Here’s who have been best and worst in pass coverage for UM. And Diaz on 4 young receivers
A six-pack of Miami Hurricanes notes on a Tuesday:
▪ UM cornerbacks Al Blades and DJ Ivey have both performed well in pass coverage this season while safety Bubba Bolden has been UM’s worst defensive back in pass coverage.
That’s according to the numbers tracked by Daniel Gould, the Miami Herald’s UM metrics correspondent.
Blades has been targeted 33 times in coverage and has allowed 13 receptions for 173 yards, one touchdown, two interceptions and four pass breakups. That computes to just a 41.6 NFL quarterback passer rating is his coverage area.
Ivey has been targeted 16 times and allowed only five receptions for 84 yards and a touchdown. He has four pass breakups. His numbers equal a 70.8 NFL passer rating in his coverage area.
Though Bolden overall has been an asset, his coverage numbers are subpar. He has permitted 17 receptions in 27 targets for 297 yards, three touchdowns, one interception and two pass breakups. That equates to a bloated 121.9 passer rating in his coverage area.
“He plays extremely hard,” safeties coach Ephraim Banda said of Bolden. “There is so much more improvement in terms of his eye discipline, technique, foot pattern, doing things the Miami way. That’s what we’re pushing him to do over the next six weeks. He’s only played nine games [at Miami]. He understands he’s got so much to improve. He said [Wednesday], ‘I hear all the bad stuff. I need to hear what I need to get better at.’”
Among the other safeties, Amari Carter has allowed five completions in 10 passes against him for 49 yards and a touchdown. Gurvan Hall has permitted four passes to be caught in seven targets for 59 yards.
▪ Te’Cory Couch, UM’s third cornerback, has played well recently but for the season has allowed 12 receptions in 21 targets for 167 yards.
The strikers, meanwhile, have been strong in coverage. Gilbert Frierson has permitted 5 of 10 passes in his coverage area to be caught for 45 yards, with two pass breakups.
Keontra Smith has allow two of four passes to be caught for 25 yards, with one pass breakup.
▪ Among linebackers, Bradley Jennings Jr. has struggled in pass coverage, allowing all five targets to be caught for 60 yards. Zach McCloud has allowed six completions in 10 targets in coverage (for 69 yards), with two of those completions going for touchdowns.
Sam Brooks has been solid in coverage: two completions in six passes in his coverage area, for 24 yards and one pass breakup. I would expect Brooks to continue to play more.
▪ Coach Manny Diaz on his four freshmen receivers: “They’re all just different. Keyshawn Smith maybe flashes the most because of his outstanding speed. But Michael Redding has a knack for stacking people, making plays down the field. And Xavier Restrepo and Daz Worsham are talented as well. They’re just all a little different. Keyshawn’s speed probably flashes above all the skill sets.”
▪ Diaz said he’s pleased that UM has had only only one pre-snap penalty each of the past two games. Those types of penalties were hurtful in previous games.
“The ones we’ve been working to avoid are false starts, offsides, self-inflicted wounds and we’ve cut those out in major ways the past two games,” Diaz said on Hurricane Hotline.
▪ UM basketball coach Jim Larranaga told me recently that he has told his players to stay out of bars and “to avoid social gatherings and indoor facilities. A lot of them eat at their apartment. I don’t know if you call it an edict or mandatory, but my players know I would be very disappointed if they subjected themselves or teammates to COVID.
“We have made the message clear that if you want a season you don’t want to get infected with this virus. We got tested once a week and are now being tested twice a week. No one has tested positive.”
Diaz — whose team has had an undisclosed number of players in quarantine the past two weeks because of positive tests or contact tracing — said he hasn’t banned players from going to restaurants or bars but likes that his players have “taken some responsibility [and said] `Coach, I’m trying to keep my bubble small, keep people away.’ But they’re not locking themselves in their room. There’s a way to manage without being on lockdown, but there are still some responsibilities that are required.”
Meanwhile, Larranaga is leaving nothing to chance. Even during on-court sessions with his team, “we social distance even at practice. We have chairs 6 to 10 feet apart. We have counseled our players on a daily basis on what’s acceptable behavior and what is not.
“The first thing is wearing masks anytime you leave your dorm or apartment 100 percent of the time. Even sitting at your chair, wear your mask. Anytime we meet as a group, wear your mask. The way I look at it, if we can keep everybody healthy… I think we have a good team.”
It’s unclear if UM’s football team will be without any starters for Friday’s game at North Carolina State because of COVID-19. One source said several backups at a position on offense have been in quarantine in recent days.
This story was originally published November 3, 2020 at 2:49 PM.
