Miami's Diaz: 3rd-down offense was the difference in 31-point loss to Alabama

Miami dropped its season opener by a score of 44-13 to Alabama on Saturday in Atlanta.

After the game, head coach Manny Diaz shared his thoughts on the 31-point loss.

"Congratulations to Alabama, they played an outstanding game," Diaz said, according to The Athletics' Manny Navarro. "But the difference in the game was third-down offense. Their quarterback made some plays keeping plays alive outside the pocket that extended drives that kept our offense off the field."

The Crimson Tide finished the day converting 10-of-16 third downs; Miami's offense struggled to maintain drives, converting 6-of-14 third-down attempts.

Alabama's defense held the Canes in check for most of the game. Miami was limited to a field goal in the first half and scored just one touchdown. The Crimson Tide outpaced Miami with 501 total yards against 266.

Despite a lopsided loss to the No. 1-ranked team in the nation, Diaz feels that one game won't define the season.

"You don't get your story written after one game. We're just not there yet. The guys in the locker room, if anything, what happened today, will bring them closer together. We've got a stretch of games coming up at home. It's a big deal for us to get in front of our fans," he said, according to Navarro.