Despite a poor performance on O, we actually had a small glimmer of hope at one point in this game (after Jake came in & threw a TD and then was driving for a 2nd quick score). Proud of the team for fighting & not quitting (even when down 26-3). Our D stepped up in Q3 (although Clemson's inconsistent QB & quite a few turnovers played a big part in that). Props to Wes, LT, JW & Kam for stepping up.
Jacurri has a bright future & could develop into a true dual threat QB but he needs 1-2 yrs to polish his passing game. He's a fighter & has great competitive spirit but both the Clemson & FSU games have shown that he needs time to develop his passing. This is based on fact (not emotions) as he had 53 yds passing, a 46% comp %, and a 27.3 QBR. Jake is clearly the better QB at this stage & by a wide margin. Anyone that thinks otherwise does not know what they're looking at. Jake scored more points in one qtr than JB did in three. Jake had a QBR of 104.2 (vs 27.3 for JB). Jake's stats would have been even better if Skinner -- who will be a stud going forward -- had made that one tough catch of a well thrown ball. Jake would have had us in position to score again quickly & bring the deficit to 26-17, if that catch had been made. Another drive was completely ruined by all the "check-with-me" garbage which caused: (i) an OL to get jittery & move while waiting for an eternity; (ii) a delay of game penalty; and (iii) any rhythm Jake was establishing on offense to be completely destroyed. He was then sacked on the next drive by a defender that was completely untouched. GIVE THE MAN SOME HELP & A CHANCE!
Three things are blindingly obvious:
1) The OC should be relieved of his duties immediately. Mario should reduce his salary (if necessary) to make that happen. We had 98 total yds on O. That is gross football malpractice IMHO. Ponce is very likely not the answer long term but he can do better than 98 lousy yards on O against Pitt. Mario desperately needs to show NOW that this program has a bright future. He's not doing that with the current OC. He can sell that with a new OC hire (or at least point to hope for offensive improvement while he hires his next OC).
2) Wesley B has a really bright future. Thankfully, we finally injected some athleticism at the LB position...and what a difference it made. He had solo 8 tackles (more than the entire LB corps had been producing in most prior games). He has "it" and injected some much-needed speed, athleticism and "violence" to the play of that group. Hope he keeps working hard & honing his craft because he has real potential.
3) Jake should be the starting QB. The QB situation has been horribly mismanaged. Jake is the best QB on the roster. Once again, he came in & quickly threw a TD. He was driving us towards a 2nd quick score until Skinner unfortunately dropped that tough catch. Clemson is the best team we've faced & he didn't throw an INT. He can move the offense efficiently, if they get him some protection & stop killing the rhythm of the offense with the check-with-me garbage. I guarantee you he would have thrown for 200-250 yds minimum against Clemson, if the OC JUST LET HIM PLAY. Instead, a choice was made that led to 50 passing yds through 3 qtrs. This is just mind-boggling to me. At this point, the coaches have to scramble to fix the major blunder they made in starting JB way before he is ready. I'd make recruiting Jake to stay the #1 priority at this point because:
(A) TVD was 3-5 this year with a QBR of 52 (and around a .500 W-L QB the last 2 years -- including the hot streak). In his best games, he put up lots of yds but he has not really had any signature wins (maybe Pitt last yr). He's also had some redzone scoring issues so he gains lots of yards (when he's on) but does not score that many points.
(B) JB won't be fully ready to start for another 1-2 yrs. Given the Rashada decommit, we badly need Jake to stay at Miami. Give him real prep & support as QB1 & he will shine.
It's never been more clear that this '23 recruiting class is mission critical at this point. Got to land Samson, keep Kinsler, add some key additional targets on DL, some more high quality WR & top RBs. We can win consistently going forward, if the roster is absolutely loaded with talent. No class will be more important to Mario's tenure here than this one. JR & others (together with the coaches & staff) have a super important role to play and Miami needs to absolutely crush it on the trail this yr. It's the single most likely way Mario's tenure will be highly successful.
Your thoughts?
