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I think after a game like this your emotions can get the best of you, and the hyperbole starts to roll of your tongue like a Carson Beck deep ball. “Biggest win since…best win since….most exciting game since” all which may or may not be true, but you do everything you can to soak it all up. While for me personally it will be hard to ever top the Sugar Bowl, or the Top 5 battle against WVU, or even the rain game against Florida State, not many games have me up until two in the morning looking over schedules and scouring the web for postgame audio and opposing fan meltdowns…this one checked that box. I said as much a couple weeks ago when the sting of the UVA loss was still fresh, that the burn of that blunder could quickly be wiped away with a victory in South Beach over a Top 3 opponent. I was right. I was euphoric on Friday night and floating aimlessly around the city until sometime Sunday afternoon when the rain grew heavy enough to bring me back to earth. This team and this staff two weeks ago were on the verge of deciding which fork in the road to take. The one where you let Miami push you around, give you back to back ACC losses for the first time since 2021, and have the team start to check out on a season with not much left to play for, or the path where you tell Miami this team is not to be taken lightly, and set yourself up for a run down the back half of a manageable schedule that will have you discussed nationally if you take care of business. I’m glad they chose the latter. Halfway through guys, and 5-1 looks nice on us.
OFFENSE Podcasts, national radio, College Gameday, and my social media timeline were filled with so much “Big Game Brohm” I’m certain my algorithm was trying to find a way to sell me something associated with the term. No need, Google. I’m already sold. We know the old adage often rings true that the coaches get too much blame for a loss, and too much credit for a win, but at some point, the results become a bit overwhelming. This is why Jeff Brohm and staff are here. The scheme and the play calling weren’t perfection, but they were pretty dang close. Call all the slants, crosses, and hooks you want, but the QB has to make the throws and the wideouts have to make plays. Moss and Bell were the tag team champs of the 305 on Friday night, and with DJ Khaled in attendance “another one” took on a whole new meaning for Bell who pulled in nine catches for over 130 yards and two touchdowns on the vaunted Miami defense. The defensive front for the Canes had bullied teams all year, and while Bain may have been “born in the darkness” the Cards O-line was contempt to keep him there, and he was a non-factor all night in both the ground and passing attack. Miller showed poise, and confidence. Bell showed why he’s a Top 5 wideout, and the ground game started to get healthy enough to scare folks again. If this is repeatable, tell the world…..we’re coming.
DEFENSE For those who were suffering from REDS (Ron English Defense Syndrome) all offseason, nauseous at times, prone to anger at times, indigestion on film rewatch, Dr. English prescribed you a pill these first six games and told you NOT to call him in the morning. The defensive staff has created a unit from a patchwork of schools and skills, and the end result thus far is a tapestry that would the blue ribbon at the State Fair annually. Sure the outsiders will point to poor play from opposing offenses, but for those who watch this unit regularly we know that poor play from opposing teams isn’t coincidental but a coordinated effort from this staff to confuse the ever-loving crap out of the quarterback and having him thinking he sees one thing, and finding something completely different staring back at him by the time he hits the third step in his drop. Beck thought he could pick on the secondary downfield, he was wrong. Cristobal thought he could bully the defensive line with his hogs up front. He was wrong. While the Cards didn’t get home in the backfield very much, they made the line of a scrimmage a barrier that those who wished to cross would pay the price. Another sub one hundred game on the ground (63 rush yds) and four picks later, Miami felt the same pain and suffering every other team has this season. Thankfully for them, in need of a doctor, I know a guy.
SPECIAL TEAMS We all saw the shiftiness of Malachi Toney at times on Friday night, but where you didn’t see it was in the return game. Zero punt returns, zero kickoff returns…a focus I’m sure from this staff. Limit the damage and take the hit on the yardage as need be. Keller is sniffing a 75% touchback rate on the year, which brings a smile to my face, and my man Coop is swimming mighty close to “Lake Creque”, where the water and the nerves are both calm. I just have a strong feeling of confidence every time he walks out there, and drilling a near 50 yarder which ended up being the difference in the game, in that environment, only makes those feelings grow stronger. Can you believe I got all the way here before mentioning the fake field goal? Way to use that 6’2 235lb Chapeau. Love it.
