Exploring the area that is still keeping Canes from being top 20 team. And personnel notes
A six-pack of Miami Hurricanes notes on a Monday:
▪ The irony of UM’s turnaround under Manny Diaz over the past three weeks?
It’s the area of Diaz’s expertise that has remained the roster’s biggest shortcoming.
Diaz deserves enormous credit for changing to a spread offense, hiring Rhett Lashlee as offensive coordinator and fixing the quarterback situation. He has largely aced the transfer portal.
But the Canes defense remains light years from the level of dominance flashed during snippets of that 2017 season, when the Canes permitted 10 points in a win against No. 13 Virginia Tech and eight points in a trouncing of No. 3 Notre Dame.
Diaz — who took over defensive play-calling duties this season — correctly notes that even though the Canes have allowed a lot of points and yards, they’re stiffening defensively late in games.
On their final two possessions of the game against UM, the Canes’ five conference opponents — Virginia, North Carolina, North Carolina State, Pittsburgh and Georgia Tech — have produced just two field goals. So that’s six points in 10 possessions.
He also correctly notes that UM played well — for the most part — in the second half defensively Saturday against Georgia Tech.
“Those are signs of what a dominant defense can be,” he said. But “we can’t say we’re a great defense except for these four plays. [The defensive inconsistency] has been frustrating. We’re working like crazy to get it corrected. Our players see when it’s right, it’s really, really right.”
The late-game performance in recent weeks is a big part of the glass-half-full view of this defense, along with the growth of the young defensive backs (Kamren Kinchens, James Williams, Avantae Williams, Marcus Clarke), some good work by pass rushers the past three weeks, somewhat improved run defense and competent tackling the past three weeks after the Canes were atrocious in that area for the first six games.
But the Canes still in the bottom third of the country in too many defensive areas:
They’re tied with Arizona for worst in the country in red zone defense; UM opponents have scored on 26 of 27 trips to the red zone (including 17 touchdowns).
The Canes have only eight takeaways, which is 114th in the country (out of 130 FBS schools) and ahead of only one Atlantic Coast Conference school (Syracuse). That’s stunning for the school that created the turnover chain.
The Canes are 112th in passing yards permitted per game at 269.8.
They’re 104th in yards per completion allowed at 11.4.
They’re 95th in scoring defense, relinquishing 30.2 points per game.
UM is 84th in yards permitted per game (405.2).
They have given up 190 first downs, which is 74th.
And they’re allowing 41.1 percent conversion on third down, which is 57th — about average.
So where is the Canes defense in the top 50? Three key areas:
They’re tied for 12th in tackles for loss per game at 6.9.
They’re 30th in sacks with 24.
They’re 47th in yards allowed per rush, at 4.01, and rushing yards allowed per game (135.4). So the rush defense has improved after the North Carolina debacle last December.
The personnel issues that remain: Decent or pretty good — but not elite — defensive line play; substandard play at linebacker (Keontra Smith — who has flashed — was UM’s lowest-graded player defensively against Georgia Tech, per Pro Football Focus — and Corey Flagg was briefly benched and replaced by walk-on Ryan Ragone) and too many breakdowns in pass coverage at all levels.
Most everybody in the ACC scores; six of the 32 highest-scoring offenses in the country play in the ACC, including UM — which ranks 32nd at 32.9 points per game. Clemson and Virginia Tech are the only two ACC schools in the bottom 30 of scoring offense nationally.
The key to getting back to national contention? Recapturing the magic the program had defensively on those consecutive Saturday nights against Virginia Tech and Notre Dame four years ago.
Shaq Quarterman and Mike Pinckney aren’t walking through that door.
But UM needs to snag at least two impact defensive players in the transfer portal to be a top-15-caliber team next season.
Diaz made clear again Monday that the portal will be used to fill needs and revealed that UM canceled plans to add a couple of players in the portal last year after investigating their character.
The question with every potential portal addition, Diaz said Monday, is “does this person add value to our team? It’s not what they do on tape. You have to do a lot of research.... We had guys we wanted to add and film backed it up and you talk to people are there are red flags. You are not recruiting a highlight; you are recruiting a person. Team morale is everything. If a guy is a problem, you’ve got two issues [on the field and in the locker room].”
With college football’s loosened transfer rules, “every college player is a free agent on a one-year contract where they don’t even have to see the year through,” Diaz said. “It’s going to be trickier now than ever. Kids in there will smash every record” for transfers this offseason.
And as Diaz told WQAM’s Joe Rose and Zach Krantz: “Florida State totally transformed their defense with what they did in the portal. In the NFL you want to build your team through the draft but always have a chance to supplement [in free agency]. … I think we are always going to be a great sell [for transfers] because of where we’re located, the success transfers have had here. You look at the offense we have, the way we throw the ball, I’d come here if I was a wideout.”
▪ For the third week in a row, Clarke played the second-most snaps at cornerback, after Tyrique Stevenson. Clarke played 37 snaps, DJ Ivey 35 snaps and Te’Cory Couch 23.
Clark is “really good in man-to-man, [has] good ball skills,” defensive backs coach Travaris Robinson said Monday, noting that even when he wasn’t playing much early in the season, “you never see him down on himself or pouting. He has to continue to work on physicality and playing on the edge. He’s a talented young player. He’s doing a really good job with the reps he’s getting now.”
▪ Other snap decisions defensively: Ragone played eight snaps after Flagg (43 snaps) was briefly removed. Smith played a bit more than Waymon Steed at weak-side linebacker (39 snaps to 32)...
UM continues to split fourth defensive tackle snaps among freshman Leonard Taylor (14 snaps) and Jordan Miller (16). Jared Harrison-Hunte, the top backup behind Nesta Silvera and Jon Ford, was limited to 20 snaps because of injury, but Diaz said he will be fine for Saturday’s FSU game…
With Deandre Johnson playing well (52 snaps on Saturday), that has meant modest playing time for Chantz Williams (22 snaps) and Elijah Roberts (5). Diaz raved about Chantz Williams on WQAM…
At striker, Amari Carter continues to play more than Gilbert Frierson, 43 snaps to 30 snaps on Saturday. Talented freshman striker Chase Smith didn’t play any defensive snaps.
▪ The offensive line has been doing an excellent job, aside from run blocking on short-yardage situations.
Per Pro Football Focus, right tackle Jarrid Williams and quarterback Tyler Van Dyke are UM’s highest-graded players on offense during this winning streak. UM allowed only one quarterback hurry against Georgia Tech.
▪ Other snap decisions offensively: Jaylon Knighton has been the ultimate workhorse since Don Chaney Jr. and Cam’Ron Harris were lost for the year; besides carrying 32 times (for 162 yards), he played 71 of 79 offensive snaps. Cody Brown played six snaps and Thad Franklin played 2; Lashlee said both freshmen must raise their game…
UM continues to try to get its three talented freshman receivers a bit of playing time each game. Against Georgia Tech, Romello Brinson logged 14 offensive snaps, Jacolby George 7 and Brashard Smith 1…
The tight end snaps remain lopsided among Will Mallory (76) and Elijah Arroyo (5) and Larry Hodges (2).
▪ The easiest way to win the Coastal is UM winning out (at FSU, Virginia Tech, at Duke) and Pittsburgh and Virginia each losing a game. The Panthers and Cavaliers play Nov. 20 in Pittsburgh.
Keeping in mind that the Panthers likely will be slight favorites in that home game with Virginia, Canes fans must root for the Panthers to lose to visiting North Carolina on Thursday night or at Syracuse on Nov. 27.
Beyond the Pitt game, Virginia will be a clear favorite in its only other conference game left — at home against Virginia Tech on Nov. 27. The Cavaliers host Notre Dame in an ABC national game Saturday night, but that has no effect on UM’s chances to win the Coastal.
So the likely course for UM getting to the ACC title is winning out; Pitt losing to the Tar Heels this week or at Syracuse Thanksgiving weekend; and Pitt beating Virginia at home.
This story was originally published November 8, 2021 at 2:36 PM.
