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Miami trolled Florida left and right in the run-up to Saturday’s rivalry reignition.
The Gators called for a whiteout, so the Hurricanes tweaked their traditional road uniforms and wore all white. Miami fans spray-painted “Drain the Swamp” on Gainesville’s famous 34th St. wall. The Hurricanes needed to come out and back up the talk, especially after they’d spent an offseason getting pumped up by national media.
But Miami was just a 2.5-point favorite at most sportsbooks. Florida, despite the narrative, was viewed by most preseason power models as a pretty good team. The expectation was that Miami was in for a challenging day.
Instead, the first entry in the rivalry since 2019 was largely non-competitive.
Miami rolled. Florida offered little resistance. Aside from a 71-yard run from Montrell Johnson Jr., the offense never threatened the Canes.
As a result, No. 19 Miami walked out of The Swamp with a 41-17 win.
Here are 3 takeaways from the game.
Cam Ward makes his debut in style
Ward transferred from FCS Incarnate Word to Washington State prior to the 2022 season. His head coach went to Pullman, Washington, alongside him to coordinate the Cougars’ offense. Ward was a star at the FCS level and from the get-go, he oozed confidence at Washington State.
In 2 seasons with the Cougars, he threw for 6,968 yards and 48 touchdowns against 16 picks. He completed 65.5% of his passes and made quality defensive linemen look silly week in and week out. But Wazzu never put a complete offense around Ward and the Cougs won just 12 games with Ward as the starter.
This offseason, Miami coach Mario Cristobal promised a better supporting cast. He promised more wins. He promised Ward would be able to better showcase his skillset.
The 41 points Miami scored on Saturday marked the most a Florida team has allowed in a home opener ever. Ward completed 26 of his 35 passes for 385 yards and 3 touchdowns.
He showcased it all. The unique arm angles from which he can deliver passes. The way he can shimmy away from would-be tacklers, keep his eyes downfield, and fire to an awaiting receiver. The playmaking ability with his legs.
Those of us who watched him at Washington State knew he was capable of this. On a loaded Miami team, he’s a player who can win awards. Ward to Xavier Restrepo (112 yards and 1 touchdown on 7 catches) looks like it’ll be a problem for opposing defenses all season. Tight end Elijah Arroyo emerged from the reserves to catch 4 passes for 89 yards.
Former Oregon defensive lineman Brandon Dorlus once said Ward was the most annoying quarterback to play against because of his ability to escape pressure. Ward, Dorlus said, played backyard football.
And, at the same time, Ward constantly looks like his heart rate is resting calmly in the 80s. He won’t be sped up even if he’s swarmed. He won’t be flustered even if he’s flushed.
CAM WARD ARE YOU KIDDING
— PFF College (@PFF_College) August 31, 2024
Miami could not have asked for a better debut from its new quarterback. We thought Miami could have a special season in 2024 after what it was able to do in the offseason. That belief was confirmed on Saturday. If Ward stays healthy and upright, Miami is going to be a major problem for every single team it faces. Two weeks ago, Miami was +220 to make the CFP at DraftKings. That number will look much different in the coming days.
Billy Napier gets the worst possible start
On one sideline was complete elation. On the other was abject dejection. It could not have been a worse start for Florida. The Gators got rolled, the starting quarterback left the game with an injury, the crowd started emptying in the third quarter. This was an absolute worst-case scenario.
Billy Napier needed a strong showing to assuage concerns about the future of his program. The showing against Miami only exacerbated the feelings of unrest throughout Gator Nation.
Florida was outclassed. Florida played uninspired, unimaginative football. Nothing about this game meshed with what Napier said his program would be about.
The Gators weren’t disciplined. Miami’s first offensive touchdown of the day came 2 plays after a roughing penalty extended a drive that was about to settle for a field goal.
The Gators weren’t strong at the line of scrimmage. Miami averaged 4.7 yards per rushing attempt and Florida was constantly knocked back along the offensive line. The numbers will skew because of Johnson’s huge run; remove that 71-yard touchdown and Florida ran for 68 yards on 27 attempts. Miami sacked UF 3 times and stopped 8 plays in the backfield for a loss.
And all the previous issues were still present. Florida’s pass rush was disappointing. Florida’s secondary was disappointing. Florida wasn’t fundamentally sound.
It doesn’t look like a program with a firm foundation. Florida prepared all offseason for the most important game of the Napier tenure. It produced 1 offensive touchdown and just 12 first downs while giving up 7.6 yards per play.
Social media was ablaze with calls to fire Napier.
And it’s legitimately hard to argue with those calls at this point. If the Gators — who will play one of the toughest 12-game schedules in recent memory this season — can’t muster a whimper against a rival at home to open the season, what on Earth will they look like over the last 5 weeks of the regular season? You know, when they’re playing Georgia, Texas, LSU, Ole Miss, and Florida State.
While Napier’s Gators were getting obliterated via sledgehammer on ABC, ESPN’s Dan Mullen was retweeting reminders that he was fired 4 years in after 3 consecutive New Year’s 6 bowl bids. How does Napier steady this ship? Is it even possible?
From Florida’s standpoint, it probably isn’t even absurd to suggest the program pulls the plug early. Give yourself an extended runway to find the next coach.
Florida looked largely uninterested in what was a crucial game for Napier’s future. That says something.
DJ Lagway gets on the field
Napier’s prized signing this offseason was Lagway, a 5-star quarterback viewed as one for the future in Gainesville. Lagway wasn’t expected to take senior Graham Mertz’s starting job to begin the season, and though Mertz hasn’t quite lived up to his own lofty recruiting ranking, he did have a solid debut season in Gainesville.
But Mertz was knocked out of the game in the fourth quarter on a nasty hit. At the time of his exit, he had 91 yards and an interception on 11-of-20 passing.
Lagway replaced him and led a Florida touchdown march. Lagway completed 3 of his first 5 passes for 31 yards, added 13 rushing yards, and coordinated a 9-play, 58-yard touchdown march. He also had an errant throw land right in the arms of a Miami defender who was laying on his back after slipping and falling down. Good and bad. But you expect that from a first-year quarterback.
Now, the conversation shifts to Mertz’s health. If he has to miss any time, Lagway is forced into early action.
That might benefit Florida in the long run but Lagway’s fate in Gainesville could very well be tied to Napier. He’s a Texas native. If Napier is removed, wolves will start sniffing around.
One game into the season and things are very complicated in Gainesville.
Derek Peterson does a bit of everything, not unlike Taysom Hill. He has covered Oklahoma, Nebraska, the Pac-12, and now delivers CFB-wide content.
