From: reiher@ficus.cs.ucla.edu (Peter Reiher)
Subject: Re: Some thoughts on the Sugar Bowl from a Miami fan
Organization: UCLA Computer Science Department
Date: Tue, 5 Jan 93 17:52:33 GMT

In article <448@rd1.interlan.com> tonyf@rm1.interlan.com (Tony Fernandez) writes:
>Some thoughts on the Sugar Bowl from a Miami fan:

>I hope no more Miami quaterbacks win the Heisman.  However, a lot of the
>comments in the net I have seen on Gino seem completely uncalled for. 
>Whether or not he is a good pro prospect or how he performs in the NFL is
>completely irrelevant to the Heisman.  

While prospective NFL performance has nothing to do with deserving
the Heisman, I think Gino deserves the heat he's getting.  His Heisman
win was rather dubious before the Sugar Bowl.  He wasn't close to the
top rated quarterback of the year.  Miami's success seemed to be based
more on killer defense than outstanding offense.  Miami's toughest games
of the year were not won due to Toretta, and, in fact, his performances in
those games were lackluster, at best.  He got his best numbers and had
his best days against the weaker teams on Miami's schedule.  The only
argument for Toretta was that he was a leader, that his force of
personality, or example, or whatever, was integral in getting the Hurricanes
to win.  

Well, that personality, example, or whatever wasn't on display in the
Sugar Bowl.  Even leaving aside the three interceptions, his numbers for
the day were pretty bad.  The only moment when Miami looked like it might
pull together was after the punt return, not when Toretta took a gut check
and drove the team down the field in a brilliant performance.  (Which a
Heisman Trophy winning quarterback should do, even if he can't manage to
win the game - Toretta never even came close to doing this.)  In Miami's
most important game of the year (or second most important, if you believe
the Florida State game was bigger), the supposed field general looked 
dazed and out of place.  *That's* why Toretta is getting heat, and I think
he deserves it.  After the Sugar Bowl, a game that certainly is relevant
to whether Toretta deserved the Heisman, Gino looked like anything but
the best college player in the country.

>There is no doubt about it, they way to beat Miami is to force them to
>commit a lot of turnovers.  Only BYU has been able to beat Miami in the
>recent past without the help from several Miami turnovers.

Alabama was running very effectively against Miami in the Sugar Bowl.
It looked to me like they could have gotten a couple of touchdowns 
against the Hurricanes even without the turnovers.  It didn't look to me
like Miami's offense had a prayer of getting more than one touchdown
against the Tide.  I think if you throw the turnovers away, Alabama still
wins that game.

>Well, Bama fans, enjoy your championship.  Miami will be playing for #1
>again next year, will you?

Is it not the case that Miami is losing more starters to graduation than
Alabama?  Aren't all of Miami's starting linebackers this year 5th year
seniors?  You're graduating your starting quarterback, too, and who knows
what next year's will look like.  Miami's schedule isn't getting any easier,
either.  I wouldn't say it's a given that Miami is more likely to end up
#1 next year than Alabama.

-- 
		Peter Reiher
		reiher@wells.cs.ucla.edu

Newsgroups: rec.sport.football.college