Takeaways From Miami’s 70-13 Win Over Bethune-Cookman
The Miami Hurricanes played a near-perfect game offensively on Saturday. Defensively, they’ll need to make some adjustments.
It was expected that Miami would beat BCU by a large margin and they accomplished that feat, but there were definitely some miscues and areas for improvement following the Canes first matchup.
Here are a few quick takeaways from Saturday’s contest.
Defensive Plays Behind the Line of Scrimmage, or Lack Thereof
Miami only secured two sacks and six tackles for loss against the Wildcats and that’s less than ideal from a defensive line that is considered the best on the defense. However, respect should be given to the BCU quarterbacks as their athleticism resulted in plenty of extended plays.
On the flip side, Miami must do a better job of containing mobile quarterbacks. The Hurricane defensive ends did not have a great game. They struggled to generate pressure and make a true impact on the game, which led to big plays for the Wildcats. Miami did a good job overall of stopping the run, allowing less than 100 yards and a strong 3.2 yards per carry.
The Run Game Looked Immensely Improved
It truly cannot be understated how well Miami’s running backs and offensive line performed. Miami set a school record with seven rushing touchdowns in a game. The Hurricanes had eight ball carriers that contributed to their fitting 305 yards on the ground, averaging 7.3 yards per carry.
Henry Parrish Jr. reached over 100 yards and three touchdowns along with Thad Franklin Jr.'s 78-yard, two-touchdown performance. The Wildcats only made two tackles behind the line of scrimmage as the Hurricanes’ offensive line was dominant from the first team down to the third.
Plenty of Freshmen Received Game Experience
From the offense to the defense, plenty of young players got to get a taste of college football for the first time and they made plays. Tight end Jaleel Skinner made his presence known with a 30-yard reception in the game and right tackle Anez Cooper found himself blocking for quarterback Jacurri Brown.
Linebacker Wesley Bissainthe had two tackles on the day while defensive end Nyjalik Kelly also made a tackle. There were plenty of other two-year and three-year freshmen and sophomores that saw the field. It’s an underrated part of the game, but giving backups a good quantity of reps should benefit the team’s entire confidence going forward.
Overall Thoughts on the Game
It was certainly a run-first affair for the Hurricanes, but the quarterbacks also had some fun as Tyler Van Dyke and Jake Garcia combined for 20 completed passes on 23 attempts. The receivers also had a strong performance overall having no drops, which was a concern heading into the year.
It was a clean game for the most part. There weren't many miscommunications, penalties, turnovers, it was the result the Canes were looking for to open up the season. The Hurricanes will have another opponent that they'll likely be heavily favored against next weekend, so they can correct the woes from Saturday’s game.
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