Hurricanes Dominate Gators

Best In Class

This past week leading up to game day I had been seeing white Ibis pop up all over the city of Miami as I completed my daily routine picking up the kids from school and going to the grocery store. The white Ibis were everywhere like the stampeding herd of Wildebeest in the “Lion King” that killed Mufasa. I knew a storm had to be coming. Those white Ibis sightings had to be a good omen because of the significant role the regal native South Floridian bird plays in signaling the imminent threat of an approaching Hurricane. I recorded them on multiple cell phone video clips and watched those clips of the Ibis from around the city moments before kickoff. A warm feeling of excitement washed over me as I watched the Canes of Coral Gables invade the field, uniformly clad in all white. The players stood on that field in Gainesville, and I could not help but see the Ibis spirit in all of them. I had a good feeling about Saturday before kickoff and I knew the storm was coming. By the time the game ended, the storm had battered Ben Hill Griffin into submission and I was in full party mode.

Miami running back Mark Fletcher Jr. (4) gets past Florida linebacker Aaron Chiles, left, for a touchdown on a 10-yard run during the first half of an NCAA college football game, Saturday, Aug. 31, 2024, in Gainesville, Fla. (AP Photo/John Raoux)

New Team, Who This?

The Miami Hurricanes opened up their seasonal account after a tough 2nd season for Coach Cristobal and another off-season of much hype. The off-season hype was typical, but usually the team does not live up to the billing once the season begins. I heard a lot of positive reports from my team sources throughout spring camp and fall camp, but as a defensive mechanism, I decided not to drink the Kool-Aid this year and took a wait and see approach. Well, we waited and now we have seen. This Miami Hurricane team appears to be the team that we have been waiting for. I am not going to drink the Kool-Aid this time, I am going to swim in it.

The orange and green machine made the trek to Gainesville, FL to play their hated rivals the University of Florida in the swamp and they swamped the Gators from the very beginning of the game. We went up there to drain the swamp and ended up flooding them out. From the opening possessions it appeared that Miami was head and shoulders above UF in talent and execution. The defense opted to go first and made quick work of the Gator offense. The Miami offense took possession of the ball and used a balanced attack to drive the field and score a touchdown. Questions about the defensive backs appeared to be answered early as the young corners and transfer safeties played sticky coverage all game and made multiple pass break ups. The defensive line had 8 tackles for loss, 3 sacks, and were disruptive all game. The Miami offensive line protected Cam Ward like pawns to a Chess King by only allowing one sack and giving the trigger man all day to stand and deliver his shots.

Miami wide receiver Xavier Restrepo (7) runs for a touchdown past Florida defensive back Ja’Keem Jackson, left, on a 24-yard pass play during the first half of an NCAA college football game, Saturday, Aug. 31, 2024, in Gainesville, Fla. (AP Photo/John Raoux)

Pressure vs. Progress

The University of Miami played an upper tier SEC team and made them look like an FCS squad. The players showed out despite immense pressure to perform and their progress showed in their execution and lack of penalties even in a loud raucous road environment. The scary part is that the Gators did not even play that poorly. Oftentimes their defenders were in the right positions to make a play but the decision making of Cam Ward and the play making of the Miami receivers was just a step ahead execution wise. Xavier Restrepo was uncoverable. Isaiah Horton made timely catches. The Canes won because they executed at a high level and did not make mistakes like pre-snap false starts, or offsides, or holding calls that kill drives.

When was the last time we saw a Miami quarterback finding our in-line tight end in their passing progressions? When was the last time the Canes had 136 yards receiving from the tight end position and did not have a Brevin Jordan or Will Mallory split out wide as a big body receiver? The Gators had won 33 home openers for a reason, and they made the error of scheduling the Canes as home opener this year because the Canes chose violence, and that streak is as dead as the Pac 12 conference.

Miami quarterback Cam Ward (1) runs past the Florida defense for yardage during the first half of an NCAA college football game, Saturday, Aug. 31, 2024, in Gainesville, Fla. (AP Photo/John Raoux)

The skeptics will say that the Canes got off to a great start last season before self-destructing in ACC play. I do remember being quite gleeful last season after the University of Miami beat Texas A&M at Hard Rock stadium in a convincing fashion. However, that was a home game, and a lot of our key players were true freshmen. This year feels different, this win over the Gators feels different. Cam Ward is different. He was a pure poised Field Marshall that was in command the entire game and his 385 yards was the biggest debut of a Canes quarterback ever. Saturday felt like a signature win for the Mario regime and the players have grown up drastically. The players have made dramatic progress that you can see on the field. The home-grown recruits are starting to live up to their star ratings from their high school appraisals and Mario Cristobal made significant acquisitions through the transfer portal to upgrade the quarterback position and to supplement our defense. It was a dominant performance that will put the whole country on notice. So, are the Canes back? Maybe. We don’t want to jinx it by saying it out loud, but we are definitely all thinking it! Bring on Florida A&M.

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