4) Speaking of the Aggies, thanks for absolutely nothing. I swear, it seems like Jimbo Fisher, intentionally or not, finds a way to piss in my Cheerios. By losing, College Gameday went from a sure-fire College Station stop this week to Boone, NC for Troy-App State. The Mounties stole the win, a seven-figure payday, and Gameday. Just a brutal owning. And it sucks for Miami - Gameday is always great exposure, and would have been terrific for a program trying to re-establish a Texas pipeline it’s had in the past. Bleh. Oh well.

5) My prediction for Saturday: Miami 31, A&M 30. In a classic, Miami finds a way late behind Tyler Van Dyke’s heroics, with Key’Shawn Smith catching a late game winner and the defense forcing a field goal attempt that swings wide. Haynes King, who threw for an abysmal 97 yards last week, gets loose on the ground and through the air and spurs an A&M offense that finally comes to life, as the Aggies take a two-score lead early. However, Miami settles in and works its way back with controlled, extended drives behind a physical offensive line.

Go Canes!