NYCCaneadian
Freshman
- Joined
- Dec 8, 2025
- Messages
- 127
Miami won 52-3, took control pretty quickly after a sluggish opening drive, and then spent most of the night getting younger guys meaningful reps. There are definitely things to clean up, but this was a pretty stress-free game after the first quarter. This is what a game against Central Michigan should look like.
My top observations:
Miami handled business, got the game out of reach early, played a ton of young guys, got some interesting looks along the offensive line we can build on, and came out of it without needing to turn this into a fourth-quarter stress test.
My top observations:
- I’ll leave it to the OL experts to figure out the best five, but I am confident in saying that there is a better offensive line in there than what we’ve been trotting out there. We just need to find the right combination and let those guys grow together. The offensive line was a mess early, but I actually came away more encouraged than discouraged. The first drive was ugly with our existing starting 5. We weren’t getting much push, there were false starts, and Mensah took a hit that he absolutely cannot take with how valuable he is.
- Once Congdon got into the mix at LG, the line looked noticeably nastier and started getting more push. Meriweather also made an impact. Mensah actually had time to operate, and the whole offense looked different.
- The penalties are not acceptable. Nine penalties in the first half alone, with six of them being procedural penalties on the offensive line. We’re going to get burned against a better team if we play like that. That lack of discipline is what causes you to drop a game against Clemson or Pitt in ACC play.
- Darian Mensah continues to look really comfortable when he has time. There were a couple of throws (thinking of the one to Upshaw for the touchdown) that were just dots. I can count on one hand how many QBs in college can make that throw.
- I still really want to see Mensah use his legs more, though. I’ve been saying this since last week. This isn’t last year’s offensive line, so adding the QB run/scramble element would give the offense another dimension. Hopefully Shannon Dawson is working with him on recognizing those opportunities because I think it could make a big difference.
- Malachi Toney is ridiculous. That one-handed catch was absolutely filthy, and I’m ****ed a bs call took it away. Somehow, two of the best catches of his career haven’t counted as official catches. This one tonight and that ridiculous sideline catch against Ole Miss in the playoff.
- Also, please take this man off punt returns and take him out earlier. I hold my breath every time he gets hit. He’s an incredible player, but he’s a smaller receiver and defenses are obviously going to key on him. That awkward twist on his shoulder had me immediately nervous in the 2nd quarter (another should’ve been TD)
- I want to see Mensah and Dre Jacobs get on the same page. Right now they’re still working it out, and he’s another weapon sitting there if they can develop that chemistry. Jacobs was a legitimate SEC receiver, so he can absolutely contribute here. If Mensah gets comfortable with him, that gives us another option to add to what is already a ridiculous receiver room.
- Mallory had a nice night. I especially liked seeing him break a tackle and actually create some YAC. He’s obviously talented, and tonight was another example of a young guy continuing to grow.
- I also really like what I’m seeing from Pringle, but his contact balance is still something he needs to improve. A one-arm pull shouldn’t completely turn him around when he has a full head of steam.
That feels like the next step in his game if he wants to become a really good ACC back. The speed and talent are there. He just needs to get better at finishing runs through contact. - Do we have something with Hellcat?
Chris Wheatley-Humphrey runs with some real burst, and there’s a combination of speed and power there that I really like. It feels like the injury timing just hasn’t worked out very well for the young man. Obviously, Central Michigan is not an ACC defense, so I’m not going to get carried away based on this game. But he looked impressive enough that I’m definitely interested in seeing what he can do with more opportunities. - Nice to see some flashes from Wingo on punt returns too. If he can establish himself as another option there, that would be another way to keep Toney away from unnecessary hits.
- I loved Lightfoot’s hustle all night. His motor is just relentless. Even when he isn’t the guy making the initial play, he’s always around the football. Also a great play to get the sack and force the fumble.
- O’Connor had a really nice game I thought, including some good open-field tackles. He’s gained some strength and physicality from last year.
- One small play that stood out to me was CMu’s completion over the middle where Toure just didn’t have the length or athleticism to get a hand on the ball. I was watching CFP quality linebackers like Rasheed Biles or Chris Cole earlier in the day, I think that’s the kind of play that a good LB can become a game-changing PBU or turnover. Toure can obviously play, but there are some physical limitations that show up in certain situations.
- JJ Dunnigan continues to be one of those guys who always seems to be around the football. Nice to see him get gifted a fumble too. He deserves it based on how he’s played these first few weeks.
- Spafford had another nice flash with that sideline catch and toe tap. I really like seeing these young receivers continue to show that they can make plays when they get opportunities.
- The tackling coming out of halftime was not good. I counted four missed tackles on that first drive. You can’t have that kind of sloppiness against better teams. Thankfully the defense settled back down, but it’s something that needs to get cleaned up.
- And finally, can we talk about the refs for a second? Some of those calls were just brutal. I counted 3 TDs taken away. We had a fumble return wiped out and then Malachi had that ridiculous one-handed catch taken away as well as one at the end of the first half. I’m not going to spend the whole post complaining about officiating, but come on. That’s some bull****. It’s especially frustrating when some of the best plays of the night get taken off the board because of questionable calls.
- The broadcast crew was also terrible. I don’t know what was going on, but the announcers made this game genuinely difficult to watch at times. Jon Beason answering the sideline interview like he was auditioning for an on-air job was pretty funny, though.
But please, no more Miami games on CW.
Miami handled business, got the game out of reach early, played a ton of young guys, got some interesting looks along the offensive line we can build on, and came out of it without needing to turn this into a fourth-quarter stress test.
