Mike Harley blog: It's very frustrating, we don't like losing

WR Mike Harley will have a weekly blog all season at CaneSport.com. In this edition, Harley talks about the UNC game and its aftermath:

We’re just doing the little things right, trying to finish. Main thing is to finish, finish strong. I’m trying to finish. Just not get caught up - we just ran out of time. It’s a lesson we learned. A loss, on to the next one.

It’s very frustrating. We don’t like losing, are trying our best to prevent it every week.

How we’re built, the team is very good battling adversity. We have to just come out and start fast and just win, be a fast-starting offense and defense, win the first two quarters. As you see, we’re a second half team. If we just come out attacking, winning from the jump we won’t have any problems.

I don’t know why we’re not starting fast. Everybody was ready. Things happen, it’s football. Can’t answer that one. It’s college football.

The preparation for the game was good. We had two weeks off trained hard, really hard. Had a good game plan, didn’t come out successful. We lost by three. Just watching film - shoulda, coulda would have been a different ball game. We all learn from it. The game was lost throughout the whole game. There were missed opportunities from an offensive standpoint. Just missed opportunities, that’s it.

We were mor attack mode the second half, we came out and ran at them, just basically let it all loose the second half honestly. I wouldn’t even say the team was too tight the first half, just we weren’t letting everything out, just playing conservative. I don’t know why, that’s just my feel, my opinion. Not letting it rip from the beginning. We have to let loose and play football like when we’re 5 years old and everything will be fine. Everybody is just conservative and uptight.

Everybody wanted it bad. I wanted it too. But you know, just how some people approach some things nowadays, I guess. It’s out of my control. A little frustration, senior year just ahh. Doing our best to finish out, win out, see what God has next. This is it for me. It is what it is. I did my time. I know God has bigger plans, so I’m trusting his process to get me through it.

In the end a loss is a loss. We’re going to build on it, but life is greater than just the game of football, so I just know my brothers aren’t going to give up and I’m not going to give up either. Just moving forward I see what type of team we have, which is a good thing. I’m not worried about a loss, it is what it is. Win out, you never know where God can put us. We learn from the mistakes and apply it to the next week. Beat NC State, probably the No. 1 team in the conference, the best team in the conference to me. It’s a good game, good battle I’m looking forward to.

Watched a lot of film on them, they’re nice, talented. A lot of guys came back as well, guys that didn’t play against us last year due to injury are starting now. Yeah, man, they’re talented. We just have to bring our `A’ game.

I do graduate Dec. 17 with a liberal arts, sociology degree. I know the NFL will work out, but I have some plugs, am well connected. Blake James helped me out, a lot of people helped me out in the office. I’m on my P’s and Q’s.

For an older guy, you look to the future. But I just live in the moment. There’s a reason this is happening. We control what we can control, but there’s a reason this is happening. God is going to bring everybody in this locker room, in this situation out of it. Probably for the better, everything is for the better. I don’t really look into the future because I know I’ll get through the door. It’s already written. God already has it written, so I’m good. I’m 10 toes, just smile through it all.

My belief does help me, I stand on that 100 percent. That’s with me growing up, coming up every day. Last year, my freshman year, even in high school. Things I can control, I try my best to control it. Everything out of my control, hey God has the last say-so.

I control what I do, how I can come to the building after a loss, after the win, be a leader, how I can be catching the ball, little things I can control. Things I can’t control, it is what it is. Things going bad, you see who the true leaders are. Things going good everything is good. I’m going to stay solid regardless.

Just push through it, we still have six games left. I tell the freshmen and sophomores, `You all have another two or three years here. I have six games.’ So it’s take advantage of that, don’t waste your time, don’t even think about next yewar. Try to help me and the other seniors come out with a win, things like that. I try to be that positive light every week, day in and day out.

I care, and what I can do these six weeks I’ll try to make something happen. I control things I can control.

I don’t know why we came out so slow. Just looking at it we really weren’t in attack mode. That first drive North Carolina had some things drawn up, the defense was adjusting. They score, we went a little three and out, came back a pick-six. So it was an up and down game, man. We just adjusted late. But I feel it’s going to click for us.

I was just thinking `Make every play.’ Tyler fast tempo, told him that first huddle `Play smart. Don’t see anything, don’t force it. just play your game, man. Just give us shots. You see one on one, take a chance, a shot.’ We’re moving, we’re moving. Tyler scrambles, hits Rambo on the checkdown, hits Key`Shawn on the checkdown. Everything we’re doing is positive. When it came down to the last play, linebacker tipped the ball. I was all the way in the end zone, am just looking at our guys are fighting for the ball, trying to knock it down. I was on the right side with Rambo on the right side, I had vertical clear route and he was basically wide open on the slant route. Ball just got tipped, and I was thinking `Man.’ Carolina came down with the ball.

It was heartbreaking. Knowing a guy like Tyler Van Dyke, a freshman gets thrown in the fire. Coming back to back weeks with the last-second type of thing, showing how tough he fought. He could have gave in, man. It’s hard playing quarterback. A lot of people criticize him, it’s hard playing quarterback. A lot of people can’t do what he does. Looking at him, knowing it’s my senior year, looking at Tyler it even hurt me more: Man, this guy is giving his all about there. He’s going to get it right, is going to be fine in the future.

I felt bad. I talked to coach Likens and he cheered my day up. You know me, I felt bad. Coach Likens, he said God is in control of everything, just life is bigger than football. `You’re going to learn from it, bro,’ and encouraging words. That’s what made me feel better. Coach Likens, it’s positivity in our receivers room every day. Day in, day out. Bad day, a win or loss, always positivity. Always. Every Sunday. That’s why I look forward to coming in even a day after I played bad or a game I played great. Coming in and listen to coach Likens, learn from him. Him putting things in perspective, life and things, make us wash everything away and just move on. He says stay to the course, keep pushing, keep fighting. He doesn’t have to say an incredible speech to me - I already know what time it is, I’m a strong believer in God. He says it to me and in general - very strong beliefs for both of us. Coach Likens, he’s powerful, a strong dude.

Players need their coaches. You can’t get through the storm by yourself. You’re going to need somebody. I feel our coaches have been doing a good job keeping us positive, keeping everybody’s heads up and positive getting through the season and just trying to win.

We were ready. Coach Feeley told us North Carolina, they were talking to him at the game like `All our guys are in the tank, about to give up.’ We had the wheel of he car. But when that last play happened they were shocked themselves. A lot of teams it’s all mentals. Teams know Miami is really good, we just have to put it all together.

We have to just finish, man. Just finish it off. I don’t think anybody has that quitting mentality here, honestly.

I feel this conference is a tricky conference honestly. The ACC, it’s college football, you never know what to expect. The well prepared team will come out with the win at the end of the day. That’s how I feel.

You have teams with talent, teams with no talent, with good coaching or good scheme, things like that. It’s college football.

It’s a mind thing, too. I come in, domination every time I play, every time I step on the field: `I’m going to dominate whoever is in front of me.’ I know we can dominate this team, but we have to have everybody on board to have that confidence like that. It’s kind of like a mind thing.

Just win. It’s college football, you never know what to expect. Come out and win. Put on like we did last year in the 44-41 win. We know what kind of team we’ve got. Get in attack mode from the jump, that’s all.

I think we’re as good as anyone in the ACC. I’ve played in the conference for five years. We went undefeated at 10-0 to start one year, 8-1 to start last year. It’s all a mental thing, honestly. I remember coach Richt telling us my freshman year, the team that turns the ball over less or does the little things right is always going to come out on top whether by one point, three points or a touchdown. The team that does it right will come out on top.