ANALYSIS: Keys to Miami’s game tonight against Bethune-Cookman
Miami is set to host overmatched Bethune-Cookman tonight at Hard Rock Stadium. Here are some key areas from a Hurricanes perspective to keep an eye on:
Handle business early and get young players involved
Through two contests this season, Miami head coach Mario Cristobal and his staff have done a great job of getting their true freshman some much-needed playtime and experience early on. Whether it be 15 players from the 2023 class seeing the field during their season opener against Miami (Ohio), or a handful of true freshmen, including Rueben Bain, Francis Mauigoa (RT starter), Riley Williams, Mark Fletcher and Ray Ray Joseph, seeing quality snaps against Texas A&M, the Hurricanes have shown that they’re not afraid to play their youngsters early. If Miami can come out, dominate early, and put this game away, Thursday could potentially present a great opportunity for many of Miami’s other freshmen like Jayden Wayne, Emory Williams, Malik Bryant, Robby Washington, Bobby Washington, and more to earn some oh-so-important game experience.
Clean up special teams
Although Miami came away with a big win against Texas A&M, 48-33, one glaring issue was the team’s handful of mistakes early on special teams. It started with bad kickoff return blocking that pinned Miami back for its opening drive, and then there was a blocked punt in the first quarter and a muffed punt return in the second. That allowed the Aggies to jump out to an early lead. While Miami was able to overcome those mistakes, winning in all three phases will be key for the Hurricanes in all of their remaining contests moving forward, and a great showing in this area Thursday against Bethune-Cookman could be just what Miami needs to leave the special team blunders behind.
Keep the energy levels high
Coming off of your first top-25 win in front of a roaring crowd to playing an FCS opponent Bethune-Cookman on a Thursday night couldn’t be more of a contrast. With that in mind, the Hurricanes will need to show they are mentally strong and have the same mindset heading into this week as they did last. Getting complacent and underplaying the Wildcats, who Miami beat 70-13 last season, can be easy, but it should be something Cristobal and the Hurricanes avoid. In this day and age in college football you never want to take a step backward. Even an easy win with a sloppy showing wouldn’t be a great sign. So Miami has to be clean in its tackling, coverage and defensive schemes, avoid penalties, be efficient on offense and give all-out effort every rep on both sides of the ball even against a team that is nowhere near UM’s level.
How will Miami fill the void left by Kam Kinchens?
It isn’t expected Kam Kinchens will play tonight off his scary injury last game, as he continues to recuperate and is doing very well as he eyes a quick return. With that said, replacing an All-American and one of the team leaders is never an easy task. So Miami defensive coordinator Lance Guidry and his unit will need to take that next-man-up mentality. Early this week, Guidry stated how he plans to use a handful of different guys at the safety position in place of Kinchens, so finding what works best against the Wildcats could be pivotal for the Hurricanes moving forward as the timetable for Kinchens return remains uncertain. “We’ll mix it up and have different guys play the safety position,” Guidry said. “Can’t say who will be the guy, but there will be corners rotating in at safety as well, a guy like Jaden Davis, and Te’Cory Couch as well. (Jaden) Harris is the natural backup going in as well.”
The post ANALYSIS: Keys to Miami’s game tonight against Bethune-Cookman appeared first on On3.
