Top announcer assesses state of Canes. And another national voice offers a pointed message
It’s clear that much of the Miami Hurricanes fan base won’t be happy unless the program returns to annual national championship contention, which is an understandable goal.
But the UM administration — specifically the president’s office — seems reasonably content with being a Top 25 program, the type of team that wins 8 to 10 games every year and remains somewhat relevant.
I asked ABC/ESPN lead college football voice Chris Fowler what’s a reasonable expectation at this point, given the state of college football.
“The expectations in Miami are never reasonable,” he said Thursday. “I live down there, follow the Canes since the ‘80s. I understand the fan base, and I also understand that duplicating what they had back then and even as recently as the early 2000s seems unlikely, not impossible. But it takes a perfect storm to do it. If you want to talk about how Bama and Clemson have done it, it’s a long, long conversation.
“They should be concerned about this game coming up against Michigan State, because it’s an important tell on where the Canes are and where they’re going.
“The schedule in the ACC, there’s not a single game on that schedule they can’t win if they play well,” Fowler continued. “Appalachian State is a better program than people realize. Being a sandwich game, coming off a letdown of Alabama, I knew there would be a hangover. I don’t think that’s a true indication of where this team is. It’s better to have a win and an escape than it was to be 0-2. A lot better.
“But how they play against Michigan State, a team that is very physical, [will be revealing]. I know they’re expected to win by most people down there. But how they play and how they look doing it and how they launch their ACC campaign will be what defines their season.
“I don’t know why Miami plays Alabama in these opening games. I really don’t. That was not likely to be anything but what it was. Sorry. And how they perform Saturday and beyond is going to define what they are.”
Meanwhile, Mike Farrell — Rivals.com’s national columnist — made a video plea for UM to pursue Oregon coach Mario Cristobal, who played for the Canes.
“Manny Diaz got blown out by Alabama, never had a chance, barely beat App State. Mario Cristobal, on the other hand, beats Ohio State, has won two Pac-12 titles in a row. And his dream job is Miami. They would have to pay a boatload of money because everybody wants Cristobal.
“I’m sure USC is going to reach out. Alabama could ask him to replace Nick Saban down the line. He has an affinity for Miami. He played there, he loved it, he would love to recruit in that area. He could build that program into a juggernaut. If you’re a Canes fan, you want the administration to do anything and everything they can to get Mario Cristobal and move on from Manny.”
Cristobal earns $4.45 million annually, but his buyout is $9 million until Jan. 14, 2022, after which it decreases to $6.5 million.
It’s highly questionable if Cristobal would leave when he already has a great job in a program with a seemingly unlimited budget. UM never approached him before hiring Diaz.
THIS AND THAT
▪ With Keontra Smith sidelined for a month and Sam Brooks sidelined indefinitely, it will be interesting to see what Avery Huff — who played barely any defensive snaps in his first two years here — will do in an expanded role as Waymon Steed’s backup at inside linebacker.
Huff — rated by Rivals the No. 9 inside linebacker and 170th-best prospect in the 2019 class out of Fort Lauderdale St. Thomas Aquinas — flashed in the spring.
“He’s very long, very athletic, everything you want a WILL linebacker to be,” inside linebackers coach Jon Patke told WQAM’s Joe Zagacki and Don Bailey Jr. “I want to see him get aligned correctly and play fast. When he knows exactly what to do, he can make a lot of plays. He can run, he’s very flexible, can slip blocks and eat up ground and cover tight ends. That’s why we recruited him.”
▪ The Canes have only two sacks — partly the byproduct of losing their top rusher (Jaelan Phillips), partly a byproduct of the Week 1 competition (Alabama) and a partly a result of the first two opposing quarterbacks getting the ball out quickly against Miami.
“As a D-line we’re not very happy with the sack numbers,” UM defensive tackle Jared Harrison-Hunte said. “But that’s going to go up. People will hold the ball for a long time and we’re going to get rushing, are going to get the QB down.”
Michigan State quarterback Payton Thorne was sacked twice in a win against Northwestern and wasn’t sacked at all in a victory against Youngstown State. He has five touchdown passes and no interceptions this season; he had three touchdowns and three interceptions last season.
This story was originally published September 16, 2021 at 10:56 AM.
