Hurricanes’ offense has been productive. The offensive line has been a key reason
The Miami Hurricanes’ offense has been humming through the first three weeks of the season. Quarterback Carson Beck is making plays to an assortment of wide receivers in the passing game and Mark Fletcher Jr. is leading a solid effort in the run game to help UM get off to a 3-0 start.
But all of that is possible because of the five players up front dominating at the line of scrimmage.
The Hurricanes’ offensive line is where their success starts and finishes. That group’s ability to give Beck a clean pocket and open up holes for running backs is the foundation which Miami’s offense can build any sort of consistency.
“It starts from us,” said right tackle Francis Mauigoa, a potential first-round pick in next year’s NFL Draft. “We’ve gotta set the standard. We’re the tone setters. We set the standard for the whole team.”
Miami has used six primary offensive linemen so far this season. Matt McCoy and Samson Okunlola have been rotating at left guard. The other four spots have been steady, with Markel Bell at left tackle, James Brockermeyer at center, Anez Cooper at right guard and Mauigoa at right tackle.
And so far, entering No. 4 Miami’s home game against the Florida Gators (1-2) on Saturday (7:30 p.m., ABC), the group has been among the country’s best.
The data to back that up? Consider the following:
-Pro Football Focus has the Hurricanes with fifth-highest grade on offensive nationally at 89.0, trailing only Rutgers, Indiana, Missouri and Washington.
In terms of blocking, Hurricanes with the seventh-highest run-blocking grade in the country with an overall team grade of 78.0. The teams ahead of Miami: Iowa, Northwestern, Washington, Rutgers, Penn State and UConn. Miami is rated 33rd in pass blocking with a 76.9 team grade.
For comparison, Miami finished third last season in overall offensive rating by PFF (92.7), 72nd in run blocking (62.6) and 27th in pass blocking (76.2).
“The physicality of the game and the ability to take over the game and really impose our will running the football, they’ve done a great job,” offensive coordinator Shannon Dawson. “I would say the one thing that you talk about up front, and a big part of our past game, is the way they protect for a quarterback. It doesn’t matter who you are, if you’re Tom Brady down to me, which is a big difference. No quarterback can play with people like around them and hitting them, right? So it’s vital to our pass game that our protection and those guys do an excellent job up front.
“They really take ownership of both,” Dawson continued. “Running the ball and pass protection are both very physically demanding jobs because if you’re in pass protection, it’s like a one-on-one street fight for five seconds, or however long quarterback holds the ball, you know. It’s a tough job.”
-Miami has given up just seven tackles for loss through three games, which is tied with Oregon for the second-fewest among teams that have played three games. Only Ohio State, with four tackles for loss against, has allowed fewer.
-Beck has only been pressured on 12 of his 86 dropbacks, or 14 percent of the time, through three games. He has excelled when the pocket has been kept clean, going 59 for 72 for 722 yards and five touchdowns without an interception. On the 12 dropbacks when the pocket collapses and Beck has has to deal with pressure, he’s 6 for 10 for 90 yards and two touchdowns with two interceptions and two sacks.
“They played their butt off,” Beck said of the offensive line. “And I’ve been saying this all offseason leading up to the season, those dudes, I’ve never seen a group work the way that they do. Whether that’s in the film room, whether that’s extra work out on the field. I mean, we have off days, and they’re out in the sand pit, they’re here in the indoor getting their footwork, they’re running, they’re conditioning. I cannot speak highly enough of that group and the work that they put in. They make my job a lot easier. I’m comfortable back there, and I trust those guys a lot because they put in the work. I can sit back there and make my reads and go through what I need to go through because they’re so talented. When we show up on Saturdays, I have faith and confidence in them that they’re going to execute and execute at the highest level.”
This story was originally published September 15, 2025 at 3:56 PM.
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