Top Performers from Miami’s 35-14 Victory Over Georgia Tech
From offense to defense, the discipline and execution for the Miami Hurricanes were at a premium Saturday afternoon against the Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets.
The Hurricanes had plenty of questions heading into the match with the Yellow Jackets and they answered many of them. There was no dip in performance by the offense or the defense at any point in the game.
Miami did a good job of playing from start to finish and keeping its foot on the gas. The Canes’ run game had its best performance since Bethune-Cookman and the passing game didn’t struggle under Jacurri Brown in his first start. Here are some of the top performers from the Canes’ 35-14 victory over the Yellow Jackets.
RB Jaylan Knighton
Knighton had his first 100-yard rushing performance since last season against… Georgia Tech. Knighton truly came in clutch for Miami as the tailback room continues to be decimated by injuries. Knighton was ripping big runs left and right as he averaged 7.4 yards per carry en route to his 118-yard performance. This was not only the game Knighton needed to gain confidence, but Miami needed to help it win.
QB Jacurri Brown
Brown was elite as a runner and did well when asked to pass. He was run pretty heavily in the game as he had 19 total carries for 87 yards, but he didn’t show any signs of fatigue.
Brown played extremely confident and did all the little things correctly. He didn’t put the ball in harm's way, and was efficient through the air. At times, you could see the flaws with not having the same kind of chemistry with his receivers that a veteran might, but overall, completing 74% of his passes for 136 yards and three touchdowns was impressive.
Safety Kamren Kinchens
Kinchens was gunning for records against GT, which was a major reason the Miami defense had as well of a game as it did. Kinchens had a 99-yard pick-six, the second-longest in school history. Kinchens’ three interceptions were the most in a game since Kenny Phillips in 2006, which is also the program record for interceptions in a game.
Kinchens had three of Miami’s four forced turnovers and was crucial in not just generating turnovers, but creating them at the right time. Kinchens now has six interceptions on the season.
Tyrique Stevenson also had an interception in the contest and the two actually battled for the first interception of the game as they ran into each other, with Kinchens ultimately securing it.
LB Caleb Johnson
All over the field for the Hurricanes, that's what describes Johnson. Miami didn’t have too much of a presence in the backfield in regards to getting to the quarterback, but Johnson helped in limiting the Yellow Jacket run game once Zach Pyron exited the game with an injury. Johnson had half a tackle for a loss and was second on the team in total tackles with seven.
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