Florida Marlins Rally and Beat the Canes

Every year the University Miami plays the Florida Marlins during Spring Training. This year the game took place at Roger Dean Stadium, in Jupiter. The Canes lost 12-7, for the second straight year, in the Tuesday afternoon exhibition game.

The Canes had 11 hits against the MLB team. The pitchers combined to strike out nine Marlins.

Trailing 9-7 going into the eighth inning, Joe Borchard of the Florida Marlins had a three-run home run, putting the Marlins ahead 12-7.

The Canes host Fordham this weekend for a three-game series.

Hurricane Scores 1,000th point on Senior Day

Even though the Miami Hurricanes women's basketball team lost their final regular season game, it was still a momentous day for one Cane.

Renee Taylor, senior guard, scored her 1,000 on a three-point shot against North Carolina Sate on Saturday afternoon.

Taylor, who scored 1,000 points in two seasons at UM, is the leading scorer in the ACC. She has become the 19th Hurricane to score 1,000 points and the sixth to accomplish it in two seasons.

Being the only Hurricane named to the All-ACC women's team, Taylor received 78 votes to earn a spot on the second team.

The Canes, seeded 11th in the ACC Women's Basketball Tournament, will play number six seeded Georgia Tech on Thursday.

For the complete list of pairings at the ACC Tournament, visit the Official Website of the Atlantic Coast Conference.

No. 11 Canes Continue to Win

The Canes who are 6-5 just finished a three-game series against the Elon Phoenix.

On Saturday, the Canes won 17-4 and won the game this afternoon 6-3.

This year's baseball team may be young, with only four seniors, but they are very talented.

There are still a lot of games left to be played this season, however the Canes are predicted to finish in the top 10 of the polls. Eleven games within the season, they are definitely on their way.

No March Madness for the Canes

March Madness is right around the corner, Selection Sunday is March 11, with the opening round starting on March 15.

Unfortunately, it does not look like the Canes will be invited to play in the tournament this year.

The Canes currently have a record of 10-16 and are 3-9 in conference play. The ACC is a very tough conference to play in and it is proven that the Canes can't handle.

The ACC standings (as of February 21)

1. North Carolina


2. Virgina


3. Boston College


4. Virginia Tech


5. Duke


6. Maryland


7. Clemson


8. Georgia Tech


9. Florida State


10. NC State


11. Wake Forest


12. Miami
    

Hey the basketball team may not be good, but the baseball team is ranked number five in the country! At least, Cane fans have something to look forward to before football season comes around.

Former Cane a Coach

Randy Shannon has completed the 2007 coaching staff with hiring two more coaches, Micheal Barrow and Wesley McGriff.

Barrow, the former Cane was at the U from 1989-1992 and an All-American in 1992. He will be returning to his alma mater to be the linebackers coach. He played in the NFL for 13 seasons as linebacker.

• Houston Oilers 1992-1996


• Carolina Panthers 1997-1999


• New York Giants 2000-2003


• Washington Redskins 2004


• Dallas Cowboys 2005

McGriff is considered to be one of the Big 12's top recruiters. At Baylor, he was the recruiting coordinator and cornerbacks coach. He will be a vital part to the Canes secondary, which is returning nine players.

2007 coaching staff

• Randy Shannon- head coach


• Patrick Nix- offensive coordinator


• Tim Walton- defensive coordinator


• Micheal Barrow- linebackers


• Clint Hurtt- defensive line


• Wesley McGriff- defensive backs


• Marquis Mosely- wide receivers


• Joe Pannunzio- tight ends/special teams


• Tommie Robinson- running backs


• Jeff Stoutland- offensive line
  

According to Hurricanesports, "We have great teachers on the coaching staff. They are energetic and will be able to assist and direct the players we have to better themselves on and off the field with a championship mentality," said Shannon.

New Running Backs Coach

Yet, again another new coach. Tommie Robinson was named the running backs coach by Coach Shannon.

Before the University of Memphis, Robinson was an assistant at Georgia Tech (2002-2005).

Robinson has been coaching football since 1986, where he started off at Woodham High School in Pensacola, Fla.

Robinson's coaching career

• 2006- Memphis (running backs)


• 2002-2005- Georgia Tech (wide receivers/tight ends)


• 2001- Oklahoma State (running backs)


• 1998-2000- Dallas Cowboys (offensive assistant)


• 1998- UNLV (running backs)


• 1994-1997- TCU (wide receivers)


• 1992-1993- Utah State (running backs)


• 1991- Arkansas (graduate assistant)


• 1987-1990- Central High School (Phenix City, Ala.)


• 1986-1987- Woodham High School (Pensacola, Fla.)

New Offensive Line Coach

Well, Randy Shannon is at it again...hiring another new coach for the Hurricanes. Jeff Stoutland was named the new offensive line coach. Stoutland replaces Mario Cristobal, who is the new head coach at Florida International University.

Stoutland, who has spent the past seven season at Michigan State University, has paved the way for the number five offense in 2005.

He will be a great asset to the football program. With all of the new coaches coming on board, this may be a great year in sight for the Canes.

For more career information on Stoutland, check out UM's athletic site.

"We're excited about this class"

Head coach Randy Shannon's first recruiting class is very talented. The 18 recruits include two U.S. Army All-Americans, one Parade All-American and one Florida's Mr. Football.

""We wanted high-quality people first and foremost. Second, we wanted solid student-athletes, players who will work in the classroom. We wanted big-time athletes, which is one thing this program has always had. That's how you win games. And we wanted winners from winning high school programs. We're excited about this class. From top to bottom we filled our needs. We will have a lot of competition this year," said Shannon.

Position breakdown

• Defensive Backs- five


• Wide Receivers- three


• Running Backs- three


• Offensive Line- three


• Defensive Line- one


• Quarterback- one


• Linebacker- one

The Canes stayed true to what they are known for, recruiting players from all across the country. This year, they have proven that statement.

Geographic breakdown

• Florida- nine


• Tennessee- two


• Texas/Colorado/Georgia/Mississippi/South Carolina/Nebraska- one

For a complete list of the recruits and their high school stats, visit Hurricanesports.

National Signing Day

In a previous post, I had written about Robert Marve committing to play at the University of Miami, well today on National Signing Day, it became official. Marve, along with 17 others from around the nation, signed to play football at the U.

While watching the coverage on ESPNU, the Canes were ranked fourth in the ACC in regards to recruiting. ESPN was looking at the quantity of players recruited, NOT quality. In my opinion, I believe that the Canes should have been definitely ranked higher in the ACC. This year's recruiting class is very strong, with a lot of talent.

According to ESPN, the Canes were ranked 16th in the pre-signing day polls. The top five teams prior to Signing Day were:

1. Florida



2. USC



3. Texas



4. South Carolina



5. Notre Dame

The Canes have 10 offensive starters and seven defensive starters returning next season.

In addition to signing Marve, the only quarterback in this year's recruiting class, the Canes signed nine offensive players and seven defensive players.

Overall, I think the Canes had a great Signing Day, and this is in major part of head coach, Randy Shannon. Shannon is well known around South Florida and has recruited five players from South Florida. Shannon has done a much better job at recruiting then former head coach, Larry Coker.

Some players who gave oral commitments to schools, decided to sign with the Canes. I think the program is going to be better sooner then fans have originally anticipated. This year's recruiting class proves to be very strong.

For a complete list of the signed recruits, visit Sun-Sentinel.

Starting Off on the Wrong Foot

Well this weekend put a damper on the Canes baseball team's hunt for the College World Series Title. The Canes opened the season with a three-game series against the Mercer Bears at Mark Light Field.

Friday under the lights, the Canes couldn't hold on to a 5-1 advantage and lost 6-5. On Saturday afternoon, the Canes looked to bounce back from the loss. Well, that was not the case.

It just seems like the Canes couldn't get it together, losing 8-5 against the Bears. Sunday's game was cancelled due to weather.

Starting off the season 0-2 is not a good sign, especially when are ranked number two in pre-season polls.

The third ranked Canes need to get their act together, as they will be hosting a three-game series against the 13th ranked UCLA Bruins, beginning Friday night at "The Light".

Devin Hester Sets Another Record

Former Miami Hurricane, Devin Hester, set another record in the Super Bowl tonight. It was the first time in Super Bowl history that a kickoff was returned for a touchdown. Hester ran the kickoff back for 92 yards.

Even though his team, the Chicago Bears, lost, Hester still played a vital part in the Bears' game. While watching the game on a big screen TV, I couldn't believe my eyes when I saw Hester running down the field.

Hester was not the only former Cane to have a play a part in the Super Bowl. Indianapolis Colts wide receiver, Reggie Wayne, caught a 53 yard pass from Peyton Manning, to put the Colts on the board. Wayne ended the game with two catches for a total of 61 yards and one touchdown.

Wayne and the Colts won the Super Bowl, however Hester set a Super Bowl record. Both players should be very proud of their performance.