Miami hopes to learn from ‘nightmare’ season

CHARLOTTE, N.C. — After adding a monster class in the transfer portal, including star QB Cam Ward and running back Damien Martinez, expectations at Miami are sky high. Living up to that hype, however, has been an issue for the program for years, and players insist they’re not going to let it happen again in 2024.

Ward said he came to Miami from Washington State in large part because he saw the DNA of a championship contender, but he’s also made a point to eliminate social media from his diet and has encouraged teammates to do the same, all in an effort to minimize the weight of those lofty expectations.

“It’s going to bring a spotlight to the team and the coaching staff to be on our Ps and Qs every game,” Ward said. “The only thing that’ll hold us back is we can’t be a selfish team or a team who looks too far into the future, and I like where we’re at right now.”

Miami needs to look no further than last season for a blueprint for disaster.

The Hurricanes opened the 2023 season 4-0, including a win over Texas A&M, but a late collapse against Georgia Tech in a game in which they could’ve simply run out the clock to ensure victory stuck with the team well beyond the final whistle.

Miami lost the next week to North Carolina, too, then dropped four of its last five games of the year to finish 7-6.

“I feel like after that loss, we just couldn’t get over that hump,” said offensive lineman Jalen Rivers. “We couldn’t get over that loss. We were like dang, we could have taken a knee. It was a nightmare for us every time we woke up. Our season would have been different if we won that game. So that’s why I say it was a shift and a lesson learned. Everybody can’t be dwelling in the past. We’ve just got to focus on the present.”

The first test of this new mantra comes in Week 1, as Miami visits old rival Florida in what’s seen as a must-win game for both programs. But head coach Mario Cristobal said no outcome will dictate what comes after that game.

“It’s still about the end game,” Cristobal said, “and at this rate, the end game here is going to be awesome.”

With Ward, Martinez and back-to-back strong recruiting classes, Cristobal has amassed a level of talent Miami hasn’t seen in years, but he said that’s not enough to start making bold predictions for the 2024 season.

“Expectations from a coaches mouth sound like predictions and bold projections,” Cristobal said. “I don’t live in that world. But I feel awesome about this team. Am I going to predict a record? The goal at Miami has always been the same — to build a championship football team. We took a big step last year and we’re going to take another one this year.”

Yes, Cristobal is aware of Miami’s history — from disappointments of 20 years ago right up through last season. But, he said, there’s an easy way to erase all that history.

“In the end, winning takes care of everything,” he said. “That’s what we’ve got to focus on.”