Of all of the hype and hoopla coming into the Sun Bowl with Notre Dame and Miami, the one thing that actually pertained to the game itself that scared Irish fans, was the Miami secondary. This Hurricane team had the #2 ranked pass efficiency defense in the country coming into the bowl game. Tommy Rees was supposed to fall over and shit his gold pants at the mere sight of them and their front seven.
Things changed.
It was the Irish secondary that played the part of the dominant unit, and not the Canes. In particular, it was Harrison Smith, who had 3 interceptions in the first half. (Robert Blanton nabbed another to give the unit 4 total INT’s).
Most pundits will point to Jacory Harris and say that the Miami quarterback basically threw the game to the Irish, but you have to give credit to this unit- and this team for taking the opportunity and turning it into victory.
I’ll have much more in the ‘Hangover” post in a few days, but with most people talking about Floyd’s TD’s, Rees’ smart play, and the rushing attack- I thought it was necessary to point out that Harrison Smith, the player everyone was willing to sell down the river before the 2010 season, was one of the biggest reasons why the Irish won today, and the last 4 games of the season.
It was a plethora of interceptions. What is a “plethora” you might ask…
