Canes Beat Gators, Rise in Rankings

The Miami Hurricanes (4-0) were ranked #10 in the preseason AP college football poll. After beating #6 Notre Dame in the opener, Miami rose to #5. The Canes stayed at #5 after a decisive win over Bethune-Cookman.

In week three, the Hurricanes faced #18 South Florida and climbed to #4 after a dominating performance against the Bulls. With their 26-7 win over the rival Florida Gators (1-3) last Saturday night in front of 66,713 resounding fans, the Canes leapfrogged LSU and Penn State and rose to #2 behind only #1 Ohio State.

Rivalry games are always tough. Emotions are always high. When it’s the Canes versus the Gators that toughness and those emotions reach the highest levels of both competiveness and combativeness. Neither Florida’s (1-3) record nor the evening’s final score reflect what an excellent team the Gators are, especially on the defensive side. It wasn’t until inside the last five minutes of the fourth quarter that the Miami faithful could breathe a sigh of relief and believe that they would go home victorious.

Miami won the coin toss and deferred. Things could not have started any better for the Canes. Florida was held to negative yardage on each of their first three plays and on 4th and 15 punted to the Miami 44. A 7-play, 56-yard drive was capped off with a 2-yard rush up the middle for a touchdown by Marty Brown and Miami was up 7-0 five minutes and 31 seconds into the contest.

Florida could only manage 5 yards on their next possession and punted to the Miami 28. The Canes made four first downs on their next possession, but three pre-snap penalties hampered the 16-play drive and left them with 4th and 24 at the Gators 35. Carter Davis hit a 53-yard field goal and Miami was up 10-0 in the first minute of the second quarter.

Three Gator and two Canes punts followed in the uninspiring second quarter before Miami, with 4:50 left in the half, drove 52 yards on 10 plays and went up 13-0 on a 23-yard field goal by Davis. Florida, with 1:27, could not move the ball and punted. Miami took a knee and it was halftime.

Miami received the second half kickoff. The Canes ran 11 plays for 42 but it was for naught when they had to punt. The Gators took over on their own 20. Ja’Kobi Jackson rushed 27 yards for a first down. A 10-yard completion from DJ Lagway to Vernell Brown III made it first and 10 on the Miami 40.

After 3 rushes by Jadan Baugh, 2 by Lagway and 2 by Jackson, Baugh ran it in from the 7, putting the Gators on the scoreboard. Florida imposed their will on the 11-play, 80-yard drive and with 3:29 left in the third quarter, it was 13-7 and game on.

Momentum was on Florida’s side. That momentum took a quantum leap when, on Miami’s first play following the kickoff, Carson Beck was intercepted at the Florida 48. Down 13-7, Florida had the ball with 3:16 remaining in the third quarter.

I believe everyone in the building understood the teams had reached the decisive point, the crux of the contest. Team records, rankings and so on were out the window. It was zero hour, high noon. The crossroads were the trenches and the victory would be earned there.

The Gators converted a 4th and 3 for a first down at Miami’s 40. On 2nd and 6 Lagway dropped back to pass and was sacked for a 9-yard loss by linebacker Mo Toure, one of his team-leading 10 tackles. On 4th and 3 from the Miami 33, Lagway completed a pass to TJ Abrams but Canes defensive end Marquise Lightfoot stopped him inches short of the marker and Miami had a turnover on downs as the third quarter ended.

Miami went 3 and out. Florida had 3rd and 1 on their next drive but DE David Blay and safety Jakobe Thomas pancaked Baugh and after a punt the Canes took over on their 20 with 11:20 to go.

A 16-yard pass from Beck to Brown, a Brown rush for 3, reception for 6 and another rush for 6 gave Miami a first down at Florida’s 45. After a 9-yard Beck-to-TE Elija Lofton pass, it was 2nd and 1 at the Gator 36 with 7:48.

It was ground-and-pound time. Three Mark Fletcher Jr. runs made it 2nd and 4 on the 16. Marty Brown had the next four carries and took it in from the one for a 19-7 Miami lead. The Canes went for two after the TD but the pass failed. Florida took over on their 25 and turned it over on downs with 2:58. Four Fletcher runs later it was 26-7.

Miami’s defense held Florida to 141 yards, with 4 sacks and 7 tackles for loss. Florida had 13 third down plays and went 0-13 on those efforts. Wesley Bissainthe was second to Toure with 8 tackles, Rueben Bain added 7 stops and a half sack.

Miami had 344 total yards, 184 on the ground and 160 through the air. Fletcher led the RBs with 116 yards and a TD. Brown had 80 yards and two scores. Brown, Lofton, Malachi Toney and CJ Daniels each had a team-leading 4 receptions. Beck was 17-30-1 for 160.

In his opening post-game statement, head coach Mario Cristobal said, “This game means a lot to us…our alumni…the fan base.” When asked how he likes where the team is right now, Cristobal added, “…we’re focused on doing our job and doing right and playing for each other and for the University of Miami. We’ve come miles, but we have miles and miles to go.”

Miami is on a bye next week. On Saturday, October 4 the Canes will be at Doak S. Campbell Stadium in Tallahassee where they will play the #8 Florida State Seminoles at 7:30 in a nationally televised contest on ABC.

That’s it for now, be well all and Go Canes!