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CORAL GABLES —
— It's one play Miami defensive lineman Shayon Green won't forget any time soon.
With the Hurricanes already holding a two-touchdown lead early in the second quarter of their game at USF Saturday, Green broke through the Bulls' offensive line to pick up his first career sack, hitting Steven Bench in the end zone.
The play could have resulted in a mere safety, but Green did more.
He knocked the ball loose and teammate Jimmy Gaines recovered the fumble, giving the 14th-ranked Hurricanes their first defensive score since Denzel Perryman had a 41-yard interception return in last year's opener against Boston College.
Green's effort was the kind of performance Miami coach Al Golden has been looking for from his defense this season.
A year ago, that young, oft-maligned unit totaled just 12 sacks. Through their first four games, this year's Hurricanes have already totaled 16 sacks.
Two of the five they collected Saturday resulted in turnovers. That's something Miami hopes to continue building on as they prepare to open ACC play against Georgia Tech on Saturday at Sun Life Stadium.
"We're seeing the ball better," Golden said after Miami's 49-21 win over USF. "I'm not talking derogatory about any one person, but last year, a lot of those were just sacks. Now guys sacking and knocking the ball out and guys are going to scoop it up. Guys are there to pick it up, which is a big contrast from a year ago."
Added Green, "The defense this year is by far the best we've been and we still haven't seen our best. We still have a lot of things to work on, a lot of things to get better on. [The sack] happened because everyone did their jobs on defense. Everybody was reading their keys. He came my way and I got him."
Miami's defenders know they face a new challenge this week with the Yellow Jackets (3-1, 2-1) and quarterback Vad Lee.
Lee, a redshirt sophomore, is Georgia Tech's second-leading rusher with 70 carries for 215 yards and three touchdowns. He's also shown an ability to throw the ball completing 29 of 63 passes for 562 yards with seven scores.
Through three games, opponents have only managed to sack Lee three times, resulting in a combined loss of just 13 yards.
Containing him will be key as Miami (4-0, 0-0) looks to win its fifth straight against Georgia Tech, and Hurricanes defensive coordinator Mark D'Onofrio said it's going to take an effort similar to what Miami has shown through its first four games.
It's also going to take a commitment to record more plays like Green's sack, or the one safety Deon Bush had in the fourth quarter that also led to another USF turnover.
"He doesn't have a problem going forward and accelerating. He's not afraid of contact," said D'Onofrio of Bush, who played in just his second game of the season after recovering from a sports hernia surgery. "It was good execution. We had the right pressure and that's what we need. We don't need a sack. We need a sack-fumble. A sack is a selfish play. If they're not trying to get the ball out, it's really a selfish play. If you have the opportunity to hit the quarterback in the back, the ball better come out."
— It's one play Miami defensive lineman Shayon Green won't forget any time soon.
With the Hurricanes already holding a two-touchdown lead early in the second quarter of their game at USF Saturday, Green broke through the Bulls' offensive line to pick up his first career sack, hitting Steven Bench in the end zone.
The play could have resulted in a mere safety, but Green did more.
He knocked the ball loose and teammate Jimmy Gaines recovered the fumble, giving the 14th-ranked Hurricanes their first defensive score since Denzel Perryman had a 41-yard interception return in last year's opener against Boston College.
Green's effort was the kind of performance Miami coach Al Golden has been looking for from his defense this season.
A year ago, that young, oft-maligned unit totaled just 12 sacks. Through their first four games, this year's Hurricanes have already totaled 16 sacks.
Two of the five they collected Saturday resulted in turnovers. That's something Miami hopes to continue building on as they prepare to open ACC play against Georgia Tech on Saturday at Sun Life Stadium.
"We're seeing the ball better," Golden said after Miami's 49-21 win over USF. "I'm not talking derogatory about any one person, but last year, a lot of those were just sacks. Now guys sacking and knocking the ball out and guys are going to scoop it up. Guys are there to pick it up, which is a big contrast from a year ago."
Added Green, "The defense this year is by far the best we've been and we still haven't seen our best. We still have a lot of things to work on, a lot of things to get better on. [The sack] happened because everyone did their jobs on defense. Everybody was reading their keys. He came my way and I got him."
Miami's defenders know they face a new challenge this week with the Yellow Jackets (3-1, 2-1) and quarterback Vad Lee.
Lee, a redshirt sophomore, is Georgia Tech's second-leading rusher with 70 carries for 215 yards and three touchdowns. He's also shown an ability to throw the ball completing 29 of 63 passes for 562 yards with seven scores.
Through three games, opponents have only managed to sack Lee three times, resulting in a combined loss of just 13 yards.
Containing him will be key as Miami (4-0, 0-0) looks to win its fifth straight against Georgia Tech, and Hurricanes defensive coordinator Mark D'Onofrio said it's going to take an effort similar to what Miami has shown through its first four games.
It's also going to take a commitment to record more plays like Green's sack, or the one safety Deon Bush had in the fourth quarter that also led to another USF turnover.
"He doesn't have a problem going forward and accelerating. He's not afraid of contact," said D'Onofrio of Bush, who played in just his second game of the season after recovering from a sports hernia surgery. "It was good execution. We had the right pressure and that's what we need. We don't need a sack. We need a sack-fumble. A sack is a selfish play. If they're not trying to get the ball out, it's really a selfish play. If you have the opportunity to hit the quarterback in the back, the ball better come out."
