After falling to Boston College 27-14 last week, senior center Tyler Gauthier attempted to explain what went wrong in the loss to the Eagles.
“Plain and simple, we didn’t play up to the caliber we are supposed to,” Gauthier said. “Whether it be mindset, whether it be we didn't get enough film, it is something we are figuring out and we are trying to make these next four games the best that we possibly can. We're still trying to figure it out."
With two losses in conference play now, it is looking bleak for UM’s chances to win the Coastal division and get back to the ACC Championship.
“We are aggravated of course because the season is not going the way we wanted it to,” Gauthier said. “But we have to take that aggression and move on to the next week. There is nothing we can do about last Friday night and there is nothing we can do about the week before that either. You have to learn from it, you have to move on and we still have four games that we have to win. That's what's in front of us."
Does negative outside talk bother the team at all?
“We don't really read that much into it. We just show up every day and work. We care about who is in here. I am not going to listen to the outside stuff about what some random person’s opinion on the coaches. I am going to go out here and work for him and I'm going to make him look better.”
With Miami in a hole right now, Gauthier claims he’s seen more players try to take on a leadership role than ever before on this team.
“(More leaders are) stepping up,” Gauthier said. “I’ve been here for a long time. I know how hard these practices are, I know how hot it is; it’s the same thing. It is going to be hot because, it's Miami. When someone is tired, grab them and keep going. That is what we need to do as leaders.
“We talked a couple of days ago, we’re definitely a unit. The leaders on offense gave the defense the full right to grab us and pick us up, and they gave us full right to grab them and pick them up if we have to. We’re definitely a team.”
With the Canes finally back at home this week after spending a month away, Gauthier believes it’s just what the doctor ordered to help this team.
“It can sway everything,” Gauthier said of playing at home. “You feel good when you’re on top and you feel like crap when you’re on the bottom. Right now we are at the bottom. We have to get back up there. If get a win at home, then that sparks something and it would hopefully ride through the rest of our season."
**In UM’s first open practice following their two game losing streak, junior RB Travis Homer said the team lacked energy on Greentree and didn’t have their best day.
“We need more energy. We definitely need to tighten up,” Homer said. “We had ups and downs (in practice), but definitely more downs.”
Being a public figure on a major college football team sometimes comes with a dark side, and some fans have been letting Homer and others hear it on social media for their poor play the past two weeks.
“I don’t pay any attention to that at all,” Homer said. “I’m not going to say this for most of the guys or any of the guys, but usually when people see something negative about them and it’s supposed to be the people that are supposed to love them, they don’t react too well. I’d just like to see less of that. Not tagging people in it so they don’t have to see it.”
After 4 straight games of over 200 yards or more on the ground, Miami’s running attack has fallen off a cliff since the FSU game, dipping down to 135.3 yards per game in the past 3 contests.
“I think we just have to figure everything out on offense,” Homer said of the run game. “We really have to take our time during this week, look at our opponent, see what we need to do and fix it.”
Like his head coach, Homer believes execution is the main problem right now facing the offense.
“I think it’s a lot of the execution because we’re just looking back at the film and we’re seeing missed assignments left and right.”
**With the offense struggling every week, freshman TE Brevin Jordan believes more focus on and off the field will help translate to better results for the unit.
“It’s more focus in the meeting room and transferring that to the field during practice,” Jordan said. “We’re just trying to get better. It’s frustrating taking another loss, but we’re trying to get better. We’re trying to run the table with these next four games.”
Some players have begun to feel the backlash on social media and other platforms from upset fans and Jordan is no exception.
“You know what’s crazy is, the fans make this game great, but at the end of the day there is going to be a lot of hate with them too,” Jordan said. “This team, we don’t care about any of that, we’re ignoring all of that, so we’re just trying to get better. We’re trying to win these next four games.”
Jordan backed his head coach when asked about the play-calling on the offense.
“I’m firmly behind coach Richt and his play-calling,” Jordan said. “At the end of the day, we’re not getting the ‘W’s’, but we’re trying our best. At the end of the day, we’re not executing. We looked at the film and the play calls were actually good play calls. They were set up to get first downs, get touchdowns but it was one mistake, one little assignment that was off so the whole play broke down. So, you know football, if one person breaks down, the whole play is going to break down.”
The Canes will head back home to play the Duke Blue Devils at Hard Rock Stadium this week, where they have not lost in over two years.
“They’re a good football team,” Jordan said of Duke. “We’re going to come out here, at Hard Rock, hopefully our fans are there. That’s the main thing. We hope our fans haven’t given up on us because the season is nowhere close to over. We’re going to go out here and try and win this game at Hard Rock.”
**Sophomore WR Jeff Thomas caught 4 passes last week vs. BC, the most he’s been involved in the offense since week 3 vs. Toledo when he caught 5 balls.
“We have to stay on the same page, work as a team,” Thomas said. “I’d say everybody is mad because it’s not the season everyone hoped for. We’re trying to pick it up. Everybody has to pick each other up.”
Ouch.
