Canes Convos: Gauthier challenges O-Line, Dallas holds himself to higher standard

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Stefan Adams

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After being held after Tuesday’s practice to run gassers and do sled-work, starting center Tyler Gauthier let it be known he was not pleased with his group’s performance.

“I’m being honest, we practiced liked crap (Tuesday), it was horrible,” Gauthier said. “It just gets hot, people get in their feelings, get yelled at and that’s about it. We have a long ways to go. Most of the starting line does it well, there’s a couple of hiccups here and there and it gets in their head. We have to figure out a way to get mentally tough around there, and we aren’t going to get better until it happens.”

As the offensive line gave up 5 sacks and 13 TFL against FSU, Gauthier admits the line really struggled this past week, but that he doesn’t plan to let it happen again.

“We got our tails kicked most of the game against FSU,” Gauthier said. “We came back at the end because the defense helped us. We came out here and we played like we’re going to get our tails kicked again and I do not want that to happen. That will not happen around here.”

What did he see from the line on film after watching the FSU tape?

“It was not even mental mistakes really much it was just getting beat sometimes,” Gauthier said. “You cannot let that happen. When you’re one-on-one, you have to do your thing. I tell the guys if they mess up, that’s fine, just don’t let it happen twice. You only mess up if you don't learn from it. A couple times we did not learn from it. We’re going to go up here and play a team at Virginia, pretty sure it’s their homecoming, they’re going to be fired up and ready to play and we cannot come out flat.”

Miami’s O-Line has now had their two worst games of the season against the two most athletic defenses on their schedule in LSU and FSU.

“That’s not acceptable on our part at all. We should not be getting handled by anybody,” Gauthier said. “We should beat everybody, we should be able to rush the football and for most of the game, we weren’t able to.”

Coming off the emotional-high of the FSU win, Gauthier says this week of practice is about staying humble and working to correct mistakes rather than puffing their chests too much.

“After a big game, you have to understand that that’s a game, but you have another one,” Gauthier said. “Yes, celebrate that night, but you come in Sunday to do film and workouts and practice, you have to learn how to play another team. You do not get a break. It’s a long season and you have to learn how to do it.

“I do not believe in that trap games because you are supposed to take everything seriously, you’re supposed to take every team like it is. We should play Savannah State just like we played Florida State. We’re working on it. We’re going to get it right.’’

On Ahmmon Richards’ career-ending neck injury: “It’s sad and it breaks your heart. You guys know Ahmmon was a first-round talent and he’s a first round person. He was a light to the room, on bad days he would step up. He is a heck of a player and I am sure Ahmmon is going to do great in his life no matter what he does because that is his personality. He puts his head down and he is going to work at anything he does. It’s sad, it definitely breaks your heart to see a kid like that go down, but we have his back and we’re going to make sure he does good.”


**Even though it was only the offensive line that was supposed to be running laps, RB DeeJay Dallas ran with them as both a show of solidarity and because he felt he did not play his best either against FSU.

“Just everybody holding each other accountable, and I feel I let my teammates down Saturday a little bit, so I had to go out there and reassure them I’ve got their back,” Dallas said on why he ran the laps. “I feel I didn’t play to the standard of Miami football.”

While Miami is moving on from the FSU win and focused on cleaning up their mistakes, that doesn’t mean that they didn’t stop and take time to celebrate on Saturday after the come from behind victory.

“It was exciting, the energy in the locker room you can’t really explain that,” Dallas said. “You have to experience that to explain it.”

Along with Travis Homer (84 carries), Dallas (58 carries) is essentially splitting snaps in Miami’s backfield and sees no issue with sharing time.

“I feel like coach [Thomas] Brown knows what he is doing,” Dallas said. “The way we get our reps and our snaps is perfect for us.”

His mentality in games?

“Just be relentless, don’t let any knick or bruise stop you from going 100 percent,” Dallas said.

On N’Kosi Perry’s performance vs. FSU: “He was spot on, but he just needed the first hit and the first big play to pop off and then he was good after that,” Dallas said.

On Richards’ forced retirement: “Sad, man, and I cried. That really hurt. Ahmmon was my host on my official visit," Dallas said. "I feel like that’s why it stung so much to me because he meant so much to me as a brother and as a teammate.

“We kind of knew something was going on but we didn't know what it really was. Then once they said he has to retire because of a neck injury, I was shocked. He had so much potential. He was a dominant player on the field. When he was on the field, I feel like one or two people could not cover him. You have to put a safety, linebacker and a corner on him to stop him.”

Facing a Virginia team on the road for their homecoming game who is also coming off a bye week could be a challenge for Miami, but Dallas says it’s more important to focus on his own team than what Virginia is doing.

“(We need to) just focus on us and play Miami football. That’s just what we have to do,” Dallas said. “We have to go on the road. It’s their homecoming, they’re going to be juiced up. We’ve just have to go in there and, like I said in Toledo, crush dreams.”


**Redshirt senior fullback Trayone Gray paid his dues, suffered through injury, and waited his turn, but now is finally getting a chance to make an impact for UM during big moments. Gray picked up a key third and short on Miami’s final drive against FSU last week to keep the chains moving, allowing Miami to eventually run out the clock on the Noles and win the game. Despite his past struggles, the 5th year fullback says he never thought about leaving when he wasn’t getting opportunities to produce, and it paid off in the end.

“I never thought about transferring. My momma always told me to never quit. I’d never transfer,” Gray said. “I sat down with Coach [Thomas] Brown and asked him what’s the better role for me to play. He said ‘we got an open spot at fullback,’ and if I could learn it, I could be a big role on the team, so I took it. Wherever I can play, I’ll play.”

Gray is now taking handoffs from a new QB, as redshirt freshman N’Kosi Perry has truly established himself as the starter for this team after leading a comeback against FSU.

“I think he is playing good,” Gray said on Perry. “He is stepping up when his number is called, he is humble, he takes coaching. When he makes mistakes, he doesn’t get down on himself. He is playing like a leader.

“(I tell him) treat every game the same, just stay humble, do what coach tells you to do, look at your reads, don’t get down on yourself if you make a mistake. Like I said, keep leading and being him.”

On Richards’ career-ending neck injury: “I feel bad because Ahmmon is such a great player,” Gray said. “He could’ve had a bright future going to the next level. It’s going to be good because he’ll be around and still show us support and we are going to be here for him. We just got to play for Ahmmon.”
 
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DJ is a very special player and an exceptional teammate.

He has continually amazed me with his work ethic and all out effort in everything he does.

If you were building from scratch what attributes you would want a Cane to have.....the end product would closely resemble DJ Dallas
 
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We need to practice good on good more, especially when preparing for big games. Having the 1st team practice against the 2’s and 3s all week, before a big game, is a mistake, imo. There needs to be one day when you go good against good.

You can get the oline much more prepared by doing it this way
 
Would like to see them work in the IPF more often with cold weather games approaching.
 
Great to see 'Choc'(AKA 'the First Down Maker') make some key plays this season. Really liked that play where he came out of the backfield and turned it up for 15 yards or so. I think that's the type of stuff he would thrive at since he's not a natural FB
 
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Hopefully the rest of the o line is as ****ed as Gauthier is. That unit will be the reason we don’t reach our potential this year. When you hear him say “guys were hot and getting in their feelings” you know they’re pudding soft and will likely not improve until they’re pushed out by better players.
Instead of being ****ed...man that steams me, SS needs to get in their ***.
 
Great to see 'Choc'(AKA 'the First Down Maker') make some key plays this season. Really liked that play where he came out of the backfield and turned it up for 15 yards or so. I think that's the type of stuff he would thrive at since he's not a natural FB

I think Choc can contribute a bunch this year. Been a long time since Miami has used fullback the way we use too. He was excellent runner at QB in HS. He is being successful at one of the things that has failed us until this year, short yardage and goal line. I’d like to see him in a lot more. if his blocking is good he could help protect Perry and if given the Rock can create a whole new worry for defenses.
 
Deejay is a special kid. We’re very lucky to have him.
For sure.

And as much as we’ve complained about the OL the last few years, Tyler Gauthier is such a great story. Pretty much came out of nowhere and now a couple of years later he’s a team leader.

Love that kid.
 
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