Momentum going the wrong way

CORAL GABLES — What a difference a year makes.

Last October, the Hurricanes were winning games, riding high and climbing their way up all the major college football polls, including, soon enough, the College Football Playoff Rankings.

But after another ugly loss – this one at Boston College – the Hurricanes have dropped six of their last eight against Power 5 teams, the offense is sputtering with quarterback questions still swirling around the program and some fans who three years ago welcomed new coach Mark Richt with open arms have turned on him and are clamoring for more changes within the program.

It’s gotten tough in Coral Gables and unless the Hurricanes can find some answers soon, things will only get worse. So, with that in mind, a look at what we learned about Miami after its 27-14 loss to Boston College.

Even with a bye, the Hurricanes couldn’t solve some of their biggest issues:

After Miami’s loss to Virginia two weeks ago, coach Mark Richt said he planned to spend time during the Hurricanes bye week evaluating the state of his program, from personnel on down. Against Boston College, the Hurricanes may have tried a couple trick plays, but they didn’t look like a team that had had extra time to try and prepare for a crucial conference game. Worse, Friday night in Boston, it wasn’t just the problematic offense that struggled, the defense – which came into the game ranked No. 1 in the ACC and No. 2 in the nation – started slow before making adjustments later. It was, from beginning to end, a bad performance on multiple fronts.

The defense’s rough start proved costly:

Even during Miami’s struggles late last season and into this year, the Hurricanes defense has managed to make plays. The group has collected tackles for loss, forced turnovers and made things difficult for opposing offenses even as Miami’s own offense struggled. But on Friday, Boston College came out and wasted no time challenging — and beating — the Hurricanes defense. The Eagles scored on their first three possessions, with each of those drives going at least 77 yards. Miami held Boston College to field goals on two of their scoring drives and played better later in the game, but the Hurricanes gave up a season-high 439 yards and had a rough time with Boston College’s tempo early.

The quarterback questions continue:

Malik Rosier, who started Miami’s first four games of the season and then was replaced by redshirt freshman N’Kosi Perry, resumed the Hurricanes’ starting quarterback job and even started the game 8 of 9, but was plagued later by some of the accuracy issues that have plagued him. He finished the game 19 of 36 for 150 yards with two interceptions and was sacked three times. When asked if there was any point where he considered making a quarterback change, Hurricanes coach Mark Richt said “there was no reason to.”

Boston College’s AJ Dillon is special:

The Hurricanes knew Eagles running back AJ Dillon was going to be a problem, even if he was still dealing with the lingering effects of an ankle injury that sidelined him for two games. And the preseason ACC Player of the Year proved every bit the challenge the Hurricanes expected. On Boston College’s first offensive play, Dillon ran through the Hurricanes defense for a 25-yard gain. In the third quarter, he’d score the touchdown that virtually put the game out of reach considering Miami’s offensive woes and he finished the day with a game-high 32 carries for 149 yards.

On the other side, Miami’s running game was quiet:

While Dillon ran the ball well for Boston College, none of Miami’s running backs even came close to matching his numbers. Veteran starter Travis Homer was held to just 40 yards, while sophomore back DeeJay Dallas had 30 rushing yards. The leading rusher for the Hurricanes on Friday was quarterback Malik Rosier, who finished the day with 71 yards.

Offensive issues and all, DeeJay Dallas’ versatility comes through:

While the Hurricanes didn’t have much room to run against Boston College, running back DeeJay Dallas showcased his versatility and athleticism in a couple of different ways and proved – yet again – why he was one of the key acquisitions in Miami’s 2017 recruiting class. The sophomore finished with a game-high 168 allpurpose yards, just edging AJ Dillon’s 167. Dallas had 138 yards on kickoff returns, including a 53-yard return that led to Miami’s first touchdown and was the Hurricanes’ longest kickoff return of the season. The sophomore, who played quarterback in high school, also showcased his arm a bit, heaving the ball downfield on a trick play. The pass was tipped and resulted in an incompletion, but it was more proof of Dallas’ varied skill set.