Saturday was a bad day for the University of Miami football program. The Hurricanes entered their home matchup against Duke as a 10-point favorite, expecting to get back to above .500.
The blowout loss to Duke may have marked a new rock bottom for University of Miami football. Miami had a complete and utter meltdown on their home field in a 45-21 loss.
The Hurricanes committed a whopping eight turnovers, the most by a Power 5 team in 13 years. Both teams moved the ball about the same, but overcoming that many giveaways is nearly impossible.
With the loss, Miami drops to 3-4 on the season and 1-2 in ACC play. The Canes are now in serious jeopardy of missing a bowl game, with Florida State, Pitt and Clemson still on the schedule. The Hurricanes were projected by many to win to win the ACC Coastal before the season, not making a bowl would be an absolute disaster for Miami football.
QB Tyler Van Dyke left the game in the second quarter with an apparent shoulder injury. He was replaced by Jake Garcia.
Garcia entered the game with Miami already losing by 10. He completed 13-of-21 passes for 198 yards and two touchdowns. However, he threw three interceptions, fumbled twice and finished with a quarterback rating of 10.2.
Head Coach Mario Cristobal was expected to be the new savior of the football program after coming over from Oregon this offseason. He signed a 10-year, $80 million contract. Cristobal has huge pressure to take the Canes back to their glory days. He has been impressive on the recruiting trail, but the on-field product has been a different story.
The Canes suffered from poor decisions and execution against the Blue Devils on Saturday. Whether that’s a bigger indictment of the players or the coaching staff is up for debate, but one aspect of the loss definitely falls on the coaches.
Some observers noticed that Miami quit in the fourth quarter, allowing Duke to turn the game into a blowout. Cristobal said he would look back at the game film, but a coach having to answer those kind of questions is never a good sign.
The first year was going to be a challenge for Cristobal, but no one expected this. He needs to turn it around soon, or this contract could be one of the ugliest in the country soon.
Photo courtsey of Saturday Down South
