With the Hurricanes looking to break a three-game losing streak, coach Al Golden today looked ahead to Virginia.
"The team has done a good job moving forward," Golden said. "Through all the disappointment the last couple of weeks it's really been about moving forward, supporting the seniors and about doing everything we can do to play a really good game against a Virginia team that has played use ll.
"I'm very impressed with David Watford from Virginia. He's 60 percent completion percentage, is doing a great job, escapability, can run. Obviously Jake McGee at tight end has played well, Kevin Parks has done a great job running the ball and being downhill. … very active on defense. Top 20 in takeaways, sacks are up, third down percentage is down. They're doing a very nice job. Eli Harold is doing a great job for them, 11 tackles for losses; Henry Coley, strong inside. On the back end (Anthony) Harris leads the country with interceptions. It's going to be a great challenge for us on Saturday. The biggest challenge is for our team to invest, send our seniors out the way they deserve to be sent off."
Asked about the style of defense UM is playing and what the mindset is for the defense he's trying to instill at Miami - whether he wants a read and react defense - Golden said, "There's never a day where we ever talk about read and react. That's not even a mention. Depending where you are on a defense you have a key and have to respond, that's defense. We want to be a 3-4, because a 3-4 lets you get more speed at linebacker, get over and under fronts. It allows you to play with four down or an odd front, allows you to have speed, attack more. Interceptions are up, takeaways are up, sacks are up, but it's not good enough. So we have to continue to build it, build our depth, continue to develop kids. Obviously we want to attack, be a dynamic defense, a defense that can fly around and disrupt the passer and get tackles for loss. Otherwise you don't want to be in that configuration. Again, it hasn't been good enough."
Here's what else Golden was talking about:
Q: How important is scheme in relation to execution?
Golden: At the end of the day you summed up any coordinator, entity. You lay out what the philosophy is, what you're trying to execute and ultimately it comes down to the execution of it. The problem with defense is you can get exposed if there's nine or 10 guys doing it right one play and one guys is not. No. 2 when you have issues you weaken other areas by trying to fix those. I don't think there's any question in my career I've seen just about every defense that you can have. Ultimately it comes down to the execution of what you're trying to get done on any single play. That's it at the end of the day. There's a million different things we can call. We look at that every day. We're evaluating personnel, making sure we put people in position to execute.
Q: When you chose this style of defense, why this style?
Golden: Because we didn't have a million defensive linemen, 16 defensive linemen. For the real big guys, the noses, you only needed a couple of those. (Curtis)Porter, Earl Moore, we had to bring (Justin) Renfrow in to have enough to got through the season. We didn't have the depth on the defensive line, had more linebackers, guys like (Tyriq) McCord that were a hybrid guy. I think it was the best decision for us coming into this season and we'll continue to personnel it. We're going to have to continue to improve and build depth and move forward.
Q: What's the legacy of the senior class?
Golden: They stood with us when it was really hard. For the most part it's over now, but there really weren't many days where they could see the future the last 28 months. They adopted someone else's problem as their own, fought through it, and are allowing us to move forward now.
Q: As a former defensive coordinator, do you get more involved in the defense now?
Golden: I'm going to keep saying it, that I'm involved in every aspect of football here at the University of Miami. I'm responsible for it all. Right now we're not playing well enough. Collectively it's not good enough and I'm responsible for it.
Q: Have you seen a difference vs. the run in the 3-4 vs. the 4-3?
Golden: I think we had more success early in the year by lining up in both, by pressuring out of both, and we'll continue to do that. We need more tackles for losses, more sacks, more takeaways. All three of those can be tied together. We need that kind of output to return.
Q: Denzel Perryman, talk about his season.
Golden: Denzel is starting to mature, and it really started all the way back in April and May when we gave him his goal weights and he looked at us like we were nuts because it was time for him to move forward in terms of his strength, weight, conditioning. By August he made his goal weights, was still in condition, still had his explosion. But he still wasn't practicing the way he needed; now he's learned how to practice at a higher level. It's a great testament to work ethic, bringing it to the game. He's got a whole another year to go to. If he's a stick shift, he's in third right now. Continue to make interceptions, all those explosive plays, caused fumbles, returned fumbles, explosive plays that really personify what we're looking for from that position.
Q: Are there going to be personnel changes on defense?
Golden: There are. To be quite honest I can't get into all of them. Some we released in the depth chart (
http://tinyurl.com/kpyxk3v); that's as far as I want to go. Saying Renfrow will play more outside so Curtis (Porter) and Earl Moore can play more inside - that's an indication. Corn Elder is on the depth chart now, is going to get more reps. Jamal Carter got a lot of reps today. Some of these guys are earning reps and doing a good job in the roles that we're giving them. We'll see if they can't add something to it.
Q: Do you play younger players now?
Golden: It has nothing to do with their age. We're going to support the seniors through this. Because we lost a couple of games I'm not going to turn my back on the seniors that stuck with us through all this.
Q: What have you seen out of the young defensive tackles, not just Earl but the group as a whole?
Golden: Jelani (Hamilton) and Corey (King) played for us last year and are on scout team cultivating skills. That's what you want, get strong, get tough, then transition them onto the other field. (Ufomba) Kamalu is doing a really good job for us right now, is coming on. In terms of our depth, it's top-heavy. So we're recruiting the heck out of that position, especially guys that can come in and help us right away because of how old the guys are, Renfrow, Luther (Robinson), Curtis (Porter) and those guys.
Q: Is Kamalu's future at the nose?
Golden: No, he's more athletic. He'll play end, maybe three technique. But he's definitely an end.
Q: Justin Renfrow is playing his old team. What has he meant to this team?
Golden: He's bailed us out incredibly. It's well documented what we went through in recruiting last year. To have him and (David) Gilbert come has been huge for us. We needed guys who could come and help us. Justin is a very bright kid, has brought maturity there. To be honest, whatever ways they parted on, we never really talked about it. It's always been what he can do to help us, get a graduate degree. This week he's just getting ready to play, not talking about what's going on there although it's probably a little bit awkward (him playing against former friends/teammates).
Q: Is Muhammad an end or outside linebacker long-term?
Golden: That's kind of what he is right now (both). He has to continue to learn to rush the passer. He is dynamic. He's a freshman, we have to continue to push him and get him to cultivate his skills. We're glad he's here; he's really done a good job for us.
Q: Moving forward you need him to be able to be an every down player?
Golden: He really doesn't play on first and second down (right now). Can I get a sense of whether he can stop the run? Yeah. He started the year in the 20s, now he's in the 40s. He could be 250, 252 next year.
Q: Do you see Tyriq McCord the same way?
Golden: Absolutely. McCord has done better at SAM, gives us the ability to go to a four down front.
Q: Do you talk to top juniors about staying next year now?
Golden: The only thing I do with underclassmen is ask that they go through the entire process of getting their evaluation, doing it the right way. Ultimately it'll come down to them and their family. Our job is to support the process. … there's nobody here right now discussing that. We have too much to do in the next 12 days or so.
Q: What do you expect out of Phillip Dorsett, who is now cleared.
Golden: I don't know. It's going to be close. As I sit here today I really don't know. Tomorrow we'll have a better idea. If we were playing tomorrow I'd say doubtful. Right now I don't know.
Q: Artie Burns, Corn Elder, Danny Isidora are in yellow jerseys. And Stacy Coley is fine?
Golden: Danny, it's positive he's in yellow. Stacy has already been integrated, will be clear. Corn is moving forward. Artie we had to protect today. We'll know more about Artie tomorrow and Phillip tomorrow. (Also) Herb (Waters) was fine. We were on our seventh returner in the game, lost our returners, needed guys to step up and they did.
Q: Could Phillip be back close to where he was?
Golden: Phillip's good. He's been working his tail off. He was here Sunday in the office saying he'll be ready to go. We have to be careful not to go too fast. If he's not ready to go we're going to have to continue to have Rashawn (Scott) and Stacy (Coley) and Herb (Waters) and those guys step up and chase the rabbit - the rabbit right now is Allen Hurns, he's doing a great job for us.
Q: What have you seen out of Kevin Olsen?
Golden: He's starting to understand … Every opportunity he's in the film room he needs to listen, learn, take notes. Every time we're in a team meeting, go in that environment on the road, he has to learn. He has to learn to give him the best chance to compete with Ryan (Williams). We have a smart team, know where to go with the football. Ryan and Stephen (Morris), very fortunate they can talk football the way they talk. They watch film, have ideas and reasons why they're doing it. We need Kevin to develop into that as well. … our biggest concern with Kevin was adhering to a process and learning how to do it. Because at the end of the day, playing quarterback, that process has to be second nature.
Q: How is Ryan Williams progressing?
Golden: Ryan is playing with a really quiet mind, is throwing the ball with great arm strength. We're excited about his (progress).
Q: On the field, was this three weeks your toughest stretch at Miami?
Golden: It's disappointing, but I don't know how you compare it to what we've gone through. That other thing we had no control over, it was so toxic, our guys need to understand, know they're responsible for this. Everyone in the room is responsible for this and we have an opportunity to fix it whereas the other (situation with the NCAA) we didn't have any opportunity to fix.
Q: Alex Figueroa isn't on the depth chart. And talk about Raphael Kirby.
Golden: Fig (Alex Figueroa) is a freshman, now he's been banged up, is out right now. Thurston (Armbrister) and Tyrone (Cornileus) played better than him, but Fig is going to continue to grow and learn. Kirby, I like Kirby. He's going to continue to grow, is going to have to take it over for Jimmy (Gaines)moving forward. That's a challenge he accepts. He's learning how to play. That's the kind of transition you want - senior to sophomore. There shouldn't be that much drop-off by the time he's ready to go.
Q: Brandon Linder is doing well.
Golden: Brandon Linder is playing the best football right now, is playing lights out right now. It's because he's still improving, growing. He's doing great things on the football field carrying it over to the field. (Allen) Hurns, (Jared) Wheeler are the same way. We looked at film from last year and Allen doesn't even look like the same player. His ability to play at a high level constantly; Linder's the same way. He's playing with quick feet, great balance. His second level zone plays are better. Wheeler's the same way, Shayon (Green) is the same way. A lot of those guys are continuing to grow and improve.
