Tempo for Miami Hurricanes offense more important than system

The spread offense has been perseverated on by Miami Hurricanes football fans dating back to the 2018 season. The tempo for the Miami offense is more important than scheme.

The offense for the Miami Hurricanes football team in 2019 was criticized throughout the season.  Fans are clamoring for the replacement for Dan Enos to run a spread. The 2019 Miami offense had elements of the spread. More important is for Miami to increase the tempo of the offense as Manny Diaz has promised.

As Canes Warning covered on Monday the stats show that Miami was 79th nationally with 844 plays from scrimmage on offense this season in 13 games. Every team currently behind Miami with the ironic exception of Miami (Ohio) has played 12 games. Speeding up the Hurricanes offense will be the key in 2020.

An increase in Tempo can be accomplished no matter what the offense is. The best offenses use elements of numerous schemes. A purely spread offense is not without its faults. In the RedZone and particularly near the goal line it can often stall. Stabilizing the Hurricanes offensive line will be critical in 2020.

The Miami Hurricanes offensive line was a brutal 128th nationally and last among Power Five conference teams by allowing 51 sacks this season. Miami was a slightly better 117th in the nation with 92 tackles for loss allowed. The Hurricanes ground game was also abysmal in 201 9 finishing 102nd at 3.77 yards per carry.

Miami head coach Manny Diaz spoke about the future of the Hurricanes offense and need to increase tempo during an appearance on the Joe Rose Show on Monday. Diaz promised last January when taking over as head coach that was going to happen in 2019. The new offensive coordinator needs to be a high octane coach.

"“We’re going to get the tempo jacked up here…We’re going to start to spread the ball out and get the ball to our athletes in space and do something here that hasn’t been done and people have not seen. there’s no wonder scheme that solves all equations. Right now the whole focus is getting the right offensive coordinator.“We’re going to be a dramatic change in how we look on offense and the style that we play with. We’re going to start to spread the ball out and get the ball to our athletes in space and do something here that hasn’t been done and people have not seen. So, we’re trying to find the right guy to get that done.Spread is definitely sort of an ambiguous word. There are all kinds of different kinds of spread offenses. There is no doubt there is a style of play in college football that is dominant at the top of the top 25 chart.There are better ways to utilize your personnel and get things going and that’s what you’re seeing now in college football and that’s what we’re going to model ourselves after as well.”"

The Miami Hurricanes have athletes that fit Diaz’s description of getting the ball to their playmakers in space. Miami is likely losing running back Lorenzo Lingard who it was announced on Monday has entered the transfer portal. Lingard had the ability to make plays in space before a severe torn ACL in 2018.

Cam Harris will likely team with incoming freshmen Don Chaney Jr. and Jaylan Knighton in 2020. Getting them all the ball in creative ways is critical. Against what should be tired opposing defenses using an up-tempo offense the big plays often come later in the game. With Jeff Thomas gone, Mark Pope will get a chance.

The Hurricanes simply did not have enough big plays or the tempo on offense to create a volume of plays for them to happen. In the loss to Duke Miami had enough plays, 76 but only gained a paltry 259 yards. Miami averaged under four yards per play this season three times. Two of those three were the final two games of 2019.

Under four yards per carry for a Miami Hurricanes offense is unacceptable. Miami averaged 2.49 YPC against Duke and Louisiana Tech. Miami averaged 3.52 YARDS PER PLAY in the final two games against Duke who finished the 2019 season 5-7 and versus a good, but Group of Five Lousiana Tech team. That can’t happen.