Why You Should Still Believe In the Miami Hurricanes

Miami Hurricanes fans cheering against Florida State.

“The drought might finally be over. Miami might be able to pull this one off.”

How many people actually had the type of thought? How many people believed Miami would end their five-game losing streak? You had reason to believe because during the 10:02 minute mark of the game against Florida State after Brad Kaaya threw an absolutely beautiful pass to Stacy Coley in the corner of the end zone that gave Miami a one-point lead late in the fourth quarter.

“We’re going to find a way to blow this game.”

Now, how many people actually had that thought right after that catch?

Well, if you had that thought then you were correct with your thinking. Nevertheless, the Miami Hurricanes found a way to lose once again and we’re still sitting here asking if Al Golden is the right head coach for the program. Needless to say, the loss wasn’t and shouldn’t be on Golden. He had the team prepared to play and the game plan he executed almost worked. But then again the old saying goes, “almost isn’t good enough.”

The good news is, this team can compete. Miami might not have a ranking next to their name, but you should expect this roster to play in the ACC Championship game if they win the rest of their remaining games. A win against Clemson can do wonders for their confidence because it’ll be one of the signature wins in Golden’s career. That type of upset could be the spark plug this team needs to finally get back to prominence in the college football landscape.

On paper, Clemson might look like the better team, but anytime you have a quarterback who’s as confident as Brad Kaaya you have a winning shot. On another note, raise your hand if you were proud of the way that Brad Kaaya played against Florida State.

Miami Hurricanes quarterback Brad Kaaya (#15) throws a pass against Florida State.
Miami Hurricanes quarterback Brad Kaaya (#15) throws a pass against Florida State.

Kaaya had one of the best games of the year against Florida State as he went 29-of-49 for a season-high 405 yards, three touchdowns, and no interceptions finishing with a 148.8 QB rating. Hurricanes fans were hyped about the game before they saw Kaaya even take the field because of what he was saying to the media during the week before the game.

In an interview with Andrea Adelson of ESPN.com, Kaaya said this.

We dont have to lose any more to learnEnough is enough .Were the Miami Hurricanes. It doesnt matter how a team looks on filmsaid Kaaya.

Kaaya backed up his words and played one of the best games of the season, as did his teammates.

Better yet, raise your hand if you were proud of the way that the entire team played against Florida State. When Miami was down 20-10 at halftime, everyone was expecting that this team would lay down and quit. However, this team didn’t quit and they fought back almost pulling off one of the biggest upsets in Golden’s career at Miami. The Hurricanes defense forced two straight punts on Florida State’s drives and then they fought back and eventually captured the lead.

Now looking forward if Miami finally wants to start changing the tide and getting the program back to the rich football tradition that was established already they’re going to have to win a big game.

Miami’s remaining schedule is fairly manageable but they’ll have to pull the reigns together if they want to compete for the ACC Championship because they currently sit in fourth place in the ACC Coastal division which is the only bad news.

The good news is Miami will have two more opportunities to get Golden his first signature win. During the next two out of three games, Miami will play against No. 5 Clemson at home, and No. 25 Duke on the road. The Duke game is more important since the school sits in the Coastal division with Miami.

Miami talks a good game, on how they want to finally tell everyone that the school is back. A three-game winning streak against Virginia Tech, Clemson and Duke could surely speak louder than words can.

D’Joumbarey A. Moreau covers sports in Miami-Dade & Broward County. You can follow him on Twitter @DJoumbarey.

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