Inside the storm: Q&A with Canemaven's Jazz Santana

With Miami headed to Chapel Hill this weekend, Jazz Santana of Canemaven was kind enough to offer his insight into what's changed inside the Hurricanes' program under Manny Diaz and what to watch for in Kenan Stadium.

Check out all of their game-week content here, along with my Q&A from the UNC perspective.

What has Manny Diaz taking over done for the energy around the program, and is it important to have a real Miami guy in charge?

Coach Diaz has spoken numerous times about getting "rid of the disease". The disease being the mentality, the attitude and quite frankly, a few players that surrounded this program.

This is a different team in all aspects. Before, guys would have been very nonchalant about the Florida loss. Now these guys were more focused and completely pissed off. They got used to losing and no one telling them it was unacceptable. That is no more. He is holding players to a different standard and it shows.

As far as Diaz being a "Miami guy," yeah it's great, but that is more media hype than anything else. Jimmy Johnson wasn't a "Miami guy", neither was Dennis Erickson and so on. The main thing is to understand what it is and what it takes to be a Miami Hurricane. Coach Diaz gets it.

What have the Canes changed offensively after the struggles of the past few years?

The past few years were tough to watch. It was slow and boring and predictable and ancient. This offense, led by Offensive Coordinator Dan Enos is completely different. There are a lot of moving parts. Lots of motion and shifting, looking for mismatches in coverage, etc. It's considered a pro-style offense, but it has a mix of everything. Players say it's a very complex offense and they seem to be very excited about it. At the end of the day, it's about execution, so only time will tell.

Do you think they'll stick with Jarren Williams at QB, or is it possible we'll see N'Kosi Perry or Tate Martell in the near future?

There is always a possibility that you will see one of the other guys come in as part of a special package, but this is Jarren Williams' team. We saw the talent a few weeks ago against the toughest defense they will face all year and he held his own and made some very impressive plays. Did he also have his fair share of mistakes? Sure, but Canes fans believe the future is bright with Williams. He has a chance to be special

As far as seeing the other two, Martell is also taking reps, meaningful reps at wide receiver. They created a special package for Martell a few weeks ago and are only looking to expand on that this week.

Diaz made his name as a coordinator with his aggressive style and unique blitz packages. How would you characterize the pressure Miami will throw at UNC?

Not much will change. He is still very much involved with the defense. First year Defensive Coordinator Blake Baker is a disciple of Manny Diaz, working under Coach Diaz during his time at Louisiana Tech. You will still see that unique and aggressive style signature defense that Coach Diaz brought to Miami.

What area most concerns the Canes about the Tar Heels?

This is simple and it will continue to be the biggest concern until they prove otherwise. The Canes started two freshman at the offensive line. They started Zion Nelson, a true freshman at left tackle and John Campbell, a redshirt freshman at right tackle - and it showed.

With guys like Crawford and Strowbridge anchoring the UNC defensive line, will the Canes O-line be able to contain them long enough for Jarren Williams to be able to make plays? I don't think they are as bad as they looked two weeks ago. Tough to have your first game of your college career be against one of the most elite defenses in the country.

How do you think things play out on Saturday?

Canes vs. Tar Heels is always a hard-fought game, regardless of rankings, last year being the exception.

The game may be close early, but I agree, the Canes may have too much talent all over the field for them not to pull away. If the Canes can pressure Howell and give Williams time, he can spray it around. But I would not rule the Tar Heels out. Again, these games never play out the way we think. I am still going with the Canes to pull away and beat UNC.

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