Houston pair may correct problem
QB King, OT Williams should reduce sack total
The Miami Hurricanes think they will allow far fewer sacks than they did last season, and they have several reasons for optimism.
They also have one big reason to improve that stat: the 51 sacks they allowed that were third-most of 130 Football Bowl Subdivision teams in 2019.
This year, the Hurricanes have more experience since no starters graduated from a young offensive line. Also this year, the leadership of new line coach Garin Justice has encouraged the team, and the impact of new offensive coordinator
Rhett Lashlee’s up-tempo spread attack means all can contribute.
The addition of the two grad transfers from Houston — offensive tackle Jarrid Williams and quarterback D’Eriq King — helps as well. The transfers have shown they can use mobility to elude pass rushers.
When King had his breakout 2018 season in which he had 50 total touchdowns — passing and rushing combined — Williams started all 13 games for the Cougars at right tackle. Houston allowed 30 sacks that season, which ranked in the middle of the pack for FBS teams.
Both only played four games last season to retain eligibility for an
extra season. After King transferred in January, Williams joined him in Coral Gables with a June decision.
“D’Eriq feels a lot more comfortable with Jarrid protecting him,” said Justice, noting mutual chemistry. “Anytime you have a confidence and a belief in a quarterback, for some reason you play better. And hopefully, that’s what we’ll have.”
Said King: “We have a pretty good connection. I trust him.”
Early in fall camp, Justice said he’s working Williams at the same right tackle position, getting firstteam reps along with Kai-Leon Herbert.
“What really stands out is just his size — he has tremendous length, so he’s hard to miss,” UM coach Manny Diaz said of Williams. “You got to take an extra step to get around him because he’s got such great reach, and that definitely provides value.”
Added center Corey Gaynor: “I think Jarrid is gifted. He’s massive. … When he gets his hands on people, he moves them.”
In the event Hurricanes linemen do allow pressure, King’s ability to escape should help cover up some of those blemishes.
“His running ability helps us tremendously in our offense,” said Gaynor. “He’s going to move out of the way if someone’s trying to tackle him.”
It’s being preached to Miami linemen to continue to block through the end of a play, which may take adjustment for blockers who grew accustomed to watching drop-backs get blown up last season.
“The good thing about D’Eriq is that the play is never dead,” Justice said. “The bad thing about D’Eriq is the play is never dead, so you’ve got to have your habits be to where the play is never over till after the whistle. Because we could have a guy on one side of the line give up a pressure, and he could be scrambling around to keep a play alive and make a wonderful play, and if we stop or if we give up on those, then that’s when the bad things can happen.”
But that’s a challenge the linemen can accept when they know many of their mistakes in pass protection won’t be as costly.
“They know they don’t have to be perfect every single snap,” King said. “I feel like sometimes I can make them right just by getting out the pocket, making plays.”
The offensive line was one of the criticisms King would hear about transferring to Miami, but he feels comfortable in camp behind the Hurricanes line with redshirt sophomore John Campbell and true sophomores Zion Nelson and Jakai Clark more experienced after seeing significant action last season as freshmen.
“I know there was a lot of concerns in the media, this and that, but those guys were really, really young,” King said. “Any good Oline, they’re always third year in the program, fourth year in the program.
“Now, these guys are older.” Lashlee’s offense, with a propensity to get the ball out of the quarterback’s hands quickly and tempo that doesn’t let pass rushers regroup in between plays, should already get much of the work done in cutting sacks. At SMU last season, the Mustangs offense only surrendered 17 sacks, which was tied for 13th-fewest allowed despite totaling the seventh-most plays and 11th-most pass attempts.