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Upon Further Review: UAB

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Great stuff, Lance. I love these because we get to see game to game who is bringin it and who aint. Alot of posters were shocked that Ousmre (sp?) was benched (I was too) and your breakdown shows that was absolutely the right call to make.

Based off your breakdown, do you see any other players that are in danger of losing their jobs if they dont perform better? (besides Ivey)

Reason I am asking is because the board wants Bolden to replace Carter, Brooks to replace Jennings, Miller to replace Ford and Keontra Smith to take over the Striker reps...Thoughts?
 
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NC_Canes_11 said:
It sure looks like we don’t watch film
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Think about this, if you really want to set your hair on fire: UAB’s defense looked really good…AND THEY WERE RUNNING A DEFENSE THEY HAD NEVER RUN IN 2 YEARS. THEY DIDN’T EVEN RUN IT LAST WEEK. Yet which squad looked more disciplined — and the defense Miami runs is 4 years old.
 
mjl7atlas said:
@Lance Roffers I absolutely look forward to your reviews. My only request is could you use prominent colors for the area highlights for those of us that have a hard time seeing the circles on our phones! Thanks again for all that work, I learn a lot from seeing it through your view.
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Good call. I'll do my best to use better colors. Any suggestions for the uninitiated?
 
Jassid82 said:
Great stuff, Lance. I love these because we get to see game to game who is bringin it and who aint. Alot of posters were shocked that Ousmre (sp?) was benched (I was too) and your breakdown shows that was absolutely the right call to make.

Based off your breakdown, do you see any other players that are in danger of losing their jobs if they dont perform better? (besides Ivey)

Reason I am asking is because the board wants Bolden to replace Carter, Brooks to replace Jennings, Miller to replace Ford and Keontra Smith to take over the Striker reps...Thoughts?
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The goal is to have most everybody on edge for their jobs each and every week because the guy behind you is pushing for your job.

Ford was solid. Not great, just solid. Not sure Miller did anything to overtake him. In fact, I'd say Ford played better.

Bolden should replace Carter, but keep in mind, it's all about what you're asking the player to do. If we are asking the S to play single-high, we absolutely want Bolden in the game. If you're wanting an extra box player, maybe Carter is better in that role. Overall, Bolden is the better player and should be put in a position that takes advantage of his skills and get more reps. Carter is a coach's favorite type due to toughness, intelligence, attitude. There is something to be said for those guys getting playing time as an example of what you want to see as a coach. I bet Carter makes the NFL in some capacity (probably special teams at first).

Brooks played quite a bit and I thought they did a good job asking him to do things he can do well. They stood him up over the nose on 3rd and long and rushed him sometimes and dropped him into the hook zone at other times. They asked him to shoot gaps and attack rather than take on blocks. He just lacks the mass to handle physicality in the run game. He missed a tackle once. He was knocked to the ground by a shove another time. He was washed down the LOS on another occasion. He needs to get more and more time as the year goes along because his gifts are obvious, but when we plays teams that focus on the run game, he will probably struggle.

Jennings played an ok game. I wouldn't even call him solid, frankly. He was just ok. That's a tough moniker to accept for a Miami MLB. I honestly do not feel Brooks is best suited for MLB. I think he's a Will. But the problem is you have a senior who took a redshirt to help your team and come back this year to start and lead the defense. Do you replace him after a game for Brooks? McCloud was fine. He probably played the best of the LB's though I thought none of them played well (including Brooks, Steed et al).

I didn't really have a problem with the *way* the LB's were used in this game. They just didn't play well.

Ivey needs to play better and is really the only other player besides Traore who looked like they needed to be replaced of the starters. I think you have to start working in Payton/Restrepo of the WR's. Our guys did nothing against press-man coverage most of the night. The few times we go separation, King missed them. Marshall Few gets reps because coaches trust him and he will block. He's so limited though, I just don't think he can continue getting burn over players with more upside.

Finally, on punt return I believe you need to let Knighton/Restrepo have a go at it. Gurvan Hall did nothing to be criticized- he's just too important on defense/not great enough at returns- to risk. Pope is a player I just do not trust anymore.
 
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Cam always makes the first guy miss, it’s always the second third guy that tackles him. If not a group. He always punishes defenders on runs and sells out pass blocking. He’s going to have a big year , very complete back.

I’ve been hard on the interior ol but some of the pressures was on king. He climbed the pocket or left multiple times while still having a clean pocket. Then got tackled as he cleared the los. He’s going to have to trust the ol if the pass hand is going to be consistent or a threat. Sandlot will get him killed , it’s ok occasionally but not as much as Saturday.
 
Lance Roffers said:
The goal is to have most everybody on edge for their jobs each and every week because the guy behind you is pushing for your job.

Ford was solid. Not great, just solid. Not sure Miller did anything to overtake him. In fact, I'd say Ford played better.

Bolden should replace Carter, but keep in mind, it's all about what you're asking the player to do. If we are asking the S to play single-high, we absolutely want Bolden in the game. If you're wanting an extra box player, maybe Carter is better in that role. Overall, Bolden is the better player and should be put in a position that takes advantage of his skills and get more reps. Carter is a coach's favorite type due to toughness, intelligence, attitude. There is something to be said for those guys getting playing time as an example of what you want to see as a coach. I bet Carter makes the NFL in some capacity (probably special teams at first).

Brooks played quite a bit and I thought they did a good job asking him to do things he can do well. They stood him up over the nose on 3rd and long and rushed him sometimes and dropped him into the hook zone at other times. They asked him to shoot gaps and attack rather than take on blocks. He just lacks the mass to handle physicality in the run game. He missed a tackle once. He was knocked to the ground by a shove another time. He was washed down the LOS on another occasion. He needs to get more and more time as the year goes along because his gifts are obvious, but when we plays teams that focus on the run game, he will probably struggle.

Jennings played an ok game. I wouldn't even call him solid, frankly. He was just ok. That's a tough moniker to accept for a Miami MLB. I honestly do not feel Brooks is best suited for MLB. I think he's a Will. But the problem is you have a senior who took a redshirt to help your team and come back this year to start and lead the defense. Do you replace him after a game for Brooks? McCloud was fine. He probably played the best of the LB's though I thought none of them played well (including Brooks, Steed et al).

I didn't really have a problem with the *way* the LB's were used in this game. They just didn't play well.

Ivey needs to play better and is really the only other player besides Traore who looked like they needed to be replaced of the starters. I think you have to start working in Payton/Restrepo of the WR's. Our guys did nothing against press-man coverage most of the night. The few times we go separation, King missed them. Marshall Few gets reps because coaches trust him and he will block. He's so limited though, I just don't think he can continue getting burn over players with more upside.

Finally, on punt return I believe you need to let Knighton/Restrepo have a go at it. Gurvan Hall did nothing to be criticized- he's just too important on defense/not great enough at returns- to risk. Pope is a player I just do not trust anymore.
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I posted the same about Restrepo at pr the night of the game. Pope scared the **** out of me every return. He fumbled one , then caught a ball inside the ten and proceeded to run back to the goal line....wtf? He broke multiple cardinal sins of punt return in the first half. Stuff you know from jv.
 
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I saw a lot of poor discipline in linebacker run fits and it’s been like this for a while. I thought that maybe Manny or Baker was giving the previous guys a bit of leeway as it seemed like they would get a little over zealous and lose discipline to chase a big TFL. I was hoping they would clamp down on that stuff with all the inexperienced guys coming in but it didn’t look like that on Thursday. Those guys just need to see their keys and play their fits. Too much getting caught out of position on misdirection
 
Great job @Lance Roffers

were you able to discern anything from our tempo? Were we on par with a Lashlee offense? Can we expect to play faster? One part of the OL performance i was impressed with was their conditioning and snap counts.
 
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Awesome job, these are the best write ups out there! Are all of the handoffs/keepers that look like reads actually reads, or are some of them predetermined?
 
Per Lance's breakdown I wonder which of our players are true NFL quality. I don't think any DE is close to what Greg brought, am I wrong? King is really a great college QB but an NFL qb so who will be our super threat?
 
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Lance Roffers said:
Punt return is where Pope catches it inside his 10, retreats to the two-yard line and then gets upfield. Don’t do that, Pope. Don’t do that. (Not pictured)

UAB played safe contain pass rush and were just trying to push the pocket and then spy him if he tries to run. King tries to get outside of the pocket and is sacked by the spy.
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3rd & 15 and Campbell is initially beat but does a good job of using his length to push him wide again. King has a checkdown for about 10 in the middle of the field but tries to get the 1st down on a throw to Brevin and is off. UAB dropped 8 into coverage and made it difficult to have any open throws. I like their defensive scheme and the way they are coached. (Not pictured)

Good thing Phillips tips the 1st down pass because they had an open receiver outside. Hall got caught peeking into the backfield and lost his man in coverage. (Not pictured)

Jon Ford beats his block and eats this run play up. Brooks does a nice job of knifing into the backfield but gets knocked off by the OL. He needs to gain a little mass to hold up against the run.
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Frierson does a perfect blitz and gets into the backfield for a TFL. (Not pictured)

This can’t happen on the next drive. Gaynor and Scaife have a miscommunication and allow the NT to split them immediately while looking the other way. King just dumps it off to Harris for a nice play. One of the receivers had to run the wrong route at top of screen as you wouldn’t want both that close out of trips to boundary.
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UAB fooled the OL on this one. They walked five up and dropped the white LB out, then did the delayed SS blitz that Miami likes to run. Gaynor slides right, which I’m sure was the line call based on the look UAB gave. That left Scaife and Williams to block three defenders and the RB is on the other side. Free rusher hits King and forces incompletion. King saved a sack that probably prevents points on this drive.
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More games by UAB gets a sack that King caused on himself. Only three rush but King feels the pressure and steps right into a sack when he had time to take a shot. I do believe Scaife set way too deep into his backfield when he had no immediate threat and the rusher came from the LB unit. I’m impressed with the UAB defense in how they are coached.
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I’m going to pickup the pace in the 2nd half, but there are so many things I want to highlight on each play. Campbell is telling Traore on this play to get the LB and Traore whiffs on this block. If he makes this block, this is maybe a TD. Instead the LB runs right in-between these two OL and tackles Harris.
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Miami OL is out of sorts right now. UAB rushes three from the same side and Traore goes outside and Campbell goes outside. Gaynor has to slide and take that rusher when three come from that side, but you’ll remember earlier Gaynor went that direction on a three rusher look and they backed out and got a sack. He guessed wrong again and there is a free rusher. I also believe Knighton released too early and needs to be in to block when they send an extra rusher. King spins out and gets the 1st down but this was bad.
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Traore has struggled mightily in the run game with the NT and loses again on the next play. (Not pictured)

Just nice inside zone blocking and running on this play. Traore keeps working down, Scaife gets a guy in the backfield. Harris shows patience and picks his way into the hole and takes this to the 10. Excellent run. Nice grit from the OL.
View attachment 130409

They saved this play on a sprint right for the red zone. They had it perfectly. Immediately sprinted and the CB left his man immediately to come up for the QB. This is an easy throw to Payton. Can’t miss the layups.
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Unblocked. Shoots the gap on a nice play honestly, but then takes a bad angle and doesn’t lay a hand on the RB. Have to make this tackle, McCloud.
View attachment 130411

Their big wheel route that Couch forced a fumble on should’ve been offensive pass interference. Ball was thrown past the LOS so you can’t block or shield like this. UAB executes their plays so well on both offense and defense. I think they are going to be a tough G5 team if their backup QB plays decently (starter got hurt in this game).
View attachment 130412

Big props to McCloud for diagnosing this throwback TE screen when he was going the other direction due to the action of the OL. He almost intercepted it and how many times did this play hurt us against Virginia Tech last year?
View attachment 130413

The 4th & 4 offsides on Roche was a really clever play by the TE, who sold it as though he was moving on the snap, but he is allowed to shift. This lay never happens if they don’t get gashed on a run of 11 yards on 3rd & 15. The three-man rush, dropping eight only works if your striker is willing to play run defense. (Not pictured)

From here, Miami just ground the game out and scored on their next two possessions to put the game away.

By the Numbers:

There are several measures of offensive/defensive efficiency that can tell a story about the game and most of them add value. Expected Points Added is probably the best one because it doesn’t fall victim to weighting big plays the same as a short yardage conversion, but it is more complicated to derive and understand, so I’m going to use the second-best metric in my opinion, which is Success Rate.

Success Rate is fairly simple in that it takes the yards to go on specific downs and the yards you gained and determines if the play is successful or not. Five yards on 1st & 10, 70% of 2nd down, or a conversion on 3rd or 4th down is a successful play. The team that has a higher Success Rate wins the game more than 80% of the time, making it a simple, yet highly descriptive metric.

  • Miami finished with a rushing success rate of 38.0% and a passing success rate of 57.1%
  • UAB finished with a rushing success rate of 28.0% and a passing success rate of 36.1%
This is a decent rushing rate and a very good passing rate for Miami’s offense. These are strong metrics for both on the defensive side.

  • The OL allowed pressure on nine out of 36 pass snaps (25%)
  • Last year, the OL allowed a pressure on 186 out of 557 pass snaps (33.4%)
Defensively, Miami did not rush the passer to the level of last season:

  • 21 pressures on 72 pass snaps (29.2%)
  • Last year, Miami got pressure on 36.2% of pass snaps
Positives:

Jarrid Williams- Very good in his first game with the Canes and was their best OL in this game

Cam Harris- Showed patience to press the hole, burst to make big plays, and had a few nice blocks

D’Eriq King- Not quite the dynamic performance we hoped for, but King made some marvelous plays in this game that Miami hasn’t seen at that position in quite some time

Nesta Silvera- Was very active, played with a motor, and made his presence felt

Borregales- Not because he did anything special, but just because you didn’t worry when he was out there

Negatives:

Osuman Traore- It was a tough game in his first career start. Miscommunication, inability to make blocks at the second level, and letting blocks slip off too easily all night long

DJ Ivey- CB’s have to make plays, not just almost make plays or be in a good position but still allow the catch

Run Fits- For the most part, no LB played especially well. In a game where you watched the Kristopher Moll for the opponent, it was painfully obvious the difference. Too often players were choosing the wrong gap, attacking the wrong shoulder, or just slow to diagnose the play. I said before the game that UAB had two players who would start for Miami and it is definitely three after the game, as Moll would definitely start for Miami.

Passing Game- Several miscommunications on passing routes, WR’s not getting separation, Brevin being absent from the game plan, open receivers missed by King. It was an ugly night for the passing offense against a solid secondary.

OL Communication- Especially in the first half, the OL struggled to communicate and pass off rushers from various places. UAB walked defenders to the LOS and then rushed some and backed out others and Miami struggled to adjust and communicate effectively.

Overall:

Miami scored 31 points, rushed for over 300 yards, and won convincingly against a well-coached team. Yet it still felt like a marginal performance from our Canes. King can, and will, be better. The passing offense will definitely need to step up to reach goals, and the pass rush we have all heard so much about needs to be unleashed in future weeks.

A C+ game in a victory is acceptable, but I’m looking forward to seeing what an A performance resembles for this group.
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😳
 
miamiman666 said:
Awesome job, these are the best write ups out there! Are all of the handoffs/keepers that look like reads actually reads, or are some of them predetermined?
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Combination of both. You see this with Lamar Jackson often, where the play looks like a read, but it's a QB run all the way and that allows the blockers just an extra half-step to get to their landmarks.

Sometimes it's impossible to know based on tape, sometimes you can tell by how the blockers are blocking or setting up right at the snap.
 
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