I’m not going to pretend I was feeling great the first couple hours of that game. But the end result was just what the doctor ordered. Four-score win, no injuries, and a bounce-back game for the defense. Some thoughts upon rewatch:
- The Canes held Wake to their worst offensive performance of the season. Seven points, 3.4 yards per play, and 12 first downs. That first possession shook us as fans, but this was dominant defense coming out the bye.
- I hope we continue to increase the snaps for
Bobby Pruitt and
Popo Aguirre. This team lacks guys in the back seven who can run laterally and stop people as tacklers. It seems that every horizontal play the last couple months has gone for 3-4 extra yards due to lack of speed, lack of striking, or both. These guys have the ability to help there.
- Two developmental success stories:
Jacolby George and
Ahmad Moten. George has continued to improve his toughness and effort when he could’ve washed out. Moten has emerged as an impactful ACC DT in Year 3. We need to do a good job of retention in the offseason, because I believe there are several talented players deep on the roster with the ability to develop if they are patient and committed.
- The offensive line was overwhelming yesterday. We ran for 228 yards (7.4 YPC) and gave
Cam Ward hours to throw. The film was a highlight reel, with defenders being pushed 7 yards downfield. This is why Cam came to Miami- we have the ability to dominate when him and his top receiver are not at their best.
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Elijah Arroyo is in the class of our most talented tight ends. David Njoku is one of the best in the NFL, and I believe a healthy Arroyo is even better. Njoku has rare explosive athleticism, but Arroyo is just as fast and a better route runner with more consistent hands.
- We need to clean up the operation when we go tempo. We’ve had multiple procedure penalties that have stalled our momentum.
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OJ Frederique deserves first team All-ACC consideration. We are taking these clean sheets for granted. He’s been consistent as a tackler, too.
- Our kickoff coverage is a significant concern. Any team we’ll play the rest of the way will have talented returners, and the margin for error will be thin.
Markeith Williams had tough reps on this TD and the Louisville TD. I wonder if a coverage safety with limited physicality is the best option for his role.
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Jordan Lyle is the most complete running back prospect we’ve had in a while. He has NFL size, he has balance, he has quick feet, he’s tough, he has vision, he can protect, and he has speed. It would have been painful to see this guy running at Ohio State.
- I hope
Tyler Baron reacts the right way to the benching. We need his pass rush down the stretch, but he has to be disciplined and committed against the run.
- It was nice to see us get the young DL in there at the end. Any time we see
Josh Horton in uniform playing is a positive.
- I love the way
Mark Fletcher plays the game. Right after he made a 30-yard run to get us in the red zone, he was mauling a defender for
Damien Martinez as a lead blocker. He is part of a championship-caliber rotation at RB.
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Dylan Day continues to flash on special teams. I’m excited to watch his development at safety. He reminds me a bit of a young Sheldrick Redwine.
- Pretty good crowd at the Rock. Miami-Dade schools are out all week, so you had some fans on vacation and some UM students visiting home. It was very loud when
Meesh Powell had that pick 6.
