A game against Florida to begin the 2019 season kept fans interested, engaged and excited about the season. Miami played well but lost in a game the Gators were expected to win. A loss the following week at North Carolina who was coming off a 2-9 2018 season quickly took the luster off the Diaz regime.
After wins over FCS Bethune-Cookman and tighter than it should have been 17-12 victory over Central Michigan, Miami has been maddingly inconsistent the last three games. The Hurricanes lost to Virginia Tech and Georgia Tech in games they were favored by double figures. In between Miami defeated number 20, Virginia.
Manny Diaz says "rebuild" was probably taken out of context, said he was talking about rebuilding the team's confidence.
— The Joe Rose Show (@JoeRoseShow) October 21, 2019
Miami was expected to fare better than a 3-2 homestand with games against five teams they could have and should have defeated. The only game that seemed like a tossup with Virginia. The Hurricanes played exactly how they needed to, to win against the Cavaliers. Now Miami goes on the road for four of their last five games.
Pittsburgh enters the 2019 matchup 5-2 as the defending ACC Coastal Division Champions. The Panthers have the nation’s best pass rush against a week Miami offensive line and a stout run defense against the Hurricanes who have had trouble running the football this season. Everything points to Pittsburgh winning.
Miami travels to Pittsburgh with losses in five of their last seven road games and four additional losses on neutral fields to bring that number to nine losses in their last 11 games away from Hard Rock Stadium. Miami also has losses in 10 of their last 15 games against Power Five opponents. Qualifying for a bowl game could be difficult.