I always felt that the most passionate sports team in South Florida is the University of Miami and I think that was proven this year.
 
South Florida is a very passionate place to live whether in Dade, Broward, or Palm Beach County. There are a lot of things going on. There is a lot of diversity and people are very passionate.
 
The University of Miami is a reflection of South Florida. There’s pizazz about the University of Miami and there’s also an element of hard work and diversity as well. So I think there’s a connection between UM and the community.
 
In all the years and all the games I have covered, I have never seen anything like that three-week span that we had when we played Virginia Tech, Notre Dame, and Virginia. It was the most impressive three weeks, including all of the years at the Orange Bowl.
 
It was three straight weeks of high-level football, of tremendous support, and it was just so refreshing to see the community have Hurricane Fever again. You can see what it’s going to be in the future because this is not going to be a one-hit-wonder. In those three weeks, the bond between the team and the community was just tremendous.
 
It’s been a magical season with some magical plays.
 
There’s no shame in being 10-2. Going to the Orange Bowl is good for UM and great for the community. I think it’s going to be a fabulous night against a very worthy opponent with an opportunity to have a Top 10 finish.
 
Everybody said the goal was to win the coastal, okay, check. Everybody said the goal was to be in the championship game, okay, check. But what made it so special was that we had such a great season and we were playing for the playoff.
 
It was an Elite Eight type of game. A team can be in the ACC Championship game and be 8-4, 5-3 in the conference; then win and be the champion playing in the Orange Bowl, but you’re not in the playoff.
 
We were playing in an Elite Eight type of game and that’s what made our season stand apart.
 
On that Championship Saturday, of the top eight teams, seven were in play and Miami was one of them. I think that’s something to be really proud of. I think it’s a great achievement and it bodes well for the future.
 
I thought it was also impressive to see the way our fans showed up in Charlotte. It was so great to see our fans come out in record numbers on one of the biggest stages in the country.
 
If you look at the team, for the most part it’s filled with freshman and sophomores. We had a run of bad luck losing Ahmmon Richards, Chris Herndon, and Mark Walton. To lose your three best offensive players and still be in the position that we were in is tremendous.
 
You have a coaching staff that is unified and you can’t have a unified team without a unified coaching staff. I think that’s a real positive going forward. We have a great top five recruiting class being announced in December to go along with the Orange Bowl game.
 
If Miami wins the game, they’ll have all kinds of momentum going into next year. And oh by the way, they start the next season with LSU.
 
When you’re good, this is what happens. You play good teams like a Clemson, a Wisconsin, and start the season with high-profile games.
 
Our goal was to be relevant and the University of Miami is relevant again. There is Hurricane Fever all through Dade, Broward and Palm Beach County.