In Miami's rout of Florida, this Hurricanes team has proven it's time to take a knee on the mockery

GAINESVILLE, Fla. — Mario Cristobal had the opportunity to do something really funny, but it also would have been the most appropriate way to cap off the statement his Miami team made in a 41-14 victory at Florida on Saturday. 

He could have simply taken a knee.

Miami had a 24-point lead and was situated inside the Florida 15-yard line. The defeated crowd had already began stammering out and the final seconds of the game were ticking off the clock. The final play of the game was a 1-yard rush from Ajay Allen, but had it been a kneel down, it would have served as the perfect way for Hurricanes fans to finally shake of the stench of last season and embrace a new year that’s now filled with so much promise. 

Everyone remembers how Miami suffered its first loss of the season a year ago. Instead of taking a knee in a game that was already wrapped up against Georgia Tech, Miami curiously ran the football, fumbled it away and then gave up a game-winning touchdown minutes later. That was a demoralizing, program-altering loss. Cristobal’s team fell apart from that point and he has spent the last 11 months being mocked incessantly over that indefensible decision.

But that is the old Miami. The Miami everyone mocks, even as the Hurricanes racked up win after win after win in the talent-accumulation department during the offseason, may be dead. This is the new Miami, the one that didn’t have to hold its breath on the final play of the game in a hostile SEC stadium against an in-state rival. 

So you can imagine how Cristobal must have felt when he finally made it to that cramped, stuffy press room in the bowels of Ben Hill Griffin Stadium after that game. After a year of mockery, pressure and doubt, his team earned an emphatic win over Florida, one that put the entire ACC — no, country – on notice heading into September. 

“As long as you keep winning right?” Cristobal responded, answering a question about how much a single win can propel a program. “This is a big rivalry for us. I never got to play in this game. I came to Miami as a player to play in games like this. … Miami hasn’t won here in 20-plus years. Do you think this game was big? 

“Do you think the amount of animosity, hatred, bad blood between the fan bases amped it up a little bit? Come on. It was off the charts. The most important thing we talked about was that for a first time in a long time Miami had the chance to play in a big-time game to start the season. Now we have to show we can handle that success.” 

For the first time in what seems like forever, we have to truly accept this Miami team may be up to the task. In the new 12-team College Football Playoff era, the Hurricanes look legit. The ACC — which saw Clemson, Florida State and Virginia Tech lose their season-openers — seems ripe for the taking. 

The headliner in the game was quarterback Cam Ward, the big-time offseason transfer from Washington State that came to Miami with the promise of changing this place. You had to question how he’d handle his first start in an atmosphere like The Swamp. It would have been fair to anticipate some turbulence. Aside from one interception, there wasn’t any. He threw for 385 yards and three touchdowns. He escaped pressure, made dazzling moves, tossed some beautiful passes and always kept his composure. 

Ward is the first Miami quarterback since 1979 to throw for 300-plus yards in his first start with the Hurricanes. Maybe there was a reason he was the preseason ACC Player of the Year. 

“I’m not really into the pressure stuff,” Ward said. “At the end of the day, football is a game. I’m harder on myself than anyone could be on me, media-wise, friends-wise and family-wise. I’m one of my biggest critics. The more I can stay in the moment, the more this team can stay in the moment and everything will work out the best for us.” 

The reality is, it’s not on Ward’s shoulders alone. If he turns into a star, that obviously bodes well for this Hurricanes team, but Cristobal — who has always excelled in building rosters as a head coach — worked diligently in the offseason to improve this team. 

Cristobal built the lines through high school recruiting. He improved the skill positions dramatically with Ward, running back Damien Martinez and receiver Sam Brown. Add into the equation Xavier Restrepo — who had seven receptions for 112 yards and a touchdown — and Miami could have a lethal offense. 

The most impressive part of the game? Miami controlled both lines of scrimmage. It didn’t matter the Hurricanes lost star edge-rusher Rueben Bain on the game’s first drive to a soft-tissue injury Cristobal said could keep him out for a few weeks.

On offense, Ward could have solved a Rubik’s Cube in the back field when he dropped back for passes and his skill made plays. 

Remember, Miami and Florida were viewed as equals heading into this game. The Hurricanes were a 2.5-point favorite in a game that was wildly interesting. No matter who lost, the fan base of that team would go nuclear.

But this wasn’t a close win. Miami proved that it is way out of Florida’s league and now the Gators fans are the ones sifting through the debris, questioning whether Billy Napier is the man for the job.

You may dismiss this Miami win by saying Florida stinks, but please don’t do that. Don’t take away what this Miami team has earned. After a year of being the butt of our jokes, Miami has earned our respect.

A lot can still happen this season, sure, but Miami has a more-than-manageable schedule and it just stuffed what was supposed to be one of its toughest opponents into a locker. 

Look what this team has on its roster. Don’t look at what this team has done in the past. That’s the mistake we made with Texas last season and the mistake we make a lot in this sport. We always think that what has happened in the past will always happen again. It doesn’t.

This isn’t a column proclaiming “The U” is back. There’s a long way to go before that is true.

But if you have something negative to say about this Hurricanes team after what we just watched?

Well …

Take a knee.