FILM ANALYSIS: Inside why the Miami Hurricanes third down defense was so successful in Friday night’s opening win
The Miami Hurricanes have become used to not being great in third down defense. Last year UM ranked No. 97 in the nation (42.0 percent conversions allowed), in 2021 the team was No. 76 (39.7 percent) and in 2020 Miami was tied for No. 61 (40.6).
Which brings us to first-year coordinator Lance Guidry. Last year his Marshall defense ranked No. 1 in the nation in third down conversion percentage defense (23.5 percent).
Yes, that’s No. 1.
In.
The.
Nation.
So the bar is set pretty high.
Now, to be fair, the year prior his defense was No. 47 in 3rd down D at 37.2 percent, and at FAU in 2020 it was tied for 58th at 40.0 percent while in 2019 as Southeastern Louisiana’s DC that team was No. 50 in the nation in third down defense at 36.9 percent.
But given the way the Canes began this season with a stifling third down D on Friday night (Miami-Ohio’s offense was 2-12 on third downs), it certainly deserves a closer look at what Guidry’s scheme did to create that … and how it might play out when it comes time for Texas A&M to try and convert come Saturday afternoon.
So, without further ado, here’s your film breakdown of what Guidry dialed up and how it worked on each of the third down situations the RedHawks faced (note that Miami-Ohio only runs its offense out of shotgun):
FIRST QUARTER
3-11-Hawks 24 – Sack for loss of 5 by Jahfari Harvey. Team punts.
ANALYSIS
This is a standard look for a Guidry defense with two standup ends (Nyjalik Kelly, Jahfari Harvey), two tackles with their hands in the dirt, two linebackers toward the middle with a nickel over the slot and the corners playing off coverage with two high safeties.
So what does Guidry dial up to get quick pressure without a blitz on this play?
It’s actually quite intricate and effective.
At the snap both defensive tackles immediately try to create pressure to their left, drawing the attention of everyone on the OL from the left guard through the right tackle. While that’s going on, the left tackle engages Jahfari Harvey one on one on the other side. The running back is left in to help protect, and he too is fixated on that pressure coming to the right side of the offensive line.
What Guidry does to create pressure in this case is sneak Nyjalik Kelly all the way from where he lined up at left end around to the right side of the formation. Kelly sprints across the back of the D line at the snap to get there and winds up causing an issue for the left tackle, who has to choose if he’ll continue to block RE Jahfari Harvey or switch to the suddenly appearing, full speed Kelly. He opts to take on Kelly, which leaves Harvey with nothing but grass between him and the QB. The coverage holds long enough and a sack ends the series.
The confusion Guidry created was to the point that the left guard and running back were literally left with no one to block. And Rueben Bain also did a good job creating some one on one pressure on the play.
Essentially what Guidry said is we’ll drop seven in coverage, and while it might take an extra half-second we’ll dial up a way to make sure the QB isn’t getting all day to throw. Very well drawn up and well executed.
3-8-Hawks 27 – Pass complete to Miles Marshall for 7 yards. Team punts.
ANALYSIS
Guidry appears to dial up the pressure on this play, loading the line with six defenders. There are three corners (including a nickel) and two safeties behind them. It looks like a blitz is coming, and Brett Gabbert rushes to the line to make an adjustment before the ball is snapped. At the snap, Corey Flagg and Wesley Bissainthe immediately drop back five yards into zone coverage, leaving four pass rushers.
So how is Guidry going to get pressure here? Well, he schemes to get Jahfari Harvey free. Harvey fakes a traditional outside rush from the right, then stops and twists inside the pass rushing tackle (Akheem Mesidor) who is going full speed to the outside right. Harvey does come free, but Gabbert’s already got the ball out … and it’s short of the first down with the dropping Bissainthe and Daryl Porter, Jr. in good position. Also of note on the play: Rueben Bain drew a double team and Nyjalik Kelly wasn’t able to beat the running back one-on-one (but Guidry created a good matchup for him). Bissainthe also does a nice job identifying the area the ball’s going to and breaks on the ball quickly.
SECOND QUARTER
3-9-Hawks 37 – Pass complete for 7 yards to Gage Larvadain. Team punts
ANALYSIS
On this play it’s again your standard look with four down linemen and off coverage, similar to the initial third down situation Miami faced in the game. So what does Guidry do this time?
Akheem Mesidor and Rueben Bain are on the inside with Harvey and Kelly at end, probably the team’s best foursome when it comes to linemen in pass rushing situations. And it appears Guidry simply wants to let them go about their business and win their matchups without much trickery. It’s a good approach considering Miami (Ohio) has lined up with an attached tight end and a running back next to the QB to help in protection. Guidry basically says to the RedHawks: If you want to have six guys in for protection, I’ll put back seven of my guys to guard your three receivers and TE, rush my four best pass rushers and good luck to you.
As it turns out KJ Cloyd picks up the tight end, blanketing him in coverage, and the two receivers that roam past the first down marker are well covered. So Gabbert is forced to throw underneath for a seven-yard completion with Te’Cory Couch there to make the play. Miles Marshall (No. 13) perhaps was open for a moment just past the sticks, but it wasn’t a big enough window for Gabbert.
There was decent protection from Miami (Ohio) for Gabbert, but a punt is the result.
3-3-Hawks 47 – Gabbert sacked for loss of 9 yards by Wesley Bissainthe. Team punts.
ANALYSIS
Miami lines up here against an initial four wide look with a tight end attached and the usual Miami-Ohio shotgun. This is a perfect example of Guidry looking to confuse an offense. He only has three true down linemen when Gabbert is making his checks – Rueben Bain at LE, Jared Harrison-Hunte at LT and Ahmad Moten at RT. Jahfari Harvey is standing up almost across from the slot receiver (who in this case is actually a running back) to the offense’s left, and LBs Francisco Mauigoa and Wesley Bissainthe are within three yards of the line in the middle of the field. The boundary corners are in press coverage but the slot receiver to the right has nine yards between him and a nickel in coverage.
There is some confusion before the snap on D, with James Williams quickly running up and yelling something to Bissainthe. At the snap Harvey rushes in and Bissainthe blitzes.
The downfield coverage is solid for the Canes, and Miami (Ohio) has opted to go for a deep shot instead of a quick hitter – Kinchens has one man covered well, Jaden Davis has another wrapped up on the boundary and Couch is also right on his man. James Williams is behind it all in case someone comes free.
Meanwhile, it’s Bissainthe that comes totally free. The RedHawks adjusted their protection just before the snap by moving the running back from the slot and putting him just behind the left tackle to help deal with Harvey. But because of the space that Harvey created by rushing from so far to that side, the running back is going to have to handle him with the left tackle needing to be ready to pick up Bissainthe or Mauigoa if either blitzes. That’s no easy task (RB vs. Harvey). And as it turns out when Bissainthe blitzes the LT totally whiffs on him … turning his shoulders to help inside apparently not thinking he was going to be blitzing. The result? An easy sack. And Harvey was also a hair away from getting to the QB as well based on his mismatch.
3-6-Canes 31 – Gabbert incomplete deep right to Miles Marshall. Team hits field goal.
ANALYSIS
This was a case where Guidry loaded the line to show blitz, and the RedHawks have a tight end in the slot just to the right of the right tackle with a running back to help in protection as well. At the snap Miami rushes five and drops Corey Flagg into the middle … and in this case Miami (Ohio) has dialed up a deep shot one on one to Marshall … but Daryl Porter, Jr. is right there in good coverage (with James Williams hustling over as well on the throw) and it’s overthrown. Nothing fancy on this one, but solid defense.
THIRD QUARTER
3-2-Hawks 33 – Gabbert pass incomplete short left to Kevin Davis. Team punts.
ANALYSIS
Miami crowds six at the line and that’s along with a nickel, two boundary corners and two high safeties. Miami-Ohio lines up with four wide and an attached tight end. At the snap Miami drops DE Nyjalik Kelly, LB KJ Cloyd and Francisco Mauigoa into coverage … but maintains four-man pressure by blitzing nickel Te’Cory Couch from the defense’s left side. Couch comes completely free but doesn’t get there before the ball is out on a quick throw to the offense’s left that is off Davis’ fingers as he dives to the sideline. Kelly had a decent angle so the throw had to be perfect … not bad for a defensive end dropping in coverage. There may have been an easy conversion available to the right side, though, if Gabbert looked to the man that Couch vacated … James Williams took over the coverage but was several yards off him on a short out route. The end result, of course, was a punt.
3-4-Hawks 31 – Gabbert completes pass to Jack Coldiron for 23 yards.
ANALYSIS
This was one that got away from Miami on third down. The Canes stacked the line of scrimmage with seven players against a three-receiver look (two split left, one in the slot). A running back was helping in protection, and TE Jack Coldiron was attached to the line next to the right tackle. At the snap Couch blitzes around the edge, but the left tackle does a nice job pushing him off the pocket, and the left guard is able to get just enough of Ahmad Moten to slow him down one-on-one. Jared Harrison-Hunte is at LT and Jahfari Harvey at LE, but Harrison-Hunte is picked up well with help from the back and Harvey drops into coverage. LBs Wesley Bissainthe and Francisco Mauigoa are in the middle of the line at the snap but also drop into coverage.
So, as we’ve seen before, it’s a case where Guidry shows blitz at the snap and winds up essentially rushing four … but in this case dropping an end into coverage and blitzing the nickel. This time he outsmarted himself a bit, as Harvey and Bissainthe wound up in the same area of the zone with Coldiron getting open 5 yards behind both of them. Davonte Brown had to come off his man on a deep post to make the tackle. So this one was not played well by the Miami defense.
3-6-Canes 42 – On same drive as Coldiron catch Gabbert’s pass is incomplete to Nate Muersch and the team also throws incomplete on fourth down for a turnover.
ANALYSIS
As with the prior third down, Miami has seven at the line, this time against a three-receiver set with a tight end in the slot. A running back is at Gabbert’s side to help in protection. The Canes have Jahfari Harey at LE, Thomas Gore at LT, Jacob Lichtenstein at RT and Chantz Williams at RE, so the team’s already starting to work in some of the depth guys with a 24-3 lead.
Two safeties and two corners to the far side are all six yards plus off the line of scrimmage, with the corner on the near side in press coverage. At the snap Wesley Bissainthe and Francisco Mauigoa drop off the line into read/react coverage. Harvey also drops into zone coverage on the left side of the defense, leaving just three pass rushers. Gabbert feels imaginary pressure and rolls to his right and throws the ball away with good coverage.
So in the end Miami had seven players at or within a yard of the line of scrimmage at the snap, and only three wound up rushing. Guidry basically has shown all game he doesn’t tip his hand with who will rush and who will drop, a hallmark of how he tries to confuse offenses. And Gabbert apparently fell into the trap, thinking there was likely a fourth rusher he wasn’t aware of coming from the blind side … hence his unnecessary rollout.
3-2-Hawks 27 – A run by Keyon Mozee only gains one yard and the team punts.
ANALYSIS
With the game well in hand, Miami’s not doing a lot of trickery here. The Canes line up with five on the line including LB Keontra Smith and stack nine in the box anticipating a short-yardage run (Miami-Ohio is clearly lining up showing it will be running the ball). The handoff goes up the middle, Smith blitzes and takes the QB in case he keeps it, Francisco Mauigoa reads the run from the start and does a great job shooting through a gap and is the first man to the ball carrier. The play is stopped for one yard and Miami-Ohio punts.
FOURTH QUARTER
3-11-Canes 46 – Pass complete short left to Javon Tracy for 11 yards
ANALYSIS
The game is for all intents and purposes over at this point, and on a third-and-11 with Miami ahead 31-3 it’s a standard defense for the Canes. Four man rush, two linebackers and a nickel with two boundary corners and two high safeties.
The interesting thing to note here? Guidry goes back to a defensive line stunt he ran on the very first third-down play of the game that ended with a sack by Jahfari Harvey. On that play it was Nyjalik Kelly sprinting around the DL from left end to the right side to create a problem for the LT. In this case it’s Jayden Wayne sprinting from his left end position all the way to the right side of the defense and then attacking. This was close to another sack, as the left tackle was slow to realize Wayne had come all the way around the line and never got a hand on him – Wayne was free to the QB untouched. But the ball was already out by the time he got there with a WR coming free. It was complete in front of Jaden Harris for the first down. That’s the danger when you run this kind of stunt – if the DE doesn’t get around in time there can be opportunities.
3-6-Canes 31 – On same drive as the above conversion pass to Tracy, a deep pass to Larvadain is broken up by Jaden Davis, and then Nyjalik Kelly breaks up the fourth down pass when Miami-Ohio goes for it. Turnover on downs.
ANALYSIS
Guidry continues to show some intricacies even with the game out of reach. He loves to line up an end almost over the slot receiver at the line against four-receiver sets. And that’s what he does here with DE Nyjalik Kelly really spaced out wide as one of six players stacked within a yard of the line of scrimmage at the snap. Miami has both boundary corners in press coverage with Jaden Davis in nickel nine yards off the line. Both safeties are to the short side of the field. At the snap Kelly hesitates to see if the running back will be getting a screen pass, then rushes when the back goes into a defensive posture. Corey Flagg drops into coverage with five rushing, and the protection is good. But so is the coverage. Gabbert goes deep in one-on-one coverage but the pass is broken up at the goal line with great coverage by Jaden Davis.
3-2-Canes 17 – With 1:07 to play in the game a pass on the right side is incomplete to Cade McDonald. On fourth down a QB keeper goes nowhere and the Canes take over on downs and run out the clock.
ANALYSIS
The game is pretty much over here with the backups in, and Miami has five at the line with the nickel in press coverage and the boundary corners seven yards off and a safety high in the middle. In a sign of just how aggressive Guidry is to the end, not only do all five players rush the QB, but he also blitzes Ryan Ragone from linebacker. The receiver couldn’t get open one-on-one and the pass fell incomplete.
FINAL TAKEAWAY
It remains to be seen how much Guidry has held back that he’ll use for Texas A&M, but it did seem his players were comfortable running the things we saw in this game. There was little hesitation and players were going full speed in the direction – we assume – they were supposed to.
Now, with that said, Texas A&M is a whole different animal.
Miami (Ohio) receivers were challenged with one-on-one coverage regularly and were unable to get separation. The Aggies have a much different level of pass catcher (and quarterback). So Guidry perhaps will not be able to be as aggressive in general … or on third downs … as we saw in this game.
If there are some areas that Texas A&M will look to exploit it could be the defensive ends dropping into coverage a lot, and it seemed that more often than not Guidry wasn’t willing to gamble with actual rushes of five+ defenders (he was oftentimes showing blitz and then would drop out of it at the snap). Guidry seems to be daring a team to throw intermediate passes in the middle of the field, dropping linebackers into those gaps hoping a team will do that. But really the major concern area is going to be the boundary corners holding up one on one if there isn’t safety help over the top. That’s going to be a major area we think Texas A&M will look to exploit on Saturday.
The Aggies will no doubt be studying Guidry’s past defenses and what they saw in Game 1 to glean what they can, and Guidry likewise will have to adjust what worked against Miami (Ohio) with what won’t work against athletes the level of a Texas A&M.
How that chess game plays out in the meeting rooms and on the chalkboards this week could very well determine the outcome of the game this coming Saturday afternoon.
And boy will it be fun to see what happens.
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