Monday Musings: Canes better wreck Tech

IIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIITTTTTTTTTTTTTTT’SSSSSSSSSSSS Monday!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Which means it’s time to hop in a buggy and bounce around through the orange and green dunes of Miami-Hurricanes-related thought littered through my mind.

1) The Hurricanes and Tar Heels tilt on 10/14 has been placed on a 6-day hold, which means we’re not going to know what’s going on with a game time until this weekend. And it will apparently mean a noon or 7:30 pm ET kickoff.

I’m going to the game, and I had really hoped for a 3:30 pm kickoff time, which is the best time for tailgating and overall game day experience in my humble opinion. I prefer to get my drinking in earlier, go to the game before I get TOO sauced, and then catch an Uber home at a decent time to watch the end of the later games. Noon kicks are way too early, and 7:30 pm games mean HELL if you’re leaving early the next morning (which I am).

Given the way this season is going for Miami and UNC (spoiler: both are going very well so far), I would be very surprised if Miami doesn’t end up with the 7:30 pm slot.

2) Washington’s 31-24 win at Arizona late Saturday night likely killed something pretty cool for Miami-UNC weekend: College Gameday. Oregon and Washington face off on 10/14 and is the only game more likely to get Gameday than an undefeated Miami and UNC (they’re not going right back to Notre Dame for USC after their recent trip). Both are top 10 teams, and unfortunately both teams are on bye weeks this week. As such, they will be undefeated when they square off next week and are locked and loaded for Gameday. Oh well. Would have been pretty neat, but just a minor whine.

3) But in order for that all to happen, the Canes need to take care of business this weekend against Georgia Tech. And lordy, that had better happen after what happened with the Yellow Jackets on Saturday. The bees found themselves training lowly Bowling Green by a score of 38-14 in the third quarter, eventually losing 38-27. GT had a decent showing to start the season against Louisville, dropping a scrappy 39-34 game to the Cardinals. They also won at Wake Forest 30-16 two weeks ago, which is a pretty solid win for them.

However, you can’t lose to Bowling Green. And you sure as heck can’t LOSE lose to Bowling Green. Doors blown off lose. Embarrassed. That’s a very Miami-versus-MTSU-or-Duke-in-2022 type of loss. And as such, the Canes should treat the Jackets in 2023 the way teams treated the Canes in 2022 - rudely.

4) Prediction: Miami 38, Georgia Tech 17

This had better be convincing. Miami has had a little bit of time to let some key players get healed up and ready to go for conference play (i.e., Matt Lee, Henry Parrish, and Kamren Kinchens). Georgia Tech can score some points, but they give it up on the ground defensively, and Miami should be able to take advantage of that with the running game. Miami controls the clock, and the pass rush makes Haynes King’s life difficult for much of the day.