Happy Monday, errrrrrrrbody! I hope your weeks have gotten off to a great start.
It’s that time again. Time to pop open my noggin and see what Miami Hurricanes-related thoughts are swirling around in there. So let’s get to it.
1) One thing that made me sad about the book being closed on the 2025 season is the line play.
I have not seen offensive line play from my schools (many of you know I am a proud and loyal alumnus of both Miami and Tennessee) like what I saw in 2025 from the Hurricanes in a very
long time. The Canes had the best offensive line maybe in their history, which they rode all the way to the national championship game. It was a generational group, one that I feared I would not see again.
So, to come up short of a title with that group leaving, it made me wonder if we would have to see Miami reinvent itself to some degree in 2026 to get back. After all, Miami’s front was not as dominant, and the offense had a different identity to significant degree in 2024 than we saw in 2025 or last year.
And I have to say, being able to run the ball in bully fashion like we saw in 2025 is the best way to operate IMHO. Long, extended, tiring drives that keep other teams off the field and set you up to win the fourth quarter almost every time. It’s great.
2) And on Saturday night against Clemson, Miami got back to that to a significant degree in the second half.
The Hurricanes totaled 192 yards on the ground, which is obviously significant, but it was the way they imposed their will in two second-half touchdown drives that felt like I was watching last year again.
Ryan Rodriguez, what a hell of a game he had. Ben Congdon had a nice first start. Really, the Canes’ interior trio had their best game of the season by a wide margin, even with Max Buchanan going down, returning, and fighting his way through the rest of the game. Guts, guts, guts for RT Matthew McCoy as well battling through injury.
But I saw a tired Clemson defense yielding down the stretch. And that’s what I want to see again in 2026. Miami will air it out, and they will obviously have plenty of success doing it. But nothing, NOTHING, makes me feel more confident in a victory in lining up and running over guys in the second half. That was so satisfying and a relief to see.
3) And on that note, Javian Mallory looks like a rolling ball of butcher knives, doesn’t he?
He’s taken on that RB2 role behind Fletcher, and he looks every bit the part of the guy who turned heads and dropped jaws in the offseason and fall camp. His future is so bright, and he will have a big part in this team’s success this year.
4) I mentioned a number of players in 5 up, 5 down today, but Damon Wilson II finally looks like a dude.
11 QB pressures, 2.5 sacks, and an absolute down-by-down menace. The former Mizzou product showed exactly why he was such a prized target in the portal. He’s going to be a crucial X-factor and difference maker for this defense.
5) Miami’s secondary depth showed out, I thought, despite Tait Reynolds throwing for 295 yards.
That’s in large part because the Canes’ defensive front absolutely stonewalled the Tigers’ ground game (1.8 ypc) and forced them to air it out. There were misses (particularly Omar Thorton’s well-publicized whiff that led to a huge gain down the sideline), but overall, despite some issues, I was pleased with the overall play from the group, which will only get healthier, better, and more experienced as the year goes on.
6) Tell me this win wasn’t enormous.
Behold, coach in all of his splendor, celebrating with his dudes.
This team has vibes, man.
Go Canes!
