8 Hurricanes face various suspensions in 2011

Nevin Shapiro in the jersey

Well, the 1st ripple of the Nevin Shapiro/University of Miami saga has already played itself out.

8 Current Miami players are facing various forms of suspension and repayment penalties per a release issued by the NCAA their ownselves.

Olivier Vernon will get the stiffest penaly, 6 games and repayment of the $1200 worth of benefits the NCAA determined he received.

Aravious Armstrong and Dyron Dye: 4 games and over $730 in repayments each. Vernon, Dye and Armstrong allegedly got their benefits while being recruited.

5 players got benefits while already there according to the NCAA: Marcus Fortson, Sean Ryan Spence, Adwale Ojomo, Travis Benjamin and Jacory Harris. All 5 of these guys will miss a game and repay anywhere from $140 to $400.

Read the entire NCAA release RIGHT HERE

It's pretty obvious the NCAA has a detailed account of many of things alleged by former Miami booster Nevin Shapiro. And they seem to have a lot of it already documented.

Quite honestly, the current 'Canes are getting off fairly easy, though Mr. Vernon may have a challenge paying off the $1200.

The question is where do they go next. These infractions unto themselves, while serious, aren't nearly as deadly as many of the older allegations. And those allegations will be the hardest to prove.

This isn't the end of this story...and it probably isn't even the mid-point. So stay tuned, hold on, because there is much, much more to come.

Canes Make 8 Ineligible For Maryland

Including QB Jacory Harris and LB Sean Spence...

And what this action does, really, is force the NCAA into a more immediate investigation into the eligibility (or lack thereof) of the athletes involved in the current Nevin Shapiro entanglement...

The HQ gets this gambit completely...

Auburn did the same thing with Cam Newton and forced the NCAA's hand into declaring him eligible. Miami is hoping the same thing will happen with their ineligibilities...

Is that a word...??? It is now...

Susan Miller Degnan's piece in the Miami Herald detailing everything is hyah...

Another five players, all believed to be footballers, were not declared ineligible because the school believes the value of the gift was less than $100.

Here's Al Golden having to answer questions about stuff he shouldn't have to answer...
((HT: WFOR-TV Miami))


The only downside to the whole reinstatement process is that the NCAA looks at each case individually, so Miami will have to wait. Golden was set to name all of his eligible players Tuesday as preparation for the game against Maryland...

UPDATE:

Here's Miami head coach Al Golden Friday morning before practice. (Thanks Canes All Access)

TWTW Bowling: Catholics Overtake Convicts In Sun Bowl- 20 Years Later

Tommy Rees passed for 201 yards and two TD's- both to a very tall Michael Floyd- and Notre Dame beat Miami 33-17 in the Sun Bowl. Brian Kelly becomes the first Irish coach to win a bowl game in his first season at the helm.

Notre Dame (now 8-5) scored on three of its first four possessions. Rees tossed TD passes of 3 and 34 yards to Floyd. Cierre Wood scored on a 34-yard run. David Ruffer added field goals from 40, 50 and 19 yards.

The Hurricanes (now 7-6) trailed 30-3 going into the fourth and the game wasn't really THAT close... and Jacory Harris threw three first-half interceptions to reinforce the idea that he, probably, shouldn't have started- eventhough no one else was able to start at QB.

Here's your highlights...
((HT: CBS/Youtube))

TWTW: Miami Badgered In Orlando

((HT: WSVN-TV, Miami))

Wisconsin got to carry the flag for the Big 10 COnference in Orlando against Miami. They pressured Canes QB Jacory Harris all night, sacked him five times, and held on to the ball for close to 40 minutes as they won the Champs Sports Bowl 20-14

John Clay had 121 yards rushing and two touchdowns for the Badgers- he also was the game MVP.

"Beating Miami validated our goals," Wisconsin center John Moffitt said. "We did what we set out to do at the start of the season, which was to finish strong."

Wiscsonsin finishes the season 10-3...

"It finishes the season, I know that," Badgers coach Bret Bielema said. "It made us have 10 wins, which doesn't happen all the time in college football. Made us win our bowl game, which didn't happen the last two years. Made us beat a ranked opponent, which hopefully will put us in a good spot in the rankings."

WSVN's Steve Shapiro has a taped highlight package for you...

TWTW: Again... Will Groh Go...??? UVa Loses To Miami 52-17

((HT: WCAV-TV/Charlottesville))

Miami outscored Virginia 28-0 in the second half on the way to a 52-17 win over the Cavaliers. Virginia has now lost three straight games.

The Cavaliers actually kept it close in the first half. After falling behind 24-10, Bill Schautz returned a blocked punt in the closing minutes of the first half to pull Virginia within seven points.

The Hurricanes scored touchdowns on their first three drives of the second half, putting the game away for good when Graig Cooper scored on a three yard run around the right side. Cooper finished with 152 yards on 18 carries for the Canes, who are now 7-2 on the season (4-2 ACC).

Quarterback Jacory Harris also had a productive day for Miami. He was 18-31 for 232 yards and two touchdowns.

Meanwhile, Virginia left much to be desired on offense. Quarterback Marc Verica was just 11-29 for 75 yards and an interception filling in for the injured Jameel Sewell.

The Cavaliers were outgained 515-149 in total yards of offense.
The Cavaliers fall to 3-6 on the season (2-3 ACC).

Virginia will try to bounce back next week with a home game against Boston College. Matt Parsons got to sit behind a desk while Marc Davis was in Miami...
Who won that bet...??? ((HT: Newsplex.com))


So again, we ask the question...
Is the University going to spring for the moving van first, or is Da Coach gonna...
Groh gotta go...

TWTW: Clemson Upsets 8th-Ranked Miami in OT 40-37

Kyle Parker threw a 26-yard touchdown pass to Jacoby Ford in overtime, giving Clemson a 40-37 win over No. 8 Miami on Saturday night.

Matt Bosher kicked a 22-yard field goal on Miami’s overtime possession, but on third-and-11, Parker’s third TD pass of the night gave the Tigers (4-3, 3-2 Atlantic Coast Conference) their first win over a ranked opponent in nine games—and dealt Miami’s ACC hopes a serious blow.

Jacory Harris threw for two touchdowns for Miami (5-2, 2-2), but also threw three interceptions.

Since the start of the 1985 season, Miami is 136-2 when scoring 34 or more points.

It was the third meeting of these teams since Miami joined the ACC; all three went to overtime, and all three have been won by the road team.

Here's your postgame from our friends at WSPA-TV in Grrenville...

TWTW: Da U Takes Out OU 21-20

((HT: CBSSports))

"It's our time," said linebacker Jordan Futch. "We are back. We are still The U."

Oklahoma's last trip to the Hurricanes' home field was last January, when it lost the BCS national championship game to Florida.

This one almost certainly ended any Sooners national title hopes, too. Landry Jones threw for 188 yards and DeMarco Murray and Chris Brown combined to rush for 151 more for Oklahoma (2-2).

"They made the plays down the stretch that made the difference," Oklahoma coach Bob Stoops said. "We couldn't come up with the plays to make it happen."

The biggest mental breakdown came on the pass that gave Miami the 21-10 lead. Travis Benjamin went downfield on an out-and-up route. The DB covering at the line of scrimmage bit on the out, and thought he was going to get help deep.

It wasn't there, and neither were the Sooners...

Berry Tramel and Jake Trotter offer their post-fight analysis
((HT: Newsok.com))

TWTW: Va Tech Brings Miami Back To Earth 31-7

((HT: WSVN-TV))

Jacory Harris planned to play it cool against Virginia Tech.

The 11th-ranked Hokies blew up that plan in about five minutes, harassing the Hurricanes' quarterback and dominating No. 9 Miami 31-7 in a downpour on Saturday.

Miami, ranked in the top 10 for the first since 2005, had a chance to take a commanding lead in the ACC's Coastal Division. Instead, Virginia Tech (3-1, 1-0 Atlantic Coast Conference), Miami's third consecutive ranked opponent, cooled of the Hurricanes.

Miami (2-1, 2-1) had given Harris all kinds of time in beating Florida State and Georgia Tech to start 2-0. The Hurricanes had a lot more trouble keeping the Hokies' pass rush off their star.

After saying this week he looked forward to playing in front of a hostile crowd, he fumbled as he was being sacked on his fifth play, setting up a Hokies touchdown, and his day never got much better.

Harris finished 9-for-25 for 150 yards and was sacked three times.
Here's your highlights thanks to ESPN/ABC and VT Playback
Sean McDonough has the calls...
((HT: ABC/ESPN))

TWTW: Florida State Ponders What Coulda Been...

((HT: WCTV/Tallahassee))

Ailing shoulder and all, Jacory Harris put on a show that Miami won't soon forget Monday night.

And the Hurricanes defense came up huge when it mattered most.

The sophomore quarterback threw for 386 yards -- including a 40-yard pass over double coverage to Travis Benjamin, setting up Graig Cooper's 3-yard touchdown run with 1:53 left -- and led the Hurricanes past No. 18 Florida State 38-34 in a wild, back-and-forth game on Monday night.

Florida State got to the Miami 2 with 14 seconds left. But Christian Ponder threw three straight incompletions, the last coming on a ball that Jarmon Fortson nearly caught in the end zone on the game's final play, and Miami escaped.

Here's your postgame wrap, thanks to our friends at WSVN-TV in Miami
Steve Shapiro has the highlights and post


Those of us at OSG HQ would really like to know two things:
1) Why in the blue hell is Ponder throwing to Fortson on three straight plays...???
2) Wasn't there a second left on the clock...???