Steve Kim’s Canes Corer- Is it Over, Yet?

Steve Kim’s Canes Corner. In retrospect it was silly for fans and pundits alike to even debate if this years Miami Hurricanes would make a bowl game heading into their season finale against the Pitt Panthers. As they got blown out at Hard Rock Stadium on Saturday night by the score of 42-16, this much was clear — this squad had really quit after the early season loss to Texas A@M back in September.

Simply put, they packed it in long ago.

This game was just final confirmation of what we found out awhile ago.

The program is broken.

Mario Cristobal’s first season as the head coach of his alma mater ends at a bitterly disappointing 5-7. But it even feels worse than that. Yes, there’s an argument to be made that this team is worse than the 1997 and 2007 teams that had similar marks.

Five home losses, a 45-3 shellacking versus rival Florida State, and a stunning loss to Middle Tennessee State.

You wonder if Cristobal realized what he had gotten himself into.

As you see players make their way into the transfer portal (and there’s a lot more of where that came from) you understood that there was a cultural rot inside the program. The reality is that not only do they need an upgrade in overall talent, there needs to be a different mindset inside the building.

There’s no other way to say it, this season was an unmitigated disaster. It began with great hopes, and dreams of a Coastal Division title in the ACC. Instead, they are one of the biggest busts in college football in ’22.

Now, as the off-season begins, Cristobal begins the process of turning over the roster as quickly as possible. The goal is very simple, bring in more guys like Wesley Bissainthe, Anez Cooper and recruit like crazy. Which is one area where Cristobal thrives. Talent acquisition is where he thrives. Rest assured, the transfer portal will be utilized liberally.

But this problem goes beyond players, Cristobal has some hard decision to make in terms of his staff. First and foremost, offensive coordinator, Josh Gattis, who engineered one of the most unproductive and listless offenses in Miami history. He said recently he’s had to resort to running three different offenses. Frankly, none have been effective. They went through a stretch of 10 quarters without scoring a touchdown, and had seven games of scoring 16 or less points.

To be blunt, veteran defensive coordinator, Kevin Steele, was also underwhelming in his UM debut. His unit oftentimes got gashed in the run game, failed to consistently contain quarterbacks in the pocket, and gave up way too many explosive plays. Tackling remained an issue. On five different occasions they have given up 40-plus points.

It’s not just one thing, it’s everything that’s wrong with Miami football, currently

Thankfully, it’s over.

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About the Author: Steven Kim

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