00:00Alex Dono's on the Toyota of Hollywood hotline.
00:03He is one of the foremost Miami Hurricanes experts locally.
00:08You can watch him on the Locked on Canes pod.
00:11You hear him on this radio station hosting the Hurricanes postgame show.
00:15I was telling Dono off the air.
00:17I was listening to it last night.
00:18It was 1 in the morning.
00:19I happened to be in the car, and I'm listening to Dono.
00:241.30 in the morning, I'm in the mood for a big plate of pork for some reason.
00:28I don't even eat pork.
00:30But the guy can't stop talking about the pork studios or whatever.
00:33Who's the studio sponsor?
00:35It's Hatfield.
00:37Better care, better pork.
00:39Yeah.
00:39Better care, better pork.
00:40I mean, I'm driving around 1.30.
00:43I'm like, man, is there anywhere hoping to get some pork?
00:47Because the guy's talking about it.
00:49I'm in a good mood because of the Canes.
00:51I got to get myself some pork.
00:53So, Dono, it got a little dicier at the end than it probably should have, but let's set
01:02aside that part for a moment and just say, what an incredible way to start the season.
01:10What an incredible victory.
01:11This is the biggest win Mario Cristobal has as Miami Hurricanes head coach.
01:17Prior to this one, you know, he had a nice blowout win at Florida last year, had that win against Clemson a couple of years ago.
01:27But, I mean, this is you're going up against the number six team in the nation who just played in the national championship game last year.
01:34And the most impressive part about it to me, guys, was that Miami was able to really out Notre Dame, Notre Dame in a lot of ways.
01:44When you think about the way that the fighting Irish usually win games in the Marcus Freeman era, especially, right, they're usually going to have a big advantage running the football.
01:53And all offseason long, all that I heard about was, hey, Jeremiah Love is a projected top 10 pick.
02:01And Jadarian Price is incredible.
02:03It's the best running back duo in the country.
02:05Credit to Miami.
02:06They held those two guys to a combined 78 yards.
02:10And Miami, as a team, outrushed Notre Dame 119-93, which a lot of folks outside of South Florida didn't think would happen, that Miami could outrush Notre Dame.
02:21Now, of course, you know, down here, we're aware of the offensive line that Mario Cristobal has built and the talent Miami has in the backfield.
02:28I mean, Mark Fletcher had an important game from Miami.
02:31You know, Jordan Lyle got a little banged up in the game.
02:33I think he's going to be okay.
02:34And then you had the emergence of Marty Brown, the transfer from North Dakota State, who I thought was probably the best even of the three.
02:43He scored the touchdown, picked up those big yards in the third quarter.
02:47So Miami outrushed Notre Dame, and they also won the turnover battle.
02:51I mean, Notre Dame last year, plus 18 in turnover margin, among the very best in the country.
02:56And Miami goes plus two in that win.
02:59And something that, you know, I expected and I was cautiously optimistic about was clearly having the advantage at quarterback with Carson Beck's experience.
03:08And a huge objective for me and for all of us heading into that football game was not only does Carson need to take care of the football, and he did that.
03:17No turnovers, not even any really turnover-worthy throws.
03:20I mean, he was just very poised the way he saw the field and got it to his playmakers.
03:26And he hit some big throws as well, right?
03:28Because you knew you would have to go downfield a little bit to create separation.
03:33And, you know, the way 17-year-old receiver Malachi Tony stepped up, 82 yards and a touchdown, leading Miami in receiving.
03:41I mean, that's got to be one of the best true freshman receiver debuts of all time, given the opponent and the situation.
03:48C.J. Daniels had that just unbelievable one-handed grab for a touchdown.
03:53And, you know, obviously, hockey, you mentioned that the game got a little dicey in the fourth quarter when Miami got very conservative offensively.
04:01But I will say credit to the defense for showing up and playing complimentary football in a way we didn't see last year.
04:08Because if you're in that same situation last season where the offense is getting three and outs because they're running up the middle three straight times, putting it in the hands of the defense.
04:18Last year happened time and time again.
04:21The defense was going to let you down and allow the game-winning touchdown or game-time field goal, whatever.
04:25This time around, they became ferocious.
04:28And the defense played well all game, by the way, except for, you know, you had a couple of negative plays.
04:33The 62-yard pass that was allowed was a miscommunication.
04:36But overall, they played really well.
04:38And then on that final possession, when you needed Ruben Bain the most, he steps up.
04:43Akeem Mezador steps up.
04:44And Bain also had the interception in the game, which was huge.
04:47I think this is, and I said it to you guys before the season started, I think this is the most, like, deep and balanced roster that Cristobal has had in Miami.
04:56Because really everything, offense, defense, and special teams contributed to this win.
05:00Dono, when we talked to you last week to preview the game, whether it was Wednesday or Thursday,
05:05I had told you something Joe Zagacki had told us that this was the most Mario team that he had in Miami.
05:12Did you come away yesterday saying Mario has finally built the type of team that he had for years over at Oregon?
05:19And whether or not they're going to go win an ACC championship or be in a playoff, we'll find out, right?
05:24But as far as him being one of the best recruiters in the nation and him finding those big dudes that are just mesmerizing when they walk off the bus.
05:35Like, did you come away from the game yesterday feeling confident that Mario has built this team the way that he needs to go compete with teams like Notre Dame, the top teams in the country?
05:45A hundred percent. And again, it's funny because, you know, Miami, and it was J.D. Piquel from On3 Sports that I said it best that Miami beat Notre Dame at their own game.
05:56But remember, that's Mario Cristobal's game. Like, when it comes to having a team that's going to win on both sides of the line of scrimmage, which Miami did yesterday,
06:05and having a team that's going to outlast you and really out-tough you for four quarters.
06:10And like you said, Solana, literally the size and strength of the players is going to have a lot to do with that.
06:17And I think this is the start of what's going to be a monster year for Reuben Bain.
06:22I know he had a tough year last year, primarily due to injury. He played through an injury all season long.
06:28And he also probably got a little too heavy last year in like the 285-290 range.
06:33Bain is down to 270, and it shows.
06:36Like, there was a hot second where I thought he was going to take that interception all the way back for a touchdown.
06:41Like, he was moving.
06:42But I mean, he's still a big guy at 270 with a lot of strength.
06:46I thought Miami's defensive tackles did well.
06:48You know, Justin Scott, you know, forced a fumble on the first turnover.
06:52And, you know, going again, talk about the size.
06:55I mean, Miami's top three running backs.
06:57And you could see how important that power was.
06:59I mean, Mark Fletcher is like 6'3", 225.
07:03Marty Brown is 5'11", 220.
07:07And he's got that really good balance and great center of gravity.
07:10You know, Jordan Lyle is up to 205.
07:13And he's like the smallest of the backs, but he's still a 205-pound load to tackle.
07:18So, yeah, I mean, this is a Mario Cristobal team.
07:21But I like the fact that it's not only a Mario Cristobal team,
07:24but I think it's a good marriage in terms of a little bit more innovation on offense.
07:29Because I think Shannon Dawson, you know, his approach really shows the way Mario has evolved.
07:34Because in the past, people would think of a Mario offense more of being like a straight up three yards
07:40and a cloud of dust type of thing.
07:41But being able to get the sparks in the passing game as well with Dawson,
07:46who's not a pure air raid guy, but he comes from that air raid coaching tree,
07:50I think is a really good complement to kind of the traditional Mario Cristobal style.
07:54And, yeah, I said it before the game, and I'll say it again.
07:57And, you know, obviously Cam Ward was one of the best individual players we've ever watched at Miami.
08:03But I think this team can overall be better than the team last year.
08:07I think a lot of people had that feeling after yesterday, which was weird,
08:12because I don't think we expected to have that feeling.
08:15Now, I know it's just one game.
08:18We're all high on it.
08:19Could have easily gone another way, by the way, the epic collapse.
08:23But we come out of there with the W over a higher-ranked team and looked good while doing it.
08:29So there's hubbub about this team nationally after one week.
08:34There was a tweet from Pat McAfee watching the game, and he says,
08:39I've only seen four quarters.
08:41We're currently 45 minutes away from September starting.
08:45Obviously, this was, like, right at the end of the game last night.
08:49But congrats to Miami on making the college football playoffs.
08:53That was his take after watching one game.
08:58What do we do with this, Dono?
09:00We need to see a lot more, or are we feeling inordinately confident about what we're seeing based on last night?
09:08I mean, I know that what McAfee said is the last thing Mario Cristobal wants his team thinking about.
09:15I can tell you that, that he doesn't want that talk trickling into the facility
09:19because he does not want his guys to let up.
09:23And listen, again, like, it wasn't perfect.
09:25I mean, they got very conservative in the fourth quarter.
09:28The game got dicey.
09:30But, I mean, it's hard to be perfect, especially against an opponent like Notre Dame.
09:34And that could end up being the toughest opponent Miami has all year.
09:40You know, Florida State looked good against Alabama, obviously.
09:45And you got them on the schedule.
09:46USF looked surprisingly good against Boise State on Thursday night.
09:50Solana and I were talking about, isn't that setting up to be a huge trap game?
09:53Don't you feel like that USF game week three is such a trap game?
09:56And they got Florida right before they play us.
09:59Like, credit to USF for playing a big boy schedule.
10:02They play 25th-ranked Boise State.
10:04Then they're playing 15th-ranked, will probably be ranked higher when they face them, Florida.
10:09And then Miami, who's going to be probably in the top five.
10:11That's the way USF starts their season.
10:14So, yeah, listen, I think my message would be, you know, more of that.
10:18If they keep that same mentality and they keep playing the way that they played on Sunday night,
10:23this should be a college football playoff team,
10:26especially now that they've already collected a dub on paper what might be the toughest game they play all year.
10:34But I'm not going to get complacent, you know, as a fan of the team and somebody who covers the team,
10:39because I also understand that last year this team started 9-0,
10:44and they still managed to miss the college football playoff.
10:48So it's not about how you start.
10:49It's about how you finish.
10:50And that's what they need to find consistency.
10:54You know, you hope you have good luck on an injury front, of course.
10:58But I also think, you know, Cristobal has done a good job with the way he's recruited
11:01and done the transfer portal that this is a deep football team.
11:05But still, you want to, you know, avoid serious injury as much as possible
11:10if you're going to have an opportunity.
11:11And just, you know, you can't let up mentally.
11:13Because, you know, what happened specifically against Syracuse last year,
11:17that was inexcusable.
11:18They never should have blown that 21-0 lead.
11:21So I'm not going to get complacent, guys.
11:23I mean, the eye test obviously tells you Miami should be one of the top 12 teams in the country
11:29for the rest of the season.
11:30But they have 11 more opportunities to earn that.
11:33What's funny is there's this stretch where you play USF, Florida,
11:37and then you're on the road at FSU.
11:38But what scares me more than anything, Dono, on this schedule,
11:40just because we're all Hurricanes fans who have lived in this ACC era,
11:45is the Louisville-Stanford-SMU-Syracuse-NC State stretch.
11:49And then, good luck, Virginia Tech-Pittsburgh, to close out the season.
11:52Like, get through your ACC schedule.
11:55Losing to FSU on the road isn't going to keep you out of the college football playoff.
11:58Losing to those teams will.
12:00But really quickly, Dono, I think the big question with Carson Beck,
12:03aside from how's he going to look, is he going to look composed, he proved that.
12:07Who's he going to throw the ball to?
12:08Who's he going to trust more than anything in a big-time play?
12:12And Malachi Toney stepped up.
12:13CJ Daniels had that, like, top-ten catch, maybe catch-of-the-year contention already.
12:18But did you feel like he already established the guys that he's going to feel comfortable with
12:24in those big-time moments?
12:25Or do you still think, you know, there's other guys who we didn't really see too much of yesterday
12:30that could still step up on that level?
12:33I do feel that way to the latter part of your point.
12:35Because there were a couple times when, like, he was really close to connecting with JoJo
12:40Trader, and he was really draped by Notre Dame's cornerbacks who are really good, Leonard
12:47Moore and Christian Gray.
12:49Like, these guys will be playing on Sundays probably next year.
12:53I expect we're going to see more.
12:55We're going to see a lot more of JoJo Trader.
12:58And I also, one thing that did surprise me, and I'm not going to complain after a victory,
13:03but only one catch for Elijah Lofton.
13:05I thought that was a surprise, because when I was thinking about all my keys to the game
13:10pregame, one of my big keys was, you know, Elijah Lofton could be a difference maker,
13:14just because he's so versatile.
13:16You don't know where he's going to line up.
13:17So he's hard to cover.
13:18Like, he's hard for defensive coordinators to account for, because you don't really know
13:22where he's going to be.
13:23You know, he, I'm sure if I were to go back and watch every offensive rep, I'll probably
13:29notice some things like, wow, an incredible block.
13:31I didn't notice he did this, that, and the other.
13:33But as a receiver, he was not a big part of that game yesterday.
13:36So I expect more of that moving forward.
13:39And I do think you're going to see a little more, you're going to see more guys on the
13:43receiving core hitting the stat sheet.
13:46But you clearly saw separation.
13:47Like Malachi, Tony, and if you see some of those double moves that he was running, like,
13:52that's a guy you're going to be able to trust for the next, you know, three years, hopefully
13:57four years, but the next three years to be consistently getting open.
14:01And CJ Daniels is obviously a trustworthy target.
14:04But I do, Solana, I do think we're going to see more, you know, once you start going
14:08up against defenses that aren't as good as the one you faced yesterday.
14:12True or false?
14:13Malachi, Tony, best college football performance of a player still young enough to get the free
14:20cookie at Publix.
14:21I mean, I got to say true and somebody, I don't, I don't have the stat in front of me,
14:27but somebody sent me something on X yesterday that reminding that, you know, Malachi, Tony
14:31had a bigger and better freshman debut than Jeremiah Smith had last year and that Ryan
14:39Williams at Alabama had.
14:40So, I mean, so far so good.
14:42I'm not necessarily saying he's on the map nationally after last night.
14:46He is on the map nationally.
14:48He is.
14:48Yeah, I mean, so everybody was, I mean, you know, Antonio Brown was, was tweeting, was
14:54tweeting about him on the sideline.
14:56I mean, yeah, it was incredible.
14:59Alex Dono, check out Locked on Cane's podcast.
15:03Listen to Dono all season long on the postgame.
15:05Aperol spritz on me tonight, Dono.
15:08And I did have one earlier this weekend, so I'll have to, I'll have to double it up.
15:12I'll send you the bill.
15:13Drink of the summer, is it?
15:14Is it still, I guess after Labor Day, is it still summer?
15:16Are we, uh, I'll be drinking them in January.
15:19So, uh, me too.
15:20I, there's never, uh, not a right time for an Aperol spritz.
15:24All right.
15:25See you, Dono.
15:26See ya.
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