After a disappointing performance against Louisville last week, how will this Miami Hurricanes team respond?
The rat poison, as Mario Cristobal calls it, crept in and definitely played a factor in the upset
loss last Friday at home. It looked like the team was playing with a complacent mindset and didn’t have the usual urgency we saw in the first five games.
Poor execution was evident, and Louisville’s confidence gradually increased as its play showcased it.
With my matchups piece, I usually provide a positional battle, a one-on-one battle, and a coaches battle.
This week, given the opponent and what we saw in Miami’s last game, I’ll approach this one against Stanford differently.
There is truly one matchup that will determine the outcome of this game.
Miami vs. Miami
Yes, you read that right.
The Hurricanes are facing themselves on Saturday. They are their own biggest test, and if they get in their own way again, they can get a similar result to last Friday.
Respectfully, Stanford has not looked good this season. The talent on their roster doesn’t match up with the Canes, and what they have shown on tape doesn’t equate to what Miami has showcased, either.
That said, the Hurricanes have a tendency to play down to their opponents. Louisville is a great team (as I stated in a couple of pieces last week), but Miami played to their level, and it cost them.
To Stanford’s credit, they are coming off a tremendous victory over Florida State, 20-13. So now the Cardinals are heading to Miami with some confidence.
Pro Football Focus has an overall team grade of 73.4 for the Cardinals, which ranks last in the ACC.
There is a reason why the Hurricanes are massive favorites against Stanford on Saturday, but it’s their job to finish the task at hand.
Carson Beck needs to have a big bounce-back game after the performance he had last week. The offensive line needs to have a dominant day and go back to the style of play they are accustomed to.
Everyone on the team needs to look themselves in the mirror for this game and perform to THEIR standards, not the opponent’s.
This is the biggest matchup for the Canes on Saturday.
It’s themselves, and they are the only thing standing in their way of getting back on track and defeating Stanford.
