There is more parity this year in the ACC than last year. No one team is the dominating team almost assured of grasping the conference title. Clemson certainly is not the Clemson of the recent past.
Miami’s offense got untracked against a cupcake team, but it was a pleasure to see the skills we have in the recruiting pipeline. Personally, I believe Garcia is going to take the reins in the QB position. He plays with greater natural poise than VanDyke, and I am looking for him to get his reps against Virginia.
I think our passing game can and will improve as the season evolves. Our young WRs were really impressive against CCS, but our rushing offense lingers as a perennial problem. I believe our backs talented enough to be successful in the run game, but out offensive line is really awful. The rushing game needs to be rethought. Malory needs to be benched; he couldn’t block my grandmother. There needs to a lot more double team blocking, and if the offensive line can’t handle blocking, Lashlee needs to put a FB into the backfield to help smash holes in the defense. Lastly, the offense must improve its use of deception. To this end an extra back in the backfield would be useful, and there should be much more motion. If you cannot block people, you’ve got to fool them.
I think some confidence was restored in the CCS game. A lot of new players took to the field and played admirably. Virginia has a weak ground game, so our defense should be able to keep us in the game. If the offense executes, I am picking Miami to beat Virginia by two TDs thereby lifting a bit of gloom that has settled over UM fans.
I liked VanDyke a little more. I thought he was more accurate, and can really sling the ball. Though, I will agree, Garcia does seem to have a bit of swagger to him that VanDyke is missing. I am interested to see how much of each qb we will see this week. I really liked Cody Brown, he really seems like a patient runner with good power. The young trio of WRs can be a really dynamic group. I hope we see them really start taking some of the reps away from Wiggins and Harley (if he keeps up with the drops from MSU). Kitchens and J. Williams looked pretty good - if they develop that will be a very good tandem in the future.
given the history of miami over the last 15 years, this is likely to be dog fight and we will likely lose in infuriating/frustrating fashion…like needing a final drive down 8, scoring, and missing the 2 pt conversion.
It has been a painful 15 years, but Miami has a good lot of skilled players on offense capable of putting points on the scoreboard. I think the Virginia game will be a redemptive one. Lashlee is a quality coach of which we saw evidence last year. I have always had high regard for Jess Simpson on the defensive side. He was a fabulous high school coach, well-liked by players, has pro experience, so I am looking for some stiffening in the defense, certainly some better tackling. I think we win this game and win it handily. This team needs a good win.
I think Miami wins. I’m hearing more young players will get playing time. Maybe the light bulb has turned on that we need to play the young talent over the experienced guys.
I see Miami with the chip on their shoulder. Diaz knows he’s on the hot seat.
The spread is 5.5, if I had to bet, I’d take Miami. But, I don’t have a strong inkling either way so I will opt not to bet. And I wouldn’t be at all surprised to see Miami lose by 20+.
One would hope Miami playing at home against an awful team would have an edge but I’ve given up trying to figure this team out. They remind me of some of the moody, batshyt crazy women I’ve known. You just never know what you’re going to get from one day to the next.
Regarding Garcia, he has a habit of handing off the ball and then running up to the line and often across the line following the play. This is a very bad idea and sooner or later, a rather large LB is going to knock him into next year.
Watched some of the CCSU highlights on youtube and wasn’t overly impressed with Garcia or VD. They were both okay but not sure how they’ll do against FBS teams. Garcia seems to be the better runner but also has a bum knee. If only Miami could play FCS teams every week, they could go undefeated and claim the UCF National Championship Trophy.