Sun Sentinel Palm Beach Edition
UM’s defense in ‘crash course’ mode
’Canes prepping for Tech’s option offense
CORAL GABLES — On a sunny Saturday in early October last year, Shaquille Quarterman and Joe Jackson took the field at Bobby Dodd Stadium in Atlanta and got their first taste of the misdirection, the cut blocks and general frustration that can come when defending Georgia Tech’s infamous triple option.
The then-freshmen had tried to prepare for the methodical, run-heavy offense all week in practice, but they acknowledge it took them a little bit to feel comfortable defending something they so rarely see from other opponents on the Miami schedule.
That said, both Quarterman and Jackson did just fine that day, both sparking the Hurricanes with defensive touchdowns in what was a 35-21 Miami win over the Yellow Jackets.
Now, with Georgia Tech week once again upon them, Quarterman and Jackson are trying to do their best to help their younger teammates prepare for the challenge ahead. But just as their older teammates told them a year ago, it won’t necessarily be a routine Saturday at Hard Rock Stadium.
“You do as much as you can in practice, but it’s going to be way faster in the game, so you have to hopefully be able to adjust in the middle of the game,” said Jackson, who scored on a 18-yard fumble return last year. “In the game it is completely different than what we run in practice. I just tell them be prepared for anything and that’s what you have to be ready for when playing Georgia Tech.”
Added Quarterman: “It does give us confidence, that we played against it last year. Georgia Tech doesn’t make a lot of adjustments, but they do have new personnel. And with this new personnel, you have maybe better personnel at certain spots and things of that nature. So, you just have to focus up as we do for every game. I look forward to playing them Saturday.”
So what will the Hurricanes defense be contending with Saturday? In TaQuon Marshall, Georgia Tech (3-1, 2-0 ACC) has one of the more dynamic dual-threat quarterbacks in the nation.
Marshall, a junior that will be making just his fifth start on Saturday, has accounted for 856 yards of total offense and 13 touchdowns. He’s rushed for 523 yards and thrown for another 333, and through four games, he ranks among national leaders in several offensive categories including scoring (13.5 ppg) and rushing (130.8 ypg).
That rushing average ranks second nationally among quarterbacks, behind only Navy’s Zach Abey, who averages 174 yards.
Trying to simulate Marshall in practice has been a challenge, with the Hurricanes opting to have two quarterbacks — freshmen Cade Weldon and Augie DiBiase — trading reps while running the scout team as best they can.
Meanwhile, that scout team has also been doing its best to tackle Miami defenders low, emulating the cut blocks that have at times garnered criticism for Yellow Jackets coach Paul Johnson. It hasn’t exactly been fun for the Hurricanes (4-0, 2-0), who are coming off a physical game against rival Florida State that has sidelined multiple starters with various injuries.
Among those starters are cornerback Dee Delaney and safety Sheldrick Redwine, neither of whom were seen practicing during the media viewing portions of Tuesday and Wednesday’s practices.
Their respective statuses for Saturday remains unclear, and that’s meant Hurricanes defensive coordinator Manny Diaz has had to make sure some of the younger members of Miami’s secondary — players such as Trajan Bandy and Amari Carter — are prepared for what could be extended time against an offense that can lull defenders to sleep.
“They’re learning on the fly. They’re doing a good job. It’s an eye-discipline game. They have to make sure they’re looking at the right thing and making the right reads,” Diaz said of the younger Hurricanes. “But then they have to run and they have to tackle. That’s really the key thing in this game. It’s an important week, that those four guys in the back end see the same thing. They have to be on the same page.”
Fortunately for Miami, Quarterman and Jackson have already proven young players can have success against the Yellow Jackets, and the Hurricanes as a whole have been successful against Georgia Tech, winning seven of the past eight.
Still, with Miami’s run defense struggling at times and allowing an average of 148 yardse, the Hurricanes are aware of the challenge ahead.