This team needs a lot of work. Tonight felt like the last two UVA slogs. We were lucky to win. UVA blew a pick-6 on a screen and committed several bailout penalties. Another performance like that is likely a loss.
But we aren't the 2002 Canes sleepwalking against Rutgers. This team isn’t good enough for fans to take wins for granted. There are four teams that should expect a blow out every game. We aren’t one of them.
I’ll take 5-1. Most teams would. Am I saying Manny’s the guy? Of course not. Last year was one of the worst seasons in Canes history. There’s a lot of ground to make up. But we asked for a modern offense and consistent wins against inferior ACC teams. So far, we’ve gotten what we’ve asked for.
The real test is November. That's where Miami seasons go to die. The first step is beating the bye week. That's been one of Manny's toughest opponents.
On to the specifics of the game.
- One of our problems on the OL is that we have three centers on the interior. Scaife lacks the anchor strength of a guard. He is someone who can play a solid T in college and is best long-term as a C. That was his evaluation out of high school and remains true today. Donaldson should be motivated to get his body right because he has a huge role waiting for him. Jalen Rivers also shuffled in on a 4th down play (it was aborted because of a bad sub) and may be more of a factor going forward.
- With that said, our OL was not that bad pass blocking. King had some nice pockets, even when Virginia brought pressure. Some of the busted plays were due to coverage or King not making quick enough decisions.
- The run game is a different story, as there is both a lack of push and a lack of imagination. This bye week is a good time to add some wrinkles there.
- Something is definitely up with King's running. He is either hurt or protecting himself. It's not only the read-option. From the stadium view, there was a ton of green grass on those scrambles if King takes off earlier. He's still an excellent college QB (322 yards, 70% in the air) but he's not going to win out without the running element of his game.
- Happy to see Harley step up. This is what I expected out of camp. He's nowhere near a #1 but he is the best receiver on this team. Pope is still not there but is moving in the right direction. Wiggins has no confidence and is a liability right now.
- This offense lacks a run-after-the-catch WR. Lashlee's offense works much better when he has a playmaker on those quick screens. Hopefully that is solved with the '21 class. When Brevin comes back, I would have him and Mallory running those plays on the same side. They are our two best RAC guys and our two best perimeter blockers.
- Jaelen Phillips lacks a plan as a rusher. He is all effort and explosive power, like a young Olivier Vernon. The pass rush has been an overall disappointment and needs to get going down the stretch. We miss those Rousseau-at-DT alignments that everyone complained about. The team's sack percentage has dropped from 11.03% (2nd in nation) to 6.10%.
- Virginia is not good, but they are better than 1-4 with Armstrong at QB. This reminded me of the Clemson/UVA game with UVA's veteran OL slowing down a more athletic front. Clemson won by 13 more points, which reflects the current gap between the two programs.
- Gilbert Frierson is one of the smartest players we've had in a while. He made a key third-down stop early in the 3rd when UVA brought #99 across the formation and Frierson sniffed it out the whole way. He also played safety in the second half with zero college experience just to help the team. I would give him a gold star if not for his poor tackling on #13's long catch-and-run. He grabbed at the waist like a sixth-grade slow dance. Overall, we need to clean up our tackling technique when runs reach the third level. It hurt us against Clemson and UVA.
- Don Chaney's TD was an example of a superior talent imposing his will. People have been forecasting a Chaney growth spurt for years (his dad is 6'6, 350) and now we've seen it. He looks like Todd Gurley. This is the biggest reason for optimism: Miami is starting to land elite-tier physical talents like Chaney, James Williams and Leonard Taylor instead of letting them leave home.
- Charles Snowden was the best defensive player on the field. A lot of his plays were superior individual efforts. Glad he's gone.
- The defense made two inexcusable mental errors on the drive to make it 19-14. Steed was barely lined up for Armstrong's long 4th down run and got stuck in no-man's land. Blades fell asleep on the long TD, and from the stands you could see he lacked urgency before the snap. Virginia, on the other hand, was very aware in taking away plays (like the 2-point conversion) and generally had better energy.
- I didn't love Manny's demeanor after the game. Relief is fine because it is hard to win. But there was an effort issue in the first half and a focus issue on UVA's last TD drive. Those habits need to be called out and corrected. Is he just building up a 6-7’s team’s confidence, or is he too nice?
- The key drive was the 13-play drive that resulted in a FG. I think we pull away if that's a TD. Instead, it was a FG and the game was a struggle to the end. Lashlee had a tough decision: do you ride the hot hand with Chaney or use his threat to set something up? He's going to need to thoroughly evaluate his red zone offense during the bye week.
- Overall, it's a good week for a bye. Get guys back from COVID, make some adjustments offensively and heal up. It's a good thing us fans are still emotionally invested and frustrated. That means the games still matter.
