BY SCOTT MORGANROTH
The Miami Hurricanes are winning games decisively and by close margins.
They started the season with a 41-17 rout over the Florida Gators in Gainesville.
A top ranked HBCU opponent, Florida A & M University entered Hard Rock Stadium for the home opener and left with a 56-9 beating.
The Hurricanes welcomed Ball State University in week three and thrashed the Cardinals 62-0.
Finally, Miami traveled the Tampa to take on the University of South Florida and was bullish on the Bulls leaving Raymond James Stadium with a 50-15 win.
In all four of these games, QB Cam Ward never saw the end of the fourth quarter enabling Coach Mario Cristobal to use his backup signal callers.
But things would change as the Hurricanes faced a much tougher opponent on Friday, September 27, 2024, as the Virginia Tech Hokies came to town. In 40 meetings going into this game, Miami leads the all-time series 25-15. The Canes entered the contest as 17.5 favorites. Would there be another easy game for Miami? Quite the contrary.
Virginia Tech led Miami 24-17 at halftime. Despite the deficit, Miami led in passing yards 204-91, but trailed in rushing yardage, 138-32. Ward was sacked twice and Miami had one fumble loss. Miami led in time of possession 17:06-12:54.
But the Canes regrouped at halftime and outscored the Hokies 21-10 and proceeded to win the contest 38-34. Virginia Tech attempted a Hail Mary on the final play of the game, but the pass was out of the end zone and incomplete.
Here are the stats which stand out.
Miami led in time of possession 33:42-26:18.
Miami outgained Virginia Tech in total yards, 508-394.
The Hokies won the ground battle amassing 206-165. The Canes held the edge in passing 343-188. Miami led in first downs 24-23.
But Ward was the story as he was 24-38, 343 yards, four touchdowns and two interceptions. He rushed for 57 yards and added a touchdown, giving him five TDs for the day. He threw to 10 receivers. Four caught one touchdown apiece.
A week later, Miami played its first road game and traveled to the West Coast where the California Golden Bears were waiting. ESPN decided to send its College Game Day Crew for the first time ever to Berkeley, CA.
The fans definitely got their moneys worth through the first three quarters as California built a 35-18 lead. Would Miami finally face its first loss on a day where 11 unranked teams won on Saturday, October 5, 2024?
Miami would make a comeback for the ages dominated California in the fourth quarter 21-3 and pulled out a nail biting 39-38 win.
When you look at some statistical categories, one would wonder how the game was this close.
Time of possession favored Miami 37:35-22:25.
First downs were one sided as the Hurricanes led 30-13.
But once again, the story was Ward as he willed his team to a win. He was 35-53, 437 yards, and two touchdowns. He rushed for one touchdown and did toss an interception. Miami outgained California in total yards 575-370.
Ward threw to nine receivers and the ones that stood out were Xavier Restrepo, who caught seven passes for 167 yards. Isiah Horton added nine receptions for 83 yards and a touchdown.
Miami also out rushed California 138-73.
The win improved Miami’s record to 6-0 while California dropped to 3-2.
Miami’s triumph elevated it to No.6 in the polls heading into its much needed bye week.
Let’s not kid ourselves.
The Canes did what they were expected to do in the non-conference schedule winning convincingly. These past two games were won by a combined five points.
When you play the conference schedule, the competition is much more challenging and this is what you find out what your team is made of.
The Hurricanes return to action on Saturday October 19 at they travel to Louisville and face the Cardinals. The contest starts at Noon. This rivalry is the Howard Schnellenberger Bowl as he turned both programs around.
Scott Morganroth can be reached at southforidatribune@gmail.com and you can find him on X @TribuneSouth.
To see his broadcasts, check out the South Florida Tribune YouTube Channel and there is no cost to subscribe.
Finally, he wrote a book, “Lessons From The Microphone” Tuning into the Enduring Wisdom of Visionary Leaders. The book can be purchased on Amazon-Kindle and Barnes & Noble.
