The Hurricanes improved from 2022 to 2023, but they sometimes came up short when things got close late.
Miami picked up one-score wins against Clemson and Virginia, but lost one-score games against Florida State, Louisville, Rutgers and, most memorably, Georgia Tech.
Former UM coach Mark Richt, now an ACC Network analyst, asked the current Miami coach, Mario Cristobal, about those type of games.
“It’s all about closing that gap,” Cristobal said. “Year 1, there was a pretty big gap. A lot of those games weren’t close. In Year 2, we close out a game like Clemson, we close out a game like A&M and like Virginia. But then we didn’t close out N.C. State; down at the 1-yard (line) we fell short. We got down to the 4-yard line against Louisville and we fell short.
“Those are things that even though our total offensive and total defensive numbers improved, the areas of third down, of red zone, penalties, right, turnovers. Those are four areas where even modest improvement can make a big difference in the end result of those football games.”
Cristobal said he thinks the team is better suited for those scenarios entering this year.
“I think the enhanced culture, resiliency and talent levels of our roster is certainly going to help, as well, and the continuity of our staff,” Cristobal said. “Being able to evolve now, being able to put a little bit more on the plate of our players, doing simple better while still evolving.”
Richt followed Cristobal’s answer with an encouraging remark for his alma mater’s coach.
“A lot of time, pain comes before the glory,” Richt said. “I think the glory is coming.”
Running backs getting healthier
The Hurricanes were without two key running backs, Ajay Allen and Mark Fletcher Jr., due to injury during spring practice. Cristobal said Wednesday that the pair of halfbacks are getting closer to playing again.
Cristobal said Allen, a redshirt sophomore who rushed for 361 yards and five scores last year, is healthy now. Fletcher, an American Heritage alum who rushed for 514 yards and five touchdowns as a freshman, is “really close to being completely healthy.”
Miami has no shortage of talented running backs. Although UM lost leading halfback Henry Parrish Jr. to the transfer portal, they added 1,000-yard rusher Damien Martinez from Oregon State and signed two high school running backs: four-star prospect Jordan Lyle (St. Thomas Aquinas) and three-star recruit Chris Wheatley-Humphrey (South Broward). They were the Sun Sentinel Broward County large school co-offensive players of the year last season.
“Well the way we run the ball, you need bell cows,” Cristobal said, emphasizing the plural. “You can’t have one. One isn’t going to be enough.”
Ward says he would talk trash to UM great
Hurricanes quarterback Cam Ward has gotten a bit of a reputation for talking trash since he arrived on Miami’s campus earlier this year.
“He’s a little chirpy,” star defensive lineman Rueben Bain said in the spring. “He barks back a little bit. … He’s got a little swag to him.”
The Hurricanes have some famous trash-talkers throughout the program’s history, so when an ACC Network panel asked the current Miami quarterback which program great he’d like to tease, he had a quick answer: Alonzo Highmsmith.
“I want to talk trash to him the most,” “Me and him, before he (went to) the Patriots, me and him got into it a little bit about what he was doing back in his day.”
However, Ward said he thinks he would have a good relationship with UM wide receiver great Michael Irvin.
“I think me and him would be cool,” Ward said.
USF coach excited to face UM
South Florida is coming off a 7-6 record in 2023, its first season over .500 since 2018. The Hurricanes face the Bulls in Tampa on Sept. 21, and second-year coach Alex Golesh is ready.
When asked about having to play Miami and Alabama, Golesh basically said bring it on.
“Bama and Miami got to play South Florida,” Golesh said.
“I think it’s absolutely imperative for us to play the best teams that we possibly can,” Golesh added. “I think playing Miami at home is an absolutely huge deal for us. Did it for a long time in the Big East days, and they’ve got to come play in Tampa. … That’s what college football is, man. To me, if you don’t want to go play in Tuscaloosa, you don’t want to host Miami at home — I think it’s awesome. I think that’s what college football is. Our guys, we’ll be more than ready to go play those games.”
