The Rundown Take
Bland but Unbeaten: Grading the Ugly Win Over Pitt
Monday recap night, and the panel came in with receipts on a win that didn't feel like one. Miami escaped Pittsburgh's number-six-ranked defense 4-and-1, and Devin and E spent the show picking apart a game that leaned heavily on turnovers, a bend-don't-break defense, and a coordinator they've nicknamed "Mr. Cut the Check" for offense that still isn't opening up the playbook.
Key Takeaways
- The defense didn't allow a single touchdown against Pitt — Devin credited a bend-don't-break unit that gave up four field goals but locked in every time Pitt reached the red zone.
- Corner Corey Couch drew the loudest praise of the night, with the panel calling him a legit man-coverage corner finally coming into his own; Corey Flagg also got singled out as a future All-American on the linebacker level.
- E put the blame squarely on offensive coordinator Rhett Lashlee's play calling — no screens, no crossing routes, the same predictable dropback progression every series — while Devin pushed back that a beat-up offensive line is the bigger culprit.
- Manny Diaz reportedly opened up competition at wide receiver, and both hosts are waiting to see if D'Eriq King finally gets more looks with Mark Pope, Jeremiah Payton, and Michael Redding in the mix.
- Caller Larry (calling from Louisiana) delivered a full-throated defense of Manny Diaz's program-building, pointing out Miami sits 4-1 and ranked 11th with the only loss to the likely national champion.
Cut the Check Under Fire
The play-calling debate dominated the show. E argued the offense has looked bland since the Clemson blowout, with the same drop-back-and-progress approach getting King hit behind a struggling line. Callers Dolphin Derek, Cuban Kane, and George Diaz split on how much to blame Lashlee versus a receiver corps that still isn't winning contested catches, but the consensus was clear: get the running backs more involved and start dialing up screens to slow the pass rush.
Fire Everybody? Not So Fast
A wave of "fire Manny, fire Blake Baker" chat comments got called out directly by the panel and by Larry, who reminded everyone Miami was 2-3 at this point last season and is now 4-1 with a top-15 ranking, a strong incoming class, and Ed Reed on staff. The room agreed: a program rebuild takes years, not five games, and an ugly win over a ranked defense still beats last year's losses in the same spot.
Looking to Virginia
With Brevin Jordan still working back to full health, the panel wants Miami to punch a shaky Virginia team in the mouth early Friday night on the ACC Network, rather than let another slow start creep in. The show closed heading into the one-year anniversary broadcast, with both hosts pushing fans to keep growing the channel on YouTube.
"We don't have the personnel at every position to do it on a consistent basis — take this thing week by week... the man got a good recruiting class, he hired Ed Reed, he made the necessary changes. What more do you want?"