It may be too early to suggest the Miami Hurricanes are back, but a 21-9 victory at home against Florida is certainly a positive sign for The U. Despite putting together just 212 yards of offense and having the defense on the field nearly twice as long than the offense, Miami took advantage of Florida’s miscues in a huge early season victory to improve to 2-0.
Miami quarterback Stephen Morris was far from accurate, completing 12 of 25 pass attempts, but he tossed a pair of touchdowns in the first quarter to give Miami an early 14-6 lead. The defense entered bend-but-don’t-break mode for the rest of the afternoon to ensure the Hurricanes never trailed. Florida showed an ability to move the football but always seemed to stall on their own account as often as Miami’s defense came through with a play. Running back Duke Johnson scored the eventual game-winning touchdown following a Florida turnover deep in their own territory, but Johnson was limited to just 58 yards on 21 attempts.
Miami forced five turnovers in the game, with Florida losing the football three times inside the red zone. Florida quarterback Jeff Driskel struggled on third down all day long as well, with two interceptions and a fumble.
Miami now gets a week off on the schedule before returning to host FCS Savannah State on September 21. How Al Golden handles the off week could be critical for the Hurricanes, who could easily fall in to a trap of self-confidence. It will be important to not get too carried away with one win and to keep the Canes focused on the bigger picture moving forward. The ACC schedule begins October 5 for Miami with a home game against Georgia Tech, who represented the division in the ACC Championship Game last year because Miami instituted a self-appointed postseason ban.
As for Florida, the Gators also enter an early bye week before opening their SEC schedule at home against Tennessee. The Gators will take a fall in the polls, but the goal of playing for an SEC Championship is still a fate worth getting up for. If the Gators are going to make a run in the sEC, the offense absolutely has to tighten up and find ways to make plays. The defense has proven to be in OK shape in the first two weeks, but without an offense it may not matter too much later on this fall.