Miami Hurricanes vs Nebraska Cornhuskers: What To Watch For

As a fan, you know how big of a game this is for the program. This is a game that can give Miami some legitimacy by finally winning a game on primetime. The Miami Hurricanes failed to deliver when they dropped the Louisville game on Labor Day Night, but they have a second chance at getting that big win.

I truly believe that this Miami Hurricanes team is better than the last couple of editions, but now it’s time to prove it by winning in Lincoln against Nebraska.

The Canes will have their hands full with a really talented Huskers team on Saturday and here are some things to watch for leading up to the game.

Brad Kaaya versus the crowd

We all know that Brad Kaaya is a tough kid and he’s really poised for being a true freshman, but this is still something to watch for. The Louisville crowd on opening night was a good crowd, but it wasn’t a 90 thousand people crowd on a Saturday night in Nebraska. Kaaya is going to have some freshman nerves so I think it’s vitally important that the Canes get out to a quick start and limit the third-and-long’s. If the Canes get into too many third and long’s, it could be a a long day for Miami, especially with a struggling offensive line.

Randy Gregory versus the right side of Miami’s offensive line

If you aren’t too familiar with other programs around college football, you probably don’t know how dominant Randy Gregory really is. Gregory is a projected top-10 NFL draft pick and has freakishly athleticism in his 6’6 250 pound frame. Gregory lead the big-ten in sacks last season with 10.5, but has yet to registered his first sack this season. You know he’s trying to log one of those up tonight. The right side of Miami’s offensive line — especially Danny Isidora and Taylor Gadbois — has struggled so far into the season. They absolutely got dominated by Louisville’s defensive line and Nebraska’s line isn’t far behind. Gadbois and Isidora are going to have to play much better than they have during the first three games and they’re going to have to try and keep Gregory in check. If not, it could be a long day for Kaaya and the rest of the Miami offense.

Miami’s receivers versus Nebraska’s secondary

Nebraska has a good defense, but there’s no way that they can match up with Miami’s speed on the outside. Stacy Coley and Phillip Dorsett have elite speed and there’s only about a handful of people that can match up with that speed throughout the country. Nebraska’s secondary is going to have to rely on the defensive line winning their battle in order to not get beat down field. I think that if Kaaya has a ton of time to throw on first and second downs, you’ll see the Canes trying to air it out and take advantage of their speed on the outside. This is definitely a match-up to watch. If the Canes are able to win this battle, they’ll have a good chance of getting out of Lincoln with a win.

Ameer Abdullah versus Miami’s defense

The Miami defense has been the story for a really long time, and for the first time, it seems like the stories are about how much they have improved. Three games in and they are 8th in the nation in total defense. Yeah they played FAMU and Arkansas State, but that’s still a really high ranking and a good start to get continuity. The defensive line looks to be improved, but they’ll be going up against an elite running back in Ameer Abdullah. Abdullah is one of the best backs in college football and if he makes you miss a couple of tackles, he’ll make you pay. Miami’s defense must make sure that they wrap up and bring Abdullah down the first chance they get or they’re going to see his numbers balloon and Miami is going to lose. This is the big test that the fans have been waiting on to see if the defense is legit, and they better hope they don’t disappoint.

Miami’s Defensive Backs

I’m not even going to put “versus” anyone because I just think that the secondary has been so poor so far this season that it doesn’t matter who they play at this point. The cornerbacks seem to be getting beat on every back shoulder throw. They sometimes don’t even turn back and locate the ball, and they’ve yet to make a big play for the defense. If you look at the defensive line, they have sacks, forced fumbles, even interceptions. The secondary? nothing. This is a game in where the Canes secondary is going to live up to all the off-season hype that surrounded them. They took to Instagram earlier this week to taunt some of the Nebraska receivers, but if they play the same way they’ve played the first three games, they might have to delete their Instagram accounts after this game.