The Talent Is There, Execution And Coaching Is Not.

As you’ve watched the Miami Hurricanes throughout the 2018 season, it is apparent that the Canes have the most talent on the field. You look at the roster, and the team is just filled with four and five-star players.

Then you look up and see that Duke just beat this talented team, in Miami, and now, somehow, the Hurricanes are 5-4. So obviously, this horrible situation and train wreck of a season begs you to ask the question, how did it get so bad?

The 20-12 loss to the Blue Devils, Miami’s third straight loss, proved to be prophetic on all counts, and perfectly represented the 2018 season for Mark Richt and his team.

As stated previously by me and others, and something that is not a shock or breaking news to Canes fans, the talent is not the issue.

The Hurricanes have a top-five defense in the country, but one botched opening play of the game, a 75-yard touchdown run, proved to be fatal, and ultimately turned out costly.

The constant lack of execution was on full-display last night at Hard Rock Stadium.

Two seniors on both sides of the ball, Sheldrick Redwine and Tyler Gauthier, were both called for personal fouls at points in the game, giving Duke 15-yards each time.

Two seniors doing that? Can’t happen, shouldn’t happen.

Deejay Dallas, a fan-favorite at running back who electrified the crowd with over 100 yards rushing, fumbled twice. One of the turnovers coming on the next play after Jaquan Johnson intercepted a Duke pass, only for Dallas and the Miami offense to give the ball right back.

Then when you have all-Conference talent at the receiving position, and Brevin Jordan at tight end, but numerous drops throughout the game, costing the Hurricanes such crucial first-downs, which were simply not easy to come by, given that the first-half was played in a monsoon, you shouldn’t expect to win.

After all that, you add in the poor coaching decisions, not just from last night, but the entire season up to this point, and you have your 2018 Miami Hurricanes!

Not too often you’ll see a head coach switch up his quarterback as many times as Richt did against the Blue Devils. Malik Rosier started the game, then N’Kosi Perry entered, then Rosier, finally back to Perry in the fourth-quarter.

Even with a 5-for-16 passing performance, Perry once again proved he should be the constant starting quarterback, something all of us realize at this point. The redshirt freshman, who has been tossed around the starting rotation throughout the year, led Miami on their most promising drive of the game, a 15-play 59-yard march that nearly resulted in a touchdown to Lawrence Cager, only to be called back because of a penalty.

Two players later, Perry’s desperation hail-many was unsuccessful, the game was over, and with it, most likely Miami’s dreams of a Coastal division championship.

Or even better yet, the one game since September that the Hurricanes decide to give the ball to playmaker Jeff Thomas on jet-sweeps, etc, it’s in a rainstorm when the field was one big puddle.

The Hurricanes have players on both sides of the ball that’ll ultimately be playing on Sundays, but especially on offense, when you fail to score over 15 points in each of the last three games, something NEEDS to change.