Behind Enemy Lines: Five Questions for Miami Hurricanes On SI's Justice Sandle

Ahead of Louisville's matchup with Miami, Louisville Cardinals On SI sat down with Justice Sandle of Miami Hurricanes On SI to find out more about the Canes.

Oct 5, 2024; Berkeley, California, USA; Miami Hurricanes quarterback Cam Ward (1) rushes for a touchdown /across the/ during the fourth quarter at California Memorial Stadium. / Darren Yamashita-Imagn Images

LOUISVILLE, Ky. - The Louisville football program has a huge home game on tap this weekend, as No. 6 and undefeated Miami will be coming to L&N Stadium.

Ahead of the matchup, Louisville Cardinals On SI sat down with Justice Sandle of Miami Hurricanes On SI to find out more about the Canes:

1. Cam Ward has been phenomenal this season, and one of the biggest reasons why is because of his playmaking ability outside of the pocket. What makes him so good when the play breaks down?

If you have been paying attention to social media and the jokes about Ward in the pocket, that explains everything. Calm, cool, and collected and even when facing pressure, he can navigate out of the pocket and deliver strikes anywhere one the field.

His football intangibles of knowing how to feel pressure and his ability to increase his speed when he has to make a play elevates when it’s time move around and be Cam Ward. He is a true gunslinger so a lot of the awesome does come with the questionable throw here and there. But his confidence, his “Alpha Leader” mindset, and his IQ is what sets him apart. I call him an iPad kid because anytime he is spotted on the sideline he has his head down watching back the film to see what he can improve.

2. Ward is obviously a massive reason why Miami has the No. 1 passing offense, but how much have the Canes’ plethora of pass catching options helped this offense?

There are two key pieces to this passing offense of the Hurricanes. Yes Cam Ward is amazing at getting the ball to the receivers but their ability to balance off of Ward and his “off schedule” plays makes this team so dangerous. One of those players is senior Xavier Restrepo and everything he is doing and will continue to do this season. He is quickly approaching the title of the greatest Hurricanes receiver ever. Yes, ever. He is the best slot receiver in the country he has the nickname of Mr. Reliable for a reason because when in doubt, he can be laying flat on his back and he will still catch the ball and continue drives for this offense.

The second key thing is the ability to attack the middle of the field with one of the best tight ends in the country in Elijah Arroyo. He has been injured the past two seasons because of lingering knee injuries, but now that he’s fully healthy, he has turned into Ward’s second favorite target. The ‘Canes didn’t have a presence in the middle of the field last season and now they have four talented tight ends that can go make huge plays for them. Having so many options allows the defense to start to question who do they guard. You can’t double anyone and if you do, another talented player will go off for 100+ yards.

3. On paper, Miami’s defense has talent galore, but they have struggled since kicking off ACC play. Why has this been the case?

Hero ball. That’s the best way to describe what is happening. The Hurricanes defense stops everything except the big plays and sometimes that’s all it takes. Players miss an assignment, they cover the wrong guy, they don’t know the coverage and then here is a 66 yard touchdown because someone decided to not play their role. When you have a talented team like the Hurricanes, the talent will automatically flash, but when they decide that “I” want to make this play, that is when things go down hill. It comes down to if they will play their role instead of trying more than what they are asked to do.

4. Who would you say is the X-Factor on Miami’s defense?

The preseason x-factor was last seasons ACC defensive Rookie of the Year in Rueben Bain Jr, but up until last game he had been out with a calf injury. Before conference play, the defensive line play of Tennessee transfer Tyler Baron was above and beyond. Some secondary play from freshman OJ Frederique Jr. was getting praise however now, it has been defensive lineman Simeon Barrow Jr.

He has been he team's guardian angle during conference play. He has been a game wrecker and he is the one that comes up with key defensive stops when the Hurricanes are trying to battle back 20+ point down. The way he is flashing now, the question becomes similar to the offense. Who do you pickup and block now that the teams has started to get healthy again?

5. What is the one thing that Miami has to do in order to avoid getting upset?

The one thing Miami has to do is play clean defensive football. The offense averages close to 40 points a game. They are going to score, but the key will be for those defensive players to not try and play hero ball like I mentioned. Some players want to get a highlight instead of playing team ball. That is why a players only meeting was call. It’s strange for that to happen when you are the No. 6 team in the country and still undefeated, but that’s just shows the leadership of this team and how determined they are to win and how bad they want to remind people what the Hurricanes mean to college football.

(Photo of Cam Ward: Darren Yamashita - Imagn Images)

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