Cote: No. 8 Miami crushes Wake Forest, but are Canes really that good? Answer for now: 10-1 | Opinion
Bells were ringing for the Miami Hurricanes on Saturday. They were not the welcome chimes of the holiday season bringing good cheer. They were closer to the sounds of alarm.
They’ve been ringing for awhile. They have not quite gone away.
We’ve been wondering all season now good these Canes really are. Eleven games in, at times we still are.
Coming off a bye week that followed their first loss of the season, the Hurricanes returned to play Saturday and survived another upset threat for much of the game before pulling away late for a 42-14 victory over lowly Wake Forest in UM’s home finale.
Miami’s defense dominated, allowing Wake only 193 total yards.
“Story of the game was the defense, without a doubt,” said coach Mario Cristobal. “We leaned on them and they came through. That was really awesome. They played with an edge.”
It was a wintry (for Miami) 67 degrees at kickoff. The day was beautiful. The Canes’ performance, not so much -- at least until three fourth-quarter touchdowns put it away. UM would finish with 508 yards in offense despite Cristobal lavishing the defense with the postgame praise. And Cam Ward set a new UM season record for most passing yards.
Ward dismissed the significance of that in favor of team goals.
“Next week’s a big game for us,” he said. “Clock’s running out. We gotta lock in. I think we have the pieces to be a championship-caliber team.”
Miami was coming off a bye and entered having lost seven of its past nine games with extra time to prepare, with the two wins narrow escapes. It was 1-3 under Cristobal including a bowl loss. So Saturday cleared that hurdle.
Saturday with a late flourish they did enough to win against a Wake program that has not beaten Miami since 1944 (!) and had to win its last two games just to eligible for an invite to the Podunk Bowl.
By contrast Miami is now 10-1, and could inch up from its No. 8 College Football Playoff ranking.
But I am not sure Miami’s recent performances in the loss at Georgia Tech or for much of Saturday will be enough to win at Syracuse next week. Or in the ACC Championship game. Or in the CFP’s 12-team playoff.
Miami guarantees itself a place in the conference title game with a win next Saturday at Syracuse. UM would likely face No. 13 SMU but possibly No. 17 Clemson as well.
“All our attention has already turned to that game,” Cristobal said of Syracuse. “Our goals are intact.”
Miami did not trail Saturday but has six times this season -- four times by at least 10 points in the fourth quarter.
Heisman-quality quarterback Cam Ward, the one-season godsend via the transfer portal, has been able to overcome so many of his team’s shortcoming and defensive lapses with miracle comebacks. This could be a 7-4 or even a 6-5 Canes season right now with a lesser QB.
Miami impressed early and led 7-0 with an opening 84-yard drive finished by Cam Ward’s 13-yard scoring pass to Jacolby George.
The lead was short-lived. Wake evened it on a 36-yard scoring pass that will have UM’s secondary cringing during the team’s film session. Canes defense has been prone to allowing big plays all season and was yet again.
Penalties hurt, too. Miami’s for offensive pass interference erased a Ward TD and saw UM settle for a field goal and 10-7 lead as the first quarter ended.
Miami led 17-7 in the second on Mishael Powell’s 76-yard interception return touchdown -- but that hint of a comfortable lead also vanished quickly as the Canes allowed a 100-yard kickoff return score to draw Wake Forest within 17-14..
A Ward interception snuffed another UM series, then a short field goal made it an anxious 20-14 lead at the half.
“Offensively we’re stagnant right now,” Cristobal said then.
Xavier Restrepo’s lost fumble in Canes territory in the third quarter didn’t help, puting Wake in a position to drive for the lead, but UM’s defense rose up with a pair f sacks to force a fumble.
Miami then drove for a 1-yard scoring sneak by Ward and a two-point pass and a 28-14 lead.
At that point Wake Forest began doing what bad teams do: Collapsing.
A Demon Deacons fumble in their own territory led to Jordan Lyle’s 18-yard scoring run and a 35-14 lead in the middle of the fourth quarter.
Ward’s second TD pass to George from 15 yards out inside the final two minutes made for the final score to finish UM’s second perfect regular-season record in the past 22 years, the other coming in 2017.
The question of how good the Hurricanes really are is legit and has not gone away.
The answer for now, though, is louder than any warning bells.
The answer is: 10-1.
This story was originally published November 23, 2024 at 3:30 PM.
