On a third batted pass on a final drive against Florida State, Miami’s chances of pulling an upset of the Seminoles — and getting the first win over the ‘Noles of Al Golden’s tenure as Miami’s head coach — fluttered to the ground. FSU had its 29-24 win, a second consecutive one-possession win over its hated ACC rival.
Miami’s Al Golden probably just missed his last, best chance to save his job
It’s really hard to see Golden returning if football is Miami’s only consideration. But it might not be Miami’s only consideration.
Phil Sears-USA TODAY Sports
And Miami may have a hard choice to make on Golden.
Sure, Golden’s seat has been molten since the beginning of the 2015 season, or maybe before it. Sure, losing at Cincinnati is probably less respectable than losing at the three-time defending ACC champions. But the cold truth is that Florida State has now been better than Miami when the two teams have met for six straight years, which covers Golden’s entire five-year tenure, and the entire careers of Miami’s first full recruiting class under Golden.
And the way this loss happened — with Brad Kaaya being as game a QB as the 'Canes have had in a while, but Miami's defense being totally unable to stop Miami native Dalvin Cook — is only going to burn Miami fans more. Miami players looked dumbstruck and spent on the sideline after the final whistle; the, er, somewhat boisterous Hurricanes fan base is likely to be far less sanguine.
For Golden to save his job with his team’s work on the field, Miami’s absolutely going to have to avoid the post-FSU swoon that has plagued it in recent years. The ‘Canes lost their last three games after a near-miss against the ‘Noles in 2014, and are 2-6 after seeing FSU over the last two years; over Golden’s entire tenure, that post-FSU record is only 6-8. If Miami loses out, Golden’s seat will dissolve, of course, but a far more likely outcome is almost as bad: The ‘Canes could very easily fall to 3-5 after October games against Virginia Tech, Clemson, and Duke before rallying to finish 7-5 against lesser competition in November.
With FSU still atop the ACC and Florida surging back to prominence, a 7-5 season in Golden’s fifth year would have to be a death blow to Golden’s ability to recruit the Sunshine State, and thus to his continued employment — in theory. But Golden’s under contract through the 2019 season, and while Miami’s a private school that doesn’t have to release salary figures, it’s a good bet that the ‘Canes would have to eat something close to eight figures to cut Golden loose now, if not more.
So the choice will fall to Miami athletic director Blake James, who did not give Golden that extension, and the rest of Miami’s leadership: Is keeping Golden and hoping for something different out of his sixth year more worthwhile than signing off a massive golden parachute for him and hoping to find a better option at head coach?
It’s a tough thing to contemplate. But, then, so is losing yet another game to FSU.
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