Miami football team needs to commit to run versus Georgia Tech

MIAMI, FLORIDA - OCTOBER 11: DeeJay Dallas #13 of the Miami Hurricanes runs for touchdown against the Virginia Cavaliers in the first half at Hard Rock Stadium on October 11, 2019 in Miami, Florida. (Photo by Mark Brown/Getty Images)
MIAMI, FLORIDA - OCTOBER 11: DeeJay Dallas #13 of the Miami Hurricanes runs for touchdown against the Virginia Cavaliers in the first half at Hard Rock Stadium on October 11, 2019 in Miami, Florida. (Photo by Mark Brown/Getty Images) /
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The last two games the Miami football team has gotten away from running the football. Against Georgia Tech’s poor run defense Hurricanes offensive coordinator Dan Enos needs to commit to the run more often than he has in the last two games.

Falling behind 28-0 against Georgia Tech two weeks ago and running only 52 plays to Virginia’s 73 a week brought the rushing attempts way down for the Miami football team. In their first four games of 2019, Miami averaged 35.75 rushing attempts per game. The last two weeks Miami has averaged 24 rushing attempts.

The lack of a commitment to the run has taken the ball out of the hands of the most explosive player for the Miami football team in 2019, running back DeeJay Dallas. In the first four games of the 2019 season, Dallas averaged 14.5 touches per game on carries and receptions. In the last two weeks, he has averaged 12.

Dallas is eighth in the ACC in Yards from Scrimmage, but 14th in touches. The junior running back has 554 total yards on 71 carries and 11 receptions. Boston College RB A.J. Dillon leads the ACC in with 883 yards from scrimmage on 151 touches. The Hurricanes have to commit to getting their best player the ball more often.

Georgia Tech has one of the worst rushing defenses in the country. The Yellow Jackets are 127th nationally against the run. That is the worst among Power Five teams and last in the ACC. Georgia Tech allows a nearly astronomical 237.67 rushing yards per game. That average includes holding South Florida to 93 yards rushing.

Dee Jay Dallas 2019 Game Logs 
RushingReceivingPassing
RkDateSchoolOpponentAttYdsAvgTDRecYdsAvgTDCmpAttPctYdsTDIntRate
12019-08-24Miami (FL)NFloridaL12957.914379.30010.00000.0
22019-09-07Miami (FL)@North CarolinaL141077.60100.0000000
32019-09-14Miami (FL)Bethune-CookmanW121089.0300000000
42019-09-21Miami (FL)Central MichiganW14342.4111919.0000000
52019-10-05Miami (FL)Virginia TechL66611.013124.0000000
62019-10-11Miami (FL)VirginiaW13634.802147.0100000
6 Games714736.7611827.51010.00000.0

Provided by CFB at Sports Reference: View Original Table
Generated 10/18/2019.

Clemson dominated Georgia Tech on the ground in a game that nearly two-thirds of the Tigers’ total yards came running the football. Led by junior Travis Etienne Clemson ran for 411 yards. Etienne finished with 205 yards on 12 carries with three touchdowns. Seven Tigers averaged at least four yards per carry in the win.

FCS The Citadel gave Georgia Tech a taste of its own medicine from the Paul Johnson era. Running the triple option that Johnson utilized with the Yellow Jackets before retiring after last season the Bulldogs ran for 320 yards in a 27-24 upset victory. The game plan for Enos should be simple. Run. The. Football.

Cam Harris

had his breakout game against Georgia Tech last season. Harris was given an opportunity after a Dallas fumble gave the Yellow Jackets great field position. Harris ran for 48 yards on six carries including a scintillating 22-yard TD run. Dallas reached the end zone but had only 15 yards on six carries.

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Harris has struggled in 2019. The sophomore RB has averaged just 3.7 yards per carry. He has run for 146 yards and two TDs. Expect to see Dallas run out of the Wildcat against his homestate team. The blueprint for how to defeat the 1-5 Yellow Jackets is there. Time for Miami to get tough on offense, not cute.