From Bad To Worse

Four turnovers in the first quarter. Jarren Williams yanked in the first 12 minutes. The defense disintegrating like wet tissue paper on Tech’s final drive. Is there really much else to say? Miami was an absolute dumpster fire during their Saturday afternoon game against the Virginia Tech Hokies.

They can’t hold onto the ball. They can’t make tackles. The offensive line can’t block. They can’t cover basic offensive schemes. They can’t kick field goals. Bubba Bolden came into the game and immediately committed a personal foul. This game, this atrocity, was a failure at every level, by just about everyone who took the field and stood on the sideline.

Optimism remained prior to this game. Coach Manny Diaz was saying all the right things. It’s a process. The kids had a bad practice last week, following a bad game and he made sure they paid as a result. They took Florida to the last second and nearly completed a comeback against a solid UNC team. They were an incredibly young team, a new coaching staff and a new quarterback. But after today, the benefit of the doubt is gone.

There was some good against the Hokies. N’Kosi Perry had a solid performance after Jarren Williams was pulled - but that’s not wholly surprising. Perry showed last season he could be an effective quarterback. He just wasn’t consistent enough. Deejay Dallas looks one of the few players on this team that truly cares. Others, who ought to be leaders, looking at you Shaq Quarterman and Michael Pinckney, should look to the junior runningback’s example. Brevin Jordan is the best tight end in the nation. Period.

Outside of those three on offense? It was bad. The defense may as well have stayed in the locker room. They were a trainwreck, a speed bump for a sputtering Hokie offense that was starting a QB that had previously attempted two collegiate passes. The Canes made him look like Michael Vick.

The turnover chain did not make an appearance. And, at least to this observer, it begs the question; is the chain actually a distraction? This team is continuously beat by trickery and late-developing plays. Several times against VT, the Canes defense left the Hokies’ tight end wide open during play action passes. Are the players trying too hard to make plays and leaving their assignments as a result?

This team was dancing on the sideline after tying it 35-35 (it should have been 36-35 but Bubba Baxa shockingly missed a field goal). Then the defense got it’s ass handed to it without so much as a negative play. There wasn’t even a 4th & 17 to convert. VT shredded the Canes’ supposedly great defense.

Meanwhile, this offensive line might be the worst in the nation. It can’t run block. It can’t pass block. It gave up 5 more sacks today. It couldn’t get anything going for it’s runningbacks, as the best rushing play all day came from the sheer effort of Deejay Dallas on Miami’s final touchdown. The entire line is overmatched and has developed no cohesion. It looked like their was improvement from Weeks 1 to 3. Over the last two games however, they have regressed.

The coaching staff is perhaps the most grim development. CMD looked despondent for stretches of the game. His team looked better in the second half before the defense totally collapsed on their final drive. Still, to get down 28-0 to a Hokie team that got ran off it’s own field by Duke? There is no excuse. Miami was humiliated, emasculated and, CMD was once again outcoached. He’s a rookie head coach. It’s a learning experience. But a loss like this is inexcusable.

Dan Enos opened up the playbook when Perry went in. Why? Did he not trust Jarren with the full playbook? Where were the downfield plays when Williams was in there? And now that Williams is benched, Miami is back to the QB carousel. Feel familiar?

This loss leaves a putrid taste in any fan’s mouth. Even if Miami did complete the comeback and win, this game proved how bad this team is. It would’ve been a mirage, just like last year’s FSU comeback was. But this team couldn’t even do that. Baxa couldn’t give them a lead. The defense couldn’t shut down the Hokies and their brand new QB. The offense couldn’t score on their last drive. And so, Miami sits at 2-3, 0-2 in the Coastal and with their season on life support. Next up? The divisional-leading Virginia Cavaliers. Paging Manny Diaz; it’s October. Does your team have anything left?