The college football world remains baffled by Miami’s costly decision not to kneel the football late in Saturday’s game against Georgia Tech.
Rather than letting the clock run on what should have been a 20-16 victory, the Hurricanes called a rushing play. Disaster then struck to yield an improbable loss.
Georgia Tech recovered a fumble from running back Donald Chaney Jr., and Yellow Jackets quarterback Haynes King hit Christian Leary for a game-winning touchdown during the closing minute.
Per Miami senior editor Christy Chirinos, offensive coordinator Shannon Dawson took the blame for Miami’s play-calling.
“What we did at the end was the wrong decision,” Dawson said. “I called it, it is what it is. I wish we would have done something different, but we didn’t. So got to live with it. It was the wrong thing to do.”
Canes OC Shannon Dawson is at the podium now.
“What we did at the end was the wrong decision. I called it. … it was the wrong thing to do.”
He adds he was “extremely proud” of the way the Canes fought through the adversity they faced in the GT game.
— Christy Chirinos (@ChristyChirinos) October 9, 2023
Head coach Mario Cristobal also accepted culpability for the costly choice.
“I made the wrong call,” Cristobal said at his weekly news conference, per ESPN’s Andrea Adelson. “I take full ownership in not taking a knee and giving them the opportunity to have a couple extra plays and preventing us from sealing the win.”
The blunder resulted in Miami’s first loss of the season, but the Hurricanes remain ranked No. 25 ahead of Saturday night’s game against No. 14 North Carolina.