You can blame Don Chaney all you want for this stunning loss tonight to Georgia Tech. The reality is that he never should've been put in that position that eventually lead to this this stunning 23-20 defeat at Hard Rock Stadium.
There are a lot facets to this game that can be dissected. From Tyler Van Dyke doing his best Vinny Testaverde-in-the-Fiesta Bowl impersonation, to the usual dubious officiating, to Kam Kinchens jumping a route needlessly on the game winning touchdown to Christian Leary with just seconds left on the clock.
This is on Mario Cristobal and the rest of the staff. This is on them, first and foremost
The game -- which was a struggle from the very beginning -- was basically in hand. Miami had rallied to take a 20-17 lead in the fourth quarter, had the ball, and churned out a couple of first downs in the final minutes. And with under a half-minute to go, the Yellow Jackets had no timeouts left. At that point in time there was no need to do anything other than get into 'victory' formation and take knees.
It's among the safest, simplest and most effective plays in the game.
For some reason, the decision was made to go into shotgun and hand the ball off. You do that, and you are 5-0.
There's no other way to say it -- it's among the dumbest and illogical coaching decisions I've ever seen. It's the kind that sucks the soul out of a team. The Hurricanes are 4-1, but this feels like more than just a singular loss. This is exactly the type of foible that Oregon fans have been harping on. That for all the great things Cristobal does in leading and building a program, his game management was subpar, and would inevitably lose a game or two every season.
How can we argue at this point?
No, I am certainly not calling for anybody to be fired, but on a night that was supposed to be another momentum building night in front of a host of blue-chip recruits in a prime time setting, this opportunity was... fumbled away.
Now, they go into Chapel Hill to face a North Carolina Tar Heel squad that seems to be putting things together, and then a still tough and physical Clemson squad. What had been such a fun, promising season, now, feels so much different. Like nothing has truly changed. It leaves you wondering just how the team will react moving forward.
What took place tonight, actually feels worse than last year's 5-7. I want to make this clear, I'm a Cristobal supporter (still am, even after tonight). But what took place tonight is indefensible.
This is on him.
There are a lot facets to this game that can be dissected. From Tyler Van Dyke doing his best Vinny Testaverde-in-the-Fiesta Bowl impersonation, to the usual dubious officiating, to Kam Kinchens jumping a route needlessly on the game winning touchdown to Christian Leary with just seconds left on the clock.
This is on Mario Cristobal and the rest of the staff. This is on them, first and foremost
The game -- which was a struggle from the very beginning -- was basically in hand. Miami had rallied to take a 20-17 lead in the fourth quarter, had the ball, and churned out a couple of first downs in the final minutes. And with under a half-minute to go, the Yellow Jackets had no timeouts left. At that point in time there was no need to do anything other than get into 'victory' formation and take knees.
It's among the safest, simplest and most effective plays in the game.
For some reason, the decision was made to go into shotgun and hand the ball off. You do that, and you are 5-0.
There's no other way to say it -- it's among the dumbest and illogical coaching decisions I've ever seen. It's the kind that sucks the soul out of a team. The Hurricanes are 4-1, but this feels like more than just a singular loss. This is exactly the type of foible that Oregon fans have been harping on. That for all the great things Cristobal does in leading and building a program, his game management was subpar, and would inevitably lose a game or two every season.
How can we argue at this point?
No, I am certainly not calling for anybody to be fired, but on a night that was supposed to be another momentum building night in front of a host of blue-chip recruits in a prime time setting, this opportunity was... fumbled away.
Now, they go into Chapel Hill to face a North Carolina Tar Heel squad that seems to be putting things together, and then a still tough and physical Clemson squad. What had been such a fun, promising season, now, feels so much different. Like nothing has truly changed. It leaves you wondering just how the team will react moving forward.
What took place tonight, actually feels worse than last year's 5-7. I want to make this clear, I'm a Cristobal supporter (still am, even after tonight). But what took place tonight is indefensible.
This is on him.
