Hurricanes Late Rally Falls Short, FIU Stuns Miami 30-24

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Hurricanes come out flat against FIU and Butch Davis in return to where it all started.

The Miami Hurricanes squared off with FIU Saturday on Marlins Park, a bittersweet return to sacred ground.

Since playing their final game in the iconic Orange Bowl in 2007, the Hurricanes have struggled to return to glory.

They would again fall into old bad habits and start the game with much malaise.

Their return to the home of five National Championship teams started off with an early Jarren Williams interception, leading to an FIU field goal and an early 3-0 lead.

FIU’s defense was solid to start the contest and fed off an energetic crowd, Butch Davis had them ready.

Panthers quarterback James Morgan also came sharp with some RPO and behind an offensive line that held their ground.

Morgan got the ball out quickly and opened the game 7-of-9 passing, moving the FIU offense easily against man coverage.

The Hurricanes looked a step slow against the quick passing of FIU and the Panthers would capitalize again.

Morgan hit Shemar Thorton for a 29-yard touchdown and the “home” team jumped on top 10-0 with just under four minutes left in the first quarter.

Miami has come out flat in numerous games this season, particularly after a bye week.

 

They were outscored 17-3 in the first quarter against North Carolina and 21-0 against Virginia Tech, both games were after an extra week off.

FIU was feeling it on defense and chirping, but started to get a little too confident.

The Panthers would pick up two personal fouls on defense which gave the Hurricanes offense some momentum.

Miami would lean on DeeJay Dallas during their third offensive possession which carried into the second quarter.

That drive showed promise but once again the FIU defense was up to the challenge, stopping Miami on fourth down.

Once again the Hurricanes were searching for answers in a game in which they were heavily favored.

The run defense was an early bright spot and FIU penalties on offense slowed them down.

Until…

 

It was about as bad of a first half for the Hurricanes as it gets, the offense was sluggish and the defense was on their heels.

The Hurricanes ended the first half down 13-0 largely in part because FIU has a local legend at kicker.

 

FIU kicker Jose Borregales is a fan favorite and his younger brother Andres is a 2021 Hurricanes commit.

The Hurricanes could not convert on the money downs in the first half, going 0-for-5 on third and fourth downs.

Some FIU shenanigans on defense may have contributed slightly.

 

Things would get a whole lot worse for Miami before they would get any better as they lost Dallas to an arm injury early in the second half.

 

Jarren Williams would throw his second interception of the game on that drive, FIU would convert into another field goal and a 16-0 lead.

Finally the Hurricanes offense would find some traction, the injury to Dallas led to Robert Burns getting some, well…burn.

He gashed FIU for 31 yards on just four carries and Miami would finally get on the board near the end of the third quarter with a 22-yard Camden Price field goal.

 

Morgan would continue to outplay Williams for most of the game, FIU again moved the ball easily into Miami territory on their first fourth quarter drive.

Then FIU would capitalize on one of the most egregious coverage lapses you will see on any level. Morgan would hit Tony Gaiter for a 13-yard touchdown, without a Miami defender within the 305 area code.

The Hurricanes would finally punch back with a nine play, 69-yard touchdown drive capped off by a 14-yard score by Cam Harris to make it 23-10 halfway through the fourth quarter.

FIU was flopping on defense enough to make soccer players look credible, much to the disdain of Williams and his teammates.

A real story of the game was a lack of a pass rush from Miami, Morgan got rid of the ball in a hurry all night.

Morgan would finish going 16-for-30 for 160 yards and two touchdowns, an efficient and effective performance.

Meanwhile Williams stat line was…not so great.

William completed 19-of-36 passes for 249 yards, two touchdowns and three interceptions.

Those numbers were padded nicely in garbage time.

The Panthers’ offensive line is a team strength and neutralized Gregory Rousseau and the rest of the defensive line for the most part.

FIU started using the clock as the fourth quarter eroded and the outcome became inevitable.

Williams would manage to spark a late drive with some nice passes to Will Mallory and Jeff Thomas before hitting a wide open Mark Pope to make things interesting.

Pope caught a 35-yard dime from Williams and the score stood at 23-16 with 3:10 left to go.

Mallory doubled his season reception total with four catches for 71 yards, and along with Harris and Burns were among few bright spots on offense.

When Dan Enos is trending on Twitter it is usually a bad thing for the Hurricanes.

Those good feelings for the Hurricanes’ faithful lasted all of 53 seconds as FIU tailback Anthony Jones would get those points right back with a 37-yard dagger.

 

Being down and out seem to wake up Williams and the offense as they again marched down the field for another touchdown in less than two minutes.

It would not be enough as FIU would recover the onside kick to seal it, with Butch Davis receiving a well deserved Gatorade bath.

FIU played a sloppy game in terms of penalties with 14 for 144 yards. However they did not turn the ball over once.

Yet they played with heart and exceeded the energy on the opposing team for the majority of the game.

The Hurricanes once again thought they could just show up and win.

One team from the 305 did, just not the one most expected.

Photo courtesy of Tony Capobianco.

FIU finally beats Miami, wins the city

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The Florida International Panthers beating the Miami Hurricanes 30-24 may go down as the biggest upset in Miami sports history.

It was fitting that the game took place at the site of the Orange Bowl and FIU was led by the same head coach that built arguably the great college football team in history in Miami before leaving for the NFL in 2001.

“We did everything we can, when everybody says you can’t,” FIU coach Butch Davis said. “To be [three]-touchdown underdogs … if you believe that you can, then you can.”

This was like the greasers beating the socials for the soul of the city. The private school with the proud legacy fell to the public upstart with none. One school has five national championships and plays in a NFL stadium. The other school’s stadium has a seating capacity of 20,000 and can barely fill it.

FIU has four times the amount of students as UM, which is usually the case when it comes to comparing public and private schools. The college football system puts down half of the conferences and makes those teams disqualified from competing for the national championship. FIU fans have no hope of their team making it to the playoffs. UM fans expect it every season.

Like their students, the players grew up wanting to put on the orange and green before calling FIU their home. Yet despite the Hurricanes being the school that invented swagger, it was the Panthers who brought it to the field.

“That used to be our dream school,” said FIU kicker Jorge Borregales, who converted 3-of-3 field goals — two of them from 50 yards or more. “Everybody knew Miami. Beating them today, it’s like, yeah, we’re here.”

“We wasn’t even calling them the University of Miami during the week,” FIU linebacker Sage Lewis said. “We were calling them the University of Coral Gables. We’re the true Miami school. We have more students internationally. We did it for the university and really for the world.”

FIU set the tone of the game through defense. An interception by Stantley Thomas-Oliver III set up a field goal by Borregales giving the Panthers a 3-0 lead.

Morgan threw nine passes once he got the ball back, moving the chains the capping it off with a 29-yard touchdown pass to Shemar Thornton to go up 10-0.

The Hurricane’s next two drives ended on turnover on downs and the Panthers closed out the first half with a 50 yard field goal. The Panthers then started the second half with Davis intercepting Hurricanes quarterback Jarren Williams. Jamal Gates also got into the action with a pick of his own in the third quarter.

A field goal by Camden Price finally got the Hurricanes on the board with a 16-3 deficit going into the fourth quarter.

A touchdown pass from Morgan to Tony Gaiter IV extended the Panthers lead to 23-3 early in the fourth quarter. Gaiter celebrated his score with a member of the FIU Army ROTC.

The Hurricanes offense finally got clicking with three touchdowns in the game’s final 11 minutes. a 14-yard touchdown run by Cam’Ron Harris and 35-yard touchdown pass from Williams to Mark Pope put Miami within six points.

A touchdown run by FIU running back Anthony Jones put FIU out of reach with a 30-17 lead with 2:17 left in the game. The Hurricanes responded with a touchdown pass from Williams to Dee Wiggins but the onside kick attempt failed and the Panthers went into victory formation.

Manny Diaz is in his first year as head coach after three years as the defensive coordinator called the loss to FIU, “One of the darkest nights in this program’s history.” His Hurricanes are 0-3 after coming out of a bye week.

“We’ve got to do a lot better job getting our guys prepared for this kind of game,” Diaz said.

Diaz has heard the criticism from the fan base after starting the season 0-2 and not winning games in blowout fashion agains opponents that they don’t find to be in their level. Three straight wins quieted the fury and even had them thinking Orange Bowl but now it’s back and worse than ever.

“The noise is deserved,” Diaz said. “We need to get this fixed.”

Miami was never meant to have a rivalry with the likes of FIU and even Florida Atlantic. The first time UM and FIU played resulted in an infamous brawl that severed ties for a decade. The Hurricanes closed out the Orange Bowl in embarrassing fashion, losing 48–0 to Virginia in 2008. The old but iconic stadium was demolished to make way for Marlins Park but the Canes’ first game back on the sacred soil might have come with a much more sour taste.

As for FIU, this win might lead to more of its student fans feelIng confident in their football team and lend more support. Under Butch Davis, the Panthers are going to their third straight bowl game for the first time in program history. This may not be the only time the Panthers will be capable of beating the Hurricanes and that’s what must have Hurricane fans worried, especially the ones who didn’t go to FIU.

“I think it’s a rivalry after tonight,” Jones said.

Miami plucks another recruit out of Alabama as Worsham picks the Canes

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Wide receivers coach Taylor Stubblefield worked his magic on the recruiting trail and it paid off again as Miami received the verbal commitment of four-star receiver Dazalin Worsham. Worsham attends Hewitt-Trussville High in Alabama and is actually a former Alabama commitment. He posted a video on Twitter on Friday afternoon announcing his intentions.

“Really just like the whole vibe,” Worsham told 247Sports. “The coaches are energetic…I really like the offense and rtes routes and how it can prepare you for an NFL offense.”

This is also marks the second straight year in which the Canes have pulled a high-level recruit out of Crimson Tide territory as they were also able to add safety Christian Williams in 2018.

Stubblefield’s recruitment of Worsham began in the beginning of the summer when he de-committed from the Crimson Tide. Miami was able to get him down to campus for an official visit during Paradise Camp in June and while many thought a commitment to the Hurricanes was imminent, Worsham took his time and even flirted with the Crimson Tide for a bit, before deciding that Coral Gables was the place for him on Friday. 

Worsham had an incredible junior season with 87 catches for 1,022 yards and 13 touchdowns when he had the luxury of having Paul Tyson as his QB, who is currently a freshman at Alabama. 

This season, Hewitt-Trussville is rotating QBs and as a result, his numbers are slightly down at 54 catches for 427 yards through 10 games but it is worth noting that he will graduate as the school’s all-time leader in catches.

The Under Armour All-American becomes the 3rd receiver acommitted to Miami in the Class of 2020, joining IMG Academy’s Michael Redding (whom Stubblefield as also played a big role in recruiting) and Deerfield Beach’s Xavier Restrepo and it moves the Canes up one spot as they have currently hold the 16th best recruiting class in the country. 

It is highly possible that coach Manny Diaz may opt to add one more receiver, as it is unclear whether they will continue to recruit ex-commit Marcus Fleming out of Miami Northwestern. One name to keep an eye out for is Douglas Emilien, who is a late bloomer out of American Heritage in Plantation and will take an official visit to Coral Gables on the weekend before the Early Signing Period. 

Potential Miami vs Alabama Orange Bowl Offers Intrigue

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This Saturday the Miami Hurricanes face FIU on the former site of the Orange Bowl, Marlins Park.

The Hurricanes, believe it or not, have an actual path to the Orange Bowl game itself as well.

Basically the formula is to take the highest ranked ACC team that does not make the College Football Playoff.

Problem is, besides No. 3 Clemson, no other ACC team is ranked.

 

If Miami runs the table and finishes 8-4, and Clemson makes the playoffs, it would be up to the Orange Bowl committee to pick an ACC representative.

The Hurricanes have FIU and Duke to close out the regular season, both project to be wins for Miami.

Many storylines would capture local interest – can the Hurricanes beat the Crimson Tide without star quarterback Tua Tagovailoa?

Will Dan Enos (former Alabama QB coach) now on the Miami sidelines, have something extra for his old boss Nick Saban?

(Dolphins fans may want a little revenge on Saban as well).

These two storied programs have not met since the 1993 Sugar Bowl, when No. 2 Alabama beat top ranked Miami 34-13.

They are also scheduled to open their 2021 campaigns in the Chick-fil-A kickoff game.

Miami lost three out of their first five games, to be in this discussion is quite the feat.

The Hurricanes have won three straight ACC games by a 95-49 margin, they are peaking at the right time.

With two winnable games ahead, the Hurricanes could close out this year on a five game winning streak.

A hometown bowl game against a high profile opponent will get the attention of recruits.

Forget the Coastal Hurricanes fans, that ship has sailed.

However an Orange Bowl berth is a nice consolation prize to say the least.

Make sure to subscribe to the 5 Rings Canes Podcast for exclusive Hurricanes coverage.

Follow us on Twitter for more Miami Hurricanes @5ReasonsSports.

Photo courtesy of Tony Capobianco.

Mark Walton

Dolphins waive Mark Walton in light of latest police incident

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The Miami Dolphins are spending the 2019 season giving players a chance at redemption. Robert Nkemdiche, a former first round pick, couldn’t show enough to warrant Miami keeping him on the roster. Running back Mark Walton, on the other hand, seemed to be taking everything in stride. He even became the starter over Kalen Ballage.

But then he got suspended for violating the league’s substance abuse policy. Then on Tuesday, things took a dramatic turn, as Walton found himself in the middle of yet another incident. Mark Walton is charged with aggravated battery of a pregnant woman.

This woman is pregnant with Walton’s child, and she told police that she told Walton of her pregnancy on Sunday.

According to Tom Schad of USA Today Sports, one of Walton’s attorneys stated that the now ex-Dolphins running back cooperated fully with the police. But that doesn’t change what happened, and naturally, Miami released him immediately after hearing of the incident. General manager Chris Grier offered a statement to the public, and nothing more has come from the Dolphins since then.

It’s always sad when a promising young athlete throws their career away due to a lack of self control. Mark Walton’s actions are inexcusable, and it’s no surprise the Dolphins cut ties immediately. Coach Flores wants to create a team-first culture of accountability. Decisions like the one Walton made have no place in Miami, or anywhere else.

Credit the Dolphins for giving Walton a chance to redeem himself. Second chances are needed in this world. However, once the chance has been given, it must be taken.

Luis Sung has covered the Miami Dolphins for numerous outlets such as Dolphins Wire for six years. Follow him on Twitter: @LuisDSung

Miami Dolphins: Devante Parker turned back the clock Sunday

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Devante Parker put on a show for the Miami Dolphins Sunday.

The Miami Dolphins lost on Sunday to the Buffalo Bills by a 37-20 score. Nevertheless, there were several good individual performances. Miami seemed to get things going a bit offensively. However, they could just not get the job done.

In spite of the loss, Devante Parker turned back the clock on Sunday. He finished the game with seven catches for 135 yards. Averaging 19.3 yards per reception, a 50-yard snag was his longest of the afternoon. In addition, five of his receptions equaled a first down. That’s production at its finest. His performance on Sunday was a microcosm of what has been a successful season.

On the year, he has caught 40 passes for 604 yards and four touchdowns. He needs only 66 more yards to record his highest total since the 2017 season. That year, he had 670 yards. He is obviously not going to catch his career mark of 744 yards this season. However, it is a goal he can shoot for next year.

Sunday, he recorded his first 100-yard receiving game since last October against the Houston Texans. It was great to see him show what he is truly capable of. People forget how impactful he was at Louisville. However, he was one of the most dangerous receivers in college football.

Parker had a tremendously successful career at Louisville. He recorded 10 100-yard receiving games during his time there. His best season came in 2013. He played in 12 games, and caught 55 passes for 885 yards and 12 touchdowns. He had three 100-yard receiving games that year. Two of those came back-to-back against Cincinnati and Miami. In those games, he recorded 104 yards and 142 yards respectively.

While at Louisville, Parker was named to the all AAC First-Team in 2013 and the All-ACC Second-Team in 2014. There was no doubting that Parker had a ton of talent. The Miami Dolphins were definitely wise to draft him with the 14th overall pick in 2015.

Parker turns back the clock on Sunday for Miami Dolphins

Before Sunday’s game, Parker had only recorded four 100-yard receiving games. Sunday, he did it with relative ease. He sliced and diced the Buffalo Bills secondary. With high expectations placed on Parker throughout his tenure with the Dolphins, it was nice to see him deliver. Hopefully, he can continue to do so. He turned back the clock on Sunday and it was great to see.

With the Miami Dolphins heading into the last stretch of the season, I hope Parker can put up more big-time numbers. He is definitely a key piece of the Miami offense. Hopefully, he can continue this success and use it as the building block for next year. In a season that is all about building blocks, Parker has found himself ahead of the game.

Jalen Hurts Dwyane Wade

Miami Heat legend Dwyane Wade gives Oklahoma QB Jalen Hurts ringing endorsement

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In light of the recent devastating injury suffered by Alabama QB Tua Tagovailoa, Dolphins fans have been forced to look elsewhere for a potential franchise quarterback. While there’s still a chance Tagovailoa will make a full recovery, it is now riskier than ever for Miami to put all their eggs in one basket. Tagovailoa may return to form, or he may never play football again. Even if he does, there’s also a chance he will never be the same player he once was. Does that mean the Dolphins shouldn’t draft him? Not necessarily. Miami has several draft picks to spare, and Tagovailoa will likely be available when the Dolphins pick now that his health is a huge question mark. Where’s the harm in drafting two quarterbacks?

However, there is another possibility. After suffering such a major injury, Tagovailoa could decide that his best option is to return to Alabama for one more year. By doing so, he can rebuild his draft stock and prove to potential suitors that he still has what it takes. But that leaves Miami without a clear cut QB selection in the 2020 draft. Who do they turn to now? Oregon’s Justin Herbert? Georgia’s Jake Fromm? Utah State’s Jordan Love?

The 2020 draft class is filled with talented quarterbacks besides Tagovailoa, and a good coaching staff has a very good chance of developing one of them into a franchise quarterback. But there’s one quarterback who has captured the attention of another legendary athlete in Miami’s history. Former Miami Heat superstar Dwyane Wade took to Twitter early Sunday morning to express his support for Oklahoma QB Jalen Hurts.

There’s a certain irony to this. Back during Hurts’ junior year, he was replaced as the starter at Alabama by none other than Tua Tagovailoa. Hurts did well as his backup and the two became good friends. Hurts recently offered his thoughts on Tagovailoa’s injury.

“It hurt me to hear it. He’s a great friend of mine,” Hurts said. “I pray for him and his family. I hope everything works out for the best for him.”

That said, Hurts did want to have an opportunity to play for himself. So, for his senior year, Hurts announced he was transferring to the University of Oklahoma. Since then, Hurts has become a favorite to win the Heisman Trophy, and he leads the nation in passer efficiency rating. In second place, is Tagovailoa. Hurts is breaking Baker Mayfield’s records and he’s showing amazing talent as both a runner and a passer.

However, he’s also making mistakes. His recent incredible comeback against Baylor was partly necessary because of errors he himself made. But the fact he made that spectacular comeback, bringing the Sooners back from a 28-3 deficit to win, proves his talent is there, waiting for someone to develop and utilize.

But what makes Wade, a basketball player, an authority on potential NFL quarterbacks? Frankly, not much. But there is one universal trait among all competitive sports. The untraceable concept of “it.”

Wade has “it.”

There’s a saying that game recognizes game. True, Wade likely knows next to nothing about what it takes to be an NFL quarterback. However, there’s a strong chance he can recognize that all so important “it” factor that defines Wade’s entire career in Jalen Hurts.

The kind of quarterback the Dolphins need to start their path back to greatness must possess that intangible. For Wade to endorse Jalen Hurts so emphatically means he must recognize something that makes Hurts special. True, he may not be Tagovailoa, but even Tagovailoa himself may not be that player anymore. So the next best thing may very well be Hurts. If nothing else, it should prompt Miami’s scouting department to take a very close look at him.

Luis Sung has covered the Miami Dolphins for numerous outlets such as Dolphins Wire for six years. Follow him on Twitter: @LuisDSung

Nik Needham

Nik Needham coming on strong at CB for Dolphins

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Think back to training camp and the preseason. Of all the players that put themselves on display, one of the worst by far was cornerback Nik Needham. Regularly beaten in coverage, missing tackles, it seemed he could no right. Within two weeks, fans were tired of hearing his name. Usually, unless someone is making a big play, the less you a corner’s name, the better. Needham’s name was said a lot.

So, how in the world did an undrafted free agent who didn’t even make the final 53 man roster suddenly become one of Miami’s top defenders?

It starts with understanding the game on a deeper level.

“I think just the understanding of the game, as well as the understanding of the business side of things.” Needham said after Miami’s second loss to Buffalo, in which he spent most of the game shadowing wide receiver John Brown. “It’s not just a fun and games thing anymore … I think I’ve matured a lot, I’ve taken a lot of the information that the other guys and the coaches have gave me and just applied that.”

Once more, we come back to the emphasis that head coach Brian Flores put on developing players in 2019. True, Sunday’s game against Buffalo ended in a loss, but it wasn’t for a lack of trying. Miami’s two wins against the Jets and the Colts came as a result of continued improvement from young players, Needham included. That serves as a testament to Flores and his staff. Taking a band of misfits and making them competitive from week to week.

However, there are still growing pains that comes with this approach. Needham did much better than expected, but he wasn’t perfect. He did allow Brown to break free on a couple of plays, one of which turned into a touchdown.

“Yeah it was Cover 2, but that was my fault. I’ve got to sink a little more. I’ve got to carry John Brown right there and be underneath him a little more and drift inside a little bit, so that was on me for sure.” Needham said. “It’s just a learning process but you’ve got to grow up quick because you don’t want to just be out there messing up all the time and then say ‘Oh, that’s a rookie.’ To me personally, that doesn’t feel good. People saying, ‘It’s alright.’ No, it’s not alright. If I’m out here, I need to be out here performing at my best and at a high level.”

Again, no one expected Nik Needham to be as good as he is right now. They expected his career in the league to be over after the pitiful performance he displayed in preseason. But players who want to succeed find ways to learn from everything, even his opponents. New York Jets WR Demaryius Thomas offered some valuable insight not too long ago, telling the rookie out of UTEP that he could recognize what Needham was going to do on any given play.

That message, along with many others, resonates with Needham. That’s the difference between players who have potential, and players who develop into solid contributors. To some extent, all players have potential, it’s what they do with it that matters. Needham is taking everything in stride, including the recent onslaught of praise he’s receiving. That’s exactly what coach Flores wants from all his players. That’s how he envisions players continue to grow and not stagnate.

“You forget about everything you’d done. You forget about the last couple games or you forget about any success you had.” Flores said on Thursday. “I know he’s getting – I don’t know much about social media, but people are saying he’s this or that or (any of that). Your friends, your family, they’re going to congratulate you. That’s great. But if you start listening to all that too much and – I don’t know. Maybe it’s one minute less on one more text and (it’s) one minute less on film. You’ve got to try to put that away and focus on the task at hand.”

Flores didn’t talk much more about it that day, since he felt the need to call out a member of the media for laughing at his statement. Nevertheless, the message was received, and it seems to be working.

Nik Needham is developing faster than anyone could have anticipated. He’s already deflected six passes in six games for Miami, and come away with an interception against the Colts, and nearly another one against Buffalo. Does this mean he can be the clear-cut number two cornerback alongside Xavien Howard next season? That will require much more time to decide. If nothing else, Nik Needham is proving he can be an excellent backup in a young secondary, and he should be considered a success for this new regime. At this point, there’s no telling what his ceiling could be.

Luis Sung has covered the Miami Dolphins for numerous outlets such as Dolphins Wire for six years. Follow him on Twitter: @LuisDSung

Photos: Dolphins lose to Bills 37-20

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Dolphins back to losing ways, fall to Bills

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The fear was real.

After Dolphins wins against the Jets and Colts, and a near-disastrous near-victory against the Redskins, there was concern among many fans that Brian Flores’ team was improving too fast — and might further fall in the draft order. This remained a concern even with the traumatic injury suffered by the Dolphins’ perceived top target, Tua Taglavailoa of Alabama. After all, Miami needs everything, and needs as much draft capital as possible to get it.

Well, no more worries.

The Dolphins remain rather limited.

So their draft options should remain rather expansive.

This was proven Sunday during a 37-20 loss to the Buffalo Bills, marking the second time this season the Dolphins have yielded at least 30 points to one of the league’s worst offenses. This wasn’t altogether unexpected, with recent top defensive performers Raekwon McMillan and Taco Charlton out, joining Xavien Howard, Reshad Jones and others on the inactive list. And offensively? Well, with Kenyan Drake traded, Mark Walton suspended and Preston Williams out for the season, the skill spots have been thinned considerably, so much so that Kallen Ballage and his svelte yards-per-carry average (it looks like a failing GPA) was being relied upon as a primary playmaker.

Miami had moments, notably Jakeem Grant’s 101-yard blazing kickoff return (followed by another for 50 yards) Jason Sanders’ adroitly executed onside kick and Ryan Fitzpatrick’s 45-yard completion to DeVante Parker, but overall, the Bills (7-3) are playing for this season, and the Dolphins are playing because the schedule says they have to. Most Dolphins fans couldn’t identify more than three or four players on the current defense. The Bills’ John Brown, from Homestead High School in South Florida, took advantage, with 9 catches for 137 yards.

And any unlikely comeback by the Dolphins ended when Fitzpatrick was stuffed on 4th-and-1 deep in Buffalo territory.

Next week — at Cleveland, where previous tank efforts haven’t turned out so well so far.

Here are the Dolphins’ major highlights from the loss:

Photos by Tony Capobianco.