Blogs and newspapers across the State of Florida and nationally have been very hard on Miami Hurricanes Head Coach Mark Richt since the loss to Virginia nearly three weeks ago. Have they been too hard?
Miami Hurricanes fans and alums, newspapers that cover the team and Canes bloggers have all gone after UM Head Coach Mark Richt this week. Are we being too hard on him in year three or did Richt bring this on himself?
Miami Hurricanes alum and Pro Football Hall of Famer Warren Sapp declared the U Football Program dead via Twitter after Friday loss to Boston College. Was it an overreaction or can the Hurricanes recover under Richt and get back to where they were during the first ten games of the 2017 season.
The numbers since then with this being written and posted on Halloween are scary. Although Miami is 5-3 overall this season, they are 4-3 overall against FBS teams and 2-3 against Power Five teams in 2018. In their last eight against Power Five teams the Hurricanes are 2-6.
It’s official!! The U is Dead Under @MarkRicht !!!
— Warren Sapp (@WarrenSapp) October 27, 2018
Three of those losses occurred on the road against unranked teams. The offense is what hindered them every time. Those three losses were also Miami’s last three road games against Power Five opponents. If the Miami Hurricanes hope to get back to the nation’s elite those are games you have to win.
If we add in the loss to LSU to begin the 2018 season, Miami has lost their last five games against Power Five opponents away from Hard Rock Stadium.
| G | Date | Time | Day | School | Opponent | Conf | Pts | Opp | W | L | Streak | TV | Notes | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 11 | Nov 24, 2017 | Fri | (2) Miami (FL) | @ | Pitt | ACC | L | 14 | 24 | 10 | 1 | L 1 | |||
| 12 | Dec 2, 2017 | Sat | (7) Miami (FL) | N | (1) Clemson | ACC | L | 3 | 38 | 10 | 2 | L 2 | ACC Championship Game | ||
| 13 | Dec 30, 2017 | Sat | (11) Miami (FL) | (6) Wisconsin | Big Ten | L | 24 | 34 | 10 | 3 | L 3 | Orange Bowl |
| G | Date | Time | Day | School | Opponent | Conf | Pts | Opp | W | L | Streak | TV | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Sep 2, 2018 | 7:30 PM | Sun | (8) Miami (FL) | N | (25) LSU | SEC | L | 17 | 33 | 0 | 1 | L 1 |
| 5 | Sep 27, 2018 | 8:00 PM | Thu | (16) Miami (FL) | North Carolina | ACC | W | 47 | 10 | 4 | 1 | W 4 | |
| 6 | Oct 6, 2018 | 3:30 PM | Sat | (17) Miami (FL) | Florida State | ACC | W | 28 | 27 | 5 | 1 | W 5 | |
| 7 | Oct 13, 2018 | 7:00 PM | Sat | (16) Miami (FL) | @ | Virginia | ACC | L | 13 | 16 | 5 | 2 | L 1 |
| 8 | Oct 26, 2018 | 7:00 PM | Fri | Miami (FL) | @ | Boston College | ACC | L | 14 | 27 | 5 | 3 | L 2 |
Provided by CFB at Sports Reference: View Original Table
Generated 10/31/2018
Richt has been repeatedly second-guessed since the three-game losing streak to end the 2017 season. The Miami Hurricanes play at quarterback, offensive line and Richt’s play calling have all been second-guessed.
Sun Sentinel Columnist Dave Hyde in his Halloween Eve Column implored the Miami fanbase to relax. Hurricanes fans shouldn’t have the urge to hide like Florida State fans do. The title of Hyde’s column was: “Come on, Hurricanes fans, take a breath and give Mark Richt his due time.”
"“It became open season about not just his play calls but why he’s even calling plays; people made the grand leaping from saying his team shouldn’t lose these past two games to suggesting he’s Al Golden II.”"
Dawn of the Dawg
The comparisons to Golden are a huge stretch. He never defeated Florida State, won a bowl game or a division title during four and a half seasons at Miami. Richt is a smart coach. He is aware of what the fanbase is saying and their frustrations.
"“[People] seem in a tizzy…but we’re pretty solid in believing in ourselves and believing in what we do, pushing to the next game, the next victory. The bottom line is we’re not scoring enough points right now.’"
Hyde followed up Richt’s comments and had a suggestion for Miami Hurricanes fans.
"“People, take a step back…And take a breath….Get upset over these two losses? Sure. That fair. You should expect more. You don’t need to get into the detail work of play calling to say Miami should have the talent to win at Virginia and Boston College.”"
Richt is trying to build a program, not just a team. There are several signs that the Miami Hurricanes offense has regressed. Canes Warning has even questioned several of the troubling outliers as a result of the performances of the offense the past two games.
Richt has several things that need to be done. Miami clearly needs improvement at quarterback, better play from the offensive line and better overall performance on offense. Richt equates that to execution. The fan base and media have questioned his play calling. One of the other or both needs to improve.
The play calling and execution of those plays comes down to the coaching staff. The question of “Are Miami Hurricanes fans and media being too hard on Mark Richt? is a subjective one that depends on the context and the tone.
The fans and media need to keep criticism of Richt to what’s going happening on the field and in the Miami football program. Once the judgments become personal the context of any analysis of the Miami football program lose all credibility.