The Miami Hurricanes are entering a three-game stretch that could define the program's 2025 College Football Playoff aspirations. Each contest will feature matchups between teams that hail from Florida. This week, the Hurricanes have the task of taming the South Florida Bulls. The Tampa, Florida based program has risen to the number eighteen-ranked team in the land.
Upon completion of the matchup against the Bulls, the Hurricanes must face the Florida Gators and the Florida State Seminoles successively. Recently, the Canes offense have been receiving much acclaim and rightly so, but the "backbone " of any championship team is the team's defense. Entering Saturday's contest, the Miami Hurricanes rank number forty-one, out of one-hundred collegiate teams in points allowed.
This Saturday, the defense of the Hurricanes must strive to stop the balanced offense of the Bulls, which features, quarterback Byrum Brown, running back, Alvon Isaac and exceptional wide-out, Keshaun Singleton. When the Miami Hurricanes take the field this weekend, the defense must become able to stop Brown and company on key third downs.
At the beginning of the season, when the Canes beat the Fighting Irish, the Hurricanes defense rose to the occasion, specifically, in the waning seconds of the contest, by sacking quarterback C.J. Carr, at the end of the game.
Last season, the Miami Hurricanes defense did not "rise to the occasion", when the unit was needed the most. Can the Hurricanes change the defensive narrative? I believe it is possible, but the key to achieving the ultimate goal that the Miami Hurricanes have set for this season, is for the Hurricanes defense to continue to apply pressure on opposing quarterbacks, as well as being "stout" against the run.
Commencing with this week's game against a formidable opponent, the upset-minded, South Florida Bulls, the Miami Hurricanes defense could be the "anchor" that will solidify the Hurricanes' quest to become a College Football Playoff participant.