Week 3: Miami Hurricanes Preview
By Adam
The U bailed us out a bit this year off the field by managing to make our suspensions look like child’s play (my thank you letter to them), but don’t expect them to lay down on the field to make us look better there too. Miami’s athleticism helped to keep the score within reason last year, and our depleted roster this year certainly doesn’t help us. Miami only has one game under their belt this year to study, but hopefully the Bucks got the wake-up call out of the way last week and are ready to crush the Canes. Here are a few things to watch for this weekend in the game being dubbed as the Ineligi-Bowl…
Offense
Jacory Harris, the returning starter at quarterback from last season, is back from a one game suspension (don’t get me started on their one game, as opposed to Hall, Howard, and Brown’s on-going suspensions) to lead the Canes. He has often been hyped by ESPN, and was once considered a Heisman hopeful, but has shown the inability to protect the ball and make efficient decisions. In fact, he completed more passes to OSU defenders that day than to his second leading Miami receiver, by throwing four interceptions (Cameron Heyward essentially had 80 yards on one catch from Harris). Still, Harris is typically accurate on his short passes when given time, and since he didn’t play in the loss to Maryland this year, we can assume that this still holds true for his performance against most ACC defenses.
Allen Hurns, the team’s leading receiver after one game, is a fairly big target at 6’2″, but doesn’t strike me as someone that should cause any more trouble than Eric Page last week. Tommy Streeter, another big target at 6’5″, fits into the same boat as Hurns, with tons of athletic ability, but not an overwhelming feeling of intimidation. In other words, both receivers are good, but they are more likely to cause problems in the short/possession game, than in long, explosive plays. Look for returning WR, Travis Benjamin to be the playmaker, just as he was last year with his punt return TD against us.
In summary, remember the offensive juggernaut of Willis McGahee, Kellen Winslow Jr., Andre Johnson, and Roscoe Parrish that OSU beat in 2003? This isn’t them, but they are still a college in Florida, which means an abundance of speed and talent, and not everyone can go to an SEC school, so some of the good ones end up at the U.
Defense/Special Teams
Not to beat a dead horse but the 2003 Miami defense they are NOT. This unit gave up over 20 points 8 times last year and let Maryland put up a 32 in week 1 of this season. In their defense, it was probably hard to focus on formations, coverages, and potential threats because of Maryland’s God awful jerseys, but Rule #76 does state “No excuses, play like a champion,” and they did not. They gave up 311 yards and 19 first downs to the Terps…in the first half.
I won’t get into too many details, but the bottom line with the Hurricane’s defense is that they have speed, they have ability, but like a lot of undisciplined teams (try to argue that fact, and I will slap you) they can’t put it together and harness their individual skills for the good of the defensive scheme. OSU will need to utilize our newfound freshmen depth at WR to take advantage of a Miami secondary that should give them plenty of opportunities to catch and run. One bright spot on The U’s linebacker, Sean Spence, brings a lot of energy to the D, so having Zach Boren slam into him a few times might help keep him from getting them too pumped up.
9/17 OSU vs. Miami
This isn’t the National Championship game of 2003, but it is a chance for Miami to knock off a “rival” and someone that they want revenge on for taking away a piece of history and ending their dynasty. On the other side, this is the week that we will see who Ohio State is and learn whether or not we are BCS bowl or Alamo Bowl material. To win this game, Ohio State needs to win the turnover battle, be solid on special teams, and give the QB time to complete short passes and build confidence. OSU 27 Miami 21