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Miami Hurricanes Football: Keys to Beating the Duke Blue Devils

By Justin Fessenden

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The Miami Hurricanes currently have a disappointing 2-2 record on the season. The Canes already have one ACC loss and that was to the Louisville Cardinals who reside in the Atlantic side of the conference. At this point in time it looks like the ACC Coastal is wide open and could be won by any team. There couldn’t be a better way for the Hurricanes to make a statement than to beat the defending ACC Coastal Champions: the Duke Blue Devils.

The Blue Devils didn’t lose too much talent from last season. They had one player drafted in May, which was cornerback Ross Cockrell, who was drafted by the Buffalo Bills in the 4th round.

Before the season started it seemed as if the Duke offense may take a step back due to the departure of  former offensive coordinator Kurt Roper (who is now coaching at the University of Florida). However, the offense seems to be doing just fine as Duke is currently ranked 15th in total offense.

Before I pump up the 4-0 Duke Blue Devils lets look at who they have played so far this season. Are you ready for this? Duke has played Elon, Troy, Kansas and Tulane. It’s extremely hard to judge this Duke team based on the competition they have faced, nonetheless, that is all I have to go by.

Here are the keys to beating the Blue Devils on Saturday night:

Stop the run

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I had to start with the obvious. The problems with the Canes run defense appeared once again last game vs. Nebraska, as the Cornhuskers had 343 yards rushing on the ground. The Blue Devils do not have a running back the caliber of Ameer Abdullah but they do have some good ones. Notice I said ‘some?’ Duke has 4 running backs with 20 carries or more on the season. Their leading rusher is talented freshman Shaun Wilson who has 28 carries for 404 yards (14.4 yd/avg!) and 4 touchdowns. Running backs Josh Snead and Shaquille Powell have very similar numbers and are averaging around 4.5 yards a carry. Duke as a team averages 6.4 yards per rush and 261 rushing yards per game.

Seeing these stats scare me. The defense must play a completely different game than they did vs Nebraska. The problem is that Duke runs a similar offense to Nebraska. Canes players need to make the initial tackle and they need to be put in a position to do so. If our coaching staff doesn’t make adjustments on defense going into this game it will be a long night.

Be ready for the pass & spy the quarterback

The Canes face yet another dual-threat quarterback in redshirt senior Anthony Boone. With Boone being a redshirt senior, he has a lot of experience running the option offense, therefore, making him very dangerous. He has a 62.4 completion percentage, 876 passing yards with 7 touchdowns and 1 interception. When Boone decides to take off running he averages 4.7 yards per rush and has 3 rushing touchdowns, making him a menacing threat in the redzone.

Boone is similar to a quarterback the Canes have faced already in Tommy Armstrong Jr., except Boone has much more experience. The Hurricanes need to have a linebacker spying on him at all times, especially in the red-zone. The Blue Devils’ passing game also provides a solid core of receivers which include: All-ACC receiver Jamison Crowder, Max McCaffrey, and Issac Blakeney. Covering these receivers will not be an easy task for Miami’s struggling secondary, lets hope they are up to the challenge.

Don’t allow ‘big plays’

The Blue Devils have been successful with creating big plays this year. Their average time of possession is 29:47 which is ranked in the bottom half of college football. I see big plays all over the stat sheet, such as: a 69 yard run by Shaun Wilson, 49 yard pass from Boone to Blakeney, a 48 yard catch by Crowder and a 36 yard catch by McCaffrey.

Again, it goes back to the Canes defense making the initial tackle when attempting to stop the run. If D’Onofrio’s defense  can slow down the run and force Anthony Boone to pass, then Miami will at least be prepared for it, thus giving up the big pass play will be less likely.

Give Duke Johnson the rock!

The Blue Devils are giving up 182 yards rushing per game with a 4.1 yard average. This being against teams such as Elon, Troy, Kansas and Tulane. Duke Johnson should have a field day against the Blue Devils. He is currently averaging 6.1 yards a carry and this has been while playing against some stout defenses such as Louisville (ranked #7 total def) and Nebraska (ranked #31 total def).

Let that man run!

Must score in the redzone

The Blue Devils’ redzone defense seems to be a weakness of this team and the Canes must take advantage. Opposing teams have scored 90% of the time against Duke while in the redzone. Touchdowns have come 50% of the time. The Canes have to take care of the football in the redzone, meaning no turnovers. It’s almost a given (90%!) that we get points once we get inside the 20 yard line, let’s make sure it’s a touchdown as I expect this to be a high scoring game.

Sustain drives, keep the Blue Devils off the field

This is so crucial! The Blue Devils will score points with their potent offense. Miami’s defense struggled against Nebraska, which was their first attempt at stopping an option-type offense. Therefore, the best solution is to keep them off the field as much as they can. Miami’s offense has continued to have problems sustaining drives. Third down conversion percentage currently sits at an awful 26.7%. This game would be a great time to reverse that trend, otherwise, we are in a load of trouble. We absolutely cannot send a tired defense out onto the field against this offense. It’s crucial that the offense avoids turnovers! Miami can’t afford to throw interceptions and fumble the ball, not against this team.

I am expecting a very high scoring game. The Canes need to hit on at least 4 of these keys to beat the reigning ACC Coastal Division Champions. If they hit on all 6, I guarantee a victory. Go Canes!

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