How several significant UM personnel changes helped defense vs. Wake Forest. And notes
A six-pack of Miami Hurricanes notes on a Monday, heading into Saturday’s critical game at Syracuse (3:30 p.m., ESPN):
▪ The Hurricanes made three significant and interwoven personnel changes on defense on Saturday, and it collectively paid dividends in the 42-14 win against Wake Forest.
Akheem Mesidor, who had been playing primarily defensive tackle, moved outside to defensive end, taking snaps that had largely been handled by Tyler Baron.
Baron, who has struggled in recent weeks, saw his playing time plummet; he played only three defensive snaps against Wake Forest. Mario Cristobal said Baron isn’t injured and his limited playing time is “just the way the coaches chose to do the rotation.”
Former N.C. State player C.J. Clark started at defensive tackle, alongside Simeon Barrow Jr., and logged 32 defensive snaps.
Clark justified the expanded role; Pro Football Focus ranked Clark 11th best among 28 players who logged snaps on defense for Miami on Saturday. Mesidor also was effective; he had a sack and PFF rated him UM’s fourth best defender on Saturday. Defensive coordinator Lance Guidry said both Clark and Mesidor played well.
“Mesidor has been playing hard all year, and he’s had to play inside.,” Guidry said. We started playing him a little bit outside, but not a lot, but we thought this week would be a good week for him to play outside. ...
“Mesidor played really outstanding, which we knew he would. We knew he would play hard, and we got healthier inside with some guys. C.J., of course, played well in there. Marley Cook played well. We knew we had to sit Ahmad Moten out for a half [after being ejected for targeting against Georgia Tech]. We were a little bit healthier inside, which allowed us to play Mesidor outside, because we haven’t gotten Elijah Alston back.”
Specifically in the area of stopping the run, PFF rated Mesidor third and Clark eighth in Saturday’s game. Wake Forest averaged just 2.4 yards per carry (40 for 94).
Baron was rated UM’s worst defender, though it’s hardly fair to judge someone off three snaps.
But there ultimately were playing time consequences for Baron’s recent slump; he has had trouble setting the edge in the run game and entered Saturday with no sacks and just two tackles for loss in his previous seven games, after collecting 4.5 sacks in UM’s first three games.
▪ Another notable playing time development: No. 3 cornerback Dyoni Hill did not play at all on defense, for reasons that weren’t explained as of midday Monday.
Cristobal said Hill not playing was based on rotation plans given what Wake Forest was doing. “I don’t think there’s anything to it,” Cristobal said. “He’s a really good player. He’s gonna play for us.”
Markeith Williams, a backup safety, played more than usual (17 defensive snaps), behind Mishael Powell and Jaden Harris. The other backup safety, Zaquan Patterson, played 13 snaps.
▪ Last week, we wrote about 10 people inside the program who needed to elevate their performance.
Among those who did: Powell and linebacker Francisco Mauigoa. PFF rated them Miami’s two best players on defense Saturday.
Powell had his fifth interception (which he returned for a touchdown) and a sack and posted his best PFF grade since the opener against the Gators.
Powell permitted a touchdown pass, but only two of the five passes in his coverage area were caught (for 49 yards).
Mauigoa, who entered with a team-high 16 missed tackles, didn’t miss one and posted his highest PFF grade of the season. Vulnerable all season when matched up against running backs and tight ends, Mauigoa wasn’t targeted a single time in coverage. He had a game-high 12 tackles.
▪ PFF rated freshman Jordan Lyle as the best Power 4 running back in the country this past weekend.
Lyle averaged a ridiculous 16.4 yards per carry (seven rushes for 115 yards), including a 61-yard TD run. For the season, he has 361 yards rushing on 8.6 per carry; four of his 42 rushing attempts have been touchdowns.
“Watching him in high school, we all felt he would be an impact guy, felt he had a chance to be one of the best to ever go to the University of Miami,” Mario Cristobal told WQAM’s Joe Rose on Monday. “He’s as good a running back as I’ve ever had an opportunity to recruit.”
▪ PFF rates Elijah Arroyo 18th of 479 tight ends this season, and he’s now up to 482 receiving yards (26 receptions) and five touchdowns. PFF said he was Miami’s third best player on offense on Saturday, behind Cam Ward and Lyle.
“Watching Miami’s offense vs. Wake – probably his best game of the year,” ESPN draft analyst Jordan Reid said. “So fluid, good hands, sharp route runner, great YAC threat and can make plays through contact. I’m a big fan of this player.”
But ESPN’s Mel Kiper no longer has him rated among the top 10 draft eligible tight ends.
▪ Syracuse, led by quarterback Kyle McCord, is second in the country in passing yards per game at 361.5 -- just behind Mississippi and just ahead of Miami - and Canes cornerback Daryl Porter Jr. will need another strong performance on Saturday.
Against Wake Forest, Porter allowed only one of four targets to be caught, for three yards. PFF rated him Miami’s third best player on defense on Saturday.
Cornerback OJ Frederique wasn’t targeted at all against Wake Forest. And for nearly all of the game, UM played only two natural cornerbacks (Porter and Frederique), with Powell able to handle safety and nickel corner assignments.
Former starting cornerback Damari Brown, out since the opener with an injury, might play on Saturday.
This story was originally published November 25, 2024 at 1:16 PM.
