Sun Sentinel Palm Beach Edition
Hurricanes get offense rolling in win at Pitt
PITTSBURGH — There perhaps wasn’t anyone who described the Miami Hurricanes’ offense in their 38-34 win over Pittsburgh on Saturday at Heinz Field better than someone from Miami’s defense.
“I imagine [the] offense like a bowling ball,” the true freshman safety James Williams said, “once that bowling ball rolls, it’s hard to stop and knocking whatever pins down in their way.”
And once Miami got rolling against Pittsburgh, it was hard for the Panthers to slow them down, at least early in the game.
The Hurricanes scored touchdowns on their first three drives against Pitt for the first time this season against an FBS team before finishing the game with seasonhighs-against-FBS-programs of 492 yards and 6.9 yards per play.
But when it mattered most, Miami’s defense came through with the necessary stops when the offense sputtered.
Cornerback Tyrique Stevenson’s interception midway through the second quarter helped set up a Miami touchdown drive that’d give the Hurricanes a 31-17 lead they’d take into halftime after UM only scored three points on its previous three drives.
Safety Kam Kinchens’ picking up on the Panthers’ trick play at the beginning of the fourth quarter on third down in the red zone and covering Pitt quarterback Kenny Pickett when he was the intended receiver for the play forced Pittsburgh to kick a field goal, with Miami keeping a 38-34 lead after that drive.
And Williams came through with an interception on Pickett with over four minutes left in the game to essentially seal the fourpoint victory over Pittsburgh, with the Panthers not getting the ball back.
The victories over then-No. 17 Pitt on Saturday and No. 18 N.C. last Saturday gave the Hurricanes their first back-to-back wins over AP Top 25 opponents since 2017 when they beat then-No. 13 Virginia Tech and No. 3 Notre Dame in consecutive weeks in early November.
“I’m emotional for our team,” coach Manny Diaz said. “I’m so proud and happy that they get a chance to experience these victories. These are hard wins over two really, really good football teams. I just felt like if we kept improving, did the little things better as a coaching staff, that the results would start to show.”
Here are 10 things we learned from UM’s Saturday win:
1. Van Dyke puts early-game nerves behind him:
In his two starts against Virginia and North Carolina, it took UM quarterback Tyler Van Dyke nearly the entire first half to establish his rhythm as a passer.
But in Miami’s past two games, and especially against Pitt, Van Dyke didn’t waste any time in leading the Hurricanes’ offense to a scoring drive.
Van Dyke went 6 of 6 for 176 yards and two touchdowns on Miami’s first three possessions that led to UM taking an early 21-7 lead, finishing 32 of 42 for a career-high 428 yards, three touchdowns and one interception.
The early game jitters that the second-year freshman was experiencing against the Cavaliers and Tar Heels are clearly behind him.
2. Kinchens, Williams step up:
With veteran safety Bubba Bolden sidelined for the season with a shoulder injury, all eyes were on Kinchens and James, and how’d the true freshman safety duo would perform against the top offense in the ACC and Heisman Trophy contender in Pickett.
It’s safe to say they were ready for the challenge.
In addition to the aforementioned game-changing plays, both Kinchens and Williams consistently put themselves in the right positions against the Panthers.
Williams finished with nine tackles (six solo), while Kinchens had four tackles (four solo) and a pass breakup.
They may only be halfway through their first college season, but both are showing they’re two of Miami’s best defensive players.
3. Pressure on Pickett: Pickett finished with strong numbers (39 of 55 for 519 passing yards, three touchdowns and two interceptions), but Miami kept him from getting comfortable in the pocket, especially in the first half.
The Hurricanes finished with seven quarterback hurries and three sacks, led by defensive end Deandre Johnson (three quarterback hurries and one sack), defensive end Zach McCloud (1 ½ sacks and one quarterback hurry) and linebacker Keontra Smith (two quarterback hurries).
Pickett made plays outside the pocket like he was expected to and had moments where he picked apart UM’s aggressive defensive scheme, but the Hurricanes did a respectable job of keeping him on his toes.
4. Stevenson’s rewarded:
Stevenson’s been playing at a high level in UM’s past few games, and he was rewarded for his play with the first interception of his college career.
The third-year sophomore who played at Georgia his first two seasons didn’t record a takeaway with the Bulldogs.
Stevenson’s shown the knack for breaking up passes in coverage, so it was only a matter of time before he turned his strong coverage into an interception.
5. Offensive playmakers: For as well as Van Dyke performed against Pitt, he had multiple teammates step up and create plays on offense.
Charleston Rambo (seven catches for 101 yards) had his third 100-yard receiving game. Xavier Restrepo (seven catches for 89 yards) had a breakout performance, while Mike Harley was steady with his five catches for 53 yards.
Key’Shawn Smith (three receptions for 82 yards and one touchdown) had his best game in college after quieter performances the past couple of weeks.
Jaylan Knighton rushed for 80 yards and two touchdowns on 17 attempts.
6. Better tackling: Miami may have turned the corner with its tackling issues.
After missing 13 tackles against N.C. State, the Hurricanes recorded a season-low-againstan-FBS-team with 10 missed tackles against the Panthers, according to Pro Football Focus.
Although the number is still in the double digits, the performance is a step in the right direction after UM was consistently missing 20-plus tackles earlier in the season.
7. Tight ends involved: Most of their production may have come early in the game, but the tightend duo of Will Mallory and Elijah Arroyo were both more involved in Miami’s offense than they have for most of the season.
Arroyo (one catch for 20 yards) scored Miami’s first touchdown, while Mallory (three catches for 68 yards) had UM’s second score.
Mallory’s 6-yard reception on third down late in the fourth quarter helped close out the win for the Hurricanes.
8. Offensive line improving: The sack on Miami’s first offensive play wasn’t a good start, but the Hurricanes’ offensive line has started to find its groove in recent weeks.
Pittsburgh finished Saturday with three sacks and four quarterback hurries on Van Dyke, who was able to comfortably make plays in the pocket for most of the game.
The offensive line can still improve in opening up holes for the running game, but it’s come a long way from how it performed at the beginning of the year.
9. Bad kick returns: Poor specialteams play led to Miami starting multiple drives closer to its own end zone than it should have.
An Avery Huff holding penalty on a kickoff forced the Hurricanes to start a first-quarter drive on their own 11 instead of their own 21.
Brashard Smith had a kickoff return for only 15 yards to Miami’s 15 to start the second half after having bad blocking in front of him, while he had a 13-yard kickoff return to UM’s 15 later in the third quarter.
The Hurricanes only scored on one of those three drives, which would’ve been more detrimental if not for their early lead.
10. Coastal Division still in reach:
Two weeks ago, it felt like it was unfathomable to even mention Miami in the race for the Coastal Division.
But now, after two wins over the best teams in the ACC, the path to playing in the ACC Championship game is clearer.
Miami needs a lot to break its way in the form of Pittsburgh and Virginia losing at least one more game — in addition to winning its final four games.
But the toughest part of the Hurricanes’ season should be behind them and they should be favored in their final four games, starting with at home against Georgia Tech this Saturday.