Canes Roller Coaster Ending

BY SCOTT MORGANROTH

After watching some of the College Football Playoff Games, there is no doubt the Miami Hurricanes could have put on a good show.

Unfortunately for Miami, the Canes lost two out of the last three ACC Games, thus failed to make it to the ACC Championship Game against SMU. It’s one thing to lose games, but when you lose to unranked opponents that will do nothing to impress the College Football Playoff Committee, which judges by strength of schedule.

When Miami lost to Georgia Tech in Atlanta, November 9, 2024, the Canes took a 10-7 lead at the end of the first quarter. But Georgia Tech put sevens on the board during the next  three quarters to emerge with a 28-23 win and handed Miami its first loss of the season.

After a bye week, Wake Forest came to town and Miami redeemed itself with a 42-14 win over the Demon Decons. The Canes stayed in the playoff discussion.

It all came down to a road trip to the Syracuse Orange on November 30 in upstate New York playing at the Carrier Dome. There would be no elements to play a factor in the contest. 

Miami jumped out to a 21-0 and the Canes seemed like they were cruising towards the ACC Championship Game in Charlotte. I was actually preparing the cover this game at Bank of America Stadium in Charlotte, NC.

But there was one person that prevented that from happening. It was Syracuse QB Kyle McCord, who transferred from Ohio State after the Buckeyes lost to Michigan in 2023. Buckeyes fans used him as a scapegoat in a loss to Michigan and he bolted to Syracuse.

McCord put on a show against Miami as he was 26/36 for 380 yards and three touchdowns with zero interceptions. His main weapon was running back LeQuint Allen, who had 22 carries for 82 yards and scored two touchdowns.

His favorite targets were wide receivers Trebor Peña who caught six passes for 128 yards and a touchdown. Jackson Meeks had seven receptions for 110 yards and two touchdowns.

Miami’s Cam Ward had an excellent contest as he was 26/36 for 349 yards with two touchdowns.

RB Damien Martinez had 10 carries for 84 yards and a touchdown, Mark Fletcher rushed 13 times for 56 yards and two touchdowns.

Wide receiver Xavier Restrepo played in what turned out to be in his final game and he caught nine passes for 148 yards and one touchdown. Jacolby George had six catches for 212 yards and Elijah Arroyo has five receptions for 44 yards and one touchdown.

When it was all said and done, Syracuse pulled off the 42-38 upset and Miami found itself just waiting for its Bowl Game.

Amazingly enough, I saw the Orange get crushed by the University of South Florida 45-0 in the Boca Raton Bowl 45-0 so this program has come a long way. Both Miami and Syracuse finished with 10-3 records.

The Hurricanes were invited to the Pop Tarts Bowl on December 28, 2024 at Camping World Stadium in Orlando.

Outside of the College Football Playoff, this looked like one of the best Bowl matchups. 

Both teams entered the game with 10-2 records. This would be the first meeting over between these two squads for whom both felt they belonged in the playoffs. 

During the first media availability, I asked both coaches whether they could schedule each other down the road. 

Miami’s Mario Cristobal and ISU’s Matt Campbell were open-minded to the idea and even laughed about it. You’re going to see that in the video.

Restrepo didn’t play in this game to prepare for the NFL Draft.

This game was billed as “The Battle of the Storms” Cyclones vs Hurricanes.” Judging by these two teams respective offenses, this title was appropriate. 

The over/under on this game was 61.5 and Iowa State ranked fifth in the country in total yards with 422.1 per game. Meanwhile, Miami was ranked first in the country amassing 550.7 per game.

Miami played this game without WR Isiah Horton, who entered the transfer portal.

The first quarter was entertaining as Iowa State jumped out to a 21-14 lead, as QB Rocco Becht was 6-9 for 87 yards and a touchdown. Greg Burkle caught the touchdown pass. RB Carson Hanson rushed for two touchdowns.

Miami scored 17 unanswered points in the second quarter to take a 31-28 lead at halftime. Ward threw a pair of touchdowns. One was to Elijah Arroyo while the other went to Joshisa Trader.

At halftime, Miami outgained Iowa State 358-267 total yards.

Ward threw 12 passes for 190 yards and three touchdowns. Martinez looked great on the ground by amassing 179 yards on seven attempts and a touchdown.

Becht, held his own in the first game by going 14-22, with 180 yards and two touchdowns.

What we would see in the second half is what defines today’s college football?

Ward didn’t play in the second half and was replaced by Emory Williams. 

This move caught all of us off guard. 

I heard reports on the field that there were two New York Giants scouts and they asked Ward to play in the first half. 

After the Game, Coach Cristobal chose to not give an explanation about this decision,

The Cyclones took advantage of the Wardless Hurricanes by outscoring Miami 14-10 and won the contest 42-21. Becht finished the contest going 22-35 for 270 yards and tossed three touchdowns, Once again, for Miami, Martinez wound up with 179 yards.

Miami had 524 total yards and Iowa State had 415, but the only thing that mattered was the result on the scoreboard.

Since the Pop Tarts Bowl ended, Jcoolby George and Damian Martinez decided to enter the NFL Draft. 

Hurricanes defensive coordinator Lance Guidry was fired.

During the second half of the contest, Cristobal had to find out what he has in Williams. He struggled as he was 5-14, 26 yards and an interception.

I can only imagine how differently this game would have turned out had Ward played all of it.

But welcome to the new era of college football where the transfer portal can cripple a team during Bowl Season. There is no question that this system needs to get fixed. 

The Hurricanes have hired Corey Hetherman, who was the defensive coordinator for the Minnesota Golden Gophers last season.

Another update, Iowa State Head Coach Matt Campbell is a candidate for the Chicago Bears head coaching vacancy.

Scott Morganroth can be reached at Southfloridatribune@gmail.com and you can follow him on “X” @TribuneSouth. You can find his broadcasts by subscribing to the South Florida Tribune You Tube Channel.

Canes Blazing Trail Towards College Football Playoff

BY SCOTT MORGANROTH

As the 2024 season continues to progress, Coach Mario Cristobal continues to eliminate ghosts out of his closet and lead the Hurricanes into the College Football Playoff picture.

Prior to the Hurricanes 52-45 win over the Louisville Cardinals on Saturday, October 19, Cristobal had to hear that he had never won a game after the bye week. Thanks to a 319 yards and four touchdown performance, QB Cam Ward buried this statistic.

He had help from running back Damien Martinez, who had 12 carries for 89 yards and a touchdown.

Ward’s top targets were Samuel Brown, who caught three passes for 125 yards along with one touchdown, and Xavier Restrepo, who had seven catches for 101 yards and a touchdown.

The Hurricanes amassed 538 yards in the effort and picked up a quality victory in the Bluegrass State.

The following week, the Hurricanes welcomed state rival Florida State to Hard Rock Stadium and Cristobal was 0-2 vs the Seminoles. 

This was the 69th meeting between these two rivals.

Last season in Tallahassee, FSU defeated Miami 27-21 in a hard fought contest. 

Ward had an efficient game as he passed for 208 yards, in a game that Miami leaned on its rushing attack. As a team, the Canes amassed 230 yards, 148 of those by Martinez. 

In the first half, Mark Fletcher Jr. scored on a one-yard run, Martinez had an 18-yard scamper. Andres Borregales added a 20-yard field goal enabling the Hurricanes to take a 17-7 lead at the break.

The third quarter saw Borregales kick field goals of 42 and 45 yards to extend the lead to 23-7.

The only passing touchdown of the contest occurred from wide receiver Elijah Arroyo, who threw a seven-yard pass to Ward in the fourth quarter. The two point conversion failed and Miami led 29-7. The Canes ended the scoring as Martinez found the end zone again at 1:51, this time for 12 yards and the extra point way good to extend the lead to 36-7.

FSU scored another touchdown with 18 seconds left in the game and the final score was 36-14 before a sellout crowd of 66,200 at Hard Rock Stadium. Miami improved to 8-0 while the Seminoles dropped to 1-7. 

The win was Miami’s first over FSU since 2020 and the Canes lead the all-time series 36-33.

At the post game press conference, it was evident that Cristobal and the rest of his players were not happy that they didn’t run up the score but the teams’ offense wasn’t totally in sync and Ward was sacked three times. 

Miami dominated FSU in first downs 31-14 and led time of possession 35:22-24:29.

Leading Miami’s defense was linebacker Francisco Mauigoa with seven tackles, while linebacker Wesley Bissainthe had six stops and defensive end Akheem Mesidor had three tackles and a sack. The Hurricanes defense saw FSU convert 3-13 on third down conversions.

The real number to take note of was of Miami’s 445 total yards, 230 of them were rushing.

The Hurricanes outscored FSU 19-7 in the second half.

In week 10, the Duke Blue Devils came to town, led by former Hurricanes Coach Manny Diaz. Duke entered the game as 21.5 yard underdogs which seemed high to me for a squad that was 6-2 entering the contest.

Going into the game, Miami led the all-time series 15-5. Duke won the last game in 2022, 45-21 in Cristobal’s first season.

The Hurricanes got off to a fast start scoring the first two touchdowns. 

On the first drive, Ward hit Restrepo for a 34-yard touchdown at the 11:54 mark. 

On the second drive Ward struck again as he hit Cam McCormick for four yards and the score. The Canes led 14-0. It appeared as though the oddsmakers were on track with the point spread.

The Blue Devils got on the scoreboard at 2:28 mark as Peyton Jones rushed for an eight-yard touchdown. Miami’s lead was reduced to 14-7.

Diaz’s team showed some fight in the second quarter as they outscored Miami 14-3 and took a 21-17 head at halftime. 

Blue Devils QB Maalik Murphy threw a 27-yard touchdown Shamir Hagans at 11:15 and with 1:47 left in the half connected with Jones for a for a six-yard strike. 

The Hurricanes only score was a 29-yard field goal by Borregales.

This game would be a tale of two halves. 

Miami outscored Duke 36-10 to blow the game wide open. Ward threw three touchdown passes and the team added a couple on the ground to pull away.

The numbers tell the story. The Hurricanes led in total yards 526-404. 

Against FSU, Miami relied on the ground attack. 

In this game, the Canes did their damage in the air by amassing 400 yards. Miami converted 6-12 in third down efficiency.

Murphy was 25-41 for 325 yards, three touchdowns and three interceptions. The Blue Devils top receiver was Sahmir Hagans who caught nine passes for 139 yards and a touchdown. Jones led the team in rushing with 71 yards and one touchdown.

Meanwhile, Ward performed like a Heisman Trophy candidate as he was 25-41for 400 yards, five touchdowns and had only one interception. Three of those touchdowns were to Restrepo, who had eight receptions for 139 yards and three touchdowns. 

Restrepo became Miami’s all-time leading receiver with 182 receptions and 2,573 yards. 

As the season continues, the 22-year old Deerfield Beach High School graduate will be able to continue to pad those numbers.

Fletcher was Miami’s work horse on the ground with 12 carries for 65 yards and a touchdown.

There is no doubt that this was a complete team effort and Miami improved its record to 9-0 going into Saturday’s road game in Atlanta to face a 5-4 Georgia Tech squad which is trying to become bowl eligible. Miami enters this game as an 11 point favorite. 

This game starts at Noon and you can watch it on ESPN.

But one of the key plays in this game was Ward converted an important two point conversion which he talks about in one of the videos in the story.

In fact, this story is loaded with videos of the past two games against Florida State and Duke. 

This is a team that’s on a mission and despite the fact that the Canes haven’t faced many ranked teams means that as Ward continues to pile up big numbers and Miami wins; that will be enough to get them into the ACC Championship game next month. 

Ward has amassed 3,333 yards along with 33 touchdowns. He transferred from Washington State and is making the most of his opportunity in Miami.

After the Georgia Tech game, the Hurricanes have a bye and return to action in their final home game of the year vs Wake Forest. The Demon Deacons currently have a 4-4 record and this game will be played on November 23 in Week 11. The time will be determined.

Miami will travel to Syracuse and face the Orange in Week 14 on November 30 during Thanksgiving weekend. Syracuse record at the moment is 6-2 and this is another opponent to not take for granted. No details have been released at this time are available for the network and time.

You can check our website for those updates.

But for now, there is a lot of work to be done and the Hurricanes and Cristobal know it. 

The next three opponents have plenty to play for.

Scott Morganroth can be reached at southfloridatribune@gmail.com. You can find him on X @TribuneSouth.

To see his broadcasts, there is no cost to subscribe to the South Florida Tribune You Tube Channel.

Finally, Scott’s written a book called “Lessons From The Microphone” which can be purchased on Amazon-Kindle and Barnes & Noble.

Canes Winning Close ACC Games

BY SCOTT MORGANROTH

The Miami Hurricanes are winning games decisively and by close margins.

They started the season with a 41-17 rout over the Florida Gators in Gainesville.

A top ranked HBCU opponent, Florida A & M University entered Hard Rock Stadium for the home opener and left with a 56-9 beating.

The Hurricanes welcomed Ball State University in week three and thrashed the Cardinals 62-0.

Finally, Miami traveled the Tampa to take on the University of South Florida and was bullish on the Bulls leaving Raymond James Stadium with a 50-15 win. 

In all four of these games, QB Cam Ward never saw the end of the fourth quarter enabling Coach Mario Cristobal to use his backup signal callers.

But things would change as the Hurricanes faced a much tougher opponent on Friday, September 27, 2024, as the Virginia Tech Hokies came to town. In 40 meetings going into this game, Miami leads the all-time series 25-15. The Canes entered the contest as 17.5 favorites. Would there be another easy game for Miami? Quite the contrary.

Virginia Tech led Miami 24-17 at halftime. Despite the deficit, Miami led in passing yards 204-91, but trailed in rushing yardage, 138-32. Ward was sacked twice and Miami had one fumble loss. Miami led in time of possession 17:06-12:54.

But the Canes regrouped at halftime and outscored the Hokies 21-10 and proceeded to win the contest 38-34. Virginia Tech attempted a Hail Mary on the final play of the game, but the pass was out of the end zone and incomplete.

Here are the stats which stand out. 

Miami led in time of possession 33:42-26:18.

 

Miami outgained Virginia Tech in total yards, 508-394.

 

The Hokies won the ground battle amassing 206-165. The Canes held the edge in passing 343-188. Miami led in first downs 24-23.

But Ward was the story as he was 24-38, 343 yards, four touchdowns and two interceptions. He rushed for 57 yards and added a touchdown, giving him five TDs for the day. He threw to 10 receivers. Four caught one touchdown apiece.

A week later, Miami played its first road game and traveled to the West Coast where the California Golden Bears were waiting. ESPN decided to send its College Game Day Crew for the first time ever to Berkeley, CA.

The fans definitely got their moneys worth through the first three quarters as California built a 35-18 lead. Would Miami finally face its first loss on a day where 11 unranked teams won on Saturday, October 5, 2024?

Miami would make a comeback for the ages dominated California in the fourth quarter 21-3 and pulled out a nail biting 39-38 win.

When you look at some statistical categories, one would wonder how the game was this close.

Time of possession favored Miami 37:35-22:25. 

First downs were one sided as the Hurricanes led 30-13.

But once again, the story was Ward as he willed his team to a win. He was 35-53, 437 yards, and two touchdowns. He rushed for one touchdown and did toss an interception. Miami outgained California in total yards 575-370.

Ward threw to nine receivers and the ones that stood out were Xavier Restrepo, who caught seven passes for 167 yards. Isiah Horton added nine receptions for 83 yards and a touchdown. 

Miami also out rushed California 138-73.

The win improved Miami’s record to 6-0 while California dropped to 3-2. 

Miami’s triumph elevated it to No.6 in the polls heading into its much needed bye week.

Let’s not kid ourselves. 

The Canes did what they were expected to do in the non-conference schedule winning convincingly. These past two games were won by a combined five points. 

When you play the conference schedule, the competition is much more challenging and this is what you find out what your team is made of.

The Hurricanes return to action on Saturday October 19 at they travel to Louisville and face the Cardinals. The contest starts at Noon. This rivalry is the Howard Schnellenberger Bowl as he turned both programs around.

Scott Morganroth can be reached at southforidatribune@gmail.com and you can find him on X @TribuneSouth.

To see his broadcasts, check out the South Florida Tribune YouTube Channel and there is no cost to subscribe.

Finally, he wrote a book, “Lessons From The Microphone” Tuning into the Enduring Wisdom of Visionary Leaders. The book can be purchased on Amazon-Kindle and Barnes & Noble. 

Miami Hurricanes Hammer USF Bulls

BY SCOTT MORGANROTH

There are certain games that you circle on a calendar and this was one of them.

On August 31, My photographer and I made the trek north on The Florida Turnpike and then finished the five-hour trip on I-75 to see the Miami Hurricanes thrash Florida 41-17. This was an outcome few expected. Miami earned its signature victory on opening night.

The following two weeks saw Miami manhandle Florida A&M and Ball State by 56-9 and 62-0 scores.

The second game on my calendar was on Saturday as Miami visited My Alma Mater, the University of South Florida Bulls at Raymond James Stadium. 

Going into the contest, USF had a 2-1 record with wins over Bethune Cookman and Southern Mississippi. USF’s only loss was to the Alabama Crimson Tide on the road.

Meanwhile, Miami entered the game 3-0 and looking to see if it could be tested before the start of the ACC Schedule which starts at 7:30 PM Friday vs Virginia Tech.

This game featured the battle of quarterbacks with USF signal caller Byrum Brown squaring off against Miami’s Cam Ward. 

Both QB’s lived up to their billing as Brown completed 19-of 30 passes for 254 yards, ran for 27 yards and caught a touchdown pass from wide receiver Sean Atkins.

Meanwhile, Ward passed for 404 yards and three touchdowns, plus ran for 43 yards.

The game would be competitive in the first half as the Bulls lead 15-14 with 2:36 to go in the first half. This was the first time that Miami trailed all-season. 

Even Canes Coach Miami Cristobal quipped about it during the post game press conference.

But Miami had some unsung hero’s in this contest and I asked Cristobal about running back Damien Martinez, who scored three rushing touchdowns. Wide receiver Isaiah Horton had a career day vs the Bulls as he caught eight catches for 108 yards and a touchdown.

As usual, Xavier Restrepo had a good night at the office by amassing 99 yards on six catches with a touchdown. Restrepo has scored five touchdown in all four of Miami’s games.

Samuel Brown caught two catches for 75 yards and a touchdown.

Miami led 22-15 at halftime, and proceeded to score 36 unanswered point to cruise to a 50-15 win over their cross state rivals. USF was held without a sack for the first time this season after posting three in every previous game on the year.

USF’s leading receiver was Atkins, who made a career-high 11 catches for 125 yards to move into second all-time in career receptions (145) and fifth all-time in career receiving yards (1,695) at USF.

The final numbers for this game were interesting as Miami led in first downs 27-23. Passing yards favored the Canes 404-303. Miami manhandled USF in rushing yards 188-62, but 91 of the Canes yards came on a touchdown from Jordan Lyle. 

Time of possession also favored Miami 31:22-28:38. There was no question that this was a hard-fought contest but No.8 Miami showed the Tampa Bay Area how good this squad is and that thus far, they’re the best team in Florida.

I’ve told you the story thus far, but when you watch the videos, they’ll tell you the rest.

The Bulls will not have to worry about rescheduling their game due to Hurricane Helene as they return to action on the road Saturday to face Tulane at Noon ET in New Orleans in the 2024 American Athletic Conference Opener.

Meanwhile, the Hurricanes look to improve to 5-0 on Friday Night at 7:30 PM at Hard Rock Stadium against the 2-2 Virginia Tech Hokies. This will be Miami’s fifth straight game in Florida. 

The Hurricanes make their first trip of the year a week later as they face California at 10:30 PM ET. Now we’ll see conference realignment with the cross country traveling.

Scott Morganroth can be reached at southfloridatribune@Gmail.com and you can follow him on Twitter/X @TribuneSouth.

You can find all of his broadcasts by subscribing to the South Florida Tribune You Tube Channel.

Finally, Scott wrote a book, “Lessons From The Microphone “ which can be purchased at Amazon-Kindle and Barnes & Noble.

Canes Cruise In Mismatch Games

BY SCOTT MORGANROTH

There is a reason why the Miami Hurricanes are ranked 10th in the country.

First of all, they crushed the Florida Gators in the opening game of the season 41-17 on the road in Gainesville. Nobody would even think of questioning the Canes for scheduling a soft opponent in the opener this year on August 31.

Would the next two contests be considered trap games after coming off an emotional game with the Gators?

All good coaches don’t take opponents lightly and that proved to be the case with Canes Boss Mario Cristobal. 

In game two, the Hurricanes hosted the Florida A&M Rattlers. The Rattlers came into the contest 2-0 and the last time the last time they lost a game was against the University of South Florida as they’ve dominated HBCU opponents. The Rattlers play in Tallahassee.

Cristobal knew that and addressed this to us at a Monday Press Conference where the Canes made Mario, along with his offensive and defensive coordinator available to us.

On September 7, 2024 at Hard Rock Stadium, the Hurricanes took care of business as they inserted their own venum into the snakes winning 56-9.

There was one player who stood out for the Rattlers.

It was former FAU QB Daniel Richardson (5-10, 205). The graduate transfer was 13-17 for 135 yards. During the post-game press conference, I specifically asked Cristobal about what he thought about Richardson and you’ll see that in the video.

The Rattlers would trail at halftime, 25-6 and it would get worse in the second half thanks to the stellar play of Canes QB Cam Ward. 

The transfer from Washington State was 20-26 for 304 yards and three touchdowns. When the game got out of hand, he would be replaced by Reese Poffenberger.

Miami scored four rushing touchdowns and were led by junior Damien Martinez, who had 10 carries for 90 yards.

It’s no surprise that the Canes leading receiver was future NFL wideout Xavier Restrepo, who caught four passes for 104 yards and with one touchdown.

The Hurricanes out gained the Rattlers 548-194 yards. Miami dominated in passing yards 324-142. The rushing totals favored Miami 224-52.

All in all, it was an impressive home opener for the Hurricanes. I encourage you to check out the videos.

A Week later, the Ball State Cardinals (Muncie, Indiana) came to town and once again, there would be no let-up once the two teams started playing as the game was delayed by 2.5 hours because of lightning.

The Hurricanes stormed through the Cardinals as they built a 31-0 lead at halftime. 

Ward was 17-25 for 317 yards and four touchdowns. Miami’s offense came in the air and senior Jacolby George amassed 92 yards on five carries.

Through three games, no game would seem normal unless Restrepo catches a touchdown pass. In the first half, he had three catches for 46 yards and you guessed it, two touchdown passes. 

During the post-game press conference, I asked Ward about his natural connection with Restrepo.

In the first half, the Canes dominated with 339 yards and Ball State had 90. Miami led in first downs 14-7.

In the second half, Ward played a series and Cristobal replaced him Emory Williams. Ward finished the contest going 19-28-346 yards and five touchdowns.

Ward is the first Miami quarterback to begin a season with three consecutive 300-yard performances which is impressive considering the Canes history of having legendary signal callers.

He was replaced by Emory Williams, who was 11-12 for 161 yards and a touchdown. Williams touchdown pass was to George, who finished the game with six receptions for 109 yards.

After gaining just 22 yards rushing in the first half, the Canes opted to utilize the ground game and finished with 243.

The Canes big three rushers include: Ajay Allen, who had seven carries for 104 yards and a touchdown. He was followed by Jordan Lyle, who had 11 carries for 71 yards and a touchdown. Mark Fletcher Jr. had six carries for 53 yards.

How do you define an onslaught?

Here are some numbers that will give you the answer.

Miami out gained Ball State in total yards 750-115. Pass yards favored Miami 507-109 and rushing yards 243-6. First downs also favored Miami 31-9. 

It’s safe to say that there would be no trap game in this contest. The Hurricanes stormed passed the Cardinals and took care of business.

After the game, I asked Cristobal about what his team accomplished against two lesser opponents knowing that on Saturday in Tampa, his squad will step up in class to face the USF Bulls. 

He provided his insights on that and many other important topics.

In this story, you’re going to have the opportunity to view excellent videos from both games.

As it stands now, Miami is 3-0 and USF is 2-1. This will be a classic match-up between two teams which play in NFL Stadiums in metropolitan areas. 

We’ve seen this drill when the Dolphins face the Buccaneers, the Miami Marlins face the Tampa Bay Rays and the Florida Panthers and Tampa Bay Lightning face off.

Speaking of Lightning, there were questions asked about this as well. 

But I’m looking forward to taking the trip to see my alma-mater (USF) take on the team I have a vested interest in, the Miami Hurricanes. 

When people ask me who I’m pulling for, I tell them, I can’t lose.

Scott Morganroth can be reached at Southfloridatribune@gmail.com and he can be reached on Twitter/X @TribuneSouth.

To see all of his broadcast, feel free to subscribe to the South Florida Tribune YouTube Channel.

Also, Scott wrote a book called, “Lessons From The Microphone” which can be purchased on Amazon-Kindle and Barnes & Noble. 

Hurricanes Storm Past Gators

BY SCOTT MORGANROTH

In the days leading up to the Miami Hurricanes vs Florida Gators game on Saturday, August 31, 2024, I was very consistent with my prediction leading up to this state rivalry.

I truly believed that the Hurricanes were going to win the game 27-17. 

I figured that the Hurricanes were going to turn the corner in Coach Mario Cristobal’s third season and he landed QB Cam Ward, who was named ACC Preseason Player of the year in a poll of media at the conference’s annual media day in Charlotte, NC.

Ward was also named to the preseason watch list for nearly every major offensive award, including the Maxwell Award, the Johnny Unitas Golden Arm Award and the Davey O’Brien Award.

I also saw Cam at the Spring Game on campus and I was impressed with everything that I saw.

The Miami Hurricanes vs Florida Gators is a unique in state rivalry.

Going into this game, Miami held the series lead 29-27. The Canes and Gators are tied 14-14. In Gainesville, Miami led 12-9. On neutral sites, Florida leads 4-3. 

In their last meeting, Florida defeated Miami 24-20 on (7/24/2019 in Orlando).

Prior to this contest, they had met four times in the past 20 years. They played in 2004, 2008, 2013 and 2019.

The Canes were making their first visit to Gainesville since 2008 and opening the season with a true road game for the first time since Louisville in 2014.

Of the 57 total meetings, 27 have been decided by a touchdown or less. 

The last time I saw these two teams meet was on September 1, 1984 when the defending National Champions Hurricanes defeated the Gators 32-20 as a sellout crowd in Tampa Stadium, saw new coach Jimmy Johnson earn his first win with Bernie Kosar at QB. 

At that time, a close friend of mine bought two tickets from a student, whose car broke down. I was a junior at the University of South Florida. 

Ironically, Miami will face USF at Raymond James Stadium on September 21. 

This was the first college game ever aired live on ESPN. 

During the Canes championship season, Miami’s lone loss was to the Gators under Coach Howard Schnellenberger.

Now 40 years later, the head coach is Mario Cristobal. 

The UM alumnus lone matchup vs Florida as head coach occurred on November 21, in 2009 when he was coaching FIU. When you’re a program builder, there are games that are mismatches to collect a big paycheck to fund your athletic program. The Gators thrashed FIU 62-3.

Coaches do remember these things and I mentioned this to Cristobal in his Monday Press Conference in Coral Gables. You can see how he addressed that question in the enclosed video. In fact, check out all the videos in this story.

There is a history between Cristobal and Napier as they were on the same Alabama staff from 2013-2016. Cristobal was in charge of the Tide’s offensive line and Napier led the program’s wide receivers.

What would occur was satisfying on all levels for the 19th ranked Miami Hurricanes as they rolled to a 41-17 win in front of 90,544 fans at Ben Hill Griffin Stadium.

The Hurricanes dominated in all key categories and Ward put on a show. Ward was 26-35-385 yards, three touchdowns and one interception. He also rushed for 36 yards on three carries.

Miami led in total offense 529-261. The Canes led in passing yardage 385-122. Miami had five rushers that amassed 144 yards. The Canes utilized 10 receivers, led by Xavier Restrepo’s 7-112 and a touchdown.

As for the Gators, six rushers gained 139 yards while the receivers were 6-122. Don’t let the rushing totals fool you because running back Montrell Johnson Jr was 11-106 and had a 71-yard touchdown run.

Cristobal avenged his lone loss to Florida in Gainesville, while Napier watched his squad lose six straight contests leaving the Gators fans extremely restless and nervous.

The loss marked Florida’s first defeat in a home opener since 1989 and set the program record for most points allowed in that contest. Napier said, “They beat us today and I don’t have a ton of excuses.”

The Gators lost starting QB Graham Mertz to a concussion. At the time of his departure Mertz was 11-20- with one interception and 91 yards. He was also sacked three times. DJ Lagway took over and was 3-6- with one interception and 31 yards.

With the openers in the books, the Hurricanes face Florida A&M at Hard Rock Stadium while Florida is looking for its first win against Samford at The Swamp with Lagway at QB.

If you’re wondering when these two teams meet again. It won’t be long as the Gators come to Hard Rock Stadium on September 20, 2025 at Hard Rock Stadium. The only question is whether Napier will have a chance to avenge the loss to Cristobal.

The Hurricanes now lead this series 30-27 and are 13-9 in Gainesville.

Scott Morganroth can be reached at southfloridatribune@gmail.com and you can find him on Twitter/X @TribuneSouth.

To watch Scott’s broadcasts, feel free to Subscribe to the South Florida Tribune YouTube Channel.

Also, he wrote a book, “Lessons From The Microphone “ Turning Into the Enduring Wisdom of Visionary Leaders. It’s available on Amazon-Kindle and Barnes & Noble.

Marlins Vs Cubs, Tale of Two Seasons

BY SCOTT MORGANROTH

Every time I think of the Miami Marlins vs the Chicago Cubs, what comes to mind is “The Fish” have won a pair of playoff series.

A year ago under first year Manager Skip Schumaker, the Marlins made it to the playoffs only to be ousted by the Philadelphia Phillies. 

Ironically, this weekend Miami and Philadelphia are squaring off.

Had the Miami Marlins built on last season’s success, you never know, they could have been on a collision course to face the Cubs. I always like to see these two squads play at least one game per year.

The one I chose to attend occurred on Sunday, August 25, 2024. 

In the first two games of the series, the Cubs defeated the Marlins by successive 6-3 and 14-2 scores. The attendance for the opener was 13,992 and for the second it was 18,138.

Could the Marlins at least salvage one game of this series?

If you looked at the pitching match-ups on paper, the answer would be no.

The Cubs sent right-handed pitcher Javier Assad, who entered the game with a 6-3 mark with a 3.11 ERA.

Meanwhile, Miami’s hurler was Adam Oller, a right-hander that entered the game with a 0-1 record with a 9.64 ERA.

The Marlins jumped on Assad early as Connor Norby and Jesus Sanchez hit homers in the first inning to give Miami a 2-0 lead. Norby was a thorn in the side for the Cubs as he came a triple shy of the cycle and went 3-4 on the afternoon. Norby’s homer was his fourth of the season and the first lead-off homer of his career.

Like we’ve seen pretty much all-season long, there have been wins for a lot of different Marlins pitchers. On this day, Oller picked up his first of the year by tossing 5.2 innings, yielding four hits and just one run, adding six strike outs. He only walked two and threw 95 pitches, 57 for strikes. His ERA dropped to 5.23.

The bullpen allowed only one run and the Marlins went on to earn a 7-2 win in front of 17,275.

Assad pitched seven strong innings. He gave up six hits and allowed three runs. He threw 87 pitches, 59 for strikes.

The Marlins proceeded to add four runs in the eighth inning to complete the scoring. 

All in all, this was a frustrating afternoon for the team that plays in the north side of Chicago. Third baseman Patrick Wisdon was ejected by umpire James Jean as he threw his helmet on the ground and it bounced up.

Since the Cubs left Miami, they’ve managed to work their way into the National League Wild Card Picture. They left Miami with a 65-66 mark. 

Chicago is 72-68 and is nine games back in the National League Central Division. In their last 10 games, the Cubs are 7-3.

They’ve scored 641 runs and yielded 584. They are currently four games back of Atlanta and the NY Mets in the Wild Card Chase under first year manager Craig Counsell.

Two days ago, Shoto Imanaga and two relievers combined for a no-hitter as the Cubs blasted the Pittsburgh Pirates. The 31-year old left-hander in his first season with the Cubs after pitching in Japan for eight seasons, struck out seven and walked two over seven innings. He threw 66 of 95 pitches for strikes to improve his record 12-3. The no-hitter for Chicago was the 18th in franchise history.

The Marlins have been playing better as of late.

Since the Cubs series, they hit the road and were 2-2 against the Colorado Rockies. They were 2-1 against the San Francisco Giants. After an off day on Tuesday, September 2, the Fish returned home and were 1-1 against the Washington Nationals.

This weekend Miami has a four game series against the Phillies. Philadelphia won Thursday’s contest 5-2.

While the Cubs are trying to reach the post-season, Miami has been officially eliminated from the playoffs. The Marlins are 52-88 for last place in the NL East, 32 games behind Philadelphia.

What’s left for the Marlins to play for. Their jobs!

This season has been like an extended Spring Training as Miami has to play as many players to see what their roster will look like in 2025. 

As for Schumaker, he’s going to be a free agent and it will be interesting to see where he lands next season.

The Cubs season is a story that will play itself out over the next few weeks.

Scott Morganroth can be reached at southfloridatribune@Gmail.com. He can be found on Twitter/X @TribuneSouth.

If you want to see his broadcasts, please subscribe to the South Florida Tribune YouTube Channel.

Finally, he wrote a book, “Lessons From The Microphone” Tuning Into The Enduring Wisdom of Visionary Leaders that can be purchased on Amazon-Kindle and Barnes & Noble.