UM’s thinking behind talented freshmen not playing much. And Canes personnel notes
A six-pack of Miami Hurricanes notes on a Monday:
▪ The Canes already have diminished the roles of a handful of veteran players: receivers Dee Wiggins and Mark Pope, cornerback Al Blades Jr. and linebacker Bradley Jennings Jr. Other players have beaten them out.
But here’s a question: Should the disparity in playing time between UM’s starting safeties (Gurvan Hall and Bubba Bolden) and talented young backup safeties (Kamren Kinchens, James Williams) be as wide as it was Saturday against Appalachian State?
Hall played 73 defensive snaps and Bolden 71 on Saturday. Kinchens — who forced a fumble in the opener against Alabama — played two defensive snaps and five-star freshman Williams played only one.
Per College Football Focus, Bolden was UM’s second-worst defender Saturday, ahead of only cornerback Te’Cory Couch.
Hall was again involved in coverage on an Appalachian State big play after having multiple breakdowns against Alabama.
So why the big gulf in playing time between the inconsistent veteran safeties and the promising young ones? Shouldn’t the kids be playing more?
At this point, the coaching staff feels more comfortable with the more experienced safeties. Hurricanes coach Manny Diaz also said the nature of the game — it was close throughout — led to that playing time decision on Saturday.
Diaz said “Gurvan and Bubba played well” against Appalachian State but quickly added that “both had mistakes. Both had communication errors that cost us. I still believe both those guys have made major strides from where they were a year ago.”
Hall has had a decent career at UM but never quite met expectations. Bolden had a couple of solid plays in coverage but consistency remains an issue.
Diaz said Williams and Kinchens will play more as the season goes along. “Those guys are getting experience on special teams where they have a chance to impact victory or make mistakes that cost us,” he said.
▪ A similar question — playing veterans over talented freshmen — can be asked at defensive tackle; five-star Leonard Taylor didn’t play a single defensive snap Saturday and and remains behind older players Nesta Silvera (44 snaps Saturday), Jon Ford (34 snaps), Jared Harrison-Hunte (33 snaps) and Jordan Miller (25).
“LT is learning what to do; he’s got four veteran guys ahead of him,” Diaz said. “We expect him to get more reps as the season [goes along]. He’s got a bright future ahead of him.”
Among freshmen, receiver Romello Brinson and tight end Elijah Arroyo played the most snaps (10 apiece) against Appalachian State. Arroyo made his first career catch.
Tight end Will Mallory continues to play a lot more than Arroyo, which is understandable; Mallory logged 72 snaps. Mallory is off to a slow start, with five catches for 28 yards in two games and a dropped pass Saturday. The Canes clearly miss Brevin Jordan’s playmaking.
“We tried to throw him the ball the other night,” offensive coordinator Rhett Lashlee said. “First third down and had him open [and he dropped it]. We’ve got to make plays when it comes to him. Sometimes in the read, the ball doesn’t go to him.”
▪ As for the veterans whose roles are being reduced, Wiggins logged only 10 snaps on Saturday and Pope five. Even freshman Brinson played twice as much on offense (10 snaps) as Pope.
Elsewhere at receiver, Key’Shawn Smith played 67 snaps, Charleston Rambo 64, Mike Harley 55 and Xavier Restrepo 15.
Blades, meanwhile, didn’t get a single defensive snap, per PFF. Among cornerbacks, Couch played 70, Stevenson 65 and DJ Ivey 21.
“Al we will feature more,” Diaz said on Monday, crediting Blades for an excellent play on special teams coverage.
At linebacker, Jennings is now getting less than half the playing time that Flagg gets, and that decision is justified. Flagg had 52 snaps on Saturday, Jennings 18.
▪ Stevenson surpassing Ivey on Saturday — after playing behind Ivey initially in the Alabama game — was warranted. And Stevenson justified that faith by allowing just two of eight passes in his coverage area to be caught, for 24 yards. His physicality and tackling also are assets.
▪ Other playing time notes: Amari Carter has clearly moved ahead of Gilbert Frierson at striker. Carter played 63 snaps and Frierson 19 on Saturday….
Jahfari Harvey (45 snaps on Saturday) and Zach McCloud (44 snaps) are getting the most work among the defensive ends, with Deandre Johnson (31) and Chantz Wiliams (26) the only other defensive ends getting playing time.
▪ Quick stuff: UM missed 20 tackles for the second game in a row, per College Football Focus... .. That website said center Corey Gaynor was UM’s best pass blocker on Saturday (though the eye test revealed a few breakdowns) and right guard Navaughn Donaldson the worst...
King, Silvera and Harrison-Hunte were CFF’s highest graded UM players on Saturday, though Silvera and Jon Ford were sealed off on Cameron Peoples’ 28-yard TD run...
Special teams coordinator and inside linebacker coach Jon Patke said Jalen Virgil’s 100-yard kickoff return for a touchdown was a byproduct of “multiple mistakes by multiple people. The exact return we saw all week and we didn’t fit it right. Can’t happen again. Michigan State has a big-time returner.”...
Lashlee bemoaned not finishing drives, said quarterback D’Eriq King “played better after the first couple of drives,” and said “we need to be more precise with our routes, our timing with the quarterback/receiver and get some easier completions.”...
Bally Sports Florida picked up UM’s Sept. 21 home game against Central Connecticut State. Kickoff is at 12:30 p.m.
This story was originally published September 13, 2021 at 3:10 PM.
