Miami Wants to Think Bigger. The Football Has to Match

Miami wants a bigger future. I want it, too. But if the ambition is to become nationally relevant and position the university for bigger opportunities, winning the MAC cannot be the only measuring stick. I want the breakthrough season that makes casual fans rearrange their evenings. Tuesday offered a chance to build toward that. Instead, Miami gave ESPN viewers a collapse.

I noticed the empty seats when the broadcast widened out. The announced attendance was 10,618, and an 8 p.m. Tuesday kickoff asks plenty of traveling families. Still, the frustration cuts both ways: fans who want a bigger program need to support it when they can, and the program needs to give more people a reason to come back. Losing 34–31 after leading 31–16 in the fourth quarter makes that invitation harder.

Offense: Enough to Lead, Not Enough to Finish

I liked the deep shot on the opening play, even though it didn’t connect. Miami came out willing to attack, and Braylon Isom gave Caleb Heavner a dependable target. Isom finished with seven catches for 89 yards and a touchdown, while D’Shawntae Jones supplied the strongest part of the ground game.

Jones ran decisively, finishing with 112 yards on 17 carries. Miami had stretches where the offense looked capable of controlling the evening. The problem was sustaining that control when another productive possession could have put Buffalo away.

The five sacks mattered beyond the lost yardage. Buffalo’s pressure helped derail Miami’s chance to extend its lead late. The offense had built a cushion, but it couldn’t produce the answer once that cushion started disappearing.

Defense: One Threat Contained, Another Unanswered

Miami held Messiah Burch to 56 rushing yards. That was a meaningful part of the assignment, and the defense also delivered two interceptions. There were plays worth celebrating, including the opening-drive stand that forced Buffalo to settle for a field goal.

Then Chance Morrow took over the matchup. His catches through coverage stood out to me throughout the broadcast. Some plays were simply an impressive receiver winning difficult throws, but Miami never found a sufficient answer.

The penalties made an already difficult job worse. Miami finished with 13 for 104 yards, and Buffalo gained seven first downs by penalty. I thought some pass-interference calls were ticky-tack. That doesn’t explain away the total or the repeated opportunities Buffalo received.

Buffalo also converted two fourth downs on its first fourth-quarter touchdown drive, including Morrow’s 28-yard catch on fourth-and-6. Miami had opportunities to end the possession. Buffalo kept finding another play.

Toney Coleman Jr. and CJ Young each intercepted a pass. Grant Lyons broke up the pass that Young intercepted. Those plays deserve credit. So does holding Buffalo to a field goal in overtime. But the defense couldn’t protect the fourth-quarter lead, and the earlier takeaways couldn’t compensate for it.

Special Teams: Scoop Supplied the Spark

Jermaine Agee broke through to block a punt, and Scoop Smith recovered it in the end zone. That was an enormous play, with two players deserving recognition for making it happen.

Smith later added a rushing touchdown. He has now scored this season by reception, rushing attempt, kickoff return, and blocked-punt recovery. Apparently, one job description was too restrictive.

The ending was much harder. Kellan McLaughlin finished 1-for-3 on field goals. A false start pushed the tying attempt back five yards before he hit the upright from 45 in overtime. The kick ended the game, but the penalty immediately before it belonged to the same problem Miami had been fighting all night.

Closing Argument: Give People a Reason to Believe

Chuck Martin’s success at Miami deserves acknowledgment. It also cannot end every discussion about the program’s ceiling. “We played three-and-a-half really good quarters,” Martin said afterward. That describes what made this loss so painful: Miami showed enough to win, then failed to finish.

I saw posts on X calling for his firing and others saying they were done watching. Those posts don’t represent every fan, but that last reaction worries me most. Miami needs people who choose to watch and attend even without a lifelong attachment. It cannot depend on guilt to recruit them.

My ambition for next season is a team chasing a one- or two-loss finish, separating itself from conference opponents, and giving people a reason to keep November nights open. That’s a demanding standard. It is also consistent with the bigger future Miami wants people to believe in. Conference trophies matter, but I want the football to make those ambitions feel achievable.