Miami's bandwagon loses wheel, but it can bank on Harris

BLACKSBURG, Va. -- Jacory Harris might still be the nation's best quarterback in dry weather.

But when it's raining, he's not too good.

'It's on me. I never blame anybody except myself,' Jacory Harris says. (US Presswire)

That's what I learned Saturday as I stared out from the press box at Lane Stadium, down through a never-ending shower onto a muddy field to watch a lopsided football game dominated by the underdog. Final score: No. 11 Virginia Tech 31, No. 9 Miami 7. So all that talk about "The U" being back will have to slow for a while thanks in large part to -- but not totally because of -- Harris' lackluster performance.

He threw the ball 25 times.

Sixteen of those passes were incomplete.

Harris finished with only 150 passing yards, minus-28 rushing yards, no touchdowns and one interception. And three snaps resulted in sacks. By the time the fourth quarter rolled around, I was wondering if he needed attached to him the same instructions that come with Gremlins.

•  Virginia Tech 31, Miami 7

You know, don't get him wet.

And, yes, it really was that bad.

"I didn't play too good," Harris said afterward, and I appreciated him confirming my initial point. "I've got to get better."

Harris came into the weekend as perhaps the best story in college football -- the fresh-faced quarterback leading Miami's return to national prominence. He was brilliant against Florida State in the opener (386 passing yards) and great against Georgia Tech (20 of 25 for 270 yards and three touchdowns), too. Just like that, a Miami kid had Miami at 2-0 and back in the top 10, and the Heisman talk was so strong that Kevin Durant, of all people, took to Twitter to sing Harris' praises.

Then came this game at Virginia Tech.

Then came a steady driving rain.

Now all that stuff is gone.

"They just came out and beat us," said Miami coach Randy Shannon. "You've got to give Virginia Tech credit."

Fine.

Virginia Tech, take your credit.

Nice win.

Now that I'm done with that, let's get back to Miami, because the Hurricanes are what made this game a national story, the reason it was billed as something more than just a nice ACC matchup. People flipped on their televisions not to see Beamer Ball as much as Harris and the Hurricanes, and those people most certainly left disappointed (as did Harris and the Hurricanes). But what I wish, more than anything, is that those same people could've seen Harris handle himself here in the media room afterward, because they would've come away impressed and convinced he's still going to be the star we thought he was 24 hours earlier, just not a star that doesn't hit a few bumps along the way.

Harris sat there and took it.

He plopped down in a chair, his legs still covered in mud, and acted the way a quarterback should act. He didn't blame anything on the weather, on his coaches, on his offensive line, on the hype or even on Jimmy Graham, who, bless his heart, dropped two passes that hit him right in the freaking hands. There were excuses there for Harris if he wanted to use them. But rather than go that route, the sophomore stayed consistent from start to finish -- save one brief exchange when a guy asked a question that lacked tact, causing Harris to quip: "You must be a Virginia Tech reporter." -- and answered everything by either crediting Virginia Tech or blaming himself.

"It's on me," Harris said. "I never blame anybody except myself."

But what about Graham's drops?

Surely, that's not your fault, too?

"I never blame my receivers about dropping passes because I know what they're capable of," Harris said. "Maybe I have to make better throws and hit him in the chest when it's wet so he doesn't have to use his hands."

Right.

It was a silly answer, of course, but the intent was obvious and worthy of respect. Harris was willing to sound goofy -- Don't hit him in the hands!?! -- if that's what it took to avoid pointing fingers, and that's the type of stuff great quarterbacks do. So, no, I was not impressed with Jacory Harris on the field, and it's probably time to get back to worshipping Tim Tebow. But what I saw here in Week 4 was a young quarterback have a horrendous day on a massive stage and still manage to handle himself well enough to leave a positive impression.

Bottom line, I don't believe Jacory Harris was just the Flavor of Last Week.

He'll be back, in time.

(Even if "The U" isn't quite back yet.)

And if he can stay dry, trust me, he might just get back in that Heisman race, too.