Miami Hurricanes Football: Five Areas That Need Improvement This Season

As your Miami Hurricanes head into the 2014 season I’d like to take a look at 5 notable areas that need improvement from last season. I will reveal the Hurricanes overall FBS ranking in each of the areas and then determine whether the possibility of improvement is grim or endurable this upcoming season based on returning and incoming players as well as coaching.

Total Defense

The Hurricanes ranked 89th in total defense last season out of 123 FBS teams; that’s not good. The Hurricanes defense gave up a total of 5,543 yards, 5.75 yards per play, 43 total touchdowns and a ridiculous 426.4 yards per game. These numbers are totally unacceptable and make all Hurricane fans cringe. This season, Canes fans should expect much improvement from the defensive side. I believe every position will have better players on the field, although the linebacker core will need to stay healthy because of the lack of depth at the position. Also, as many would agree, defensive coordinator Mark D’Onofrio needs to do whatever it takes to get this defense improved.

Passing Yards Allowed

Miami ranked 90th in passing yards allowed last season; again.. not good. The defense allowed quarterbacks to complete 60% of their passes, they allowed a total of 3,248 passing yards, 16 total touchdowns and 249.8 yards per game. Despite those lackluster numbers, I would not put all of the blame on the secondary. I would actually put some — if not most of the blame — on the defensive line and their lack of pass rush. I see improvement in this area for the upcoming season as well because of a bigger, stronger and faster defensive line. There will also be more experience at the cornerback position as well as much better safety play.

Third Down Conversions

The Hurricane offense ranked 96th in third down conversions last season, with a conversion rate of 35.2%. The offense relied very heavily on the ‘big play’ last season and were successful at times but had a lot of trouble sustaining drives, therefore, when the Canes came across teams that could shut down the ‘big play’ they often ran into a wall of trouble. I once again see improvement in this area as well due to the fact that James Coley will be in his second year calling plays for the Hurricanes. I believe play calling is very crucial when it comes to a successful third down conversion rate, and it’s also important that the offense does not take a loss of yards on first and second down in order to have a manageable third down.

First Down Defense

Last year’s defense was ranked 97th in the country, giving up 287 first downs with 123 of those first downs coming via the run, 154 first downs coming via the pass and 10 yards due to penalties. In order for this area to improve, the staff (and the fans) would like to see more from the defensive line as far as a better pass rush and clogging the lanes in order to stop the run.

The linebackers need to step up as well by making the initial tackle and not allowing the first down (just look at tape from the Virginia Tech game and it makes you want to cry.) Lastly, I would like the defense — especially the defensive backs — to have a more aggressive style of play and not play off the ball so much. Again, I do see improvement in this area for the 2014 season, as Miami will have better players at every position on defense and Coach Mark D’Onofrio will have had another year of experience coaching this Miami Hurricanes defense.

Offensive Time Of Possession

The Hurricanes ranked 118th out of 123 in offensive time of possession with an average time of 25:58 minutes per game; that’s definitely not good. Most of us would agree that the ‘big play’ is fun and exciting, as well as a quick, easy way to put points on the board, but unfortunately, there is a downfall to the ‘big play’ as the time of possession plummets and puts a tired defense back onto the field.

As mentioned above, the lack of success in the Hurricanes offensive 3rd down conversions also contributes to poor time of possession. Ultimately, I believe the defense can improve with a better time of possession from the offense. The Hurricanes put a tired defense on the field many times last season (like against Louisville,) if the offense can find better success sustaining drives and limiting turnovers, I can almost guarantee that the Hurricanes will see improvement from the defense. Again, I do see a better time of possession from the offense for the 2014 season.

Sure, we will still get the home runs from Duke Johnson (which is great) but with efficient quarterback play the time of possession will improve. I think the short and intermediate passing game will be more of the focus this year with a new quarterback getting the keys to the car.

***

Overall, the talent is there for the 2014 Miami Hurricanes roster, enough to make improvements not only in these five areas, but in every aspect of the game. Execution and coaching will determine how much improvement this Hurricanes team will see.

Home/Miami Hurricanes Football