Scouting Report: Observations from Miami/UAB
Louisville might be set to take on the Western Kentucky Hilltoppers this weekend to kick off the 2020 season, but on Thursday night we got a look at the Cardinals' first ACC opponent of the season.
In the first college football game of the season involving a Power Five school, the Miami Hurricanes welcomed the UAB Blazers to Hard Rock Stadium, with the Canes emerging with a 31-14 victory in their season opener.
Programs always preach to never look ahead to big games, but considering Miami's trip up to Louisville on Sept. 19 is the ACC opener for both teams, we're going to do it anyways. This contest has the potential to set the tone for both programs as far as a run for the ACC Championship goes.
Below are some of our takeaways regarding the Miami Hurricanes following their non-conference contest with UAB:
D'Eriq King as good as advertised
Coming over to Miami as a graduate transfer from the University of Houston, quarterback D'Eriq King showed why he was so highly coveted by programs during the offseason. He put his next level arm strength and pocket escapability on full display, accumulating 224 yards of offense (141 passing, 83 throwing) and a pair of scores. He also extended his active streak of games with both a rushing and passing touchdown to 16 - an FBS record.
Canes put the pedal to the metal
King operated one of the fastest-paced offense in all of D1 college football during his time at Houston, and that is something that seems to have carried over to Miami. The Canes ran 78 offensive plays against the Blazers, a far cry from their 64.9 average in 2019. Louisville will have to continuously rotate defensive players in and out if they want to keep up with Miami's new style of play.
Respect the running game
A season ago, the Canes only averaged 118.1 rushing yards per game with the highest single-game rushing total coming against Bethune-Cookman with 257. Miami rushed 337 yards in game one of the 2020 season. While King contributed to this total, this was mainly due to the efforts of running back Cam'ron Harris - who logged 134 yards and two touchdowns on just 17 attempts.
Potential weaknesses?
Make no mistake, Miami still has a good defense anchored by Temple graduate transfer defensive end Quincy Roche. But there were times that UAB took advantage of Miami's front seven in the running attack - particularly amongst the linebacker corps while UAB was operating out of the pistol formation. Spencer Brown - the Blazers' all-time leading rusher - finished with 74 yards and a touchdown on 16 attempts. There were also moments where the Canes' offensive line looked shaky in protection, as UAB actually finished with more TFL & sacks than Miami did.
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