Buried with the bones of the Orange Bowl lies the mystique and passion that used to be Miami Hurricanes football. It is a different atmosphere in the stadium that Wayne remodeled. The charm and history that surrounded every Saturday home game is gone, replaced with HD monitors and club suites. The sea of green that was Hurricane nation has been replaced with a sea of orange from the empty seats that are unaffordable for the general fan.
The talent of this Miami team is visible, the heart is not, for somewhere in the streets of Little Havana lies the spirit of this team. The losing record that has come so far this season is an unwelcome house warming present. While they are not as abysmal as they seem in the early stages of this year, the rabid Miami fan can not help but wonder if this team will finish the season reaching the potential it has.
Today’s test came in the form of the University of Central Florida Knights. The first half was one in which Miami had their way with the team from Orlando. The Canes opened the scoring for the game with a touchdown by True freshman Travis Benjamin. Later in the first quarter the Hurricanes would add to their lead with a 35 yard field goal off the foot of Matt Bosher.
They biggest moment of the first half for the Knights came in the second quarter when Johnell Neal intercepted a pass by Robert Marve, and returned it 62 yards for a touchdown. Sha’reff Rashad also led the Knights defense with three interceptions in the first half.
The second half saw very little excitement from either team as it was a battle of field position. UCF did make a costly mistake when the ball was snapped high, over the head of Daren Daly. When Daly kicked the ball out of the back of the end zone UCF was called for a Safety which gave the Hurricanes a 12-7 lead.
In the end the Hurricanes won the game 20-14, the crowd cheered, the cannons blew, and yet there was something missing. The Miami Hurricanes this season have everything that the teams of the past have had except for the spirit of the University of Miami. What was once the most feared home field advantage has been reduced to a mediocre crowd. Luckily for the Hurricanes, whether they admit it or not, Randy Shannon knows what the team is missing, and will not rest until the Hurricanes are feared once again.
The talent of this Miami team is visible, the heart is not, for somewhere in the streets of Little Havana lies the spirit of this team. The losing record that has come so far this season is an unwelcome house warming present. While they are not as abysmal as they seem in the early stages of this year, the rabid Miami fan can not help but wonder if this team will finish the season reaching the potential it has.
Today’s test came in the form of the University of Central Florida Knights. The first half was one in which Miami had their way with the team from Orlando. The Canes opened the scoring for the game with a touchdown by True freshman Travis Benjamin. Later in the first quarter the Hurricanes would add to their lead with a 35 yard field goal off the foot of Matt Bosher.
They biggest moment of the first half for the Knights came in the second quarter when Johnell Neal intercepted a pass by Robert Marve, and returned it 62 yards for a touchdown. Sha’reff Rashad also led the Knights defense with three interceptions in the first half.
The second half saw very little excitement from either team as it was a battle of field position. UCF did make a costly mistake when the ball was snapped high, over the head of Daren Daly. When Daly kicked the ball out of the back of the end zone UCF was called for a Safety which gave the Hurricanes a 12-7 lead.
In the end the Hurricanes won the game 20-14, the crowd cheered, the cannons blew, and yet there was something missing. The Miami Hurricanes this season have everything that the teams of the past have had except for the spirit of the University of Miami. What was once the most feared home field advantage has been reduced to a mediocre crowd. Luckily for the Hurricanes, whether they admit it or not, Randy Shannon knows what the team is missing, and will not rest until the Hurricanes are feared once again.
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