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| Clive Walford (Photo Credit: USA Today) |
Written By: Nathan Skinner
Canes Rising Contributor
It was a tough night for the 'Canes, a night that showed that the 'Canes still have plenty of work to do. While it was a very disappointing loss, fans should not feel that the season is over. The 'Canes are still contenders in the Coastal division, and can still end up playing for the ACC title. However, this team has to improve in many areas if they want to punch a ticket to Charlotte.
Offense
Quarterback--It's safe to say the 'Canes have something special in Brad Kaaya. In his second road start, against a traditional power, with 90,000 on his back, Kaaya was poised, and confident. He was given a chance to make plays, and he made them, having the best game of his young career. While his numbers were solid, his performance went beyond what was on the stats page. He looked to have a solid grasp of the offense, and looked to be an emerging leader. The fact that his offensive line was willing to risk ejection to defend him is a great sign. He had a couple of mistakes, but they are easily correctable. If Kaaya can continue to develop at this pace, Miami will have their best quarterback since Ken Dorsey. Grade: B+
Running Backs--Nebraska's entire defensive game plan revolved around stopping Duke Johnson, and they partially succeeded. Duke had to grind but he averaged over 5 yards per carry. Duke's 3rd quarter fumble was a turning point, which casts a pall over what was a solid game. He has to learn that he can't break free on every play, and that discretion is the better part of valor. Gus Edwards ran with power on a couple of runs, it's time to increase his workload. Joe Yearby wasn't a factor until late, when the game was out of reach. Grade: B-
Wide Receivers: This unit continues to struggle with blocking on the perimeter, especially on bubble screens. The 'Canes missed on a couple of huge plays because this unit cannot successfully execute a block in the open field. Some receivers stood out, especially Malcolm Lewis. Lewis, who has struggled to return from a horrific ankle injury, has finally turned the corner, making a great touchdown catch. He's still not as quick as he once was but he has good hands and is always where he should be. Another player who had a good game was Braxton Berrios, who atoned for an early drop by catching a touchdown pass late. Stacy Coley continues to be a non-factor, only catching 3 passes for a total of 22 yards. Coley's performance is shocking and leads one to believe that he's not fully healthy. His inability to get involved limits this unit. Grade: B
Tight Ends: During the previous two seasons, it's been noted that Clive Walford has been underutilized. That changed on Saturday. Clive is a match-up nightmare, and he was everywhere against the Huskers. He was the deadliest threat in the passing game, and showed why he should see far more targets as the season progresses. Standish Dobard also had a solid game, especially in the run game, throwing key blocks. This was the best that this unit has looked all season. Grade: B+
Offensive Line: The big uglies gave Brad Kaaya plenty of time to throw, and effectively shut down defensive end Randy Gregory. The unit struggled in the run game, but Duke Johnson still had some holes to run through. What really stood out was the nastiness, and the fight in this unit. This unit stood up for Brad Kaaya, and they were willing to risk ejection to protect their leader. That anger needs to be carried into future weeks This unit cannot lose their composure like that again, but they need to find a way to use that anger to their advantage. Grade: B
Defense
Defensive Line: Awful. Just flat awful. This game came down to a simple statement: The 'Canes could not penetrate the Nebraska backfield. This unit did nothing to help the defense, with the defensive tackles consistently blown off the ball. The fact that Miami didn't have one tackle for loss, even though Nebraska ran the football 54 times is a testament to how little this unit accomplished. Where is Michael Wyche? Calvin Heurtelou struggled as well, with Courtel Jenkins being the one bright spot on a couple of plays, creating opportunities for the 'backers. While there's plenty of blame to go around for this loss, this unit should get the majority of it. Grade: D-
Linebackers: It's hard to criticize this unit, due to the fact that they were set up to fail. That said, it's also hard to overlook how sloppy the tackling was. This unit allowed Ameer Abdullah to gain extra yards, merely by not wrapping up and finishing tackles. Yes, this unit had to fight off of offensive linemen which is a tall task for any linebacker, but even if they accomplished that, they were more likely to miss the tackle than make the play. That is unacceptable, and needs to be corrected. Denzel Perryman was nicked up early in the game, which truly crippled this unit. There weren't any standout performances, just missed opportunities. Thurston Armbrister continues to improve, which is a major development. Grade: C-
Secondary: Awful game from what was projected to be the best unit on the defense. While Nebraska rarely passes, and quarterback Tommy Armstrong is a mediocre passer, this unit didn't provide any help in defending the Nebraska option. The secondary was the last line of defense and frequently did not make tackles. On far too many occasions, members of the secondary went for the strip instead of making a sure tackle, which allowed Abdullah to gain extra yards. These "hidden" yards allowed a limited Nebraska team to have manageable 2nd and 3rd downs. With the issues in the front 7, the safeties had to be active in the run game. They were not. The only bright spot was Nantambu Fentress, the one safety who was heavily involved. Grade: D
Special Teams--It was a light night for the special teams. Justin Vogel only had one punt, and Michael Badgley was perfect on the evening. This game didn't turn on a special teams play, and the coverage units were solid. Grade: B
Coaching
Offense
James Coley did an excellent job with his gameplan. Brad Kaaya was finally given a chance to succeed, and he ran with the opportunity. While Coley did get predictable in the second half, his thought patterns were sound, and it did look like adjustments were made as Nebraska attempted to put pressure on Kaaya. Where Coley did fail was in his management of 3rd down situations. To go conservative on 3rd and long, and run a draw play inside the red zone was a disappointing development. When you have a hot passer against a team that has shown little ability to stop the pass, a draw play is the last play that should be considered. Grade: B
Defense
The heat is officially on Mark D'Onofrio. While this scheme is predicated on having good line play, there has to be a way to support the run when the line cannot get penetration. The inability of this defense to consistently tackle was a major factor in this game. Tackling needs to be emphasized, especially in the secondary. This defense, which looked solid against Louisville, looked overmatched against Nebraska. Is it a matter of Nebraska being a team whose scheme exposes Miami's limited defensive line, or is it a deeper issue? That remains to be seen. The fact remains that this defense looked awful on Saturday, and fans have lost faith in the scheme and the man who is responsible for managing it. Grade: D
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