FL Cane
All ACC
- Joined
- Aug 26, 2018
- Messages
- 5,824
The reality of where this team is at leaves it with one, and I mean one path to the CFP. Unfortunately, in all too familiar fashion, a Mario Cristobal-led Hurricanes football team has suffered another November collapse. Last year, this team and coaching staff wasted the greatest QB in Hurricanes history, a once-in-a-generation talent. Now, this seam and staff are on the brink of wasting an elite defense, and another year. So why is this team in this situation, again? Three main reasons.
- First, Mario Cristobal. The buck stops with the head coach, and this latest November collapse is par for the course under this regime. For the most part, this team does not adapt or change as the season goes on. As teams get more film on us, they see our tendencies and pounce. Additionally, Mario is - without a doubt - one of the worst gameday head coaches in CFB. He makes mid-90s Butch Davis look like a savant. From going into a shell, to wasting timeouts to being totally risk-averse, Mario never coaches to win, he coaches not to lose. It is inexcusable that, with a timeout and thirty seconds, Mario took a KNEE into OT. Again, playing not to lose. Additionally, Mario and staff do NOTHING to exploit opponent weaknesses. SMU had the worst secondary in CFB. What do we decide to do? Balanced attack. Where do we decide to run it? To the only good area of SMU's defense, their DL. We do nothing to make things easier for our guys. We always make things harder. Genuinely, I don't know how he fixes his gameday or gameplanning woes, other than to go completely hands off with the offense.
- Second, Shannon Dawson and Alex Mirabal. The #2 in this regime, Mirabal is responsible for a solid OL and good recruiting. However, it is unacceptable that this OL reliably kills 2-3 offensive drives a game. Teams keep simulating the snap and we have no answer whatsoever. Make it make sense, because it doesn't. Don't even get me started on the run game, which is braindead and predictable. For Shannon Dawson, it's looking like Cam made him, not the other way around. He just has zero feel or consistency for playcalling. 4th and 1, and we do nothing creatively? No PA, no wrinkle at all? Just a predictable inside zone run.
- Three, the players. Much has been expected of many, some have delivered and some have not whatsoever. As things currently stand, Elijah Lofton is the GOAT Green Tree All-American. A complete non-factor this season, besides all the hype. Jojo Trader is another one. Flashed last week, then avoided contact in route to a deflected int, which completely changed the momentum of this game. Go across the field and you'll find a ton of guys that just haven't done it.
- Miami MUST win these next three games in blowouts. No ground and pound, not ten-point wins. We need 20-point blowouts at minimum.
- Miami MUST get a solid win against a ranked Pitt at the end of the year.
- Mario MUST coach to win, not coach to not lose.
