I know some of you won't necessarily care what I have to say about Monday, but I've waited until now to let the post-game frustrations die down and gathered some thoughts from people around the program.
The overall vibe is obviously disappointment. Lack of execution was evident and that seemed to be the most frustrating part to players/coaches. They felt like opportunities were there to win the game and they just did not capitalize. Not really any hard-hitting stuff there, but I thought I should share.
**Brad Kaaya needs to be better and he knows that. I will echo what k9cane posted the other night by saying that Kaaya definitely looked like a freshman at times. These next two games for him will be all about getting his confidence up heading into Nebraska and I think we will see a whole different quarterback for that game. Coaches wholeheartedly still believe that they made the right decision by going with Kaaya and understand that this is apart of his maturation process. Part of the growing process for him will be James Coley trusting him to throw the ball downfield.
**All offseason, we have talked about the individual talent on the offensive line. There is no doubt they need to get on the same page, though. Kc McDermott and Trevor Darling need to be worked into the rotation starting this week. It is evident that the Isidora/Gadbois right side combination is a major work in progress.
**I expect Joseph Yearby to get a substantial amount of touches over the next two weeks. Most within the program believe that he will eventually (in the near future) take the reigns for the short-yardage role. He is already better than Gus Edwards by a country mile and needs to be worked into the game more. Ideally I would like to see him get 7-8 touches a game.
**Two players that caught the attention of coaches against Louisville were Calvin Heurtelou and Courtel Jenkins. With Heurtelou, the Canes finally have a legitimate run-stopping threat at DT. Courtel Jenkins looks like a steal by Miami early in his career. The quickness that he possesses at his size is a major asset. He is in the rotation for the long run. Ufomba Kamalu also continues to show signs of progress.
**I won't harp on defensive scheme and whatnot because everybody has their own passionate view on that, but the general consensus from within is that the defense played well enough to win the game. Is it sustainable? Only time will tell. But overall it was a much more organized effort than we have seen in the past. There weren't as many blown assignments and guys seemed to be in the right spot more often than not. Offense needs to be able to score TDs when the defense puts them in that position near the end zone.
**On Kiy Hester - it is unlikely that he returns at this point. There was talk about three weeks ago that he was unhappy and wanted to go back home, but I thought that was just normal freshman talk. I'm told that the situation is "bizarre". Look for the staff to de-emphasize recruiting the Jersey area (no, seriously). Marques Gayot beating him out did not help either, but that should not be a surprise to people who have been following the team over the summer. Gayot came in physically ready and was making more plays throughout camp.
**On Alquadin Muhammad - there are a lot of fuzzy details here and Miami is being tight-lipped with it, but I have been told that his situation deals with an altercation with a former roommate (not a football player). The school is involved here, which makes it more complicated. Outside of that, I don't want to speculate on what his punishment may be. The pass-rush can't afford to lose him for an extended period of time.
