As always, these are only numbers from FBS vs FBS competition.
Offense:
Yards per play: 55th (5.74 YPP)
Yards per game: 55th (395.4 YPG)
Points per game: 43rd (30.4PPG)
Passing yards per game: 42nd (246.7 YPG)
Passing completion percentage: 5th (70.5%)
Passing yards per attempt: 42nd (7.9 YPA)
Passer rating: 41st (146.22)
Passing TDs: 55th (12 TDs)
Interceptions: 113th (9 INTs)
Rushing yards per game: 65th (148.71 YPG)
Rushing yards per attempt: 81st (3.97 YPA)
Rushing TDs: 30th (15)
Sacks given up per game: 5th (0.57 per game)
First Downs per game: 58th (20.7 per game)
3rd down conversion %: 27th (45.36%)
4th down conversion %: 34th (63%, 10 for 16 on the season)
TFLs allowed per game: 7th (3.43 per game)
Red Zone TD %: 21th (71% TD rate, 20 TDs in 28 chances)
Red Zone Scoring %: 34th (25 scores in 28 chances)
Field goal %: 20th (9 for 10)
PAT %: 1st (31 for 31)
10+ Yard Scrimmage Plays: 104th (88)
20+ Yard Scrimmage Plays: 103rd (26)
30+ Yard Scrimmage Plays: 91st (11) Only 1 against SMU
40+ Yard Scrimmage Plays: 96th (5) We had 20 in 12 games last year. 5 in 7 games this year.
50+ Yard Scrimmage Plays: 92nd (2)
60+ Yard Scrimmage Plays: 88th (1)
70+ Yard Scrimmage Plays: 91st (0)
Defense:
Yards per play allowed: 10th (4.62 YPP)
Yards per game allowed: 12th (298.6 YPG)
Points per game allowed: 12th (17.4 PPG)
Passing yards per game allowed: 58th (221.1 YPG)
Passing completion percentage allowed: 27th (58.3%)
Passing yards per attempt: 18th (6.3 YPA)
Passer rating allowed: 26th (118.11)
Rushing yards per game allowed: 2nd (77.43 YPG)
Rushing yards per attempt allowed: 7th (2.64 YPA)
Sacks per game: 35th (2.3 sacks per game)
3rd down % allowed: 9th (30.61% allowed)
4th down % allowed: 46th (50.5%, opponents 8/16 on 4th down)
Red Zone td % allowed: 103rd (68.75% allowed -- 11 TDs in 16 chances)
Red Zone Scoring % allowed: 95th (88% allowed -- 14 scores in 16 chances)
Punting: 45th (44.35 Yard average)
10+ Yard Scrimmage Plays allowed: 11th (76)
20+ Yard Scrimmage Plays allowed: 27th (25)
30+ Yard Scrimmage Plays allowed: 10th (9)
40+ Yard Scrimmage Plays allowed: 11th (4)
50+ Yard Scrimmage Plays allowed: 15th (2)
60+ Yard Scrimmage Plays allowed: 16th (1)
Team Stats:
Penalties: 134th (8.6 penalties per game) 134th out of 136 teams in America
Penalty yards: 111th (65.3 Yards per game)
Turnover margin: 40th (+0.29 per game -- 11 takeaways, 9 giveaways)
Time of possession: 5th (34:17 per game)
Seconds per play: 125th (29.5 seconds between plays, only 11 teams slower)
Advanced Metrics:
Total ADJ/EPA per play: 13th
Success Rate %: 5th
Offensive Adj/EPA per play: 43rd
Passing EPA/dropback: 28th
Rushing EPA/rush: 67th
Offensive Success Rate: 11th
Defensive Adj/EPA per play: 13th
Passing Defensive EPA/dropback: 31st
Rushing Defensive EPA/rush: 8th
Defensive Success Rate: 11th
Takeaways:
I'm exhausted. This is literally the same exact offense, every. Single. Week. Just look at this. Last 4 games we've played, here are the yards per play numbers:
FSU - 5.73
Louisville - 5.66
Stanford - 5.46
SMU - 5.55
I mean, holy ****. If you went into a coma at any point over the last month, and woke up during a Miami game, you'd just think you were watching the same exact game. It's just a carbon copy every single week. Middling yards per play, no explosives, decent success rates, but pathetic performance on the scoreboard. It's totally maddening to watch, and a complete failure by everyone involved. Last week in this space, DMoney argued that the offense didn't stink, and I somewhat relented because, it's not "worst in the country" bad. But almost as pathetic, it's just boring, repetitive, and average. There is absolutely nothing remotely exciting about what we do on that side of the ball right now. I could write an entire thesis about my full thoughts on this, but I'll do my best to keep it brief and just talk numbers. We're now 81st in rushing yards per carry, and think about this....we're 5th in the country in sacks allowed, and 7th in TFLs allowed. So we're not getting massive "rushing" losses via sacks like almost all other teams do. No, we don't get sacked, we don't take losses....we just run it 35 times a game and get 3-4 yards on every play. Pathetic.
I saw a stat over the weekend that I had to check out myself to believe, so I researched it. In the last 3 weeks, Miami has faced 26 plays of 3rd/4th and 1 yard or 2 yards to go. So, 3rd or 4th and short. 26 times. We have run the football........TWENTY-SIX TIMES. The game prior, against FSU, we threw the ball twice in that situation. Results? First down to Bowman, 40 yard TD to Toney. I really try to be open-minded here and not be a Monday Morning QB like most people do, but my god. Twenty-six times in a row? And again, I somewhat get it, because last year, it worked just about 100% of the time. We talked about it all year, in 3rd and 4th and short, we just mauled people. It worked, again and again and again. So I understand the thought process this year. But guess what? IT'S NOT WORKING THIS YEAR AT THE SAME RATE! We were Top 10 last year in every run push metric, and in yards before contact. This year, we stink. We're in the 40s nationally in both. For whatever reason, you don't have last year's run push. So don't do the same goddamned thing every single time???? Even if it doesn't work, just make a defense and a DC think about something other than you lining up with 3 tight ends and a freshman lineman "fullback" (who sucks at this, by the way), and making a rugby scrum. Simply maddening ****. It's game 8, how have you not figured this out yet?
So, yet another week (and likely season) where one unit plays well enough to win, and the other stinks out loud. 13 non-gifted points against Louisville, and 20 points against SMU (where you could argue 3 of those were gifted because Toney runs a punt to the 9 and, of course, you don't score and kick a FG). Simply nowhere near good enough. The entire offensive philosophy and approach can **** off. I said it to
@JamesQuall yesterday, the theory, in a vacuum, makes sense. You have a very legit defense, you have who you feel is the best player in America who you want to impact the game as much as possible, play a little slower, try to be efficient, rely on your defense. Michigan did it and won a natty. Several programs have. The problem is, it doesn't work when you're the dumbest team in the history of sports, and cannot stop shooting yourself in the **** to the tune of SEVEN offensive penalties in one half.
On defense, another pretty standard performance. Not our best, but certainly good enough to win on the road. I'm pretty sure SMU had negative rushing yards before overtime. And yes, we made Jennings look far better than he actually is, but we had the ball with 5 minutes left in the game, up 20-17. A good team ends it on offense, and if so, you finish the game with your opponent scoring 17 points, 7 of which were gifted after a turnover, and barely 300 yards of total offense. That's good enough for me. We're now #2 in the country in yards per game allowed rushing, and 7th in yards per carry allowed. Top 10-15 in pretty much every single metric you can find. It continues to be a championship worthy defense, completely let down by an inept and boring *** offense. Wash, rinse, repeat for this program. In true gut-wrenching Miami fashion, it's pretty much the same situation, just reversed, as last year. IMO the 2024 offense with the 2025 defense wins a national championship, and easily. Like, almost effortlessly. Conversely, the 2024 defense with the 2025 offense probably goes 4-8. Truly sickening stuff.
Lastly, the elephant in the room that we keep swan diving into its massive piles of ****.....my god, the penalties. Again, this is just Groundhog Day. It's so frustrating. It's the same **** week after week after week. I had a long talk with my old man on Saturday, and I said I kind of just want to get beat by a good football team to see how it feels. Like, have 100 fewer yards of offense, have them run the ball down our throats, we can't block anyone, etc. Just to see if it feels as bad as losing this way does. Because we haven't lost by more than a score in 2 years. We almost always win the yardage battle, time of possession, etc. But we are so ******* stupid, ALWAYS. And it's been like this for 20 years. These penalties are just absolute back-breakers. If you're going to play methodically and rely on your defense, because you either can't or won't be explosive on offense, then you can't have drive after drive after drive completely crushed by brainless penalties. As noted above, we are now 3rd worst in the entire country in penalties per game. Inexcusable. I typically don't harp THAT MUCH about penalties, but the completely avoidable ones are inexcusable, and for whatever reason, they're so much worse this year. Last year, every week I praised the staff and kids because we looked professional on offense. Very few motion penalties, illegal formations, holds, etc. This year, do we practice? It's completely flipped. We look like we're only allowed to practice for about 45 minutes a week. And it's every single game, the same exact thing. Snap infractions, false starts, holds, just dumb, avoidable ****. But we also like to level up when we can, and run into a QBs face on a dead ball, so instead of actually making them convert a 4th and 9 that literally holds the balance of the game, we just give it to them.
Thanks for coming to my Ted Talk. Everyone involved in any aspect of the offensive football operation deserves every single bit of criticism coming their way. It's repulsive. Mario, Dawson, every position coach, every analyst, every kid, everyone. Same exact thing I said about the defense last year. You've completely wasted an elite unit by being dumb, stubborn, uncreative, and clueless. Shame on all of you.
