When the Hurricanes were at their peak, winning five championships in less than 20 years, they carried a certain swagger. They delighted in their success, celebrating on the field — to the point where the NCAA instituted the “Miami Rule” to limit what it considered excessive celebration.
Slightly muted celebrations continued, of course, with the most prominent example being UM’s Turnover Chain, which debuted in 2018 before Mario Cristobal retired it before the 2022 season.
But this season, the Hurricanes have been boisterous. Miami players Gator Chomped opposing fans during their rout of Florida in the Swamp. Cristobal himself was caught on camera, breaking a Gator Chomp over his knee. During the No. 7 Hurricanes’ win over USF last weekend, they appeared to talk trash back to the home student section. The celebrations culminated in safety Meesh Powell doing an exuberant dance near the end zone after an interception.
“I’ve heard a lot about it,” Powell said. “I wouldn’t say it’s gone viral, but definitely a lot of people have sent it to me. My mom keeps asking me what the dance name is. She’s trying to create a name for it. It was just something a little fun. I don’t think next time I’ll be as outright with the dance moves. I don’t want to take anything away from the team. It was just us having fun after finding out I got my foot in (for the interception).”
As for Cristobal, who was part of the raucous Hurricanes teams in the late 1980s and early 1990s, he said he is OK with the celebrations as long as they don’t hurt the team.
“I don’t know if there’s a balance, just don’t get penalized,” Cristobal said. “Play really, really hard, make sure you play to a standard and know that there’s nothing post-snap that can help you unless you draw it from the other team. … You want a team that really enjoys playing a physical brand, a very passionate brand of football that plays with great energy that is relentless and plays for each other and gets better at not going overboard, regardless of whether you’re being antagonized or whatnot.”
Quarterback Cam Ward has also played a role in bringing the swagger back. His teammates mentioned throughout spring and fall practice that he likes to talk trash during practice. Ward, who is the favorite for the Heisman Trophy, has a signature celebration after scores that is already being emulated by other college players and high school players in South Florida (Miami commit Malachi Toney did Ward’s celebration after a touchdown earlier this month).
Against the Bulls, Ward mocked the fans’ “horns up” gesture after a touchdown, giving it a thumbs down. He appeared to goad a USF defender into hitting him late, drawing a 15-yard penalty. And Ward also appeared to point out which direction UM was going to run in before the Hurricanes punched in a touchdown.
“It was just fun,” Ward said. “I would probably say South Florida is probably like the first team who actually came out and was very physical with us. That’s the brand of football that we pride ourselves on. That’s the brand of football that we want to be. South Florida, being at home, they were out to win the game. They came out ready to hit. It’s football. At the end of the day, after the game, we dap it up, but in between those lines, it’s war.”
Of course, Miami has to keep its celebrations and taunting in bounds. The Hurricanes did get tagged for three personal fouls in their win over the Bulls, though none were for taunting.
“I think when it comes to playing football, you always have got to have composure,” linebacker Francisco Mauigoa said. “You’ve got to always keep composure. There’s time to have fun. You can have fun at the same time but can’t be overdoing it. As we’ve seen in a couple plays last week, we kind of got selfish there and got some penalties. So I think for us, it’s good to have fun but always have a limit to it. Just … put the team first, have awareness of what we’re doing.”
Vocal Miami fans on social media have reveled in the celebrations. As the Hurricanes climb the national rankings, many seem to enjoy watching the players show their emotions. Cristobal said he has felt the energy from fans increase this year, especially in road contests in other parts of the state.
“I think they’re excited. You can feel it. You could feel it when we were in Gainesville, the swarm of people that were out there,” Cristobal said. “We felt it this past week. We looked to our sideline, and that was all orange, and they stayed there for the entire time. They really enjoyed it. I think they’re witnessing a tremendous step for the program. One that we intend to continue ascending on.”
“I think they also get to see some really unique personalities and some special players that maybe haven’t existed in Miami football in the last several years, and they’re very personable, affable guys that love this community, that have done a lot of community service work, so their faces are very recognizable. There’s a lot of local players on this team that were Little League legends that are now becoming prominent players in our program.
“I think the bond of the University of Miami football team is, I think, revived, and once again becoming very real with the community. And that’s a reason why I wanted to come here as a player because when that thing reaches a certain level of strength and power, it’s unmatched. It’s a great thing for the community. It changes the demeanor of our city and our people.”
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