The 2023 season begins for our Hurricanes on Friday night as they take on Miami, Ohio at Hard Rock Stadium. In 2022, the initial campaign under Mario Cristobal, the Canes staggered to a 5-7 finish. Quite frankly, as a fan since the mid-80's it may have been the worst and most unwatchable season of UM football I have ever seen.
Yes, it was that much worse than 5-6 season of 1997, which was the rock bottom for Butch Davis' run at Miami.
As I look back on that year, Miami really only got embarrased by Florida State, 47-0, at Doak Campbell Stadium. Other than that, that team battled for the most part and was able to beat the teams they were supposed to (Temple, Arkansas St. and Rutgers). With scholarship restrictions and faulty Dennis Erickson recruiting from previous years, the Hurricanes were stripped bare of any real depth, and there was a talent drain in Coral Gables.
After the blowout loss to FSU, it felt like Miami was a million miles from ever competing again for another national title.
But by 1998, Miami led by the great Edgerrin James and a cadre of green up-and-comers such as Dan Morgan, Ed Reed, Santana Moss, Reggie Wayne, Nate Webster, Bubba Franks, Damione Lewis, Al Blades, Leonard Meyers and Joaquin Gonzalez, rebounded with a solid 9-3 season.
After getting blown out in Donovan McNabb's senior day at the Carrier Down (66-13, yeah, it was ugly), they then rallied to defeat the second ranked UCLA Bruins, in what was a rescheduled game. As the Hurricanes celebrated on the field in the immediate aftermath -- with fans(including myself) streaming on the Orange Bowl turf -- you got the sense, 'OK, this can happen. There is light at the end of the tunnel.' The 'Canes then won in emphatic fashion against a solid NC State squad in the Micron PC Bowl.
So the question is: can 2023 be that type of season for the program?
Looking back at last season, a program that was prematurely pegged to contend for ACC honors, and was ranked nationally in the top 25, instead was one of the biggest disappointments in the country at 5-7. But that alone doesn't tell the whole story.
After winning their first two home games against Bethune-Cookman and Southern Miss, they then proceeded to lose the last five at Hard Rock Stadium by a combined score of 204-95. This included a 45-3 drubbing versus the Seminoles, which repelled any hope of flipping certain key blue-chip recruits.
One of their wins was a 14-12 four (yes, four!!) overtime slog versus Virginia. A game so depressing, regardless of the result, that @CanesAreAble labeled it a 'morale loss'.(He watched that contest with me at the 'Canes Watch Party' at Barney's Beanery in Hollywood, where we were the only two Miami fans to show up. So yeah, it wasn't much of a party, and not many were watching.)
Out of their five victories, only one came against a winning team (Southern Miss at 7-6). Bill Parcells was fond of saying that in football, ''you are what you're record says you are.' But you could make an argument that this team was actually worse than 5-7.
OK, enough looking back, it's time to move forward.
I like this team, and with 41 new players on the roster, coach Cristobal and his staff have quickly turned over the roster. Now, it remains to be seen, but the assumption is that the running back, wide reciever, offensive line, and linebacker rooms have been signficantly upgraded. There are still some question marks about the safety depth, if they have an inside run-stuffer at defensive tackle and if Tyler Van Dyke can regain his 2021 form.
The hope is that with the additions of coordinators Shannon Dawson and Lance Guidry, that both units will be more cohesive and productive.
As for the schedule, September is manageable. I can't state how important that game versus the Texas A&M Aggies is in week two. Win that one, and there's a good possibility that they are 5-0 going into Chapel Hill on October 14. (Again, I know I'm making an assumption here, and you go week-to-week with this stuff, but hey, I'm just a guy writing a blog, here. Let me project.) The second half of the ledger sees UM play the likes of Clemson, NC State, and FSU.
There is no understating how big of a season this is for Cristobal. No, given the length of his contract, he isn't on any hot seat. But optics are bigger than ever with the advent of social media, and creating momentum in terms of recruiting. The Miami Cristobal's have to show some tangible proof of progress on the field in the upcoming months to grease the skids with the nations 5-star recruits. Selling a winning and entertaining product is much easier than selling kids on a perpetural rebuild.
I say this as a Cristobal guy. For me, if this can’t get turned around with him at the helm, you wonder if anyone can get it done. There is nobody who cares about this particular job the way he does, and given his ties to the program, will stick around long-term. I know some will disagree with that assessment but that's my view. The problem is that every other UM coach who has had any real success from Howard Schnellenberger, to Jimmy Johnson, to Dennis Erickson and then Butch, have never truly looked at Miami as a 'destination job'. (And yeah, don't put Larry Coker in this class, stop it).
Cristobal does.
This team will be reliant on a good number of youngsters like second year players Nyjalik Kelly, Anez Cooper and Wesley Bissainthe, along with a touted freshman class (Mark Fletcher, Francis Mauigoa, Damari Brown, Ray Ray Joseph, and Rueben Bain Jr.) who will be relied upon to make a real difference. It has the chance to be a fun, young, squad.
But while we as a Miami fanbase might be optimistic because of this youth, it's also the reason why they didn't receive not a single vote in the AP top 25 vote. Meaning they received less votes than Liberty, James Madison, Coastal Carolina and South Alabama. Some will call this disrespect, others will call this the reality coming off what we witnessed in 2022.
There will be no predictions here of an ACC title, but I have expectations/hope of a greatly improved team that will compete harder than they did last season. That's reasonable in my view. Just set the stage for bigger and better things moving forward.
Yeah, just play like they did in 1998.
-- So yeah, I'll be doing a weekly blog for this upcoming season. Keep this in mind, I'm just a fan, not an insider (although I do know some), and certainly not a football expert (which should be clear by now) but just an observer, and a long-time die-hard fan of the program, who has an opinion. That's it. The views I have are mine, and do not reflect those of CanesInsight.com, or anyone else.
I want to thank DMoney for being crazy enough for giving me this platform.
I can be reached at k9kim@yahoo.com. My twitter (sorry, it's just funny calling it 'X) is @SteveKim323, and my Instagram is: steveoralekim
Yes, it was that much worse than 5-6 season of 1997, which was the rock bottom for Butch Davis' run at Miami.
As I look back on that year, Miami really only got embarrased by Florida State, 47-0, at Doak Campbell Stadium. Other than that, that team battled for the most part and was able to beat the teams they were supposed to (Temple, Arkansas St. and Rutgers). With scholarship restrictions and faulty Dennis Erickson recruiting from previous years, the Hurricanes were stripped bare of any real depth, and there was a talent drain in Coral Gables.
After the blowout loss to FSU, it felt like Miami was a million miles from ever competing again for another national title.
But by 1998, Miami led by the great Edgerrin James and a cadre of green up-and-comers such as Dan Morgan, Ed Reed, Santana Moss, Reggie Wayne, Nate Webster, Bubba Franks, Damione Lewis, Al Blades, Leonard Meyers and Joaquin Gonzalez, rebounded with a solid 9-3 season.
After getting blown out in Donovan McNabb's senior day at the Carrier Down (66-13, yeah, it was ugly), they then rallied to defeat the second ranked UCLA Bruins, in what was a rescheduled game. As the Hurricanes celebrated on the field in the immediate aftermath -- with fans(including myself) streaming on the Orange Bowl turf -- you got the sense, 'OK, this can happen. There is light at the end of the tunnel.' The 'Canes then won in emphatic fashion against a solid NC State squad in the Micron PC Bowl.
So the question is: can 2023 be that type of season for the program?
Looking back at last season, a program that was prematurely pegged to contend for ACC honors, and was ranked nationally in the top 25, instead was one of the biggest disappointments in the country at 5-7. But that alone doesn't tell the whole story.
After winning their first two home games against Bethune-Cookman and Southern Miss, they then proceeded to lose the last five at Hard Rock Stadium by a combined score of 204-95. This included a 45-3 drubbing versus the Seminoles, which repelled any hope of flipping certain key blue-chip recruits.
One of their wins was a 14-12 four (yes, four!!) overtime slog versus Virginia. A game so depressing, regardless of the result, that @CanesAreAble labeled it a 'morale loss'.(He watched that contest with me at the 'Canes Watch Party' at Barney's Beanery in Hollywood, where we were the only two Miami fans to show up. So yeah, it wasn't much of a party, and not many were watching.)
Out of their five victories, only one came against a winning team (Southern Miss at 7-6). Bill Parcells was fond of saying that in football, ''you are what you're record says you are.' But you could make an argument that this team was actually worse than 5-7.
OK, enough looking back, it's time to move forward.
I like this team, and with 41 new players on the roster, coach Cristobal and his staff have quickly turned over the roster. Now, it remains to be seen, but the assumption is that the running back, wide reciever, offensive line, and linebacker rooms have been signficantly upgraded. There are still some question marks about the safety depth, if they have an inside run-stuffer at defensive tackle and if Tyler Van Dyke can regain his 2021 form.
The hope is that with the additions of coordinators Shannon Dawson and Lance Guidry, that both units will be more cohesive and productive.
As for the schedule, September is manageable. I can't state how important that game versus the Texas A&M Aggies is in week two. Win that one, and there's a good possibility that they are 5-0 going into Chapel Hill on October 14. (Again, I know I'm making an assumption here, and you go week-to-week with this stuff, but hey, I'm just a guy writing a blog, here. Let me project.) The second half of the ledger sees UM play the likes of Clemson, NC State, and FSU.
There is no understating how big of a season this is for Cristobal. No, given the length of his contract, he isn't on any hot seat. But optics are bigger than ever with the advent of social media, and creating momentum in terms of recruiting. The Miami Cristobal's have to show some tangible proof of progress on the field in the upcoming months to grease the skids with the nations 5-star recruits. Selling a winning and entertaining product is much easier than selling kids on a perpetural rebuild.
I say this as a Cristobal guy. For me, if this can’t get turned around with him at the helm, you wonder if anyone can get it done. There is nobody who cares about this particular job the way he does, and given his ties to the program, will stick around long-term. I know some will disagree with that assessment but that's my view. The problem is that every other UM coach who has had any real success from Howard Schnellenberger, to Jimmy Johnson, to Dennis Erickson and then Butch, have never truly looked at Miami as a 'destination job'. (And yeah, don't put Larry Coker in this class, stop it).
Cristobal does.
This team will be reliant on a good number of youngsters like second year players Nyjalik Kelly, Anez Cooper and Wesley Bissainthe, along with a touted freshman class (Mark Fletcher, Francis Mauigoa, Damari Brown, Ray Ray Joseph, and Rueben Bain Jr.) who will be relied upon to make a real difference. It has the chance to be a fun, young, squad.
But while we as a Miami fanbase might be optimistic because of this youth, it's also the reason why they didn't receive not a single vote in the AP top 25 vote. Meaning they received less votes than Liberty, James Madison, Coastal Carolina and South Alabama. Some will call this disrespect, others will call this the reality coming off what we witnessed in 2022.
There will be no predictions here of an ACC title, but I have expectations/hope of a greatly improved team that will compete harder than they did last season. That's reasonable in my view. Just set the stage for bigger and better things moving forward.
Yeah, just play like they did in 1998.
-- So yeah, I'll be doing a weekly blog for this upcoming season. Keep this in mind, I'm just a fan, not an insider (although I do know some), and certainly not a football expert (which should be clear by now) but just an observer, and a long-time die-hard fan of the program, who has an opinion. That's it. The views I have are mine, and do not reflect those of CanesInsight.com, or anyone else.
I want to thank DMoney for being crazy enough for giving me this platform.
I can be reached at k9kim@yahoo.com. My twitter (sorry, it's just funny calling it 'X) is @SteveKim323, and my Instagram is: steveoralekim
