Miami (K)needs To Get Back On Track, And It Starts At The Top

When Mario Cristobal was first hired by the Miami Hurricanes, one of the first things someone told me was that Cristobal struggled as a game manager. While his first year was highlighted by a disappointing loss to Middle Tennessee State and a 5-7 record, it seemed through four games that this was a new team. A new Cristobal. But was it?

The game was already looking bad from the start, as Miami failed to get any points on the board until a field goal to send the Hurricanes into half up 3-0. This comes from an offense that has averaged over 40 points per game to start the season. But with a defense playing so dominantly, it seemed as if the Hurricanes could just cruise through.

After some tense back and forth action, Miami was able to force a three and out and get the ball back with 5:30 left on the clock. With a solid run game and great offensive line play, this was what many viewed as a favorable situation for the Hurricanes.

However, on third down with 33 seconds left on the clock and Georgia Tech with no timeouts, Miami does the logical thing right? Well, I don't think I need to explain what happened next.

“That’s one of the biggest coaching mistakes at this level that I have ever seen in my lifetime.”

Miami could've taken a knee and closed out Georgia Tech. Instead ... disaster struck 😳 pic.twitter.com/I5vAvtn78p
— ESPN (@espn) October 8, 2023

While news outlets all across the country questioned why Coach Cristobal didn't kneel the ball, they soon remembered this wasn't the first time. Flashback to 2018 when he was the head coach for Oregon, when on national television the Ducks decided to run the ball instead of kneeling the game away, which resulted in the exact same result.

Everyone knows the saying, "You learned the lesson the hard way." That means if you messed up once you aren't going to do it again. Well it seems that wasn't the case for Coach Cristobal, as he learned that lesson yet again. You can only hope that this was the last time this lesson has to be taught. Regardless, Miami must move forward.

Now heading into the rest of their schedule, it only gets tougher as Miami will face three ranked opponents (#12 North Carolina, #4 Florida State, #14 Louisville) and the rest of their ACC matchups. At the lowest of lows, all eyes are on Miami to avoid yet another losing season under Cristobal. He and his staff need to make sure the Canes players are ready to roll this upcoming Saturday versus UNC.

It's hard to imagine the Donald Chaney Jr. feels too good about the fumble (that wasn't really a fumble). But that feeling of guilt and anger appeared to be throughout the locker room, as all of the players that spoke in the post-game press conference seemed defeated and at a loss-for-words. If the coaches could not restore this locker room, nothing was going to get done.

Additionally, the failure to call a kneel down shouldn't have been the deciding factor in this game as Miami was sloppy offensively Saturday night. Tyler Van Dyke is going to need to have a major bounce back, as he'll be relied upon heavily if the Hurricanes want a chance at competing with Drake Maye and the Tar Heels. Xavier Restrepo has been great, but it showed Saturday that he can't do it all for this offense.

While many were quick to go to social media after the game to say the season was over for Miami, it's clear there's still hope. However, I believe the real determining factor will be the next two games. If Miami isn't able to win at least one of the two games against North Carolina and Clemson, that's when changes need to be made.

But for now, Miami needs to put their emotions aside and use the loss as motivation for improvement. Only time will tell, but there's definitely some learning to do from this weekend. In order for Miami to get back on track, it starts at the top.

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