Freshmen lead Miami to bowl eligibility

Nov 2, 2008 - 1:41 AM By Zachary Ingraham PA SportsTicker Staff Writer

The impact of Miami's freshman class is undeniable. They are good and, more importantly, they are winners.

The first-year players were at it again Saturday, leading the Hurricanes to a 24-17 overtime victory against Virginia.

The win made Miami bowl eligible and put the Hurricanes in position to win the ACC Coastal Division - a feat that seemed nearly impossible a month ago after they suffered back-to-back conference losses to North Carolina and Florida State.

Miami, which was trying to avenge an embarrassing 48-0 loss to the Cavaliers in the final game in the Orange Bowl last year, appeared to be headed for a loss and a virtual elimination from the ACC title hunt.

But then the freshmen took over.

The Hurricanes faced a 17-10 deficit before Jacory Harris, who rotates with fellow freshman quarterback Robert Marve, orchestrated a 95-yard drive.

"We had like five minutes left. I just knew that we had to play our ball," Harris said. "I knew I needed to go out there and make plays and make things happen by using my playmaking skills."

Harris overcame multiple false start penalties by an injury-depleted offensive line and capped the game-tying drive with a 26-yard TD pass to true freshman Laron Byrd with 55 seconds to play.

"(Harris) was just moving the ball," Miami second-year coach Randy Shannon said. "You know, if somebody's hot you go with it. Then we went into overtime and he was hot so we just went with it. That's just the way it is."

One of eight players plucked from Miami Northwestern High School this offseason, Harris wasn't through. He connected on a 9-yard scoring strike to former high school teammate Aldarius Johnson on the first possession of overtime.

"I can't get nervous because if I get nervous, it's like a compulsion," Harris said. "Our offensive line, receivers and running backs, they can see that.

"If they look into your eyes and see that you're scared, then they're going to be scared themselves. If you're nervous, just act like you're not nervous."

Virginia running back Cedric Peerman fumbled the ball back to the Hurricanes on the ensuing possession, securing Miami's fourth consecutive win.

"Unbelievable," Shannon said. "These guys came out and they never quit. They kept fighting, they kept trying to press on and every time we put ourselves in a bad situation with penalties, they found a way to get it done."

The current surge has helped Miami fans forget about last year's woeful 5-7 season, which culminated with four straight losses to end the campaign. The freshman are the main reason for the turnaround.

On top of rotating a pair of first-year players at quarterback, the Hurricanes have 14 more freshman on their two-deep depth chart. They are contributing on both sides of the ball.

Harris and Marve have combined for 1,618 passing yards and 19 total touchdowns with 13 interceptions. Harris, who is technically Marve's backup, also led Miami to a come-from-behind win against Duke on October 18.

Freshmen receivers Travis Benjamin, Aldarius Johnson, Thearon Collier, Bryd and Davon Johnson have combined for 65 receptions for 927 yards and 10 scores, which is far better than the production from the veteran wideouts.

On the defensive side, freshmen linebacker Sean Spence and defensive end Adewale Ojomo have solidified their spots in the starting lineup and continue to make plays each week.

Spence, who forced the game-clinching fumble Saturday, had an interception return for a touchdown against Florida State and Ojomo forced a critical fumble last Saturday against Wake Forest.

Freshmen Marcus Robinson and Marcus Forston are on the defensive line rotation, while true freshman Brandon Harris continues to improve at cornerback.

With these freshmen improving each week, the future looks bright for Miami.