In a hostile Berkeley environment, the Miami Hurricanes got punched in the mouth. And while they got back up off the mat, Miami could not muster enough to pull off the victory. At least it looked that way.
Behind the magic of quarterback Cam Ward and possibly some luck (we will get to that later), Miami pulled off the miracle of all miracles. The Canes, in their second ACC matchup of the season, pulled out an improbable win against the Cal Golden Bears by a score of 39-38. It was a shocking victory for the Canes, as most people expected them to get through the rest of their schedule with ease.
How did it happen, though? How did Miami pull out another key ACC victory? It was through a combination of different factors, whether on the defensive or offensive sides of the ball. Follow along as we recap the improbable Saturday night victory against the Calgorithim.
The offense miraculously comes back
It was a tale of two halves for the Miami Hurricanes.
In the first half, the offense showed flashes of effectiveness but could not piece it all together. The running attack was finding lanes, whether with Mark Fletcher Jr. or Damien Martinez. Quarterback Cam Ward was accurate and hitting all his receivers down the field consistently.
However, the offense simply did not do enough in the key moments of the game in the first half. They inexplicably went away from the run at multiple points in the game and, oddly, at times when it was working great against Cal.
In the passing game, Cal executed a great game plan and made multiple high-level plays in coverage. They applied a significant amount of pressure up the middle early in the game, overwhelming the Canes’ interior offensive line. As a result, Cal forced Ward to try to scramble and make plays down the field.
This worked perfectly for the Golden Bears. Led by Cade Uluave, Ward did not have the room to maneuver like he used to. Add in the lockdown coverage down the field that played with Ward’s eyes, and you have a recipe for failure. Yet, everything changed in the second half.
Fletcher and Martinez continued their solid performances on the ground. They took the load off the passing game and allowed Ward to be himself. And be himself, Ward did.
Ward was efficient and accurate with his throws to all levels of the field and displayed his trademark escapability. He consistently connected with Xavier Restrepo, who found open space all night and finished with 163 yards. He also found Isaiah Horton on a touchdown strike late in the third quarter.
After being forced to throw it out of bounds, Ward fired a strike to Riley Williams, who dropped it. And after a PI on Miami on third and goal, Ward fires a strike to Horton(video below!) TD Canes, who cut the lead to 38-25. pic.twitter.com/WR3J0jtF0m
— Brandyn Pokrass (@BPok24) October 6, 2024
Cam Ward breaks out some magic again, hitting Martinez after escaping pressure. 1st down Miami with 37 seconds left. pic.twitter.com/S9nzkEroSS
— Brandyn Pokrass (@BPok24) October 6, 2024
Through his magic and efforts in the second half, Ward finished with 437 yards and two touchdowns in the game. He overcame a brutal pick-six and a huge deficit to Cal.
The Miami Hurricanes still have some issues to fix, namely some play-calling and offensive line ones. But with Ward under center, anything may truly be possible for “The U.”
The defense started unprepared and overaggressive but rebounded nicely
In terms of the Canes, their defense did not have the best of starts.
Cal took advantage of their over-aggressiveness and hit multiple chunk plays against them. Francisco Mendoza was picking apart the Miami secondary off-play action passing, with one of the most notable being a 60+ yard touchdown to Jaydn Ott on fourth down.
On fourth down, Cal runs a play action pass to Jaydn Ott for a 66-yard touchdown.
WHAT A PLAY BY CAL. #GoBears pic.twitter.com/78OB6UEERc
— Tommy Jets (@ThomasCP_NFL) October 6, 2024
Yet, just like the offense, the defense came to play in the second half.
Wesley Bissainthe was flying around the field, making tackles on running plays. Simeon Barrow, Tyler Baron, and Rueben Bain Jr. caused havoc on passing downs. And to top it off, Francisco Mauigoa had the game-sealing interception.
The unit shut down Cal’s offense to a crippling extent in the second half of the game. It was only through this performance that the Canes’ offense could regroup and pull out a victory.
Questionable play-calling and coaching
Some of the most transitive issues for the Miami Hurricanes arose outside the scope of normal football issues.
Miami was an extremely undisciplined team against Cal. They had multiple unsportsmanlike penalties, most of which arose from their inability to keep their composure. The most significant of these was when a Miami player kicked a Cal player in the head multiple times, and Bissainthe almost committed targeting on Francisco Mendoza.
In theory, Cal should have beat Miami. The penalties committed against them, if called correctly, could have ended the game. Add in coaching blunders, such as abandoning the run and not adjusting Cam Ward’s passing attack, and Miami had no business being the victor.
However, they did manage to win the game. Even when they are flying high, the Canes have plenty to work on. After all, they must be at their best to achieve their College Football Playoff aspirations.
Other notes
- Chris Johnson Jr. is very, very fast. I can’t wait for him to get a full-time role.
- Cal’s defense is legitimately great. I do not know if Miami faces a more formidable defensive opponent.
