Miami Hurricanes Keys to Victory: Week 1
This Saturday afternoon, the Miami Hurricanes will take the field in Hard Rock Stadium for the first time in the 2022 season, and more significantly, for the first time with head coach Mario Cristobal at the helm. Their opening weekend opponent is FCS Bethune-Cookman, who went 2-9 in 2021.
On paper, this should be a day at the park for the Canes. But this is college football and nothing's a sure thing, especially in Week 1. Still Cristobal and company should be able to handle the Wildcats fairly easily in their first game under the new regime. Here are some keys to the game for the Canes to win and win soundly.
Key #1: Stop Wildcats TE Kemari Averett
While BCU doesn't have many big name players, their tight end Kemari Averett has as much talent as most Power 5 TEs and should be a legitimate late round prospect in next April's NFL Draft. Averett is a matchup nightmare at 6'7" and 250 pounds with deceptively quick feet for his size. He pulled in over 800 yards (876) and 10 touchdowns in 2021. If Bethune-Cookman is going to make some impactful offensive plays, it'll be through Averett. The Hurricanes will need to key on him, especially on third downs and around the redzone.
Key #2: Dominate Up Front
Miami has talked a lot about their offensive line improvements and philosophy changes this offseason. Now it's time to put all that retooling to the test in what should be a glorified warm up for the Hurricanes linemen. Offensively, the front five needs to protect quarterback Tyler Van Dyke. If his jersey gets dirty at all, it could be considered a bit of a letdown by the O-Line. Finding their rhythm early will go a long way this season, especially with two running backs out of the fold with injuries at the moment.
On defense, this will essentially be the first tryout for a very deep group of defensive linemen. It will be interesting to see who steps up to make some plays and carve out a more permanent spot for themselves in this rotation. Fans will get their first look at transfers Mitchell Agude and Ahkeem Mesidor on Saturday as well. It's imperative that the Canes dominate the trenches on both sides of the ball.
Key #3: No Injuries
This is as much a key to the rest of the season as it is to this game. Could the Canes win this one without some key players? Certainly. Would they be able to down the road? Almost inevitably, no. So, as much as fans, and even Cristobal himself, may want to tear the lid off in their first matchup, Miami needs to keep their cool. This is not a statement game where leaving starters in to put up 70 will be looked at with awe. This is a game where the backups are hopefully on the field before halftime. The Hurricanes obviously need to (and should) win this game handily, but it's more important that they escape unscathed physically.
This should not be a barn burner by any means, but attention to detail is key when a conference championship berth is on the season's agenda. The Hurricanes need to tune up as much as they can in these first two games before they take on their bigger obstacles down the road.
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