Ten Things We Learned from UM's Home Opener

By Christy Cabrera Chirinos
HurricaneSports.com
 
MIAMI GARDENS, Fla. – This may have been exactly what the Hurricanes needed.
 
After coming up short in two tough games away from home against Florida and North Carolina, Miami returned to Hard Rock Stadium on Saturday afternoon for the first time since last November.
 
And the Hurricanes kicked off their five-game home stand in impressive fashion with a dominant 63-0 win over Bethune-Cookman that not only gave Miami its first win of the season, but resulted in several memorable moments for players across the Hurricanes’ roster.
 
But one thing the Hurricanes made clear after the win? There are still improvements to be made and no one remains content with the progress Miami has made in three weeks.
 
“I think that we have confidence now that we have a win,” Hurricanes coach Manny Diaz said. “Teams need to win because you want the reward for the hard work, but there is no one in the locker room that is satisfied. Now we have a chance to improve, move on and try and get this feeling week in and week out.”
 
Here, a look at some of what the Hurricanes’ learned about themselves against Bethune-Cookman:
 
1. The coach got his first win
 
Since taking over as coach in January, Manny Diaz has worked to try and help the Hurricanes bounce back after the disappointment of last season. He reshaped Miami’s coaching and recruiting staffs, sought out players to fill holes on the roster and made it a priority to improve the Hurricanes’ quarterback position.
 
After two losses by a combined seven points, the coach – a Miami native who grew up cheering for the Hurricanes in the Orange Bowl – got the win he likely won’t be forgetting any time soon.
 
And while Diaz credited his players for his big moment, there’s no doubt those players understood the significance of what Saturday meant to Diaz and the rest of the staff.
 
“We wanted it bad, especially for Coach Diaz. This is his first win as a head coach and congrats to him,” said quarterback Jarren Williams. “He’s really an outstanding coach. Probably one of the best coaches I’ve ever been around in my life and this was huge for the program, giving him his first win. Now we’ve got to move forward and build on it. We’ve got to keep getting better, watch the film and move toward perfection.”
 
2. This time, a slow start didn’t hinder the Hurricanes
 
In each of their first two games, the Hurricanes have needed time to settle down and by the time they did, they found themselves having to rally.
 
While Miami still wasn’t as sharp as it likely wanted to be in the opening minutes against Bethune-Cookman, the Hurricanes fought through and scored 21 points in the second quarter en route to a complete victory that included a defensive shutout and the Hurricanes outgaining the Wildcats 590-137.
 
That, Diaz noted, was progress, regardless of the level of competition Miami faced.
 
“We talked before the game about dealing with the adversity of expectation and how you go about winning a game, about starting to feel the pressure if there are some struggles early on in the game,” the coach said. “You could kind of sense that with our guys, that they may [have been] pressing. … Once we settled down and just played the game, especially coming out of halftime, we were more relaxed and I thought we played a lot better. I don’t think we converted a third down in the first half and I don’t think we were stopped on a third down in the second half. … I thought we improved the way we played defensively in the second half. We were cleaner with our assignments and cleaner with our tackling. With all that being said, we talked about the fact that good teams find a way to improve. … There is still plenty to work on.”
 
 
3. Jarren Williams continues developing
 
After playing in two tough road environments, redshirt freshman Jarren Williams got to make his first start at home and that was significant for the quarterback.
 
While some of his passes, particularly early, may not have been as sharp as those we’ve seen in the first two weeks, Williams – like the Hurricanes – bounced back to finish 19-of-24 for 254 yards with three touchdowns. He did not turn the ball over and managed a few deep throws, something he and Miami’s coaches have been hoping to see.
 
In the first quarter, Williams connected on a career-high 54-yard pass with Mark Pope. He’d later add a 32-yard scoring pass to Mike Harley for the receiver’s first touchdown as a Hurricane.
 
“Jarren continues to improve. We talked about trying to hit some more down-the-field shots and I thought his reads were better on that,” Diaz said. “But, like I said, going through the course of the game, there will be so much that he can improve on. We forget that, while he’s off to a good start, it’s still his third game and his first game at home. … It’s going to be fun to continue watch him develop at quarterback.”
 
4. DeeJay Dallas came up big – again
 
His quarterback calls him “the sparkplug” and on Saturday, running back DeeJay Dallas showed, once again, why he’s such a big part of the Hurricanes’ offense.

Dallas scored the Hurricanes’ first three touchdowns against Bethune-Cookman and finished with 12 carries for a game-high 108 rushing yards.  
 
He posted his second straight 100-yard rushing performance and became the first Hurricane to score three rushing touchdowns since former quarterback Malik Rosier did the same against Toledo last September.
 
“I try to be a spark and I pride myself on trying to spark the offense, get the offense jump started,” Dallas said. “We have guys that can do it, too. But I try to pride myself on that.”
 
5. Miami’s receivers and tight ends delivered
 
Williams came into the season knowing he’d get to work with a talented group of receivers and tight ends. On Saturday, everyone got to see how special that group can be.
 
Williams and fellow quarterback N’Kosi Perry combined to complete 26 passes for 333 yards and they involved 10 different playmakers in the process.
 
Mark Pope had a breakout game, finishing with three catches for a game-high and career-high 92 yards. Junior Mike Harley caught his first touchdown pass as a Hurricane. Freshman tight end Larry Hodges found the end zone twice. And graduate transfer K.J. Osborn caught his first touchdown pass at Hard Rock.
 
“Getting all those guys involved is very important. It makes it hard for the defense. They can’t just focus on Jeff Thomas or K.J. Osborn,” Williams said. “They’ve got to worry about that whole crew. All those guys are special in their own ways, so I feel like spreading the ball out and giving everybody their opportunity, it just makes it harder on the defense. That’s a good thing.”
 
6. Robert Knowles gets the call – and the Turnover Chain
 
Safety Robert Knowles knows he’s gotten plenty of criticism on social media and beyond, but he’s forged on and in the weeks leading up to the start of the season, he drew praise from both teammates and coaches for his play in training camp.
 
On Saturday, the redshirt senior got the second start of his career. The start came after he filled in admirably for fellow safety Amari Carter, who was penalized for targeting in last week’s loss at North Carolina.
 
And once called on against Bethune, Knowles delivered, finishing the game with a pair of tackles and a fumble recovery that gave him the first Turnover Chain moment of his career.
 
“It was a blessing. It was an honor and I’d like to thank God that I played productive,” Knowles said. “And having the Turnover Chain, I’ve always wanted it and I’ve always dreamed that I would go get it and today was the day that I got it.”
 
Added Diaz, “Robert was a captain of our football team today and a guy that we talked about midweek about his development and how well he’s played. I thought he made an outstanding play on the kickoff right before halftime. He ran down there and made probably the biggest hit of the first half and just played clean. It is so cool that one of the greatest things about the game of football is that when a guy is doing everything right, it’s weird how the ball bounces to reward him. He had a great game whether he got the turnover or not, but something about getting the turnover is a great reward for him and all the hard work that he has done.”
 
7. The defense had a big day
 
Miami’s defense was a force last season and against Bethune-Cookman, the unit again showed flashes of what it can be this year.
 
Not only did the Hurricanes keep the Wildcats out of the end zone, Miami limited Bethune to just 137 total yards, four first downs and 61 rushing yards. Additionally, the Hurricanes forced a turnover – which they turned into points on their ensuing drive – and held the Wildcats to 3-of-15 on third-down conversions while collecting eight tackles for loss.
 
That, the Hurricanes hope, is something they can build on moving forward.
 
“Anytime you get a shutout, that is a remarkable achievement, so I am proud of those guys,” Diaz said. “I thought we improved the way we played defensively in the second half. We were cleaner with our assignments and cleaner with our tackling.”
 
8. Jimmy Murphy has the moment of a lifetime
 
During his first meeting with the Hurricanes after he was hired as coach, Diaz delivered a special moment, awarding walk-on running back and special teams ace Jimmy Murphy a scholarship.
 
Against Bethune-Cookman, the 5-foot-7, 185-pound redshirt senior got another moment he’ll never forget, scoring Miami’s final touchdown and setting off a wild celebration both on the field and in the stands at Hard Rock Stadium.
 
After Murphy’s 4-yard scoring play, the former walk-on was mobbed by teammates and lifted high after he’d pulled on Miami’s new touchdown rings. And no one, Diaz included, seemed to mind too much when the Hurricanes were penalized for celebrating with Murphy.
   
“I wouldn’t be back here if it wasn’t for Coach Diaz. He brought me back. I didn’t know if I was ever going to come back and play. I thought I was done with the game,” Murphy said. “But he brought me back, so I just really want to thank him and the rest of my teammates. It’s just amazing the bond that we are making and it’s not just me. I mean, everyone feels like that for everyone. … It’s bigger than me. I just love being a Hurricane and I love doing it with my boys.”
 
 
9. Home field was protected
 
For the Hurricane, one significant priority heading into the season was finding ways to protect their home field at Hard Rock Stadium, especially after last year’s loss there to Duke.
 
On Saturday, Miami improved to 17-3 in regular-season home games since Diaz joined the Hurricanes in 2016 as their defensive coordinator. The Hurricanes have also now won 13 straight home openers.
 
And Saturday’s win over Bethune marked the biggest margin of victory over the Wildcats in the programs’ five-game series.
 
That’s not a bad way to start a five-game home stand.
 
“It felt good. We needed this win to build our confidence back up,” tight end Larry Hodges said. “Now it’s back up and we’re [ready] to go on a streak and it just felt good for fans to come out and see us. Real fans came out and supported us. So, it felt good.”
 
10. The work will continue
 
As much as Miami needed the victory and as well as the Hurricanes played later in the game, players and coaches aren’t satisfied with Saturday’s performance – something they made clear after the win.
 
The offense started out slower than it wanted. Kicker Bubba Baxa missed another field goal. And converting on third downs was an issue in the first half. Still, Miami bounced back, made some big plays and got a win that gave the Hurricanes a much-needed boost of confidence.
 
“This was great for our confidence. We came in here and we celebrated the first win of Coach Diaz’s era, which was awesome. But we have to get used to this” receiver K.J. Osborn said. “It feels good. You put in all this work, but you only get 12 opportunities every fall to do this and you want to feel it every Saturday.”