What surprised you most about Miami's 2025 season?

Like everyone else - Toney and the defense.

On the disappointing side - I was fully expecting Lofton and JoJo to announce themselves.
 
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Total bounceback. When you combine the SMU game with the 1st half of the Syracuse game it really looked like we were dead in the water.
I would to know HOW we allowed ourselves to lose those (2) games , then make one of greatest runs to NC game in history beating the unbeatable according to the press and all of CFB smart people.

This run may never be duplicated, just amazing what this team accomplished.
 
Going 7-0 after November 1 to go from #18 to #2.

After the SMU game I assumed the season would go pretty much the same as the last 20+ years.
 
I would to know HOW we allowed ourselves to lose those (2) games , then make one of greatest runs to NC game in history beating the unbeatable according to the press and all of CFB smart people.

This run may never be duplicated, just amazing what this team accomplished.

Winning every game is hard. And the 2 we lost, one was by 3, the other was in OT. Literally one play a different way, we win those games.

If we'd have lost by 3 scores or something, then I'd be asking myself the same thing. But we haven't lost a game by more than 7 since November of 2023. This is a good, well positioned program.

Remember, Indiana could have EASILY lost to Penn State, who was obviously awful this year. They could have easily lost to Taint. No shame in that, but the game was a play or two away from being the opposite result. They were tied, 13-13, at Iowa with a minute to go in the game. And this was after Iowa missed a FG at the 2 minute warning that would've given them the lead.

Winning every single week is really, really hard. It's why I never gave up on this team, because again, it's not like we weren't competing. We lost a game by 3 after turning the ball over 4 times, and we lost a game in OT where the other team was gifted a 4th an 9 on a completely horrendous penalty where they didn't even have to snap the ball. We were **** good, all year. Just had 2 games in the lull of the season where the ball didn't bounce our way. It did after that, and we started rolling.
 
That Mario learned....


and that it took so long for so many younger canes fans to truly grasp why we say **** NOTRE DAME as loudly as the older vets did. now you know
 
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The way this staff and group of players gelled together and became a really good team. If someone had told me we would be 40 yards away from an NC at the beginning of the year I would have LOL.

The future is bright for UM and CIS as well.
 
The DT room and the play of the two unheralded DB transfers Thomas and Scott. Oh yeah and Mali, expected him to make an impact but not to become a household name.
 
I would to know HOW we allowed ourselves to lose those (2) games , then make one of greatest runs to NC game in history beating the unbeatable according to the press and all of CFB smart people.

This run may never be duplicated, just amazing what this team accomplished.
QB play and meh playcalling/game plan. Defense wasn't amazing in either game but was good enough to win with competent offense. Dawson adjusted and Beck caught fire.
 
What surprised me was Fletcher in the playoffs, Toney all year, the OL in the playoffs, Bain and Mesidor, the secondary and the hate Miami got before and after the title game.
 
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The playoff run. I thought we had a good chance at A&M and could at least play OSU competitively; but, almost winning the national championship was unbelievable. That and how nasty our D was during that run.
 
Making it to the national championship

or

The immediate defensive turnaround
The former. I thought that a lot of the pieces were there, and when we went hard after the secondary I didn't think we would have a repeat of 2024. I thought we had a decent shot of making the NC tournament.

Going that deep into the post season - I actually never really considered it.
 
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