Got back late last night from Hard Rock Stadium. Was it all a dream (a bad one, at that?). No, unfortunately it was reality - and Louisville -- that slapped Miami in the face. A few thoughts on the game..
- From the very beginning, Brohm had a really good plan. No surprise given his offensive acumen. He is one of the best offensive minds in the game. Quick throws, short crossing rounds never allowed the Miami defense to get settled in the first two drives and just like that it was 14-0.
It was clear that Miller Moss was going to get the ball out his hands quickly as possible, you wonder if Heatherman had it to do over again he'd have his corners play a bit more press and disrupt those routes earlier
- Carson Van Beck, four INT's, really should've been 5 without the bail out call. Bottom line, he has reverted to the 2024 version, where Miami needed the 2023 guy that protected the ball well. He is now creeping up to 10 interceptions( had 12 last season) That last throw was the kind that can kill a teams spirit. It reminded me a lot of Kyle Wrights late INT vs Gatech in 2005
- Offensively, Im concerned. This unit has flashed a bit, but it now seems to actually have regressed. Two things stand out to this layman. Shannon Dawson dials up a lot of runs out of tight, bunched up formations versus stacked boxes. You could clearly see it from the endzone view I had. Then this WR unit, while solid, has no real vertical threat to scare teams over the top. It could really use a guy like Phil Dorsett or Travis Benjamin
First 12 carries for the Canes netted 26 yards. Its hard to stick with the run game when you cant establish it from the beginning or fall behind two touchdowns
- Last nights play calling was really frustrating the fans, early runs that were getting stuffed, and it seemed like too many horizontal throws were Miami WR's weren't winning their battles blocking on the perimeter vs Cardinal defenders, thus limiting those plays effectiveness. I'd say that Dawson needs to open it up more on early downs, but then,...do you trust Beck at this point?
- A bright spot again was Malachi Toney. Not much more needs to be said about him. But what has happened to Josh Moore in recent weeks?
- Last night was the first time that Ruben Bain didn't really have a great impact. It was bound to happen, I believe more and more teams will go to the quick game vs Miami moving forward. Heatherman has to adjust to that.
- Take away Isaac Brown's fumble and this game isn't close down the stretch. Give L'Ville credit they did out-play Miami throughout. As it became 24-13, fans started streaming towards the exits. It was dead inside 'the Asylum', but after that fumble the crowd was electric -- yes, I stayed throughout, where else was I going to go? -- and it felt like Miami was going to pull a miracle, but honestly, Louisville deserved to win that game.
- Unfortunately, for Mario Cristobal this is another season where he loses a game that his team is heavily favored. It's not just a trend, it is what it is. In 2024 they lost as double digit favorites on the road vs Gatech and Syracuse. Now they did the same at home to the Cardinals, who gave Miami their last home loss back in 23. The mark of an elite program is to routinely win every game you're expected to. The Canes are far from being there, unfortuantely
- Looking ahead, still a lot of football to played. I'll admit, Im concerned about Beck and this offense, and if this team as a whole can rally back. One thing to monitor, as you see the likes of GaTech and UVA (who are both 3-0) do not play each other in league play. Yeah, take that for what you will but last nights defeat was a bad one. There's no two ways about it
Anyways, the sun did come up today, believe it or not. I'm going to try my best and enjoy a full day of college football.
