Miami's New Look Offensive Line Still Has Some Work to Do, Even With a 45 Point Outing
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Everyone is raving about the No. 7 Miami and the offensive demolition job courtesy of Darian Mensah and Malachi Toney to Stanford in the season opener for the Canes.
Miami scored 45 points, and the offense was humming, scoring on five of the six drives before pulling their starters, highlighting what can happen when things are somewhat clicking,
However, despite the positives, the offensive line still has some work to do. The Hurricanes played 10 different players, and the lineups varied in success and struggles.
More from Mario Cristobal after Stanford Victory pic.twitter.com/iiWZirMX0Q
— Eye of the Hurricanes (@CanesCentralSI) September 5, 2026
"We had some solid moments," Head coach Mario Cristobal said. "I think pass pro was really good again, albeit that first hit. That's more communication with the back. He's got to get over there while they're in that front, bringing that A-gap blitzer. And then the run game, there were some pluses and some other areas. We've got to clean up some again."
The starting lineup for the Hurricanes consisted of LT #63 Samson Okunlola, LG #65 SJ Alofaituli, C #76 Ryan Rodriguez, RG #66 Max Buchanan, and RT #78 Matt McCoy.
Quickly, however, five-star freshman Jackson Cantwell entered to switch out with Alofaituli in key drives that allowed the Hurricanes to run the ball better.
Alofaituli is undersized for what the Hurricanes' offensive line has been in the past, and playing guard might not be where he needs to be as the season continues.
Miami's Offensive Line Snap Count
OL: Ryan Rodriguez -- 56 Matthew McCoy -- 56 Samson Okunlola -- 56 Max Buchanan -- 50 Seuseu Alofaituli -- 41Jackson Cantwell -- 34 Jacob Hawks -- 13 Rhys Woodrow -- 13 Jamal Meriweather -- 12 Ben Congdon -- 12
Nevertheless, pass protection-wise, the Hurricanes were great, besides the one time Mensah got blown up for the first touchdown of the game, his jersey was as white as when he first put it on.
MENSAH TO TONEY TOUCHDOWN!! pic.twitter.com/YB6tYYgYlz
— Grant Reacts (@GrantReacts1) September 5, 2026
However, the shuffling around the line made the muddy, blood runs less effective. Miami's rushing attack before the starters were pulled was under 100 yards. That is another stat that the Hurricanes want to fix before they take on Clemson in two weeks.
"The crowding of the box-it's you know-it's that's that's their choice, and if they choose to do that, we still have to get push and get some money yards," Cristobal said. "And I think at times we did; other times maybe not so well. But a positive first step for guys like Max Buchanan, S.J. Jackson-you know-all these guys played in there, and they rotated at the guard positions and got invaluable repetitions, you know, invaluable out there in real game-time situations against a good opponent."
It was the perfect time for Miami to test and see what the offensive line was like. Moreover changes to the rotation are expected as the Hurricanes now prepare for Florida A&M in a short week.
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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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