Miami, FL

Offensive Line in the Spotlight and in a Fluid State

Published

1 year ago

July 30, 2024

Offensive Line in the Spotlight and in a Fluid State

The Miami Dolphins offensive line remains the most unsettled position on the entire roster, and there’s little happening in training camp to alleviate many of the concerns.

The most notable development at practice Tuesday was the high number of bad snaps or bad center-quarterback exchanges, which actually were worse than the problematic display a day earlier.

Then there’s the overall health of the group, with presumptive starting left guard Isaiah Wynn still on the Active/Physically Unable to Perform list and left tackle Terron Armstead practicing for the first time Tuesday, although it didn’t involve any team work.

For a unit that has fans a bit nervous — OK, a lot nervous — this was not a great way to wrap up the first week of practice.

While Armstead missing a lot of practice time really isn’t a big deal because he’s been really good for the Dolphins with limited practice since he got here in 2022, Wynn’s absence may be is a bit more problematic.

Wynn hasn’t practiced at all since he sustained a quad injury in the Week 7 game against the Philadelphia Eagles last season after doing a respectable job to that point. This would be problematic for any player, let alone for one with Wynn’s lengthy injury history.

While Armstead, new center Aaron Brewer and right tackle Austin Jackson will be in starting lineup, there will be competition at the guard spots and there will come a time when Wynn no longer is a slam dunk to start on the left side.

Reading into head coach Mike McDaniel’s words from before practice Tuesday, it doesn’t sound as though Wynn’s return is imminent.

“He’s in the building every day,” McDaniel said. “He’s doing well and his process is diligent. He’s been steadfast, fixture within the building and the team and he’ll keep progressing. I’ll give you an update when it’s a little clearer.”

The competition involves Liam Eichenberg, Robert Jones, Lester Cotton and perhaps newcomer Jack Driscoll, but it may be some time before we have clear answers as to what the final starting five will look like.

“I really don’t think about the competitions, I really don’t,” McDaniel said. “I’m observing with a laser focus on how players are responding to good or bad plays and really it’s almost like I have a spreadsheet in my mind of how many opportunities are in front of them with today – there’s like, 25 opportunities for each guard and in that, I’ll assess that and then with a clear mind, watch how people tell me the story. I’m not going to forecast anything and get ahead of myself and diminish the importance of their daily development.

“What I do like to see is from a team perspective, I see guys making plays at the guard position and then I see guys being in tough situations that they can learn from because our defense is challenging every day. So we as a team, it’s not just watching players do things successfully, especially at the O-line position. You’re going to have your share of stresses and you’re going to have your share of things that maybe negatively cost the entire team on a play or two. How do you respond? We don’t have time for a passive mind-set, so who knows? It’s not just coachspeak. I live it. I’m way far away from truly assessing who’s a leader in the clubhouse, but I will say that the competition is real.”

In the meantime, it would be nice for the offensive line to pick up its play.

Beyond the consistent pressure on the quarterbacks over the past few days, the snapping and exchange issues have been troubling.

Brewer and Tua Tagovailoa have had three muffed exchanges over the past two days. Armstead explained there’s an adjustment period involved with Brewer because his snapping point might be different than what Tua was used to with former starting center Connor Williams.

But the high shotgun snaps — Driscoll and rookie free agent Ireland Brown — each cleared their quarterback’s head at different times need to get fixed.

The good news is we’re still very early in training camp, so there’s plenty of time for progress.

But until that happens and there’s more clarity on the offensive line, the group will continue to be a source for concern.

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Miami, FL

It’s Indiana and Miami in a college-football title matchup that once seemed impossible

Published

8 hours ago

January 10, 2026

Press Room

It’s Indiana and Miami in a college-football title matchup that once seemed impossible

It looked improbable two months ago.

Two years ago — impossible.

But against the odds, Miami and Indiana have a date in the College Football Playoff final — a first-of-its-kind matchup on Jan. 19 in the second national title game of the expanded-playoff era.

The Hoosiers (15-0), the top-seeded favorite in the 12-team tournament, stomped Oregon 56-22 on Friday night to reach the final. The Hurricanes (13-2), seeded 10th and the last at-large team to make the field, beat Mississippi 31-27 the night before.

Indiana opened as a 7 1/2-point favorite, according to the BetMGM Sportsbook.

The game is set for Hard Rock Stadium in South Florida — the long-ago-chosen venue for a game that happens to be the home of the Hurricanes. Indiana quarterback Fernando Mendoza is a Miami native who grew up less than a mile from the campus in Coral Gables.

“It means a little bit more to me,” Mendoza said of the title game doubling as a homecoming.

Miami quarterback Carson Beck (11) holds the offensive player of the game trophy after winning the Fiesta Bowl NCAA college football playoff semifinal game against Mississippi, Thursday, Jan. 8, 2026, in Glendale, Ariz. Credit: AP/Ross D. Franklin

He’ll be going against the program known as “The U.” Miami won five titles between 1983 and 2001 and earned the reputation as college football’s brashest renegade.

A quarter century later, they are one side in a tale of two resurgences.

Miami’s was sparked by coach Mario Cristobal, a local boy and former ‘Cane himself who came back home four years ago to lead his alma mater to a place it hasn’t been in decades.

Among his biggest wins was luring quarterback Carson Beck to spend his final year of eligibility with the ‘Canes.

Miami head coach Mario Cristobal yells from the sideline during... — Miami head coach Mario Cristobal yells from the sideline during the second half of the Fiesta Bowl NCAA college football playoff semifinal game against Mississippi, Thursday, Jan. 8, 2026, in Glendale, Ariz. Credit: AP/Rick Scuteri

Beck, steadily rounding back to form after an elbow injury that ended his season at Georgia last year, is getting better every week. He has thrown for 15 TDs and two interceptions over a seven-game winning streak dating to Nov. 8.

“He’s hungry, he’s driven, he’s a great human being, and all he wants to do is to see his teammates have success,” Cristobal said after Beck threw for 268 yards and ran for the winning touchdown against Ole Miss.

It was the latest step in a long climb from No. 18 in the season’s first CFP rankings on Nov. 4 — barely within shouting distance of the bubble — after their second loss of the season.

The Hurricanes haven’t lost since.

Hoosiers rise from nowhere to the edge of a title

Indiana’s climb to the top is an even longer haul. This is the program that had a nation-leading 713 losses over 130-plus years heading into the 2024 season. Since then, only two.

The turnaround is thanks to coach Curt Cignetti, who arrived from James Madison and declared: “It’s pretty simple. I win. Google me,” while explaining his confident tone at a signing day news conference in December 2023 when he landed the core of the class that has taken Indiana from obscurity to the edge of a title.

But Indiana’s biggest catch came about a year ago from the transfer portal — the oxygen that drives the current game.

Mendoza, who went to the same high school as Cristobal in Miami, chose Indiana as the place to finish his career. So far, he has won the Heisman Trophy and is all but assured to be a top-five pick in the NFL draft.

“Can’t say enough about him,” Cignetti said.

One more win and he’ll bring a national title and an undefeated season to Indiana, an even 50 years after the Hoosiers’ 1975-76 basketball team, led by coach Bob Knight, did the same.

Lots of people could see that one coming. Hard to say the same about this.

CFP selection committee almost kept this game from happening

It might seem like ancient history, but Miami almost didn’t make the playoffs.

In its first ranking of the season, back in November, the CFP selection committee ranked the Hurricanes eight spots behind a Notre Dame team they beat to start the season.

The history of Miami’s slow crawl up the standings, then its leapfrogging past the Irish for the last spot, has been well-documented. If Miami’s trip to the final proved anything, it’s how off-base the committee was when it started the ’Canes at 18, even if they were coming off a loss at SMU, its second of the season.

Though these programs haven’t met since the 1960s, there is familiarity.

One of the best games of 2024 was Miami’s comeback from 25 points down to beat Cal. The quarterback for the Bears: Mendoza, who threw for 285 yards but got edged out by Cam Ward in a 39-38 loss.

With Ward headed for the NFL, the Hurricanes were a consideration for Mendoza as he sought a new spot to finish out his college career. But he picked Indiana, Beck moved to Miami, and now, they meet.

Miami cashes in big

The College Football Playoff will distribute $20 million to the Big Ten and Atlantic Coast Conferences for placing their teams in the finals — that’s $4 million for making it, $4 million for getting to the quarters, then $6 million each for the semis and finals.

While the Big Ten divvies up that money evenly between its 18 members, Miami keeps it all for itself — part of a “success initiatives program” the ACC started last season that allows schools to keep all the postseason money they make in football and basketball.

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Miami, FL

Tributes grow as police investigate Hollywood Beach killing

Published

20 hours ago

January 9, 2026

Press Room

Tributes grow as police investigate Hollywood Beach killing

January 9, 2026 / 9:20 PM EST
/ CBS Miami

New details are emerging in the death of a woman whose body was found on Hollywood Beach the day after Christmas.

Police say 56‑year‑old Heather Asendorf was discovered by a passerby. People who frequent the beach say she was a familiar sight at the bandshell near Margaritaville, where she danced most nights in brightly lit shoes.

Harrison, a frequent visitor who did not want to give his last name, said he saw her nearly every day.

“She was very friendly, polite. She loved to dance,” he said.

Suspect arrested four days later

Four days after she was found, Hollywood police arrested 28‑year‑old Brandon McCray and charged him with sexual battery, kidnapping, and battery by strangulation.

McCray was taken into custody at a Hollywood motel off Federal Highway. His permanent address is listed in Coconut Creek, where no one answered the door when approached for comment about his arrest.

Police are still working to determine how Asendorf’s path crossed with McCray’s.

Tributes pour in from friends

Tributes for Asendorf are pouring in, especially from the annual State College Townie Reunion community in central Pennsylvania, where she had deep roots.

Among the messages shared:

“A beautiful friend forever in our hearts.”
“Unforgettable. A sweet soul.”
“I still can’t wrap my mind around this one. She was so amazing.”
“One of our shining stars has left the stage.”

Investigation remains active

Hollywood police say their investigation is ongoing, and McCray could face additional charges as detectives continue to piece together what happened.

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Miami, FL

Ole Miss S Nick Cull’s targeting call reversed vs Miami in Peach Bowl

Published

2 days ago

January 8, 2026

Press Room

Ole Miss S Nick Cull’s targeting call reversed vs Miami in Peach Bowl

Mississippi football’s Nick Cull avoided an ejection during the College Football Playoff Fiesta Bowl semifinal on Thursday, Jan. 8.

As Malachi Toney reeled in a catch from Carson Beck at the Miami 49 in the first quarter, he was hit by Cull in a helmet-to-helmet collision. Right away, the officials flagged Cull for targeting, with both Toney and Cull staying down on the field with an injury.

After officials reviewed the play, the call on the field was overturned, as the officials determined that Cull did not launch and the collision seemed to be incidental. Replay assistant Matt Austin concurred with the call on the field.

The play had a major impact on the game as well. If the call had been upheld, Miami would have had the ball at the Ole Miss 34-yard line with a chance to expand its 3-0 lead. However, a few plays later, the Hurricanes were forced to punt from the 49-yard line.

On the first play of the second quarter, Ole Miss running back Kewan Lacey scored on a 73-yard run to give the Rebels a 7-3 lead.

Because he was not called for targeting, Cull was not ejected from the game, which means Ole Miss will have him for the remainder of the game, if he can clear the concussion protocol. He was in the tent following the play.

Cull has 15 total tackles and three pass deflections this season for the Rebels.

Meanwhile, Toney went to the medical tent briefly for the Hurricanes, but returned to the game.

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