Andrew Grizzle

I mean this wholeheartedly, but what happened to a large swath of this @CanesFootball fan base as of late? U-enthusiasts went from living in an unattainable ’80s-era past—where nothing but dominance and annual title contention was accepted—to a bunch of betas who pontificate and doom-post non-stop in these fan-driven social media groups. I saw more logic and common sense on late-’90s message boards when Miami was down 31 scholarships and NCAA probation wrecked half a decade—than I’m seeing with this undefeated, No. 1 team. These pages are now flooded with people holding court like they see something the rest of us don’t; daily warnings that this isn’t a championship-caliber defense. Thanks, Lombardi ... the rest of us SO wouldn’t see these weaknesses without your incessant online rants. “𝘞𝘌 𝘚𝘖 𝘞𝘖𝘜𝘓𝘋𝘕’𝘛 𝘉𝘌𝘈𝘛 𝘎𝘌𝘖𝘙𝘎𝘐𝘈 𝘐𝘍 𝘞𝘌 𝘗𝘓𝘈𝘠𝘌𝘋 𝘛𝘏𝘌𝘔 𝘛𝘖𝘔𝘖𝘙𝘙𝘖𝘞!!!” When then thank God that a potential playoff matchup is at least two months away. A year ago this week, Miami was 6-2 after losing at SMU—out of the ACC hunt and needing to win out just to have a shot at an at-large berth. Remember where that season eventually went? Months back, half this fan base wanted to give #CoreyHetherman a lifetime contract—petrified he’d leave for a head coaching gig—yet these same emotional wrecks want him out after #BobbyPetrino picked apart his defense like a buzzard on some roadkill on a hot South Florida day. So much of this “we’re in trouble if we don’t fix the defense” venting feels like self-protection. Fans spend their week arguing with rivals and prediction Miami would roll, then scramble to rip their own team before somebody throws those predictions back in their faces. I’ve gotten hooked on @RomanCane’s Student Of The Game breakdowns; actual Xs and Os explaining what happened, the predicament Hetherman faced and what needs to change—as the Sunday morning quarterbacking from a portion of this fan base has gotten insufferable. (Take 20 minutes and watch him unpack Chapel Hill: youtube.com/watch?v=Dq2gGA2D…) Petrino had Miami’s tendencies figured out. Motion to identify coverage. Quick throws exploiting safety rotations. Running backs isolated against linebackers or a defensive end. Counter looks forcing pass rushers to honor the run—buying #BillyEdwards time to make Miami pay. Sometimes the Canes got the matchup they wanted and lost the rep. Guys didn’t win one-on-one up front. Defenders got sucked underneath, leaving receivers open behind them. Screens hurt again. Coverage, tackling, angles and wrapping up weren’t consistently good enough. Does anybody rambling away in these groups think they see flaws the staff doesn’t? That coaches and players aren’t already breaking down those mistakes and getting back to Greentree to address them? One guy was ranting the other day that coaches “need to be accountable.” Is there a coach who preaches accountability more than Cristobal? Who sounds less satisfied when his team doesn’t execute? The same “back to work” mantra, same angst, win or lose. An intense head of this program that won two national championships as a Miami player; Cristobal understands the responsibility and the standard, as well as the outside noise that comes with both. Ro’s breakdown makes the work clear: better disguise, fewer predictable tendencies, a hard look at coverage assignments and better execution when guys ARE positioned to actually make a play. None of that guarantees a fix. Last year showed how much has to go your way just to get into the playoffs, let alone reach a title game. Hence the whole “1-0 every week” and the relentless work that comes with it. Many of us have said it: plenty of Miami teams over the past two decades lose at Wake Forest, lose to Florida State and absolutely lose that back-and-forth battle at North Carolina. Instead, Miami held UNC to three before halftime and got #MarquiseLightfoot’s strip sack, recovered by #JustinScott—the game’s only turnover—when it desperately needed a stop. Can this jaded bunch take anything good from a comeback win in a house of horrors? Miami had lost seven of its previous ten in Chapel Hill, and even the wins in 2011, 2013 and 2017 were dogfights, while UNC entered this one on a five-game winning streak. But those holding court in the Facebook groups predicted a 45-17 blowout—so 38-35 becomes an embarrassment they need get in front of and explain away. Look around college football. Where’s the juggernaut? Conference teams are beating up on each other and traditional powers are going down every week. Auburn went into Athens and beat No. 1 Georgia, then lost consecutive games to LSU and Ole Miss. BYU beat No. 2 Notre Dame, then lost at UCF—which promptly got wrecked 41-9 by Baylor under an interim coach. Ohio State lost Julian Sayin, yet its defense got torched at Southern Cal. Kentucky is getting all the love right not, but don't forget that 45-17 Alabama laid on their defense—that same Alabama defense that let Florida State score 36 while Ashton Daniels threw for 377, but his 298 yard day at Miami was the only one that drew massive criticism. What happened one Saturday doesn’t dictate the next; the whole, tired transitive-property bullshit fans cling to has never meant less. I don’t care whether you have full faith or zero confidence in this defense. Miami has a staff—and a head coach—that understands the assignment and won’t be outworked trying to solve these problems. Be frustrated with it and clamor for better—but let's lose the whole authoritative energy and air of superiority when trying to take the piss out of anyone here trying to enjoy some wins and this first trip back to No. 1 since the 2003 Fiesta Bowl. The defense produced three second-half sacks Saturday. Dawson’s offense kept answering, creating opportunities and trading blows with Petrino all night. Weren’t we just bitching about the offensive line and Miami's offensive coordinator disappearing late at Wake Forest? We can criticize that, but won't make his offense the focus in this road win against Belichick’s team? Sometimes the offense has to carry you. You’re allowed to win those games, too. And after a week hearing how penalties would doom Miami on the road? Three flags for 30 yards. We're just going to ignore that, while leading it with when the Canes are a hot-mess on the penalties front? There’s too much parity to treat every conference dogfight as proof your season is fraudulent. The other sideline has players, good coaches and a week’s worth of film—while we've seen for decades that the Hurricanes coming to town represents a lot of team's "Super Bowl". Wake Forest, Florida State and North Carolina threw the kitchen sink at Miami; the Canes won all three—and anybody who's watched this program the past two decades knows this team is 5-3 right now in that old economy. There’s a final regular-season month to improve while continuing to win. Earn a top-four seed and Miami’s first playoff game is nearly two months away. Demand better defense. But quit pretending the November version is all this team can become. Remember the hangover a year ago today after waking up with this team sitting at 6-2 after that brutal choke-job at SMU—and then look where things went over the next ten weeks; scrappy in ACC play to finish the regular season 10-2, the CFP berth and then watching beat Texas A&M, take out Ohio State in the Cotton Bowl and outlasting Ole Miss in the Fiesta Bowl—one drive short of winning a national championship as a 10-seed. Months ago, Hetherman needed a lifetime contract. Now it’s “For Sale” signs and a moving truck. The defense needs more consistency? Sure. But so do a lot of you. 1-0 every week. Back to work. Beat Notre Dame.