Miami football program could be at a crossroads during bye week

An unexpected loss to Virginia and a mediocre at best performance by the defense had the Miami football program at a crossroads as they head to their bye week.

There has been a lot of speculation over the past few weeks about what ails the Miami Football program. The inconsistent play at quarterback, shuffling on the offensive line, the inconsistencies in the running game and questionable play calling have been some of the criticisms of the Hurricanes over the past few weeks.

Mark Richt and his staff will be able to evaluate everything this week without a game to prepare for. The next Miami football game is October 26 at Boston College.

With a 5-2 record in the first seven games, the Miami football team has wasted a dominant defense. Except for the first half against LSU, the Hurricanes defense has been one of the best in the country. The dominance of the defense and ineptness of the offense on the road is the type of play that can divide a team.

Richt told the Miami Herald that his team sticking together and being loyal to each other is critical during the final five games of the regular season.

"“The bottom line is we must be loyal to each other…And that’s paramount. That’s true of any really good team. We know that people are going to question a lot of things. People are going to say this or say that. The only thing we can do is stay strong from within…I mean it’s sometimes easy to look at it from a distance and not be in the middle of it and say what we should have done and shouldn’t have done. It’s easy after the fact to say those things. The main thing for us is to stick together and believe in each other and get better. We still have got a lot of football ahead of us.’’"

Richt was candid to a point but also gave a lot of hyperbole. The loss to Virginia makes the bye weak tougher according to the Hurricanes Head Coach. He also discusses what he and his staff will assess during the bye week.

"“Maybe that’s exactly what we need, to assess everything top to bottom. If there is a time in the season to make certain changes you can do them, whether it’s just scheme or maybe personnel or whatever it may be…Certainly there will be a couple sleepless night for me, I know.’"

Even Miami Hurricanes legendary wide receiver Randall Hill got in on the act of asking what’s next for Richt’s offense.

The Miami defense is playing at a high level. If the Miami football program is to reach an elite level they need the offense to at least be functional.

One of the biggest criticisms of Richt over the past two seasons has been how he handled quarterback. Richt stuck with Redshirt Senior Malik Rosier in 2017 and through the first three-plus games of 2018. The truth is both Rosier and N’Kosi Perry have struggled with accuracy. Richt discussed their intentions during the bye week.

"“Yeah, well, how I see it is both those young men are really talented guys that can play and can function. We’ll figure out who gives us the best shot next time we play.’’"

Both players have shown both their talents and shortcomings at quarterback. Whoever emerges in the first huddle against Boston College is going to have to display more accuracy or the offense will continue to struggle.

Richt also answered questions about his play calling but avoided whether or not the team needs a new Offensive Coordinator. Thomas Brown played for Richt at Georgia and was his Running Backs Coach there in his final season in 2015 before getting fired.

This is Brown’s first stint as an Offensive Coordinator. Richt calls the plays. The consensus from the Miami football fan base on social media seems to be that Richt should give up the play calling and find a new Offensive Coordinator and Quarterback Coach. His son Jon is the Quarterback Coach and not likely to be going anywhere.

This year is Jon Richt’s third as a football coach. He was on his father’s staff at Georgia and spent one season with the Buffalo Bills. In hard to question how much impact he has had on the quarterbacks either good or bad. His father’s imprint is on the offense.

The offense has problems in every aspect. They need better play from the offensive line and at quarterback and for the running game to produce against Power Five teams. If the Miami Offensive Coaching staff cannot figure it out during the bye week this season can tank quickly.