Could personnel changes help UM’s defense? And who Canes fans should root against
A six-pack of Miami Hurricanes notes on a Friday:
▪ Could personnel changes help fix a UM difference that’s allowing 31.7 points per game in conference play?
Judging from defensive coordinator Lance Guidry’s comments, it appears too late for that, aside from one player returning from injury and a veteran in line to potentially play more.
Mario Cristobal said on Monday that second-year cornerback Damari Brown, who has been sidelined since early in the season, will be a game-time decision for Saturday’s Wake Forest game at Hard Rock Stadimu (noon, ESPN) and suggested that if he can’t play this weekend, he would be active for the Nov. 30 game at Syracuse (3:30 p.m., ESPN).
But on his radio show, Cristobal sounded more optimistic, saying “the goal is this week and we feel good about it” for Brown, defensive end Elijah Alston and guard Ryan Rodriguez.
Last year, Brown had a 96 passer rating in his coverage area in 280 defensive snaps. An ascending player before his injury in the season opener, Brown could take snaps from No. 3 cornerback Dyoni Hill, the Marshall transfer who has a 97.2 passer rating in his coverage area this season.
Also, Cristobal suggested that Louisville transfer linebacker Jaylin Alderman will continue to see his workload increase.
With Raul Aguirre injured, Alderman played a season high 41 snaps against Georgia Tech and graded out among the best of any UM defender against the Yellow Jackets. That marked only the second time that he has played more than 21 defensive snaps in a game.
For the season, Pro Football Focus rates Alderman the 12th best of 43 players who have appeared on defense for Miami, and No. 7 against the run.
“He’s a guy who is going to play more and more for us,” Cristobal said.
Guidry mentioned that it’s possible safeties Zaquan Patterson or Markeith Williams could play more, but it’s clear that UM is riding with safety Jaden Harris, whose 511 defensive snaps trail only fellow starting safety Mishael Powell’s 603 and linebacker Francisco Mauigoa’s 546.
Patterson has played only 106 defensive snaps, including just nine against Georgia Tech.
As far as other positions go, it’s up to the players in the rotation to simply play better.
▪ What teams should UM fans root against this weekend, from a College Football Playoff perspective?
Obviously, SMU; if the Mustangs lose at Virginia on Saturday and lose at home to California on Nov. 30, then UM would make the ACC championship game (against Clemson) even if the Canes lose one of their last two games.
(UM automatically makes the ACC title game with wins against Wake Forest and Syracuse.)
Also, root against sixth-ranked Notre Dame in its game against No. 18 Army on Saturday night at Yankee Stadium and Nov. 30 at Southern California. If the Fighting Irish lose both games to finish 9-3, then there’s a much better chance that the ACC or Big 12 will get a second team in the 12-team College Football Playoff. It’s also possible the Notre Dame slot could go to a fifth SEC team.
Penn State losing against Minnesota and Maryland would help, but that’s probably asking too much. An Indiana blowout loss to Ohio State likely wouldn’t cost the Hoosiers a playoff berth if they then beat Purdue.
At this point, the 12 playoff teams figure to be the four major conference champions, the highest-ranked Group of 5 conference champion (which is assured a berth), Notre Dame, three teams that don’t win the Big 10 (among unbeaten Oregon and Indiana and one-loss Ohio State and Penn State) and three teams that don’t win the SEC.
In the SEC, Texas is 9-1, and Alabama, Mississippi, Georgia, Texas A&M and Tennessee are all 8-2. Four of those six figure to make it.
So Canes fans should root for four of those two-loss SEC teams to lose a third game. Texas A&M has the toughest schedule -- at Auburn and home to No. 3 Texas. Mississippi doesn’t have a cakewalk, either; the Rebels play at Florida and against Mississippi State.
Tennessee has an easy schedule to close: UTEP and Vanderbilt. Georgia has Massachusetts and Georgia Tech at home, while Alabama plays at Oklahoma and then hosts Auburn.
If Notre Dame loses out or if only three SEC teams have two or fewer losses, then a second team from the ACC or Big 12 could slip into the playoffs.
That could be whatever team doesn’t win the ACC championship game (SMU, UM or Clemson) or 9-1 BYU (if 8-2 Colorado or Iowa State wins out and wins the Big 12 title game). Arizona State is also 8-2 but plays BYU on Saturday.
But if Miami loses a second game and does not make the ACC championship game, then a playoff berth would be highly unlikely. A narrow loss in the ACC championship game could leave UM in the running, but the Canes likely would need some of the help explained above.
▪ Canes legend Michael Irvin, who has become a ubiquitous sideline presence at every game now that he’s longer working for NFL Network, told Canesport’s Izubee Charles after the loss at Georgia Tech:
“I was just broken, crushed, and I was hurt. The Miami game Saturday, I went to that game, and I was already going through something personal, and my heart was hurt already….
“Miami has been going along pretty good playing and feeling confident about… being able to come back. But you can’t do that every week, and I was worried about this game and didn’t want to speak it into reality, but the reality was I was emotionally drained. I know those kids had to be emotionally drained. I was trying to raise myself up and raise them up.”
▪ UM - whose 23 member Class of 2025 class is rated 10th nationally by 247 Sports - flipped edge player Hayden Lowe from Southern Cal last week and reportedly has a good chance to flip four-star linebacker Tarvos Alford (an Ohio State commitment). On3.com is predicting Alford will switch his commitment to UM.
UM also is working to flip four-star Newberry, Fla.-based defensive tackle Jarquez Carter.
“We’ve put together two unbelievable classes and this one has a chance to be the best of all of them,” Cristobal told WQAM’s Joe Zagacki and Don Bailey Jr. this week.
▪ Cristobal made clear that everyone was charged with improving during the bye week, not just players.
“We spent the bye week improving every aspect of our program, starting with the way we teach and coach,” he told Joe Zagacki and Don Bailey Jr. “We came out of this week a much better football team.”
Cristobal conceded that UM has seen “a lot of different things on game day than what we see in film study. We’ve done a good job adjusting for the most part.”
▪ Quick stuff: Per 247 Sports, two of the nation’s top five 2026 tight ends – Utah-based Brock Harris and California-based Israel Briggs – will be among recruiting visitors at the Wake Forest game this weekend… ESPN assigned Mark Jones and Roddy Jones to Saturday’s game.
This story was originally published November 22, 2024 at 12:31 PM.
