2007 Miami Hurricanes football team

The 2007 Miami Hurricanes football team was Randy Shannon's first as head coach of his alma mater. It also marked the last year that Miami played its home games in the Miami Orange Bowl. Miami was 5–7 for the season.

Changes
The 2006 season saw Miami finish with a 7–6 record, their worst since 1997's 5–6 campaign. Former head coach Larry Coker was fired, after continuous regression following a national championship his first season in 2001. Following a brief coaching search, UM decided on Randy Shannon, previously the team's defensive coordinator.

Since his hiring, Shannon has made several reforms. He has banned firearms, declaring any player carrying one will be dismissed from the team and the school. He also banned the use of cell phones during class, and anyone caught with them will lose them for two weeks. Further, he requires players maintain a 2.5 grade point average in order to live off campus, and any player who skips class faces extra conditioning as well as demotion on the depth chart. On July 24, Shannon announced to the press that the Hurricanes were stripping the names on the back of their jerseys for the 2007 season, which is highly unusual in Division I football. The Miami Herald then somewhat labeled Miami a "no name offense and defense," but the label has become more applicable as Miami progressed through an unimpressive 2007 season.

Shannon has also cleaned house with his coaching staff, with six new assistants in the program, headlined by offensive coordinator Patrick Nix, who held the same position in 2006 with Georgia Tech.

During meetings with the ACC media, Shannon boldly stated he believes Miami can bounce back and win the ACC, saying "I don't expect anything less."

Recruiting Class of 2007
In the pre-season, ESPN listed incoming running back Graig Cooper as one of the top-10 impact freshman for 2007.

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Pre-season
Miami began the 2007 season unranked for the first time since 1998.

Three Hurricanes were selected to the ACC Pre-Season team: Senior G Derrick Morse, Junior DE Calais Campbell, and Junior S Kenny Phillips.

On August 28, 2007, Head Coach Randy Shannon named Kirby Freeman the starting quarterback over Kyle Wright for the season-opening game against Marshall.

Schedule
The schedule was ranked as the #7 toughest road schedule.

After this season, the Hurricanes moved their home games from Orange Bowl Stadium to nearby Miami Gardens and Dolphin Stadium. The Orange Bowl had served seven decades as the home of Miami (Florida) football.

Marshall (1–0)
Pregame Line: Miami -18.5

Miami easily defeated Marshall in Randy Shannon's debut game, which was also the first-ever meeting of the two teams.

The running backs provided the majority of the Hurricanes' offense, as sophomore Javarris James and true freshman Graig Cooper combined for 215 yards on the ground with James scoring two touchdowns. Starting quarterback Kirby Freeman completed only 9 of 21 passes for 86 yards, but was praised by Shannon for "controlling the game." Also, wide receiver Sam Shields sat out the game for violating team rules.

Defensively, Miami made four interceptions, six sacks, and held Marshall to only 51 rushing yards.

Following the win, James said, "We started off this year with a bang and hopefully we can continue."

#6 Oklahoma (1–1)
Pregame Line: Miami +11.5

The last time the Sooners and the Hurricanes met was in the 1987 Orange Bowl. Miami won 20–14 and earned its second national championship. The Sooners are 27–5 against current ACC members with three of those losses to the Hurricanes. The Sooners entered the game favored by between 10 to 11 points.

The Hurricanes were within one score halfway into the third quarter, before the game, nationally televised on ABC, became a blowout for the Sooners. The Oklahoma defense was able to limit James and Cooper to a combined 54 yards. Freeman went 3 of 9 for only 17 yards before being benched in favor of former starter Kyle Wright, who led the Hurricanes on their only touchdown drive and completed 7 of 14 for 65 yards. Miami's defense was able to contain the Sooners, going into halftime with a 21–10 deficit, and scoring a field goal early in the third quarter to pull as close as 21–13, but Oklahoma quarterback Sam Bradford launched an aerial attack that couldn't be stopped, going 19 of 25 for 205 yards and 5 touchdowns. The loss was Miami's most lopsided since 1998, when they were routed by Syracuse 66–13.

Florida International (2–1)
Pregame Line: Miami -31.5

Last season was the first-ever football game between the two cross-town schools. Miami won 35–0, but the game was most notable for its on-field brawl. Both teams hired new head coaches in the off-season; FIU was led by Mario Cristobal, who was previously Miami's offensive line coach.

The Hurricanes made some changes following the Oklahoma defeat for the FIU game, the most noticeable of which was Shannon's decision to rename Kyle Wright, who was the starter last season before falling to injury, the starting quarterback. Wright went 10 of 19 for 224 yards, while Javarris James rushed for 92 yards as the Hurricanes won 23–9, extending FIU's losing streak to 15.

#16 Texas A&M (3–1)
Pregame Line: Miami -3

This was the second-ever meeting between the Aggies and the Hurricanes, the Aggies having won the 1944 game. The game was the final nonconference game of the season for both teams.

Despite being unranked, Miami entered the game three-point favorites over the undefeated 16th-ranked Aggies.

Played before a near-capacity crowd in the Orange Bowl and a national television audience on ESPN, Miami dominated the Aggies for much of the game, as the Hurricane offense exploded. By the time Aggies kicker Matt Szymanski put the first Texas A&M points on the board by way of a field goal in the fourth quarter, Miami had already scored 31 and the romp was well underway. Kyle Wright led an effective passing attack, finishing 21–26 for 275 yards, and showing an ability to lead the Hurricane offense, which wrapped up a total 402 yards to A&M's 240, down the field in a reversal of their early season woes. Defensively, Miami shut down the Aggie's leading rushers Stephen McGee, Mike Goodson, and Jorvorskie Lane to 38 combined rushing yards in the first half and 98 yards overall – well under their previous combined game average of 235 yards. Miami DE Calais Campbell, whose fumble recovery in the second quarter lead to a field goal that put Miami up 24–0 going into halftime, said of the statement victory: "Knowing this is the last year in the Orange Bowl, we want to make history here."

Duke (4–1)
Pregame Line: Miami -24

Duke entered the game with the 47th ranked pass offense in the nation, led by former Miami-area quarterback Thaddeus Lewis. Lewis threw for 241 yards, two touchdowns, and no interceptions against Miami, getting within a field goal in the fourth quarter. However, Miami's defense sacked Lewis nine times, helping Miami win the game 24–14.

Calais Campbell was named ACC Defensive Lineman of the Week as he totaled 16 tackles, including 2.5 sacks, 3.5 tackles for loss and two forced fumbles against Duke. He now places seventh in the conference in sacks, fourth in tackles for loss, and is tied for third in fumbles forced. Graig Cooper ran for 101 yards and a touchdown in only twelve carries. He also caught a pass for 25 yards, in an effort that earned him ACC Rookie of the Week honors. Miami leads the overall series 4 to 1.

North Carolina (4–2)
Pregame Line: Miami -7

The first meeting between North Carolina head coach Butch Davis and his former team turned out to be a tale of two halves. Miami began the day clumsily; the first half included two Kyle Wright interceptions, six plays allowed for 18 yards or more, and a short missed field goal attempt. The Tar Heels' first half domination even included a blocked punt that eventually led to a touchdown, and added to the 27–0 score at halftime. The second half was mostly controlled by Miami, who scored 27 points of their own – including a 97-yard touchdown catch by senior Darnell Jenkins. However, two North Carolina field goals in the fourth quarter and an errant Wright pass intercepted at the North Carolina 3-yard line (his fourth interception of the game) were too much for the 'Canes to overcome.

Georgia Tech (4–3)
Pregame Line: Miami -2.5

The Hurricanes struck first with a 39-yard run by freshman Shawnbrey McNeal and took a 7–0 lead into halftime. The second half, however, was mostly controlled by the Yellow Jackets, who outgained Miami 244–79 in the half. Georgia Tech was led by running back Tashard Choice, who ran for a career-high 204 yards on 37 carries. A fourth quarter touchdown pass from Kyle Wright to Sam Shields tied the game, but it was Travis Bell's 39-yard field goal with 7:34 left that gave Georgia Tech the win.

Georgia Tech became only the third team in the last 25 years to beat Miami in three consecutive seasons, joining Virginia Tech and Florida State (both of whom accumulated the wins during the Hurricanes' probation years). All three Georgia Tech wins came by a touchdown or less.

Florida State (5–3)
Pregame Line: Miami +4.5

Florida State and Miami both entered this game unranked for the first time since 1977. The teams exchanged turnovers (nine total, five by FSU) and scores, keeping things close for most of the game. With 5:29 left in the fourth quarter, the Hurricanes, trailing 29–24, appeared to have lost their best chance to win when Kirby Freeman was stopped for no gain on a fourth-and-1 at the Florida State 1. But Freeman, who replaced injured Kyle Wright in the first half, drove Miami 83 yards in under two minutes to take the lead 30–29 on a 13-yard pass to Dedrick Epps with 1:15 left. FSU quarterback Xavier Lee, who was intercepted twice, then fumbled after being hit by Miami's Teraz McCray, and Colin McCarthy ran it in for the clincher. This was the first game since 2001 that was decided by more than a touchdown.

Miami now leads the all-time series of the storied rivalry, 30–22.

NC State (5–4)
Pregame Line: Miami -11

Coming into this game, Miami held its destiny in its own hands. With Virginia and Virginia Tech both losing the week before, Miami was in a position to advance to the ACC Championship game. All it needed to do was win out. A win would also make Miami bowl eligible. Miami opened the game with a 22 yard field goal to give it a 3–0 lead. Then Miami took a 10–0 lead when quarterback Kirby Freeman completed his only pass of the game, an 84 yard touchdown pass to wide receiver Darnell Jenkins. NC State then became the first visiting team this season to score in the first half against the Hurricanes when with 2:04 left until halftime, running back Daniel Evans took the ball in from one yard out to make the score 10–7 at the half.

There was just one score in the 3rd quarter which was a 33 yard field goal by Miami. The score was then 13–7 going into the fourth quarter. In the 4th quarter NC State scored 3 field-goals on their first three fourth quarter drives to make it a 16–13 game. Miami got the ball with 6:55 left in the game and drove down to the NC State 10 yard line, all on 15 running plays. With 33 seconds left Miami then tried two pass plays to wide receiver Sam Shields, both of which were broken up in the endzone. Miami was then forced to kick a 27 yard field goal to send it into overtime.

Miami got the ball first in overtime and chose 6 run plays to open. Miami then attempted another 27 yard field goal which sailed wide left. NC State then got the ball and kicker Steven Hauschka kicked a 42 yard field goal to win the game.

This was NC State coach Tom O'Brien's first ever win at the Orange Bowl. Miami quarterback Kirby Freeman, who was in for injured starter Kyle Wright, went just 1–14 with 84 yards and 3 interceptions. Miami rushed 60 times for 314 yards against the ACC's worst rush defense. Halfback Javarris James rushed for 103 yards. The loss dropped Miami to 5–4 overall and 2–3 in the ACC.

#21 Virginia (5–5)
Pregame Line: Miami -3.5

The Miami Hurricanes lose to the Virginia Cavaliers 48–0 in the worst shutout in Orange Bowl history on the Hurricanes' last game at the Miami Orange Bowl.

This loss dropped the Hurricanes to 2–4 in the ACC and 5–5 total.

Boston College (5–7)
Not only did Miami lose to Boston College for the 1st time since 1984, they do not make a bowl game for the 1st time since 1997. While the Miami defense slipped from previous years to finish 33rd in the nation, the offense finished 110th in the nation, their worst ranking for total offense in the modern era.

Offseason
UM strong safety Kenny Phillips and defensive end Calais Campbell made the decision to forego their senior year and declare for the NFL Draft. Phillips was drafted in the first round No. 31 overall to the New York Giants while Campbell was drafted in the second round No. 50 overall. Linebacker Tevarris Gooden was also drafted in the third round No. 71 overall.