It's Not Time to Panic Yet About Miami's Secondary
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CORAL GABLES, Fla. — No. 1 team in the country, but injuries have been the biggest test for the Miami Hurricanes this season.
Moreover, the secondary has taken the brunt of that injury attack. Miami has been without its top 3 cornerbacks for most of the season, shifting everyone around and keeping most of the defense on its toes.
Tackling has also been a massive issue this season that has hurt them time and time again. However, they returned one of their best secondary pieces against Florida State, but even he was still rusty.
"Minus two plays, [Xavier Lucas] looked good, and I take responsibility for not finding ways to get him more in one-on-one situations in practice, because when you miss six weeks, it's great to say, Yeah, he's back, he's ready," Defensive coordinator Corey Hetherman said. "Oh, he made a lot of big plays, recovered a fumble, great tackle on the screen, and then a couple times on coverage, one of them, you know, is always going to be contested with a some people say push.
"We're not going to complain about any calls or whatnot. But I think we got to do a better job preparing him for that, because he has the full confidence of our team and staff. He has my full confidence. I've seen that guy play. I've seen that guy go, and I can't wait to watch him work this week and get ready to go back in there and do a great job for the Miami Hurricanes."
Snap Count Telling the Story
Miami's Secondary Snap Count Against FSU:
DB:JJ Dunnigan -- 63 Ethan O'Connor -- 61 Omar Thornton -- 53 Xavier Lucas -- 52 Dylan Day -- 48 Bryce Fitzgerald -- 38 Ryan Mack -- 9 Zechariah Poyser -- 8 Damari Brown -- 3
The key story of this game is Zechariah Poyser being penalized for targeting flipped everything for the Canes while shuffling them around. Moreover, Omar Thornton isn't the best pass-coverage player, and playing him in that style cost the Canes many opportunities.
Ethan O'Connor and JJ Dunnigan are elite players, but around them, it continues to shuffle. With Lucas getting healthy and Bryce Fitzgerald going in and out of the lineup and getting hurt, players like Dylan Day and Ryan Mack are getting more snaps.
This is a reason not to panic yet about Miami's secondary. They will get all of their players back by the end of the season and before the College Football Playoff, if UM makes it, bringing in one of the most detailed secondaries in the country.
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Justice Sandle is a graduate of Mississippi State University earning a Bachelor of Arts and Science in Communications with a concentration in Print and Digital Journalism. During his time in Starkville, he spent a year as an intern working for Mississippi State On SI primarily covering basketball, football, baseball, and soccer while writing, recording, and creating multimedia stories during his tenor. Since graduating, he has assumed the role of lead staff writer for Miami Hurricanes On SI covering football, basketball, baseball, and all things Hurricanes related.
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