Lance Roffers
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- Feb 23, 2018
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As the season winds down and the clock approaches midnight on the tenure of another Miami HC in the 2000’s, our beloved Canes looked to get bowl eligible against the Virginia Tech Hokies, who just happened to be coachless after they, too, fired their HC. How did it look on film? Strap in and join me for Upon Further Review.
Miami puts pressure on VT on 3rd down with only three rushers as McCloud takes an inside move and flushes the QB. Nesta does his usual display of motor and sprints down the LOS to shut off the corner. Punt. (Not pictured)
Punt return and George has a nice return. There was a facemask on the tackle that the officials missed. I thought so live, but here you clearly see it.
First play is a deep bomb to Rambo who adjusts to the ball in the air and makes a nice play. TVD with a great ball to give him a chance. (Not pictured)
Credit to Jarrid Williams for not getting too far downfield on this play. Miami is certainly going to more motion and horizontal spacing plays on offense. Franklin runs shallow out with Arroyo running a clearout route. Jarrid could block downfield if the route is only to Franklin since it’s behind the LOS, but they have Rambo running a drag across the play and that’s where TVD hits. It would be illegal if Jarrid goes any further.
Run an out-and-up with Mallory and then a post with Rambo to draw the coverage away. LB drops underneath the post and the S drives on the post, which opens up the corner of the end zone for Mallory to be wide open. Look at TVD, who is throwing the ball before Mallory has even come out of his break. High-level stuff.
Miami got so fortunate right here. Frierson gets out of his lane and actually tackles his own teammate. If the returner doesn’t slip he has daylight and it could’ve been a house call.
Continues to be a major deficiency to this defense: offense lets #12 rush upfield and then traps him away from QB. Nesta is doing that shoulder thing and gets washed down, Taylor is washed away far too easily. Then you’ve got a parting of the red sea and an OL onto Steed. Big QB run.
Your run defense has to start inside-out. Years of playing against that triple-option of GT taught us this. Miami is far too easily washed away and showing a lack of gap integrity. Your NT getting stood up 1-on-1 can’t happen and he has to feel the need to pinch this A-gap here. LB’s are washed away and it’s an easy hole for the RB.
Seen it a lot this year, but you can’t have 12 getting manhandled by a TE in this spot. When that happens and your QB runs, the offense has a numbers advantage on the edge.
Flagg is completely lost here. Thinks the RB has it, but the QB does. He overruns it and the QB runs right by him.
I’m going to be honest; this is the best play by a Miami MLB probably all year. Ragone sees the screen, splits two blockers and gets this man on the ground. This is probably a TD if he gets blocked. There is a decent chance that Ragone is a better player than Flagg.
Brashard Smith gets in front of Restrepo and throws an excellent block to spring him down the sideline. These young guys visibly play so much harder than the veterans. (Not pictured)
Knighton gets singled up on a LB and threatens the wheel route down the sideline on 3rd down, which gets the LB to turn his hips. Knighton runs the Texas route (also called an angle route) over the middle and just outruns the defense for the 1st down. I think Knighton needs to be used even more in the passing game. (Not pictured)
TVD throws a dime on 1st and goal to Rambo, but he can’t hang on. Then Mallory makes a play on 3rd down to extend drive. Knighton cashes in. (Not pictured)
As a game planner on the defensive side, it is my opinion you have to understand what the opposing team wants to do and how to combat it. Here you’ve got the LB’ers turning and running down the MOF to carry the seam. Your NT has to understand that he really needs to hold the line here and two-gap against a QB just taking off and running. The OL just lets him shoot upfield and then washes him whichever way he wants to go. QB steps through for a nice run.
Great play by Flagg who splits a gap on a run blitz and gets a TFL. (Not pictured)
Deep skinny post and the FS tries to jump the slant to Harley. He messed up, as that brought three defenders to Harley and left the MOF open. This is an NFL throw from TVD to George without a ton of separation, on a rope.
Run a cross-action with Knighton and Brashard, which draws eyes to Knighton and Brashard takes it to the 2. (Not pictured)
Pull Scaife and he is supposed to lead on this play, but you see the swim move over the top of Donaldson and Donaldson never touched him. He just fell on his face. Scaife was aware enough to see him coming through and he takes him. Then he comes off the defender and helps push Knighton into the end zone. Really good play by Scaife.
Two guys jump the flats, no one takes the slant. This is a mistake by the LB I believe. Too easy.
Harvey does a nice job of avoiding the pulling G, but misses the tackle and the QB goes for 20+. Middle of the line is Swiss cheese. Avante got juked out of his socks and tackled McCloud who was pursuing. (Not pictured)
VT gets a one-handed catch for the TD, but it should’ve been incomplete. I don’t see how they upfield the call on the field. (Not pictured)
Has Franklin on the dump, but he trusts Brashard’s speed, even though they have it covered. He splits them and TVD puts a beautiful ball out there for a TD.
This ball needs to be picked and is instead completed.
Nesta reads the reverse, and then runs the WR down for a TFL. You will not find a player on Miami who plays with a bigger motor than Nesta.
Carter has to get more depth here and understand the situation of where the sticks are. If he throws that dumpoff to the TE he can still make the tackle, but you can’t allow the dig behind you for a 1st. It's not the exact same coverage as 4th & 14, but it's a repeat of "defenders not getting enough depth in their zone drops."
Keontra forgets his coverage and attacks the QB, the TE runs right by him and is wide open. Thankfully their QB was awful. (Not pictured)
Flagg makes a nice open-field tackle on the QB to hold them to a FG. (Not pictured)
This should have been a pick-6. VT misses a wide-open TE on a blown coverage and has to kick a FG, then drops this for sure TD. If anyone defends Manny, just have them read this. Miami was once again on the right side of variance and lucky to win at all. Against a coachless, bad VT team.
Ragone sacks the QB. He’s developed himself into a player who makes plays in ACC games. Props to him. (Not pictured)
McCloud sacks VT and forces a fumble recovered by Clarke. Good for him. (Not pictured)
Something that frustrated me was Lashlee sort of went into a shell to start the 2nd half in the rain. He brought in a FB and tried to play that game and that just isn’t the game that Knighton plays. He needs space and let him create. FG. (Not pictured)
Marcus Clarke really played this awful. He’s flat-footed and behind a TE. He goes up and gets it.
Steed then gets hit in the face with an on-side kick and can’t handle it. (Not pictured)
From here, the game was a sloppy, monsoon so I will leave you here.
Overall
Miami puts pressure on VT on 3rd down with only three rushers as McCloud takes an inside move and flushes the QB. Nesta does his usual display of motor and sprints down the LOS to shut off the corner. Punt. (Not pictured)
Punt return and George has a nice return. There was a facemask on the tackle that the officials missed. I thought so live, but here you clearly see it.
First play is a deep bomb to Rambo who adjusts to the ball in the air and makes a nice play. TVD with a great ball to give him a chance. (Not pictured)
Credit to Jarrid Williams for not getting too far downfield on this play. Miami is certainly going to more motion and horizontal spacing plays on offense. Franklin runs shallow out with Arroyo running a clearout route. Jarrid could block downfield if the route is only to Franklin since it’s behind the LOS, but they have Rambo running a drag across the play and that’s where TVD hits. It would be illegal if Jarrid goes any further.
Run an out-and-up with Mallory and then a post with Rambo to draw the coverage away. LB drops underneath the post and the S drives on the post, which opens up the corner of the end zone for Mallory to be wide open. Look at TVD, who is throwing the ball before Mallory has even come out of his break. High-level stuff.
Miami got so fortunate right here. Frierson gets out of his lane and actually tackles his own teammate. If the returner doesn’t slip he has daylight and it could’ve been a house call.
Continues to be a major deficiency to this defense: offense lets #12 rush upfield and then traps him away from QB. Nesta is doing that shoulder thing and gets washed down, Taylor is washed away far too easily. Then you’ve got a parting of the red sea and an OL onto Steed. Big QB run.
Your run defense has to start inside-out. Years of playing against that triple-option of GT taught us this. Miami is far too easily washed away and showing a lack of gap integrity. Your NT getting stood up 1-on-1 can’t happen and he has to feel the need to pinch this A-gap here. LB’s are washed away and it’s an easy hole for the RB.
Seen it a lot this year, but you can’t have 12 getting manhandled by a TE in this spot. When that happens and your QB runs, the offense has a numbers advantage on the edge.
Flagg is completely lost here. Thinks the RB has it, but the QB does. He overruns it and the QB runs right by him.
I’m going to be honest; this is the best play by a Miami MLB probably all year. Ragone sees the screen, splits two blockers and gets this man on the ground. This is probably a TD if he gets blocked. There is a decent chance that Ragone is a better player than Flagg.
Brashard Smith gets in front of Restrepo and throws an excellent block to spring him down the sideline. These young guys visibly play so much harder than the veterans. (Not pictured)
Knighton gets singled up on a LB and threatens the wheel route down the sideline on 3rd down, which gets the LB to turn his hips. Knighton runs the Texas route (also called an angle route) over the middle and just outruns the defense for the 1st down. I think Knighton needs to be used even more in the passing game. (Not pictured)
TVD throws a dime on 1st and goal to Rambo, but he can’t hang on. Then Mallory makes a play on 3rd down to extend drive. Knighton cashes in. (Not pictured)
As a game planner on the defensive side, it is my opinion you have to understand what the opposing team wants to do and how to combat it. Here you’ve got the LB’ers turning and running down the MOF to carry the seam. Your NT has to understand that he really needs to hold the line here and two-gap against a QB just taking off and running. The OL just lets him shoot upfield and then washes him whichever way he wants to go. QB steps through for a nice run.
Great play by Flagg who splits a gap on a run blitz and gets a TFL. (Not pictured)
Deep skinny post and the FS tries to jump the slant to Harley. He messed up, as that brought three defenders to Harley and left the MOF open. This is an NFL throw from TVD to George without a ton of separation, on a rope.
Run a cross-action with Knighton and Brashard, which draws eyes to Knighton and Brashard takes it to the 2. (Not pictured)
Pull Scaife and he is supposed to lead on this play, but you see the swim move over the top of Donaldson and Donaldson never touched him. He just fell on his face. Scaife was aware enough to see him coming through and he takes him. Then he comes off the defender and helps push Knighton into the end zone. Really good play by Scaife.
Two guys jump the flats, no one takes the slant. This is a mistake by the LB I believe. Too easy.
Harvey does a nice job of avoiding the pulling G, but misses the tackle and the QB goes for 20+. Middle of the line is Swiss cheese. Avante got juked out of his socks and tackled McCloud who was pursuing. (Not pictured)
VT gets a one-handed catch for the TD, but it should’ve been incomplete. I don’t see how they upfield the call on the field. (Not pictured)
Has Franklin on the dump, but he trusts Brashard’s speed, even though they have it covered. He splits them and TVD puts a beautiful ball out there for a TD.
This ball needs to be picked and is instead completed.
Nesta reads the reverse, and then runs the WR down for a TFL. You will not find a player on Miami who plays with a bigger motor than Nesta.
Carter has to get more depth here and understand the situation of where the sticks are. If he throws that dumpoff to the TE he can still make the tackle, but you can’t allow the dig behind you for a 1st. It's not the exact same coverage as 4th & 14, but it's a repeat of "defenders not getting enough depth in their zone drops."
Keontra forgets his coverage and attacks the QB, the TE runs right by him and is wide open. Thankfully their QB was awful. (Not pictured)
Flagg makes a nice open-field tackle on the QB to hold them to a FG. (Not pictured)
This should have been a pick-6. VT misses a wide-open TE on a blown coverage and has to kick a FG, then drops this for sure TD. If anyone defends Manny, just have them read this. Miami was once again on the right side of variance and lucky to win at all. Against a coachless, bad VT team.
Ragone sacks the QB. He’s developed himself into a player who makes plays in ACC games. Props to him. (Not pictured)
McCloud sacks VT and forces a fumble recovered by Clarke. Good for him. (Not pictured)
Something that frustrated me was Lashlee sort of went into a shell to start the 2nd half in the rain. He brought in a FB and tried to play that game and that just isn’t the game that Knighton plays. He needs space and let him create. FG. (Not pictured)
Marcus Clarke really played this awful. He’s flat-footed and behind a TE. He goes up and gets it.
Steed then gets hit in the face with an on-side kick and can’t handle it. (Not pictured)
From here, the game was a sloppy, monsoon so I will leave you here.
Overall
- Probably the best game of the year from Flagg, who did some good things and had a couple of impactful tackles 1-on-1
- TVD saved this game with his ability to hit chunk plays
- Knighton is another building block of an offense and with the emergence of Thad Franklin and the return next year of Chaney, this running game should be able to produce a lot more next year
- Manny’s scheme will not work defensively and this was a terrible offense that really shredded the defense and could’ve had so much more if their QB was D1 worthy as a passer (Blumrick)
- I will miss Nesta and his motor
- Lashlee wants to go back to his run game roots too often and should’ve put this game away with more Air-Raid concepts
- Rambo is good and will be missed
- Nothing really changed in this game, Miami just had positive variance on their side with the would-be pick-6, a few passes missed on wide-open players, and just a really bad offense not able to capitalize on some of the mistakes of Miami
