Three areas where the Hurricanes can improve as they look to build on 5-0 start
No matter how much success his team has, no matter their dominance, no matter where they rank nationally, Miami Hurricanes coach Mario Cristobal’s approach remains steadfast.
There are always areas for his team to improve.
This season is no different.
Even after a 5-0 start that includes three ranked wins and has Miami ranked No. 2 nationally in the AP Top 25 poll, Cristobal knows there are ways for his team to get better as it makes a push for both an Atlantic Coast Conference championship and a spot in the 12-team College Football Playoff.
Entering Miami’s game on Friday against Louisville (4-1, 1-1 ACC), with kickoff from Hard Rock Stadium set for 7 p.m. and the game broadcast on ESPN, here are three places where the Hurricanes can refine their game.
Clean up penalties
The Hurricanes are committing an average of 7.6 penalties per game. That’s the second most in the ACC behind only Wake Forest (8.3) and 22nd most overall among 136 Football Bowl Subdivision teams.
This included Miami committing a season-high 13 penalties for 114 yards in its 28-22 road win over Florida State on Oct. 5, which aided in the Seminoles’ late comeback bid in the game. UM has committed at least six penalties in four of five games far this season. Among them are a pair of targeting calls — one on linebacker Wesley Bissainthe on the opening drive against Bethune-Cookman on Sept. 6 and one in the fourth quarter by Dylan Day against FSU that is forcing the safety to sit out the first half of Friday’s game against Louisville.
“Oh, no doubt it’s on the priority list, at the top of it,” Cristobal said. “Certainly, when we hurt ourselves, it affected our drives. It affected the outcome of drives, as well. We overcome them sometimes, but when you play really good teams, those things could be fatal. And so, the benefit of being able to learn your lessons without learning it through consequence is great. But it has to be driven all the way through because certainly it’s not a stat line that we want to be on. And that starts with myself and every single person in this building. It’s not acceptable. It’s not what we preach or teach. We’ve got to make sure we get the results that we want.”
Play a complete game from start to finish
In three of the Hurricanes’ bigger wins this season, they have given the opponent a chance to rally in the second half.
They blew a 14-point second-half lead to Notre Dame before kicking a game-winning field goal in the final minutes in the season opener.
They failed to finish drives against Florida, which allowed the Gators to get within a score late in the third quarter, before eventually pulling away.
And they allowed Florida State to score 19 unanswered points in the fourth quarter to turn what appeared to be a rout into a one-score game.
The Hurricanes have outscored opponents 97-19 in the first half. In the second half? The margin is 83-49. Remove the 45-3 rout of FCS-level Bethune Cookman, and the numbers are 71-16 in the first half and 66-49 in the second half.
“Finish games to the level that we know that we can finish them,” Cristobal said.
Find a more consistent third option in the pass game
True freshman Malachi Toney and sixth-year senior CJ Daniels have been steady options for quarterback Carson Beck all season. The two have combined for 52 catches, 644 yards and eight touchdowns through five games.
Production beyond them, however, has been inconsistent.
Wide receiver Keelan Marion and tight end Elija Lofton each has 11 catches, but each of them has had one breakout game (Marion six catches for 81 yards against USF, Lofton four catches for 43 yards against Florida) but has been quiet beyond that.
UM’s offense is balanced enough to get away with two primary targets. The run game has been strong with a one-two punch of Mark Fletcher Jr. and CharMar “Marty” Brown, and the offensive line is one of the best in the country.
But adding a third steady option for quarterback Carson Beck could do wonders for the offense moving forward.
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