Key ACC stretch begins for UM
Hurricanes set sights on winning final five games, making ACC title game, and closing stretch starts Friday at N.C. State
The Miami Hurricanes are ready for a final stretch to their regular season that will either make or break their chances at a berth in the ACC Championship Game.
To reach that goal, Miami likely needs to win its five conference games in five weeks and get some help. But with the Hurricanes’ one defeat at the hands of No. 1 Clemson, they’re right where they need to be to get that potential rematch with the Tigers in a Dec. 19 conference title game.
UM fully understands what’ s on the line as it continues its quest on Friday night at North Carolina State—even if fans may have wanted to see more dominant bounce-back victories against Pittsburgh and Virginia for re assurance before their final bye week last Saturday. “Everybody has to stay positive,” said quarterback D’Eriq King. “We’re5-1, only loss was to the No. 1 team in the country, played horrible thatgame, but rightnow, we’re5-1. I think we’re in a good spot.
“It’s November. A lot of memories to be made in November. It’s the most important monthin the college football season, and the fact tha twe’re 5-1, still in the hunt for the ACC title game, it’s a big deal for us.”
Miami faces an N.C. State team that has show nflashes, winning three straight against Pittsburgh, Virginia and Duke to jump into the top 25 before quickly falling back out with a 48-21 loss to North Carolina on Oct .24. The Wolfpack had a bye lastweek.
In that loss to the Tar Heels, they were without starting quarterback Dev in Leary, who will continue to be sidelined against Miami. N.C. State will start junior Bailey Hockman, but freshman Ben Finley may also see playing time.
Miami defensive coordinator Blake Baker finds both to be elusive, good decision-makers and accurate passers, but he sees N.C. State being more versatile with Hockman.
“Avariety of different formations and plays,” Baker said. “The playbook, tome, is wide open whenhe’s in there. He does a nice job of seeing the field and getting the ball out quickly.”
N.C. State features a physical running game with junior running back Ricky Person Jr. and sophomore Zonovan Knight. In addition to being big at receiver and tight end( Cary Angeline is 6-7,250 pounds ), the backs run behind an offensive line that loves to block downhill, anchored by Ikem Ekwonu, whowas praised by UM coach Manny Diaz thisweek.
“They probably have the best offensive lineman that we’ve played against all year,” Diaz told 560-AM. “Really physical dude, and only a sophomore, pretty extraordinary.”
Added defensive end Quincy Roche of Ekwonu: “Superphysical at the point of attack. He’s a high-effort guy. Something that you see out of every good-O-lineman is that he likes to finish blocks. Just looks like a guy that’s a good competitor and loves to play football.”
The Hurricanes will face the uncommon 3-3-5 defense that N.C. State defensive coordinator Tony Gibson employs.
“It’s just something you don’t normally see every week,” Diaz said. “There’s a threat of maximum coverage, and there’s a threat of maximum pressure on every play. One thing they’ ve always done a very nice job of is they’ re not afraid to bring the house on first-and-10, second-and-10, anywhere on the field. They bring a lot of different pressures.”
Added Miami offensive coordinator Rhett Lashlee, who compared preparation for the 3-3-5 to that of a defense getting set to face an option offense: “It plays to the strength of their personnel. They’ve got three really good linebackers. They’ve got length on the back end.”
King will navigate the challenges of N.C. State’s unique scheme as he appears to have begun building chemistry with his receivers. Senior Michael Harley had 10 receptions for 170 yards and a touchdown in UM’s last game, a 19-14 win over Virginia on Oct. 24, earning him ACC Receiver of the Week honors. King is also expected tohave junior tightend Brevin Jordan back after missing two games due to a shoulder injury.
“They do a good job of kind of disguising what they’re in,” said King. “They cover zones really well, so I think us getting completions and trying to find open zones and running the ball will help the offense move the ball.”
With extra defensive backs on the field for the Wolfpack, it could create opportunities for the Hurricanes to get their running game going after they’ve averaged just 2.8 yards per carry over the last three games. UNC ran for more than 300 yards on N.C. State.
“They weren’t just running the mover early. They had to throw the football to open up the run,” Lashlee said, “but at the end of the day, yes, wewant to run the football better because that’s what we want to do. Obviously, having the byeweek allowed us to maybe try to clean some things up.”
Following N.C. State, Miami has another tough road match up at Virginia Tech on Nov .14.