Ten Takeaways from Miami's Loss at Duke
By Christy Cabrera Chirinos
HurricaneSports.com
DURHAM, N.C. – This wasn’t the way the Hurricanes hoped to end the regular season.
After a tough loss to FIU a week ago, Miami head coach Manny Diaz said he saw effort from his players, both in practice leading up to Saturday’s game against Duke and on the field at Wallace Wade Stadium in the game itself.
Ultimately, though, that effort wasn’t enough.
Though the Hurricanes took a slim lead into the fourth quarter, they couldn’t hang on as Duke rallied to score 14 unanswered points en route to a 27-17 win.
For the Blue Devils, the win meant a positive end to their season. For the Hurricanes, it means the work to resolve some issues within the program will continue.
“We sat here seven days ago and we talked about a game where we approached it with an improper effort and an improper attitude. That was not the case tonight,” Diaz said. “I just told the team that I’m proud of the effort that they played with, the attitude that they played with and the way they prepared all week. It was a very different level than what it was a week ago. I thought that spoke to the leadership on our team and some of the things culturally that we’ve been trying to build this year.
“I’m proud of the way we competed and I’m proud of our effort. However, our issues are obvious. It’s simply our ability to execute that gave us no chance to win this football game.”
Here, a look at what the Hurricanes can take from their regular-season finale at Duke as they begin to look forward to their upcoming bowl game.
1. Quarterback play remains inconsistent
Shortly after being named Miami’s coach, Diaz made it clear that getting the Hurricanes’ quarterback situation fixed was one of his biggest priorities.
That’s something the Hurricanes will still be working on as they head into the offseason.
While there have been high points for redshirt freshman Jarren Williams this year – including a single-game Miami record six-touchdown performance against Louisville three weeks ago – consistency under center has been tough for Miami to find late in its final two regular-season games.
Williams struggled against FIU, going 16-of-36 for 249 yards with three interceptions and against Duke, he was 11-of-26 for 142 yards before redshirt sophomore N’Kosi Perry entered the game in the fourth quarter. Perry didn’t fare much better, going 2-of-9 for 19 yards.
“The thing we’ve got to take a long examination of is how can our passing game deteriorate in just a short amount of time from the steps that it had made early in November through Florida State and Louisville,” Diaz said. “I think that that’s as much an issue as anything. If there was one reason why, that one reason would be easy to fix. I think that’s something that we have to analyze. That was certainly the story this game.”
2. Injuries took a toll – especially on the offensive line
For much of the afternoon Saturday, the Hurricanes found themselves in the unenviable position of having to play without some of their top contributors.
Running back DeeJay Dallas, who has been a leader on the field and in the locker room all season, suffered a season-ending elbow injury against FIU and wasn’t available against Duke. Tight end Brevin Jordan, who has been dealing with a foot injury, tried to play, but ultimately couldn’t go.
And during the course of the game, running back Cam Harris was hurt, as were offensive linemen Navaughn Donaldson and John Campbell Jr.
That forced the Hurricanes to make adjustments on an already young line that has endured its share of ups and downs this season. In the end, no Miami running back was able to top the 50-yard mark and Williams and Perry were sacked a combined nine times.
“The continuity of the five guys that practice that stuff, opposed to the twos that kind of came in … when Navaughn went down, we put John Campbell Jr. in and he’s played a lot with our ones, so we feel good about him,” Diaz said. “Then he goes down and then you’re moving guys from guard to tackle. We were trying to get the best lineup we could in there. I think those guys fought, but our protection made it very difficult for our quarterbacks.”
3. Third-down conversions remain a problem
Third-down conversions have been an issue for the Hurricanes all season and that trend continued against Duke. Miami found itself in more than a few 3rd-and-long situations and often came up short when it tried to convert.
In all, Miami was 4-of-19 on third downs against Duke, a number that undoubtedly, took a toll on the offense.
4. Another fourth-quarter lead slipped away
Two of the Hurricanes’ toughest losses this season came in heartbreaking fashion, when Miami let fourth-quarter leads slip away against both Florida and North Carolina.
That happened again Saturday against the Blue Devils.
After Robert Burns’ 15-yard touchdown catch late in the first half and a 27-yard field goal from Camden Price in the third quarter, the Hurricanes built a 17-13 lead they carried into the fourth.
They then gave up 14 unanswered points, with a 49-yard scoring pass from Quentin Harris to Jalon Calhoun virtually icing the game for Duke with 6:55 left.
Miami still had chances, even after that, to try and cut into the lead. Instead, the Hurricanes’ two final possessions stalled, with Miami’s last drive ending after Perry was sacked and lost the football with a little more than two minutes left in the game.
5. Shaquille Quarterman stands alone
Senior Shaquille Quarterman made Hurricanes history Saturday when he took the field for the Blue Devil’s opening drive.
The linebacker, who has been a crucial part of Miami’s defense for the past four seasons, made his 51st straight start in the Hurricanes’ regular-season finale, breaking the previous Miami record for consecutive starts held by former Hurricanes defensive tackle William Joseph, who set the mark between 1999 and 2002.
Quarterman finished the day with six tackles.
6. Robert Burns stepped up
Redshirt sophomore Robert Burns has dealt with his share of injuries during his time at Miami and hasn’t always been able to contribute the way he and the Hurricanes hoped he would.
But the running back had a special moment Saturday, scoring the first touchdown of his college career when he caught a 15-yard pass from Williams and scampered into the end zone.
With Dallas and Harris out, Burns finished as the Hurricanes’ leading rusher with 18 carries for 48 yards. He also had two catches for 21 yards.
“I’m thankful to God for the opportunity. It felt good to contribute,” Burns said later.
7. Lou Hedley delivers something different
All season, Hurricanes punter Lou Hedley has been able to flip the field for Miami and given the Hurricanes consistency at a position that struggled last fall.
While he averaged 37.4 yards on his 11 punts against Duke, it was the one time he didn’t punt that Hedley turned in one of his biggest plays of the season.
With the Hurricanes facing a 4th-and-1 late in the first quarter, the 6-foot-4, 230-pound Hedley trotted out onto the field, took the snap and then barreled down the field for a 21-yard gain.
Hedley extended Miami’s drive and six plays later, the Hurricanes scored their first touchdown of the day on an 8-yard run by Harris.
8. Will Mallory had another big day
With Jordan sidelined, fellow tight end Will Mallory was called on more than once to help the Hurricanes try and move down field.
The sophomore was one of the bright spots on offense, making four catches for a career-high 93 yards, a number that bested his previous career high of 71 yards, set in the FIU game when Mallory was also called on to provide a spark in Jordan’s absence.
Three of Mallory’s catches led to first downs, with two of those coming on third-down plays. His fourth – a 14-yard pickup – preceded Hedley’s big gain.
9. Recruiting becomes top priority now
With a tough regular season now behind them, the Hurricanes have to turn their focus to the future. And that means not only preparing for a bowl game, but recruiting.
With the Early Signing Period set to begin Dec. 18, Diaz and the rest of Miami’s coaching staff will be working in the coming weeks to secure a class that will not only address positional needs, but build depth, too.
And after Saturday’s game, one current Hurricane spoke up and delivered a message of his own to the prospects considering joining the Miami program.
“This is a brotherhood. This is a family,” Mallory said. “If you see yourself fitting in that and you want to win for this university and this city, then this is the place to go.”
10. There is still another game to play
There’s no doubt Miami players and coaches were disappointed with how the regular season ended, especially given how the Hurricanes won key games against Pittsburgh, Florida State and Louisville in late October and early November.
But even through their disappointment, the Hurricanes made it clear they know there’s still a bowl game to play and they remain determined to make sure their seniors leave on a good note, no matter where Miami goes bowling,
“We want to send our seniors out the right way. That’s pretty much the goal in mind from here on out,” Burns said. “We want to send them out on a platform with a trophy.”
