The Future Might Be a Lil’ Brighter for The U ‘Cause of a Kid Named Jacory

First off, this game reminded this 30-something of FSU-Miami battles of days gone by, and that is a damn good thing. Yes, it was high-scoring and competitive. But moreover, unlike the past few seasons, it was decent-looking football. Athletes flying around everywhere, and a few real quarterbacks on each side of the ball. The signal-caller for the ‘Canes was the sophomore Harris. You may remember him as the skinny kid who started some games and otherwise split time with Robert Marve during the latter’s fairly unimpressive 2008 season.

Well, the writing was on the wall in South Florida. Marve has since transferred to Purdue, and the team is in the lanky sophomore Harris’s hands — and that’s abundantly clear for anyone who saw him play earlier tonight. Poised, nimble and gifted with a nice, soft touch, he made play after play on the way to racking up 386 passing yards to go with two scores (he did also throw two picks, one a bad decision the other a result of getting annihilated by FSU’s corner on a kill-shot clear path blitz).

Beyond the gaudy stats though, Harris has helped bring a little of that swagger back to the Canes. He’s surrounded by a little old school Miami speed in the backfield and at receiver, and at times he looks effortless out there. His playmaking ability should help Randy Shannon’s crew continue to climb the ladder back toward the direction of its heyday. It won’t happen overnight, but having Jacory at the helm for the next three seasons certainly looks like it can’t help by accelerate the cause. With the Yellow Jackets, Hokies and Sooners up next, we’ll all see just how quickly things can change — for better or worse.