How ‘growing pains’ of last season shaped the Miami Hurricanes’ improved offensive line
The Miami Hurricanes were four games into a doomed 2019 season and it was already evident their offensive line — with two freshman starters and constantly rotating lineups — was going to be an ongoing issue.
They had given up 10 sacks to the Florida Gators in the opener and at least four to every FBS team they faced in the first month of the season, including the Central Michigan Chippewas.
After a bye week, Corey Gaynor stood inside the Carol Soffer Indoor Practice Facility with microphones and tape recorders shoved in his face, and tried to answer for everything the line had going wrong.
The offensive lineman was some mixture of agitated and diplomatic about the questions. He downplayed the freshmen’s struggles and spread the blame across everyone. Some criticism was warranted, he admitted, but the same was true for everyone at every position on the team.
“No one person will take the blame. It’s a great group to be around and I love being a part of this offensive line,” he insisted.
Almost exactly a year has passed since this short, three-minute interview session in Coral Gables and the play of Miami’s offensive line is almost unrecognizable. In three games all against FBS competition this year, the No. 8 Hurricanes have allowed just two sacks and offensive coordinator said star quarterback D’Eriq King was to blame for both, either holding on to the ball for two long or running himself into pressure.
There are myriad reasons the Hurricanes (3-0, 2-0 Atlantic Coast) believe they have a shot at upsetting the top-ranked Clemson Tigers on Saturday and the offensive line’s newfound competence — and maybe something even better — makes it all possible.
“It’s great that we haven’t given up a sack, but every week is a new week and it’s a new test,” Gaynor said Wednesday, “so we really don’t pride ourselves that much on that because numbers can change.”
The turnaround has happened mostly through sheer development and scheming with, of course, one major infusion thrown in. Jarrid Williams, who has started every game at right tackle, was already a seasoned veteran when he joined Miami as a transfer from the Houston Cougars and he has been the Hurricanes’ most reliable offensive lineman.
Still, Miami’s best offensive linemen last game against the Florida State Seminoles, according to Pro Football Focus, was Zion Nelson — perhaps the most maligned member of the Hurricanes’ 2019 unit.
The sophomore spent most of last season as Miami’s starting left tackle, then lost his job to fellow offensive John Campbell Jr. in the preseason before taking over against Florida State because Campbell was dealing with a minor injury.
Now they’re listed as co-starters against Clemson and Nelson’s borderline disastrous debut season, when he was thrown into the fire right away despite not being a top-1,000 recruit in the 247Sports.com composite rankings, is a fading memory.
“We went through some growing pains,” offensive lineman Corey Gaynor said, “and that’s expected with such a young offensive line, such a young unit.”
Even the most veteran members of the unit — Gaynor and fellow offensive lineman DJ Scaife Jr. — are playing for their third offensive line coach in three years. Garin Justice replaced Butch Barry, who replaced Stacy Searels.
Justice, who openly admits to being a players’ coach, has connected in a way neither of the other two did and he fits in perfectly as a position coach for offensive coordinator Rhett Lashlee.
The offensive coordinator has simplified the Hurricanes’ scheme at all levels and delivered on his promise to bring a quick-strike, spread approach to South Florida.
Justice, who previously was the offensive line coach for the FAU Owls and has a long history of working in the spread, has conveyed the same style to his position group.
“He has done a great job with those guys,” Lashlee told WQAM on Wednesday. “You can see they gain confidence each week.”
