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The Miami Hurricanes are 3-0 (2-0 ACC) to start the season after their 33-20 road victory against Wake Forest. For the Canes, it was a tale of two halves, as Miami dominated the first half but struggled to move the ball in the second. For the first time this year, a Miami team that had looked unstoppable suddenly looked vulnerable.
These are the major takeaways from the game and what needs to happen for Miami going forward.
MIAMI NEEDS TO GET HEALTHY FAST
The Canes came into this game with three of their top cornerbacks injured, including their top two corners, O.J. Frederique and Xavier Lucas. This has forced DC Corey Hetherman to play more tentatively and rely on zone coverages as he tries to take some pressure off the secondary. But on Friday, Miami lost Marty Brown to a concerning injury, Ahmad Moten was nicked up, and Malachi Toney and Mark Fletcher were also banged up, with some reports indicating that Mensah was playing through an injury as well.
There was a lot of outrage over Dawson’s play-calling in the second half. Constantly calling screens for Lofton to gain one yard had Canes fans rightfully angry and frustrated. But with Fletcher and Mali hurt, Marty Brown out, Mensah himself nicked up, and a porous offensive line—we will get to that later—it seems Miami decided to shut things down rather than expose Mensah or risk having other key players get hurt.
For Miami, Central Michigan is an opportunity to rest some key guys and get them healthy ASAP.
THE OFFENSIVE LINE NEEDS A LOT OF WORK
The Canes have had some of the best offensive lines in college football over the past three years. The lines were so good that we took them for granted and assumed Miami was simply going to reload once again.
I was one of those fans, as I thought Jackson Cantwell and Ben Congdon would have prominent roles alongside veterans such as Samson Okunlola and Matt McCoy. But Miami’s offensive line has struggled significantly early in the season. Cantwell and Congdon have had their share of struggles against both Stanford and FAMU. Ryan Rodriguez was pushed around like a rag doll all game by the Wake pass rush, and “SJ” Alofaituli looked like he didn’t even belong as a P4 offensive lineman.
Alofaituli had a 58.6 overall offensive grade from PFF, including a horrific 22.8 pass-blocking grade.
Miami needs Cantwell and Congdon to grow up quickly because it is clear that the interior offensive line is one of the biggest issues the team is facing. For the first time since Cristobal took over and overhauled the unit with his guys, the offensive line looks like an obvious weakness.
I am hoping both guys get plenty of snaps against Central Michigan so Miami can determine whether they can serve as reliable starting options going forward.
MISSED TACKLES
Miami had a tackling problem on Friday night. Despite the defense generating 44 pressures, the Canes missed 15 tackles. One of those misses led directly to a touchdown.
This is not just a one-game problem, either, as Miami missed 11 tackles against FAMU. For the night, the defense had a tackling grade of 36.8 from Pro Football Focus.
Miami’s injuries to key players in the secondary have something to do with it, but we are also seeing the linebackers play too slowly and whiff on tackles they need to make. Miami needs to solve its tackling issues, or the Canes will get gashed by teams with a pulse.
I would like to see more of Wiley, Marcelin, and Pruitt in the linebacker rotation, as I think the speed of those guys can help reduce the number of missed opportunities. Miami needs to get younger and faster at linebacker.
I am not as concerned about the secondary because of the injuries, but I was happy to see Fitzgerald emerge as one of the team’s best tacklers, along with JJ Dunnigan, who has been a total stud so far for the Canes.
THE DEFENSE CAME UP BIG WHEN IT MATTERED MOST
The missed tackles were bad, but the defense saved Miami in the second half after the Canes went into a shell offensively, producing four straight three-and-outs and only one first down over their final six possessions.
It was clear that Miami shut things down offensively and simply wanted to get out of there with a win. They turned to their defense to save the day.
Miami’s defense generated 44 pressures, three sacks, five tackles for loss, nine quarterback hurries, and an interception that sealed the deal for the Canes. The defense made huge plays and came up with key second-half stops, including a massive safety that put Miami up 33-20.
There were still some communication issues that left Wake receivers wide open, and Wake Forest had some dropped passes that could have gone for huge gains. Despite those problems, the Canes did just enough defensively to hold on for the victory.
THE BOTTOM LINE
Miami still has a very long road ahead. The Canes are hurting, their offensive line play is concerning and remains a work in progress, and their tackling and coverage have been poor.
With all that being said, Miami is 3-0.
This is the type of game Miami has lost over and over again during the past 25 years. These are the games Miami was losing as recently as last year, when Louisville and SMU beat the Canes.
Miami beat a Wake Forest team on the road on a Friday night—a game Wake had circled on its calendar. They beat an opponent coming off a nine-win season that is now 11-4 under Jake ****ert.
Winning in college football is hard. Winning on the road against a senior-laden team with good coaching while dealing with a ton of key injuries is even harder.
And Miami got out of there 1-0.
Is there a ton to work on? Absolutely. But progress is being made, and the Canes now have a chance to work out some of their kinks, get healthy, and improve.
In the end, the goal each week is to go 1-0.
The Canes accomplished that goal.
Takeaways From Miami’s Victory Over Wake Forest
The Miami Hurricanes are 3-0 (2-0 ACC) to start the season after their 33-20 road victory against Wake Forest. For the Canes, it was a tale of two halves, as Miami dominated the first half but struggled to move the ball in the second. For the first time this year, a Miami team that had looked...
www.caneswear.com
The Miami Hurricanes are 3-0 (2-0 ACC) to start the season after their 33-20 road victory against Wake Forest. For the Canes, it was a tale of two halves, as Miami dominated the first half but struggled to move the ball in the second. For the first time this year, a Miami team that had looked unstoppable suddenly looked vulnerable.
These are the major takeaways from the game and what needs to happen for Miami going forward.
MIAMI NEEDS TO GET HEALTHY FAST
The Canes came into this game with three of their top cornerbacks injured, including their top two corners, O.J. Frederique and Xavier Lucas. This has forced DC Corey Hetherman to play more tentatively and rely on zone coverages as he tries to take some pressure off the secondary. But on Friday, Miami lost Marty Brown to a concerning injury, Ahmad Moten was nicked up, and Malachi Toney and Mark Fletcher were also banged up, with some reports indicating that Mensah was playing through an injury as well.
There was a lot of outrage over Dawson’s play-calling in the second half. Constantly calling screens for Lofton to gain one yard had Canes fans rightfully angry and frustrated. But with Fletcher and Mali hurt, Marty Brown out, Mensah himself nicked up, and a porous offensive line—we will get to that later—it seems Miami decided to shut things down rather than expose Mensah or risk having other key players get hurt.
For Miami, Central Michigan is an opportunity to rest some key guys and get them healthy ASAP.
THE OFFENSIVE LINE NEEDS A LOT OF WORK
The Canes have had some of the best offensive lines in college football over the past three years. The lines were so good that we took them for granted and assumed Miami was simply going to reload once again.
I was one of those fans, as I thought Jackson Cantwell and Ben Congdon would have prominent roles alongside veterans such as Samson Okunlola and Matt McCoy. But Miami’s offensive line has struggled significantly early in the season. Cantwell and Congdon have had their share of struggles against both Stanford and FAMU. Ryan Rodriguez was pushed around like a rag doll all game by the Wake pass rush, and “SJ” Alofaituli looked like he didn’t even belong as a P4 offensive lineman.
Alofaituli had a 58.6 overall offensive grade from PFF, including a horrific 22.8 pass-blocking grade.
Miami needs Cantwell and Congdon to grow up quickly because it is clear that the interior offensive line is one of the biggest issues the team is facing. For the first time since Cristobal took over and overhauled the unit with his guys, the offensive line looks like an obvious weakness.
I am hoping both guys get plenty of snaps against Central Michigan so Miami can determine whether they can serve as reliable starting options going forward.
MISSED TACKLES
Miami had a tackling problem on Friday night. Despite the defense generating 44 pressures, the Canes missed 15 tackles. One of those misses led directly to a touchdown.
This is not just a one-game problem, either, as Miami missed 11 tackles against FAMU. For the night, the defense had a tackling grade of 36.8 from Pro Football Focus.
Miami’s injuries to key players in the secondary have something to do with it, but we are also seeing the linebackers play too slowly and whiff on tackles they need to make. Miami needs to solve its tackling issues, or the Canes will get gashed by teams with a pulse.
I would like to see more of Wiley, Marcelin, and Pruitt in the linebacker rotation, as I think the speed of those guys can help reduce the number of missed opportunities. Miami needs to get younger and faster at linebacker.
I am not as concerned about the secondary because of the injuries, but I was happy to see Fitzgerald emerge as one of the team’s best tacklers, along with JJ Dunnigan, who has been a total stud so far for the Canes.
THE DEFENSE CAME UP BIG WHEN IT MATTERED MOST
The missed tackles were bad, but the defense saved Miami in the second half after the Canes went into a shell offensively, producing four straight three-and-outs and only one first down over their final six possessions.
It was clear that Miami shut things down offensively and simply wanted to get out of there with a win. They turned to their defense to save the day.
Miami’s defense generated 44 pressures, three sacks, five tackles for loss, nine quarterback hurries, and an interception that sealed the deal for the Canes. The defense made huge plays and came up with key second-half stops, including a massive safety that put Miami up 33-20.
There were still some communication issues that left Wake receivers wide open, and Wake Forest had some dropped passes that could have gone for huge gains. Despite those problems, the Canes did just enough defensively to hold on for the victory.
THE BOTTOM LINE
Miami still has a very long road ahead. The Canes are hurting, their offensive line play is concerning and remains a work in progress, and their tackling and coverage have been poor.
With all that being said, Miami is 3-0.
This is the type of game Miami has lost over and over again during the past 25 years. These are the games Miami was losing as recently as last year, when Louisville and SMU beat the Canes.
Miami beat a Wake Forest team on the road on a Friday night—a game Wake had circled on its calendar. They beat an opponent coming off a nine-win season that is now 11-4 under Jake ****ert.
Winning in college football is hard. Winning on the road against a senior-laden team with good coaching while dealing with a ton of key injuries is even harder.
And Miami got out of there 1-0.
Is there a ton to work on? Absolutely. But progress is being made, and the Canes now have a chance to work out some of their kinks, get healthy, and improve.
In the end, the goal each week is to go 1-0.
The Canes accomplished that goal.