Well, I'm posting a few hours after what is a disappointing( to say the least) opener in Louisville for the 2014 edition of the Miami Hurricanes, who fell to the Cardinals( again) 31-13. Here are a few random thoughts as I begin my weekly in-season blog:
- Brad Kaaya, a true freshman QB making his first career start on the road, looked exactly like that. There were key errors( such as the lateral to Stace Coley inside the 10 yard line) and inaccurate throws( his INT in the 3rd quarter is a touchdown to Standish Dobard if he leads him towards the UM sideline). But at times he flashed some promise and I think Miami needs to go with the kid the rest of the season. Bottom line, there is no real future or upside in Jake Heaps or Ryan Williams who are both on the last years of their respective eligibility.
This shouldn't be a total surprise, we all remember Ken Dorsey being shaky in Seattle in 2000, Gino Toretta's rough outing at Tallahassee in 1989 and Bernie Kosar in Gainesville in 1983. All quarterbacks will have growing pains.
With that said, my greatest fear was that the offensive staff was going to play ultra-conservative and keep putting the offense in 3rd and long. Well, yeah, that's precisely what they did. The most cringe-worthy sequence dialed up by offensive coordinator James Coley was the two opening drives to open the second half when Miami was down just 14-10 and the defense playing well. They went with six- yes, six- consecutive running plays that failed to move the chains. David Pollack of ESPN I think expressed the frustration of the Canes fan base with that play-calling. Yeah, I'm all for establishing the run, but what did Einstein say was the definition of insanity?
If you were afraid to let Kaaya man the offense, then he shouldn't have been named the starter. Bottom line.
Here's a stat tweeted out by Tim Reynolds( @TimReynolds) that is very eye-opening: "Among nuggets in the stat roll: Kaaya was 14-17 on first- and second-down, 3-12 on third- and fourth-down."
- OK, these next two points might be connected; but the O-line play was a concern of mine and once again, like the bowl game, the Ville bullied Miami upfront and while Duke Johnson put up decent numbers( 20 carries, 90 yards) for most of the night he was bottled upfront and Kaaya was constantly harassed. What is off particular frustration is that they keep on insisting on running these long, slow developing run plays that got eaten up by the quick, attacking Cards front. And is Art Kehoe a sacred cow? It's a looooong ways from 2001 and when it comes to quality opponents, it just seems that versus quality teams our line fails to play with any real leverage and fails to get a consistent push. Admittedly, I'm not Tony Wise or Hudson Houck but that's what these slanted eyes of mine see.
- Which then gets me to my next point, perhaps the failing of the running game and the run blocking has to do with the fact that runs were stubbornly called against a defense that was willing to load the box and come downhill( just as they did against Miami last December in the bowl game) perhaps those plays really had no chance to succeed. So perhaps the lack of execution has something to do with the offensive concept put forth. Those two can often be intertwined.
But beyond that, is Miami really employing it's talent correctly? Think about it, you have Duke Johnson( a blue-chip talent but certainly not considered a bruising, 'big' back), a fleet set of wideouts and a solid senior tight end in Clive Walford and a line that isn't great at run blocking. Miami - or perhaps Al Golden - has a vision of being a pounding, pro-style offense ala 'Bama, only problem is that they aren't nearly as proficient and creating push upfront as the Crimson Tide. Which is fine, there is more than one way to skin a cat. While the rest of the country has gone spread, up-tempo and worries more about total plays than time of possession, Miami is stuck in what now seems like an antiquated way of playing offense. You think Art Briles wouldn't put up huge numbers with this talent?
Today's college, well even the NFL, is all about offense, a throw game, a race to 50 points. Miami seems to be stuck playing this rather methodical offensive system that doesn't fully utilize it's vast array of offensive weapons.
The spread can come in many forms and it can work with guys who can run around and do the read-option or pocket types. But it's about pacing and getting rid of the ball quickly to your playmakers out in space. They certainly don't waste time on stretch plays that do nothing more than get you into 3rd and oh-no!! I thought the game planning and play calling on Monday tonight were very suspect.
- Stacy Coley is a prodigious talent but tonight I got that Lance Leggett vibe from him in this contest. He simply wasn't as tough as he needed to be at times and didn't finish off plays. Perhaps that opening shot he took from James Burgess Jr. played a role in that. But in his defense, while he had success last year on quick screens and the like, again, this Louisville defensive unit was crowding the line of scrimmage and really attacking and like the bowl game, Coley's was a non-factor. At one point he had three catches for all of 9 yards. Shouldn't his skill set be utilized for getting upfield and stretching the field?
- Going back to play-calling( as this just came to me, because quite frankly, I wanted to expunge it from my memory) but that 3rd and goal, end-round, throw-back option play to Dorsett was just pure...well, I have no words to describe it. It literally left me speechless and I had to take a long guzzle of my Heineken to calm my nerves. Good grief, the Jarrett Payton half-back option that was housed by VaTech in 2002, was a better call than that atrocity.
- Gus Edwards is not a short-yardage back. He simply runs too high and takes too long to get started. I think Joseph Yearby needs to get his touches sooner, rather than later.
- I worry about our kicking game. Losing Pat O'Donnell is a huge loss but beyond that, UM doesn't have anyone that can kick the ball into the end zone. Just a bad night for the special teams tonight, you had Coley fielding a punt inside the 5( a cardinal sin, no pun intended) and the KO return from Corbin Lamb that shifted the games momentum after Miami had taken a 10-7 lead.
- Defensively, honestly, I thought this unit played fairly well. They created two turnovers inside the ten( which amounted to all of 3 points which is inexcusable) and until the end, kept UM in the game Like many others, I wish Mark D'onofrio would bring more pressures and allow what is a deep and talented secondary to play a bit more tight man coverage.
- I liked what I saw from Ufomba Kamalu, 'the Big Heurtelou' upfront, along with Chick and Tyriq McCord. Thought they did some disruptive things and were active. The real standout was Denzel Perryman on defense, for much of the night he played at an All-American level before getting worn down late in the 4th as the Ville marched down the field and put the nail in Miami's coffin. This is where the lack of linebacker depth really showed. It's clear, guys like Darrion Owens and Juwon Young need to see the field out of pure necessity to create some much-needed depth.
- Al Golden, you're on the clock, year four of your reign and it's time. Right now, Miami is 0-1 and it looks to have two very winnable games before heading up to Lincoln to face top 25 Nebraska. This opener was not necessarily a 'must win' game but won that was certain vital in terms of creating confidence and erasing the memories of last years fade. I read on Twitter that Miami has now lost five of its last seven( three to unranked teams) and the margin of those defeats - which quite frankly I don't want to look up - is alarming.
This staff is great at recruiting and creating a buzz for the program on social media but the other half of the deal is delivering on game day. Right now, they are sorely lacking. The much talked about 'cloud'( which personally I thought was very valid) is no longer hovering over the program and there is an expectation of meeting certain standards such as winning the Coastal. And Monday night, was a bad start against a team that had lost Teddy Bridgewater, a couple of first round draft choices on defense and was breaking in a new staff.
Bum Phillips once said that the greatness of Don Shula was that,"he could take his and beat yours and take yours and beat his," for as unsavory as Bobby 'Olive Garden' Petrino might be to some, I think at the college level that applies to him. I don't think anyone, as of this moment, would say that about Golden and his staff.
Yeah, the future might be bright, but this is potentially the last year that Duke, Philip Dorsett, Walford, Rashawn Scott, Erik Flowers, Perryman, Chickillo, among others. This can't be another rebuilding year or a part of the process. This type of talent in the ACC should do something significant, right?
- What's the over/under for the FAMU home opener with this loss? 20,000?
- Well, that's all I have to say about this game. Regardless, thanks to DMoney for allowing me to do this and always,"Lets go Canes''...
