Yards per play is one of my favorite stats. It captures the effectiveness of a unit independent of other factors, like pace. For example, Alabama's 2012 offense ranked only 44th in total yards. But they were 7th in the nation in yards per play.
Yards per play correlates with championships. Here are the last twelve champions and their national rankings in offensive and defensive yards per play:
'14 Ohio State (4th in offense, 11th in defense)
'13 FSU (1st in offense, 1st in defense)
'12 Alabama (7th in offense, 1st in defense)
'11 Alabama (10th in offense, 1st in defense)
'10 Auburn (3rd in offense, 47th in defense)
'09 Alabama (28th in offense, 7th in defense)
'08 Florida (7th in offense, 10th in defense)
'07 LSU (34th in offense, 5th in defense)
'06 Florida (18th in offense, 12th in defense)
'05 Texas (2nd in offense, 9th in defense)
'04 USC (7th in offense, 4th in defense)
'03 USC (6th in offense, 9th in defense)
Three of the last four champions finished first in the nation in yards per play allowed. Nine of the past twelve finished in the Top 10, and only Cam Newton's Auburn team finished outside the Top 15.
Which brings me to Miami. Since the Golden era began, Miami's offense is 10th nationally in yards per play. The only Power 5 teams above Miami are Baylor, Oregon, FSU, Alabama, Texas A&M, Georgia and Wisconsin.
The defense hasn't fared as well. They are 74th in the nation over the same period.
Whoever we get needs to fix the defense, immediately. It is the most pressing issue facing the program.