The Miami Hurricanes went into Bobby Dodd Stadium on Saturday night with hopes of another victory against an ACC Coastal foe. However, any momentum that the Hurricanes had coming into the game came to an abrupt stop. The Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets won for the first time in the last 5 meetings between the Canes, the final score was 28-17. The offense was up and down most of the night while the defense was just…poor.
Here are my grades for each position, along with special teams and coaching:
Quarterback
Well, it wasn’t Brad Kaaya’s best performance. Kaaya went 16 of 25 for 245 yards, with 1 touchdown and 2 interceptions. Kaaya started off hot and hit Braxton Berrios for a 21 yard touchdown on the first drive of the game. Unfortunately, in the 2nd quarter he threw an interception in the redzone that ended up being costly as the Canes offense didn’t possess the ball much. Kaaya’s second interception (in the redzone again) came with a little over a minute left in the game. It was basically a desperation type throw and he forced the ball into coverage. Kaaya did make some nice throws on the night and was able to spread the ball around well as 8 players caught passes. I expect the freshman quarterback to bounce back and to continue to learn from his mistakes.
Grade: C-
Running Back
The running backs had a great night and it was expected as Georgia Tech came into the game with the 94th ranked rush defense. Duke Johnson ran 14 times for 100 yards (7.1 yard avg) and 1 touchdown, while Joe Yearby only ran 2 times for 16 yards. I would have liked to have seen the running backs get a few more touches but with the way the Yellow Jackets were eating up the clock it really wasn’t logical especially late in the game when the Canes were trying to play catch-up. One thing to watch for is Duke Johnson’s fumbles as of late. Duke appeared to fumble the ball once again this game but luckily his knee was down before the ball came out. Knowing Duke’s work ethic I feel pretty positive that this problem will get fixed.
Grade: B+
Wide Receiver/Tight End
The wide receivers and tight end made the most of the opportunities they were given. There were quite a few good runs after the catch on the night. Phillip Dorsett led the way with 3 catches for 75 yards, tight end Clive Walford had 2 catches for 37 yards, Malcolm Lewis had 2 grabs for 30 yards, Braxton Berrios had the lone receiving touchdown and finished with 2 catches for 29 yards and lastly Herb Waters had 2 catches for 20 yards. The receivers played well for the short time they were on the field.
Grade: B
Offensive Line
Overall, I felt the offensive line performed much better than expected, especially considering KC McDermott and Taylor Gadbois were both out with injuries. True freshman Nick Linder played extremely well for his first start. The run blocking was exceptional and the pass blocking was fairly good as well. The o-line did give up 2 sacks and one of them was due to miscommunication which was somewhat presumed with a new starter in the lineup. Although Nick Linder had a solid outing, let’s hope McDermott and Gadbois get back in the rotation soon.
Grade: B+
Defensive Line
I felt the defensive line’s performance was underwhelming. The lone bright spot came from Olsen Pierre, who finished the game with a team high 10 tackles. If you look at the stat sheet you won’t see freshman Chad Thomas’s name, but make no mistake, he played very well and followed his assignments better than some veterans on the team. Looking at the rest of the line, Ufomba Kamalu had 6 tackles, Tyriq McCord had 4 tackles, Anthony Chickillo had 3 tackles (1 tackle for loss), and Calvin Heurtelou had 1 tackle. I expected more from the defensive line, but then again, I expected more from the entire defense. (No, it wasn’t entirely the player’s fault, stay tuned…)
Grade: D+
Linebackers
The linebackers had a very disappointing performance. They had trouble with assignments, as well as avoiding the infamous cut blocks of Georgia Tech. In defense of the linebackers, they weren’t always put in position to succeed. Denzel Perryman led the way with 9 tackles, Thurston Armbrister had 5 tackles and the only sack on the night, Jermaine Grace had 5 tackles, and lastly, Raphael Kirby finished with 3 tackles. I fully expect the linebackers to recuperate, but only if they are allowed to be aggressive. (Hint, hint)
Grade: D+
Defensive Backs
It’s tough to grade the defensive backs when they had to resort to tackling all game long as Georgia Tech only attempted 7 passes and completed only 4. I would not fault the defensive backs for the 30 yard pass play on 3rd and 16 but rather give the Yellow Jackets credit for finding the sweet spot in the Canes porous zone defense. Deon Bush led all DBs with 7 tackles, Ladarius Gunter had 4 tackles, Corn Elder, Nantambu-Akil Fentress, and Artie Burns all had 2 stops, while Jamal Carter, Dallas Crawford, Marques ‘Bodyslam’ Gayot, and Tracy Howard all had a single tackle. Look for the defensive backs to get tested MUCH more this Saturday against Cincinnati, especially if Gunner Kiel is healthy enough to play.
Grade: C
Special Teams
The kickoff coverage continues to be bad. Georgia Tech on average started at their own 30 yard line. On the other end, the Canes didn’t give Stacy Coley any lanes to run through on kickoff and punt returns for the most part, although, Coley did have a 39 yard return on a kickoff. Punter Justin Vogel averaged 41.5 yards on punts and had 1 downed inside the 20 yard line. Kicker Michael Badgley made his only attempted field goal from 27 yards out. Coach Golden needs to continue to tweak his special teams unit in order to get the correct players on kick and punt coverage.
Grade: C
Coaching
Coach Coley called a decent game on offense. The only play I really shook my head at was the wide receiver screen that was called on 3rd and 7. My big knock on Coach Coley is his lack of creativity on 3rd down. The Canes are now tied for dead last in the nation in 3rd down rate and 3rd down conversions. The Canes offense only had the ball for 19:15 and the lack of success on 3rd down played a partial role in the pathetic time of possession. Looking at the positive, the Canes gained 352 yards in those 19 minutes and averaged 8 yards per play.
Ah yes, Coach D’Onofrio’s defense. In my opinion, along with many others, the defense was not put in position to win this game. The pitch man seemed to be left uncovered most of the night, which is a recipe for disaster against the triple option. I know it sounds like a broken record but I can’t figure out why the linebackers and safeties are positioned so far back against a team that is clearly going to run the ball. Then again, I am not a coach, so what do I know? As I have stated in previous posts’, the most frustrating part is that it seems as if no adjustments are made as the Canes continue to take their punishment.
All of this falls back on Coach Golden. If it isn’t the scheme, then it is the coach’s job to make sure the players know their assignments and execute them correctly. The Miami Hurricane family will not settle for the current 3-3 record while also being 1-2 in the lowly ACC conference.
Grade: D