The Miami ground game and passing offense were equally anemic. The Hurricanes ran for 45 yards on 23 carries and QB
was 15-36 for 187 yards with two touchdowns. The total yards were inflated by a two-play 66-yard scoring drive in the fourth quarter.
Miami Hurricanes Football
In a microcosm of the two years since the loss to the Panthers, the Hurricanes recovered the onside kick and then fumbled the back to Pittsburgh. It was an embarrassing loss to a bad team. Miami went on to lose 38-3 to Clemson in their only ACC Championship Game appearance and 34-24 to Wisconsin in the Orange Bowl.
The loss to the Badgers should have foreshadowed what was coming. Miami took a 14-3 lead in the first quarter before 21 unanswered Wisconsin points gave the Badgers a 24-14 lead at halftime. A 33-17 loss to LSU to begin the 2018 season was not as close as the score. The Hurricanes scored two fourth-quarter TDs.
Five straight wins following the loss to the Tigers was shallow. That was followed by four straight losses. The Hurricanes 15 game winning streak became eight losses in 12 games. Miami won their last two games of 2018 to earn a bid to the Pinstripe Bowl. After falling behind Wisconsin 14-0 the Hurricanes gave up in a 35-3 loss.
Three days later Richt resigned as head coach. Manny Diaz who had accepted the Temple head coaching job earlier in December, returned to Miami 11 hours after Richt announced his sudden retirement. Diaz created an exciting offseason behind the transfer portal and promising that turnarounds can happen quickly in college football.