This team looks different. I'm not even talking about the results. This team looked different in pads. The physical improvement, particularly at OL and LB, is already obvious. We looked like a blue blood playing a G5 team. That hasn't always been the case. The bottom line on Friday: we doubled the spread and nobody got hurt. A very good start.
Let's go position by position:
- Aside from a bad pick where he didn't see the defender,
Tyler Van Dyke was efficient in taking what was given to him. Miami (Ohio) played way off and gave us the short stuff, and Van Dyke went 17/22 as a result. Now that the film is out, we can talk about TVD's index finger. His velocity wasn't quite 100% and Texas A&M will challenge his ability to drive throws. He has a week to keep healing. As reported on the CanesInSight Podcast,
Emory Williams is the backup QB. There are people in the building who think he can be a legitimate star behind an elite OL. He's been spreading the ball all over Greentree with vision and poise. Still too early to make any judgments without a real pass rush and actual stakes, but he showed off his velocity (which surprised me in spring) and size.
- Three running backs had nine carries and another had eight. The team ran for 250 yards at 6.9 ypc without any run over 40 yards. It was a punishing performance by the entire group.
Henry Parrish is rock-solid and already had success against Texas A&M last year.
Ajay Allen is an urgent runner with a sharp upfield cut.
Mark Fletcher showed off his speed at 230 and is going to be a second-half weapon. Happy to see
Don Chaney explode for a TD. As a champion high jumper, he has a unique ability to make a jump cut from gap to gap. And once he has a runway, he has the speed and size to finish.
- No drops from the wide receiver group. As we've discussed all year,
Colbie Young has really slimmed down and jumped to another level in terms of speed. This is a guy who ran 5.0 out of high school and is dusting guys now. I'm an unashamed
Xavier Restrepo believer. He made a one-handed catch, he works back to the QB (see his scramble-drill catch on the free play), he runs with physicality and is just very passer-friendly. More than anything, he's a football-playing fool and was going 100 MPH on every downfield block. He's the biggest reason the Young catch was a TD instead of a first down.
- Another number we saw on every big run was #84.
Cam McCormick makes an impact as a blocker, both inline and on the move. Somebody that jumped out to me- freshman TE
Riley Williams. He had a nice run after catch and also made a key block on the Chaney TD. Soft tissue injuries hurt him in camp, but he is an elite talent who could finish the year with a major role. We will see more from
Elijah Arroyo (didn't dress) and
Jaleel Skinner as the season goes on.
- The story of the game was the offensive line. This looks like Oregon, or better.
Jalen Rivers flying down the field on a WR screen,
Matt Lee making blocks at all levels, and
Anez Cooper pulling on the Fletcher TD. It was bulls on parade. At one point, we had seven OL on the field at the same time: the starters, plus
Matt McCoy (#81) and
Samson Okunlola (#86) at tight end. Last year, we had up to four guys 6'3 or under playing. Now, everyone is a giant. This is a new era of Miami football.
- Two DL that impressed me-
Jahfari Harvey and
Jared Harrison-Hunte. Both guys are good athletes who have been working hard at Miami since 2019. Would love to see them have breakout senior seasons.
- The staff has transformed the linebacker room, physically. Ballcarriers are stopping in their tracks instead of falling forward.
Francisco Mauigoa has elite size and is smart. There were a couple times when the QB broke contain and Mauigoa read him like a book.
Wesley Bissainthe showed big-time burst on his first career sack.
KJ Cloyd continues to surprise people with his size and speed. He reminds me of Adrian Colbert- it's perplexing that he was not more productive at his prior stop given his tools. As reported by
@Peter Ariz on the post-game podcast, there are NFL scouts inquiring on Cloyd. One freshman who stood out with his speed and instincts:
Bobby Washington.
- The defensive backs had a nice game but remain the biggest question mark going forward. I was surprised to see
Davonte Brown come off the bench- he was the only unquestioned starter at CB all camp.
Te'Cory Couch and
Jaden Davis made some nice plays on an island. Next week will be the test.
Overall, it was as clean of a start as possible. Let's pack the Rock next week.
