If Florida doesn’t beat Miami, Napier will probably be given the hook. Napier’s coaching performance has been as inauspicious as Cristobol’s. Both coaches have excelled as recruiters. Cristobol’s seat is also somewhat warm. I have found it difficult to put last year’s Georgia Tech faux pas behind me; it was the worst coaching error I’ve seen in decades. It was awful. Miami’s game day coaching IMO is suspect.
Florida will have a strong defensive team, and a particularly good secondary. I hope the hell the Hurricanes don’t lay an egg during game one. Miami will win if the defensive line dominates and our edge rushers exert dominating pressure on the Gator passing game. Today’s brand of college football is about stopping the pass which is best done by pressuring the QB. Let’s hope the Hurricanes pass rush is as good as we’ve come to expect it to be. In college football, you MUST have FAST edge rushers.
As I’ve opined time and again in the past, Miami must learn to win on first down. When you win on first down, you avoid desperation plays being behind in the count. Winning first down allows you to open up your offense. What I’d really like to see is Miami having a RB who can reliably run off at least five yards on first down. Nothing is more demoralizing to defense than to have to worry about a big lug RB who has the momentum to push back your defensive line time after time.
Secondly, Miami needs to resist being long pass happy early in the game. Missing long passes is one of the best ways to stop a football drive. Throw short passes and let the QB develop rhythm and stay ahead in the down count. During a game, you typically get 12 offensive possessions. Being throw happy is akin to gambling against poor odds of success. Stop three and out drives.
Miami can’t afford to fire Cristobal any time soon nor should they.
He inherited a really weak team from Diaz. Not quite a total rebuild but close.
The roster is considerably better and, if the trend continues, in 2 years or so, Miami
might well be ranked among the very best teams in the nation roster-wise.
Then it comes down to how good Miami’s QB is whether the team is Top 10 or not.
I’m optimistic about Miami’s future.
It would be great if Miami can kickoff the season by beating UF in Gainesville.
Not sure how good either team is yet since they haven’t played anyone.
I like Cristóbal and apparently so do parents of recruits. As a human, I think he is exemplar. He has a work ethic second to none. Where he has been weak is in game day coaching. I .not as sold on Dawson as I was on Lashlee.
Where Cristóbal is solid is on getting the big guys. This IMO was where Saban was so strong. Alabama always had a full cupboard, and when one group moved out, there was an equally strong group stepping forward. When Mario was with Alabama, he was one of their best recruiters, a trait he has carried forward his entire career.
You’re right about QB, Stork. We haven’t had a good one since Dorsey. I never liked Van Dyke. There was nothing graceful about him. His release was too slow, and he was downfield pass happy and became prone to forcing the ball and throwing interceptions. Mistakes kill in football, so a team must first achieve a level of competence with the quick release short passing game. QBs with quick releases are less likely to be sacked. Sacks and tackles for loss will keep your punter busy as drives will be short-circuited. When you throw a half dozen LONG passes in a game and complete none of them, you’ll usually lose that game.
I had the opportunity to watch Miami practice this spring. Mario came to Miami and realized you have to build the team inside/out. He landed studs on the OL. The juco tackle has a chance to be really good. I watched Oregon state play and the RB Miami got is an SEC type kid. He is big and physical. If Fletcher comes back Miami will have the best backfield in the ACC.The kid Miami got from Vegas Miami got was one of the best freshman I saw this spring.
I agree on Van Dyke. He was way too inconsistent and I think he was soft. Cam ward was unreal when I watched him practice. I do wonder if Miami has a number one receiver. I like their guys but there is not that one GUY.
On defense…Miami front seven is very good. They are going to be stacked at DE. I also think Miami linebackers are good. Their secondary is where there are question marks but I think DC Guidry is one of the best and will cover them up.
As for Florida - they are not very good up front. Their DL is not very good. They should start their freshman qb because Lagway is a future first round pick. They should take their lumps and roll with him. I feel Miami is better in the trenches and Ward is the difference maker on offense.