X-Factor Cane: CB DJ Ivey
When the defense of the Miami Hurricanes takes to the field, they will be looking to slow down the nation’s No. 80 passing offense from the Duke Blue Devils.
Why would Miami be concerned about slowing down this particular unit? The overall statistics do not tell the most important aspects of the big picture.
Duke is coming into the game at Miami with an overall rushing average of 205.9 yards per contest. That’s good for No. 24 in the nation. That means the Canes will need to be a little more aggressive with slowing down Duke’s rushing attack than the passing game.
That also entails playing some man-to-man coverage in the secondary. It also means placing an extra defender near the line of scrimmage, regardless of whether they play man or zone, to slow down the Blue Devils’ running game that has four different players that already surpassed 250-yards rushing during the 2022 season.
Miami’s passing defense is underperforming by allowing 248.7 yards per game, No. 92 in the land. Still, if the Hurricanes do not first attempt to slow down the Blue Devils’ ground game, it could lead to Duke having carte blanche on calling running or passing plays.
That’s no good for Miami. The Hurricanes absolutely must slow down the Blue Devils’ rushing attack first and foremost.
That’s why Miami cornerback DJ Ivey is so vital to this contest and is the X-factor Cane. Last game against Virginia Tech, Ivey held Kaleb Smith to three catches. It's proven that he can take on top talent.
When the Hurricanes place an extra defender in the box against Duke, somebody is going to be locked up with one-on-one coverage. That's likely to be Ivey this Saturday as well.
Duke quarterback Riley Leonard is completing 64.7% of his passes, and he has multiple talented receivers to throw the football to, including Jalon Calhoun and Jordan Moore, with the two totaling 56 receptions, 691 yards, a 12.3 average, and five touchdowns. Those statistics would be better if Calhoun had not been injured during the Georgia Tech game.
Ivey’s experience and size should help against the two Blue Devil pass catchers, and he will be counted on. Fellow cornerback Tyrique Stevenson has been banged up and nobody outside the Miami locker room is going to truly know his health status prior to the game being played.
That’s why it’s imperative that Ivey is able to win the majority of his battles against Duke. If the secondary is giving up chunk-yardage passing plays, it’s going to leave the Miami defensive coaching staff in a really awkward play-calling situation.
On the other hand, If Ivey contains his man, the Miami defense will have a far better chance of mixing up play calls and dictating to the Duke offense.
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