ANALYSIS: 5 Miami Hurricanes keys to the game

With the Miami Hurricanes’ season opener around the corner, here are your 5 keys to the game:

5. Tyler Van Dyke’s hand

Tyler Van Dyke suffered an injury to his throwing hand last week and had to take several days off while in a splint. It’s expected he will give it a go against Miami (Ohio), but last year when he was banged up and tried to play with a bum shoulder it didn’t turn out very well. So we will very much have our eyes on Van Dyke to make sure he is, truly, 100 percent. Because while Miami can perhaps get away with a Van Dyke at 70 percent in this game, that won’t be the case against Texas A&M. He needs to have no limitations in that one.

4. Eye on the cornerbacks

If there’s going to be a massive issue on defense this year in Lance Guidry’s new, attacking scheme, it’ll likely be at defensive tackle or cornerback. We think the DT depth isn’t great, but at least starters Leonard Taylor and Branson Deen should be a good enough duo, and ends Akheem Mesidor and Rueben Bain can spell them in passing situations. So probably not the end of the world there depth-wise. Which brings us to cornerback. That was a position that struggled in the spring (a reason coaches brought in three transfers this summer in Ja’Dais Richard, Jaden Davis and JUCO Demetrius Freeney) and still had some problems this fall. The starting battle – with the expectation that Davonte Brown is one of the starters – went into this week. Which means no one has really stood out head and shoulders above the rest. Miami (Ohio) won’t challenge the Miami DBs like a Texas A&M can, but you have to see the corners making plays in a game like this and not giving up big chunk plays one-on-one down the field.

3. Pressure Brett Gabbert, use a physical ground game against an undersized D line

QB Brett Gabbert (Jordan Prather | USA TODAY Sports)

Against an overmatched Miami (Ohio) team with the Canes a heavy favorite to win, the RedHawks will be looking to keep it close and try and pull away at the end. But the Canes’ keys to controlling the game – and running away with it – likely hinge on two factors. Miami can’t allow QB Brett Gabbert, who in 2021 threw for 26 TDs with six interceptions but then only played four games last year due to injury, find his groove. This is a Canes team that is predicated on getting in the backfield and making things happen, and against an offensive line that lost its best player and struggled a lot last year there should be a lot of opportunities for sacks/tackles for loss. And when UM has the ball there should be plenty of holes opened against a smaller D line that likes to break into the backfield but shouldn’t be able to hold up to Miami’s physicality up front. Then there can be pass plays available once the run is established. That seems a clear path to an easy victory … if Miami can make it happen.

2. Depth chart usage

Yes, everyone wants to see who starts the game at different positions (running back, wide receiver, OLB and CB, mainly), but this is a Miami team that is also going to need solid depth across the board on both sides of the ball to have a really good season. So we’ll be paying close attention to the substitutions, and how the backups are also performing. If there’s a major drop-off in play when some guys are off the field, that’s not going to be a real good sign for the future. So you really want to see a solid two-deep against a Miami (Ohio) team that’s decent enough, but nowhere near UM’s level overall talent-wise.

1. Play sound, detail-oriented football

It’s game one under new coordinators on both sides of the ball. Miami players have been hard at work for months making sure all the installs are perfected and they are on point with the play calls. That’s a must since looking good against Miami (Ohio) would be a great sign heading into a massive second game against a ranked Texas A&M team. So Miami needs to show off good tackling, playmaking on both sides of the ball, not a lot of mental busts (i.e. false starts, jumping offsides, gap assignment issues) and come out with a sound victory against a team that’s overmatched athletically virtually across the field.

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