Run defense making progress
Scrimmage results offer hope after weak 2015 performance.
CORAL GABLES — Miami’s run defense last year, by any statistical measure, was not effective.
T h e H u r r i c a n e s r a n k e d 115th nationally in yards per carry allowed (5.26), its lowest national rank since at least 2008 and quite possibly the worst in school history (College Football Reference’s data goes back to 1955. UM records are incomplete before 1947). Today’s offenses are historically productive, but it’s hard to imagine last year’s defense being fearsome in any era.
Enter Manny Diaz, whose job it is to fix it. The defensive coordinator has been encouraged by what he’s seen in camp, and was pleased after reviewing film of Thursday’s scrimmage.
Miami’s first-string defense allowed 2.09 yards per carry against the scout team, which featured speedy freshman back Travis Homer running behind UM’s second-string offensive line. Diaz called that “solid,” but said he wished he had seen a few second-and-7s become second-and-11s.
“I feel we turned down some t ackles for losses,” he said. “There were plays to me that were 3-yard gains, where we might have had a guy in the backfield had we not stopped our feet on contact.”
Defensive tackle Kendrick Norton, a starter alongside fellow sophomore RJ McIntosh, said as a whole the defense can “be better tacklers, wrap up, that kind of thing,” but overall was “pretty solid. You can always be better than what you were, though.”
About Homer, coach Mark Richt said the former Oxbridge Academy standout is “doing a good job, period. He’s not afraid to pick up a blitz.”
But Richt quickly pivoted to one of his sore spots regarding the scrimmage: Miami’s firstteam offense, playing against a scout team mimicking Florida A&M, made too many mistakes.
“Here’s the thing — the backs for ‘Florida A&M’ didn’t fum- ble. The quarterbacks for ‘Florida A&M’ didn’t throw a pick. ‘Miami’ threw two picks and fumbled the ball three times, two of which we lost. One, actually, he was down, but the ball came out, which, to us, is a fumble when we discipline people. That was the difference. ‘Florida A&M’ won because they didn’t turn the ball over. They didn’t put the ball in jeopardy as a quarterback. They didn’t drop balls over there. They made plays. They did. They ran the ball hard, they secured the football, and that’s why they won.”
They were also spotted a 28-point lead with one half to play, but point made.
Overall, Richt said the Hurricanes could stand to be a bit tougher.
“I t hi nk we’ re phys i c a l l y tough. I don’t know if we’re 100 percent mentally tough enough, through every bit of adversity, including (Wednesday), being behind or the smokin’ hot heat or guys that maybe have been a little bit under the weather,” Richt said. “We’re like, ‘Hey, if it’s game day, would you play?’ ‘Yeah.’ ‘Well, then you practice.’ Guys kind of fighting through a little bit of stomach issues or whatever it is, when they just don’t feel great. You have to learn to fight through that mentally.
“For the most part, we’re light years from where we were, but we still have a ways to go there. I told them we’re not game-ready yet. If we were game-ready, we wouldn’t have had four turnovers (Wednesday). If we were game-ready, we wouldn’t have had a targeting foul. If we were game-ready, we wouldn’t have a personal foul, hands to the facemask of the quarterback. We wouldn’t have given up a (long touchdown pass) to the scout team if we were gameready. We have to understand that we’re not in a holding pattern. We’re trying to get better.”
Noteworthy: Richt said Brad Kaaya took the day off from throwing, which gave him a rest and allowed UM to get a better look at backups Vincent Testaverde and Malik Rosier. Richt said he is in “no rush to decide.”