The Bad Boy Mowers Pinstripe Bowl may not be a marquee game, but I’m not gonna pretend that it wasn’t an important opportunity for the Miami Hurricanes.

Head Coach Mario Cristobal has been trying to create a culture at the University of Miami where every game, every play, and every opponent is significant. It sure didn’t feel that way while watching Miami in the first quarter.

We broke down the the frustrations and the handful of bright spots from Miami’s 31-24 loss to Rutgers on my Locked On Canes podcast.

Miami allowed Rutgers running back Kyle Monan

My biggest complaint is the fact that Mario Cristobal kept wide receiver Jacolby George in the game. He committed multiple unsportsmanlike conduct penalties – selfish plays – and should have been benched no matter how little depth there was behind him. How do we expect him to improve his discipline in the future if there are no consequences for his actions during the game?

Miami showed fight during portions of the game but their level of focus was uneven. They did manage to score 17 unanswered points in the second and third quarters. The Hurricanes scored a late touchdown and converted an onside kick to make the game close in the final seconds. They ultimately could not finish the comeback.

ai to break 14 tackles. That’s the most missed tackles any running back in the nation has created during this bowl season so far. The Hurricanes missed a key block that led to a blocked Dylan Joyce punt and a Rutgers touchdown.

The Hurricanes were clearly unable to play to their identity in the trenches due to several key absences from players transferring and opting out. Miami would like to control the line of scrimmage the way that Greg Schiano’s Scarlet Knights did. The Hurricanes didn’t seem to have a Plan B when this approach didn’t work. Some more creativity and aggressiveness from the offensive play-calling could have gone a long way.

It wasn’t all bad. I was thrilled to see Xavier Restrepo eclipse 1,000 receiving yards on the season. He caught 11 balls for 99 yards and a touchdown. He’s now Miami’s single-season receptions leader after making 85 catches this year.

Freshman defensive line standout Rueben Bain recorded three tackles for loss including a one-armed tackle.

Redshirt freshman safety Markeith Williams played well. So did redshirt freshman receiver Isaiah Horton.

I liked what I saw from quarterback Jacurri Brown. He responded well after a first quarter interception. He’s showing i

mproving accuracy. His touchdown pass to Restrepo was perfectly placed. So was the other would-be TD to Restrepo that was overruled. Here are the main things I learned from The Pinstripe Bowl:

1- Miami has still not exorcised their demons of not being mentally ready every time they hit the field. The Hurricanes are 1-12 in their past 13 bowl games.

2- The depth of this team is not what I thought it was. Miami was missing 17 players who contributed during the regular season. I expected them to overcome it. Hopefully the Hurricanes have a strong finish to their transfer portal, and their consecutive top 10 recruiting classes develop properly.

3- The Hurricanes still need an experienced quarterback in the Transfer Portal. Brown is improving but could use another year of seasoning. The same is true for Emory Williams. If Miami expects to significantly improve from 7 wins next year, they’ve gotta land a top quarterback to help them get there.

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