The Miami Hurricanes’ 2019 football season, a year that started with SUCH high expectations, came to a merciful, and pitiful, end on Thursday night wen the Canes lost the Walk-On’s Independence Bowl 14-0 to the Louisiana Tech Bulldogs.

Gaby Urrutia wrote this game recap

Candis McLean selected the 3 stars for Miami from this game

And now, for the final time this calendar year and football season, let’s dive into The Good, The Bad, and The Ugly.

The Good

• Senior LB Shaquille Quarterman set the Miami all-time record starting his 52nd consecutive game. That means, for 4 years, number 55 started every single game the Canes played. Salute to him on that incredible achievement.

• Oh, and Quarterman had 11 tackles in the game. And a rousing speech TRYING to get his guys on defense to play with him. Gonna miss 55. Great player. Great leader. Exemplary role model for this team.
• Redshirt freshman LB Sam Brooks. Filling in for senior Michael Pinckney, who elected not to play in the bowl game, Brooks burst onto the scene in a big way in his first career start. A game-high 12 tackles, and 0.5 TFL. Brooks was EVERYWHERE, and showed glimpses of his immenese athletic talent and developing skills. You should be pleased to have Brooks on the roster moving forward.
• Redshirt senior DE Scott Patchan. 8 tackles, 2.5 TFL, 1.5 sacks
• Redshirt freshman DE Gregory Rousseau. 5 tackles, 1.5 TFL, 1.5 sack
• Redshirt freshman STRIKER Gilbert Frierson. A key interception to try and give Miami hopes of tying the game at 7 in the 4th quarter. (spoiler: they wouldn’t).
• Played plenty of freshmen/young guys.
• Held Louisiana Tech to 1-2 in the red zone.
• P Louis Hedley averaged 41.2 yards per punt, and that’s including a 22 yard shank.
• Senior WR KJ Osborn had a couple nice punt returns, and ended with the most PR yards in a season since Devin Hester in 2004.
• I’m trying hard here, but honestly, that’s it.

The Bad

• Losing. It sucks. But, we’ve done so much of it this season you’d think I’d be used to it by now.
  I am not.
• Playing nearly every scholarship player on the roster at the game but RB Lorenzo Lingard got 0 snaps? How, sway?!
• Missing all the guys who sat out this game. One would think having a DeeJay Dallas or Brevin Jordan (both out with verified injuries), or Jeff Thomas, or Trevon Hill, or Jonathan Garvin, or Michael Pinckney would have helped possibly win this game. But, with the way this season has tanked, probably not.
• 11 chunk plays allowed — 5 passes (15+) and 6 runs (10+)
• Only 5 chunk plays for Miami — 3 passes and 2 runs
• 18 first downs allowed
• 15 first downs gained (needed WAY more)
• Lost TOP at 28:34

The Ugly

• So, so, so, so, SO many things
• Losing yet another bowl game. Miami is now 1-9 in their last 10 bowls.
• Losing to Louisiana Tech. That should not happen. IDC IDC IDC.
• 0-2 vs C-USA teams this year. Yuck.
• Losing in general.
• Losing to get to 6-7
• 227 yards of total offense
• 5/14 on 3rd down (35.7%)
• 7 penalties for 65 yards
• 3.7 yards per play
• Jarren Williams — 9/20 for 94 yards and an interception
• N’Kosi Perry — 5/13 for 52 yards and an interception
• Tate Martell — 1/1 for 7 yards in a short, 5 play drive and was never heard from again
• No running game at all. Cam’ron Harris “led” the way with 12 carries for 31 yards. Yikes.
• Multiple dropped passes.
• 2.6 yards per rush
• Only 5 TFL. Need more from this defense.
• Never even threatened in scoring position.
• Shut out for the first time this year. Clear regression from the offense.
• Shut out for the 3rd time in a bowl game in Miami history.
• First team ever shut out in the Independence Bowl.
• No urgency. No enthusiasm. Outside of Shaq yelling at everybody on the sideline, not a single soul associated with the Miami Hurricanes gave a damn today. And it showed.

Team Grades

Offense: Fireable

227 yards. 3 turnovers. 0 points. Never got past the Louisiana Tech 37 yard line. No originality. No creativity. No execution worth noting. Disgusting. Full stop. If the pre-game report that Dan Enos and Miami would have a mutual separation in the coming days wasn’t true, this performance necessitates it be so. He cannot return. This was the last fireable offense he gets. Bye, Dan.

Defense: B+

The defense, though playing a few different faces, WAS GOOD TONIGHT!!!! Rousseau did his thing. Quarterman played with spirit in his final college game. Sam Brooks flashed the talent of a star. And more. Sure, there were some missed tackles, and a couple penalties, but until LATE in the 4th, this was a 7-0 game, only because Miami’s defense came to play.

Special Teams: C+

They were fine. Punting was decent. Coverage was good. Punt return was okay. Kick return was alright. Only 1 kickoff today (since we got shut out) and no place kicks, so that’s a wash. Average is average so C+ it is.

Coaching: Fireable

(see comments about offense)

Additionally, this was again a woefully unprepared team that was out coached and out played by their opponent. I could go on about how Miami is superior talent, but the Canes have found a way to squander that talent all year long, this being the last instance thereof.

Point of fact: this staff cannot return intact next year. They have proven themselves in whole or in part unable to do that job required to get this team to play to the level of their talent. As such, several individuals need to go. This was, again, a fireable offense. And I expect multiple individuals on this staff to be relieved of their duties in short order.

And that, my fellow Canes fans, is that.

The 2019 season has reached its conclusion. Little if anything along the way met the expectations even the most pessimistic Canes fans had heading into the year.

Oh well.

We’ll talk soon, friends. Have a Happy New Year’s next week!

Go Canes