FAMU gets a clouded gain from Hurricanes

What did FAMU gain from the 63-17 loss to the Miami Hurricanes Saturday at the Orange Bowl? Oh yeah, the sweet sum of $300,000. But the those Hurricanes were in a separate weight class (Division 1-A) and we played them in their hometown, so everyone was expecting this boxing match to be over after the first round (and it was). However, money is money. Our athletic department needed those dead presidents to aid our athletic department, still crippled by the cancellation of last year’s Riverfront Classic due to Sept 11. But was it worth it? Yes, potential recruits now know we exist and that we aren’t afraid to play a team like Miami. However, our team was exposed to the country in a negative way. That day FAMU was the team hammered by the Hurricanes and nothing more. Casey Printers, the Texas gunslinger, who should be on his horse making his way to a Heisman trophy at the Downtown Athletic Club, barely left the barn. The Miami pass rush guarded all the exits and even sent some personnel in after him as they sacked Printers six times in three quarters, forcing FAMU to punt on their first 10 possessions. If that performance prevents him from winning the Heisman was it worth the positive exposure FAMU could have received by a Rattler winning the Heisman? And Rattlers, Miami totally disrespected our football team. For those of you who didn’t see the game, in the second quarter with a crowd of 68,548 watching, the Hurricanes’ safeties Sean Taylor and Maurice Sikes started doing push-ups on the field right across from our offense. It didn’t end there. Art Kehoe, Miami’s assistant coach, strode off field at the end of the game and began to do the “Gator Chomp,” taunting the Florida Gators, who they play Saturday, instead of soaking in the fact that they just handled a very dangerous football team. But that’s cool.This payday could have destroyed our season, but it won’t. The Hurricanes put our team in a tailspin, yet our Rattlers aren’t dizzy. They have no excuses now because they’ve seen the best, played the best, and even inflicted 17 unanswered points of second half damage on the best.Well, was it worth it? I truly don’t know. You be the judge.Ibram Rogers, 20, is a junior magazine production student from Manassas, Va.