Saturday, August 17, 2013

2013 Miami Hurricanes 12 Part Opponent Series - Part 11 (UVa - Nov 23rd Home Finale)

Nov 23rd – UVa (Regular Season Home Finale)

In Part 11 of the 12 part 2013 Miami Hurricanes opponent series, I will talk about a team that has beaten us the last 3 years, and that’s the Virginia Cavaliers, our opponent on Senior Day, Nov 23rd at Sun Life Stadium in the Regular Season Home Finale.

Here’s what you need to know about the Virginia Cavaliers:

They are led by Mike London (Richmond '83),who is 16-21 in his three seasons in Charlottesville.  He’s been building that program into a consistent winner, the same way he did at Richmond. On the field, his team some success. In 2011, they won eight games, and almost won the coastal, losing to hated in-state rival Virginia Tech. However, in 2012, they did not make a postseason game and as a result, changes were made. London brought in Tom O’Brien, John Tenuta, and Steve Fairchild to be on his staff.
When he came over from Richmond, he came in knowing the Cavalier program, and how rich the state of Virginia is with H.S. talent. In his final two seasons with the Spiders, his teams went 24-5, which includes an FCS national championship in 2008 and a quarterfinal trip in 2009. While Dave Clawson (now at Bowling Green), rebuilt the Spiders program, London used the talent others wouldn’t take and lead it to great success. Yes, he inherited an enviable position at Richmond, a program already rebuilt by current Bowling Green coach Dave Clawson, but credit London for taking a talented roster and leading it to even greater heights.
He was an assistant under Al Groh from 2001-2004, and again from 2006-2007, (taking a year in the middle as the DL Coach with the Houston Texans in 2005). While in Charlottesville, he was the DL coach, while adding the title of recruiting coordinator from 2002-2004. In 2006, he came back to Charlottesville, this time, as the DC, a position he held before being tapped as the boss in Richmond. What London has done in some parts, has been remarkable: They recruit very well, and  developing young talent for their defense. However, they have misfired a couple of times. The question with London is does he have what it takes to be a consistent force in the ACC? I think they need to beat VT this year to have that question answered.  
Let’s break down the Cavaliers:
Offensively: While the loss of Phillip Sims' hurts them, it doesn’t hurt as much as losing Michael Rocco (transferred to Richmond in the off-season). What they lose in Rocco is his experience and one who likely would have been the starter going into this season. Now, London is going to have to determine whether Sophomore David Watford or RS Freshman Greyson Lambert can fill the big shoes Rocco left behind.
The competition for the QB job has been very close throughout. This won’t be decided until I suspect a few days before their opener. However, had they lost Watford, who got a lot of playing time in 2011 as a freshman, but redshirted last year. Had Sims stayed, Watford would have been gone and went elsewhere to play right away. The fact that he stayed on, gives London two very good and young quarterbacks with unlimited potential and very strong skill sets: What you get with Watford is a QB, that can beat you with both his arm and his legs, while Lambert is the QB that the traditional pocket passer, who would only get better. Don’t be surprised if both see extensive action in 2013.
They might have to see extensive action because the running game lost Perry Jones (Graduation and signed as UDFA by the Baltimore Ravens), and would-be Junior Clifton Richardson (left program on May 16th). The good news is that Junior Kevin Parks (734 yards) returns, and with Fairchild's new offense, they will go back to their roots and that’s more of a running game that led them to the postseason two years ago. Parks could make a run at a 1,000 yard season in this offense. Look for Junior Khalek Shepherd, RS Freshman Kye Morgan and, true Freshman Taquan Mizzell to see some action as well. The expectation for Mizzell are very high and the staff is going to give him every opportunity to be the main backup in the rotation.
Where Jones' loss is going to really hurt is in the WR core. He was also a very good receiver out of the backfield, where he served as a valuable safety and secondary valve in the passing game. They do have their entire corps back in 2013. However, this is a young core, with only one Senior on that core (Tim Smith {20 receptions for 405 yards in 2012}) holding down one of the starting spots. On the other side, they have Junior Darius Jennings (48 receptions for 568 yards in 2012) returning, The other WRs that will see action are Juniors Dominique Terrell (38 receptions for 475 yards in ‘12) and E.J. Scott (29 receptions for 390 yards in ‘12). They have a stud TE, who’s a Junior as well, in Jake McGee (28 receptions for 374 yards in ‘12). McGee is one of the top TEs in the conference.  When you look at this on paper, the experience is there. However, what’s missing here is consistency, though having another year of experience certainly helps on their two-deep. They don’t dazzle you, but this group is solid and gets the job done. 
As for the Offensive line, this is the only thing that really prevents UVa from really being a 10 win team. They tried in the spring to find the right combination that would work on a consistent basis, which is why only one projected starter, Senior LT Morgan Moses, kept the same spot he had in 2012, going into the spring. What they were pretty surprised about was how RS Freshman Jackson Matteo developed and rose to the starting spot at Center: Matteo, who was a former walk-on, impressed their staff with his instincts and sneaky athleticism. By doing so, it will allow Senior Luke Bowanko to move over to Guard, where he does much better. With Matteo's strong spring, someone gets left out, and that will likely be Junior Conner Davis, though its possibly that he could still start at RG, but only if senior Sean Cascarano moves over to Tackle, which is possible here because Sophomore Jay Whitmire has struggled while being a starter. The leader of that line is Moses, and if he goes down at any point this season, that line takes a huge hit. While they are strongest on the weak side, they do have some depth along the interior and their staff is pretty high on both Matteo and Whitmire. The question is: Can quickly develop into solid starters in the ACC?
Defensively: The buzzword is here is: Youth. When they open vs BYU on 8/31, don't be looking for more than two Seniors in their starting defense and no more than three in key roles; the rest of whole unit are either Sophomores or Juniors, and you can throw in a Freshman or two there.  While it might one that would be worrisome, but at the same time, there is hope here:
1.    The talent is there.
2.    As the season goes on, this talent will develop and only get better.
3.    When you have an aggressive DC like Tenuta is, this talent is going to develop a mean streak. The potential is there to have a D that opponents do not want to face.
However, in the here and now, they are going to need Senior DL’s Jake Snyder (44 tackles, 5.5 for loss), Brent Urban (20 tackles) and Justin Renfrow to step up and carry the load while they get the new starters some experience and into their rotation. Snyder is steady on the interior; while on the outside at DE, you have Sophomore Eli Harold (36 tackles, 7.0 for loss), who they believe is going to be a great one in Charlottesville. The question here is: Is Harold ready to raise his game to the next level as a second-year player? With youth is going to come inconsistency, he's can be an All-American one play and crap on the next. When you see him on tape, the potential of this kid is off the charts. On the interior, Urban and Renfrow are the main players at DT, They will be joined by Sophomore David Dean, RS Freshman Andre Miles-Redmond, Junior Greg Gallop and two incoming freshmen. Think about this, you could see on their DL, as many as seven Sophomores playing big roles there.
As for their secondary, this is going to be a unit that will ultimately be one of the best in the ACC. They have Junior CB Demetrious Nicholson (56 tackles) back, as well as other starters returning and continuing their growth in their roles on the college level. The only real competition here is for the other CB spot, where either Junior DreQuan Hoskey or Sophomore Maurice Canady will win that job. They have back at the safety spot: Juniors Anthony Harris (87 tackles) and Brandon Phelps (48 tackles), while they have coming in two very impressive true freshmen in Kirk Gardner and Tim Harris.
The weakest link of their Defense is at LB. They have to find replacements for their two leading tacklers in Steve Greer (Graduation and signed as UDFA by the Washington Redskins) and La'Roy Reynolds (Graduation and signed as UDFA by the Jacksonville Jaguars). Its going to be up to underclassmen like Kwontie Moore, Demeitre Brim, Henry Coley (40 tackles, 4.5 for loss) and Daquan Romero (44 tackles) to all step up and take a much bigger role here. The most experience of those three are Coley and Romero. They’ll be the likely starters there (Romero on the weak side, Coley in the middle). They could move Coley back to the strong side if they believe Moore is ready to assume a bigger role as the MLB.
Special teams: This unit is just horrible. They are one of the worst in the ACC. Their kicking game is just terrible, though Sophomore Kicker Ian Frye should get better being the kicker full-time. While the return game does have its moments, for the most part, its just not there.  Their coverage is just pathetic. Hopefully, 2013 has better results for them because it can’t get any worse.
In closing, yes, I understand the fact; they’ve beaten us three years in a row. However, this year, it will not be four in a row. Too much inconsistency, too many question marks and when I look at that schedule, with Oregon coming to Charlottesville on 9/7, it could get very ugly very quickly and could be the start of a long season for the Cavs. This is going to be a year of growing pains, with 2014 being the year we can really judge this team. I’m going to say for the Cavs in 2013: 6-6.
In the 12th and final part of the series, I will preview the one of the two newest members of the ACC this year and that’s the Pitt Panthers. 

Thursday, August 15, 2013

2013 Miami Hurricanes 12 Part Opponent Series - Part 10 (@Duke Nov 16th)

Nov 16th - @Duke

In Part 10 of the 12 part 2013 Miami Hurricanes Opponent Series, we’ll talk about the 2013 Duke Blue Devils, our opponent up in Durham, NC on November 16th.

Here’s what you need to know about the Blue Devils:

They are coached by David Cutcliffe, who while 21-40 in his five years in Durham, he improved the Blue Devils win total in each of his first two seasons there, putting the foundation in place to be going bowling in 2010, but at that didn’t happen. Even worse, in 2011, they only won three games. Think about this, Cut’s 15 wins in his first four years was the program's best stretch since the days of Steve Spurrier. Then in 2012, was finally a bowl game, making Cut’s hard work pay off. He and the staff has the belief into creating a winning football program from the bottom up. Think Bill Snyder back in the 90s, building Kansas State into a power after years of futility.  
In his career, which includes parts of seven seasons at Ole Miss, his record is 65-67. Though you look at the record, and you think, OK, he was a so-so coach. Look deeper and you see about the job he did in Oxford developing one future Super Bowl winning QB in Eli Manning. He’s best-known for being a long time assistant in Knoxville with Tennessee, where he spent 19 seasons as an assistant. That started way back in 1982, when he started his career being a part-time assistant, and continued through 1998 and along the way, developed another Super Bowl winning QB, that would be Eli’s older brother, Peyton. When he was canned from from Ole Miss in 2004, he took a year off due to health issues; he was supposed to be on Charlie Weis' staff as the first quarterbacks coach at Notre Dame, before his health issues forced him to step down before the start of that season. In 2006, he came back to Knoxville for a two-year stint before being tabbed as the boss in Durham.

This man’s resume with Tennessee is impeccable. He spent six seasons as their TE coach, (1983-88), one season as their RB coach (1989) and three being the QB coach (1990-92) before being finally getting to run the whole offense as OC, where he earned his stripes and being recognized as one of the best play-callers in the country. When he went to Oxford for his first HC stint, he finished a winning record every year for his first five years, which included a 10-win 2003 season that was highlighted by a SEC West co-championship and a Cotton Bowl win. Cut can coach, there’s no doubt about that. To succeed at Duke, it takes a special kind of coach and that’s something Cut is.  

Let’s break down the Blue Devils:
Offensively: Yes, they will change their style of offense this year, from the pass-heavy system led by Sean Renfree, who graduated and was drafted in the 7Th Round by the Atlanta Falcons, to more of a zone-read offense that will be led by Junior quarterback Anthony Boone, who was Renfree’s backup the past two seasons. He’s done ok under center, albeit with little notice, and will clearly be their starter this year. He clinched that with a strong performance back in the Spring. The question here is: Is he the right fit for the zone-read offense Cut wants to employ this year? We'll see in August and September. Some would say that the better fit for zone-read would have been RS Freshman Thomas Sirk, however, an Achilles injury back in the Spring cast doubt on whether he would play this year. What does that mean? It means there’s a possibility that in this offense, Junior Brandon Connette might be pressed into duty at QB, which in that scenario, you take away a player that can hurt you other ways.
By going to more of a run-first, balanced offense, this will give more chances for returning backs like Senior Juwan Thompson (352 yards), Junior Josh Snead (496 yards) and Sophomore Jela Duncan (553 yards). Those three will get the bulk of the action there, but the running game should roll more through Duncan and Thompson, than with Snead, with Thompson having an edge due to the fact that he’s a better pass protector. However, another option might be Connette, If this offense wants to widen the field on first and second down, it would be imperative to put Snead and Duncan next to Boone in the zone read. That would keep opposing defenses on their toes more, especially vs the run. Here’s something about the Duke offense in 2012: They ran the ball about 400 times last season, averaging 3.71 yards per carry, and in 2013, those numbers will only go up.

As for the passing game, they lost Conner Vernon, to graduation and the NFL (being signed as an UDFA by the Oakland Raiders), Here’s what they miss in Vernon, he scored the GW TD vs UNC, however, they do get back a very valuable piece in Junior Jamison Crowder (76 receptions for 1,074 yards), who’s an All-ACC-level WR. While Crowder was in the mix last year, their #1 target was Vernon. When you look at the 2012 season Crowder had, it was a big time season there as a secondary option, though in name only. The numbers he had is more for a #1 target. The rest of that core is built on their size. Six of their weapons are over 6'2”, and when you count their two tight ends, there are going to be some mismatches in the slot that Cut will exploit. When you have back Juniors Isaac Blakeney (32 for 290) and Jack Wise, as well as Senior Brandon Braxton, Sophomore Max McCaffrey and RS Freshman Anthony Nash, with the latter, being the one talent, their staff is high on, Duke has some potent weapons to make things very tough for secondaries in the ACC. The main target here will be clearly Crowder.
When you look at their O-Line, it’s pretty solid. However, the Center position is the question mark might here, however, RS Sophomore Matt Skura might have put those concerns at Center to bed, after Brian Moore's departure to graduation (Signed as UDFA by the Buffalo Bills) by having a strong spring. Even if Skura gets off to a slow start, they’ll still be able to have steady starters at both guard spots  (Senior Dave Harding on the left side, and Junior Laken Tomlinson on the right). The strength of this line is in pass protection, and that’s because of consistently strong play by Junior LT Takoby Cofield and Senior RT Perry Simmons. Both players are all-ACC contenders. On the strong side, they’re going to integrate alternating underclassmen like RS Freshman Casey Blaser into the mix in certain situations. The pass protection is very strong, the question here is, can they be very good run blockers as well?

Defensively: Their back seven took a hit to injuries and/or Graduation. So they will have to break in a new group there. For DC Jim Knowles, this will be the highest priority this season. They really need a full and healthy season from Senior Kenny Anunike (44 tackles, 5.0 sacks). He seems fully recovered from his 2nd knee injury of his college career. The 1st knee injury, cut down his 2011 season. The question here is: What can Anunike do for their line up front?  When he’s healthy, this defense gets an All-ACC end capable of an effective pass rush and having double-digit sack seasons, and commanding double and triple teams, which opens lanes for his fellow linemen into the opposing backfield. As Anunike's goes, so goes their D in 2013 and whether or not they make a repeat bowl appearance.
The bulk of their pass rush comes from their DE’s (Anunike and fellow Senior Justin Foxx {46 tackles, 4.5 sacks}). They’ll get the bulk of the attention, and in turn, it’ll open up the interior of their line to do the damage. DT’s like Jamal Bruce, Sydney Sarmiento (28 tackles), Carlos Wray, Steven Ingram and RS Freshmen Sam Marshall and A.J. Wolf would be the beneficiaries there. There are two concerns with the Line:
1.    These interior linemen don’t push.
a.    They are big guys.
                                          i.     but they can’t beat single blocks
                                        ii.    And they don’t wreak havoc
2.    They need to have at least another pair of DE’s that can wreak havoc off the edge
a.    Preferably one or two pure edge rushers.
b.    That’s something they don’t have right now.

They do have freshmen and sophomores who can fill that role very nicely.

As for the LBs, they have three starters looking to fill two spots. Two are named Brown, so you can expect some rotation there on the weak side. One of the Brown’s: Kyler, will be the full time MLB as getting two starts in 2012 at that position. On the outside, there’s another Brown: a healthy Kelby, who might be able to give a push to Junior C.J. France (60 tackles) for a starting spot, or maybe win the job outright. If healthy, Kelby Brown could give this unit a much need boost as they shift from a 4-2-5 to a 4-3 set.

As for the Secondary, this area took the biggest hit due to graduation: They lose three starters off the 2012 unit in:
·         CB Lee Butler (Graduation)
·         S Walt Canty (Graduation)
·         S Jordan Byas (Graduation)
They do get back though, Senior CB Ross Cockrell, who will be an All-ACC contender, even though the number might not say so. They’re going to stay away from his side. That means Senior Garett Patterson, Sophomores Jared Boyd and James Cockey, as well as RS Freshman DeVon Edwards and Freshman Evrett Edwards, who are the many contenders angling for a starting spot on the outside, all need to step up when called upon and produce, making the QB think twice of throwing to that side. They believe the one with the best potential is Edwards, who enrolled early in school, However, you have Patterson moving over from WR to CB. Boyd, when healthy, can contribute and have good numbers. Back to Edwards for a moment, he spent last season adjusting to this system, so let’s hold off for now on anointing him the starter on the outside.

At the Safety position, they need someone to step up and produce. The one they are high on is Sophomore, Dwayne Norman (60 tackles), who started five games as a freshman last year; while he was pretty solid play-wise, and had some toughness needed to play that position, when it came to coverage, there wasn’t much there. You have to remember, Norman's is playing the ROVER, so his main focus was trying to stop the run. They’ll go with either Senior Anthony Young-Wiseman or RS Freshman Corbin McCarthy in Byas' former role, though with both player recovering from injuries this spring, the options were limited there. The biggest role at Safety, which is Canty's former "bandit" position, is going to former Ohio State transfer Jeremy Cash. A sophomore, he has made their staff take notice with his play in the spring over the last two years. In 2013, he’s going to be asked to step up and get the big numbers on the back end.
Special teams: They have one of the best kicking games in the country. They have back two potential All-Americans in Sophomores Ross Martin at K and Will Monday at P. As good as their kicking game is, there’s the problem of their kick coverage. That unit went backwards in 2012 and you add to the fact that they must find a replacement for their leading returner on kickoffs and punts (Vernon). However, when you have Martin and Monday doing the kicking/punting duties, for the most part, they’ll be fine.
In closing, Duke has the chance to get even better and Cut has them in the right direction. They have 14 starters back (7 each on O and D). This team is going to win at least 6 again in 2013. Whether they win 8 or 9 games depends on three games early in September, all at home. GT on Sept 14Th, Pitt on Sept 21st, and Troy on Sept 28Th, If they win those three, and the Navy game at home after the BYE week on Oct 12Th, this could be a 6-0 team going into a very tough two games in the state of Virginia (Oct 12Th in Charlottesville, and Oct 19Th in Blacksburg). When I look at the schedule realistically, I see an 8-4 season for Duke in 2013.
In part 11 of the series, I will preview a team that has beaten us the last three years, and that’s the Virginia Cavaliers. 

Wednesday, August 14, 2013

2013 Miami Hurricanes 12 Part Opponent Series - Part 9 (VT - Nov 9th)

Nov 9th – VT
In Part 9 of the 12 part 2013 Miami Hurricanes Opponent series, we’re going to talk about a team that is a perennial contender in the ACC every year and has won it 4 times, and that’s the Virginia Tech Hokies, our opponent in Sun Life Stadium on November 9th.

Here’s what you need to know about the Hokies:
They are led by the legendary Frank Beamer, who’s the dean of FBS coaches. This man has seen it all in his 27 years in Blacksburg. However, what’s different this time is that he needs to bounce back from a terrible season in 2012. They finished 7-6,  winning their final three games of the season. This wasn't your typical Hokie team and as a result, there were changes in the off season.

Let’s break down the Hokies:

Special Teams: This is the M.O. of Beamer. They have everyone back, which is great news for that unit. They have back a stud PK in Senior Cody Journell, who came off a monster year, in which he was 20-25 on FGs, and three of those won games for them. While he’s 81% in his career on FG attempts, his long is just 42 yards. 

At Punter, they have back Sophomore A.J. Hughes, who won that job in 2012, and will look to maintain it in 2013. He’s more of a coffin corner type of Punter, averaging 40.6 yards per punt and placing 22 of his 79 punts inside the opponent’s 20-yard line. Hughes’ backup is RS Freshman Hunter Windmuller, who the staff believes has a great future. 

On KR/PR, the likely returners, respectively, are Knowles and Jarrett. The former was 12th in the nation in 2012 with  28.3 yards a return, while the latter was 9th in the nation with 13.9 yards per return. Both had returns of at least 93 yards.  

If there was an issue that drove Beamer nuts, it was the Kick coverage. This is something Beamer prides himself on. This was something that let them down last season and it was addressed in the off season  They were just way toooo soft in their coverage, and they missed tackles. As a result, they were 94th in the country, allowing a TD and more than 23 yards an attempt. That’s not vintage Beamer Ball as we know it, but they’ve shown some strides there. With everyone back in Blacksburg, you’ll see a good year and some semblance of Beamer Ball in 2013.

Defensively:  You know what you’re getting from a Bud Foster Defense,  one that is aggressive and edgy. The 2013 version will be no different. They have back nine starters, five of those honorable mention All-ACC. Everything is there to have a another monster year here. The question mark here is will CB Antone Exum, who suffered a knee injury during the off season  be ready once the bell rings vs Alabama in Atlanta on August 31st? If and when Exum comes back, he’ll have on the other side, another excellent CB in Senior Kyle Fuller. This is a third-year starter, who wasn’t as good in 2012, as he was in 2011, where he had 52 tackles, 2 INTs, and broke up 7 passes. As a result, he was named honorable mention All-ACC. You have to factor in that he was hurt most of last season. At 6’ and 193 lbs. this guy has all the tools to be a very good one on the next level. Foster will use him in multiple ways. Along with the cover skills, this guy hits like a safety, maybe even a LB, and has speed and the savvy to be a problem for opposing offenses, on blitzes. 

While Exum is out, look for Sophomore Donaldven Manning to fill the seat until Exum returns. He did play in 8 games in 2012, making four tackles and gradually getting used to the college game, which is a lot faster than H.S. ball. At 5’9”, and 174 lbs., he has added much-needed weight this offseason. He has the base cover skills to ultimately be a very good CB.  


At ROVER, they have Junior Kyshoen Jarrett back, especially now, with the retirement of backup Michael Cole due to a neck injury. In 2012, he was 2nd on the team with 83 tackles, with 4.5 of those being for losses. Also he broke up 4 passes. Never mind the fact that he’s just 5’11”, 194 lbs. This guy has the swagger and nastiness of a much bigger safety, and he can hit with the best of them. This could be his breakout season this year.

At FS, they have back 6’, 189 lb., Junior Detrick Bonner, who played all 13 games in 2012. He finished fourth on their team in tackles with 60, with 3 of those being for losses, a pick and broke up 11 passes. He has outstanding speed, and his cover skills are very good. He’s like a third CB in their secondary.  

Hopefully, they’ll have a healthy Senior LB Tariq Edwards back and ready to go. Last year, was tough to watch if you’re a Hokie fan, because of the fact he had a leg injury last off season and never healed fully and therefore, was a non-factor there. However, now with him healthy and quickly amassing confidence, this defense will be a lot better. Edwards has to be man to help out the leader of that unit Jack Tyler. Tyler’s backup is 6’2” 230 lb. Junior Chase Willams. This is a guy that’s going to be vital in Foster’s Defense to give short breaks to Tyler. They are most excited about Sophomore Ronny Vandyke. At 6’3” and 211 lbs., he has the range to plays all over the field. They brought him along very slowly. He did start two games in 2012, and had 21 tackles. In 2013, he will be unleashed.

As for their D-Line, they have Senior DE James Gayle back. With a Foster coached Defense, you know they’re going to have very good and talented players there. The impact player here is Gayle. He’s already an excellent player on the surface. He’s the type of guy that can really give opposing OL Coaches and OCs nightmares having to find ways to stop him. He might be just 6’4”, 253 lbs., but he’s one of their best players on that team overall. He runs a sub-4.5 in the forty. He’s also a two-time Second Team All-ACC pick that got a lot of attention in 2012, and still had 43 tackles, 11 of those for losses. Not to mention he had five sacks and a team-best 27 quarterback pressures. 

Offensively:  If they are going to get back to the VT of old, the offense must step up and produce. They were just pitiful as they ranked 81st nationally in both total and scoring offense. And as the season wound down, they got only worse, averaging 19 points over the final six games. A change was made on this side of the ball, as Bryan Stinespring got the boot and in came, Scot Loeffler, whose main job is to rebuild the confidence of Senior QB Logan Thomas. While Thomas wasn't the only problem there, he was the focus of the Tech fan-base on why the O was just awful.  With Loeffler watching Thomas’ every move, he needs to step it up and be that confident leader, not only for his team, but his future on the next level. However, this will be no easy task. Look what has to be done with the O here:
  • ·         There’s a new coach (Loeffler)
  • ·         A new offense and very little talent with which to connect.
  • ·         Uncertainty in the backfield, which has been a staple of Beamer teams through the years,
  • ·         Last year’s top two receivers are gone.
  • ·         Thomas is going to have to step up and be the man in 2013

The RB job is open and a battle to watch here. They are going to commit more to running the ball, and in the past, a Beamer staple. In 2012, though, they averaged just 3.7 yards per carry. Who will be the man to step up here? Think about this: None of their backs rushed for more than 500 yards in 2012, and you add the fact that no starter has been named as of yet. The leaders to win that job are Sophomore J.C. Coleman and Freshman Trey Edmunds, who had a very close battle in the spring, however, no one stood out here. Another option they could look to is Michael Holmes, however, only if a spring suspension doesn't carry over to the fall, we’ll see. The one guy that has to be that guy and they really hope it turns out to be 6’, 183 lb. 5th year Senior Tony Gregory. If remains healthy for an entire season,  look out. He did carry the ball 64 times for 311 yards and 1 TD.  

Their FB, who’s a staple of Beamer offenses, will be Riley Beiro. At 5’9”, and 229 lbs., he only played the first four games of last season, but a shoulder injury ended his season. He’s more of a threat as an H-Back, than he is running.

The WR core took a big hit due to graduation. As a result, Thomas’ mechanics isn’t going to be the only problem he deals with in 2013. Though having Senior D.J. Coles back is huge here. At 6’4” and 238 lbs., he’s as good as anyone when healthy, which wasn't the case in 2012, as he missed the entire season with a knee injury. He reminds them of Marcus Davis, who was one of the three WRs who’s gone to graduation. Coles, like Davis, is a big and strong target who can fly with the best of them when healthy. In 2011, he had 36 receptions for  480 yards and 3 TDs. 

On the other side, they have Sophomore Demitri Knowles back. He’s a much smaller and faster version of Coles, but at 6’1” and 177 lbs., he’s still developing. However, their staff think he has the speed and the after burners, to be a deep threat. The area he needs work on is the more short to intermediate routes in order for him  to become a reliable target with sure hands. 


At TE, they have back Junior Ryan Malleck back, who started seven games in 2012 for them. At 6’4” 248 lbs., he’s a better pass catcher than he is a blocker. He caught 17 passes for 174 yards last year. He makes very good adjustments to the balls in the air, and the expectations for him in 2013 will be greater now that he’s recovered fully from last year’s neck stinger. He will be the go-to guy here for Thomas.

After Coles, Knowles, and Malleck, the rest of the core is very young and will evolve as the season goes on. Coles’ backup is 6’1”, 189 lb., RS Freshman Joshua Stanford. He has big play capabilities, but a injury last season, stripped him of a chance to be an immediate impact player. If he can this new offense on the go, there’s some big plays to be made there for him. Knowles’ backup is 6’, 184 lb., Sophomore Kevin Asante. Like Stanford, he also could not stay healthy all season, only making 2 catches for 18 yards in 10 games.  

They really want have one go-to guy there, but only if he steps up and wins the job in Fall Camp. If VT offense is going to rebound in 2013, its going to be up to the OL to step up and produce. It starts with Tackle bookends here. They will have a couple of new starters on the flanks, with Freshmen Jonathan McLaughlin and Laurence Gibson the likely starters on both the left and right side, respectively. The Center and both Guard spots have experience returning, which is the strength of this unit. At RG, they have back Senior Andrew Miller, who started the first seven games of 2012 at Center before breaking his ankle and missing the rest of the 2012 season. However, by the end of spring, they moved him over to RG. The 6’4”, 293 lb. RG, who is also a former wrestler, benefits from having his toughness and the use of his hands. 

With Miller moving over to RG, that opens the door for 6’3”, 303 lb. Junior Caleb Farris to move over to the Center position. Farris actually filled in for Miller in 2012, starting the last five games after Miller got hurt. New OL Coach Jeff Grimes likes his blocker’s versatility, also giving him occasional reps at left guard. 

However, the starter at LG will be 6’5”, 301 lb. Junior Brent Benedict, who transferred from UGa. This guy is a stud and he started 6 games in 2012, adjusting to a new system. He has the maturity, is hard-working and very powerful at  the point of contact. He comes off a huge off season in the weight room. 

Also back for them is 6’3”, 291 lb. Junior Matt Arkema, who started 2 games at left guard in 2012, but currently is  Farris’ backup at Center. Let’s not forget that there’s experience in 6’2” 291 lb. G David Wang, who was a 10-game starter in 2012. If healthy, this guy is an animal with a mean streak, but injuries, including a foot injury in April have kept him out of the lineup.

In closing, they’ll have a better year than they did in 2012, but after they get spanked by Alabama in Atlanta. The standard in Blacksburg is to get to Charlotte and win the ACC Title. They are good, but do avoid FSU and Clemson this year. The big game for them is on Nov. 9, when they come down to Sun Life to face us. 

My prediction for the Hokies in 2013 is 10-2.

In Part 10 of the series, we’ll talk about the Duke Blue Devils. 

Monday, August 12, 2013

2013 Miami Hurricanes 12 part Opponent Series - Part 8 (@FSU - Nov 2nd)

Nov 2nd - @FSU 

In Part 8 of the 12 Part 2013 Miami Hurricanes Opponent Series, I will preview a team that some think is a darkhorse to win the whole thing and that’s the Florida State Seminoles, our opponent in Tallahassee on Nov 2nd.

Here’s what you need to know about FSU: They are led by Jimbo Fisher, who enters his 4th season as the boss in Tallahassee. They come off their first ACC title in 8 years, beating GT 21-15. He comes off a 12-win campaign and has 10 starters back from 2012. (6 starters on offense, and 4 on defense). Say what you will about FSU, but their defense was very very good in 2012. They were sixth in the nation in PPG allowed (14.7 points per game), while their offense averaged almost 40 PPG (39.3 to be exact), 206 yards rushing and 265 yards passing. They have two tough road games, at Clemson (Oct 19th, likely for the ACC Atlantic) and Florida (Nov 30th). When you look at the job Jimbo has done up there, I have to admit, he’s done a hellva job, especially in recruiting. They don’t get VT or Carolina on the other side this year.

Let’s break down the Noles:

Offensively: EJ Manual, who led them to an Orange Bowl Classic win over Northern Illinois, has graduated and was the 9th overall pick to the Buffalo Bills. They had a very intense QB battle this spring, and most likely RS freshman Jameis Winston wins that job, though Jimbo hasn’t confirmed that yet. To show how good Winston was this spring, Clint Trickett, who was the leader going into the spring said he was going to leave and transfer just four days after their Spring game. Now, Winston, who was the #1 rated QB in the nation coming out of Alabama, will have to hold off a challenge from Sophomore Jacob Coker and RS freshman Sean Maguire. They do have two Junior RBs back with a lot of experience. Devonta Freeman, who finished with 660 yards and 8 touchdowns in 2012, and James Wilder Jr., who had 635 yards and 11 touchdowns. At WR, this core is deep depthwise and very talented to boot. They are led by Junior Rashad Greene. He has great breakaway speed and was their leader in catches and yards in 2012 with 57 catches for 741 yards. Also back are Kenny Shaw and Kelvin Benjamin, who both caught at least 27 passes. Their OL, is very good and very sound, with four starters back, and even the new starter, Bobby Hart, has a lot of experience. The down side with the OL, they are not very deep, so the key here is to stay healthy all year, because if anyone gets hurt, this could be a big issue in Tallahassee.

Defensively: This area took a beating to Graduation/Defections. All-American DE Bjoern Werner, left a year early to enter the League (drafted 20th overall by the Indianapolis Colts) and DC Mark Stoops bolted for Lexington to be the New HC at Kentucky. Replacing Stoops as DC is Jeremy Pruitt, who was Alabama’s defensive backs coach for the last two years under Saban. What Pruitt brings to the table is strong recruiting in the Deep South region, however, he has limited coaching experience. Their D-Line line needs some work here, however, when you look at their back seven, it is very talented and very good too. That doesn’t mean Junior DT Timmy Jernigan should not be taken lightly. He’s still a force to dealt with here because he uses his strength and quickness to be a major disruptive force on the interior of their line. In the secondary, you have Senior CB Lamarcus Joyner, who’s an excellent athlete, who can also shutdown one side of the field. Think of a young Ronde Barber here, when you think of Joyner. Like Barber was used with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers for all those years, look for him to be used in blitz packages this season.

Special Teams: Their staff is very high on RS freshman placekicker Roberto Aguayo. They believe he could be even better than departing All-American Dustin Hopkins (Drafted in the 6th Round by the Buffalo Bills), and that’s saying something when you consider how clutch he was. At the Punter spot, they have Cason Beatty back after a pretty good freshman season of 2012. An issue here is that their return game needs much work, when you consider the fact, they had a case of fumblitis last year.

In closing, this hasn’t been an offseason to remember for Jimbo. They lost, not only a lot of starters from the 2012 team, but also 6 of the 9 assistants bolted elsewhere, from a CANES perspective, the biggest one being James Coley. Yet still, this is still a very good team to be dealt with. If they have have Winston be the 2nd coming of Johnny Football and their O-Line stays healthy, and their D, which should be very good again in 2013, winning 10 games shouldn’t be a problem for them. If they won 10 games again this season, it would be the third time in Fisher’s first four years, and that’s saying something about the success they’ve had up there. Barring a catastrophic injury or two, the ACC Atlantic is pretty much theirs to lose. The game that decides that is October 19th at Clemson. There are three tough games on their schedule, and two of them are on the road. The aforementioned game @Clemson (October 19th), CANES (November 2nd) and @Florida (November 30th). Those three games will tell us a lot about FSU. My prediction for the 2013 Florida State Seminoles is 11-1 (Only Loss to Miami).

In Part 9 of the series, I will talk a team that is a perennial contender every year, and that’s the Virginia Tech Hokies.

Sunday, August 11, 2013

2013 Miami Hurricanes 12 part Opponent series - Part 7 (Wake Forest - Oct 26th)

Oct 26th – Wake Forest

In Part 7 of the 12 part 2013 Miami Hurricanes Opponent Series, I’m going to preview the 2013 Wake Forest Demon Deacons, who come to Sun Life Stadium on Oct 26th.

Here’s what you need to know about the Demon Deacons:
They are coached by Jim Grobe (Virginia '75), who’s entering his 12th season in Winston-Salem. His record is 73-74, and he’s the first coach in more than 50 years of Wake Football, to have a career mark this close to .500. You have to go back to Peahead Walker, who went 77-55-6 from 1937-50, to have a someone close to or above .500 in their tenures. Before coming to Wake, he spent six years (1995-2000) at Ohio, going .500 there (33-33-1). Nothing to write home about on the surface, however, you have to consider the circumstances here. Before Grobe’s arrival in Athens, Ohio, the Bobcats won a total of nine games, in six years before he came. After a 1st season of 2-8-1 in 1995, he never again slipped below five wins in the rest of his term there, and that includes an 8-3 record in 1997 and a 7-4 mark in his final season (2000).
The job he’s done at Wake, is nothing short of remarkable. They have finished over .500 five times in his tenure there, and that includes an ACC title in 2006 and at least eight wins in each season from 2006-2008. In 2006, the pundits picked the Deacons to finish last in the conference in the preseason media poll. All the Deacons did was make an FBS-best seven-game improvement over its 4-7 season in 2005. By going 11-3 in ’06, it marked the program's first season with double-digit wins, in their history and just its second ACC championship (only other one being 1970, but didn’t go to a bowl game that season), earning the Demon Deacons a BCS trip to the Orange Bowl, which was their first major bowl game in their history..
If you’re a Wake Forest fan, and I’m sure, there are those that are fans that are reading and watching this video that follow the Demon Deacons, will remember from that magical 2006 season, other than winning the ACC title, was the fact, they demolished FSU 30-0 in Tallahassee. That win was their first road win in the series since 1959. As a result, he was named both the ACC and national coach of the year. Grobe would show that the Deacons weren’t just a one hit wonder, as they would follow that up with a 9-4 finish the next year (2007), giving that program, when you combine that with an eight win season in 2008, that’s 28 victories in a three-year stretch from 2006-2008. To put the job he’s done in Winston-Salem in perspective, the next most successful three-year period was a 19-win stretch from 1944-46. 
As for the here and now, he will have new coaches on his staff this year for the 2nd straight season. He lost two coaches with Tim Duffie going to Oklahoma State in March and WR coach Lonnie Galloway off to Morgantown to assume the same position at WVU back in January. The critics will tell you that these departures believe that Grobe's can’t find good coaching talent. They move OLB coach Derrick Jackson over to the secondary to fill Duffie’s role. They bring in two new hires in  Warren Belin, who takes over Jackson’s old role with the linebackers, and WR coach Taylor Stubblefield. When you look at Belin’s resume, he spent the last two seasons in the same role in the NFL with the Carolina Panthers after being in Athens, GA for a year (2010) and eight years in Nashville with Vanderbilt (2002-2009).
Let’s break down Wake Forest in three categories:

Offensively: You’re going to see them go to more of a run-first type of offense. To emphasize this point, take a look at their last two teams: They threw the ball an average of 442 times; now, look back to their 2005 and 2006 teams. Those two teams combined for 580 pass attempts. The reason they’re going to go back to more of a run-first offense is because of their personnel and Grobe to use it to his advantage. They can’t go head-to-head speed wise with us, FSU, Clemson because they’ll lose that battle every time. Also, by emphasizing the run more, it takes the heat off Senior QB Tanner Price and their OL.
Price is going to have to more as a running QB this year, but not too much more. He’s not a QB that teams have to deal with running wise. When you look at the certain sets and packages Grobe will throw at opponents, the plan is to throw them off-base a bit. Price’s strength is passing, though in 2012, his numbers dropped off dramatically, after a very good 2011 campaign. The question here Is there a balance that can work for them here? What they lack in depth, they make up for it in performance. In 2012, Price averaged only 5.6 yards per attempt, which was one of the worst totals in the FBS. This coming off a 2011 season where he averaged 7.1 yards per pass. Simply put, it’s possible here where he throws the ball only 325 times, instead of 425 times, and makes the offense better because he's doing more with less throwing and getting the backs more yards on the ground.  At worst, he’s a three-year starting quarterback in a league, which is big on QB play.
As for the OL, they were at best: Inconsistent. As their play here was at the heart of their problems offensively in 2012. Let’s go more in depth here about why their O was inconsistent:
1.    Price was harried, hurried and harassed
2.    The backs, such as: Senior Josh Harris (608 yards) and Sophomore Deandre Martin (484 yards) found it very tough to run inside between the tackles and when they went outside, there wasn’t much there either.
Simple solution here: Fix the line, and you fix the offense.
Harris and Martin are going to see the ball a lot more this season, with Grobe focusing more on the running game. One of those backs is going to get the ball over 200 times. After Harris and Martin, the experience there drops off dramatically. How will they use four freshmen back there?. Two of those freshmen are RS (Joshua Wilhite and Dominique Gibson). The former being one the coaches like very much, and the latter, is a converted safety. The other two (John Armstrong and Dezmond Wortham), are in the mix as well. With Wake going back to their roots with the running game, having five backs, doesn’t hurt here.
The passing game is still going to be there, but not as much as in years past. When they do throw, the one that’s had a nice career there is Senior Michael Campanaro (79 receptions for 763 yards) All he’s done in his career was steadily improve each year. As a freshman, he only made 10 catches, however, in the last two years; he’s caught 73 passes each season. The question here is: Where did the passing game in 2012? While Campanaro was consistently his effective self, they don’t have to home-run threat nor the intermediate threat to take the pressure off the running game. They do have Junior Orville Reynolds coming back. Reynolds is a speedier, running back-size receiver with the burst to be the big-play threat there. They have bigger receivers back size wise in Junior Brandon Terry (15 for 290), Sophomore Sherman Ragland III (23 for 247), and Junior Matt James They need to have a player like Reynolds step up and be that other threat to make opposing DCs, have to respect him and not focus too much on Campanaro and their running game. However, that’s not going to be easy as their WR corps being in the bottom half of the ACC. Not Good.
The weakest link here is their O-Line, and has been the case for years now. However, with them going back to more of a run-first offense, it’ll take the heat off them a bit because they’ll be doing less, and won't be asked to match up athletically with the ACC's speedy defensive linemen. This unit will benefit the most from Grobe's turn-back-the-clock offensive shift. They have another boost with the fact that their staff decided not to unilaterally redshirt every freshman: They signed four linemen in February, and it's entirely possible that the entire group works into the two-deep if given the opportunity. We’ll have to wait and see how that plays out.

Defensively: Their D will be good enough to give teams like us, Clemson, and FSU, and those three teams right there, will tell how Wake’s season goes. If they want to take that next step, they have to be more detail oriented on this side of the ball. They have to do a better job on 3rd downs, and have more of a pass rush. They do have a lot of experience coming back, which has produced in the past and they have All-ACC talent here, but they need to really get it together before their opener vs Presbyterian on August 29th. There's reason for optimism.
They run a 3-4 defense and the leader of that D-Line is Senior nose tackle Nikita Whitlock (51 tackles, 5.5 for loss), a two-time All-ACC selection. He’s only 6’ and 250 lbs, but don't let the size – or lack thereof – fool you. He use his leverage and technique to make opposing O-Linemen shake their heads. Here’s they have a lot of experience; with Whitlock being joined by two Senior DEs Kristopher Redding (30 tackles, 3.5 for loss) and Zach Thompson (52 tackles, 5.5 for loss), and depth wise: have Sophomores Tylor Harris (22 tackles, 4.5 for loss) and Desmond Floyd, as well as half-dozen true and redshirt freshmen. This is going to be a front 3 to be dealt with.
An area where production must be better in 2013 is at LB, especially with more of a pass rush. They finished 2012 just inside the top 60 nationally in both sacks and tackles for loss. Its going to be up to Junior Zachary Allen (42 tackles) to step up and be the leader of this core. Questions here are:
·         Who will help Wake replace Joey Ehrmann (Graduation) as their hybrid end-outside linebacker?
·         Can Allen deliver?
If he (Allen) can’t, then look for them to have to turn to a RS Freshman like Kevis Jones, who was very good in spring drills. They have Senior Mike Olson (78 tackles) coming back, but he will move over to the weak side, which opens the door at MLB for sophomore Brandon Chubb to step up and produce. The leader of this group and you can make an argument here for the defense as a whole is Senior Justin Jackson (81 tackles, 4.0 sacks). This guy who mans the strong side and perhaps the team's top pure edge rusher has a motor that never stops. This entire group can run, hit and cover.
The secondary has to improve off of a disappointing 2012 season: They failed to seize on the opportunity to build off of a pretty good 2011 campaign, by allowing more than an additional yard per attempt and nearly 40 additional yards per game. As with the rest of the D, their decline against the pass can be tied to injuries in their Defensive backfield; If they stay healthy, this unit will be better and their performance will be much stronger. No more of this being the case than at CB, where junior Merrill Noel (33 tackles) only started 8 games last year after having a very strong Freshman year; when he healthy and confident, he’s as good as any cornerback in the ACC. Joining him at CB is junior Kevin Johnson (58 tackles, 3.5 for loss), who started all 12-games last season, but look for their staff to give more looks to Sophomores Allen Ramsey and James Ward, especially if the latter gets loses out on a starting role at SS. That's the lone position up for debate: They have A.J. Marshall back at the FS spot, but they need to find a replacement for Chibuikem Okoro (Graduation).
Special teams: Actually Sophomore Chad Hedlund, will make their production here better, because last year’s kicker, Jimmy Newman, was just horrendous. They also bring back Sophomore punter Alexander Kinal, who’s a reigning all-ACC pick, and they get back most of their personnel who contributed in the return game in 2012, if that's a good thing. The return game isn’t the issue here, the biggest issue is their coverage. They allowed four touchdown returns last year. Hidden yards allowed killed them.
In Closing, overall, this team brings experience back and they should produce here. However, when you look at their schedule, they have to go to Clemson and come down to Sun Life to play us. They do host FSU on Nov 9th and after a BYE week, host Duke in the ACC finale, before closing the 2013 season at Vanderbilt the next week.  They’re not a strong team, but Grobe gets the most out what he has. At the end of the day, I’m going to go with 8-4 for the Demon Deacons in 2013.

In part 8 of the series, I’m going to talk about a team that is a dark horse to maybe win the whole thing and that’s Florida State.