After losing their first two games by a combined seven points, Manny Diaz’s Miami Hurricanes rallied in his first season as head coach to win six of their next eight games, including a convincing signature win over rival Florida State. The final three weeks of the season, however, could not have gone any worse.
Miami entered Thursday’s Independence Bowl in Shreveport coming off back-to-back losses to Florida International and Duke, but were still favored by a touchdown over Louisiana Tech. The Hurricanes delivered one of their worst bowl performances in program history against the underrated Bulldogs, losing 14-0 to become the first team in Independence Bowl history to be shut out. Miami managed just 227 yards of offense, rarely got out of their own territory and never even attempted a field goal throughout the game.
Louisiana Tech delivered the only shutout in Independence Bowl history đź’Ş
It's the first time Miami has been shutout in a bowl game in 25 years. pic.twitter.com/WzzIzogPqq
— ESPN College Football (@ESPNCFB) December 27, 2019
According to ESPN’s Chris Fallica – better known as The Bear from College GameDay – Miami’s loss is the first time in 40 years that a power conference team was shut out by a non-power conference team.
Miami's 14-0 loss to Louisiana Tech marks the only time in the last 40 years a team from a Power conference (I'm including Big East, Big 8, SWC in that group) was shut out by a team from a non-Power conference in a bowl game.
— Chris Fallica (@chrisfallica) December 27, 2019
Miami’s shutout comes a year after they scored just three points in a blowout loss to Wisconsin in the Pinstripe Bowl, which put the Hurricanes in an elite group.
Miami is the 3rd program in FBS history to compete in bowl games in consecutive seasons and combine for 3 or fewer points (1959-60 Alabama, 1990-91 Illinois).
Miami scored 3 points against Wisconsin last season in the Pinstripe Bowl, and was shut out vs Louisiana Tech today. pic.twitter.com/a14Fhghafj
— ESPN Stats & Info (@ESPNStatsInfo) December 27, 2019
College football Twitter didn’t miss a chance to roast the Hurricanes yet again,
Miami's last bowl win was the last ever Russell Athletic Bowl in 2016. It became the Camping World Bowl, and Russell Athletic stopped producing D1 Football uniforms in 2018.
Miami's last bowl win before that was the 2006 MPC Computers Bowl. They went out of business in 2008.
— RedditCFB (@RedditCFB) December 27, 2019
Miami has 33 more 4/5-star recruits than LA Tech. pic.twitter.com/yy5iLQs8cq
— Unnecessary Roughness (@UnnecRoughness) December 27, 2019
Miami just lost something called the Walk-On’s Independence Bowl in a 14-0 shutout and it arguably wasn’t their most embarrassing game vs. a Conference USA team in the last 33 days
— Alex Kirshner (@alex_kirshner) December 27, 2019
Why is Miami football bad? Well… pic.twitter.com/JduqtoSuWD
— The U.S. of NCAA (@theUSofNCAA) December 27, 2019
Yep, Miami’s final three games were losses to FIU, to a Duke team which had lost 5 straight entering the game and a shutout at the hands of Louisiana Tech in the bowl game. Just needed to double check that.
— Chris Fallica (@chrisfallica) December 27, 2019
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