[ot-caption title=”The Canes are close to returning to national prominence, but they have yet to make a statement with a win against rival Florida State. (Via Doug Benc, Getty Images)”][spacer height=”10px” id=”2″]

Much of South Florida was extremely excited to see their hometown college football team, the Miami Hurricanes, make some noise early this season in the Atlantic Coast Conference under new head coach Mark Richt. After struggling mightily for years under Randy Shannon and Al Golden, many Canes fans thought that Richt could be the man to take the Canes back to the promised land.[spacer height=”10px” id=”2″]

The Richt era began with a magnificent 4-0 start, including a dominant win over a familiar foe in Georgia Tech. The Canes steadily climbed their way up the national rankings, eventually finding themselves ranked ninth in the country after their four-game run. This set up a massive showdown on October 8th with the Canes’ biggest rival, the Florida State Seminoles, that would show if the U was truly back.[spacer height=”10px” id=”2″]

It was clear from the first snap that the Canes were not simply going to roll over versus the Noles like they had in recent years. It was an intense battle all night long, but the Canes lost when they missed the extra point.[spacer height=”10px” id=”2″]

Miami quarterback Brad Kaaya had just thrown a touchdown pass with under two minutes left in the game that cut the Canes’ deficit to 20-19. All they had to do was make the extra point to likely send the game into overtime. There’s no way that Miami kicker Michael Badgley, who had made 72 extra points in a row, would miss, right? That’s what Canes fans thought, but Florida State’s Demarcus Walker came flying in to block the attempt and seal the victory for the Noles. This would be the turning point in the Canes’ season. [spacer height=”10px” id=”2″]

After the demoralizing loss to Florida State, Miami’s season started to go downhill. The loss to Florida State was followed by three more consecutive losses to North Carolina, Virginia Tech, and Notre Dame. Quarterback Brad Kaaya struggled to live up to his preseason hype, and the Canes’ offense looked nothing like the high-powered attack that fans saw earlier in the year.[spacer height=”10px” id=”2″]

After going over a month without a win, Miami fans had to resort to a familiar saying. “There’s always next year.” [spacer height=”10px” id=”2″]

This past weekend, though, something happened that offers Canes fans some hope as they look towards the future. A formidable opponent in the form of the 5-3 Pittsburgh Panthers came to South Florida looking to extend the Canes’ losing streak. However, a totally different Miami team showed up, dominating for nearly the entire game and handing the Panthers a 51-28 loss.[spacer height=”10px” id=”2″]

This was the type of performance that Miami fans had been waiting for. True freshman receiver Ahmmon Richards proved that he can be a star, torching the Panthers’ secondary for 144 receiving yards on eight catches. The Canes are a long way from where they once were as a program, but this win was certainly another step in the right direction under Coach Richt.[spacer height=”10px” id=”2″]

Overall, there’s no reason to be upset with the job Richt has done in his first season at Miami. The four consecutive losses were obviously very disappointing, but everyone knows that there has to be a bit of a rebuild in Coral Gables. Fans should give Richt at least a couple more seasons to prove that he is the right man for the job before getting upset.[spacer height=”10px” id=”2″]

Hopefully last weekend’s game was the start of the Canes’ ascent back to national prominence. [spacer height=”10px” id=”2″]

All stats courtesy of ESPN.