UM makes major playoff statement
MIAMI GARDENS — Like it or not, America, Miami’s party continues.
The Hurricanes, in the spotlight of the biggest national game of the week, took total command Saturday. They went crazy on campus in the morning, with ESPN’s “College GameDay” in Coral Gables for the first time. They dominated at night, racing out to a shocking 34-point lead on then third-ranked Notre Dame.
The final: Miami 41, Notre Dame 8.
The Turnover Chain made four appearances, with Miami (9-0, 6-0 ACC) forcing four turnovers for the fourth game in a row, and the Irish (8-2) looked nothing like the national title contender many believed they were.
Now, Miami, which jumped to second in the AP poll, has every reason to believe it is.
Here are some takeaways from the Canes’ win:
No doubt about it.
It was a stunning display. This team spent September trying to find its legs, and October escaping near- losses.
In November, the Hurricanes have stomped
then-No. 13 Virginia Tech and No. 3 Notre Dame, in front of raucous crowds at Hard Rock Stadium, by a combined 51 points.
A sold-out crowd of 65,303 — all but a small section of them Canes fans — watched the first Miami-Notre Dame game in South Florida since 1989.
They saw a team that looked a lot more like those old-school teams than anything recent.
Remember, Miami won four October games by a combined 18 points, which was too close for some, but at least a reversal of last year. That’s when they lost four straight in October, three of them by a combined 11 points. The last of which, of course, was to Notre Dame.
That was Oct. 29, 2016, in South Bend. That was the last time Miami lost a game. Fourteen wins later, the Hurricanes own the longest winning streak in the nation, and have their longest run since a 34-game stretch from 2000-02.
Where will UM rank in new CFP poll?
Top-ranked Georgia certainly will drop after being blown out 40-17 at No. 10 Auburn, a two-loss team. Second-ranked Alabama struggled at 16th-ranked Mississippi State, trailing in the fourth quarter and winning by a touchdown.
No. 4 Clemson, which Miami will meet in the Dec. 2 ACC Championship Game in Charlotte, North Carolina, could hold its spot with a tougher-than-expected 31-14 win over Florida State.
No. 5 Oklahoma ripped No. 6 TCU.
Including Miami, there are six Power Five teams nationally with one or fewer losses. The Hurricanes are sure to receive consideration for No. 1 Tuesday night after this blowout.
Championship-caliber defense.
To win, the Hurricanes needed to shut down the run. Not only did they do that, they had Notre Dame quarterbacks running for their lives.
Miami, which has held every team but one (Florida State) under its scoring average, shut out Notre Dame until there were 12 seconds left in the third quarter. The Irish were averaging 41.3 points, seventh in the nation.
This was no less than the most efficient rushing attack in the country, averaging 7.04 yards per carry and a whopping 324.8 yards per game. They had 3.3 yards per carry, and nothing much at all until garbage time. Only two teams had scored more rushing touchdowns than the Irish (34). They had none Saturday.
The defense registered five sacks, too, but this was about run-stopping, which took away the Irish’s Plan A.
Star running back
Josh Adams — whom UM defensive coordinator Manny Diaz called “not a good player — a great player” before the game — had a school-sponsored Heisman Trophy campaign called “33 Trucking,” in reference to his jersey number and the offensive line’s supposed blue-collar work ethic.
Miami left them bruised, battered and broken down on the side of the road. Speed killed.
On both sides of the ball, the Hurricanes were simply faster than the Irish.
The defense shut down speed sweeps and locked up receivers. Trajan Bandy, a true freshman cornerback, took an interception 65 yards to the end zone to put UM up 27-0 right before halftime.
On offense, Travis Homer (Oxbridge Academy) and DeeJay Dallas looked like the marquee backs, not Adams. Homer starred with 146 yards on 18 carries, and broke carries of 40 and 38 yards — lowering his shoulder on those and more. Dallas (53 yards on 12 carries, two touchdowns) had one of 25 and bulled 5 yards for Miami’s final score.
Adams’ longest gain: 12 yards.
In October 2015, NFL scouts sat in the press box during Miami’s loss to Cincinnati and commented how much slower the Canes looked than their mid-major opponent.
My, how times have changed.