Manny Diaz message about Miami football team is not to panic

Panic has set in amongst a large part of the fan base for the Miami football program. Hurricanes head coach Manny Diaz says there is too much currently going right to panic.

The comments Manny Diaz made following the second home loss in three games for the Miami football team as a double-digit favorite riled up a Hurricanes fan base. The Hurricanes 28-21 overtime loss to Georgia Tech on Saturday was one of the most humiliating in recent seasons. Diaz is not ready to panic.

Miami is 3-4 in 2019. The Hurricanes four losses have been by a combined 21 points. The days of the Miami football program being elite are long gone. The fanbase has had a difficult time accepting that. The way the Diaz era has started the program has to be judged on a week to week basis.

Last week Miami defeated Virginia 17-9 when the Cavaliers were the 20th ranked team in the nation. The Hurricanes play at Pittsburgh on Saturday. After a 10-0 start in 2017, Miami lost at Pittsburgh to end the dream of playing in the college football playoff. Miami avenged that loss with 24-3 victory over Pittsburgh in 2018.

Which Miami team shows up next week is anyone’s guess. Since the loss at Pittsburgh in 2017, the Hurricanes’ biggest problem has been a lack of consistency. Miami ended the 2017 season with three straight losses that began at Heinz Field the day after Thanksgiving. That extended to four games at the beginning of 2018.

Miami was crushed by LSU 33-18 in the 2018 season opener. The Hurricanes ran off five straight wins following the loss to the Tigers. That was followed by a four-game losing streak. At 5-5 Miami’s bowl hopes were in peril. The Hurricanes followed that up by finishing the regular season with wins against Virginia Tech and Pittsburgh.

Diaz likes what his quarterbacks have accomplished in the last two games. He took the onus off the Hurricanes offense and blamed the loss on Saturday on the kicking woes as Miami missed three field goals.

"“Nothing has changed and what we needed to have happen, happened. Jarren (Williams) did come in and I thought N’Kosi (Perry) made some good throws in the fourth quarter. If you look at what our offense did against Virginia, it went and scored twice in the fourth quarter against a ranked team.Today, the offense went down twice in the fourth quarter and we ultimately had nothing to show for it. That is the difference between our mood right now and the mood last Friday. To me, there is too much right going on to panic. There is too much right to throw your hands up and doubt what is going on here.I think the guys see that and we have to finish.”"

Not finishing has been an issue all season for the Miami football team. Miami has been tied or had the lead in the fourth quarter in all four of their losses this season. When Diaz is was talking about the need to finish he means the entire season. It can also apply to each game. Miami has to focus the rest of 2019 week to week.