Miami (FL) Hurricanes
Overall Rank: #25
#3 ACC
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Miami is hoping for improvement in Al Golden’s third year at the helm. He was a solid hire a few years ago. Now they are looking to get back to Miami’s championship ways. In Coral Gables, 7-5 is considered an average record. The task of winning is more difficult considering NCAA sanctions handed down as a result of the Nevin Shapiro incidents. Still, Miami is known for fielding elite talent and championship caliber teams. Golden is trying to climb that ladder once again. He had an extremely young team last year with a porous defense. This season, his players are a year older and wiser. Miami could take a leap.
2012 Record: 7-5, 5-3
2012 Bowl: None
Coach: Al Golden (13-11 at Miami, 40-45 overall)
Offensive Coordinator: James Coley
Defensive Coordinator: Mark D’Onofrio
Returning Leaders:
Rushing: Duke Johnson, RB, 947 yards
Passing: Stephen Morris, QB, 3,345 yards
Receiving: Phillip Dorsett, WR, 842 yards
Tackles: Shayon Greene, DL, 67
Sacks: Anthony Chickillo, 4.0
Interceptions: Jimmy Gaines, LB, 2
Other Key Returnees: WR Rashawn Scott, WR Allen Hurns, OL Seantrel Henderson, OL Brandon Linder, OL Malcolm Bunche, LB Denzel Perryman, DL Olsen Pierre, DE Shayon Green, S A.J. Highsmith
Key Losses: WR Davon Johnson, CB Brandon McGee, RB Mike James, LB Gionni Paul, LB Eddie Johnson, K Jake Wieclaw
Strengths:
Miami’s strength is their offense. Their speed on that side of the ball is top of the line. Rising sophomore Duke Johnson is expected to be even better in his second year. Golden will rely on him to take some pressure off of the passing game. He had 10 touchdowns rushing in year one, and he outperformed his upperclassman backfield teammate Mike James last season. Perhaps even more important to the offense is the play of senior quarterback Stephen Morris. He stepped in a few years back as green as can be. Now as the full time starter, he is one of the crisper passers in the ACC. He was fourth in the conference in passing efficiency in 2012. Expect that rank to rise in 2013. He has seriously improved his touchdown-to-interception ratio over the last two years. With the return of Phillip Dorsett on the outside, their 25th ranked passing offense should be better in 2013. Also, their special teams was very good last year with Johnson running back kicks. They were second nationally.
Weaknesses:
Every major weakness has to be pointed to the defensive side of the ball. Their rush defense was abysmal as the defense gave up over 200 yards per game to opposing backs. They were easily the worst in the conference in total defense giving up nearly 500 yardsper game. Miami is historically known for stout defenses but the 2012 version was a far cry from that. The unit loses Brandon McGee, their best corner, from a secondary that gave up the most yards in the ACC. They need a lot of help from the pass rush. They did not have anyone that could consistently get the quarterback off his mark and averaged just over one sack per game, which placed them in the bottom 10 teams in the country in that regard. Any secondary will get picked apart if the quarterback has all kinds of time to throw downfield. Luckily for Miami, they return a ton of guys on that side of the ball that have hopefully gotten better. A stingier defense would mean at least one to two more wins.
The Bottom Line:
Miami should feel pretty good about where it stands right now. NCAA sanctions always hurt, but Golden has a vision and he has this team on the right track. He has to like the fact that the youth on this team is capable of producing a winning formula. They can only get better from here. Morris will look to have a big season under center. They will certainly rely on his leadership as the season progresses. The Hurricanes have a shot at vying for the division title with North Carolina as their main competition. It is a reasonable goal for a young and talented team like this; however, the defense will have an impact on how far this team goes.
Projected Bowl: Chick-fil-A Bowl
2012 Team Stats:
Rushing Offense: 144.75 (81st in nation, 6th in conference)
Passing Offense: 295.42 (25, 3)
Total Offense: 440.17 (37, 5)
Scoring Offense: 31.42 (49, 6)
Rushing Defense: 217.92 (112, 12)
Pass Defense: 268.50 (102, 12)
Total Defense: 486.42 (116, 12)
Scoring Defense: 30.50 (82, 10)
Turnover Margin: 0.58 (30, 2)
Sacks: 1.08 (113, 11)
Sacks Allowed: 1.50 (41, 4)
Madness 2014 NFL Draft Rankings:
#64 Anthony Chickillo
#66 Seantrel Henderson
Madness 2013 Football Recruit Rankings:
#53 Alquadin Muhammad
#79 Stacy Coley
#91 Kevin Olsen
#110 Artie Burns
#178 Cornelius Elder
#250 Standish Dobard
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