Movie Review: Miami 30 – Southern Miss 7

Unlike many Week 2 Power 5 programs, the Miami Hurricanes finished the job against the Southern Miss Golden Eagles on Saturday, September 10. The ‘Canes took a 10-7 halftime lead and turned it into a surefire 30-7 win at Hard Rock Stadium.

Canyonero’s keys to victory for Southern Miss. were :

1- Stick to the basics. Missed tackles and blocks weren’t as much of an issue as they were against BCU. From week 1 to week 2, some improvements have been made. All seven penalties must be reduced to win on the road in Week 3.

2- Contain Frank Gore Jr. Gore Jr. only touched the ball nine times on offense, for a total of 23 yards. Safe to say he was content.

3- Take what the Golden Eagles defense gives you. I thought Miami OC Josh Gattis adjusted his scheme pretty well after halftime. Miami spread the ball to more threats than Xavier Restrepo as the game progressed.

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The Doppler

The Doppler section will feature important stats that I think tell the deeper story of the game. For example, Miami has to clean up seven penalties for 70 yards against Texas A&M. Appalachian State is nearly 100 SP+ points better than So. Miss. The ‘Canes converted 9 of 17 third downs on offense and held the Eagles to 5 of 13. Just like 21, Miami was stopped on a 4th down.

Photo by Michael Reaves/Getty Images

Miami forced three So. Ms. turnovers while committing just one of their own. The offense allowed four sacks, eight tackles for loss, two PBUs and two rushes. Southern Miss. likes to blitz and showed different fronts, but their skill level is nothing compared to the Aggies.

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Miami O

Like I said in The Doppler, the ‘Canes allowed four sacks, eight TFLs and two hastes against a bad G5 team. So. Miss HC Will Hall has definitely brought in a ton of transfers, but they shouldn’t be able to remotely compete with Miami’s offensive line.

On top of that, QB Tyler Van Dyke wasn’t on top of his accuracy. Van Dyke picked it up later, but he threw a TD and an INT, while averaging just 8.8 yards per attempt. Van Dyke broadcast it to eight different receivers, showing that he ultimately looked away from Restrepo and other receivers.

When it came to running play, Miami’s top three backs in order were Henry Parrish Jr., Thad Franklin Jr. and Jaylan Knighton. Parrish rushed for 109 yards on 4.7 rushes and a score. Franklin 49 yards on 4.1 rushes and a score of his victory. Knighton struggled to drop this swing pass that was almost a turnover, while only averaging 3.2 per carry.

Above– Parrish might not seem the most physically gifted on the list, but he’s a human pinball when he carries the rock, can catch the ball, and is a willing pro participant.

Above– Van Dyke must know the internal clock. If you have about 2.8 seconds and you’re on your 4th read, it’s time to run or toss it.

Above– With all those likes of Gatti from TE… why not save one to help protect with a rocky O-Line? Then again, it shouldn’t have turned into a bag anyway. Point them, count them, adjust.

Above– The RT technique here is atrocious. No one wants their tackles to look like this. He also jumps wide instead of picking up the inside rusher. Inside, it is the threat more than outside.

Above– Inside DL, let go for OT to jump really far and pick up an LB/DB. Guard pledged to help C early in the process. RG should stay square with their eyes on the goal post hitting this guy for C, but seeing and picking up the DL.

Above– here it is in the full GIF. Coach Mirabal will be frustrated by this return to the old regime. But when you get your OODA loop off the ground, you’re back to the old ways. This is why the rules are important in pass pro.

Above– Record the scratch moment for this S of So. Miss. I love that stuff, from Lashlee’s playbook which I hope Van Dyke suggested to Gattis. Miami may need to use these types of plays to gain confidence and separation from the WR.

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MiamiD

The Canes defense came away with three sacks, seven TFLs, four PBUs and a rush on the night. The D was porous at first, but tightened especially when Leonard Taylor entered the court to provide pressure without having to blitz.

Above– Large level concepts are going to be difficult to defend. So Miss QB Zach Wilckie threw darts in the afternoon and looked great for a young QB.

Above– 16 was playing press man. If you haven’t blocked this guy by now, he’s basically on a free version on a crossfade cover. No bonus. In R4 terminology, the fade is not CAP because there is no one above the WR and the CB is within seven yards of the WR on the line. Once you look at the staff, 16 was no match for Jason Brownlee.

Above– 16 gets smoked on one shot and Brownlee scores the only points of the Golden Eagles game.

Above– On the other hand, 8 doesn’t get enough jam on the receiver, but stays with it on the fade. It’s caught, but not without a near-perfect catch and throw.

Above– Jacob Lichtenstein nearly lost control but recovers well for what I thought was a sack that changed momentum. It turned out to be a big game changer in the 1st half.

Above– 8 and 7 aren’t the only ones posing for animal crackers while Brownlee does his thing. It’s 5 and 23 this time.

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The envelope

Weft. Okay, y’all. It was a difficult start on both sides of the ball, but the coaching staff seemed to have really learned about the players and what they can bring to the table at half-time. Who has the grapefruit to play at this level, and who doesn’t. It’s hard to tell in practice when you know who you’re up against, their moves and the stratagem in front of you.

Texas A&M will offer a new challenge. The Aggies’ talent level is way above that of Southern Miss, no kidding, right? We’ll see if Miami looks as slow against an SEC Blue Chip Ratio team as they did against a meh group of 5 opponent (and even a mid-range FCS team).