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Some thoughts on the Pitt game

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****.

I think about this program A LOT. Certainly more than I should/is healthy. It’s an addiction, and I’ll admit it.

So I’m insanely jealous when someone says something so obvious, yet it wasn’t anything that went through my head.

“We lost the best player in America, and we got better”.

What a line. I couldn’t agree more. We are better this year, full stop. They don’t hang banners for this, as we know. But you’re right. That shows program health. That shows growth. That shows sustainment. This is a program that’s being built to last. Now we just gotta get there and see what we can sustain. I pray somehow, some way, we get to see this group play again. I think we’d give someone **** in the playoff.

A+ line, Danny. I’m ****ed I didn’t think of it.
 
Good points. Glad you came around on the conference thing. I asked you in the offseason if you thought it was a detriment and you said not long term. We will seeing

DMoney said:
In my opinion, it helps us overall because we have an easier path to the playoffs. We are outrecruiting the rest of the ACC by a lot.

If we become a perennial playoff team, I think our combination of location and elite recruiting head coach will help us become an elite recruiting team. The key is rebuilding the brand as a consistent winner and NFL producer.

But short term, it definitely hurts us in battles like this one.
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Moving on - who is your choice for QB1 next year? Our skill players might be best in the conference
 
This team is definitely better than last year and should be playing in the acccg and the playoffs. I really hope Mario learned something this year and keeps going on this new offensive trajectory. Great write up @DMoney, agreed across the board. We didn't hit our mark but Mario is showing he can put a team together no doubt. Hopefully, playing in a cheese **** bowl game will motivate him.
 
aelmiami said:
My worries for this season solely centered on Mario doing what every predecessor since Coker couldn’t. Replicate their 9/10 win season.

Top to bottom, I believe this team is better than last year’s. Maybe not as dynamic, but I truly believe this defense can play vs anyone. If we sneak in the CFP, I wouldn’t fear any team. Not saying we’re invincible, but this is probably the best team we’ve had since the last Orange Bowl victory.
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But he did this year
 
The result is likely the same as the first team out of the playoff but this 10 wins feels way different than last year. I’m a pessimist in nature but I truly think Miami is on the right path. 20-4 over the last two years and those combined losses are like 6pts or less. The margin of error for Miami is super thin because of the AcC. If they had a BIG or SEc logo on their chest they would be back to back playoff team.

Miami has to find a way to one of those leagues. It has to be the most important thing they focus on.

The team and program are so close.

Retain your top talent, find a top QB, DE, DT, S, Center and WR and Miami will be at the top of the ACC next year.

I’ll be curious to see if Moten and Bell return. Have to keep dominating the trenches. Could be losing all 4 starters on DL and 4 out of 5 on the OL. That’s a lot to fill
 
TriStarCane said:
Good points. Glad you came around on the conference thing. I asked you in the offseason if you thought it was a detriment and you said no

Moving on - who is your choice for QB1 next year? Our skill players might be best in the conference.
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Yep, I’ve come around to your view. I thought the path was easier in the ACC, but now we’re seeing potentially five SEC teams make it in. I think we’re better and more complete than all of them, as are Notre Dame and the top Big 10 teams.

Re: QB, I need to watch more games and do homework. And there is so much we don’t know about character, health, cost, etc. But based on what I know, the cleanest option seems to be CJ Bailey. He’s already a top 5 QB in the ACC as a true sophomore, so the floor is solid. I think he has the physical upside for much more. He knows many of the players and the conference, so the learning curve shouldn’t be bad. Plus, he’s healthy.

But that’s a preliminary opinion. We need to see what’s out there.
 
Certainly the success of Ward and Beck and the ability to protect the QB bodes well for any potential QB transfer. That and $ but doesn't seem to be an issue with that anymore either. Still not a fan of the portal and NIL but it's definitely leveled the field
 
DMoney said:
I slept like a baby last night. There will be plenty of time to stress about playoff scenarios. That can wait. I was always more worried about going 4-0. We've flopped in November since before Facebook. Four blowout wins later, and it feels like we have a real program again.

This has been a weird season. In August, anybody would've signed up for 10-2 and sweeping our rivals. I'm a pretty optimistic guy, and 10-2 was my preseason pick. It's the path that feels different. Everything looked smooth for a while. Now, we're sweating rankings instead of booking a trip to Charlotte. We still haven't gotten over the hump.

But these are good problems. Four years ago, we were in existential danger. The sport was leaving us behind. Our only draft pick was a seventh rounder. Every big game was a blowout loss. We were a joke. Now the U is everywhere- ESPN, the Draft, award shows, recruiting rankings. We're relevant for the first time in most players' lives.

Our biggest problem remains the ACC. The first issue is our own performance. We've done worse inside the conference than outside of it. Two more losses as double-digit favorites blew up our season. This needs to be the focus for self-scouting. Is it a style-of-play issue? Should we be playing higher tempo against less-talented conference foes? Mario needs to take an honest look at everything.

The second issue is the league itself. The refs, the rules, the representatives- it all screams all bush league. There may not be a single ACC team in the playoff because the tiebreaker rules are so stupid. The conference is an albatross around our necks, in recruiting and beyond.

Overall, this was a step forward. We lost the best player in America and got better. That's a sign of true program health. Here are some more thoughts on the Pitt win:

- Ahmad Moten set the tone on the first defensive play, and it was domination after that. Pitt came in averaging 38 PPG and got squashed. Justin Scott was making plays vertically and horizontally while looking every bit like a five-star player. Rueben Bain had his best game in a month. Everybody ate.

Defensive line is the most important position in college football, and the Portal has increased parity by spreading around the big boys. This is why the top of the SEC has fallen off. Mario and his staff have adapted and used a combination of blue-chip recruiting (Scott, Bain, Armondo Blount), savvy evaluation (Moten, Donta Simpson) and the Portal (Akheem Mesidor, David Blay) to build an elite front. If we can keep Moten and add a proven EDGE, this group can be lethal next year.

- The offense has continued to ascend, with added looks from Dawson and more reps for explosive young players. We're now 20th in scoring offense, 17th in yards per pass attempt, and 18th in third-down conversion percentage. The end result is within our expectations, but we dropped two critical games getting there.

- Carson Beck's arc mirrored the team itself: up and down, but ultimately where you hoped it would land. I think two things helped Beck: the evolution of the offense, and extra reps after missing spring and summer. All told, he ranks 9th nationally in passer rating and 2nd in completion percentage. When you combine stats, talent and winning (34-5 as a starter), I think he's our second-best quarterback since the Dorsey Era. Cam is the only one better, and Beck is ahead of the third guy by a good margin.

Beck is also another Portal success story. If you pick the five best Canes quarterbacks since Dorsey, it's some combination of Ward, Beck, King, Berlin and Kaaya. Four out of those five are transfers, including the best ones. I expect us to go back to that well.



- We're starting the see the vision of the Girard Pringle/Mark Fletcher backfield. Pringle fits our team perfectly because he's a North/South runner. His decisive cuts keep the offense on schedule while also threatening with 10.5 speed. And his size allows him to hide behind our giant offensive line.

A smaller back like Pringle needs help, and Fletcher is the Thunder to Pringle's Lightning. It's appropriate that Fletcher buried Pitt with a TD run that sent helmets flying. He's a huge part of our identity. Fletch is a good runner, but he's a championship-caliber football player. I like that we're using him more as a lead blocker- he brings a unique skillset with his size and physicality.

- Malachi Toney is one of the ten best football players in America. During camp, I said that I could throw a newborn baby at Toney and feel secure. Beck must feel the same way, because Toney hasn't dropped a single pass all year. I hope we keep expanding his passing role, as he's a legitimate quarterback we can trust to make decisions.

- I love that the regular season ended with a CJ Daniels highlight catch, because that's how he started it against Notre Dame. Him and Keelan Marion both brought veteran IQ and positive energy to a young room.

- It's been a rough year for the tight ends, so it's nice to see them get going. Alex Bauman had his best game of the season with 3 catches for 58 yards. Elija Lofton is still not moving and hitting at 100%, but he's finding a way to make an impact on some great calls from Dawson. This is another area where we continue to get better from the beginning of the season.

- Miami's elite pass blocking caused huge problems for Pitt's blitz-heavy attack. At times, it was target practice for Beck. And with so much scrutiny on Miami's running game, it was refreshing to see Francis Mauigoa laying on a defender like a beach towel.



- Bryce Fitzgerald's talent jumps off the screen. His ball skills (4 INTs) are Kam Kinchens-level, but he also brings the speed and fluidity of a cornerback. It will be fun to watch his career unfold.

Now we wait for the committee to do the right thing. I think they will. But if they BCS us, I hope we react like we did in 2001. And this time, our coach won't leave for the Browns. The program is being built to last. Go Canes.
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Really good one, D.

On one hand, despite our lack of recent success, it’s hard to swallow not making the expanded CFP at least one of the past 2 seasons (if that’s how it plays out) because we were so close both times. Especially this season where I think we could actually make a run.

It’s kind of like every game we had a rooting interest in the past two weeks going against us. We seem to catch fewer than our share of breaks…by a lot. Hurts to be so close and not touch it.

But on the other hand, you’re absolutely right. This is real progress. We matter. We’re in the discussion. They show our highlights. We have top players. We’re relevant. Just like Pete said.

Cfb season is fun again.

Now we gotta get over the ACC hump snd get in the mix for No. 6.

Maybe with some magic we still have a shot this season.

Either way, we up.
 
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Great write up. 10-2 last season didn't feel anywhere near as good as this 10-2 season, and we all had questions regarding an offense without many returning players at the skill positions to start the season.

Gotta give these coaches props for a putting together a really solid team. I'm pleading with anyone that'll listen to me regarding the CFP bid, quite annoyingly, but with it out of our hands, and the ACC tie breaker being as ridiculous as it is, I feel good about the program trajectory.

Go Canes.
 
DMoney said:
TBD. Markel Bell is an important domino. If he comes back, we're set at LT. I think Cantwell will take the Mauigoa path at RT but he needs to earn it. Matt McCoy and Samson Okunlola should be back.

If we need to dip into the Portal, we should be able to shop in the premium section.
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rodriguez at center? or sj?
 
DMoney said:
Pressure and the inability to present a good argument to the contrary on camera. Miami offers the path of least resistance.

But who knows. It’s a bunch of bureaucrats in a closed room.
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I appreciate your optimism but I don’t agree there is any “pressure”. No one really gives AF about UM outside Miami fans. I don’t see ACC going on a media campaign about it. I know this is anecdotal, but as far as general college football fans go, most comments I see on social media and cfp news commentary are against Miami saying **** like “don’t lose to scrub acc teams”.

I know we don’t agree with this as canes fans, but their argument is Miami’s 2 losses are much worse than ND 2 losses, so much so that they carry more than the value of a h2h week 1.

We were double digit favorites and lost, one of them at home. We hate to admit it but those are terrible losses and they will use it to keep us out.

Hope I’m wrong
 
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DMoney said:
I slept like a baby last night. There will be plenty of time to stress about playoff scenarios. That can wait. I was always more worried about going 4-0. We've flopped in November since before Facebook. Four blowout wins later, and it feels like we have a real program again.

This has been a weird season. In August, anybody would've signed up for 10-2 and sweeping our rivals. I'm a pretty optimistic guy, and 10-2 was my preseason pick. It's the path that feels different. Everything looked smooth for a while. Now, we're sweating rankings instead of booking a trip to Charlotte. We still haven't gotten over the hump.

But these are good problems. Four years ago, we were in existential danger. The sport was leaving us behind. Our only draft pick was a seventh rounder. Every big game was a blowout loss. We were a joke. Now the U is everywhere- ESPN, the Draft, award shows, recruiting rankings. We're relevant for the first time in most players' lives.

Our biggest problem remains the ACC. The first issue is our own performance. We've done worse inside the conference than outside of it. Two more losses as double-digit favorites blew up our season. This needs to be the focus for self-scouting. Is it a style-of-play issue? Should we be playing higher tempo against less-talented conference foes? Mario needs to take an honest look at everything.

The second issue is the league itself. The refs, the rules, the representatives- it all screams all bush league. There may not be a single ACC team in the playoff because the tiebreaker rules are so stupid. The conference is an albatross around our necks, in recruiting and beyond.

Overall, this was a step forward. We lost the best player in America and got better. That's a sign of true program health. Here are some more thoughts on the Pitt win:

- Ahmad Moten set the tone on the first defensive play, and it was domination after that. Pitt came in averaging 38 PPG and got squashed. Justin Scott was making plays vertically and horizontally while looking every bit like a five-star player. Rueben Bain had his best game in a month. Everybody ate.

Defensive line is the most important position in college football, and the Portal has increased parity by spreading around the big boys. This is why the top of the SEC has fallen off. Mario and his staff have adapted and used a combination of blue-chip recruiting (Scott, Bain, Armondo Blount), savvy evaluation (Moten, Donta Simpson) and the Portal (Akheem Mesidor, David Blay) to build an elite front. If we can keep Moten and add a proven EDGE, this group can be lethal next year.

- The offense has continued to ascend, with added looks from Dawson and more reps for explosive young players. We're now 20th in scoring offense, 17th in yards per pass attempt, and 18th in third-down conversion percentage. The end result is within our expectations, but we dropped two critical games getting there.

- Carson Beck's arc mirrored the team itself: up and down, but ultimately where you hoped it would land. I think two things helped Beck: the evolution of the offense, and extra reps after missing spring and summer. All told, he ranks 9th nationally in passer rating and 2nd in completion percentage. When you combine stats, talent and winning (34-5 as a starter), I think he's our second-best quarterback since the Dorsey Era. Cam is the only one better, and Beck is ahead of the third guy by a good margin.

Beck is also another Portal success story. If you pick the five best Canes quarterbacks since Dorsey, it's some combination of Ward, Beck, King, Berlin and Kaaya. Four out of those five are transfers, including the best ones. I expect us to go back to that well.



- We're starting the see the vision of the Girard Pringle/Mark Fletcher backfield. Pringle fits our team perfectly because he's a North/South runner. His decisive cuts keep the offense on schedule while also threatening with 10.5 speed. And his size allows him to hide behind our giant offensive line.

A smaller back like Pringle needs help, and Fletcher is the Thunder to Pringle's Lightning. It's appropriate that Fletcher buried Pitt with a TD run that sent helmets flying. He's a huge part of our identity. Fletch is a good runner, but he's a championship-caliber football player. I like that we're using him more as a lead blocker- he brings a unique skillset with his size and physicality.

- Malachi Toney is one of the ten best football players in America. During camp, I said that I could throw a newborn baby at Toney and feel secure. Beck must feel the same way, because Toney hasn't dropped a single pass all year. I hope we keep expanding his passing role, as he's a legitimate quarterback we can trust to make decisions.

- I love that the regular season ended with a CJ Daniels highlight catch, because that's how he started it against Notre Dame. Him and Keelan Marion both brought veteran IQ and positive energy to a young room.

- It's been a rough year for the tight ends, so it's nice to see them get going. Alex Bauman had his best game of the season with 3 catches for 58 yards. Elija Lofton is still not moving and hitting at 100%, but he's finding a way to make an impact on some great calls from Dawson. This is another area where we continue to get better from the beginning of the season.

- Miami's elite pass blocking caused huge problems for Pitt's blitz-heavy attack. At times, it was target practice for Beck. And with so much scrutiny on Miami's running game, it was refreshing to see Francis Mauigoa laying on a defender like a beach towel.



- Bryce Fitzgerald's talent jumps off the screen. His ball skills (4 INTs) are Kam Kinchens-level, but he also brings the speed and fluidity of a cornerback. It will be fun to watch his career unfold.

Now we wait for the committee to do the right thing. I think they will. But if they BCS us, I hope we react like we did in 2001. And this time, our coach won't leave for the Browns. The program is being built to last. Go Canes.
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Great post @DMoney. Retention is the name of the game over the next month. With some players I believe are staying that I did expect earlier this season to leave and the young talent that stepped up this season, I now believe this team could be better than I expected next season. It all begins and mostly sits on the transfer QB. This team definitely deserves to be in the playoff, I still don't believe the committee will do what's right. You know they are corrupt and bankrupt of morales. Like a politician, they don't care that we know they are dirty.
 
I think Mario has done a good job of establishing the foundation here and proof of concept of NEW identity over last 4 games should have TOP TIER portal talent salivating about coming here to ball with Mali and play under Hetherman.

That said, CJ Bailey is not top shelf. If we end up with him and its not a package deal with Jeremiah Smith, than we either took the lazy route or don’t have the financial backing we need to compete at the highest levels (and for the record, I 100 believe we won’t be lazy and we have the financial backing to go elite).
 
Excellent summary & nailed it on ACC thoughts. Actually, we did enough to qualify for the conference championship. Highest ranked amongst 6-2 teams should have gotten us a date & blowout in Charlotte. Instead, pencil pushers who lacked foresight or common sense devised methodology that keeps out of championship game & likely the playoffs. Whoever runs the show in Coral Gables should raise holy ****. Bad enough that officiating is incompetent, only to see even more incompetence with a vodoo tie-breaker system.
 
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