The running game

[chris2183l]

The story for me from the College Football Playoff is the importance of the running game. It's the same story we've seen the past 20 Januarys with teams like Alabama, Georgia and Michigan.

The best running team (Notre Dame) and the two best running back tandems (Ohio State and Penn State) are in the Final Four. The two best individual running backs (Jeanty and Skattebo) were in the playoff. Texas beat Clemson by running and then almost got upset when Arizona State outran them.

The frustrating thing is that Miami can run with all of these guys AND pass at a superior level. This season will hurt for a while.

Was just talking about this the other day...I think this was absolutely the season to make a deep run. To me there wasn't a single dominant team that was a runaway favorite. You're going to most likely have a 2 loss national champion unless ND finds a way to win...Miami had a golden opportunity with the best QB and best overall offense in the country and ****ed it away with an atrocious defense. I think this will definitely be a season we look back on for many years as a what could have been...

 

[Empirical Cane]

Oh you’re right. We couldn’t have done anything about the defense.

We couldn’t have fired Guidry, played someone other than #7 at safety, or anything!

Cam Ward was the reason this season was a failure. Castellanos or Emory would’ve had us 14-0 currently. I mean we saw it in the Bowl game what happens when we pond the rock and don’t have a passing game. We also saw it in 2022, we win games!!!

Oh wait…

@Empirical Cane @OrangeBowlMagic can you please get this muppet?

@RangerGranger

To JQ's point...

Guidry Ds had been showing alarming indications since USF. The warning lights were on the dashboard but the throttle that was the O bailed them out (barely) week-to-week. If not for a zig-and-zag here, a butt catch there, Miami easily has 2 more losses.

The Ds decline accelerated each week, not eroded slowly, putting more and more pressure on O to score every single possession. When that didn't happen against GT and Syracuse, the entire season ended in stinging failure.

In hindsight, either there is no one on staff who could assume DC duties (another failure) or Mario failed to see/make the necessary mid-season adjustment (just like a halftime adjustment) to sustain the overall campaign plan.

As a broader observation in light of Big Manny's known style of relieving corches, this recent episiode with Guidry leaves us with the following conclusions:
- Big Manny has changed his philosophy (aligning with his mentors His Most Holy Coiffed One, Butch DAW GAWD, and Nicky Satan) and is becoming more ruthless; or
- Big Manny made this move out of desperation because he sees those warning lights burning solid red on 2025's indicator panel and is trying to do something, anything to get them under control

You lose by alot, you lose by a little, you win by a little, you win by alot

Right now the gravity of the situation our Miami Hurricanes find themselves in is pulling them strongly back towards the left of this "program journey" rather than sustaining and advancing the momentum to the right 2024 had shown promise for.

 

[E1k]

Running game is very important in college because it’s hard to find a really good QB. Building thru defense and run game is easier

We had a good run game and great qb, if we had an average defense we probably still playing

Not to compare us to lsu but their defense wasn’t really good in 2019

 

[#1cane]

Defense is the story for me. Georgia, Texas, Ohio State and Notre Dame all with elite defenses. Those defenses look night and day superior to anything we’ve had since 2003.

Totally agree also look at Penn st (shut SMU down.) Also Michigan and Illinois bowl wins. Both played great defense. Players know their assignments, in the right position and tackle much better than Miami.

 

[DTP]

If we had a half decent defense we would have won the national championship.

 

[#1cane]

Well 2 of them didn’t even remotely deserve byes.

They obviously have to and will revamp the seeding.

Texas and Penn state were 3 and 4 but didn’t get byes. They’re still alive.

All the conf champs got byes and lost. Oregon, Georgia, Clemson, and Boise. Playoff committee ranking different than AP poll ranking. Yes we will see the auto bye change because of that. 5 thru 8 got the first round home game and all won big.

 

[Empirical Cane]

The story for me from the College Football Playoff is the importance of the running game. It's the same story we've seen the past 20 Januarys with teams like Alabama, Georgia and Michigan.

The best running team (Notre Dame) and the two best running back tandems (Ohio State and Penn State) are in the Final Four. The two best individual running backs (Jeanty and Skattebo) were in the playoff. Texas beat Clemson by running and then almost got upset when Arizona State outran them.

The frustrating thing is that Miami can run with all of these guys AND pass at a superior level. This season will hurt for a while.

Oh has CIS' attitude changed.

Those of us that advocated for power run games were skewered as "dinosaurs" for pointing out this obvious fact as to the best counter to the gimmicky "air raid" offense.

Tuff N Fyzical bro!

 

[Empirical Cane]

All the conf champs got byes and lost. Oregon, Georgia, Clemson, and Boise. Playoff committee ranking different than AP poll ranking. Yes we will see the auto bye change because of that. 5 thru 8 got the first round home game and all won big.

I don't think they will be so quick to dilute the "value" of conference champions, unless of course they say, "SEC/B1G Conf Champ no matter the record is always superior to everyone, all other teams just get ranked below every other SEC/B1G team in post-season play you peasants..."

Now that I think on it more, that is probably exactly what they will do...

 

[Empirical Cane]

Football doesn’t change as much as people would like to think. The same things that won in the 70’s work today. Block well, tackle well, be tough, disciplined, and execute.

 

[#1cane]

I don't think they will be so quick to dilute the "value" of conference champions, unless of course they say, "SEC/B1G Conf Champ no matter the record is always superior to everyone, all other teams just get ranked below every other SEC/B1G team in post-season play you peasants..."

Now that I think on it more, that is probably exactly what they will do...

Make that Arizona st not Clemson getting the bye for conf champ. Sorry for the mistake

 

[OrangeBowlMagic]

Oh you’re right. We couldn’t have done anything about the defense.

We couldn’t have fired Guidry, played someone other than #7 at safety, or anything!

Cam Ward was the reason this season was a failure. Castellanos or Emory would’ve had us 14-0 currently. I mean we saw it in the Bowl game what happens when we pond the rock and don’t have a passing game. We also saw it in 2022, we win games!!!

Oh wait…

@Empirical Cane @OrangeBowlMagic can you please get this muppet?

People like this are beyond help. They’re gone. And they FILL this fanbase. It’s insane.

Wanna know where Miami ranked in time of possession for the season? 14th.

Where’d they rank in yards per play? First. By a very wide margin.

Where’d they rank in points per game? First. BY A BIGGER MARGIN OVER THE 2ND PLACE TEAM IN A DECADE.

So they scored the most points. Every time they snapped the ball, they gained the most yards. And they possessed the football at the 14th highest rate.

You literally cannot help a defense any more than Miami’s offense did. You can’t. It’s not possible. You scored, a lot. You were hyper efficient. You held the ball. And the defense still sucked farts out of asses with a crazy straw.

People like this need to have internet privileges revoked. They poison the easily influenced.

 

[Jassid82]

Yeah not sure why offense is being discussed so much..its the defenses that I saw last night that really de-motivates me that we can get "back" soon. Those defenses were LIGHTS OUT. My goodness. We are so far behind anything I saw on defense yesterday its not even funny. At every level. We desperately need our last 2 recruiting classes in the front 7 to hit. DESPERATELY. Mainly..Justin Scott, Armando Blount, Atravis Jones, McCarthy, Pruitt, Hayes and Wiley Jr...We cant not have these guys hit if we are going to have an elite defense anytime soon. They all have the ability to do what we saw UGA and ND front 7s do yesterday. The secondary will have to get fixed through the portal until further notice. But we have the talent to fix the defense in the front 7..just have to get the right DC and develop.

PS - I couldnt believe that was an Al Golden led defense I saw yesterday. LOL. That defense looked nothing like anything he had us doing when he was here. Maybe its Marcus Freemans defense he is running though.

 

[Ironmanfootball]

From what I saw in spring

C'mon man PRACTICE!? We have a guy with 30 college TD's being compared to 3rd team reps against a bad defense in spring thud practice

 

[Ironmanfootball]

Spring/Camp scrimmages are a completely different Solar System from REAL games.

My brain hurts at these guys watching practice and 1- comparing it to a game and 2- it's a thread where people are dogging the defense and don't realize why someone ran well against a bad defense

 

[DMoney]

C'mon man PRACTICE!? We have a guy with 30 college TD's being compared to 3rd team reps against a bad defense in spring thud practice

Not just thud- he ran for 150+ yards and 2 TDs against the first-teamers in a full-contact scrimmage.

It's a projection for sure, because he only has two college carries (a short TD and the long fake punt run). But it's an in-house option who we are already paying for. I think his body type is suited for the backfield long-term, in a multidimensional role.

 

[Ironmanfootball]

Not just thud- he ran for 150+ yards and 2 TDs against the first-teamers in a full-contact scrimmage.

It's a projection for sure, because he only has two college carries (a short TD and the long fake punt run). But it's an in-house option who we are already paying for. I think his body type is suited for the backfield long-term, in a multidimensional role.

Practice. I've seen this defense in live action, it's all thud against M-M-M-Maui and the Jits.

He's built like a fullback and that's okay. NDSU is the offense Mario should be trying to emulate and they've used one for years.

 

[twes.305]

Well the depth and talent in that rb room is suspect next year, Why did this staff not recruit Byron Louis? Did they really think nobody was gonna transfer out and Martinez was not going to leave.

 

[DMoney]

Well the depth and talent in that rb room is suspect next year, Why did this staff not recruit Byron Louis? Did they really think nobody was gonna transfer out and Martinez was not going to leave.

This was the mistake.

Pringle is better than Louis IMO but Louis is ready to play Day 1. He could've solved this depth issue without costing a fortune.

 

[Jassid82]

Cant believe this conversation is still going..If you guys watched that game last night...UGA played 2 RBs mainly..Etienee and Frazier and Etienee got most of the carries. We wont be able to convince a RB to come join a room where we already have 2 main RBs and sell them on the idea that maybe one gets hurt and then you can get your carries. What RB would sign up for that this side of one who plays at FAMU and just wants a shot to play P5??? I agree with DMoney..if we want a 4th RB..use Loften. **** we couldnt even convince Ajay Allen stay in the room. Its not going to happen.

 

[Canenable]

Defense is the story for me. Georgia, Texas, Ohio State and Notre Dame all with elite defenses. Those defenses look night and day superior to anything we’ve had since 2003.

That is what I have taken out of this playoff, every team that belongs has a highly functioning defense. I agree with a running game too and I agree we had one of the better stable of rbs in cfb, but the biggest difference is the level of defense these playoff teams have.