The Miami Hurricanes fell to 0-2 on the season Saturday, dropping a heartbreaker at Chapel Hill, 28-25. After a long day of travel and a rewatch of the game, here were my takeaways.
**The honeymoon is over for Manny Diaz. The new Miami head coach built up a lot of goodwill over the offseason, saying all the right things in press conferences, showing his proficiency on social media, and making a few impressive personnel moves. That was all well and good, but winning off the field will only last so long with this fanbase if you aren’t producing tangible results on the scoreboard. Back-to-back losses to a hated rival and to a team that finished 2-9 last season is not the start Diaz wanted or needed to begin his tenure in charge at UM. Miami’s first 0-2 start since 1978 leaves this team with more questions than answers and leaves Diaz with a host of mistakes to clean up. How well he can do that will define his legacy at UM.
**Miami is not a complete football team right now. For whatever reason, UM can’t get its units all on the same page at once. If they ever do, it could produce some beautiful football, but last week, it was the defense setting up the offense for the win on a silver platter multiple times and the offense couldn’t pull through. This week, the Canes produced a late 4th quarter TD only to be let down by the defense when it counted most. And in both games, the UM special teams failed in big moments. The best Miami teams featured units that would feed off each other and that synergy seemed to raise everyone’s level of play. Far too often in the past decade and a half, that hasn’t been the case, and it’s been more of the same in Diaz’s first 2 games.
**One positive indicator coming from the offense is their ability to dominate possession. The Canes were consistently one of the worst teams in the country in time of possession (TOP) under Mark Richt, bottoming out at 87th in the nation at 29:04 last season. It’s only been 2 games, but UM was ball-dominant again against the Tar Heels, holding the rock for over 35 minutes of play to only 24 minutes for UNC. Miami is now 7th in the country in TOP at 35:48 to 24:12 for their opponents. When TOP is trending in the right direction for a team, they can dictate the style of play to their opponents and it gives the defense a chance to rest off the field. Short 3-and-out drives were the death of the offense (and defense) last season, but Dan Enos’ unit has shown the ability to stay on the field and string together first downs so far (27 against UNC). That’s a good first step, but actually converting that productivity into points when deep in opponent territory is the next hurdle this young offense will need to overcome.
**That leads into the main issue the offense has been facing: lack of productivity in the red zone. It’s a simple fact anybody can see, but when the field is condensed, the Canes have problems making headway and actually getting points. On 6 redzone trips against UNC, Miami settled for 2 FG’s (missed one) and was stuffed on a 4th and 1. The redzone issues were really extended to around the 30 yard line, as UM's offense didn't have many issues until they got around that area of the field. They settled for 4 FG's in total, and the Canes’ final drive was also humming along until they got near UNC’s red zone, before they completely stalled and looked like a different offense. UM is now 107th in the country in red zone offense, putting points on the board just 67% of the time they get inside the opponent’s 20. Just like last week, UM outgained their opponent, this time by nearly 100 yards (488 to 389 vs. UNC). How many times will Miami’s attack unit play a better game than their opponent only to lose in the end? At the end of the day, great teams finish drives, and for all the yardage, that's not Miami right now.
**Why did the running backs only get 24 carries? In a game within 7 points where UM was absolutely gashing UNC when they went to the ground, I thought Miami’s running backs suffered from a lack of usage. DeeJay Dallas and Cam Harris combined for 167 yards on 24 carries (6.96 ypc), and the longest gain went only for 37 yards, as the duo were consistently getting to the second and third level of the UNC defense. In contrast, Jarren Williams had 49 dropbacks. I pointed this out last week as well, but I thought Dan Enos got pass-happy far too often and got away from a running game that was churning out the yards. More balance to the offense is something I’m going to be looking for in future games and would help make things easier on a young QB and OL.
**The Canes may have a QB. Jarren Williams had another very good game, hitting 77% (30-39) of his passes and going for 300 yards and 2 TD’s. Each of his touchdowns were impressive as well, putting the ball where only his receiver could get it. Williams especially feasted in the intermediate game, and it’s been awhile since you could trust a UM quarterback to deliver a consistently accurate ball across the middle of the field. Most importantly: still no turnovers from this young man in 2 games with over 90 dropbacks at this point. That's impressive for anybody, but especially a freshman.
**I thought the offensive line played much, much better against UNC, especially at the tackle position. Where last week you saw UM consistently losing 1-on-1 battles off the snap, both Zion Nelson and DJ Scaife held their own and didn’t allow a sack to my eye. Of the 4 sacks allowed: In the first quarter, Navaughn Donaldson was too slow getting to the edge on a pull, leaving a defender with an instant free shot on Williams. The second sack was essentially a coverage sack in which Williams eventually tried to scramble and was dropped for a short loss. There seemed to be a big miscommunication on what the play call was on the first play of the fourth quarter, when UNC only rushed four, yet the line left two men completely unblocked for an easy sack. On the very next play, Jakai Clark was beat 1-on-1 to force the sack. Most of that seems pretty correctable and I saw enough to be encouraged that this young line can keep improving in the area of pass blocking. Not to mention the Canes were dominant in the traditional run game and were gashing UNC for chunk runs consistently throughout the night thanks in part to getting a solid push up front.
**In what has typically been a strength for Miami under Manny Diaz’s defenses, the secondary showed some serious holes on Saturday. Multiple secondary busts led to consistent big plays for the Tar Heels and Trajan Bandy may have had his worst game as a Hurricane. He bit hard on a double move in single coverage and was absolutely toasted on UNC’s first touchdown by Dyami Brown; Bandy was also picked on during UNC’s game-winning drive late in the fourth, allowing his man too much space on the fourth and 17 conversion in zone coverage and then getting beat 1-on-1 by Beau Corrales on the next play for a first down. On the very first drive, Gurvan Hall was late getting over on a 39-yard catch by Antoine Green down the sidelines after Green got a step on DJ Ivey. Romeo Finley fell down in coverage in the third quarter, allowing Dazz Newsome to get free for a 36-yard catch. The secondary was a sieve against a true freshman QB in a game where UM held their opponent under 100 yards rushing.
**Gregory Rousseau is already a bad, bad man. The redshirt freshman followed up a standout performance against UF with another sack and TFL against UNC. Rousseau now leads the team in TFL (3.5) and sacks (2), as his length and speed have proven hard to handle for opposing O-Linemen. Scott Patchan’s role on this team is safe as Miami’s best run defender at DE, but Rousseau has been UM’s most productive DE overall so far in a season where Jonathan Garvin has been kept mostly a non-factor. I love that UM has been using him on the interior at times in the “NASCAR” package, but even including that, Rousseau deserves to see the field more.
**Bethune-Cookman couldn't come at a better time. Yes, along with Central Michigan the following week, now Miami is going to have to sit with a bad taste in their mouth for a few weeks until they can play an opponent they can prove themselves against. However, after two close losses in two weeks, this team is reeling right now. Getting back to the basics in front of the home crowd and continuing to refine what works and what doesn't (both scheme and personnel-wise) will be just what the doctor ordered. That could potentially set UM up nicely to make a run in the second half of the season. Whether this team is equipped to take advantage of it remains to be seen, though.
Grades
Offense: B-
The Miami offense outgained UNC by nearly 100 yards and had no trouble moving the ball for the most part on their way to almost 500 yards and 6.4 yards per play. Now it’s going to be about finishing drives off with actual points most every time. Protected the ball with no turnovers. I thought the offense did enough to win this game.
Defense: D
10 TFL and 4 sacks will play any day. Continual mental errors and coverage lapses in key moments will not. Held UNC to under 100 yards rushing, but the secondary issues have to be cleaned up. Giving up a 4th and 17 with the game on the line is unforgivable. Were unable to break out the chain and force any turnovers.
Special Teams: F
2 missed FG’s (one of them a chip shot) and a blocked XP. Left 7 points on the board in a 3-point game. That is the definition of an ‘F’ by my standards from a unit where everything should be pretty much a given if coached right. It’s close to time UM thinks about using a coaching position on someone who focuses on special teams exclusively.
Coaching: D
I have to give some props here because the penalty issues from last week were heavily curbed (from 14 for 125 to 7 for 57). However, I didn’t think the defensive staff did enough to rattle and confuse a true freshman QB. Miami’s offense seemed rushed on the last possession of the game, yet they finished with 2 timeouts in their pocket. Slow start out of the gate on the road. UM again failed to seize the moment and show a killer instinct when they had the chance to put the game away. A loss to an inferior opponent will always go squarely on the coaches’ shoulders.
**The honeymoon is over for Manny Diaz. The new Miami head coach built up a lot of goodwill over the offseason, saying all the right things in press conferences, showing his proficiency on social media, and making a few impressive personnel moves. That was all well and good, but winning off the field will only last so long with this fanbase if you aren’t producing tangible results on the scoreboard. Back-to-back losses to a hated rival and to a team that finished 2-9 last season is not the start Diaz wanted or needed to begin his tenure in charge at UM. Miami’s first 0-2 start since 1978 leaves this team with more questions than answers and leaves Diaz with a host of mistakes to clean up. How well he can do that will define his legacy at UM.
**Miami is not a complete football team right now. For whatever reason, UM can’t get its units all on the same page at once. If they ever do, it could produce some beautiful football, but last week, it was the defense setting up the offense for the win on a silver platter multiple times and the offense couldn’t pull through. This week, the Canes produced a late 4th quarter TD only to be let down by the defense when it counted most. And in both games, the UM special teams failed in big moments. The best Miami teams featured units that would feed off each other and that synergy seemed to raise everyone’s level of play. Far too often in the past decade and a half, that hasn’t been the case, and it’s been more of the same in Diaz’s first 2 games.
**One positive indicator coming from the offense is their ability to dominate possession. The Canes were consistently one of the worst teams in the country in time of possession (TOP) under Mark Richt, bottoming out at 87th in the nation at 29:04 last season. It’s only been 2 games, but UM was ball-dominant again against the Tar Heels, holding the rock for over 35 minutes of play to only 24 minutes for UNC. Miami is now 7th in the country in TOP at 35:48 to 24:12 for their opponents. When TOP is trending in the right direction for a team, they can dictate the style of play to their opponents and it gives the defense a chance to rest off the field. Short 3-and-out drives were the death of the offense (and defense) last season, but Dan Enos’ unit has shown the ability to stay on the field and string together first downs so far (27 against UNC). That’s a good first step, but actually converting that productivity into points when deep in opponent territory is the next hurdle this young offense will need to overcome.
**That leads into the main issue the offense has been facing: lack of productivity in the red zone. It’s a simple fact anybody can see, but when the field is condensed, the Canes have problems making headway and actually getting points. On 6 redzone trips against UNC, Miami settled for 2 FG’s (missed one) and was stuffed on a 4th and 1. The redzone issues were really extended to around the 30 yard line, as UM's offense didn't have many issues until they got around that area of the field. They settled for 4 FG's in total, and the Canes’ final drive was also humming along until they got near UNC’s red zone, before they completely stalled and looked like a different offense. UM is now 107th in the country in red zone offense, putting points on the board just 67% of the time they get inside the opponent’s 20. Just like last week, UM outgained their opponent, this time by nearly 100 yards (488 to 389 vs. UNC). How many times will Miami’s attack unit play a better game than their opponent only to lose in the end? At the end of the day, great teams finish drives, and for all the yardage, that's not Miami right now.
**Why did the running backs only get 24 carries? In a game within 7 points where UM was absolutely gashing UNC when they went to the ground, I thought Miami’s running backs suffered from a lack of usage. DeeJay Dallas and Cam Harris combined for 167 yards on 24 carries (6.96 ypc), and the longest gain went only for 37 yards, as the duo were consistently getting to the second and third level of the UNC defense. In contrast, Jarren Williams had 49 dropbacks. I pointed this out last week as well, but I thought Dan Enos got pass-happy far too often and got away from a running game that was churning out the yards. More balance to the offense is something I’m going to be looking for in future games and would help make things easier on a young QB and OL.
**The Canes may have a QB. Jarren Williams had another very good game, hitting 77% (30-39) of his passes and going for 300 yards and 2 TD’s. Each of his touchdowns were impressive as well, putting the ball where only his receiver could get it. Williams especially feasted in the intermediate game, and it’s been awhile since you could trust a UM quarterback to deliver a consistently accurate ball across the middle of the field. Most importantly: still no turnovers from this young man in 2 games with over 90 dropbacks at this point. That's impressive for anybody, but especially a freshman.
**I thought the offensive line played much, much better against UNC, especially at the tackle position. Where last week you saw UM consistently losing 1-on-1 battles off the snap, both Zion Nelson and DJ Scaife held their own and didn’t allow a sack to my eye. Of the 4 sacks allowed: In the first quarter, Navaughn Donaldson was too slow getting to the edge on a pull, leaving a defender with an instant free shot on Williams. The second sack was essentially a coverage sack in which Williams eventually tried to scramble and was dropped for a short loss. There seemed to be a big miscommunication on what the play call was on the first play of the fourth quarter, when UNC only rushed four, yet the line left two men completely unblocked for an easy sack. On the very next play, Jakai Clark was beat 1-on-1 to force the sack. Most of that seems pretty correctable and I saw enough to be encouraged that this young line can keep improving in the area of pass blocking. Not to mention the Canes were dominant in the traditional run game and were gashing UNC for chunk runs consistently throughout the night thanks in part to getting a solid push up front.
**In what has typically been a strength for Miami under Manny Diaz’s defenses, the secondary showed some serious holes on Saturday. Multiple secondary busts led to consistent big plays for the Tar Heels and Trajan Bandy may have had his worst game as a Hurricane. He bit hard on a double move in single coverage and was absolutely toasted on UNC’s first touchdown by Dyami Brown; Bandy was also picked on during UNC’s game-winning drive late in the fourth, allowing his man too much space on the fourth and 17 conversion in zone coverage and then getting beat 1-on-1 by Beau Corrales on the next play for a first down. On the very first drive, Gurvan Hall was late getting over on a 39-yard catch by Antoine Green down the sidelines after Green got a step on DJ Ivey. Romeo Finley fell down in coverage in the third quarter, allowing Dazz Newsome to get free for a 36-yard catch. The secondary was a sieve against a true freshman QB in a game where UM held their opponent under 100 yards rushing.
**Gregory Rousseau is already a bad, bad man. The redshirt freshman followed up a standout performance against UF with another sack and TFL against UNC. Rousseau now leads the team in TFL (3.5) and sacks (2), as his length and speed have proven hard to handle for opposing O-Linemen. Scott Patchan’s role on this team is safe as Miami’s best run defender at DE, but Rousseau has been UM’s most productive DE overall so far in a season where Jonathan Garvin has been kept mostly a non-factor. I love that UM has been using him on the interior at times in the “NASCAR” package, but even including that, Rousseau deserves to see the field more.
**Bethune-Cookman couldn't come at a better time. Yes, along with Central Michigan the following week, now Miami is going to have to sit with a bad taste in their mouth for a few weeks until they can play an opponent they can prove themselves against. However, after two close losses in two weeks, this team is reeling right now. Getting back to the basics in front of the home crowd and continuing to refine what works and what doesn't (both scheme and personnel-wise) will be just what the doctor ordered. That could potentially set UM up nicely to make a run in the second half of the season. Whether this team is equipped to take advantage of it remains to be seen, though.
Grades
Offense: B-
The Miami offense outgained UNC by nearly 100 yards and had no trouble moving the ball for the most part on their way to almost 500 yards and 6.4 yards per play. Now it’s going to be about finishing drives off with actual points most every time. Protected the ball with no turnovers. I thought the offense did enough to win this game.
Defense: D
10 TFL and 4 sacks will play any day. Continual mental errors and coverage lapses in key moments will not. Held UNC to under 100 yards rushing, but the secondary issues have to be cleaned up. Giving up a 4th and 17 with the game on the line is unforgivable. Were unable to break out the chain and force any turnovers.
Special Teams: F
2 missed FG’s (one of them a chip shot) and a blocked XP. Left 7 points on the board in a 3-point game. That is the definition of an ‘F’ by my standards from a unit where everything should be pretty much a given if coached right. It’s close to time UM thinks about using a coaching position on someone who focuses on special teams exclusively.
Coaching: D
I have to give some props here because the penalty issues from last week were heavily curbed (from 14 for 125 to 7 for 57). However, I didn’t think the defensive staff did enough to rattle and confuse a true freshman QB. Miami’s offense seemed rushed on the last possession of the game, yet they finished with 2 timeouts in their pocket. Slow start out of the gate on the road. UM again failed to seize the moment and show a killer instinct when they had the chance to put the game away. A loss to an inferior opponent will always go squarely on the coaches’ shoulders.
