When the dust settled on the 2015 NFL Draft, Miami ended up with more draft picks in the seven rounds (seven) than wins (six). Another seven Hurricanes signed with various teams as free agents.
All in all, Miami saw five of its 12 offensive starters go in the first 128 picks (four in the first 77 and three in the first 68). Left tackle Ereck Flowers was drafted in the top 10 (9th overall), wide receiver Phillip Dorsett was 29th, tight end Clive Walford was 68th and running back Duke Johnson was 77th.
Linebacker Denzel Perryman went 48th.
So how in the world did Miami end up 6-6, playing (and losing to) South Carolina in the Duck Commander Independence Bowl?
How did Miami have all that talent -- arguably the most on paper in the ACC's Coastal Division -- and do nothing of consequence with it?
As usual, the answer is never as simple as it seems. A number of factors combined to make the 2014 season a disappointment.
Miami faced 10 bowl teams last season, and there was really only one so-called easy game on the slate (Florida A&M).
Even Virginia, which beat Miami late in the year, fell short of bowl contention by a single victory.
Of the Hurricanes' three crossover games in the conference, two involved Atlantic Division powers Florida State and Louisvile. Other non-league outings included a road tilt at Nebraska (loss) and with home games against Arkansas State and Cincinnati.
Within that score, there were a number of missed opportunities.
Miami was 3-3 after its first six games, which wasn't too disappointing, incurring reasonable road losses to Louisville, Nebraska and Georgia Tech. Still, elite versions of Miami used to win similar matchups.
Miami won its next three games (Cincy, Virginia Tech, North Carolina) by a combined score of 132-60. Then Miami famously had a big lead against Florida State before collapsing down the stretch and giving it back.
The 'Canes lost the FSU game and their next three outings, including the bowl game. Losing to Florida State is one thing ... but also getting thumped by Vriginia and Pittsburgh were different setbacks.
Really, the Virginia and Pitt games were the only disappointing losses during the regular season. But considering how flat Miami looked after Florida State, it was a blown chance to get to eight wins (maybe even nine, with a bowl win) and leave the fanbase feeling differently about the state of the program.
This isn't entirely fair. True freshman quarterback Brad Kaaya had a great year by all standards, but it didn't start out that way.
Making his first-ever start at Louisville (against one the nation's stingiest defenses) was a tough assignment. But Kaaya mostly kept his cool, learned quickly and finished with 3,198 yards passing and 26 TDs (12 INTs).
Ultimately, though, nine of his 12 interceptions came in the first six games. Kaaya showed flashes of brilliance throughout the campaign, but it's tough for a freshman quarterback to get adjusted to college football any time -- even with highly skilled offensive linemen and playmakers.
Kaaya showed a lot of promise and will ultimately be very good for the Hurricanes.
The Hurricanes had two defensive players drafted (linebacker Denzel Perryman and defensive lineman Anthony Chickillo), and another three signed as free agents (linebacker Thurston Armbrister, defensive back Ladarius Gunter and defensive lineman Olsen Pierre).
And statistically, that defense performed quite well. It finished 14th nationally in total defense (30th against the run and 17th against the pass).
But it was the games when the defense did let the Hurricanes down that stand out. Liek allowing a ridiculous 6.81 yards per play to Nebraska (Ameer Abdullah is good, but not that good), or 6.85 to Florida State (a season-high), or even 6.1 to Pittsburgh, a relatively pedestrian offense.
And this was in spite of holding powerful offenses like Duke's to 3.47 yards per play and North Carolina's to 3.69 in impressive wins.
It just seemed like Miami could never get the stops it needed on defense, and it often looked outmatched in spite of having equal or superior talent.
hat bore itself out in third-down numbers -- even though Miami's defense did its job for the most part, opponents were able to convert 40.3 percent of their third downs and keep drives alive.
Defensive coordinator Mark D'Onofrio -- who's been serving in that role at Miami since 2010 -- came under fire for that at times last year. The fans felt like with all that talent -- much of it experienced -- the defense should have been better.
Miami was a disappointment in 2014 -- it's hard to see all that NFL talent get drafted and think anything else after a 6-7 season.
But any angst over The U is hard to sort through, because it's cumulative. Miami hasn't been Miami in over a decade now. Every year, it seems like they're a step closer to getting back to what they were, and it just has yet to happen.
Head coach Al Golden has been hearing it from the fans, who are impatient with yet another season of mediocrity. Even though he was loyal to the program through the NCAA mess, this feels like a big year for the coach, as well.
Golden has been recruiting relatively well, even if he has had to contend with other monoliths right in his backyard (Florida State and Florida, the latter of which is coming off of a disappointing season of its own).
The 'Canes and Golden desperately need some positive momentum this season.
Miami's non-conference games are home against Bethune-Cookman and Nebraska, with road trips to Florida Atlantic and Cincinnati.
The ACC slate may be tough -- crossover games with FSU (a permanent partner) and Clemson -- but the Coastal slate is manageable (at Duke, North Carolina and Pittsburgh).
Ultimately, Miami needs to show it's ready to break through.
It may be now or never for Golden and company.
