Three Areas of Focus For UM in Tonight's Scrimmage And Beyond
Miami players will make their final cases for spots on the depth chart in tonight’s situational scrimmage at Hard Rock Stadium as the Canes are less than a week from Thursday’s season opener at Hard Rock Stadium against UAB.
Coach Manny Diaz and his staff are looking to solidify a number of starting and backup jobs before turning to fulltime game-planning for the Blazers, who are 1-0 after defeating Central Arkansas, 45-35, last night.
Here are Three Areas of Focus for UM in tonight’s scrimmage and beyond as they prepare for UAB.
Run defense: UAB running back Spencer Brown rushed for 127 yards and a touchdown on 24 carries against Central Arkansas, leading a ground game that gained 233 yards. The Blazers’ offensive line was big and physical, and it’ll present problems for Miami’s defensive line. Miami will probably be OK with its pass rush between defensive ends Quincy Roche and Jaelan Phillips, but the run defense led by defensive tackles Jon Ford and Nesta Jade Silvera and linebacker Zach McCloud will be tested greatly. UM will name a starting striker after tonight’s scrimmage (Gilbert Frierson and Keontra Smith are battling for the job), and he’ll be essential in run defense. If UAB is able to run the ball effectively it’ll probably be a long night for UM. Run defense is crucial to Miami unleashing Roche and Phillips and getting the defense playing aggressively.
Mental errors: This was an issue in Miami’s second scrimmage, according to Diaz. Miami isn’t good enough to give UAB second chances through penalties and pre-snap errors. The Hurricanes, led by quarterback D’Eriq King, must be sharp in offensive coordinator Rhett Lashlee’s up-tempo offense and they must be fundamentally sound in defensive coordinator Blake Baker’s system, which means play assignment football, which can be boring, as opposed to freelancing, which can be deadly. Miami’s veteran secondary, led by cornerbacks Al Blades Jr., and D.J. Ivey and safeties Bubba Bolden, Gurvan Hall Jr., and Amari Carter should lead the way in this area.
Play fast offensively: This starts at the beginning, with getting the actual play to the players. UM’s entire communication system, which is mostly the coaches' responsibility, is under the microscope here. Then players must get lined up and recognize what the defense is doing, especially King and center Corey Gaynor. After that, it’s hand signals, adjustments, pre-snap motion, the cadence by King, and, finally, execution. And then they must do it over and over and over, 80 times a game such as SMU, which Lashlee led to 41.8 points per game last season.
If Miami gets these three areas under control for the opener against UAB it greatly enhances its chances of winning as a team as opposed to winning on the strength of one or two outstanding individual performances.
