'Their D-line Is A Problem': Miami OC Shannon Dawson Prepares for Dangerous Wake Forest
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CORAL GABLES, Fla. — Miami's offensive line has been good to start the season. Great is still being sought, but it can be what it wants to be by the end of the season.
The talent is there, but the first real test is Wake Forest (2-0) and a veteran defensive line that has caused havoc to start the 2026 season.
Miami's offensive coordinator, Shannon Dawson, is already ahead of the game in what the Demon Deacons' defensive line can bring and the challenges for the Hurricanes' offense.
"Their D-line is a problem," Dawson said during Monday's coaches' press conference. "Their D-line gets after it, and they really, make the pocket muddy. They do a good job in the run game of stopping the run. Their safety number five is elite when it comes to coming downhill and tackling.
"Their linebackers are very physical. They're a very sound scheme defense. They're not gonna let the ball get behind them. They're gonna keep the ball in front, and, really they're gonna keep the ball in front, stop the run, and affect the quarterback. And that's the three things they do really well."
Miami's offense has been pass-heavy to start the season. It happens when a team has the best quarterback-wide receiver duo in the country, but run blocking and running the ball have been on the back end of what the Hurricanes are known for.
The Hurricanes want to bully up front, and it starts with their offensive line. Head coach Mario Cristobal knows that the biggest takeaway early on has been the improved level of communication that allowed two 100-yard rushers in the 77-7 dismantling of Florida A&M.
"I thought our communication was really good last week," Cristobal said. "The first week, and I will say this, we did come out at the beginning of that game and they were in some funky fronts. I don't know if they were misaligned or not, but our communication in a couple plays were not what we want it to be.
"And this past week was on point. Like, communication is so key. Everybody's got to be on the same page. O-line communicate. It's difficult because they communicate backwards, right, to the running backs. And so the quarterback's got to communicate forward. And so that three-way communication, especially in pass protection, is vital. And so if they're not all on the same page, you have no chance.
"And so we do a lot of work and a lot of meetings, and Coach Mirabal is the lead at making sure that everybody's on the same page when it comes to protection, specifically in third down situations and other red zone things. And so that was critical, and we went, I think we took our best stride in that area from game one to game two."
However, preparing for FAMU and Wake Forest presents two different levels of competition. The Deacons are a sleeper team in the ACC, ready to make a name for themselves against the No. 5 team in the country.
Through two games, Wake Forest has five sacks and one forced fumble. Compared to the Hurricanes, the Orange and Green have only three sacks and no turnovers.
The Hurricanes' first real test is here, and their ability to make do with what the defense is giving them will highlight the type of team Miami can be.
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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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