Roman #OBB

I mean this wholeheartedly, but what happened to this @CanesFootball fan base as of late? It feels like U-enthusiasts went from this living-in-the-past bunch who lived by this unattainable '80s-era—where nothing but pure dominance and being in the title hunt every year was accepted—to a bunch of betas who pontificate and doom-post non-stop in these social media groups. I saw more logic, reason and common sense on message boards in the late '90s when Miami was down 31 scholarships and in the throes of NCAA probation that wrecked half a decade—than I am seeing now with this undefeated team that is No. 1 in the country. All of these pages are flooded with a doom-and-gloom bunch trying to hold court; acting like they see something the rest of us don't—their daily warnings that this isn't a championship-caliber defense. Thanks, Lombardi ... the rest of us SO wouldn't see these defensive weaknesses without your incessant rants on Facebook. "WE SO WOULDN'T BEAT GEORGIA IF WE PLAYED THEM TOMORROW!!!" Well thank God that the Hurricanes wouldn't face the Bulldogs until a quarterfinals two months from now, a semifinal in mid-January or a finale weeks after that. I mean is it not lost on this same bunch that a year ago this week Miami was 6-2 having just lost at SMU on November 1st and for all intents and purposes, the season was over—out of the ACC hunt and zero margin for error as it was going to take 10-2 to even have a shot sneaking in as an at-large? Months back half this fan base wanted to give #CoreyHetherman a lifetime contract—petrified he's going to take some head coaching gig next year—yet these same emotional wrecks are ready to pack his bags and run him out of town after #BobbyPetrino picked apart his defense like a buzzard on some roadkill on a hot South Florida day. There's such a difference between what has become this bitching-to-bitch, taking to social media with this non-sensical and say-nothing, "this team is in trouble if it doesn't clean up this defense" venting—which always feels like fans trying to get ahead of rivals shit-talking them—the embarrassment that these fans ran their mouths about Miami's greatness, so it's sort of self-protect mode to start ripping the Canes' flaws before rivals throw it back in their faces. The complete opposite is how I've gotten hooked on @RomanCane's "Student Of The Game" breakdowns—listening to someone talk Xs and Os about what happened in Chapel Hill, the predicament Hetherman found himself in and what Miami will have to do moving forward to overcome these tendencies and to counter future offenses who know your style and tells. Take 20 minutes as he unpacks what went down in Chapel Hill: youtube.com/watch?v=Dq2gGA2D… Petrino has always been an offensive mastermind and he had Miami’s tendencies figured out. Ro breaks it all down here; motion to identify coverage ... quick throws exploiting safety rotations ... running backs isolated against linebackers or a defensive end ... counter looks that forced pass rushers to honor the run, buying the head, son-of-a-coach #BillyEdwards valuable time, and he made the Canes pay. Yes, sometimes Miami got exactly the matchup it wanted and simply lost the rep—guys not winning the one-on-one up front or defenders getting sucked underneath, leaving receivers wide open behind them. Screens again hurt this defense and it's been a common theme that coverage and tackling weren't up to the standard; sometimes it was bad angles, other times guys just weren't wrapping up as they are constantly taught. Does anyone whining in these social media groups really think the see flaws that the staff doesn't see? Do they not grasp that while they peck away in these groups on a Sunday morning, coaches and players are back at the facility breaking down film, talking about the mistakes and heading back out to Greentree to get back to work fixing them? I saw one guy ranting and raving that coaches "need to be accountable" for these mistakes. Is there any coach in the country who preaches accountability more? Anyone who carries themselves as less satisfied with not living up to the standard and not executing—a "back to work" mantra every week with the same angst, win or lose? A head coach who won two national championships as a player at Miami—who fully understands not just the challenge and responsibility of getting this right; but knowing the outside-noise is coming non-stop as the standard is the standard. Ro called it out; Hetherman knows the assignment—disguise the rotations, break the tendencies, reconsider who you’re asking to cover whom—and get guys executing when they ARE in position to fucking do something about it. None of this guarantees a fix—and as last year proved, it all needs to go your way just to make the playoffs, stack some win and reach a title game—which is why you simplify it all with "1-0 every week" and this relentless "back to work" quest that never ends. Many of us have said it for weeks now; at any time over the past two decades, Miami loses that game at Wake Forest ... loses that game to Florida State ... and especially would've lost this showdown at North Carolina; this back and forth road battle where the difference was pretty much the Tar Heels holding the Canes to three before the half an then #MarquiseLightfoot getting is strip-sack that #JustinScott recovered. Is a portion of this base so jaded that they can't take anything good from Miami finding way to dig deep and get a comeback win in a house of horrors; losing seven of the last ten in Chapel Hill before Halloween night—where even the three wins (2011, 2013, 2017) were all dogfights—while North Carolina rode a five-game win-streak into the rivalry? I get it; a lot of the jaded fans talked their shit on Facebook all week that Miami would roll 45-17, so when it's a 38-35 squeaker, you're dealing with shit-talking rivals and the embarrassment causes this whole get-out-in-front-of-it, wake-up-call energy in these social groups to mitigate damage. At some point, don't y'all look across the college football landscape this season and see that it's a wild year, with no true juggernaut—a bunch of conference teams beating up on each other, where traditional powers go down every week? Does it not open your eyes a bit when you see an average Auburn team—3-2 at the time, with losses to Florida and Tennessee—rolls into Athens to upset No. 1 Georgia, only to lose back to back games against LSU and Ole Miss, falling to .500 and losing three of their last four? No. 8 BYU upsets No. 2 Notre Dame in Provo ... only to go to Orlando to get bounced in overtime by Central Florida ... and then a week later the Knights got on the road to get wrecked 41-9 by a Baylor team in their first game with an interim head coach? No. 2 Ohio State loses #JulianSayin—yet somehow their defense takes the biggest hit and gets rolled by double-digits at Southern Cal, giving up 69- and 70-yard video game-like touchdowns? No. 8 Kentucky is hot shit right now, but we're going to ignore them getting rolled up 45-17 by Alabama? The same Crimson Tide who let Florida State ring them up for 36 points while #AshtonDaniels carved them up for 377 passing yards—but when he goes for 298 at Miami it's sound-the-alarm time for the Canes' defense? At what point do we look at college football for what it's become; a game of parity and a dozen one-game seasons en route to a conference title game and playoffs? What happened one week doesn't dictate the next and the transitive-property game fans love to play; we're seeing week-in and week-out right now just how that has never mattered less. I really don't give a shit if other fans have full faith or zero confidence in this defense week-to-week, but you have a coaching staff—and specifically a head coach—who understands the assignment and who won't be out-worked trying to solve these issues. Miami had three timely second-half sacks on Saturday night, including Lightfoot’s strip sack when the defense desperately needed a play—forcing the game's only turnover—and what about Dawson's offense continuing to answer, creating opportunity after opportunity? Weren't we all just bitching about this offensive line, a well as how the fourth year coordinator sort of disappeared late at Wake Forest? We can trash him for that, but not showing up and out big again #BillBelichick squad, while trading blows with Petrino all night? Sometimes the offense has to carry you. You’re allowed to win those games, too. And what about only three penalties for 30 yards after hearing all week about how penalized this team is and how a penalty-heavy night would've been a disaster on the road? Long story longer, there’s too much parity in college football to treat every conference dogfight as evidence that your season is a fraud. The other sideline has players, the ACC has good coaches and they both have week’s worth of film on you—Wake Forest, Florida State and North Carolina all threw the kitchen sink at Miami trying to win, too—but the Canes prevailed in all three cases. Miami has a final regular-season month to improve while continuing to win. Earn a top-four seed and its first playoff game is nearly two months away. Fans can demand better defense without pretending the November version is all this team can ever be—again, look at November 1st and the emotions after losing at SMU versus where things landed two months later when Miami was taking on Ohio State in the Cotton Bowl, between that road win at Texas A&M and the Fiesta Bowl shootout with Ole Miss. Months ago, many of those bitching today were ready to give Hetherman needed a lifetime contract. Now it's "For Sale" signs in the yard and a moving truck. The defense needs more consistency? Sure. But so do a lot of you.

Miami defensive end Marquise Lightfoot was named the ACC Defensive Lineman of the Week. He had seven tackles, two sacks and a crucial forced fumble against UNC.

How quickly you forget the team that kicked your ass in the natty last year. I guess the booming metropolis of Bloomington, IU has that big city market appeal?

FSU will be easily the best job opening available this cycle.

More here on Mike Norvell getting fired today. In the end, the Noles simply did not win enough games. espn.com/college-football/st…

‘Fundraiser’…in other words a really big silent auction and a massive 50/50. Perhaps a few Bonefish Grill gift cards.

BREAKING: Florida State has fired head football coach Mike Norvell, @PeteNakos reports. on3.com/news/florida-state-f…

@OrangeBowlBoys @Romancane Broke down last night’s defense as good as you’ll ever see it youtu.be/Dq2gGA2DxMk?is=hA8I…

All jokes aside it’s confirm he said “ I should’ve gone to Miami”

how many times does Lightfoot drop into coverage

There’s a lot of doom & gloom on the D today. But I thought yesterday was a huge tip of the cap to Petrino. He was peak. The part that’s worrisome is the DL’s inconsistency winning 1v1. Wilson and Lightfoot have taken over in stretches. This team needs them to do it every week.