So Clive Walford just caught an easy touchdown against FSU. As to why they can’t be going to Clive Walford all day every game is besides me. The guy is huge. Throw that man the damn ball Jacory.

Miami was defeated by an undersized Maryland Terrapins monday night 32-24. It was a tough loss because despite playing without 5 starters on defense and 2 starters on offense the Miami Hurricanes were in the game the entire way holding the fast paced Maryland quick offense to only 32 points. The Miami offense which was suprisingly poor at times had numerous chances to win the game but had 4 turnovers which cost Miami 14 pts and ultimately the game. Next week is a bye and the following week is the season opener against a tough Ohio State team who won 42-0 versus Akron. While the loss hurts Miami will have 6 of the 8 starters back that were out against Ohio State.

Its gonna be rainy its be be ugly. Miami Hurricanes who were 5 point favorites before the suspension are now 4 point underdogs. There forcasting very bad heavy rain. That does not bold well for Miami due to alot of defensive players out. Miami will need to produce big on offense in order to hang with Maryland.

The ESPN hammer has come down…but it coulda been worse. The U will be without Jacory Harris and 4 defensive lineman for the Terps game. Fortunately, most of the suspensions are for 1 game, and most everyone will be back for the Ohio State game.

The fate of up to 13 Miami players is now in the hands of the NCAA.

Miami coach Al Golden said Friday that the university has asked the NCAA to decide the eligibility of a number of football players — up to 13, a source told ESPN.com’s Heather Dinich — who are believed to have committed violations in dealings with former booster Nevin Shapiro.

The stakes couldn’t be higher. Soon, those players deemed ineligible by the university will know when, or if, they will play for Miami this season.
“We’ve done our part,” Golden said. “We’re waiting.”
The NCAA’s decision is expected early next week, and it will shape the season for the Hurricanes. Some of Miami’s top players are implicated in the scandal, including quarterback Jacory Harris, linebacker Sean Spence and receiver Travis Benjamin. Miami declared the players ineligible in what’s described as a procedural move.

When a player is found to have committed a violation, that player must be declared ineligible by the university — a necessary step before the NCAA can decide if the athlete should be reinstated.
Except it’s not just like any other season. At least, it hasn’t been since the Shapiro scandal exploded. And this part of the process will be brutal for Miami because the Sept. 5 prime-time opener at Maryland is drawing ever closer.

“They’re eligible to practice,” Golden said Friday. “We have filed paperwork to the NCAA as of late last night, which is part of the normal process. … The only entity that can reinstate them is the NCAA.”

Sanctions could include sitting out games, having to repay any money accepted or both. Miami has asked for an expedited ruling, a request the NCAA typically complies with.

“They’re still here,” offensive lineman Brandon Washington said Friday, speaking about the implicated group. “They’re team guys.”

The NCAA will announce any reinstatement decision, and there is precedent suggesting the governing body may move swiftly. When Auburn ruled eventual Heisman Trophy winner Cam Newton — who was dogged by a pay-for-play scandal — ineligible during the week leading up to last year’s SEC championship game, the NCAA reinstated him without conditions a day later.
Golden expects to have his depth chart for the Maryland game completed for release by Tuesday, though the names listed would still be subject to change. The team is working through a number of scenarios, because no one can say with any certainty which mix of players will be available to join the Hurricanes for the trip to play the Terrapins.

“We’ll fight through this,” Golden said. “Hurricanes always have.”

Being declared ineligible now doesn’t necessarily mean a player would miss any time this season. Golden said he wasn’t allowed to discuss specifics about the players who have been declared ineligible.

“It’s an ongoing investigation,” Golden said. “I’m not allowed to comment on that. Again, we’ve been most respectful to the process here from the NCAA and been extremely cooperative, so I’m not going to deviate from that path right now.”

Besides Harris, Spence and Benjamin, the other football players named by Shapiro for an article published by Yahoo! Sports on Aug. 16 are Vaughn Telemaque, Ray Ray Armstrong, Aldarius Johnson, Marcus Forston, Olivier Vernon, Marcus Robinson, Adewale Ojomo, Dyron Dye and JoJo Nicholas.

During the portion of practice open for viewing Friday, 10 of the 12 players implicated by Shapiro were on the field. Dye and Nicholas were not seen.

The reason for Dye’s absence was unknown. Nicholas is dealing with the recent death of his child, born prematurely.

Shapiro is a convicted Ponzi scheme architect serving a 20-year prison sentence for bilking $930 million from investors. He was a Miami booster for much of the past decade and says he provided dozens of Hurricanes, and some recruits who went elsewhere, with extra benefits such as cash, gifts, cars and even prostitutes at times from 2002 through 2010.

Golden has said several times since the story broke that 90 percent of his team, and his coaching staff, are not implicated in the scandal — which makes it possible to think solely about the challenge of getting ready for Maryland.
Figueroa said he has no doubt that Miami will be able to concentrate in the days ahead on the game plan for Maryland.

Former Hurricanes running back Tyrone Moss told Local 10 he did not accept a $1,000 payment from former booster Nevin Shapiro, who’s at the center of an NCAA investigation into the Miami football program.

Moss was one of dozens of Hurricanes players named by Shapiro in an investigation by Yahoo! Sports, which triggered a probe at the school.

Shapiro alleged he provided a handful of extra benefits to Moss during his career with the Hurricanes, including a $1,000 cash payment on his first meeting with Moss and entertainment on Shapiro’s $1.6 million yacht.

Moss told Local 10 “I wanted to clear the air and let everyone know I’ve never received 1,000 dollars from Nevin Shapiro. Nor have I ever been on his boat or anything like that. Someone has taken my name and tried to destroy my name. I have always been loyal to Miami. Miami is a great place. Miami has been good to my family and good to me. I had some of my best years at the University of Miami. I just wanted to clear the air and make a statement that I have never taken any money or been on any boat like that. For something like this to happen is just crazy.”

Moss added, “I don’t care how it was quoted, I don’t care how it was written or I don’t care how it was said. But just to let everyone know, I have never been involved with Nevin. I have no ties to Nevin. I have never taken any money from him, and I have never been on that guy’s boat. I just wanted to clear the air, because a lot of people around here are saying this, saying that. What did you say, what did you talk about? I haven’t talked to anybody. I have not had direct contact with anybody. I’m tired of the rumors and things like that. The last few days have been crazy around here for me. I just wanted to clear the air and let everyone know I Iove Miami. I went to school there and had 4 great years there. I would never bash Miami in any type of way or talk negative about Miami. Basically, he (Shapiro)wants attention. That’s all.”

“We stand by the story,” Yahoo! Sports managing editor for colleges and investigations Gerry Ahern told Local 10.

Former University of Miami cornerback Sam Shields isn’t talking. But his dad is plenty mad. And so are other parents.

Samuel Shields called the allegations by convicted felon Nevin Shapiro “a bunch of crap’’ Friday when reached by The Miami Herald, and criticized the university for not doing more to prevent Shapiro from infiltrating the Hurricanes program.

Shapiro alleged that he gave Shields’ son, Sam, now with the Green Bay Packers, a 42-inch Toshiba flat-screen TV, drinks and VIP access in nightclubs as well as food, drinks and entertainment at Shapiro’s $6 million Miami Beach mansion.

“It’s definitely bad for the school, and I know for the administration it should be even worse,” Samuel Shields said.

“He was a booster for, what, 10 years? The administration should have known a whole bunch of stuff, compliance should have known a whole bunch of stuff. If Sam sneezed over there they’d throw him out. They threw him under the bus so many times.”

On Thursday, Shields was briefly in the locker room and addressed the allegations to reporters.

“They contacted me,” Shields said of Yahoo! Sports. “But I just told them that I didn’t want to get into that right now. I’m just focusing on the Packers right now.”

His dad said he doubted his son took the TV.

“I doubt a 42-inch TV was in his dorm room,” he said.

Of Shapiro, Samuel Shields said, “That little guy needs to be where he’s at. And I hope he doesn’t run into any Miami fans in the penitentiary. He needs to be isolated.”

As for Sam, his father said he didn’t have time for such nonsense. “He’s working on another Super Bowl,” he said.

Former UM running back Graig Cooper, now with the Philadelphia Eagles, was alleged by Shapiro to have lodged on his $1.6 million yacht for four days in January of 2007 — the same time Cooper arrived in Miami from Milford (N.Y.) Prep.

Shapiro also said he provided food, drinks and entertainment for Cooper at Lucky Strike Lanes during the same month, and transportation in Shapiro’s car.

“If you come in town, enroll in school, meet some friends and they say, ‘Let’s go hang out at the bowling alley,’ nine out of 10 times you’re going to hang out with them,” said Cooper’s father, Tino Thomas. “How did he know my son? He didn’t because he had just arrived. Somebody had to bring Graig to him.

“The real question is, why isn’t anybody asking something about the president at the University of Miami? They have a picture of her taking money from him. I know it’s a donation, but she’s getting money in that same bowling alley.

“Everybody is caught up with the players and this and that. But the president was at that same bowling alley where a lot of stuff was going on. She should have known.

“These kids are 18 and 19 years old, but the one they needed to get off the field was [Nevin Shapiro]. He looked like a 35-year-old kid. I tell everybody, if somebody tries to do something for you, there’s always a price to pay, because in the long run they think you owe them.”

Former UM great Alonzo Highsmith, the father of safety A.J. Highsmith (who is not implicated), told The Miami Herald on Friday that he was considering suing the NCAA on behalf of parents.

“Here’s the issue I have with this whole thing,” Highsmith said. “In NCAA football, why do we punish so many people for the actions of a few? These athletic programs and football programs are people’s livelihoods. Kids commit to these colleges so they can get an education, win national championships and play in bowl games. And you’re going to take all of that away from them because of the actions of a few people?

“I question a lot of things in this Yahoo! investigation. My thing is, don’t show me pictures you took with kids. Don’t show me a receipt. Show me evidence. … You took some pictures with former players. So what?

“You know how many times these kids pose for pictures with random people on the street? You’re going to convict 80 other kids because of what happened five, six, seven years ago?

“They were in junior high when this was going on. Now they pay a price while everyone lives a good life?

Miami Hurricanes coach Al Golden says some of his players may have made mistakes that prompted an NCAA investigation into convicted Ponzi schemer Nevin Shapiro’s role with the program.

Golden, preparing for his first season with the Hurricanes, said he just became aware of the investigation into allegations that Shapiro gave more than a dozen former or current players gifts and services.

“We’re not going to let this knock us backward,” Golden said Tuesday before a morning practice. “We have great kids on this team to the extent that they may have made a mistake. OK, that’s fine. But that’s also part of growing up. What we have to teach them now is if something did occur, let’s be honest and move forward.”

NCAA investigators visited the campus Monday in the wake of Shapiro’s allegations that he provided players with the use of a yacht and other favors, said his attorney, Maria Elena Perez.

Shapiro and Perez have been talking with the NCAA about the matter for a couple of months and provided documentation, she said.

Golden said athletic director Shawn Eichorst and president Donna Shalala were meeting with investigators, but the coach didn’t expect to be included in those discussions.

“It’s hard for me to stand up here and defend something that occurred three, four, five, six years ago,” Golden said. “I don’t know the extent of it. We’re going to look at it. We’re disappointed, but we’re not discouraged.”

Shapiro’s relationship with the program dates back about a decade. Some of the alleged incidents occurred in the past four years, which would be within the NCAA’s statute of limitations regarding violations.

Miami officials said that when Shapiro first made his allegations nearly a year ago, he and his attorneys refused to provide any facts to the school.

“The university notified the NCAA enforcement officials of these allegations,” the school said in a statement. “We are fully cooperating with the NCAA and are conducting a joint investigation. The University of Miami takes these matters very seriously.”

Golden joined the Hurricanes in December after Randy Shannon was fired. Eichorst was hired as athletic director in April to replace Kirby Hocutt, who resigned to become athletic director at Texas Tech.

Golden said he emailed his team “every day this summer” about avoiding problems that recently hit other schools, and he specifically mentioned North Carolina, Georgia Tech and Ohio State. He said his players have a “Cane Code” reminding them about such issues.

“We’ve got to make sure the third parties stay away from our student-athletes,” Golden said.

Golden said his players were told about the investigation before practice Tuesday. He declined to make them available to the media.

“I didn’t think that would be fair to the kids,” he said. “I’m living day by day right now.”

Golden said he didn’t expect his 24 committed players for the upcoming signing class to waver in their commitments.

In June, when Shapiro was sentenced, the U.S. Attorney’s Office said he “used investor funds to make payments to dozens of student athletes who were attending a local university in the Miami area to which Shapiro made significant donations … cash in amounts up to $10,000 and gifts such as jewelry and entertainment at nightclubs and restaurants in Miami Beach. As a result of a 10-year gift to the university, its Student-Athlete Lounge was named for Shapiro.”

The University of Miami was not specifically mentioned in that release, but the school temporarily named its lounge for Shapiro. His name was removed in 2008 after the school said he did not follow his pledged donation-payment plan.

Among the creditors listed as those who are owed money by Shapiro’s company, Capitol Investments, are the university, the Miami Heat and former Wisconsin football coach Barry Alvarez, along with members of his family. Alvarez has a close relationship with Shalala, largely from her time at Wisconsin.

Court records show Shapiro was accused of owing the Heat $732,348.49 for courtside seats he promised to buy, almost $600,000 of which were for future seasons. Alvarez’s family has filed claims for at least $1 million. The Hurricanes have an outstanding claim of $40,000 on a deal for a skybox lease.

Shapiro said he gave away a 2006 Heat NBA championship ring to satisfy a debt, though he did not reveal in sworn statements how he obtained the ring that was given to hundreds of Heat staffers.

NCAA investigators visited the University of Miami campus Monday looking into claims that more than a dozen former or current football players received gifts and services from convicted Ponzi schemer Nevin Shapiro, his attorney said.

Shapiro has told the NCAA he provided players with the use of a yacht and other favors, said his attorney, Maria Elena Perez. Shapiro and Perez have been talking with the NCAA about the matter for a couple of months and provided documentation, she said.

Larry Coker, the Hurricanes’ coach from 2001 through 2006 who now holds the head coaching job at Texas-San Antonio, said he recognized Shapiro by name but wouldn’t be able to by face.

“If he walked up to me right now I wouldn’t know it,” Coker told ESPN’s Joe Schad. “He was ‘around the program.’ I certainly wasn’t aware of any improprieties. Now, when you look at college athletics today, would it surprise me if somebody gave gifts to players? No, it wouldn’t.”

Another former Miami coach, Randy Shannon, who was fired in November, had no comment when contacted by ESPN.

Shapiro’s relationship with the program dates back about a decade. Some of the alleged incidents occurred in the past four years, which would be within the NCAA’s statute of limitations regarding violations.

Shapiro, 42, was sentenced in June by a New Jersey federal judge to 20 years in prison for his role in an investment fraud scheme. He pleaded guilty to charges related to running a multistate Ponzi scheme that prosecutors say left more than 60 investors in Florida, Indiana and New Jersey with nearly $100 million in losses.

Perez said Shapiro had cooperated with bankruptcy and government officials to try to recover as much money as possible for his victims.

“During the course of this, things came up which resulted in the investigation, which is ongoing,” Perez said.

Shapiro was generous with his investors’ money, donating to athletic groups and charities and getting a student-athlete lounge named after him at Miami by donating $150,000. Shapiro’s name was removed from the lounge in 2008 after the school said he did not follow his pledged donation-payment plan.

Miami Hurricanes are looking extremely strong on both sides of the ball. The offense still has no starting QB because Jacory Harris and Stephen Morris are in a tight battle. The RB’S look extremely impressive and poised for an explosion in yards this season due to the talented offensive line. There are potentially 4 returning offensive lineman that could be 1st rounders next year. On the defensive side you have a solid linebacker core with Fortson as an all american on the d-line. We all know about the Sean Spence who could be the best player in college football this year. With 2 safeties Ray Ray Armstong and Vaughn Telemauque best combo in college football,the CANES are poised too have a huge year under new coach Al Golden. I am going out on a limb and gonna say now that the Miami Hurricanes will win the A.C.C and goto a B.C.S. GAME