 |
| Brad Kaaya (Photo Credit: Associated Press) |
Written By: Nathan Skinner
Canes Rising Contributor
It was a surprisingly easy victory for the 'Canes on Saturday. There's plenty to take away from the 41-20 victory, but fans shouldn't overreact. Arkansas State is still a member of the Sun Belt Conference and hasn't defeated a power conference team since 2008. This was a solid victory, and should give the team confidence.
The Good
Brad Kaaya-- This was Kaaya's best game as a 'Cane. The young signal caller showed promise and poise as he threw for over 300 yards. For the first time this season, Kaaya looked sharp mechanically, he trusted his protection, and took shots down the field. The playaction passes that fans were clamoring for finally happened, and led to huge plays. Kaaya's best play was a simple curl route to Philip Dorsett, and it was more about blitz recognition, and pocket presence, than it was about the accurate pass. Kaaya did make a couple of bad decisions but that shouldn't take away from his outstanding effort. Kaaya flashed his immense talent, and showed what he can be if James Coley gives him a sensible gameplan.
Defensive Line--Arkansas State's offense is a run based system that depends on speed and misdirection. The Red Wolves were totally unable to run anywhere between the tackles due to the superlative effort of the D-Line. A 2.0 yard per carry average is usually a testament to good defensive line play, and this is no exception. ASU QB Fredi Knighton spent most of the night running for his life, which is a welcome change. Anthony Chickillo was in the backfield throughout the day, but struggled to make tackles. Fortunately, he had backup all night, which is an encouraging sign.
The Bad:
Secondary--This unit has underperformed all season, and tonight was another poor performance. This unit has struggled with consistency and it has to stop before ACC play. Fredi Knighton is a mediocre passer, and the secondary couldn't take advantage of that. Far too many plays involved Knighton throwing up a prayer, and the 'Canes being unable to make a play on the ball. If this unit had won any of the 50/50 balls, the score would have been even more lopsided. Tracy Howard continues to underwhelm, looking nothing like the player he was last season. Tackling continues to be a huge issue, with Deon Bush whiffing on multiple occasions. Nebraska has a limited quarterback who isn't a polished passer. The secondary has to find a way to take advantage of badly thrown passes, and turn those passes into positive plays for The U.
Offensive Line--While the O-Line found a way to protect Brad Kaaya, the unit once again didn't consistently provide clear running lanes for the backs. Arkansas State, time after time found a way to penetrate the Miami backfield. There's no reason why this should continue to happen, especially against a team that lacks elite depth. This unit continues to struggle, and it looks like Art Kehoe doesn't have any answers. Instead of using the two weeks after Louisville to find the 5 best linemen, Kehoe looks to have done nothing. This line was expected to struggle, but this unit looks to be the weakest position group on the team. The number of penalties is also a troubling trend. This unit will be tested against the 'Huskers, and it looks like this unit isn't anywhere near ready for the challenge.
The Ugly
James Coley--Some people can't get out of their own way. This week's game plan was improved from the trainwrecks of previous weeks, yet Coley found a new way to annoy fans: pointless gadget plays. Arkansas State is a solid team, but not nearly as talented as Miami. Why run overly complex gadget plays that require everything to work to perfection? All night, Miami racked up huge numbers on simple passes, and runs. Why go away from that? On multiple drives, Miami fell behind schedule, thanks to an ill-advised gadget play. In a previous Canes Rising article, we discussed grasping the obvious, and Coley is still unable to grasp that concept. Nebraska Head Coach Bo Pelini is an elite defensive mind, Miami will need to take what is being given, and expand on that. If Coley sees a weakness, he has to exploit it, and keep exploiting it until the defense counters. Running gadget plays when there's no need illustrates Coley's incompetence as a playcaller.
Special Teams--Most people ignore special teams until a calamity occurs, but it's best to look at this unit now. This unit has struggled to create explosive plays in the return game, especially Braxton Berrios. Berrios has solid lateral quickness, but he hasn't shown the ability to make the first defender miss, which is a crucial skill in the return game. Philip Dorsett made a mental mistake in the return game, which should have ended in a turnover. The return teams aren't the only special teams issue, the coverage teams have also been sloppy this season. Lane discipline has been nonexistent, and kickoff specialist Justin Vogel has been forced to make tackles on multiple occasions. It's also obvious that the 'Canes are playing without a legitimate deep snapper. The snaps on punts and placekicks have been awful, and looks to be something that will cost the 'Canes in the near future. Long snappers are hard to come by, but Miami has to improve in this area, and quickly.
Posts
