Miami’s Mishael Powell braces for Syracuse’s No. 1 aerial attack in quest of ACC berth
Mishael “Meesh” Powell, among college football’s finest safeties, will likely have his hands full Saturday at Syracuse in the final regular season game for the Miami Hurricanes.
The Canes hope those hands are full of Kyle McCord’s passes — and there are lots of them to navigate. The Syracuse senior quarterback is No. 1 in the nation in passing yards, with 3,946. Behind him: UM quarterback Cam Ward, with 3,774.
Powell, a 6-1, 210-pound sixth-year senior who transferred to Miami (10-1, 6-1 Atlantic Coast Conference) this past spring after five seasons at University of Washington, is tied for third in the country with five interceptions and fourth nationally with 145 interception-return yards.
On Saturday, a blitzing Powell skied just a few yards away from Wake Forest quarterback Hank Bachmeier for a startling line-drive interception he returned 76 yards for a touchdown to give UM a 17-7 cushion en route to a 42-14 victory. Powell also had a sack, tackle for loss and two pass breakups.
After the pick-six, Powell danced to his left across the end zone.
“Are we going to see more big plays and if so, can you teach me how to Dougie?” a reporter asked him of his dancing.
“We got several games left to play,’’ Powell said, laughing. “And most definitely, plays will be made and I’ll make sure I show you some dance moves.’’
Said UM star Ward: “Meesh Powell had himself a day. You haven’t seen nothing yet from [jersey No.] zero. He can lock in.’’
Powell, who grew up in Seattle and played safety, cornerback and nickelback at Washington, started all 15 games last season – including in the national championship loss to Michigan – and had some of the best pass-coverage metrics in the nation, per Pro Football Focus. He allowed just 8.8 yards per catch, tied for fifth among all FBS safeties who were targeted at least 50 times. He allowed just two touchdowns, and had interceptions against Michigan State, Arizona State and Oregon in the the Pac-12 title game. His 89-yard pick-six last season came against ASU.
“Coach Mario Cristobal is a known winner,’’ Powell said when he transferred to Miami. “Everywhere he’s been, he’s won games. He was at Oregon and he won there.’’
Powell stressed that UM’s is a culture he wanted to be part of “and take this thing all the way to the national championship.’’
REACHABLE GOAL
That is still an attainable goal for the Hurricanes (No. 8 in the College Football Playoff standings before Tuesday night’s newest release), who need to defeat Syracuse (8-3, 4-3) to clinch a spot in the ACC title game Dec. 7 against SMU (10-1, 7-0). An ACC championship win at Bank of America Stadium in Charlotte, N.C., would get the Hurricanes automatic entry and a first-round bye in the 12-team playoff.
But UM’s defense, especially in the aerial game, has been vulnerable this season. Despite ranking 35th nationally in passing yards allowed (194.3 yards allowed a game) and holding Georgia Tech (only passed 16 times) and Wake Forest to 99 passing yards apiece, the Canes gave up 303 passing yards to South Florida, 297 to Cal, 342 to Louisville and 325 to Duke.
“The story of the game was the defense, without a doubt,’’ Cristobal said Saturday. “Communication, alignment, assignment, and really, the leadership council and the players on this football team, they decided they had had enough and they were going to make things better from top to bottom, and they did.
“...That’s what Miami Hurricane defense should look like.”
“Everybody talks about the offense a lot,’’ Powell added. “Being able to put that on display was definitely important for us.’’
Asked how much being in last year’s national championship could help him this season, Powell said, “A little bit. But the biggest thing for us is to focus on going 1-0 and we’ll be good from there.’’
Cristobal and defensive coordinator Lance Guidry have lauded Powell’s intelligence. His father, the former chief operating officer of the United Way of Seattle’s King County, went to Harvard, Powell said. His mother, Yvonee Terrell-Powell, PhD, is director of equity, inclusion and belonging at Edmonds College outside Seattle. She went to Columbia.
Powell walked on at Washington instead of heading to Harvard or Ivy League schools that wanted him. He earned an athletic scholarship from the Huskies prior to the 2022 season.
“Really smart, self-starting team player,’’ Cristobal said Saturday of Powell. “Loves the game of football. Really loves his teammates and plays hard for them. You can’t say anything but super positive things about him.”
Powell, who plays opposite Jaden Harris, knows what the UM defensive backs have ahead of them in Syracuse’s McCord. The quarterback is also No. 1 nationally in pass attempts (522) and completions (341). Last Saturday, McCord threw for 470 yards in a 31-24 win against UConn. For the season, he has 12 interceptions along with his 26 touchdowns.
The two top Syracuse receivers have each surpassed 800 yards and account for a combined 10 touchdowns, including Plantation American Heritage graduate Oronde Gadsen II, a tight end whose father played for the Miami Dolphins.
“Kyle McCord is a hell of a quarterback,’’ Powell said of McCord, who played his first three seasons at Ohio State. “He came from a really good school before and he’s been building off what he did last year. …We got everything in front of us right now.”