Keys to a Miami Hurricanes Win Over Southern Miss
The No. 15 Miami Hurricanes opened up their season with a 70-13 cakewalk over FCS Bethune-Cookman last weekend and now they'll face their first FBS competition of the season in Southern Miss. The Hurricanes are hoping to improve their record to 2-0 on Saturday against the Golden Eagles and shouldn't have too much trouble doing so.
Still, Southern Miss is a considerably stronger opponent than Bethune-Cookman was and the Hurricanes can't get caught sleeping. The Golden Eagles' key player is running back Frank Gore Jr., son of legendary Miami Hurricanes ball carrier Frank Gore. Gore Jr. is already off to a hot start, having racked up 178 yards and two rushing touchdowns against Liberty in Southern Miss' opener last weekend.
The Canes defense will have their hands full on Saturday and the front line will need to play significantly better than they did last week. Here are some keys that the Hurricanes will need to focus on in Week 2.
Key No. 1: Stop Frank Gore Jr.
If you opened up the Golden Eagles' offensive playbook, you'd likely find only a single page reading: "Block for Frank Gore Jr.". The sophomore carried the ball 32 times in Southern Miss' first game. He proceeded to pass four times from the Wildcat, a direct snap formation that the Eagles were in most of the game. Southern Miss passers (not including Gore) threw for 91 yards, three interceptions, and no touchdowns in the game. it's very easy to see why they give the ball to Gore on nearly every play.
The Canes let up only 93 rushing yards against BCU so they should be in good shape here. Defensive lineman Akheem Mesidor will be counted on to blast through the Eagles' blockers and cause chaos in the backfield just as he did last week. The Hurricanes' secondary should be hungry for interceptions after stealing away three against BCU and seeing the Southern Miss quarterbacks struggle with turnovers. If Miami can bottle up Gore and force the Eagles to put the ball in the air, this one could be over quickly.
Key No. 2: Don't look ahead to Texas A&M
It's the game that Canes Nation has been talking about since it appeared on the schedule. There's doubt that Miami's first road game at No. 6 Texas A&M will be a spectacle, but first, they have to get past Southern Miss unscathed. That means no injuries and no backslides against the Golden Eagles this Saturday. If this game ends up being a fight, that could not only affect the Canes' psyche, but also force some key players to stay on the field longer than head coach Mario Cristobal may like.
It's imperative that Miami jumps out to a big lead early to allow the starters to rest and to get rotation players more snaps before the real challenges arise down the road. The Canes shouldn't even think about the word "Aggies" until Saturday night.
Key No. 3: Run the dang ball
Everyone wants to see Miami's quarterback Tyler Van Dyke light up opposing defenses for 500 yards and five touchdowns each game. And that performance may be called for down the line, but it shouldn't be against Southern Miss. Could he absolutely torch the Eagles? Yes. But so can ball carriers Henry Parrish Jr., Jaylan Knighton, and Thad Franklin. And they can do that without putting the Hurricanes' Heisman hopeful QB at risk of a blindside hit.
Miami's offensive line received the best-blocking grade in the Power 5 from PFF last week and you can bet they'll be eager to put forth another dominant performance.
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