A landmark year for Miami football came to a disappointing end last night at Hard Rock Stadium. The #Canes championship dreams ended with a 27-21 loss to the Indiana Hoosiers, who completed a historic 16-0 season. As crushing as this loss was, like Ed Reed: "Im hurt dawg'' -- but Im not devastated. As a fan I'm proud of the players and coaches on this team. They made major strides this season and I believe had laid the foundation for years to come.
Congrats to Indiana, they earned it. Coach Cignetti has engineered one of the most remarkable turnarounds in sports -- not just college football -- history.
Im very grateful to have had the opportunity to go on this playoff run from College Station, to the Cotton Bowl to the Fiesta Bowl and then last night. Miami has come so far, but as Mario Cristobal would say, still has work to do- and
Some thoughts on the game:
- UM played hard and well at times, but simply didn't play a clean enough game versus a team that is as good and disciplined as IU. It's really that simple. The blocked punt was really the play that will haunt this staff. IU seemed to not even try and really block the punt and Alex Bauman's execution (or lack thereof) simply wasn't good enough and it gave the Hooisers 17-7 lead in the 3rd quarter when Miami had seemingly taken some of the momentum. That and the missed FG by Carter Davis cost Miami 10 points in what became a one-possession loss
Special teams really hurt Miami last night. From missed kicks, the blocked punt and penalties on returns that pinned UM back on offense. Those hidden yards are key in close games.
- Speaking of which, twice Indiana went up two scores in the second half and both times the Miami offense responded to cut the lead to 3. They showed some real character.
- Not sure why the outside zone play wasn't utilized more by Miami. That's the play that broke Fletcher for this big TD. The inside zone was handled much of the game by IU. There seems to be a pretty good amount of criticism of Shannon Dawson, I'll let the X-and-O gurus fight that battle
- Moving forward, Miami need to find some more dynamic outside threats that can back a defense of and create more consistent separation. This offense lacked consistent explosiveness throughout this season. IIRC, all three losses saw Miami score 21 points or less this season.
- Charlie Becker scared me going into this game and he proved me right unfortunately. Sarratt and Cooper are good WR's who will have a chance to play at the next level, but this guy has the best measurables and ball skills of the three. Ultimately, Miami's injuries/suspensions at cornerback ended up hurting them a bit here
- Great scene at the tailgate, saw a good bit of former players. I dont think you see an alumni base of players who consistently show up to games that way Miami does. Had some great conversations with some of them (including the great Russell Maryland).
- Wanted to salute guys like Ruben Bain and Cici Mauignoa, who most likely played their last game as Hurricanes. They will leave as all-time UM greats and transformative players for this program. When they came to Coral Gables, this program was mediocre (to say the least), by the time they left they were playing (and nearly winning) a national title. I can not say enough about their impact on this progam. Also, the likes of Akeem Mesidor, Anez Cooper, Wesley Bissanthe and the like, my salute to you guys.
And portal additions like Kieonte Scott, Jakob Thomas, Blake Brockmeyer and CJ Daniels who will move onto the next stage of their career and lives. Their contributions should not be forgotten. They left this place better than they found it.
- Finally, Mario Cristobal. That's my coach. Bottom line. He wants no sympathy or a pat on the back for coming close. That's not the way he's wired. But there's a belief that if this doesn't work with him in charge at Miami, it simply won't work at all. Nobody will work harder for Miami than this guy, I truly believe that. All we ask is that he continually evolves as a coach.
In his fourth year, he now has Miami playing serious football again, and being taken seriously nationally. He can show blue-chip recruits a real proof of concept. He himself, will never truly consider a non-championship season a success(that's just not how he's wired) but this was a successful season for his program and I am glad I was able to go on this ride the past month.
Mario will have more talented teams top-to-bottom in the years to come, I truly believe that. But Im not sure we'll ever see one as gritty as the 2025 unit.
