Five Takeaways From Miami's 23-20 loss to Georgia Tech

Miami lost to Georgia Tech 23-20 Saturday night. How they lost was the story. Miami was one kneel-down away from getting to 5-0 and escaping with a victory, but for some reason, Head Coach Mario Cristobal ran the ball on 3rd and 10 with 33 seconds left while Georgia Tech had zero timeouts. His explanation made it more perplexing.

"At the end of the game, had a chance to put it away and should have just taken a timeout right there and recalibrate. Just take a knee. Gave them a chance, and they took advantage of it and scored. It’s that simple.”

Why Cristobal would need to take time out and "recalibrate" is confusing. The only logical assumption would be that he was unaware that Georgia Tech had zero timeouts. Cristobal slammed that notion down.

“There was no confusion. We were moving the pile and we had a pretty good drive going…I’m not going to make an excuse for it and say we should’ve done this or that. That’s it. We should have done it. Sometimes, you get carried away where they just finish the game and run it, but I should’ve stepped in and said, ‘hey, take a knee.’"

What was more confusing was that if he knew that Tech did not have any timeouts, why was he concerned about making a first down?

"We should’ve taken a timeout, right there at the end. Thought we could get the first down."

Cristobal picked a lousy time to have a brain lapse. Running back Don Chaney fumbled the ball. Georgia Tech took over at their own 26 with 26 seconds left, marched down the field on four plays, and scored on a 44-yard touchdown pass to Christian Leary.

Miami had a chance to escape with a victory over a team in which three scores favored them, but Cristobal failed to make a simple football decision. Now, after the loss, Miami has to go into the most challenging part of its schedule (North Carolina, Clemson, Florida State) after an epic fail.

The other aspect to question is if he elected to run the ball for Chaney to get 100 yards. Chaney was sitting at 99 yards before the play. To sacrifice a win for a statistical accolade is just preposterous. Most are hoping this is not the case but it is the only part of this wacky scenario that would make sense. Cristobal was asked if running the ball was in an effort for Chaney to get 100 yards, but he shook his head immediately and did not answer.

He had a similar blunder five years ago. In 2018, while the head coach at Oregon, he and the Ducks led Stanford 31-28 at home with the ball near midfield. Cristobal could have had his team kneel the ball and run the clock down under 20 seconds, but instead ran the ball, which was turned over on a fumble. Stanford recovered, kicked the game-tying field goal in regulation, and won in overtime.

It is arguably the worst coaching decision in football history that now has happened twice.

Again, on 3rd and 10 with 33 seconds left, even with Cristobal deciding to run the football, all Chaney had to do was hold on to the football to secure another win for the Hurricanes. Chaney's 23rd carry would be one too many after a pretty solid day in which he rushed for 4.5 per carry.

With several capable running backs in the backfield, Miami does not need to overwork its backs, especially late in the game. Ajay Allen only had three carries in this game, and I think all Hurricanes fans would want to see him carry the rock more.

Henry Parrish, the most reliable Miami running back, had 17 carries on the night, but most would rather see Parrish with the ball in his hands late in the game.

Chaney had seven carries in a row before the fumble on the eighth straight carry. There's no need to give any back that many carries in a row on one drive if you have others who can carry it. Even though he received a hand-off that he should have never received, the most essential job is holding on to the ball.

How was Georgia Tech in a game with Miami as a significant underdog? It was because of the lackluster play of Miami Quarterback Tyler Van Dyke. TVD played well enough for Miami to escape with a win, but it would have never been this close without three costly interceptions.

The first was in the end zone into triple coverage. The second was in double coverage, which led to a touchdown by Jamal Haynes on the ensuing drive. The last was nearly a pick-six, but the defense held Tech to a field goal. The mistakes left points on the board, allowing the Yellow Jackets to score.

"I can't force the ball and make dumb decisions; I just got to be better," Van Dyke said. "I just forced the ball, honestly, made bad decisions. Just can't force the ball in those times...just go to be better. At the end of the day, just can't turn the ball over three times."

Elite quarterbacks do not make multiple mistakes of this magnitude. Too many times, Van Dyke locks in on one target. His favorite target, Xavier Restrepo, caught 12 receptions for 123 yards on 13 targets. It's hard to imagine this offense without his roommate, Restrepo, on the field.

What is also clear is that Van Dyke will stay another year as a college QB if continues on this trend. He was already on the fringe to be drafted coming into the game. Those chances have significantly lowered.

The Miami defense held the explosive Georgia Tech offense to 250 yards and held them to 5-13 on 3rd down. The Hurricanes also had five tackles for loss, two interceptions, three QB hurries, a forced fumble, and a sack.

But most will only remember the four-play 74 drive in 24 seconds that essentially ended the game. I think the defense was a bit shell-shocked to have to defend at that moment.

Nevertheless, Miami will have to regroup against talented offenses in the next three weeks and should learn from the mistakes made against the Rambling Wreck.

"Never say never," Cornerback Jaden Davis said. "From play one to play 150, we have to give it all. That's the biggest lesson."

Miami is a talented team but is not quite ready to compete for a playoff berth or an ACC title. The Hurricanes failed to create a consistent pass rush and were beaten too many times on the QB run.

If Miami is to contend for championships, it will need to get more from its quarterback play and do a better job of containing athletic QBs. What's clear from Saturday night is that they are not there yet.

"We can't just dwell on this one loss," Van Dyke said. "I wouldn't say our season's over. We got a lot of games left. We have to learn from it. Have to move on from it and play better football."

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