March Madness CaneSport Style: Round 1, Games 1-4
Who says there is not gonna be March Madness?
We can't let the coronavirus take away March Madness.
So CaneSport has created its own tournament.
Miami Hurricane style.
Welcome to Round 1 with a field of 64 contenders aiming to be the national champion of Hurricane lore.
Over the the next couple weeks, we will eliminate the pretenders down to the Round of 32, the Sweet 16, the Elite 8, the Final Four and then the championship.
The subscribers at CaneSport.com will have the voting power on the message boards of CaneSport.com.
Who or what will emerge as the greatest Cane of all.
The coming days will provide the answer.
We begin today with the first four "games" of week 1. We will introduce four new games each day for the next eight days.
So get your votes in in the threads in the War Room message board and may the winners advance
Then we will move onward to the next round until we crown a champion.
ROUND OF 64
GAME 1. JIM KELLY VS. KEN DORSEY: More impactful Cane QB
THE CASE FOR KELLY: Jim Kelly began the "Quarterback U" tradition at Miami. In his first college start he led Miami to a 26-10 upset at Penn State, and two years later he beat that same team, then ranked No. 1 in the nation, at the Orange Bowl, 17-14. Kelly led UM to its first bowl appearance in 14 years that same season, getting Peach Bowl MVP honors. He finished his career throwing for 5,233 yards and 32 touchdowns and was the 14th pick of the first round of the NFL Draft in 1983. He chose to play his first two years as a pro in the USFL, but then went on to star with the Buffalo Bills, leading the team to four consecutive Super Bowl appearances and becoming a five-time Pro-Bowler.
THE CASE FOR DORSEY: Dorsey is the winningest quarterback in Miami history with a 38-2 record as a starter. in his career, he threw for 9,565 yards with 86 TDs, and he won the Maxwell Award in 2001 after leading the team to its fifth national title. He also led the team to the national title game the following year, and was a Heisman Trophy finalist both seasons. Dorsey was a seventh round NFL Draft pick of the 49ers in 2003, spending six years as a backup in the league.
GAME 2. GINO TORRETTA VS. VINNY TESTAVERDE: More impactful Cane Heisman winner
THE CASE FOR TORRETTA: Torretta won the Heisman Trophy in 1992, also winning the Maxwell Award, Davey O'Brien Award and Unitas Award. He dominated the Heisman voting, beating out San Diego State's Marshall Faulk and Georgia's Garrison Hearst after throwing for 3,060 yards with 19 touchdowns and seven interceptions. Torretta finished his career throwing for 7,690 yards with 47 TDs and also had a string of 123 consecutive pass attempts without an interception. He finished 26-1 as a starter and helped the Hurricanes win a national title in 1991 with 20 TD passes vs. eight INTs. A seventh round NFL draft pick, his career spanned five years and as many teams.
THE CASE FOR TESTAVERDE: Testaverde was the first player in Cane history to win the Heisman Trophy, taking it home in 1986. When he finished his career he ranked second in school history in passing yardage (6,058), tied with Steve Walsh for first in touchdown passes (48) and fourth in pass completions (413). He threw 25 INTs in his career and led the Hurricanes to the 1986 national title game. In addition to winning the Heisman, he also won the Davey O'Brien Award, the Walter Camp Player of the Year Award and the Maxwell Award. As a starter he had a 21-1 regular season record over two years. Testaverde was selected with the first pick in the 1987 NFL draft by the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and played on several other NFL teams during his long and successful pro career.
GAME 3. CLINTON PORTIS VS. EDGERRIN JAMES: More impactful Cane RB
THE CASE FOR PORTIS: Portis brought razzle dazzle on and off the field for the Hurricanes, with plenty of charisma. As a freshman in 1999 he set a UM freshman record by recording five 100-yard rushing games on his way to leading the team with 838 yards on 220 attempts, a six-yard per carry average, and scoring eight touchdowns. The 2001 season saw Portis as the established starter and he had 1,304 yards on 240 carries (5.4 avg) and 11 touchdowns. He highlighted the season with 104 yards on 20 carries and a 39-yard touchdown run in the 2002 Rose Bowl National Championship game against Nebraska. For his career, Clinton rushed for 2,523 yards on 440 carries with 21 TDs and he is tied with Edgerrin James for the school record with 14 career 100-yard rushing games. Drafted by the Denver Broncos as the 51st overall pick of the 2002 NFL Draft, Portis ended his NFL career with just under 10,000 yards rushing.
THE CASE FOR JAMES: James is the only Hurricane running back to post consecutive 1000+ rushing seasons and has 2,960 career yards and 32 rushing touchdowns (tied for second most in UM history) despite starting only 17 games. He had 12 multi-touchdown games in his career and his 1,416 yards rushing in 1998 which was the most at that time of any Miami back. His 17 touchdowns that year shattered Eddie Dunn's 60-year old school record of 14 touchdowns in 1938. He also enjoyed a school record 299 yards on 39 carries performance in a 49-42 upset victory over No. 2 UCLA in the Orange Bowl in 1998. James was drafted in the first round (4th overall) of the 1999 NFL draft by the Indianapolis Colts and had 12,246 career rush yards in the NFL.
GAME 4. ALONZO HIGHSMITH VS. OTTIS ANDERSON: More Impactful Cane RB
THE CASE FOR HIGHSMITH: Highsmith was in Cane news this past cycle as a potential Chief of Staff hire, and his legend was built as an explosive fullback and offensive leader at UM from 1983 to 1986. Highsmith finished his UM career with 1,914 yards, ranking third in school history and 2,935 all-purpose yards, the fifth highest total for a Hurricane. He also scored 25 career touchdowns, tied for fourth place all-time at UM.Originally from Miami, the former Columbus High School standout recorded five 100-yard rushing games, tying for the second highest total in Canes history, and rushed for a team high 50 yards and one touchdown in the 1984 Orange Bowl as Miami captured its first national championship. Highsmith was selected in the first round, third pick overall, in the 1987 NFL draft and went on to a five-year career with the Houston Oilers and Dallas Cowboys.
THE CASE FOR ANDERSON: Anderson established himself as the best runner in the history of the school by the time he was done at UM in 1978. He became the first player in the school's history to rush for over 1,000 yards in a single season, with 1,266 in 1978, and in his career he had 3,331 rushing yards and 4,265 all-purpose yards. Anderson had 13 100-yard games and also returned kickoffs, including a pair of 100-yard returns. In 1978 he set UM records for 100 yard rushing games with 8 in 11 games, consecutive 100 yard games with four, and carries in a single game with 39. Anderson was a first round pick in the 1979 NFL draft by the St. Louis Cardinals, and during 14 years in the NFL he had 10,273 career rushing yards and 86 touchdowns. He was a Pro Bowl selection in 1979 and 1980.
