Miami football starts well in ACC with Manny Diaz leading defense
In the three seasons that Manny Diaz was the defensive coordinator of the Miami Football team, the Hurricanes swept through their ACC openers. Miami hopes to duplicate that in the first ACC game under Diaz as a head coach against North Carolina Saturday night.
The Miami football team opened ACC play during the Mark Richt era with Manny Diaz as defensive coordinator with impressive victories at Georgia Tech and Duke in 2015 and ’16 and at Hard Rock Stadium in 2018 over the same North Carolina program they will play on Saturday night.
The Richt era got off to a flying start. Miami won their first four games in 2016. That included a 35-21 victory in the 2016 ACC opener to get their four straight wins to begin 2016. Miami had fumble return touchdowns on back to back possessions by freshmen, linebacker Shaq Quarterman and defensive end Joe Jackson.
The returns by Jackson and Quarterman were impressive in just their fourth collegiate games. Brad Kaaya threw for 241 yards on just 13-19 with two touchdown passes and was supported by 114 yards rushing. Three turnovers forced by the Diaz led defense and none by the Miami offense were the difference in the game.
The Miami football team began ACC play on the road for the fourth straight season, and second in a row under Richt in 2017. A balanced performance from the Diaz defense and the Hurricanes offense paced a dominant 31-17 Miami victory over Duke in Durham, North Carolina.
It was Miami’s return to Durham after the miracle seven lateral victory in 2015. Miami outgained Duke 409 total yards to 349 yards. The Miami defense forced two turnovers while the offense only committed one in the victory. Big plays by Mark Walton and Ahmmon Richards led the way for Miami.
Walton went 30 yards on a screen pass on Miami’s first drive to set up their first touchdown. A Richards 49-yard TD receptions in the fourth quarter extended Miami’s lead to 24-6 and put the game way. A Travis Homer 40-yard run later in the fourth quarter finalized a 31-6 Miami victory.
Sophomore LB Michael Pinckney was dominant for the Hurricanes in the win. Pinckney had 10 tackles, 1.5 tackles for loss, a sack and an interception. Diaz sparked the Miami defense to 11 TFLs and six sacks. The performance was impressive by the Hurricanes defense against 2019 number six NFL draft pick, Duke QB Daniel Jones.
Miami began ACC play in 2018 against Duke’s archrival North Carolina. Just like they did two years prior in the ACC opener, the Miami defense went out and won the game for the Hurricanes. Miami entered the game against the Tar Heels with a four-game winning streak after the lost the 2018 season opener to LSU.
Six turnovers forced by the Miami defense and three TDs scored off those turnovers sparked Miami to a 47-10 victory over North Carolina. The Tar Heels ran for 215 yards but the turnovers were too much to overcome. Two of the Miami defensive TDs came in the first half. Miami led 33-10 at halftime.
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Jonathan Garvin’s first-quarter fumble return came 1:29 after a DeeJay Dallas TD run to give Miami a 17-3 lead. Interception returns by Joe Jackson in the second quarter and Romeo Finley in the fourth capped a 21 point night for the Miami defense and 47-10 victory. The Miami defense has scored five TDs in the last three ACC openers.