Quick Takeaways From Miami's 27-24 Loss to North Carolina
The Miami Hurricanes could have very easily won the game against the North Carolina Tar Heels if not for a few mistakes.
It's not an ideal start to conference play, but the passing game became a factor for Miami for really the first time this year. Despite the loss, there could be a momentum shift in the offense. But, as one issue gets fixed, another arises. We'll take a look at one of those big issues below.
Is Tyler Van Dyke back?
Tyler Van Dyke posted a career-high 496 yards in a valiant effort to bring Miami back into a game in which they were down 14 points. Van Dyke threw the costly interception to end the game, but his confidence has to be as high as it's been all year.
In addition to throwing just short of 500 yards, Van Dyke tossed three touchdowns and completed 74% of his passes. Also, for the first time this season, Van Dyke looked calm and comfortable being sacked twice and hurried five times.
The chemistry between him and his wide receivers was consistent for the majority of the game. Considering how uncomfortable Van Dyke looked two weeks ago, that's a good sign. There weren't many drops by the wide receivers and Van Dyke did a good job of finding plenty of them as he hit nine different receivers in total.
Of note, wide receiver Colbie Young produced his first stretch of important plays, catching three passes and a touchdown that helped the Canes cut into the lead for the Tar Heels.
Where did the run game go?
Twenty-three attempts for 41 yards for the Hurricane tailbacks and Van Dyke for less than two yards per carry. It's the second straight game having less than two yards per carry as a team Henry Parrish Jr. ran for 19 yards on 11 attempts while Thad Franklin Jr. and Jaylan Knighton combined for 20 yards on six carries.
Knighton also had a bad fumble that hurt Miami late in the game on fourth down and one. Miami got down 21-7 in the game which effectively cut out the run game. The Canes had no innovation in the run game and showed an inability to produce on the ground, which in essence forced the offense to air it out.
At one point, the run game seemed like it would become a staple in the Canes' offense. Now, it's becoming an issue for the Hurricanes. Miami can't resort to being one-dimensional and expect to win ball games. Running backs coach Kevin Smith and offensive coordinator Josh Gattis will need to orchestrate a better game plan going forward for Miami in the run game.
Lack of conversations on fourth and third down hurt Miami more than the turnovers
Yes, Van Dyke threw an interception on the final drive. Yes, Knighton fumbled in the fourth quarter as well. However, the lack of conversions throughout the game hurt Miami in worse ways. Each turnover on downs resulted in a score for UNC. All in all, the Canes went 50% (3-6) on fourth down.
Miami also converted five of their 14 third downs (36%) while UNC converted half of their 14 attempts. Miami's play calling on fourth and third down wasn't the greatest and it showed in their lack of conversions.
Overall Thoughts
Miami held UNC to its lowest scoring total all season. However, they simply couldn't score enough to recover from the 14-point deficit they faced early in the game. There are still a lot of things to fix and work on for Mario Cristobal, but Miami played more competitively thanks to the resurgence of Van Dyke. pl
Miami still needs to continue to work on the deep ball as there were plenty of coverage busts. Maye had an efficient game passing with a 69% completion percentage and Miami wasn't able to disrupt him enough to make an impact on the game. The defense did have some crucial stops, that's a fact. And they showed improvements in regards to pass rush, but Maye's athleticism was able to extend plays.
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