Miami Hurricanes: Positions That Have Impressed and Disappointed

The Miami Hurricanes are a third of the way through their regular season and currently sit at 2-2. The Canes have lost 2 tough road games and picked up 2 wins against some weaker competition at home. As they dive into division play this week against Duke, Miami will need multiple position groups to step up and start holding their own. Through 4 games, here are the positions that have impressed us and those that have depressed us.

Defensive Backs

Before the season, many thought the defensive backs would be the strength of this Miami Hurricanes’ defense. Through the first 4 games, the Canes’ DBs have disappointed and have arguably been the biggest weakness on the defensive side of the ball. Last year the Canes had 18 interceptions, this year, they have just 2 through 4 games. The DBs have been beaten for deep passes multiple times, even in games against FAMU and Arkansas State. The corners have really struggled to turn around and find the ball in the air when they do have good position on the receivers. The safeties have been very disappointing as well. Jamal Carter was expected to have a break out year, but he has really struggled this year, especially when having to make open field tackles. Arkansas State kept throwing wide receiver screens to Carter’s side of the field and he would get there quickly with a chance to make a tackle for loss, but then miss the tackle. Dallas Crawford has not had the impact that many believed he would have. It may be due to his flip-flopping of positions, but Dallas Crawford has often looked lost out on the field. Deon Bush has been very hit or miss this season…. Literally. Bush either makes great form tackles and puts his helmet on the ball causing fumbles or just completely misses the tackle in open field. The defensive backs have been very disappointing so far this year and will need to improve as the Canes start ACC Coastal play.

Quarterback

Sep 13, 2014; Miami Gardens, FL, USA; Miami Hurricanes quarterback Brad Kaaya (15) throws a pass against the Arkansas State Red Wolves during the first half at Sun Life Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Steve Mitchell-USA TODAY Sports

Brad Kaaya has really impressed thus far. When the Canes named the true freshman their starting quarterback, nobody truly new what to expect. Kaaya struggled in the first two games, but a lot of that can be attributed to offensive coordinator James Coley holding him back. Since Coley started opening up the playbook, Kaaya has looked extremely confident in the pocket. Kaaya broke the Miami Hurricanes’ record for most passing yards in a game by a true freshman when he threw for 342 yards against Arkansas State. That record didn’t stand for very long though because Kaaya broke his own record the following week when he threw for 359 yards against Nebraska. Brad Kaaya is ranked top 25 in the entire country in touchdown passes, passing yards, and yards per attempt. The Miami Hurricanes all time record for single season touchdown passes is 29, held by Steve Walsh since 1987. Kaaya is on pace to throw for 30 touchdowns. Brad Kaaya needs to limit his turnovers, which will come naturally as the 19 year old QB continues to mature, but it’s safe to say that almost everyone has been impressed with his performance so far.

Offensive Line

The offensive line struggled mightily against Louisville and allowed many free rushers to get to Kaaya, while not opening up many holes in the running game. The Canes have allowed 8 sacks which is tied for 84th in the country. The offensive line has looked better recently, partially due to the offense becoming more balanced. Louisville was sending 8 or 9 guys all night against Miami, but now teams are having to respect the passing game more. This has helped the offensive line out tremendously and has led to more running lanes for the running backs. The offensive line was disappointing early on, but as the Canes’ offense has become less 1 dimensional, they are looking better and better. Hopefully the offensive line continues to improve as Miami  moves into Coastal play. A little side note here: I loved seeing Flowers, Gadbois, McDermott, and the other offensive lineman stand up for their QB against Nebraska. When Randy Gregory took a cheap shot at Kaaya, the offensive lineman all had his back. This is the passion and emotion the Canes need and I think it also shows how much respect the lineman have for their QB, Brad Kaaya.

Linebackers

When the Canes lost Alex Figueroa and Juwand Blue over the offseason, everyone saw that Miami was extremely thin at linebacker this year. However, this group of linebackers has played well and has really impressed. Denzel Perryman has been who we thought he would be. He leads the team in tackles and has continued to dish out bone-crushing hits. Perryman has played great and that was expected, but it is those around him whose performances have really surprised. Thurston Armbrister has blown up this season. Armbrister is second on the team in tackles and has 4 sacks and 2 forced fumbles already. The combination of Perryman and Armbrister has been huge for this defense. Raphael Kirby and Jermaine Grace have played solid as well and the contributions from freshman Darrion Owens have been big. The Canes’ linebackers have all stepped up and have been really impressive.

Receivers and Tight Ends

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The Canes’ receivers were regarded as some of the best in the country coming into the season. The production has been there, but it has come from some unlikely guys. Stacy Coley was expected to be one of the best receivers in the country coming into this season, but he only has 31 yards on 6 catches. Coley sat out the Arkansas State game with a shoulder injury that had been bothering him during the previous two games as well. Even without Coley, Miami’s receivers have still produced pretty well. Braxton Berrios has been huge for the Canes. Many thought Berrios wouldn’t even play this year after tearing his ACL in January, but 4 games into the season he leads the Canes receivers in receptions. Berrios has 14 catches already and has quickly become Kaaya’s favorite target on third and fourth down. Phillip Dorsett has also been an integral part of the Canes’ receiving game. Dorsett leads the Canes in receiving yards and receiving touchdowns and is averaging over 30 yards per catch which ranks third in the country. The Canes have also gotten some nice contributions from Malcolm Lewis and Herb Waters. At tight end, Miami has relied on senior Clive Walford. Walford has 15 catches and 3TDs so far this year and has looked very good. The only negative with Clive Walford is that there are some plays where he looks lazy and disinterested. When Clive is playing hard, he is a force for the Canes at tight end. Standish Dobard has also contributed at tight end. Miami’s receivers and tight ends have looked good so far and can really be impressive once Stacy Coley gets back on track.

Defensive Line

The defensive line has looked good this year. They have been pounded with the run game, but a large part of that is due to the scheme. The DTs are much improved, even with very little play from Michael Wyche who needs to get his conditioning right. JUCO transfer Calvin Heurtelou has played well along with true freshman Courtel Jenkins, who has been arguably the biggest surprise on the team. Jenkins has looked really good in the middle and has been able to get penetration into the backfield. Jenkins and Heurtelou, along with senior Olsen Pierre are a solid group of defensive tackles. The defensive ends have also played well.  The Canes rotate a lot at defensive end, moving Anthony Chickillo, Ufomba Kamalu, Tyriq McCord, and freshmen Chad Thomas and Trent Harris around a lot. The Canes have 11 sacks on the year which ranks 21st in the country and that’s without Al-Quadin Muhammad who is out for the year for an off field issue. Last year Miami wasn’t even top 40 in sacks. The defensive line as a whole has impressed and is a big improvement over last years’.

Running Backs

Sep 6, 2014; Miami Gardens, FL, USA; Miami Hurricanes running back Duke Johnson (8) runs against Florida A&M Rattlers defense during the first half at Sun Life Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Steve Mitchell-USA TODAY Sports

The running game really struggled early on. Teams were stacking the box, trying to force the Canes to beat them through the air. Miami kept running the ball into these stacked fronts and having virtually no success. Now that the Canes have a good passing attack, the running game has started to open up. The Canes’ yards per carry have spiked over the last three games after only averaging 2.59 yards per carry in the opener. Duke Johnson has come back just as good if not better from the horrific ankle injury he suffered last season. Duke is averaging over 6 yards per carry and has racked up 370 yards rushing so far. Gus Edwards still needs to work on lowering his pad level and running tough, but he has shown improvements in those areas since his freshman year.  Joseph Yearby was also coming off of a bad lower leg injury, but he has shown incredible shiftiness and quickness. Yearby is Miami’s second leading rusher with 127 yards on just 24 attempts. The Canes’ running backs have been about what we expected on the ground, but have really impressed in the passing game. After 4 games, Miami’s running backs are on pace to have 33 catches and 468 yards. Last year the Canes’ RBs had only 24 catches for 248 yards, including the bowl game.

With the Duke Blue Devils coming to town to kick off the Hurricanes’ coastal schedule, it will be important for the positions that have disappointed to start putting it all together. With the offense seemingly getting better every week, Miami will be able to put up plenty of points. Now the defense needs to step up to help the Miami Hurricanes take the cake in this very winnable ACC Coastal Division.