Miami Hurricanes defense will be challenged versus deep ball in 2020

Limiting long pass plays will be a challenge for the Miami Hurricanes defense in 2020. Several Miami opponents were adept throwing the ball deep in 2020 and return key players at quarterback and wide receiver.

The Miami Hurricanes defense needs to improve in 2020 at limiting long pass plays by opponents. Miami finished 122nd nationally allowing five passing plays of 60 yards or more. Allowing big pass plays is one of only a few things the Miami defense, which was very good in 2019, needs to improve on in 2020.

The numbers get better going down incrementally by 10 but Miami still allowed five pass plays of 50 or more yards that was 69th nationally in 2019. Games against North Carolina and Wake Forest will pose the biggest challenges to the Miami Hurricanes secondary against the deep ball.

Rising sophomore quarterback Sam Howell of North Carolina is the best returning QB in college football throwing the deep ball. In a profile of the five toughest QBs Miami will face in 2019, David Lake of Inside the U, highlighted Howell’s accuracy on deep pass attempts. Howell completed 48 percent of his deep balls in 2019.

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Those completions accounted for 1,339 yards and 21 touchdown passes according to Pro Football Focus. Overall, Howell completed 61 percent of his passes for 3,641 yards and 38 touchdowns as a true freshman in 2019. Only 2019 Heisman Trophy winner, Joe Burrow of LSU had more success throwing deep last season.

Howell was in the top 15 quarterbacks in 2019 with completions of 10 yards or more up through 50 yards or more. The learning curve for Howell should allow him to be more efficient and proficient as a sophomore in 2020. Dazz Newsome and Dyani Brown form a deep threat tandem at wide for North Carolina.

Newsome finished 23rd nationally with 17 receptions for 20 yards or more in 2019. Newsome was one behind with 16 20 yard plus receptions in 2019 to finish 34th nationally. Brown had a 62-yard reception against Miami in 2019, while Newsome hauled in a 36-yard reception. UNC added a fourth-and-17 conversion late in the game.

Wake Forest finished 15th in total offense in 2019. The Demon Deacons return QB Sam Hartman who missed most of the 2019 season with a broken leg. Hartman will throw to one of the nation’s best WRs, Sage Surratt. Surratt had 66 receptions for 1,001 receiving yards and 11 TDs in 2019 playing in just nine games.

According to PFF via Lake, Surratt caught 12 deep balls that led to five touchdowns and 470 yards in 2019. At 6’3, 215 pounds, Surratt is a tough matchup for most opposing cornerbacks. Al Blades Jr and D.J. Ivey who project to be the starting CBs for Miami and Christian Williams are all 6’1 and likely to match up with Surratt.

Surratt had 16 receptions of 20 yards or more in 2019 to rank 46th nationally and eight of 30 yards or more which was 34th. With six receptions of 40 yards or more Surratt was 23rd in FBS. As a team Wake Forest finished the 2019 season 23rd in passing offense. The Demon Deacons were nationally ranked in deep passes.

Wake Forest finished in the top 30 in pass completions over 20 yards through 70 yards by each increment of 10. Playing the Demon Deacons prolific passing offense in Winston-Salem is going to be a tough test for the Miami secondary. The plus side is that the Miami pass rush should help the secondary in 2020.

The Hurricanes finished seventh in the nation with 46 sacks in 2019. The additions of Temple graduate transfer Quincy Roche and rising redshirt junior Jaelan Phillips to the active roster in 2020 to team with Greg Rousseau who leads the nation in returnees with 15.5 sacks in 2020 should help the Miami secondary.