You know Miami is getting back...

[dukebeeasy305]

Mike Smith stood out. Dude has really transformed his body. And looked much quicker than I ever thought he would/could. Showed some great burst.

He looked like the best linebacker we had in person at the game

 

[919cane]

Our special teams coverage and return units are where we are the furthest from being back. Just atrocious.

 

[The Franchise]

There was no reason to rush him back for the slate of games we just had. Let’s see if he straps up for FSU. If he doesn’t play against them, then he may catch a redshirt.

Zero sense at all redshirting a guy who will NEVER stay here 5 years. The only way he redshirts is if he’s physically unable to play in more than 4 games this year.

 

[dukebeeasy305]

This is a good win, for sure. But I am wondering if it is also fool's gold. We saw this play out last year winning games with multiple turnovers and defense while our offense struggles. Without the defensive scores last night the whole complexion of the game changes and we are in a tighter game with more pressure on a freshman qb.

That said I think our new qb is light years better that we had. Maybe Richt doesn't get so conservative in a tighter game and lets N'Kosi air it out and get into a rhythm. It seemed last night he was willing to sit on the lead and work on the running game.

I am still a bit guarded in my optimism until I see how the offense rolls when the defense maybe isn't having its best performance.

The offense ain't struggle tho

 

[BeastMode]

Zero sense at all redshirting a guy who will NEVER stay here 5 years. The only way he redshirts is if he’s physically unable to play in more than 4 games this year.

It’s looking that way. He might play at the back end of the season.

 

[OptimusCreampie]

If you saw that from an other angle it looked so much more violent than that.. he got straight *****ed

 

[firstandcanes]

Travis Homer tackling that big linemen after the fumble was a thing of beauty

Tackle? That was a body to body suplex.

 

[brock]

The offense ain't struggle tho

Had 2 bad drives in the 3rd quarter but yeah they were moving the ball at will pretty much the whole game

 

[ScubaCane]

Good win. But UNC sucks.

True, but we made a lot of crappy teams look good last year, that was the difference about last night.

 

[pacusmc]

Most definitely! On those two consecutive plays, Willis reminded me of Forrest Whittaker in Fast Times at Ridgemont High! "Jefferson with the tackle! Jefferson with another tackle! Jefferson! Jefferson! Jefferson! Jefferson!"

 

[BeastMode]

....

 

[CaneStuck@USF]

Off topic, but I think one of the best things to watch is those photographers trying to scramble to get from the end zone over to our sideline to photograph the turnover chain scene after our pick/scoop 6’s.

 

[1mg of Epi]

This is a good win, for sure. But I am wondering if it is also fool's gold. We saw this play out last year winning games with multiple turnovers and defense while our offense struggles. Without the defensive scores last night the whole complexion of the game changes and we are in a tighter game with more pressure on a freshman qb.

That said I think our new qb is light years better that we had. Maybe Richt doesn't get so conservative in a tighter game and lets N'Kosi air it out and get into a rhythm. It seemed last night he was willing to sit on the lead and work on the running game.

I am still a bit guarded in my optimism until I see how the offense rolls when the defense maybe isn't having its best performance.

The O didn’t really have the chance to get it going.. all those defensive scores robbed the O of a few series. They were sluggish in the 3rd, but that happens in games.

 

[Number1CanesFan]

...when the team is scoring non-offensive TDs. This was a feel-good win, as you can tell by the smirk on Richt's face when he shook Fedora's hand.

- UNC's offense was living in fear of Gerald Willis, Joe Jackson and Jon Garvin. Those three are game-wreckers and give us a chance in any game we play.

- N'Kosi Perry only had 12 attempts but showed a lot of accuracy and poise. Of his four incompletions, two were drops, one bounced off a receiver's chest and the other was a miscommunication. I am pleasantly surprised by his consistency and mature approach. The TD pass to Langham was as good as it gets.

- Third game in a row we rush for over 200 yards. It helps to have two big-time backs with Deejay Dallas and Travis Homer.

- We miss Jaquan Johnson. A lot of those 20-yard gains are 9-yard gains with Quan on the field. Knowles gets a lot of (deserved) heat, but I thought he played better than Amari Carter today.

- The sample size is getting bigger, and we are still maintaining a top position in third down defense. UNC was 2-13. In 2017, Manny emphasized turnovers. The results were immediate. In 2018, Manny emphasized third-down defense. The year is young, but so far so good on that front.

- Hope Shaq and Mike Smith are OK. Both looked outstanding.

- Romeo Finley is quietly becoming a baller. He is tough, he has excellent straight-line speed and he has improved his coverage ability. The striker position was a God-send for him.

- Choc Gray is really finding his niche in short-yardage back. It reminds me of when Damien Berry emerged towards the end of the Shannon era. Gray is generating some legit buzz in the scouting community as a late-round pick/FA.

- Trajan Bandy and Travis Homer play the game the way it was meant to be played. Absolutely love their physicality and effort.

All in all, this was a 47-10 over a North Carolina team that gave us fits in the Shannon/Golden eras. It is so refreshing to expect to win these games.

I was really impressed with Shaq and Mike Smith. We know Shaq is great. I was pleasantly surprised how well Mike Smith played. He was physical, decisive, and quick to the ball carrier. He's a starter on any other team.

I'm going out on a limb. I think he's good enough to make an NFL roster next year with his versatility. The kid looks healthy and is playing well.

 

[CanesFiend]

I agree with everything you said but I'll add two more things.
1. We miss entirely too many tackles. Their running backs were gashing us due to us arm tackling and leading with shoulders instead of form tackling.
2. The offensive line is still a work in progress. I think 78 needs to go back to RT and 55 back to RG. Lets let 51 man the LT position. Baptism by fire approach with him.

Me and the dude that has the tickets right next to me were counting off missed tackles/how many tacklers it took to bring someone down. It is embarrassing how many times we got to at least 4.

 

[NE Canes]

When I watched this I said out loud..."Oh Homer...I love you man"

 

[1mg of Epi]

First mention I see of "Perry's relaxed style". So now that others have also noticed it, I think it is more of a positive at this point and it will be interesting to see if it will become an issue when facing teams with a good pass rush.

At this point, I'm going to believe that his relaxed style and his quick release are a perfect combination.

He was able to scoot last night when he needed to. Hopefully that relaxed style means the game is slowing down for him

 

[DMoney]

There’s buzz in the scouting community about potential free agents?

Scout said he was aiming to pick him up.

 

[Number1CanesFan]

...when the team is scoring non-offensive TDs. This was a feel-good win, as you can tell by the smirk on Richt's face when he shook Fedora's hand.

- UNC's offense was living in fear of Gerald Willis, Joe Jackson and Jon Garvin. Those three are game-wreckers and give us a chance in any game we play.

- N'Kosi Perry only had 12 attempts but showed a lot of accuracy and poise. Of his four incompletions, two were drops, one bounced off a receiver's chest and the other was a miscommunication. I am pleasantly surprised by his consistency and mature approach. The TD pass to Langham was as good as it gets.

- Third game in a row we rush for over 200 yards. It helps to have two big-time backs with Deejay Dallas and Travis Homer.

- We miss Jaquan Johnson. A lot of those 20-yard gains are 9-yard gains with Quan on the field. Knowles gets a lot of (deserved) heat, but I thought he played better than Amari Carter today.

- The sample size is getting bigger, and we are still maintaining a top position in third down defense. UNC was 2-13. In 2017, Manny emphasized turnovers. The results were immediate. In 2018, Manny emphasized third-down defense. The year is young, but so far so good on that front.

- Hope Shaq and Mike Smith are OK. Both looked outstanding.

- Romeo Finley is quietly becoming a baller. He is tough, he has excellent straight-line speed and he has improved his coverage ability. The striker position was a God-send for him.

- Choc Gray is really finding his niche in short-yardage back. It reminds me of when Damien Berry emerged towards the end of the Shannon era. Gray is generating some legit buzz in the scouting community as a late-round pick/FA.

- Trajan Bandy and Travis Homer play the game the way it was meant to be played. Absolutely love their physicality and effort.

All in all, this was a 47-10 over a North Carolina team that gave us fits in the Shannon/Golden eras. It is so refreshing to expect to win these games.

Would love to see Choc get some burn as a feature back in a "heavy" formation. He has speed to go with that 240 lb frame. Put in Realis or an Lineman at FB and let Choc tote the rock from the HB position. Total physicality, stop me if you can, run the ball right down your throat 4 minute offense. A perfect way to close out games.

 

[Cans4life]

It was a nice crowd for a Thursday against a weak team. Next weekend should be a ruckus Donnybrook.