Running in place? Miami coming to grips with another late-season swoon
MIAMI GARDENS, Fla. -- Four years ago on Thanksgiving weekend, both the University of Miami and its fan base reached the final straw when it came to mediocrity.
South Florida's upset of the Hurricanes on Nov. 27, 2010, marked the end of the Randy Shannon Era and signaled the beginning of Al Golden's regime.
There was hopeful optimism with a fresh face. Golden had turned perennial loser Temple into a winner. If he could do that for a hopeless cause, surely he could re-establish The U.
And yet, after a 35-23 loss to the Pittsburgh Panthers on Saturday night at Sun Life Stadium, the program finds itself stuck in neutral.
Those already littering social media with fire Golden messages have more ammo with this lackluster performance.
With Saturday's defeat, Miami (6-6, 3-5 ACC) fell into a three-way tie for last place in the ACC Coastal Division with Virginia Tech and Virginia. The Hurricanes were the preseason favorites. The six losses are the most since 2011, Golden's first year. Then, he had to rebuild Shannon's mess and coach during an NCAA investigation.
"We're responsible for the record at the end of the day," Golden said. "I'm responsible for the record. I feel like we have a lot of guys on our team -- Clive (Walford), Duke (Johnson), Denzel (Perryman) -- that are chasing elite. Maybe we haven't had that for a while. Overall as a team, we need to perform better, and that's my responsibility. We are what our record is, period. I'm disappointed."
Miami announced a crowd of 61,406 Saturday, but the majority clearly went elsewhere for entertainment.
How could you blame them after this recent two-game stretch? Virginia and Pittsburgh were a combined 9-12 before playing the Hurricanes.
The same team that beat three straight opponents by double digits and led Florida State by 16 points has now dropped three in a row. If Pittsburgh's opening scoring drive of four plays in 2:11 was any indication, Miami seems uninspired.
"I don't even know to be honest with you," Perryman said. "If I could say anything I'd probably say we just got complacent."
And yet, collapsing at the end of the season isn't a new trend.
It happened in 2013, when the Hurricanes lost three straight after opening 7-0.
It happened in 2012, when the Hurricanes lost three of four from October to November.
It happened in 2011, when the Hurricanes lost three of their final five.
It happened in 2010, when the Hurricanes, under Shannon, lost three of their final five.
Asked why the team has taken such a nosedive of late, Johnson and senior offensive lineman Shane McDermott pointed to lack of execution. The consensus remains that this team has the talent, but it continues to underachieve.
"Players play, coaches coach," McDermott said. "I know you've heard that a lot, but that's the truth. We just didn't go out there and execute. There's not one finger to point at. We all made mistakes. We just need to get better."
If the players came out flat Saturday, who's to say the same won't happen in the bowl? Goals of capturing the ACC title and exceeding last year's win total are a distant memory.
If there a way to salvage this season, to foster some positive feeling? Miami has not won a bowl game since 2006. Will a low-tier bowl motivate the players for that silver lining?
"It comes down to 'you love the game, (that's) why you play it,' " Johnson said. "You never imagine losing three straight like we did and being 6-6. You never imagine it, but at the same time you've got to go out there and still play football. You love the game that you love and you've been doing it your whole life, so you've got to find something within -- find somebody to play for, play for the team, play for each other. We've got to find a reason to go out there and play."
You can follow Christina De Nicola on Twitter @CDeNicola13 or email her at cdenicola13@gmail.com.
