Miami Football: Hurricanes’ 2017 season preview, predictions
By Tim Kaiser
Mark Richt begins his second year at his alma mater with a new QB and one of the country’s best defenses. Can he take Miami football to its first ACC title game?
Miami unquestionably improved in their first season under head coach Mark Richt. On the offensive side of the ball, they improved almost seven points per game. On defense, the change was nearly 10 points.
Unfortunately, the 8-4 regular season record was identical to the year prior. The only difference was Richt won the bowl game, where as Al Golden’s interim replacement, Larry Scott, did not.
The Hurricanes’ 2016 campaign has three distinct thirds. They rattled off four-game winning streaks with a four-game losing streak in between. That four game stretch that cost them bigger and better things was one of the tougher stretches of games possible and included three losses by one score or less.
What goes up must come down, and then back up again
The Canes came out on fire, winning the first four games easily against inferior opponents. Miami was up to No. 10 in the polls when Florida State came to town for the latest installment of their classic rivalry. Quarterback Brad Kaaya threw a touchdown with less than two minutes left to bring the Hurricanes within a point of the Seminoles. Florida State blew up the left side of the Miami line and blocked Michael Badgely’s extra point.
Kaaya was stripped on the supposed game-tying drive the following week against North Carolina. Miami fell 20-13 and out of the AP Top 25. The next week the Hurricanes went to Virginia Tech and the Hokies dominated them to the tune of a 37-16 win. The nightmare stretch concluded with a last-minute field goal loss to lowly Notre Dame.
Credit to Mark Richt for not losing the team. Miami was able to right the ship, rattle off four straight wins, and secure a share of second place in the Coastal division. They punctuated the season with blowout win over No. 14 West Virginia in the Russell Athletic Bowl.
The Canes lose the security of three-year starter Brad Kaaya, but return all of a formidable front seven.