Miami vs Miami (OH): The Miami Hurricanes Looked Good

In an odd game of Miami vs Miami, the Miami Hurricanes looked good. I’m hesitant to say dominant because there was some penalties and missed opportunities that the Canes could have capitalized on. However, this was a solid performance overall.

With that being said, here’s the first impression of Miami’s 38-3 win over the Redhawks.

1st Impression

The defense played like they should when you’re up against an inferior opponent. The run defense was great and the pass defense was discipline. Since 2006, Miami has been the most penalized team in the ACC. It was a nice change for once.

Additionally, the Miami offense showed a different level of toughness. The revamped offensive line played great and kept a clean pocket. More so, the O-line was excellent in run blocking. For the first time since week 1 last year, Miami rushed for more than 200 yards.

Tyler Van Dyke’s Performance

The third year starter for Miami comes into this season looking to rebound after a terrible second year. TVD led the offense down the field on their first two drives for a score. However, some missed opportunities for Miami to score touchdowns early can bite them against Texas A&M.

Although TVD managed a good game, there was a lot to be desired that wasn’t shown. TVD at times looked timid when making decisions to throw the ball. Also, TVD has this weird attachment to throwing floaters. This was the main reason he threw an interception.

TVD finished 17/22 for 201 yards 1 touchdowns and 1 interception.

Next week, Miami see Texas A&M and that is where we will find out who he really is.

Miami’s Four Headed Monster Backfield

Miami used four different running backs on Friday night. The offensive opened up holes, but the running backs ran a lot harder than last year. Henry Parrish Jr. started the game off, but was rotated nicely with Ajay Allen early.

While Parrish took some time to get rolling, Allen was moving with urgency. From Allen, the Canes brought it true freshman Mark Fletcher Jr. to spell him. Fletcher had 9 carries for 76 yards and a touchdown. It was a great way to start his career.

The fourth back, Don Chaney Jr., came in multiple times. Chaney started his career off in 2019 with a promising start. However, due to multiple season ending injuries Chaney hasn’t had a chance to show his talent.

Chaney was still able to get in the end zone to cap off a great win. Each running back had at least 8 or 9 carrier. Parrish led all runners with 90 yards and 1 touchdown.

The Miami Freshman

Head coach Mario Cristobal said that freshman will play, and in game one we saw just that. The starting right tackle was freshman Francis Mauigoa. He played outstanding in his first game. Allowing no sacks.

Wide receiver Ray Ray Joseph had 1 catch on the night for a minimum gain. Isaiah Horton, a redshirt freshman was targeted three times, but caught only 1 pass for a small gain. As previously mentioned, running back Mark Fletcher Jr. made his name known as well.

Surprisingly, backup quarterback Emory Williams saw action before perceived backup Jacuzzi Brown. Williams went 3 for 3 for 42 yards in his brief moments.

On defense, freshman cornerback Damari Brown saw some action as well. Rueben Bain Jr. was a force on the D-Line. Although he did not get a sack, he got a lot of pressure on the quarterback. Last but not least, Bobby Washington Jr. got in on the action with 2 tackles on the night.

Extra Yards

The biggest thing that was noticeable was the Hurricane players finishing runs either on the ground or after the catch. Brassard Smith started it off on the opening kickoff. Smith finished the return by lowering his shoulder into the kicker.

We started to notice more of that from the receivers. Once the ball was in hand, every receiver ran hard for more yards. These key attributes will serve Miami well next week against Texas A&M.