Miami, FL
Beneath All Else, Cal’s Run-Game Woes at the Root of Miami Loss
There are all sorts of reasons the wheels came off in the fourth quarter for Cal against Miami on Saturday night.
And just as many ways the Bears could have averted letting a 25-point lead turn into a 39-38 nightmare defeat.
One more first down at some point in the fourth quarter might have taken another couple minutes off the clock and dented the Miami rally. Avoiding a catastrophic blown coverage on the Hurricanes’ 77-yard pass play on the final drive would almost certainly have changed the outcome.
And that doesn’t address what everyone seems to agree was an egregious non-call on the targeting play against Cal quarterback Fernando Mendoza late in the game.
None of it excuses squandering leads of 35-10 in the third quarter and 38-18 in the fourth, even against a talented and explosive Hurricanes’ offense.
Hidden amongst the wreckage of the night is one undeniable shortcoming: The Bears cannot run the ball.
Think about it, the coaching staff has worked for a couple years at developing a big-play offense. Mendoza had four pass completions in excess of 50 yards against Miami — something Cal hasn’t accomplished in at least a dozen seasons.
Even the prolific Bears of Jared Goff under coach Sonny Dykes never had four plays of at least 50 yards in a game, although they did have three of them against Arizona State in 2015 plus two more that went 49 yards.
Mendoza, who has passed for 588 yards in defeats the past two games, is among six ACC quarterbacks named on Monday to the Johnny Unitas Golden Arm Award Top-25 watch list.
His four big plays against Miami added up to 230 yards. On their other 45 offensive snaps, the Bears totaled just 140 yards.
The key number there was the Bears’ total plays — 49, including the four big ones. Miami ran 86 plays — 37 more snaps than Cal managed. Coach Justin Wilcox talks about that discrepancy in the video above.
The most glaring numbers are in the run game. Cal had 73 net rushing yards on 25 attempts, but those include eight rushes (or sacks) credited to Mendoza and backup QB Chandler Rogers (who played well) and a creative 20-yard end-around by wide receiver Jonathan Brady.
So what did the Cal running backs get done? Not much. Certainly not enough.
They ran the ball just 15 times and netted 23 yards. That’s 1.5 yards per attempt by the running backs. Nine of those 15 tries went for 1 yard or less. Ouch.
Preseason All-America candidate Jaydn Ott, who has been hobbled by an ankle injury, was healthy enough to score on a 66-yard screen pass play down the right sideline. And he had a 5-yard touchdown run. His other six running plays netted minus-3 yards, leaving him with a career-low 2 rushing yards.
Backup Jaivian Thomas had a 19-yard run, but totaled 1 yard on his other six rushes.
It’s important to remember Cal was ahead on the scoreboard most of the game — way ahead for a long time. That’s when teams will run the ball to milk the clock. The Bears didn’t run it, probably because they know they can’t.
The offensive line is not the whole problem but it is part of it. Cal allowed 13 sacks the two previous games and couldn’t get its ground game going in this one against a Miami defense that gave up 206 rushing yards to Virginia Tech in its previous outing.
This actually has been an issue since the Bears’ opening game against UC Davis, when Cal’s backs carried 28 times for 88 yards — just 3.1 yards per attempt — against an FCS opponent.
Things were worse still at Auburn, where Cal backs rushed 26 times for 75 yards, an average of 2.9 per try. But Cal won the game, so it went largely unnoticed.
The Bears appeared to remedy the issue a week later in an easy win over San Diego State, even with Ott shelved by his ankle injury Thomas had a career-best 169 rushing yards and Cal’s backs carried the ball 29 times for 267 yards — a whopping 9.2 yards per attempt.
Then, in a 14-9 loss at Florida State, Ott returned and contributed to the Cal backs gaining 99 yards on 23 rushes, a suitable 4.3 yards per try.
It didn’t help Saturday that Cal again played without starting guard Sioape Vatikani, their most experienced O-lineman. He missed the first three games with a foot injury, then sat out the Miami game while recovering from a neck or head injury at FSU. His status for Saturday’s game at No. 22 Pitt is unknown.
One thing that’s clear is that for the Bears to end their two-game losing skid and regain their early-season momentum, they’re going to have to find a running game.
Miami, FL
Equestrian Event With Insane Prize Pool Draws Out Big Names in Miami
The Global Champions Arabians Tour (GCAT), the world’s premier Arabian horse championship series, hit Miami, Florida, where the celebrities were out in force.
The GCAT is an exclusive, high-stakes international championship show designed to showcase the beauty, form, and movement of Purebred Arabian horses.
Over this past weekend, the event transformed Miami Beach into a world-class equestrian stage, welcoming over 100 horses and handlers from across the globe to compete for crucial GCAT points and a share of the Americas circuit’s $2.7 million prize fund.
It also was quite the party featuring surprise sets by 50 Cent and Sean Paul, and a Closing Ceremony performance by Jason Derulo.
Other big names in the sports world showed up, including influencer and former Chicago Bulls Hall of Famer Scottie Pippen’s ex-wife Larsa Pippen, former Miami Hurricanes star and New Orleans Saints Super Bowl champion Jonathan Vilma, and professional golfer Paris Hilinski.
Larsa certainly stood out in this red dress:
Meanwhile, Vilma was back in Miami where he played for some of the best ‘Canes teams from 2000-2003.
Also, the likes of DJ Khaled, Bethenny Frankel, Kiki Barth, Mario Carbone, the Mayor of Miami Steven Meiner, Daymond John, Romero Britto, Stephanie and Masoud Shojaee, Terrence J, Oliver Trevena, Miami Beach Commissioner Joe Magazine.
It was quite the weekend.
“Miami Beach has once again proven to be an extraordinary stage for the Global Champions Arabians Tour,” said Faleh Al Nasr, Chairman of the Global Champions Arabians Tour. “The energy, the international audience, and the level of competition we witnessed this weekend reflect exactly what GCAT stands for. To see this sport brought to life in such an iconic destination, alongside world-class hospitality and entertainment, is incredibly meaningful as we continue to grow our presence across the Americas.”
Miami, FL
Hawks sitting all usual starters against Miami
Kevin Chouinard: Hawks missing lots of players tonight. For tonight’s game at Miami: Mo Gueye (right shoulder inflammation) is questionable. Nickeil Alexander-Walker (right great toe sprain) is out. Dyson Daniels (left great toe sprain) is out. Jalen Johnson (rest) is out. Jonathan Kuminga (left knee injury management) is out. Jock Landale (right high ankle sprain) is out. CJ McCollum (rest) is out. Onyeka Okongwu (left index finger sprain) is out. Gabe Vincent (left knee inflammation) is out.
This article originally appeared on Hoops Hype: Hawks sitting all usual starters against Miami
Miami, FL
Who is Rueben Bain Jr\ufeff? Miami Hurricanes draft prospect visits Bengals
Bengals head coach Zac Taylor at the NFL’s annual meetings
Bengals head coach Zac Taylor discussed a number of topics at the NFL’s annual meetings during the AFC head coach breakfast
2026 NFL draft prospects Jacob Rodriguez of Texas Tech and Rueben Bain Jr. of University of Miami visited the Cincinnati Bengals on April 10, according to NFL Network, along with fellow Miami Hurricanes edge Akheem Mesidor.
Nicknamed “Hurricane,” Bain is expected to be selected in the first round of the upcoming draft, and could be gone when the Bengals are scheduled to select at 10th overall.
Todd McShay has said he expects the Bengals to strongly consider Bain with the 10th pick. Yahoo! Sports’ Nate Tice has the Bengals taking Bain at No. 10.
“The Bengals go with the antithesis of their first-round selection from a year ago, trading the high-end tools and low-end production of Shemar Stewart with the top-end production and effort but lack of ideal length of Bain,” Tice wrote. “If Stewart taps into even a small portion of his talent and with Boye Mafe joining in free agency, the Bengals’ edge spots could be more impactful in a hurry and feel a lot different soon.”
What to know about Bain, who was a college teammate of Bengals offensive lineman Jalen Rivers for two seasons:
Bain played three seasons for the Hurricanes.
As a junior in 2025, Bain was named second-team Associated Press All-American, ACC defensive player of the year and first-team All-ACC.
Bain started all 16 games in his final season at Miami, recording 54 tackles and 15.5 tackles for loss with 9.5 sacks, an interception, a pass breakup and a forced fumble).
Bain earned the Ted Hendricks Award, given annually to college football’s top defensive end. He was a finalist for the Lott IMPACT Trophy, given to the nation’s top defender with Integrity, Maturity, Performance, Academics, Community, Tenacity.
As a sophomore in 2024, Bain was named honorable mention all-ACC. He started nine games, and missed four games because of an injury.
A freshman All-American, Bain was named third-team all-ACC and ACC defensive rookie of the year in his first season with the ‘Canes. He led the team that season with three forced fumbles, and tied for the team lead with 7.5 sacks.
Lance Zierlein’s NFL comparison for Bain is the Philadelphia Eagles’ Brandon Graham.
“Note taker, grudge holder and block destructor with a compact frame and defensive tackle play strength,” Zierlein wrote in Bain’s NFL.com draft profile. “Bain is ill-tempered with his take-ons, hitting blockers with heavy hand strikes. … Bain’s explosive power and toughness should translate, giving him a high floor as an NFL starter.”
Daniel Jeremiah compares Bain to former NFL linebacker Melvin Ingram.
A USA Today mock draft had Bain going ninth overall, to the Chiefs.
Interestingly, Bain visited Kansas City one day before his reported Cincinnati visit.
Bain has dismissed post-combine discussion of his arm length. At 30 7/8 inches, Bain’s arms are among the shortest in the class.
“I didn’t hear it until later in the year, but it kind of surprised me because I never heard it all my life,” Bain said at the combine. “I don’t give it the time of day, honestly.”
“Mike Tyson, he wasn’t the tallest guy, wasn’t the longest-limbed guy, but when you felt him, you felt him,” Bain told NFL Network’s Cameron Wolfe. “You kept your distance.”
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