Miami finished out their year in disappointing fashion, as the familiar bugaboo’s popped up in self-inflicted wounds, drops, undisciplined penalties, and just simply allowing an inferior team to beat them in a bowl game. Upon Further Review is here to show you the ugly truth. It's going to be long, so skip the overall portion if you want a bulleted torture.
Ivey is scared to death of getting beaten deep in off-coverage, he is still retreating on this play, despite being five yards off the receiver, him already stopping, the QB reaching the top of his drop, and staring it down. Ivey actually retreats another two yards after the ball has already been released. Not really possible to play a stop-route in off-coverage worse than he does here. This receiver isn’t tackled until the. Woof.
Just catch the ball, Couch.
Look at this defensive setup on 3rd & 5. No one covers anyone and certainly nothing is done to protect the sticks. Steed initially thought he had man responsibilities on the RB and then remembered it was zone and tried to backtrack on the TE crosser. Couldn’t be an easier throw to pick up a 3rd down.
I imagine this isn’t how they drew this defense up on the whiteboard. DE drops out and he and Steed just collide and take each other out. Frierson blitzes and is easily handled. QB can drink a Coke in this pocket. Baker had a month to come up with this scheme.
Whew. You cannot make it any easier on a QB to pick up a 3rd down than this. They’re truly just running to the sticks and turning around and no one is anywhere near them. Drop prevents an easy conversion.
Patrick Joyner runs into his own DT and takes him out for OSU. QB breaks the pocket and Keontra steps up for some unknown reason and the WR runs to the end zone.
Gaynor blown up on inside-zone by the NT. If he keeps his block and isn’t pushed into the backfield, this is a nice gain. Instead, it’s a TFL.
Gaynor blown up again after Cam’Ron Harris made a couple of nice individual plays to keep the drive alive. Punt time. Lashlee had a month and his gameplan was clearly to come out and try to run the ball on OSU and it didn’t work.
Steed falls for the play-action hard and this is another throw that couldn’t be easier. This scheme will not work. Honestly, not clear what they’re even trying to accomplish with so many wide-open receivers. Going this zone-heavy after being a man-principled team reeks of desperation on defense. The receiver takes this to Miami’s 42.
QB hit as he throws, ball goes straight up in the air, it turns into a completion. Miami needs an exorcism to cleanse themselves of the bad juju they have going on. (Not pictured)
This is exactly how this should look on this play. Brooks is the force player, which gets it name because he wants to “force” the ballcarrier to turn into the defensive pursuit. Jennings is clean and closing on the gap. This should be a TFL, instead Jennings stops his feet and the RB runs right by him to the 5-yard line. Brooks actually turns around and runs him down to prevent the TD.
This throw was 5-yards out-of-bounds but for some reason Gurvan Hall just stiff arms the receiver as he’s running. Never finds the ball and panics. You see the guy in the red shirt? The ball hits him in the foot. Don’t just hand them easy plays and it’s 3rd-and-goal from the 10.
Low man wins. RB brushes off Steed here like a gnat. Too easy.
Another opponent disrespecting you. Another game of just tolerating it.
This should be an easy 1st down, but Brevin came in soft on this block and the defender just flips him off to the side and gets a TFL. You actually got what you wanted here, as #2 is supposed to have outside shoulder of blocker here and force him back inside to the LB. If Brevin just keeps his block, it’s not a stretch to think this could score.
Scaife ducks his head and gets whipped by the DT. If Scaife gets his block, this is an easy 1st down with two OL releasing downfield. Their NT has just crushed us in the early going. Two consecutive plays that should’ve been easy 1st downs and then they have to go on 4th down and can’t convert.
Something I want to see changed with Miami’s teaching in the next year is that you need to come back to the football on these plays. Quit trying to catch these falling away. I’ve written about this exact same play type from multiple receivers this year. If Brevin goes up to the ball and points his chest at the ball and goes up to the ball strongly, he either catches this ball, or at worst gets an easy pass interference call. It was pass interference, but they aren’t going to call it when you’re falling away from the ball.
I’ve been doing these film reviews for the entirety of Ivey’s career and every year I say if I was an OC I’d run in-breaking routes against Ivey all game because I don’t remember a game where he ever covered it. Has to be a footwork issue because he is athletic enough to handle it, but for whatever reason he struggles with in-breaking routes.
Next play was embarrassing lack of preparation. Can’t get lined up on the outside and it’s an uncovered 1st down.
I love Steed’s story and appreciate how hard he has worked to overcome injuries, but you can’t have your LB’s running into the backs of your DT repeatedly, as I’ve seen him do this year. Of course he’s not even helping on defense when this is happening because he can’t see anything and he’s hindering the DT from doing anything.
Frierson has the inside of the slot receiver and it’s still just an easy pass. Frierson turns his entire body to the sideline as he’s worried about getting beaten to the MOF. Hall just drops deep. Neither cover anything and it’s a TD. This has to be man, so what is Frierson trying to do here? This technique will not work. Receiver runs to the line and turns around, QB hits him, Frierson is late to get over there and he breaks a Hall tackle into the end zone. Woof. After this play, Joaquin Gonzalez tweeted that Baker could pack his bags and walk home.
The officials in this game did about as poor of a job as one can conceivably do in a bowl game (where supposedly the best officials actually get the games). The kicker turns around and cuts in front of Restrepo, who is just running down the field and the kicker trips over his own feet and they call a block-in-the-back. What is Restrepo supposed to do? Why doesn’t every defender just turn and stop in front of someone if they’re going to throw a flag on that? Wipes out a 40+ yard return. (Not pictured)
To only get about 10 yards out of this is disappointing. It is setup perfectly. Would’ve loved for 51 to block 16 rather than trying for 95 (he blocks no one). 60 loses his block and his man comes off to make a tackle.
King gets away with one here. He doesn’t see that the backside LB has dropped into the outside zone and sees the wheel route. King just gets it over his hands as he took a bad angle.
Give King a pocket like this and Brevin a clean release and it’s easy money. Have been baffled by Miami’s lack of use of the MOF all season and they dial one up here for a TD.
Flagg has really good instincts, but his lack of length and quick-twitch means OL can stay engaged with him longer than you’d like. Your MLB shouldn’t get blocked this long by a G. Huge run here.
Cannot let the QB get outside of you when you’re the contain player here, McCloud. Picks up 4, rather than a large loss.
Dropping Patrick Joyner into coverage will probably never be a call I like.
Major weakness of this defense has always been the flats being undefended. This is such a simple play for the QB, it’s one of the prominent reasons we make average QB’s look like all-stars. The leverage of this defense is poor. Goes for a 1st down. Brian Balom whiffs badly on this tackle attempt.
As I’m watching this game over, I’m writing down #22 quite a bit and wondered who he was. I thought 52 was Cam Williams, but that’s Patrick Joyner (who played really poorly). Cam Williams played well in this game and should’ve been on the field a lot more than 52 & 53. Here, he torpedoes a run play and forces the runner back into his help on a key 3rd down. OK State misses the FG and the defense keeps it somewhat a game.
Chaney is still learning the finer parts of being a big-time RB, but pressing the hole as much as he does before bouncing this one allows for the block from Wiggins on the edge here. If Chaney bounces immediately, Wiggins can’t get here and that outside S is further downhill already. Kid could be special if he cleans a few of these techniques up over the offseason. Love how he finishes the run. He gets down to the 38-yard line of OSU here and turns it back inside to run someone over and pick up four more yards.
Another illustration of how interior OL play is key to what Lashlee wants to do. This is a designed QB run the whole way, but none of the interior OL can get to the second-level here. King decides to run where the edge is stunting and loses yards. Frankly, it’s a bad play call and I feel like we run far too often on 2nd & 10.
This is a throw that simply has to be made. Clean pocket, this is wide open in college. A great throw is a TD. A good throw is in the red zone. A decent throw is a conversion. It was a terrible throw. We get a pass interference call, but this is still a throw that has to be made. King threw it way back into the safety, rather than along the numbers where Harley has free space.
Here is the hold and you can see why Clark holds at this moment here. Besides taking a really poor angle here, he’s already off-balance and his head is way over his toes. This is a zone run where he is simply asked to “reach” this defender. He needs to be on the outside shoulder of this defender and just shield him. Instead, he ducks his head and charges at him like a missile. When the defender moves, he has no balance to change direction and has to grab him. Jakai Clark has to be upgraded on next season at LG.
King’s gotta get out of this play call because of the overhang defender #7. When Harley comes in motion, that draws the overhang defender into the gap on the LOS and then the safety comes over the top on the 7-yard line and the play is essentially dead as a bubble screen. You don’t have the numbers or leverage in this formation. Play loses yards. Hasselbeck said he wouldn’t be surprised if Miami was just setting something up for later, and it’s a good point, as Lashlee has been known to do that often this year. *Narrator voice* He was setting something up later.
Sure wish King would’ve just dropped this off to Pope here. Scrambles and blows his knee out. There is a safety there and he gets tackled at the 5 most likely, but sometimes the safe play is the right play.
Perry comes in and has Brevin wide open for a TD on the slant, but he throws it a little flat and the LB knocks it down. It was a great play the defender, honestly. (Not pictured)
When Nesta is good, it’s because of his grown-man strength. He tackles the RB with the blocker on this play, which is impressive. Teams have gotten wise to Nesta jumping gaps and have started letting him jump away from his gap and then pushing him wide. He maintains his leverage here and tackles the RB for a loss. Assist to the Jordan Miller, who also bullies the C into the backfield and makes this possible. If Nesta returns, I’d love to see him spend the offseason learning a pass-rush move other than bullrush and take hard coaching.
Miami had around 10 opportunities in this game where if they make any of the plays they probably win. Here is one of them. Harvey beats his man and forces a fumble. The ball is laying under the Miami defender on the ground (Frierson), who somehow lets it slip from his grasp and OSU recovers.
Harley muffs the punt, ball goes right to Cam’Ron Harris, who can’t keep it and it’s a turnover. Miami played so poorly in this game. (Not pictured)
McCloud gives up the edge and then is outran to the edge by the QB. (Not pictured)
Elijah Roberts looks super quick inside at DT, gets a pressure on the QB and forces an errant pass. Played a two-down lineman set, with Harrison-Hunte and Roberts as the only down linemen. Brooks, McCloud, Jennings came on a double-A gap blitz. (Not pictured)
I’ve seen it over-and-over all season long. Receivers on long throws are falling back at the catch point. If Wiggins just turns his chest to the ball and goes up with strong hands, he scores a TD here as the defender fell down. Of course, he simply drops the ball here. The coaches get some blame (and will get blame) for how we played, but my goodness did the players fail to step up in this one.
You watch other teams run pulls with their OL and it looks easy. When we run it, we run into our RG and essentially take two OL out ourselves.
Flea-flicker and Pope drops the deep pass. It was messed up by a poor pitch from Chaney, though. Simple execution was just not there consistently in this game. Without the ground ball, the timing is better and it’s an easy throw because he was 10-yards behind everyone. Lashlee did everything he could in this game and we should’ve scored 50.
Ivey is scared to death of getting beaten deep in off-coverage, he is still retreating on this play, despite being five yards off the receiver, him already stopping, the QB reaching the top of his drop, and staring it down. Ivey actually retreats another two yards after the ball has already been released. Not really possible to play a stop-route in off-coverage worse than he does here. This receiver isn’t tackled until the. Woof.
Just catch the ball, Couch.
Look at this defensive setup on 3rd & 5. No one covers anyone and certainly nothing is done to protect the sticks. Steed initially thought he had man responsibilities on the RB and then remembered it was zone and tried to backtrack on the TE crosser. Couldn’t be an easier throw to pick up a 3rd down.
I imagine this isn’t how they drew this defense up on the whiteboard. DE drops out and he and Steed just collide and take each other out. Frierson blitzes and is easily handled. QB can drink a Coke in this pocket. Baker had a month to come up with this scheme.
Whew. You cannot make it any easier on a QB to pick up a 3rd down than this. They’re truly just running to the sticks and turning around and no one is anywhere near them. Drop prevents an easy conversion.
Patrick Joyner runs into his own DT and takes him out for OSU. QB breaks the pocket and Keontra steps up for some unknown reason and the WR runs to the end zone.
Gaynor blown up on inside-zone by the NT. If he keeps his block and isn’t pushed into the backfield, this is a nice gain. Instead, it’s a TFL.
Gaynor blown up again after Cam’Ron Harris made a couple of nice individual plays to keep the drive alive. Punt time. Lashlee had a month and his gameplan was clearly to come out and try to run the ball on OSU and it didn’t work.
Steed falls for the play-action hard and this is another throw that couldn’t be easier. This scheme will not work. Honestly, not clear what they’re even trying to accomplish with so many wide-open receivers. Going this zone-heavy after being a man-principled team reeks of desperation on defense. The receiver takes this to Miami’s 42.
QB hit as he throws, ball goes straight up in the air, it turns into a completion. Miami needs an exorcism to cleanse themselves of the bad juju they have going on. (Not pictured)
This is exactly how this should look on this play. Brooks is the force player, which gets it name because he wants to “force” the ballcarrier to turn into the defensive pursuit. Jennings is clean and closing on the gap. This should be a TFL, instead Jennings stops his feet and the RB runs right by him to the 5-yard line. Brooks actually turns around and runs him down to prevent the TD.
This throw was 5-yards out-of-bounds but for some reason Gurvan Hall just stiff arms the receiver as he’s running. Never finds the ball and panics. You see the guy in the red shirt? The ball hits him in the foot. Don’t just hand them easy plays and it’s 3rd-and-goal from the 10.
Low man wins. RB brushes off Steed here like a gnat. Too easy.
Another opponent disrespecting you. Another game of just tolerating it.
This should be an easy 1st down, but Brevin came in soft on this block and the defender just flips him off to the side and gets a TFL. You actually got what you wanted here, as #2 is supposed to have outside shoulder of blocker here and force him back inside to the LB. If Brevin just keeps his block, it’s not a stretch to think this could score.
Scaife ducks his head and gets whipped by the DT. If Scaife gets his block, this is an easy 1st down with two OL releasing downfield. Their NT has just crushed us in the early going. Two consecutive plays that should’ve been easy 1st downs and then they have to go on 4th down and can’t convert.
Something I want to see changed with Miami’s teaching in the next year is that you need to come back to the football on these plays. Quit trying to catch these falling away. I’ve written about this exact same play type from multiple receivers this year. If Brevin goes up to the ball and points his chest at the ball and goes up to the ball strongly, he either catches this ball, or at worst gets an easy pass interference call. It was pass interference, but they aren’t going to call it when you’re falling away from the ball.
I’ve been doing these film reviews for the entirety of Ivey’s career and every year I say if I was an OC I’d run in-breaking routes against Ivey all game because I don’t remember a game where he ever covered it. Has to be a footwork issue because he is athletic enough to handle it, but for whatever reason he struggles with in-breaking routes.
Next play was embarrassing lack of preparation. Can’t get lined up on the outside and it’s an uncovered 1st down.
I love Steed’s story and appreciate how hard he has worked to overcome injuries, but you can’t have your LB’s running into the backs of your DT repeatedly, as I’ve seen him do this year. Of course he’s not even helping on defense when this is happening because he can’t see anything and he’s hindering the DT from doing anything.
Frierson has the inside of the slot receiver and it’s still just an easy pass. Frierson turns his entire body to the sideline as he’s worried about getting beaten to the MOF. Hall just drops deep. Neither cover anything and it’s a TD. This has to be man, so what is Frierson trying to do here? This technique will not work. Receiver runs to the line and turns around, QB hits him, Frierson is late to get over there and he breaks a Hall tackle into the end zone. Woof. After this play, Joaquin Gonzalez tweeted that Baker could pack his bags and walk home.
The officials in this game did about as poor of a job as one can conceivably do in a bowl game (where supposedly the best officials actually get the games). The kicker turns around and cuts in front of Restrepo, who is just running down the field and the kicker trips over his own feet and they call a block-in-the-back. What is Restrepo supposed to do? Why doesn’t every defender just turn and stop in front of someone if they’re going to throw a flag on that? Wipes out a 40+ yard return. (Not pictured)
To only get about 10 yards out of this is disappointing. It is setup perfectly. Would’ve loved for 51 to block 16 rather than trying for 95 (he blocks no one). 60 loses his block and his man comes off to make a tackle.
King gets away with one here. He doesn’t see that the backside LB has dropped into the outside zone and sees the wheel route. King just gets it over his hands as he took a bad angle.
Give King a pocket like this and Brevin a clean release and it’s easy money. Have been baffled by Miami’s lack of use of the MOF all season and they dial one up here for a TD.
Flagg has really good instincts, but his lack of length and quick-twitch means OL can stay engaged with him longer than you’d like. Your MLB shouldn’t get blocked this long by a G. Huge run here.
Cannot let the QB get outside of you when you’re the contain player here, McCloud. Picks up 4, rather than a large loss.
Dropping Patrick Joyner into coverage will probably never be a call I like.
Major weakness of this defense has always been the flats being undefended. This is such a simple play for the QB, it’s one of the prominent reasons we make average QB’s look like all-stars. The leverage of this defense is poor. Goes for a 1st down. Brian Balom whiffs badly on this tackle attempt.
As I’m watching this game over, I’m writing down #22 quite a bit and wondered who he was. I thought 52 was Cam Williams, but that’s Patrick Joyner (who played really poorly). Cam Williams played well in this game and should’ve been on the field a lot more than 52 & 53. Here, he torpedoes a run play and forces the runner back into his help on a key 3rd down. OK State misses the FG and the defense keeps it somewhat a game.
Chaney is still learning the finer parts of being a big-time RB, but pressing the hole as much as he does before bouncing this one allows for the block from Wiggins on the edge here. If Chaney bounces immediately, Wiggins can’t get here and that outside S is further downhill already. Kid could be special if he cleans a few of these techniques up over the offseason. Love how he finishes the run. He gets down to the 38-yard line of OSU here and turns it back inside to run someone over and pick up four more yards.
Another illustration of how interior OL play is key to what Lashlee wants to do. This is a designed QB run the whole way, but none of the interior OL can get to the second-level here. King decides to run where the edge is stunting and loses yards. Frankly, it’s a bad play call and I feel like we run far too often on 2nd & 10.
This is a throw that simply has to be made. Clean pocket, this is wide open in college. A great throw is a TD. A good throw is in the red zone. A decent throw is a conversion. It was a terrible throw. We get a pass interference call, but this is still a throw that has to be made. King threw it way back into the safety, rather than along the numbers where Harley has free space.
Here is the hold and you can see why Clark holds at this moment here. Besides taking a really poor angle here, he’s already off-balance and his head is way over his toes. This is a zone run where he is simply asked to “reach” this defender. He needs to be on the outside shoulder of this defender and just shield him. Instead, he ducks his head and charges at him like a missile. When the defender moves, he has no balance to change direction and has to grab him. Jakai Clark has to be upgraded on next season at LG.
King’s gotta get out of this play call because of the overhang defender #7. When Harley comes in motion, that draws the overhang defender into the gap on the LOS and then the safety comes over the top on the 7-yard line and the play is essentially dead as a bubble screen. You don’t have the numbers or leverage in this formation. Play loses yards. Hasselbeck said he wouldn’t be surprised if Miami was just setting something up for later, and it’s a good point, as Lashlee has been known to do that often this year. *Narrator voice* He was setting something up later.
Sure wish King would’ve just dropped this off to Pope here. Scrambles and blows his knee out. There is a safety there and he gets tackled at the 5 most likely, but sometimes the safe play is the right play.
Perry comes in and has Brevin wide open for a TD on the slant, but he throws it a little flat and the LB knocks it down. It was a great play the defender, honestly. (Not pictured)
When Nesta is good, it’s because of his grown-man strength. He tackles the RB with the blocker on this play, which is impressive. Teams have gotten wise to Nesta jumping gaps and have started letting him jump away from his gap and then pushing him wide. He maintains his leverage here and tackles the RB for a loss. Assist to the Jordan Miller, who also bullies the C into the backfield and makes this possible. If Nesta returns, I’d love to see him spend the offseason learning a pass-rush move other than bullrush and take hard coaching.
Miami had around 10 opportunities in this game where if they make any of the plays they probably win. Here is one of them. Harvey beats his man and forces a fumble. The ball is laying under the Miami defender on the ground (Frierson), who somehow lets it slip from his grasp and OSU recovers.
Harley muffs the punt, ball goes right to Cam’Ron Harris, who can’t keep it and it’s a turnover. Miami played so poorly in this game. (Not pictured)
McCloud gives up the edge and then is outran to the edge by the QB. (Not pictured)
Elijah Roberts looks super quick inside at DT, gets a pressure on the QB and forces an errant pass. Played a two-down lineman set, with Harrison-Hunte and Roberts as the only down linemen. Brooks, McCloud, Jennings came on a double-A gap blitz. (Not pictured)
I’ve seen it over-and-over all season long. Receivers on long throws are falling back at the catch point. If Wiggins just turns his chest to the ball and goes up with strong hands, he scores a TD here as the defender fell down. Of course, he simply drops the ball here. The coaches get some blame (and will get blame) for how we played, but my goodness did the players fail to step up in this one.
You watch other teams run pulls with their OL and it looks easy. When we run it, we run into our RG and essentially take two OL out ourselves.
Flea-flicker and Pope drops the deep pass. It was messed up by a poor pitch from Chaney, though. Simple execution was just not there consistently in this game. Without the ground ball, the timing is better and it’s an easy throw because he was 10-yards behind everyone. Lashlee did everything he could in this game and we should’ve scored 50.
