Sorry folks, but there ain't no way to sugarcoat it. Saturday's debacle was the most embarrassing loss this program has ever experienced. People are saying FIU was worse, but these people either don't remember the dark place we were in back in 2019, have serious hate towards Manny Diaz, or they're lying to themselves in order to cope with the new regime because let's be honest, we're going to be stuck with Cristobal for several years so part of my gets it. For those who think FIU was worse, let's compare:

FIU in 2019

1) This was Manny's first year being HC of a big time program. There's a learning curve for weekly preparation.

2) QB situation and entire offense was significantly worse. First year Freshman Jarren Williams was our starter and he transferred to USF and never saw the field. No idea where he is now, but I know he ain't playing. There were also rumors he got trashed the night before the game but I don't know if there's truth to that.

3) Offensive line was terrible. We were nearly dead last in rushing that year. Couldn't run the ball against Central MI either.

4) We weren't ranked at any point during the season. Also were never the preseason favorite to win the dreaded Coastal.

5) It was somewhat of a close game not played on our home field. Actually had a chance to tie towards the end.

6) Resources and coaching salaries were far more scarce at UM.

7) Butch Davis, who this fanbase is obsessed with, was the coach at FIU at the time. He had NFL experience as well as relevant CFB experience. Who coaches MTSU?

8) FIU was 6-6 in 2019 and was bowl eligible (partly thanks to us). They also had a QB drafted the next year and an All American Kicker (Jose Borregales), What they did in 2020 or 2021 isn't relevant.

9) Our kicking game in 2019 was ATROCIOUS. We had walk-ons kicking FG's at one point. Manny brought over Jose Borregales from FIU as a transfer the next year in 2020. There was a reason for that..

Middle Tennessee State

1) Crisobal inherited a much more experienced/talented team and a QB on preseason Heisman watch.

2) We were ranked Top 15 in the preseason.

3) Entire team from 2021 has returned in 2022 with hardly any key losses.

4) We're paying coaches at all positions significantly more money (Cristobal is making 4-5x a year compared to Manny).

5) Coaching staff has light years more experience than Manny and Co.

6) MTSU blew us out at home. At no point was this a close game. We couldn't even pull within one score

7) MTSU was blown out 44-7 in Week 1 against James Madison. For those who don't know, this is James Madison's first year playing FBS/G5 ball. They were FCS last year..

Let me be clear, both losses are beyond embarrassing and totally inexcusable. Losing to any G5 opponent is totally inexcusable. It should never happen unless it's a respectable G5 opponent having a special year like Cincy or UCF. Before the FIU debacle, Miami losing to a G5 opponent was unheard of, and we actually played some legitimate G5 opponents under Richt/Golden (2017 Toledo, 2016 App State) and crushed them like we should.

FIU was the worst loss in school history when it happened, and it felt like it because it was so uncharacteristic for this program. It was inexcusable, BUT there were SOME microscopic explanations to understand how it could happen (as mentioned above). For MTSU? I can't find any. QB? TVD was on Heisman watch in the preseason. Coaches? We have a well paid, all-star staff. Talent? We're not the most talented team in the world, but we're miles ahead of MTSU. Is MTSU full of high rated recruits and future NFL talent? Nope.

So I'm sorry, MTSU was worse than FIU. Losing to FIU just made this seem routine and less painful.