Monday Musings: steamrolling FSU, thanks to the portal; the Canes and prime time love affair

I had fun on Saturday night. Between the Canes murdering the Noles and the Vols escaping South Carolina, my (ranked) alma maters fared well.

I also didn’t get to see every single play, as we had company over and were engaging in some Trivial Pursuit and alcohol consumption. That being said, I saw most of it, and what I saw, I obviously loved, like every other person in orange and green. I said on here that Miami would win comfortably 33-17. In fact, I kind of saw it going like it did for us against LSU a couple of years ago. We’d start off strong, take the game by the horns, and let them crawl back to not-far-from-respectable-range by the final gun.

Boy, did I not give our guys NEARLY enough credit. And now, on with it....

1) That was the biggest beating I have seen Miami deliver a rival, maybe ever. It reminded me of a game (or series of games) that we saw like this during a very special season. I was a first-year law student watching the greatest team in the history of college football blast the absolute doors off of Syracuse and Washington. 59-0 and 65-7. The Orange Bowl felt like it was going to collapse around us, it was so wild.

I imagine that’s what last night would’ve felt like. At least that’s what it looked like, one of those dominating performances with top-level Miami talent making plays on both sides of the ball. Nesta Silvera’s pregame speech in the end zone felt Ed Reed-like. I’m NOT saying it was or this is 2001 BY ANY MEANS. Don’t quote me on that. I’m just saying it was a perfect storm of something that felt and looked special, with a feel of dominance not felt since then.

2) I said FSU would score 17. Welp, thanks to the best safety in the country, that didn’t happen, as Bubba Bolden broke up a would-be TD pass that ended up picked off. What a game from Bolden, and so far what a season.

3) Miami’s defensive line is the best in football. They made FSU look as silly as we thought they might. The new mountain-of-a-man Jaelan Phillips (who should NOT have been ejected) just manhandles his blocker each play, and Roche is as good of a pure rusher as we could have hoped coming into this year. Silvera blew up the comical INT to Phillips, and Jared Harrison-Hunte had a sack and generated pressure as well. This is becoming a weekly message, but....bravo, fellas. Keep. It. Up. Row. That. Boat.

4) Speaking of Bolden, don’t let anyone rag on the portal. Thanks to it, we have the best QB in the state of Florida (;-)) the best DE combo in the ACC, a road-grading right tackle, a verified Groza award candidate, and maybe the best safety in football. I mean....y’all. When you think about it, how isn’t Miami and it’s tropical climate/supreme lifestyle not the top choice for kids looking for something different late in their careers? Keep that portal work going, Manny.

5) We know Brevin Jordan is TE1 anywhere in the country, but Will Mallory is going to be a problem this year. Sure, he just had one catch, but it was a big one that moved the chains in the first half as Miami was separating from the Noles, and he almost got his head twisted off on the play, so it really went for 25 yards. A big reason he only got one was because......

6).....D’Eriq King spread the ball TO ELEVEN DIFFERENT FREAKING RECEIVERS!!! What?! That just goes to show you, he can read the defense and take what is there. Unreal distribution Saturday night. King continues to show he can do whatever is necessary to move the ball and make the best decision for the offense. No interceptions through 3 games. My. Word.

7) Cam Harris and Jaylan Knighton have done serious work so far this year, but Don Chaney Jr. had his coming out party on Saturday. 7 carries, 35 yards, 2 touchdowns, and he carried any entire village of Seminole defenders on his back for one run. I don’t remember who said it, but someone was dead right on Twitter when they said he looked like a young Frank Gore last night. Power running at its finest.

8) Please put someone else back there to field punts. PLEASE???

9) If that was FSU’s best effort last week, I honestly don’t know how they win a game this year. They have Jax State at home Saturday (after getting de-pantsed in Miami Gardens, who knows how they will respond), then have a full ACC slate. Aside from maybe Virginia at home, at NC State, or at Duke, I don’t know where there’s a win on that schedule after this weekend. Saddle up, Noles (tee-hee).

10) Conversely, rather than the 9 am FSU slot on PBS, Miami’s next tilt against Clemson has been announced to be the 7:30 pm national game (yet again) on ABC. Given the COVID-19 travel concerns, this makes it highly likely Miami will be a part of College Gameday for the third time this season. What can you say? The city of Miami has that glitz and glamour vibe, and now, so does its football team. Folks love a spectacle, and suddenly, D’Eriq King vs. Trevor Lawrence, the 3-headed monster vs. Travis Etienne, and Rhett Lashlee vs. Brent Venables has created a can’t-miss event on October 10. Much more to come on that in the next two weeks.

Now that you’ve had a chance to sit back and reflect on the game for a couple of days, what are your thoughts about last Saturday? Let’s hear them.