Podcast: Worst loss ever? And four other pressing Miami questions after losing to FIU
The Miami Hurricanes lost to the FIU Panthers. Say it five times fast and maybe it starts to sound like a real thing that actually happened.
It did Saturday at Marlins Park, to make it even stranger, and right after Miami swore it had righted the ship following a panic-inducing start to the season. The Hurricanes beat the rival Florida State Seminoles and then pounded the Louisville Cardinals heading into a bye week, and then they turned around and lost to FIU in Miami.
It raises one big question: Was this the worst loss in Hurricanes history? David Wilson and Susan Miller Degnan, the Miami Herald’s Hurricanes beat writer, try to answer that on the latest episode of the Eye on the U podcast.
This isn’t the only question a game like that prompts. A loss like this means everyone around the program has big questions to answer. It’s time to start wondering about what coach Manny Diaz can do in Coral Gables — and how long he might realistically stick around. Same goes for offensive coordinator Dan Enos, whose offense didn’t score until less than two minutes remained in the third quarter, and maybe even athletic director Blake James, who has already hired two coaches in his seven years at Miami.
There will be scapegoats — whether it’s someone as simple as Diaz or Enos, or even quarterback Jarren Williams, who threw three interceptions just one game after he threw for six touchdowns — and there has already been a hit on the recruiting trail. All the good vibes from the three-game winning streak are gone. Any in-state bragging rights that come with a resounding victory against the Florida State Seminoles have faded away.
The Hurricanes have spent the entire season bouncing between reassuring wins and confounding losses. Just when the reassuring wins were starting to stack up, Miami suffered the most confounding loss in program history and now it’s impossible to go know where the Hurricanes go next.
