Miami Hurricanes: Offense Trending Up! | Podcast
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Article photo of Henry Parrish, Jr. after scoring a touchdown versus Miami of Ohio; credit to Brian Smith.
The Miami Hurricanes are seeing a major step forward by its offensive unit. Time to break down some obvious improvements, as well as at least one that will take people by surprise.
Today’s Miami offensive overview will look at how the Canes beat teams in different ways.
Canes third down offense getting the job done.
Miami’s offense sits at a 52% third down conversion rate. Even with a 3 of 9 third down conversions against the Texas A&M Aggies, one of the conversions would be the fourth quarter Tyler Van Dyke to Jacolby George touchdown pass that basically ends the game.
As long as Miami makes critical conversions to deliver the knockout punch, that’s going to allow the Hurricanes to compete with any team it faces.
Did you know that Miami’s receiving corps has three players with at least 15 receptions?
From the starting unit alone, Xavier Restrepo (17), George (16), and Colbie Young (15) provide the Hurricanes with a trifecta of quality pass catching options. Not many teams possess two wide receivers with the numbers that this trio possesses, let alone three.
Combining their statistics, Restrepo, George and Young have 48 receptions, 725 yards, average 15.1 yards per reception, and 6 touchdowns.
Over time, opposing defenses will need to figure out a way to take away at least one of the three primary receivers. To date, however, the lowest total of catches for any one of Restrepo, George and Young from one game would be Young’s four snags against Miami of Ohio. If that’s the low number moving forward, Miami is in good shape.
This is a key statistic, with Miami being No. 8 in the nation for passing plays of 20 or more yards!
As many that read this site know, this is a common statistic to be brought up here. It’s for good reason. The Power 5 teams currently inside the top 10 nationally in this category include squads like Washington, Ole Miss, Notre Dame, Southern California, Colorado, Washington State and Ohio State.
All of these teams are making noise nationally. College football is in an offensive era; Miami is adjusting well. The Canes are #8 nationally in 20-plus yard passing plays with 17 of them. That’s awesome!
Van Dyke's statistics are a reflection of that No. 8 ranking.
57 of 75, 76%, 822 yards, 8 touchdowns and only 1 interception.
Running Backs contribute in several ways.
Combining for 573 yards on the ground, the five running backs for Miami average 6.4 yards per attempt. As a group, there are 7 rushing scores, too.
Some teams possess that one bell-cow runner, and others – like the Hurricanes – rotate multiple running backs. Rotating is working for the Canes and not just by way of toting the football.
For Van Dyke to be comfortable in the pocket, the running backs must also be quality pass protectors. Some people probably do not notice this trend.
The running backs, to date, are doing quite well in this area. So far, only four sacks. There is one category that it would be good to see Miami’s running back depth chart more involved.
Henry Parrish, Jr. has 3 catches for 11 yards. That’s it for the entire running back room. Even if it’s just a little bit more production, as the schedule gets tougher, finding ways to throw to the running backs would help Miami beat teams like North Carolina (Oct. 14) and Clemson (Oct. 21), among others. If the Canes do that, this offense becomes even more dynamic.
Playing fast and running the 4-minute offense.
Miami can certainly go up-tempo and score quickly. That’s part of Shannon Dawson’s offensive attack. The other way around, sometimes the Canes need to slow down.
Yes, old-school, grind-it-out football. This is where the offensive line – and the incredible blocking of tight end Cam McCormick – helps Miami move the chains and limit possessions for the opposition.
Now, when teams truly challenge the Canes and/or there’s an obvious scoring opportunity, the Canes will take it. See the touchdown from Van Dyke to George as evidence.
Overall, the ability to change styles and still be a threat to score no matter the situation is benefitting Miami. That’s going to be a huge part of how the Hurricanes score points and win games the rest of the 2023 season.
Here's the podcast going into more detail:
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