The Miami Hurricanes defeated the #18 Louisville Cardinals on Saturday night in their ACC opener, 47-34. After a rewatch of the game, these were my main takeaways and grades.
**Optics-wise, this was the biggest win of Manny Diaz’s tenure. Regardless of your feelings on if Louisville actually deserved to be ranked, the reality was that this was the first ranked matchup of the entire 2020 college football season. It was a night game, on the road, with the added hype of College GameDay. The entire nation was watching, and the Miami Hurricanes not only showed up, but they basically controlled the majority of the game from start to finish. When was the last time that happened? Notre Dame (at home) in 2017?
With the performance, Diaz earned the first ranked road win of his head coaching career and the season suddenly looks a lot more promising than it did a mere two weeks ago. The key for this team, as it has been for past UM teams in recent times, will be to build on this effort and use it as a springboard for bigger successes, instead of being satisfied with this win, taking their foot off the gas, and buying into their own hype. Diaz’s challenge will be keeping the team focused and prepared every single week, something he really struggled with in his first season as HC.
**Is it time to buy into Miami’s offense? I wouldn’t blame you if last year has you hesitant, in terms of watching UM and Dan Enos have a record-setting performance vs. the Cardinals one week, then go on to score 41 total points over the final three games, all losses, and two to Group of 5 opponents. While this Louisville defense is quite frankly a very bad unit and I’d still like to see more of Rhett Lashlee’s attack, there’s a few differences that have me optimistic going forward.
First and foremost, the spread out nature of the offense is presenting Miami with a ton of 1-on-1 matchups that are naturally going to favor the speed at UM. It’s something that’s inherent to the spread and it’s just one reason why many of us have been clamoring for this type of offense, but Miami is really taking advantage of these easy matchups across the board right now. Another thing I really like to see is how Lashlee is scheming players open, most notably on Jaylan Knighton 75-yard touchdown catch. That play was a direct result of the trips left formation and Lashlee recognizing UL’s tendency to over-focus on D’Eriq King. All it took was one false step from King for the entire right side of the field to be completely vacated. Great example of playcalling, knowing your personnel, and recognizing defensive tendencies, all of which Enos really struggled with in his tenure here.
**Miami’s offense continues to own the third quarter. This is really just an extension of the last point, but this deserves its own focus as Lashlee and the UM offense are dominating their opponents coming out of the break in 2020. For the second straight week, the Hurricanes scored on all three of their possessions in the third stanza, both times totaling 17 points; against UAB, Miami ran 25 plays for 212 yards, while against Louisville, they recorded 10 plays for 187 yards. Five of those six third quarter scoring drives have been completed in 2:50 or less as well. Miami also scored points on each of their five second half drives vs. UL before kneeling out the clock on their final drive of the game. It’s just two games, but Lashlee is showing a strong ability to identify weaknesses in his opponent during the first half and adjust the gameplan during halftime on the fly to aggressively exploit those weaknesses.
**The big pass play finally showed up. After focusing all week in practice to perfect the timing between King and his receivers to start hitting on more explosive plays down the field, UM converted on 4 passes of 30 yards or more vs. the Cardinals; they hit on zero against the Blazers in Week 1. King finished the game 18-30 (60%) for 325 yards passing on 10.8 ypa, a huge jump up from last week’s 6.1. I love that UM was able to identify a weakness and quickly self-correct, and if Miami can continue that trend going forward, this offense will be extremely difficult to stop when you consider how they can beat you in so many different ways. Last week vs. UAB, Miami used a stable of talented backs and King’s legs to churn out yardage on the ground in a run-heavy approach, and vs. Louisville, it was more of a balanced approach. That type of versatility is what keeps defensive coordinators up at night and it will serve Miami well to make their opponents pick their poison by continuing to refine each aspect of the offense.
**Miami might have the best kicker-punter combo in the nation. I admittedly haven’t done my research into every team’s specialists, but there aren’t going to be too many that offer more than what the Canes are putting out there right now. With Louis Hedley and Jose Borregales, UM has two matured, older players that are battle tested and unafraid of the moment. Hedley is already on the Ray Guy Award watch list, while Borregales seems set to make the Lou Groza Award watch list in their next update. Neither has shown signs of slowing down in 2020 and, of course, Borregales really shined against Louisville, going 4-4 on FG’s, with three of those kicks being 40+ and a career-long 57 yarder. How many college kickers have the trust of their coach to put them out there for a 57-yard FG attempt?
Borregales is now a sparkling 18-25 (72%) on kicks from 40+ in his career, which gives Miami so much more flexibility when considering their options on what to run on third and fourth down in their opponent’s half of the field. The difference at kicker from last season (and at punter compared to recent years) is night and day, and it’s such a huge benefit to have a true advantage on special teams in what is essentially a third of the game.
**It’s that time where we talk about what went wrong on defense. UM started strong by holding UL to 6 points in the first half, but they completely collapsed after that, with the Cardinals doing pretty much whatever they wanted in the second half; UM ended the game giving up 34 points and 516 total yards. Look, Louisville is an explosive offense and completely shutting them down would have been an incredible feat. But Miami’s stop unit was hard to watch at times, with receivers consistently running wide open in the secondary and linebackers over-pursuing and getting out of their run fits to spring big plays.
It’s a continuation of a trend where Miami struggles vs. the best and fastest offenses they face during the season, while feasting on the string of bad offenses they ultimately end up playing in the ACC to shore up their numbers. This 2020 version of the D has the looks of more of the same; another above average to very good defense that has issues when matching up against elite offenses that can test them with equal or better speed. A lot to clean up moving forward for Blake Baker to change that perception.
**WR drops and penalties were also major problems. There were at least three big drops for Miami receivers in this game, all of which were put right on the money by King, and two of which would have been touchdowns. That led to just 8 total receptions from UM receivers as King mainly relied on his TE’s and backs. Last week, the receivers had trouble creating separation, and this week it was a total lack of concentration when they were in position to make a play. A poor start in all areas from this group and something that could hold this offense back over time. UM also continually shot themselves in the foot with penalties totaling 11 for 89 yards after looking good in this area during Week 1 (3 for 25 yards vs. UAB). Both these issues combined to lead to an ugly three and out late in the second quarter that saw Miami bungle great starting field position on their own 45 by committing three straight penalties, with Mark Pope dropping a pass point-blank while all alone that could have bailed them out of the mess. No doubt an exciting win vs. UL, but there’s still plenty for Manny Diaz to harp on and keep this team on their toes heading into FSU next week and I don’t think it’s a stretch to say we haven’t seen Miami’s best overall team effort just yet, not even close.
Grades
Offense: A
The Canes showed an exciting and explosive attack in piling up 47 points and 485 yards on 8.1 yards per play. No turnovers here for a second straight game. Over 40% (6-13) on third downs for the second straight game. 3-3 in the redzone. Only allowed 1 sack. The WR drops were a small negative, but this unit showed up in a big way.
Defense: D
Allowed an ugly 34 points and 516 total yards. Strong first half was wiped out by an abysmal second half that saw UL move the ball at will. Positives were 3 turnovers, as well as 3 sacks and 10 TFL. It was a tough matchup, but I expect more from this unit.
Special Teams: B+
Hedley (42.3 on three punts, one inside the 20) was his usual solid self, while Borregales was a catalyst in giving the team a ton of confidence and holding off any UL comeback attempt with his big night. The coverage team also didn’t allow any major returns, but no big returns for UM either. Gave up an onside kick recovery.
Coaching: B+
Lashlee’s strong second half adjustments were almost cancelled out by Baker’s lack of effective second half adjustments. 11 penalties for 89 yards never flies. Ultimately, though, the team was prepared to play on the road for a night game against a ranked conference opponent and controlled the game from the opening whistle. Just like last week, the team responded to each of UL’s scores immediately with a scoring drive of their own before the final kneel downs. No noticeable time management issues.
**Optics-wise, this was the biggest win of Manny Diaz’s tenure. Regardless of your feelings on if Louisville actually deserved to be ranked, the reality was that this was the first ranked matchup of the entire 2020 college football season. It was a night game, on the road, with the added hype of College GameDay. The entire nation was watching, and the Miami Hurricanes not only showed up, but they basically controlled the majority of the game from start to finish. When was the last time that happened? Notre Dame (at home) in 2017?
With the performance, Diaz earned the first ranked road win of his head coaching career and the season suddenly looks a lot more promising than it did a mere two weeks ago. The key for this team, as it has been for past UM teams in recent times, will be to build on this effort and use it as a springboard for bigger successes, instead of being satisfied with this win, taking their foot off the gas, and buying into their own hype. Diaz’s challenge will be keeping the team focused and prepared every single week, something he really struggled with in his first season as HC.
**Is it time to buy into Miami’s offense? I wouldn’t blame you if last year has you hesitant, in terms of watching UM and Dan Enos have a record-setting performance vs. the Cardinals one week, then go on to score 41 total points over the final three games, all losses, and two to Group of 5 opponents. While this Louisville defense is quite frankly a very bad unit and I’d still like to see more of Rhett Lashlee’s attack, there’s a few differences that have me optimistic going forward.
First and foremost, the spread out nature of the offense is presenting Miami with a ton of 1-on-1 matchups that are naturally going to favor the speed at UM. It’s something that’s inherent to the spread and it’s just one reason why many of us have been clamoring for this type of offense, but Miami is really taking advantage of these easy matchups across the board right now. Another thing I really like to see is how Lashlee is scheming players open, most notably on Jaylan Knighton 75-yard touchdown catch. That play was a direct result of the trips left formation and Lashlee recognizing UL’s tendency to over-focus on D’Eriq King. All it took was one false step from King for the entire right side of the field to be completely vacated. Great example of playcalling, knowing your personnel, and recognizing defensive tendencies, all of which Enos really struggled with in his tenure here.
**Miami’s offense continues to own the third quarter. This is really just an extension of the last point, but this deserves its own focus as Lashlee and the UM offense are dominating their opponents coming out of the break in 2020. For the second straight week, the Hurricanes scored on all three of their possessions in the third stanza, both times totaling 17 points; against UAB, Miami ran 25 plays for 212 yards, while against Louisville, they recorded 10 plays for 187 yards. Five of those six third quarter scoring drives have been completed in 2:50 or less as well. Miami also scored points on each of their five second half drives vs. UL before kneeling out the clock on their final drive of the game. It’s just two games, but Lashlee is showing a strong ability to identify weaknesses in his opponent during the first half and adjust the gameplan during halftime on the fly to aggressively exploit those weaknesses.
**The big pass play finally showed up. After focusing all week in practice to perfect the timing between King and his receivers to start hitting on more explosive plays down the field, UM converted on 4 passes of 30 yards or more vs. the Cardinals; they hit on zero against the Blazers in Week 1. King finished the game 18-30 (60%) for 325 yards passing on 10.8 ypa, a huge jump up from last week’s 6.1. I love that UM was able to identify a weakness and quickly self-correct, and if Miami can continue that trend going forward, this offense will be extremely difficult to stop when you consider how they can beat you in so many different ways. Last week vs. UAB, Miami used a stable of talented backs and King’s legs to churn out yardage on the ground in a run-heavy approach, and vs. Louisville, it was more of a balanced approach. That type of versatility is what keeps defensive coordinators up at night and it will serve Miami well to make their opponents pick their poison by continuing to refine each aspect of the offense.
**Miami might have the best kicker-punter combo in the nation. I admittedly haven’t done my research into every team’s specialists, but there aren’t going to be too many that offer more than what the Canes are putting out there right now. With Louis Hedley and Jose Borregales, UM has two matured, older players that are battle tested and unafraid of the moment. Hedley is already on the Ray Guy Award watch list, while Borregales seems set to make the Lou Groza Award watch list in their next update. Neither has shown signs of slowing down in 2020 and, of course, Borregales really shined against Louisville, going 4-4 on FG’s, with three of those kicks being 40+ and a career-long 57 yarder. How many college kickers have the trust of their coach to put them out there for a 57-yard FG attempt?
Borregales is now a sparkling 18-25 (72%) on kicks from 40+ in his career, which gives Miami so much more flexibility when considering their options on what to run on third and fourth down in their opponent’s half of the field. The difference at kicker from last season (and at punter compared to recent years) is night and day, and it’s such a huge benefit to have a true advantage on special teams in what is essentially a third of the game.
**It’s that time where we talk about what went wrong on defense. UM started strong by holding UL to 6 points in the first half, but they completely collapsed after that, with the Cardinals doing pretty much whatever they wanted in the second half; UM ended the game giving up 34 points and 516 total yards. Look, Louisville is an explosive offense and completely shutting them down would have been an incredible feat. But Miami’s stop unit was hard to watch at times, with receivers consistently running wide open in the secondary and linebackers over-pursuing and getting out of their run fits to spring big plays.
It’s a continuation of a trend where Miami struggles vs. the best and fastest offenses they face during the season, while feasting on the string of bad offenses they ultimately end up playing in the ACC to shore up their numbers. This 2020 version of the D has the looks of more of the same; another above average to very good defense that has issues when matching up against elite offenses that can test them with equal or better speed. A lot to clean up moving forward for Blake Baker to change that perception.
**WR drops and penalties were also major problems. There were at least three big drops for Miami receivers in this game, all of which were put right on the money by King, and two of which would have been touchdowns. That led to just 8 total receptions from UM receivers as King mainly relied on his TE’s and backs. Last week, the receivers had trouble creating separation, and this week it was a total lack of concentration when they were in position to make a play. A poor start in all areas from this group and something that could hold this offense back over time. UM also continually shot themselves in the foot with penalties totaling 11 for 89 yards after looking good in this area during Week 1 (3 for 25 yards vs. UAB). Both these issues combined to lead to an ugly three and out late in the second quarter that saw Miami bungle great starting field position on their own 45 by committing three straight penalties, with Mark Pope dropping a pass point-blank while all alone that could have bailed them out of the mess. No doubt an exciting win vs. UL, but there’s still plenty for Manny Diaz to harp on and keep this team on their toes heading into FSU next week and I don’t think it’s a stretch to say we haven’t seen Miami’s best overall team effort just yet, not even close.
Grades
Offense: A
The Canes showed an exciting and explosive attack in piling up 47 points and 485 yards on 8.1 yards per play. No turnovers here for a second straight game. Over 40% (6-13) on third downs for the second straight game. 3-3 in the redzone. Only allowed 1 sack. The WR drops were a small negative, but this unit showed up in a big way.
Defense: D
Allowed an ugly 34 points and 516 total yards. Strong first half was wiped out by an abysmal second half that saw UL move the ball at will. Positives were 3 turnovers, as well as 3 sacks and 10 TFL. It was a tough matchup, but I expect more from this unit.
Special Teams: B+
Hedley (42.3 on three punts, one inside the 20) was his usual solid self, while Borregales was a catalyst in giving the team a ton of confidence and holding off any UL comeback attempt with his big night. The coverage team also didn’t allow any major returns, but no big returns for UM either. Gave up an onside kick recovery.
Coaching: B+
Lashlee’s strong second half adjustments were almost cancelled out by Baker’s lack of effective second half adjustments. 11 penalties for 89 yards never flies. Ultimately, though, the team was prepared to play on the road for a night game against a ranked conference opponent and controlled the game from the opening whistle. Just like last week, the team responded to each of UL’s scores immediately with a scoring drive of their own before the final kneel downs. No noticeable time management issues.
