A potential edge that Miami could exploit against Clemson. And Hurricanes personnel notes
A 10-pack of Miami Hurricanes notes on a Thursday, as we close in on UM-Clemson on Saturday (7:30 p.m., ABC):
▪ Despite the Hurricanes’ clear improvement, there aren’t a lot of areas where UM will have the clear edge in personnel on Saturday.
Here are two: Brevin Jordan matched against a Clemson linebacker (the Tigers have no elite, top-250 recruits at that position) or tight ends Jordan and Will Mallory playing together and offensive coordinator Rhett Lashlee using them in a way that Clemson won’t know who will block and who will run routes — or whether both will run routes — or where they will line up, for that matter.
“What they do with Jordan and Mallory is so hard to defend at the college level, any level,” ESPN lead play-by-play announcer Chris Fowler said off air this week, as he prepares to call Saturday’s game with Kirk Herbstreit.
“You’ve got tight ends you can put in line or flex. I’d like to see maybe what they can do involving Mallory and Jordan at the same time, and really create some havoc, because you look for mismatches against Clemson. It’s not easy. You’ve got to try to find the safety or find the back that you can exploit, and they may have the tight ends to do that.”
So far this season, Jordan has caught 15 of 18 passes thrown to him for 212 yards and three touchdowns.
Mallory had a long play called back because of a penalty; not counting that, he has been targeted only twice and caught both for 27 yards and a touchdown.
Lashlee, appearing on WQAM-560’s Joe Rose Show on Thursday, noted that “Will got banged up in the Louisville game and played only about a quarter against Florida State. The bye week came at a good time for him. They are matchup problems and help the entire offense work.”
Jordan will be UM’s best pro prospect in uniform on Saturday, viewed as a potential second-day pick. Mallory, also a junior, is still making his case as an NFL prospect.
“Both those guys have the God-given ability and work ethic to play at the next level for a long time,” Lashlee said. “Will and Brevin, nether one feels they take a back seat to either one. They’re great team guys, [are supporters of] each other. When those guys can feed off each other, that makes us even better. That’s the kind of culture we want to have.”
▪ Manny Diaz has said that receiver Jeremiah Payton will play more — he missed the Louisville game and didn’t play a snap against FSU — and also has spoken highly of freshman Michael Redding, who caught a touchdown against Florida State.
Those two could potentially be UM’s fourth and fifth receivers Saturday, with freshman Keyshawn Smith also pushing for snaps on offense.
As for the top three wide receivers — Dee Wiggins, Mike Harley Jr. and Mark Pope — Lashlee told WQAM: “We have room to improve. They are getting better. We’ve gotten better each game at the wide receiver position.
“When they haven’t made the plays, they’re really motivated to improve. There’s not one guy that has to be the guy. We spread the ball to 11 people” against FSU.
▪ UM strength and conditioning director David Feeley raved about defensive linemen Jaelan Phillips and Nesta Silvera in a Hurricane Hotline chat with Joe Zagacki and Don Bailey.
When Phillips was ineligible to play because of transfer rules last season, “all last season he would lift during practice,” Feeley said. “He had so much fun he would come back in the weight room a couple times a day. His back is like rocky mountains; peaks all over the place.”
With Silvera, “Jade gets all the credit,” Feeley said. “He made the decision that he wants to be a known college football player and a contributor to this team winning. The amount of work he put in this summer, especially running the track, [was impressive]. That man is on a mission. It was great to watch his summer conditioning. That’s when we knew he was turning a corner.”
▪ Safety Gurvan Hall will miss the first half of the Clemson game after his ejection due to a targeting penalty in the second half against FSU.
Defensive coordinator Blake Baker said Amari Carter and Bubba Bolden will get “the lion’s share” of the first-half work at Clemson but said freshman Brian Balom might also play.
“We feel we have three starters [Carter, Bolden and Hall] at that position,” Baker said. “It’ll be good now that Gurvan can be on the sideline; he’ll be able to pay attention and lock into what’s happening on the field.
“Brian has done a very nice job, is someone we’re comfortable with getting into the game. Not having Gurvan in the first half, you always want a playmaker like that, so it’s a shame what happened a couple of weekends ago. But he’ll be chomping at the bit ready to go in the second half.”
Baker also said he wants the team to rein in its emotions a bit.
“We have to play a little more disciplined,” Baker said. “Passion is something we hang our hat on here at Miami, something we don’t want to take away. Now we need to confine some of those emotions, maybe not kick a football helmet across the yard this Saturday.
“We want our guys to play with emotion but have to learn to hone it in a little bit. We can really learn from that Florida State game from that aspect. But if you try to take away their passion you’re doing them a disservice. It’s part of our culture here.”
▪ Lashlee noted that “nobody can run the football” on Clemson.
“Twenty-four straight ACC wins, they’ve given up more than 28 points in a game three times over three years dating back to the 2017 season,” he said. “That’s just incredible consistency on defense.”
UM averages 43.3 points and 499.0 yards per game. Clemson relinquishes only 12 points and 303.0 yards per game so far this season.
▪ UM athletic director Blake James, discussing the state of the football program on WQAM’s Hurricane Hotline:
“What an exciting team. It’s exciting to see what coach Lashlee has done with the offense and the explosiveness of our offense.”
James also praised the defense and said “it’s a fun team to watch. To be selected for three straight Saturday night games [on ABC] says a lot about our brand.”
James said UM will stick with a capacity of 13,000, as will their Hard Rock Stadium landlord, the Miami Dolphins. “It’s a socially distanced environment,” he said. “We encourage people to come out and enjoy some Hurricane football.”
UM’s next home game is at noon on Oct. 17 against Pittsburgh.
Florida Governor Ron DeSantis is permitting Hard Rock Stadium to sell all 65,000 tickets to games, but the Dolphins have declined that offer.
▪ For first-team left tackle, UM is listing John Campbell or Zion Nelson.
Campbell started the first two games, Nelson the third. Diaz has said they’re comfortable using both.
▪ Feeley made an interesting point on D’Eriq King, noting he “changed some attitudes and the way some guys operate the first practice he was here.”
▪ Bailey, who watches practice as UM’s radio analyst, mentioned that senior guard “Navaughn Donaldson amazes me” in terms of being a big man who can do athletic things, even in his rehab from knee surgery after last season.
“The second Navaughn is back, look out baby, he’s a force to be reckoned with,” Feeley said. “We can’t wait for him to get back when he’s ready.”
Diaz said recently that Donaldson had not been cleared for practices but has said he could play this season. Regardless of how many games he plays this year, he will retain eligibility to play next season.
▪ Quick stuff: Lashlee said offensive line coach Garin Justice “has done a great job with those guys. You can see they gain confidence each week.”…
Lashlee said “the moment” that freshman running backs Jaylon Knighton and Don Chaney Jr. “stepped on campus, you can tell they were not your normal freshmen. Those young guys are really explosive. They seem to be able to handle” whatever UM is giving them to do.
Here’s my in-depth comparison of the UM and Clemson rosters and a recruiting analyst discussing the talent gap between the programs.
This story was originally published October 8, 2020 at 12:03 PM.
