What Will Miami Do With Jake Garcia Behind Center?
It’s about to get interesting with the Miami Hurricanes. Prior to Tyler Van Dyke’s injury, the Canes were struggling to find offensive consistency. A 20-yard play would be followed by a false start, and then a 10-yard run would be followed by a missed assignment.
You name it, the Canes found a way to make it more difficult on themselves. For instance, Miami is No. 68 in the FBS by committing 47 penalties through seven games. It is also 104th with a minus-four turnover margin.
So, how does head coach Mario Cristobal and the coaching staff come up with ways for Jake Garcia and the offense to move the football and score points? He's probably the quarterback now that Van Dyke is presumably out for some time.
With Garcia leading the offense, here are three points that must come to fruition and fast.
First, know one’s own personnel. Miami is a team with, presumably, a redshirt freshman behind center moving forward. While inexperienced, Garcia is still talented. His offer list out of high school and evidence of some quality throws this season show his abilities.
Now, finding that fine line between when and how to let Garcia rip it down the field without throwing picks is the task for every Miami offensive coach. The trip to Charlottesville, Va. to play the Virginia Cavaliers is not going to be easy anyway.
Miami cannot expect Garcia to suddenly win the game. He cannot be just a game manager either, particularly due to the Canes' injury situation as it is now, especially along the offensive line.
If the Canes hand the football over via turnovers once again, that’s going to be a disaster in waiting. That’s why Miami coaches must be especially creative with play calling, and that means new ways to get the football out quickly.
Yes, execution above all else. Cristobal and pretty much every coach in college football discuss this point ad nauseam. That stated, the second point is that Miami needs at least two or three “easy” plays for Garcia to execute that also catch Virginia off guard. That’s not the easiest task, but this coaching staff is getting paid big bucks. It's their job to find a way to make that happen.
Whether a new wrinkle with the play-action game, a different running call, perhaps even a flea flicker or similar trick play, Miami needs some ingenuity with the play-calling and overall design of how the offense runs with Garcia behind center. That point leads to the final one, and this is 100% on the Miami players.
Time to rise up. You are a part of the Miami football program. Whether a player is only a member of the kickoff team or rarely comes off the gridiron, it's time to produce big plays to offset what is likely to be a difficult day for Garcia and the Miami offense.
It could even be as simple as a punt return where someone provides an excellent block that leads to an additional 10 yards of positive field position for the Canes. That yardage is a big deal for Garcia and the offense. They need all the help they can receive.
In the end, Miami is going to need to find a way to manufacture a win at Virginia. That starts with being realistic about what Garcia can do, while being creative with the offense, and is followed by players showing how they can help in any way possible.
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