Why Enos thinks one of UM’s biggest weaknesses in 2019 can be strength for many years
Manny Diaz, Dan Enos and Butch Barry would have had a right to panic after the Miami Hurricanes’ season-opening loss to the Florida Gators. Florida’s front seven absolutely dismantled Miami’s young offensive line in Orlando, piling up 10 sacks — more than the Hurricanes had ever allowed in a game.
In the days and weeks after the loss, Diaz faced persistent questions about the group he started at Camping World Stadium. Was he going to make any changes? It was a fair question to ask, but Diaz touted the importance of picking a group and sticking with it. Miami made a slight tweak for its next game against the North Carolina Tar Heels, inserting Jakai Clark for John Campbell Jr., and the Hurricanes have ridden the same starting lineup ever since.
With two games remaining, Miami’s process has worked.
“I think we look at it as a potential position of strength in the future as we move forward,” Enos said Monday at his weekly press conference in Coral Gables. “They understand the run schemes, they’re understanding the protections, and then with the techniques and fundamentals that Coach Barry instills in those guys on a daily basis, they’re getting better at it and they’re a talented group. They really are.”
After giving up at least three sacks in each of their first six games against FBS opponents, the Hurricanes (5-4, 4-3 Atlantic Coast) haven’t given up more than two in any of their last three. They’ve surrendered just five total sacks on the current three-game winning streak — fewer than in individual losses to the Gators and Virginia Tech Hokies — and have done so against two of the better pass rushes they’ve faced all season.
The Pittsburgh Panthers, who lead the nation in sacks, logged just two in Miami’s win last month in Pittsburgh and the Florida State Seminoles, who rank 35th, also had just two Nov. 2 in the Hurricanes’ win in Tallahassee.
The FIU Panthers, whom Miami faces Saturday at Marlins Park, have just 13 sacks in 10 games this year, placing them in the bottom 20 of the entire nation. The Hurricanes would like their strong finish to springboard the offensive line in 2020 and they’ll have a chance for an outright dominant performance against FIU in Miami.
“As this year’s gone on, we’ve gradually gotten better and I think if we just keep slowly getting better eventually, like you said, the sky can be the limit,” Clark said Tuesday after practice inside in the Carol Soffer Indoor Practice Facility. “We’ve got everybody coming back, as far as I know.”
The Hurricanes opened the season with Zion Nelson at left tackle, Navaughn Donaldson at left guard, Corey Gaynor at center, DJ Scaife Jr. at right guard and Campbell at right tackle. After one game, Clark took over at right guard and Scaife moved over to right tackle. Now Campbell is the first offensive lineman off the bench and has split time primarily with Donaldson at left guard.
All six of Miami’s top offensive linemen are likely to be back next year, and only Donaldson and Gaynor even have the option to enter the 2020 NFL Draft. Nelson and Clark are both freshmen. Scaife and Campbell are both juniors. The Hurricanes are even adding Jalen Rivers, an Under Armour All-American offensive lineman, to the roster as part of their Class of 2020 and the four-star tackle from Orange Park Oakleaf is slated to early enroll.
If Miami can return five starters and enter 2020 without any serious question marks up front, the growing pains from the start of the season will have been worth it.
“We’re really pleased with the group and we’re really pleased about the future of the group,” Enos said. “I think another offseason in the weight room and spring practice, and continue to develop the guys that aren’t playing as much right now, I think the group has a chance to be a strength for us.”
The offensive coordinator heaped praise upon his offensive line coach this week, lauding the variety of ways Barry has gotten his linemen to improve throughout the year.
Donaldson, for example, was underachieving at the start of the year, so Barry started replacing him with Campbell to challenge the junior.
“I think he’s got a little fire lit underneath him,” Enos said.
With the freshmen, Barry has used a longer leash. Nelson was a turnstile at times in the first few weeks of the season, but Barry never benched him. Instead, practice has been important for Clark and Nelson, and Clark said the sheer repetition Barry puts his players through has paid off in the final month of the regular season.
“Coach Barry is a guy that’s going to do what it takes to get you better,” Clark said. “It might take yelling at you, trying to get under your skin, get you to focus more, but at the end of the day he’s doing what’s best for you to get better.”
This story was originally published November 21, 2019 at 4:10 PM.
