Confident Canes take ‘a big step,’ smash Aggies

MIAMI GARDENS, Fla. — Following Miami’s 48-33 statement win over No. 23 Texas A&M on Saturday, Miami coach Mario Cristobal couldn’t take two steps towards his locker room without being pulled into a picture, spun around for a handshake or hugged by a recruit or one of their family members.

“Bro,” he said to one of the dozens of high school players lingering in the bowels of Hard Rock Stadium, “this is the spot for you. I’m comin’.”

And he’s getting there in only his second season.

While Cristobal conceded after the game the once-storied program is still “nowhere near” where he wants it to be, Saturday’s win against a ranked SEC team catapulted Miami back into relevance and showcased a vastly improved offensive line, a star quarterback in Tyler Van Dyke, and a resiliency that helped overcome early mistakes.

The Hurricanes (2-0) did it with two new coordinators. They did it in spite of a slow start that included a blocked punt and a muffed punt that both led to Aggies’ points. And they did it against Texas A&M coach Jimbo Fisher, who entered the game 8-1 as a head coach against Miami, dating back to his days at Florida State.

It was a complete turnaround from last year’s 17-9 loss to Texas A&M (1-1) en route to a disappointing 5-7 season.

“It shows how hard we worked this offseason,” said Van Dyke, who threw for a career-high five touchdowns and finished with 374 yards on 21-of-30 completions with no interceptions. “It shows this is a player-led team and all of the leaders came together and told each other, ‘This is not happening again. We’re not being 5-7.’ Tonight was the first step in showing the world what we have to prove. Ten more games, so this is only the beginning.”

With the offensive line giving him far more time than last season, Van Dyke was also accurate on the big plays, completing 4-of-5 passes for at least 15 yards. It was the first time the Aggies’ defense had allowed five passing touchdowns in a game since 2013 at Ole Miss. The momentum began to shift when Brashard Smith returned a kickoff 98 yards for a touchdown, giving the Canes an eight-point lead in the third quarter.

As impressive as Miami’s passing game was, particularly in the second half, Miami couldn’t get its ground game going against the Aggies’ imposing defensive line. The Canes were held to 77 rushing yards, but Van Dyke had plenty of options at receiver, including Colbie Young, who had six catches for 75 yards and a touchdown.

“We need to find some different blitzes and get some guys on the edge to create some matchups,” Fisher said. ” … we need to affect the quarterback a little more.”

Fisher, who is facing tremendous pressure in his six season as the Aggies’ head coach following a 5-7 season, appears to have a better team than last year, but watched an early 10-point lead dissolve.

He relinquished play-calling duties this season to offensive coordinator Bobby Petrino, and while many wondered how the two explosive personalities would work — the offense hasn’t been a problem. The Aggies racked up 433 yards — but allowed 451.

Following the win, Cristobal lauded the work of his new offensive coordinator, Shannon Dawson, whose style plays to the strengths of Van Dyke, and defensive coordinator Lance Guidry.

“When you change regimens and you change cultures you have a choice to make,” Cristobal said. “You could stick with what you believe in, and sometimes it’s ugly — and last year was — but if you believe in it and make sure the right people continue to grow and stay … that leads to better culture, better atmosphere, a better environment .. that’s where we feel that we’re headed. It was a big step in that direction.”

Cristobal, a former Miami offensive lineman from 1989 to 1992, lured in a top-five class in the 2023 recruiting cycle, and currently has the No. 15 class in the country, according to ESPN.com.

There were 150 recruits in Hard Rock Stadium watching on Saturday night. In order for Miami to meet Cristobal’s expectations and compete for a national title, he said the program still needs more “real depth” particularly on the offensive and defensive lines.

“We’re building it,” he said. “Everybody hates that word building. Well, we’re lucky. We know what it looks like. We knew we were going to take a massive step after a year because we knew what had to be brought in. But unfortunately you’ve got to take some really good kicks in the teeth for a year before you get to do that.”