After starting off 7-0, few expected the once-No. 7 Miami Hurricanes to to lose three-of-four to start November.
A loss at Florida State was understandable, but dropping games to Virginia Tech and Duke derailed a season where Miami was aiming for a Coastal Division title and slot in the ACC Championship game.
Instead, a reality check and heaping dose of humility. The Hurricanes’ defense hasn’t looked much better than the 2012 squad that finished 116th out of 120 Division-I programs, while the offense is a shell of last year’s unit, having been decimated by way of injuries.
After a decade of on-the-field struggles, the overwhelming desire for Miami to be “back” doesn’t change the reality that the Hurricanes are still a ways away.
The clean-up process continues and with two games remaining—barring some weekend upsets putting a Coastal Division title back in play—Miami’s revised goal must be to finish strong, setting the tone for improvement in 2014.
While the bitter taste of three lopsided losses in November won’t soon go away, Miami can still end a rebuilding season on a high note.
The win over Virginia was a start. The Hurricanes’ defense again gave up too many yards, but was opportunistic in creating turnovers, won key field position battles, got Miami back to winning ways and Miami took care of business.
Equally as impressive, the fact the Hurricanes as a unit are staying positive, despite so much negativity pumping through the pores of its fan base.
Players and coaches have taken heat, while Sun Life Stadium was a ghost town for Senior Day against the Cavaliers. Despite that, the Hurricanes played with a bounce in their step, ignoring the outsiders and remaining focused.
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I guess this is how far UM has fallen…taking solace in a win over a hapless UVA squad (who btw in the first half still had 200 rushing yards against Miami). Don’t get me wrong, it was good for them to get back to winning ways, but let’s not act is if this was a momentum changer. Miami beat a team that had no conference wins, at home, on senior day…something it was supposed to do. I still hope D’onofrio is let go at the end of the season, but I won’t put any bets on it.