Manny Diaz spoke to Ed Reed about 66-13 1998 Miami football loss to Syracuse

Head coach Manny Diaz spoke to Hurricanes legend Ed Reed for an hour following the 62-26 loss by the Miami football team to North Carolina.

When Manny Diaz hired Ed Reed to be the Chief of Staff for the Miami football team helping to change the culture was one of the reasons. Reed can relate to the 62-26 blowout loss the Hurricanes suffered to North Carolina on Saturday. In 1998 Reed and Miami lost 66-13 to Syracuse.

Reed was a redshirt freshman in 1998 when the Hurricanes lost that game to then Orangemen. Miami finished the season with a 49-45 upset number three and previously undefeated UCLA. The Hurricanes capped the season with a 46-23 victory over their now ACC rival North Carolina State in the Micron PC Bowl.

Miami will have a chance to do the same this season in their bowl game that is still to be determined. Diaz told the Joe Rose Show on Monday morning that he and Reed spoke for an hour following the loss to North Carolina and Reed related the loss to Syracuse and how the team recovered the following week.

Miami will have about two weeks before it plays its next game after the 36 point loss to the Tar Heels. Miami did not have a week in between their loss to Syracuse and victory over UCLA. The Hurricanes played the game on December 5 after it was moved from September because of Hurricane Georges.

"“I’m so lucky…After the game I sit there with Ed Reed for an hour and decompress. Ed, [from] his perspective, he actually talked about ‘98 Syracuse and his point is what happens really is how you respond to it and how you respond in the offseason.Our guys responded the last year in the offseason the way that was required…Now I think the same thing will happen.”Transcript courtesy of Miami Herald."

Miami responded this season after finishing 6-7 with uninspired losses to FIU and Duke to end the regular season and getting shutout 14-0 to Louisiana Tech in the Independence Bowl last season. The Hurricanes finished 8-2 in the regular season in 2020 with their last game against Georgia Tech canceled on Saturday.

Diaz told Rose they are going to use the feeling they had at the end of the 2019 season and apply it to how they go forward following the loss to North Carolina. The Hurricanes were emotionally spent and Diaz and his staff will try and determine what happened. Miami will take some time off before getting ready for their bowl game.