Tough loss but the team fought hard to overcome a terrible start. Perry's play energized the offense. The Baxa missed PAT was a huge factor...not just in terms of the scoreboard but momentum.
Perry should be the starter at QB. The offense was far more effective with Perry at the helm...and not just because of the INTs Jarren threw. JT4, Wiggins, Brevin (even more so than usual) and others were engaged and a meaningful part of the offense with Perry slinging it. If you want a QB that is great at hitting stationary targets in practice, Jarren is the man. If you want a QB that is a gamer, has velocity on his throws and is willing to push the ball downfield (and capable of that), then Perry is the man.
Perry threw for over 420 yards in about three quarters of play. He showed serious competitive spirit & the ability to operate effectively behind a porous OL. He has better pocket presence & more experience. In my opinion, Perry showed greater fight. I hope Perry will continue to mature & show better leadership going forward (no more embarrassing posts on social media etc). If he shows better judgment off the field and works on limiting his errors on the field, Perry could be a very effective QB for us. The offense clearly responded to Perry playing QB.
Prior to today, Jarren was accurate on short & intermediate routes but was struggling with the deep ball. Against Va Tech, he struggled with virtually all of his throws. Jarren doesn't have great pocket presence & he doesn't seem to inspire his teammates as much as Perry. The offense actually seems a little lethargic with Jarren running it. I think Jarren needs a much stronger OL & running game to be highly effective. Jarren may develop & become more dynamic with time but as of today, it is clear that Perry gives us the best chance to win (particularly as we have a porous OL).
Baxa: how many games do we have to lose due to missing PATs and short FGs before the coaches wake up & realize that unfortunately it isn't working out with Bubba. This isn't some overreaction to one missed PAT. There were trouble signs last season, his HS make % was low and this entire season to date has been nothing short of disastrous. We have another K on the roster. We have tons of people on campus that play soccer. Hedley probably can kick FGs & PATs better than Baxa (as he's almost not making anything at this point). If the back-up kicker isn't better than Baxa (who isn't making anything -- even basic little short kicks), then he shouldn't be on the roster either. If Hedley isn't the answer at Kicker (and they should definitely give that a serious try in practice), they need to have an extended try-out and open the competition to walk-ons. Many people play soccer on campus. There are also plenty of students from places like England, Sweden & Australia that can kick short FGs & PATs better than what is happening now. It literally cannot get worse as we are now making nothing. Keep Baxa for the 40+ yarders & kicking off. But please fix this problem this week. Have Diaz, Patke & maybe one other coach spend a whole afternoon watching different options at K....FIX THIS NOW BEFORE THE WHOLE SEASON GOES DOWN THE DRAIN!!!
DL: Much improved when Rousseau, Hill, Nesta, Miller & Garvin were playing. More athletic & capable of getting after the QB. We have some good players on DL. The right players need the bulk of the snaps going forward. Let's stop shooting ourselves in the foot. Patch would get trucked by UVA...book it.
Deejay made some key plays & has a big heart. Very happy he's a Cane. Great leader. That being said, our base running game needs way more pop. Excluding his one long run of 62 yards, Deejay had four (4) yards on 5 carries. Lorenzo is healthy now and we need him to play...and play heavily. With Perry at QB, JT4 re-energized and Lorenzo getting significant carries, this offense could finally realize its full potential. We are seriously missing elite speed at the RB position. Lorenzo will bring that. HE NEEDS TO PLAY OR WE MAY END UP WITH A SUB-.500 RECORD.
OL: Butch Barry needs to step it up. Other teams have young players on their OL and they seem to do just fine. UF had young guys on their OL. Va Tech did too. The Barry hire legitimately doesn't seem to be working out. If I were Manny, I would place a call to Art Kehoe and make a switch. I would also make OL recruiting the major priority for the next couple of years. Manny will not succeed as HC at Miami unless the play of the OL improves significantly....and fast. Every loss hurts recruiting which will just perpetuate the cycle. Manny needs to make tough decisions here and get the OL fixed as fast as possible or he will fail.
Defense: the score doesn't really tell the tale with respect to the performance of the Defense. Most of the points yielded came in the first quarter & were a result of the INTs thrown by Jarren. Va Tech had only 17 points after the first quarter. Yes, there were some coverage busts (maybe in part due to communication & a new DB being introduced to the mix) but overall the majority of the points given up were a function of turnovers (especially the INTs).
We have sufficient talent on our roster to have won all of the games we've played. At minimum, we should be 4-1. We haven't been using our best weapons effectively and it has cost us. Special teams & missed kicks have been a huge factor too. The coaches need to assess the performance of every player at each position & maximize the use of their best players going forward. If they don't we may end up with a sub-.500 record. It simply doesn't have to be this way. We have the talent to beat every team on the schedule. The coaches need to up their game & put our best players on the field & in a position to succeed.
Your thoughts?
