Hurricanes football fought hard in a New York battle, facing a challenging atmosphere from a Rutgers-heavy crowd in Yankee Stadium as the Scarlet Knights defeated the Canes 31-24.

Miami gave the nod to Sophomore quarterback Jacurri Brown in the Bronx yesterday afternoon, his first start of the season. Brown’s running ability was on full display this afternoon, tallying 57 yards and scoring two touchdowns with his legs.

Miami’s start to the game could have been better. In the game’s opening drive, Rutgers gashed through the Hurricane run defense, running the ball 11 times for 55 yards before quarterback Gavin Wimsatt ran it in himself for the score. Wimsatt, the junior quarterback, only threw the ball 15 times for 84 yards but scored two touchdowns with his legs.

To make matters worse, in Miami’s first drive, freshman running back Mark Fletcher Jr. went down with an apparent left foot injury. Fletcher was reportedly unable to put any pressure on his foot.

Head Coach Mario Cristobal told reporters the running back’s X-rays were negative, but “there was something there.”

Fletcher was making a name for himself in a deep Hurricane depth chart, running for 500 yards, averaging five yards per carry, and scoring five touchdowns on the year.

After finding themselves in an early 14-0 deficit and turning the ball over, Miami seemed to finally wake up halfway through the second quarter, scoring 17 unanswered against the Scarlet Knights.

One of the critical reasons for this success was the connection between Brown and junior receiver Xavier Restrepo. Restrepo was targeted 17 times by the quarterback, making his presence felt. Restrepo finished his last game of the season with 11 grabs for 99 yards and a touchdown.

Restrepo became the sixth receiver in Miami history to record a 1000-yard season, ending his campaign with 1082 yards and nine touchdowns this season.

With seven Hurricane starters opting out of the Bad Boy Mowers Pinstripe Bowl, Miami felt their presence missed defensively.

Throughout the game, Rutgers was able to have their way in the rushing attack, tallying 208 yards on the ground. Junior running back Kyle Monogai did the most damage to the Hurricanes, rushing for 160 yards on 25 carries and scoring a touchdown. To cap it off, the 5’95’9 running back received the Pinstripe Bowl MVP with his performance.

The game’s turning point came from the Rutgers’ special teams. With the score at 17-14 Miami, the Hurricane offense was forced to punt from their 13-yard line. Rutgers special teamer Trevor Yeboah-Kodie blocked punter Dylan Joyce’s kick, which Rutgers’ Timmy Ward scooped up in the end zone to regain the lead.

After the blocked punt, Rutgers never looked back, smothering the Hurricane offense and controlling the clock for a chunk of the second half.

However, Miami fought until the end, scoring a one-yard quarterback keeper from Jacurri Brown, followed by cornerback Te’Cory Couch recovering an onside kick.

With about 11 seconds left, Brown hit Restrepo about a yard short of the first down marker on fourth down, ending the game at 31-24.

Today’s loss for Miami signifies the ‘Cane’s first-ever loss to Rutgers. Coming into the Pinstripe Bowl, Miami was a perfect 11-0 in the all-time series against Rutgers, dating back to 1993. The Hurricanes had previously handled the Scarlet Knights comfortably, winning by an average score of 46-10 during this span.

Miami wrapped up their season with a 7-6 record in Mario Cristobal’s second year but will still be looking for his first bowl game victory in his tenure. Miami has lost five consecutive bowl games and 11 of their last 13. The Hurricane’s previous bowl victory was in the 2016 Russell Athletic Bowl, where Miami defeated West Virginia.

Miami will begin the 2024 season in Gainesville with an instate matchup against the Florida Gators at Ben Hill Griffin Stadium on Saturday, August 31, 2024.

Christmas may fall on Dec. 25, but for Miami Hurricanes fans, the holiday came five days early as the ‘Canes put together a second consecutive top-10 recruiting class on Early National Signing Day. With big names abound and plenty of last-minute drama, let’s look at how head coach Mario Cristobal has continued to shape Miami’s roster through this year’s recruiting class.

Continued dominance on the defensive line

Miami relentlessly pursued its top two recruits, five-star defensive linemen Justin Scott and Armondo Blount, despite the highly coveted players initially committing to Ohio State and Florida State, respectively. The team’s efforts paid off, as Scott flipped in late November, and Blount chose the ‘Canes over the rival Seminoles on Wednesday evening.

“Justin is a massive, massive man,” Cristobal proclaimed. “About as explosive as you can be for a big man.”

The defensive duo, who weigh 560 pounds, are joined in the trenches by DL Artavius Jones and edge rushers Marquise Lightfoot, Booker Pickett Jr., and Elias Rudolph. All four players are considered four-star recruits by 247Sports.

“All these guys are relentless. All these guys play with a high motor,” Cristobal raved. “They’re really good technically.”

Miami’s defensive line was stout this past season, highlighted by Leonard Taylor III and ACC Defensive Rookie of the Year Rueben Bain Jr. But with Taylor departing the program in pursuit of the NFL Draft, the ‘Canes brought in more than enough high-end talent to remain dominant in the trenches.

Replenishing the offense

Though the most prominent names of Miami’s recruiting class were in the trenches, the ‘Canes also made waves at the offensive skill positions, bringing in four-star players at running back, wide receiver, and tight end.

Jordan Lyle, a six-foot runningback out of Fort Lauderdale, followed in the footsteps of future teammate Mark Fletcher Jr., committing to Ohio State but ultimately flipping to Miami precisely one year after Fletcher did the same. Lyle amassed 2391 rushing yards and 34 total touchdowns in his past two high school seasons, averaging over 10 yards per carry.

“Two guys that just amassed a massive amount of yardage this year,” Cristobal said of Lyle and three-star back Chris Wheatley-Humphrey. “Really talented, really intelligent, high IQ guys both on and off the field.”

Lyle and Wheatley-Humphrey join a crowded Miami backfield that features Fletcher, Henry Parrish Jr., and Ajay Allen, who combined for 1441 yards last season. Donald Chaney Jr., who was third on the team in rushing yards this past season, officially transferred to Louisville on Dec. 16.

The ‘Canes hoped to flip wide receiver Jeremiah Smith, the nation’s top recruit according to 247Sports, from Ohio State. However, the Hollywood, FL native signed a letter of intent with the Buckeyes on Wednesday. Since the effort will not come to fruition, Miami still bolstered its receiving corps by bringing in three four-star receivers: Ny Carr, Joshisa Trader, and Chance Robinson.

“They’re human highlight films,” Cristobal gushed. “That room just took a monstrous step in the right direction.”

Miami’s receiver room is set to take a hit with junior Colbie Young, who was third on the team in receiving yards, entering the transfer portal. Furthermore, Xavier Restrepo’s future is still in the air; the sure-handed slot receiver, who paced the Hurricanes in both receiving yards and receptions this past season, could enter the transfer portal or declare for the NFL Draft. But no matter Restrepo’s fate, Miami took a significant step toward restocking its receiving corps.

Miami added six-foot-two tight end Elija Lofton to cap off the offensive haul. “As versatile a football player as I have ever seen,” Cristobal said, praising the four-star pass-catcher out of Las Vegas.

Unlike its receiver group, Miami’s tight end room was largely underwhelming this past season—four players combined for 141 yards on 17 receptions. Last year’s starter, Cam McCormick, was granted a ninth year of eligibility but has yet to commit to another season. Whether or not McCormick, about a month older than six-year NFL starter Tremaine Edmunds, returns, the hope is that Lofton and former four-star recruit Riley Williams can bring more excellent production to a position synonymous with Miami football.

The quarterback remains up in the air

The quarterback position was arguably Miami’s most significant weakness this past season, with longtime starter Tyler Van Dyke struggling after a hot start to the year. Van Dyke was ultimately benched in favor of freshman Emory Williams, who showed flashes before suffering a season-ending injury against Florida State.

Van Dyke is transferring to Wisconsin, and Williams’ timeline is still unclear. Thus, many eyes have turned to the transfer portal, where the Hurricanes have been linked to several high-profile targets.

The team’s convoluted quarterback situation has many names to follow, which means the signing of three-star signal-caller Judd Anderson may have gone under the radar. Anderson, who stands at a colossal six-foot-six, put up gaudy numbers this past season. In 13 games for Warner Robins, he completed nearly 74 percent of his passes for 2917 yards and 30 touchdowns.

“Judd Anderson impresses from day one with a couple of different things,” Cristobal remarked. “It’s hard to do that: that many yards, that type of completion percentage, that many touchdowns, natural leadership skills and just flat-out tough.”

However, Anderson is a raw prospect: the prior season, he completed only 56 percent of his passes while throwing 13 interceptions and only 15 touchdowns. The Hurricanes will likely add a more experienced passer in the next few weeks.

“Obviously, the transfer portal is something that we’re going to be very active in,” Cristobal stated. “We’re not done yet.”