What Miami Hurricanes fans are saying after the loss to the Florida Gators

It’s been days since Miami’s 24-20 loss to the Florida Gators. The tightly contested matchup had hard hits, thrilling plays, and brutal execution. Several college football fans across the nation labeled the Sunshine State brawl as a great game. But we know as fans, and as people invested in which side came out victoriously, the loss can’t be reconciled in such a nonchalant way. Canes fans have been bursting with reactions. From seething anger to the excitement of what the future holds, the spectrum of responses has been frantic. The trends have been extreme, insane, and understandable.

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The Extremist Fans

There’s a lot here to unpack, a lot of which should be unloaded on the closest therapist. We all saw the sloppy plays and mental errors. Several things that this rabid fan outlined goes hand-in-hand. A team that allows 11 sacks will not be successful on third down. The personal attacks on Manny Diaz are completely out of line. There is so much room for improvement in regards to this team. For or some, like Zion Nelson, things literally can’t get any worse. But these “Next Randy Shannon and Al Golden” posts are horrible takes with one game under #TNM’s belt.

The Ex-Player Fan

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Former Canes linebacker Jon Beason talked about the offensive strategy in the second half of the game:

“[UF coach] Dan Mullen, Dan Enos, are guys that are highly regarded in terms of calling plays, and I didn’t see that, especially in the second half. “I think that after the coordinators kind of got past their scripted plays that the defenses were able to kind of settle in and neutralize it and I didn’t see the adjustment offensively to what Florida did.

“Now Florida’s a team that plays a lot of man coverage, they allow their defensive line to get after it and [defensive coordinator Todd] Grantham did a great job of adjusting saying, ‘Hey, look, I’m being pressured with three guys. I’m going to sit back and play zone, which we don’t do,’ and they still got pressure on the quarterback. So, you get beat up in the third quarter, Florida scoring 10 points, Miami scoring none.”

The Film Study Fans

This is completely understandable. Many football fans love to re-watch plays and see exactly what happened. Timelines have been flooded with clips and breakdowns of Saturday night’s loss. It’s always interesting to see how people us still-shot analysis vs real-time plays to promote an angle. The emojis in the tweet highlights where the constant shuffling and watching of plays will land you on the emotional spectrum.

The Snap Judgment Fans

Snap judgment fans may want to link with the ones doing tons of film study. The lack of pass rush was apparent and visible. The game plan included several plays where Feleipe Franks was spied and where the goal was to move him off his spot, preferably to the left. Being critical of this tactic is your right as a fan. Also, pointing out that there were times where more pressure was needed is understandable. However, saying the defensive line is overrated is immature and dumb.

The Bight Future Fans

There were many fans who put the game into a long-term perspective. They saw an unranked team, with tons of talent, that nearly beat the number eight team in the country. There is promise at several skill positions, young secondary, Jarren Williams, and other various places. There is a true feeling that this moment of ungracious growing pains can be an investment in a future where Miami returns to greatness and a championship tradition.

Outside of the fans who have clearly lost their minds or are fair-weather, there’s no right way to re-examine a loss. The tactics you use to analyze and move on may be swift or won’t subside until things kick off in Chapel Hill. Being a Canes fan like being a part of a family. Sometimes families argue and disagree. Hopefully, it’s with respect and the understanding that in the end, we’re all working towards the same thing.