Podcast: Takeaways and observations from Game 1 of the Rhett Lashlee era in Miami
After all the first-half angst and confusion about just how much the Miami Hurricanes ran the dang ball against the UAB Blazers, opening night of the Rhett Lashlee era was ultimately a success in Miami Gardens.
The Hurricanes piled up nearly 500 yards of offense. They scored 17 quick points in the third quarter to put away the Blazers. Miami ultimately opened the 2020 season with a mostly non-stressful 31-14 win Thursday at Hard Rock Stadium.
The first look at Lashlee’s new offense wasn’t exactly what we expected, but David Wilson and Susan Miller Degnan, the Hurricanes beat writer for the Miami Herald, still walked away impressed. They explain why on a new episode of the Eye on the U podcast, recapping the Hurricanes’ season-opening win against UAB.
As much as Miami handed the ball its running backs, everything still started with D’Eriq King, who was mostly the quarterback we expected him to be. As a passer, the redshirt senior was a little bit underwhelming, but he made up for it with how fun he was to watch when he had to take off and run. His scrambling ability could be salvation for the Hurricanes, whose offensive line appears to still be a work in progress. Even if he’s not an elite quarterback this season, he’s at least going to make this offense a whole lot of fun to watch.
About those running backs: Cam’Ron Harris, Jaylan Knighton and Donald Chaney Jr. in a lot of ways became the story of the night. Harris ran for 134 yards and two touchdowns, including a crucial 66-yard score on fourth-and-1 to tie the score 7-7 in the first quarter. The freshmen were nearly as impressive, each running for more than 50 yards on about 6.5 yards per carry. We heard all the hype throughout the preseason about Knighton and Chaney, and they were even better than advertised in Week 1.
The most important thing we gleaned from opening night, though, is the way Lashlee is going to manage games this year. The offensive coordinator called a run-heavy game, which surprised even his players, and was content to be conservative in his only nonconference game of the regular season. Miami found something that worked and stuck with it to open the season with a three-score win, without showing off too much of the playbook. Considering all the preparation the Hurricanes’ first-year coordinator missed out on because of the COVID-19 pandemic, it’s hard to complain about the way Miami handled its first game of the season.
