Film study: Shannon Dawson’s attack vs. Texas A&M is a warning to every defensive coordinator the Miami Hurricanes will face
The Miami Hurricanes ran for 250 yards vs. Miami (Ohio) in Game 1, with the RedHawks’ scheme looking to take away the downfield passing game. That showed UM can be a physical force in the run game. In Game 2 Saturday afternoon coordinator Shannon Dawson dialed up the pass game vs. Texas A&M’s stout defensive front. So the Canes dropped back 59 percent of the time and QB Tyler Van Dyke threw for 374 yards with five touchdowns and no interceptions.
The message from just these first two games is pretty clear to opposing defensive coordinators: “Good luck trying to stop us.”
In the win over the Aggies, Miami running backs combined for 89 yards on 22 carries, not big numbers but still a respectable 4.0 yards per carry average. The offensive line more than held its own against perhaps the most talented (on paper) defensive front it will face all season – the run game was okay, and Van Dyke was sacked twice and had no QB hurries noted on the official stats.
A big question mark entering the season was if there would be a No. 1 wide receiver that can step up for Miami. Maybe this game showed this team has a bunch of No. 1 type receivers, right? There was a 64-yard TD catch from Jacolby George, who had three TDs and 94 receiving yards. Isaiah Horton had a 52-yard TD highlight catch. Xavier Restrepo just broke another tackle while you weren’t looking and had a career-high 126 yards on six receptions. And Colbie Young, probably the most physically gifted of all these receivers with his combination of size and speed, ended with six catches for 75 yards and a short TD.
So how did it all come together like this after such a woeful 2022 offensive season under a different coordinator? Well, certainly scheme has a lot to do with it. Shannon Dawson’s hybrid Air-Raid looks like the perfect fit for the talent Miami has on this team.
By the way, it’s also interesting to look at the plays and yards in each quarter for Miami – in the first quarter the team had 93 yards (7.2 yards per play), in the second quarter 183 yards (10.2 yards per play), third quarter 19 yards but only on seven plays in part because A&M started with the ball and the Canes had a 98-yard kickoff return (2.7 yards per play) and in the fourth quarter Miami had 156 yards (9.8 yards per play). So pretty consistent throughout other than the third quarter when the team barely had the ball.
Miami also converted three of nine third downs (by comparison Texas A&M faced 18 third downs; the Canes were very successful on first and second down plays). Miami also was 4-for-4 in the red zone with three of those TDs.
Today we’re taking a closer look at five of the key plays Dawson dialed up and why they worked. It’s a case study for how hard his attack is to stop for opponents:
FIRST QUARTER
With 4:25 on the clock Miami is down early 10-0 with a special teams miscue resulting in a quick TD. It’s a first and 10 and the Miami 36. In the typical no huddle-shotgun look Van Dyke throws compete to Restrepo for a 48-yard gain. That helps set up a three-yard TD toss to Colbie Young.
ANALYSIS: This is the typical kind of play Dawson would draw up for Tank Dell at Houston (Dell had consecutive seasons with over 1,300 yards under Dawson) when he’d line up in the slot, exploiting openings in the defense down the middle. Miami doesn’t line up in an exotic formation here and really didn’t too much in the game. It was the five offensive linemen with Cam McCormick at H-back and a one-back set with three wide – Restrepo is to the short side of the field in the slot next to the outside receiver. This play shows just how Dawson will spread you out and let Van Dyke decide where to go with the ball … and Dawson also has consistently shown that he won’t hesitate to throw to the short side of the field with less room to work. That makes him less predictable. At the snap there are two outlets if the protection (which doesn’t give help to the five linemen) breaks down. Dawson knows that A&M often relies on just four pass rushers, trusting how good their defensive front is, and gambles that will be the case here. It is. A&M has eight in the box, and at the snap four rush while RB Henry Parrish sprints to the right for an outlet pass, drawing up LB Edgerrin Cooper out of Restrepo’s path. McCormick runs a short route to the other side of the field as quick outlet option two. But Van Dyke has time with the OL picking up the four rushers. There’s a safety high who goes to help on the deep outside route to the left. Van Dyke never even looks that way. His first read is clearly Restrepo, who based on the defense he knows will be open against safety Demani Richardson one-on-one. Restrepo does a stutter-step as he approaches Richardson, leaving him flat-footed, and it helps that the receiver next to Restrepo to the short side looks like he might run a curl in front of Richardson. That leaves the defender unsure if it’ll be thrown in front of him or behind him for a split second. Richardson is slow to run with Restrepo, who speeds by him wide open for a big gain. It’s a well-designed play and very difficult to stop with a safety on Restrepo.
SECOND QUARTER
With 11:14 on the clock, Miami is trailing 17-7. It’s a second-and-seven at the Miami 48, and Van Dyke throws deep down the left side in one-on-one coverage to Isaiah Horton for a 52-yard TD.
ANALYSIS: This was the point in the game, early on, where this was a wakeup call to Texas A&M that they were in real trouble. Because Dawson’s offense is predicated on attacking the middle with the slot receivers, getting things going in the run game to draw up safeties, and then when receivers got one-on-one coverage down the sideline taking shots. And when those shots hit, there is really going to be no answers for a defensive coordinator with the quandary becoming how do you cover the middle of the field, stop the run and then have safety help over the top on deep shots as well. There just aren’t enough defensive players on the field to do all that. And at this point it’s become fairly clear that the Hurricanes passing game was going to get what it wanted, and the run game could take somewhat of a back seat other than when A&M was playing back. So it was a pick your poison for the Aggies. Anyway, back to this play. What Dawson showed pre-snap was interesting. Miami is in shotgun with two backs, and McCormick is lined up on the right side at H-back just behind the right tackle. So Miami only has two wide receivers, one on each side. And they each are going to run deep routes, one up each sideline. Against a one-high safety look, this means that wherever the safety goes, the other guy will have one-on-one coverage. This is max pass protect, with the only outlet a running back on the right side who is picked up. The other back and McCormick stay in to help block, and A&M only rushes four so there’s plenty of time for Van Dyke to throw. Van Dyke briefly glances at the outlet RB at the snap, helping draw attention to that side of the field and the safety also runs to help on that side. Meanwhile, on the other side Horton is streaking downfield one-on-one. Van Dyke lofts it, Horton has a step and makes the over-the-shoulder catch on a well thrown ball. DB Jardin Gilbert is too late coming back from the other side to make the tackle and it’s a TD.
With 36 seconds to go in half, Miami is trailing 17-14 and is driving (after getting the ball back at its 25 with 57 seconds to go). Van Dyke completes to Young for 32-yard gain to the A&M 25. Drive ends in a TD and sends Canes to the locker room with a lead the team won’t relinquish.
ANALYSIS: This was a key moment in a key drive that really was somewhat a microcosm of the game for Miami on offense. And it told Texas A&M that `Hey, we only need a minute to dial up a TD.’ This drive showed it all – there was an 18-yard Henry Parrish run up the middle to get things going, then the completion to Young on the left side followed by a 19-yard Restrepo catch to the left that was followed by an 11-yard TD catch by George coming back to the ball in the end zone on the right side. As you look closer inside the 32-yard catch by Young that helped set up the TD, it’s a standard one-back (Parrish), three-receiver set for Dawson with McCormick at H-back behind the right tackle. McCormick remains in to block and the running back is also there to help if there’s a blitz. Van Dyke gets plenty of time with A&M again relying on a four-man rush. So Dawson is basically saying I’ll take my three receivers against your seven other defenders and one of my guys will make a play. And this really just shows how Van Dyke was on point with his accuracy, and how Dawson and Kevin Beard have taught these receivers to come back to the ball at the top of their routes against these kind of soft defenses that are playing over the top coverage. Restrepo is coming back toward Van Dyke open in the middle of the field and Young is also coming back toward the QB with tighter coverage as the ball is thrown. That helps give Young leverage over CB Josh DeBerry, who tries to dive and get a hand in on the ball but whiffs. Young sheds him and gets extra yards on his own, a recurring theme for the receivers in this game. Van Dyke is initially looking at Restrepo before coming off him to Young, and on film Restrepo is actually more open but it would have gone for a shorter gain.
FOURTH QUARTER
12:41 remains in the game, Miami has a second-and-goal at the Texas A&M three-yard line. Van Dyke throws a 3-yard TD to George, putting Miami ahead, 38-26.
ANALYSIS: This is a brilliant goal line play call. Miami is in a jumbo set similar to what it had shown in game 1 when the team ran so successfully. The Canes bring in OL Matthew McCoy attached to the line next to the right tackle in a tight end jersey, with McCormick lined up behind him. Don Chaney is in the backfield behind Van Dyke. Pre-snap George comes into motion from left to right and back toward Van Dyke as if he may take the handoff instead of Chaney … or help block in front of Chaney at the snap. That movement immediately has CB Tyreek Chappell sprinting from where he was lining up across from George at the line – he runs to the middle of the field and still has his momentum going that way when the ball is snapped. So what happens at the snap? Van Dyke does a play fake to Chaney with the DL, linebackers and safety crashing to their left as they believe it will be a run play that way. Miami’s OL is also blocking that way to set up the play … while McCormick is sneaking behind the line to the opposite side to help block in front of George. In a somewhat humorous moment, he runs right past what must have been a confused Shemar Stewart rushing in, not even trying to lay a hand on him. So McCormick gets in front of George, who at the snap has immediately reversed course and gone back to where he came from. LT Jalen Rivers, meanwhile, has pushed forward to block in front of the play as well and has taken Chappell out of the play. So George is all alone on the left side for an easy TD. It’s an exceedingly well drawn-up play and is one of those chess match things that Dawson drew up for this exact situation where he knew what the defensive coordinator would be thinking when he saw the jumbo set.
Oh, and if you’re wondering the inspiration for this play? Well, Dawson put his own jumbo set unique touch on it but it originated with the Chiefs and was showcased in their Super Bowl game this year (see below). Nothing wrong with taking some great ideas and making them your own, right?
2:48 remains in the game, Miami has an eight-point lead and is facing a key third-and-seven with Texas A&M looking to get the ball back with a chance to send it to overtime. Van Dyke throws deep to George in one-on-one coverage on the right side for a 64-yard TD and that ices the outcome.
ANALYSIS: You want a coordinator that is going to play it safe with an eight-point lead late in the game? Find someone other than Dawson. He knows his plays work and he trusts his players to make plays … at any time. That was never more evident than on this snap. A&M is trying to take away the middle of the field that Dawson has shown he loves to exploit. So Van Dyke dials up the deep route one on one down the right sideline and throws it up for George, who perhaps gets away with a little push but still makes the catch 24 yards downfield and is off to the races. A closer look inside the play: This is another situation where Dawson sets up with three wide receivers, McCormick at H-back behind the right tackle and Parrish next to Van Dyke in shotgun. It’s one receiver on the short side of the field, George, with Restrepo (slot) and Young on the opposite side. This continues to show how Dawson likes to be unpredictable and will often throw to the short side of the field when it seems there’s less room with which to work. In this case at the snap it’s another max protect with Parrish and McCormick helping. And A&M is bringing pressure – with the game on the line at this point the defensive coordinator has finally got the hint that you can’t just rush four and let Van Dyke sit back and make a pinpoint throw. So A&M has six at the line at the snap and brings five with safety Demani Richardson dropping in a zone in the middle. Van Dyke recognizes the pressure coming and sees a one-high look and realizes before the snap that the safety is going to help on the wide side of the field since there are two receivers there in one-on-one coverage. So he goes up to the line and audibles. He adjusts Parrish from his right side to the left to protect what he knows will be his blind side when he is planning to throw deep down the right sideline to George. At the snap there’s never a doubt. He looks at George the whole way, knows he’s going to be one-on-one with Josh DeBerry and lofts the ball up for the WR to make a play. And he does. After the catch George spins off a shoulder tackle attempt by safety Jardin Gilbert and is off to the races for the game-sealing play. It’s an exclamation point on what Dawson did to this Texas A&M D, taking the deep one-on-one passes when they were there and attacking every part of the field throughout the game.
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