ItsAUThing.com
Following 'The U' since '80—covering it since '96.
- Joined
- Sep 12, 2017
- Messages
- 2,825
Miami hasn't been relevant since the early 2000's, which is a fact.
2017 was an aberration and Richt went 7-9 from there, after the 10-0 start and win over the Irish; 0-3 to end the season, destroyed by Clemson in the ACC title game and rolled in the Orange Bowl by Wisconsin.
2020 was a total joke of a COVID season, as well. Biggest win was a shootout with #18 Louisville; rolled 42-17 two weeks later at Clemson and ended the season getting curb-stomped at home by North Carolina, 62-26. Really going to try and hype a #10 ranking going into that game—when winning the three previous games by nine total points (against Virginia, NC State an VT—who were a combined 10-8 before facing the Canes.)
Also had that joke of a 2013 run under Fat Albert, getting to 7-0 for a "top ten match-up" against Florida State, before the Noles rolled 41-14 en route to their national title, while the Canes went 2-4 down the stretch.
2005 and 2009 were also fugazi years; 8-1 in 2005 after losing to FSU in the opener—on track for an ACC title game rematch before choking against a bad Georgia Tech team and then getting rolled in the Peach Bowl, 40-3 by LSU ... while that 2009 season had the 5-1 start (with the 31-7 loss at VT and one-point win over Oklahoma with no Sam Bradford)—going 3-4 down the stretch.
Miami has been to 15 bowl games in the 20 years since the Fiasco Bowl—4-11 over that stretch.
Russo is a clown, but he's not wrong in saying Miami has been irrelevant—though his timeline is off, as it's been 20 years, not 40.
He's also a fool to not give Mario Cristobal any credit as he obviously doesn't get the winds of change that are blowing in Coral Gables with this on-brand hire, the insane staff that's been assembled, the money that's being pumped into the program and the impact it's already having on the recruiting trail.
Yes, the Canes have seen some good recruiting the past 20 years—Coker, Shannon, Golden, Richt and Diaz each having their moments on the recruiting trail—but it's very obvious something different is happening under Cristobal and not a stretch to say that with the right coach, chemistry, staff, resources and fertile recruiting soil (that Saban, Dabo, Smart, Fisher and others try to own), that UM could very easily be on a similar trajectory to what Saban did at Bama 15 years ago.
We should have no qualms owning that Miami was a hot mess the past 20 years. We used to have to lie to ourselves about this because we weren't confident about the present or future, but now that things are FINALLY on the right track, no one needs to church up the past anymore. The last two decades were an abortion, with a few blips, moments or nice little wins here or there—but the Canes haven't truly been relevant since the middle of the 2003 season when losing back to back games against Virginia Tech and Tennessee and falling out of the national title picture by early November.
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