Miami Football: Beating Cincinnati Necessary Step Toward Salvaging Season

The 3-3 Miami Hurricanes limp into a bout with the Cincinnati Bearcats not necessarily in a must-win situation but more adequately termed a better-not-lose outing.

Fortunately, the 'Canes get a minor break from an important clash, since a meeting with Cincinnati is the final nonconference matchup of the regular season. Knocking off the Bearcats is, however, a necessary step toward salvaging the year.

A devastating 10-point loss to Georgia Tech last weekend has Miami clinging to an ever-so-small chance at the Coastal Division title, one that won't come without serious help from elsewhere.

Here we go again.

It's the middle of October, and the perennially underachieving 'Canes have already dropped two ACC contests with a road trip to Virginia Tech on deck and Florida State looming.

At the absolute best, Miami is looking at nine wins—including a bowl victory—but seven or eight are the most likely finishes. Regardless, the Hurricanes must open the second half of their season with a victory, because falling to Cincy could completely derail the team.

Entering a deafening Lane Stadium as losers of two straight would be mentally challenging enough already but dropping a pair of winnable games prior to battling Virginia Tech might prove disastrous.

Simply put, the Hurricanes must return to the form they displayed in a solid win over Duke, and Cincinnati offers a perfect opportunity to take the recovery a step further.

The Miami offense has yet to play a complete game, stumbling on third down, in the red zone, dropping open passes or committing costly turnovers.

"We as an offense just haven't executed the way we should. There's no way to explain it," Duke Johnson said, per Christy Cabrera Chirinos of the South Florida Sun Sentinel. "We're just not doing what we're supposed to do and what we know we're capable of doing."

Positives certainly exist: Brad Kaaya has clearly improved, and Johnson is still turning nothing into something. Phillip Dorsett and Clive Walford have combined for 32 receptions, 30 of which have resulted in first downs or touchdowns. True freshman Braxton Berrios has earned a starting role.

But the negatives have affected the 'Canes more: A terrible conversion rate on third down. Settling for field goals. Few explosive runs for Johnson. Stacy Coley's unforeseen slump. A negative-four turnover margin.

Granted, Miami has struggled in every facet of the game, so there's no single unit shouldering the majority of blame. A portion absolutely falls on the coaches but even the Hurricanes stars have had underwhelming seasons.

Ereck Flowers hasn't been the dominant force he was striding toward becoming, Tracy Howard lost his starting job and Denzel Perryman has put together a few stinkers.

Nevertheless, Miami is a more talented team than Cincinnati, and the Bearcats are likely to be without starting quarterback Gunner Kiel.

"He's been struggling to get his passing arm over his head," head coach Tommy Tuberville said, according to Tom Groeschen of the Cincinnati Enquirer. "Last time I looked, it's hard to throw a deep ball underhanded."

Should Kiel be officially unavailable, the 'Canes would ultimately be gifted an opportunity to dominate on both sides of the football, something they really need before conference play resumes.

Each team remaining on the schedule is more than capable of defeating a squad hampered by issues on offense, defense and special teams, especially when Miami doesn't know which problems will make an appearance during a given week.

Realistically, the Hurricanes might lose to Virginia Tech, Florida State and another team, so being upset by the Bearcats could send 2014 to the trash. They don't have time to be dejected about what's gone wrong, they just have to fix it—starting this weekend.

"There's no heads down in the locker room," Berrios said, per Matt Porter of the Palm Beach Post. "There's no pity. There's no feeling sorry for us. We're a team. We're bonded together...let's go get it."

Miami has no choice other than to "go get it," lest it enter the season's final five ACC games teetering on the brink of potentially failing to even qualify for a bowl. It shouldn't happen given all the circumstances, but the 'Canes still cannot afford a loss to Cincinnati.