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The Hurricanes had some major struggles getting off the field last season on third downs, but have made some serious strides so far this season. Miami's defense leads the nation in getting off the field on 3rd downs, as UM's opponents are 10/57 (17.5%) on converting 3rd downs so far this season, and Manny Diaz has recognized the improvement.
“We are showing more dominance than we did a year ago because our run defense did not start off great last year,” Diaz said. “Our number of snaps we’re playing on defense compared to last year is amazing.”
However, Miami has been forcing less turnovers in 2018, with only 6 through 4 games.
“We want more to be at an elite level,” Diaz said on turning teams over. “But at times, what you’re noticing, is, are we still playing violently? Are we still forcing fumbles? Gurvan (Hall) forced a fumble that didn’t count on the official stats. Are we getting after the quarterback to make the quarterback make poor decisions? Sometimes I would say the quarterback can decide that by getting sacked, or throwing the ball away or those types of things. As long as we’re taking advantage of our opportunities, we know that those things will come.”
As Diaz referenced, Gurvan Hall had a jarring hit against FIU last week that got the crowd on their feet, and Diaz felt that he has earned more snaps.
“We showed the video in our defensive team meeting, showed the impact of everyone on our sideline - there were guys that weren’t watching, all of a sudden everyone looks up,” Diaz said on Hall’s hit. “That’s how you make a name, you have to make those plays that people in the stands spill their popcorn.
“Now what’s your consistency level like? We know you can make a play, now can you be that guy play after play? You’re really judged especially on the back end by how many mistakes you make, because mistakes can turn to touchdowns.”
Sophomore safety Amari Carter made his first career start on Saturday and Diaz praised his play.
“Calm. Under control. Made all the checks,” Diaz said on Carter’s game against FIU. “Amari is a very intelligent player and he played like a smart guy. He played like he knew what was going on, knew what the play was going to be before it happened. The play where he almost made the pick on our sideline, he knew the route that was coming. He almost sort of baited the quarterback to throw it to the guy. We know that Amari will tackle, and that he runs to the ball, and is tough – those type things. He looks like a starter, which was encouraging to see.”
Late in the fourth quarter against FIU, UM had a major coverage bust when both corner DJ Ivey and safety Robert Knowles blitzed in on one pass play, leaving the right side of the field completely wide open for an easy Panthers’ TD toss. Diaz declined to say who exactly made the mistake, but said it’s part of the learning process for UM’s young talent.
“It doesn’t matter who, but obviously it was as a major, major error,” Diaz said. “When the young guys go in and make those mistakes, now they understand. Because out here (at practice) we fuss at them and it’s `Oh, coach, you’re just crazy.’ And then all of a sudden we invited 50,000 people and they saw us bust coverages for touchdowns. Now just that little difference `Oh, I see why coach makes a big deal about that.’”
Miami kicks off ACC play against UNC this week, but Manny Diaz got a head start on preparing for the Tar Heels.
“Truth be told, I had already watched these guys last week,” Diaz said. “Conference opponent, you kind of have an idea of who they are. We’ve got a past history against each other, they kind of know who we are. That helps on a short week of preparation. We have a lot of respect for the way that they coach and the scheme they have offensively. Like you saw last week against Pitt, when they’re clicking, they can score a lot of points.”
Seven UNC players, who were suspended for 30 percent of the season after selling their team-issued sneakers, will return to the team this week and be eligible to play against UM on Thursday.
“We probably can’t predict the way it’s going to change them, what kind of impact it has,” Diaz said. “Certainly, you want to have all the players you can have at your disposal. But for us, we have to defend who’s in front of us – the formations, the plays - all that type of stuff, generally speaking, won’t change too much. It’s about us taking care of our assignments.
“It’s a different world every Saturday. The biggest mistake we make, all of us, is we make assumptions based off past performance. Teams get better, teams don’t play their best, sometimes aren’t ready to play.”
“We are showing more dominance than we did a year ago because our run defense did not start off great last year,” Diaz said. “Our number of snaps we’re playing on defense compared to last year is amazing.”
However, Miami has been forcing less turnovers in 2018, with only 6 through 4 games.
“We want more to be at an elite level,” Diaz said on turning teams over. “But at times, what you’re noticing, is, are we still playing violently? Are we still forcing fumbles? Gurvan (Hall) forced a fumble that didn’t count on the official stats. Are we getting after the quarterback to make the quarterback make poor decisions? Sometimes I would say the quarterback can decide that by getting sacked, or throwing the ball away or those types of things. As long as we’re taking advantage of our opportunities, we know that those things will come.”
As Diaz referenced, Gurvan Hall had a jarring hit against FIU last week that got the crowd on their feet, and Diaz felt that he has earned more snaps.
“We showed the video in our defensive team meeting, showed the impact of everyone on our sideline - there were guys that weren’t watching, all of a sudden everyone looks up,” Diaz said on Hall’s hit. “That’s how you make a name, you have to make those plays that people in the stands spill their popcorn.
“Now what’s your consistency level like? We know you can make a play, now can you be that guy play after play? You’re really judged especially on the back end by how many mistakes you make, because mistakes can turn to touchdowns.”
Sophomore safety Amari Carter made his first career start on Saturday and Diaz praised his play.
“Calm. Under control. Made all the checks,” Diaz said on Carter’s game against FIU. “Amari is a very intelligent player and he played like a smart guy. He played like he knew what was going on, knew what the play was going to be before it happened. The play where he almost made the pick on our sideline, he knew the route that was coming. He almost sort of baited the quarterback to throw it to the guy. We know that Amari will tackle, and that he runs to the ball, and is tough – those type things. He looks like a starter, which was encouraging to see.”
Late in the fourth quarter against FIU, UM had a major coverage bust when both corner DJ Ivey and safety Robert Knowles blitzed in on one pass play, leaving the right side of the field completely wide open for an easy Panthers’ TD toss. Diaz declined to say who exactly made the mistake, but said it’s part of the learning process for UM’s young talent.
“It doesn’t matter who, but obviously it was as a major, major error,” Diaz said. “When the young guys go in and make those mistakes, now they understand. Because out here (at practice) we fuss at them and it’s `Oh, coach, you’re just crazy.’ And then all of a sudden we invited 50,000 people and they saw us bust coverages for touchdowns. Now just that little difference `Oh, I see why coach makes a big deal about that.’”
Miami kicks off ACC play against UNC this week, but Manny Diaz got a head start on preparing for the Tar Heels.
“Truth be told, I had already watched these guys last week,” Diaz said. “Conference opponent, you kind of have an idea of who they are. We’ve got a past history against each other, they kind of know who we are. That helps on a short week of preparation. We have a lot of respect for the way that they coach and the scheme they have offensively. Like you saw last week against Pitt, when they’re clicking, they can score a lot of points.”
Seven UNC players, who were suspended for 30 percent of the season after selling their team-issued sneakers, will return to the team this week and be eligible to play against UM on Thursday.
“We probably can’t predict the way it’s going to change them, what kind of impact it has,” Diaz said. “Certainly, you want to have all the players you can have at your disposal. But for us, we have to defend who’s in front of us – the formations, the plays - all that type of stuff, generally speaking, won’t change too much. It’s about us taking care of our assignments.
“It’s a different world every Saturday. The biggest mistake we make, all of us, is we make assumptions based off past performance. Teams get better, teams don’t play their best, sometimes aren’t ready to play.”
