Is Manny saving himself? Coach, Comeback Canes win 3rd straight as UM continues uphill fight | Opinion
We root for the underdog, right? That’s a thing. We like a good comeback story.
One of those is happening with Miami Hurricanes football.
Whether you are a fan of UM coach Manny Diaz or not, and even if you’ve been howling for his ouster, you’ve got to admit this man and his team have picked themselves up rather remarkably since the coach seemed all but fired and the season all but dead only three weeks earlier.
The unexpected rising continued Saturday with UM’s harrowing 33-30 ACC victory over Georgia Tech at Hard Rock Stadium.
For the first time this hard, uphill trudge of a season, The U has a winning record at 5-4 overall and 3-2 in the conference, with bowl eligibility now one win away and — almost preposterously — the Coastal Division title still an outside possibility.
The Cardiac Canes’ past five games have come down to dramatic finishes and been decided by 2, 3, 1, 4 and 3 points. Diaz is 47. I think he was 38 when the season began.
“We found a way to win,” said a relieved Diaz. “We made plays. It felt good to get above .500. We found a way to respond. We came back and made plays, crucial plays for us to win.”
Saturday’s win wasn’t all that impressive; Miami had been a 10-point favorite and blew an early two-touchdown lead thanks to three costly lost fumbles. But the comeback fight on this day and this three-game resurrection have impressed.
The Canes were 2-4 and 0-2 in the conference what seems like a minute ago. The “Fire Diaz” tide was rising fast, the torches and pitchforks out. UM director of athletics Blake James made headlines when he declined to assure that his coach would be back in 2022.
Then Miami upset No. 18-ranked North Carolina State.
Then the Canes upset No. 17 Pitt on the road.
Now came a frenetic but ultimate handling of Georgia Tech in a win that Miami made harder than it should have been — but a win still wondrous in its own way.
See, this was the game Miami too often has lost over the past two decades since the glory days, and recently.
And all of the ingredients were there Saturday.
A down opponent here as a double-digit underdog.
A Canes team at major risk of a letdown after consecutive big wins over ranked teams.
A small home crowd (very, very generously announced as 48,161) for an afternoon matinee start.
I could easily have seen Miami losing, because I have seen it before, too many times. So have you. Heck, we thought we were seeing it play out Saturday when an early 14-0 lead disintegrated into a 21-17 halftime deficit. When Miami never led for good until the final score, after a Canes touchdown pass was followed by a two-point pass attempt that Tech returned 100 yards for two points of its own.
(As a quick aside, it was Homecoming Day, verifying that Homecoming is still a thing, not a quaint anachronism from your dad’s college days.)
Miami can be maddening, as most average and erratic teams are. Three lost fumbles Saturday led to 14 Ga. Tech points. Sloppy tackling was an issue. The defense gave up too many big plays, including a 71-yard TD run and a 50-yard scoring pass.
The Canes got another big day from quarterback Tyler Van Dyke, with 389 yards. Got 210 receiving yards from Charleston Rambo, just 10 yards shy of Eddie Brown’s 1984 school record. And got 162 rushing yards from Jaylen Knighton. Yet still barely held on to barely win.
Van Dyke, the second-year freshman, has in his past three games completed 79-of-109 passes for 1,140 yards, 10 TDs and one interception.
It looks like UM has found its QB for the next two or three years.
“Tyler, there’s no flinch,” Diaz said.
On Rambo, a transfer: “He’s a hard guy to beat in single coverage. He’s one of top wideouts in the country and we’re lucky to have him.”
Saturday’s escape more than statement hardly means these Canes are a good team today.
Neither is the underdog/comeback narrative for Diaz and this season anywhere close to finished.
It still has a chance, that’s all.
Miami ends with games against Florida State next, Virginia Tech and then Duke. The Canes are likely to be favored in each.
Seconds into addressing his team after Saturday’s win, Diaz shouted, “It’s Florida State week!”
I get the sense UM may need to win all three games left, run the table, to save Diaz’s job beyond this year.
“We gotta win ‘em,” said the running back Knighton.
Even three more wins may not be enough. It may take a bowl win as well. With Diaz 0-2 in bowls as head coach, another postseason loss may be the tipping point if the university is in the mood for a change.
For now, UM’s underdog coach and comeback season are both still swinging, still in the fight — itself a victory, from where they both were just three weeks ago.
This story was originally published November 6, 2021 at 4:25 PM.
