Miami’s Offense Still Searching for Answers

Fans were hoping to see improvement from the Miami offense on Saturday — what they saw instead was a unit that had regressed since their season opener.

Only putting up 17 points in a game is disappointing — but at home and against a team from the MAC — It’s inexcusable.

Miami found the endzone on their first drive of the game after a methodical mix of running and passing. The early efficiency shown by the ‘Canes led us to believe that they wouldn’t slow down, but that’s exactly what happened. Converting 1 of 10 third downs and rushing for just 51 yards, Miami had their worst offensive showing in years, to put it bluntly.

Against 3 FBS teams this year, Miami is averaging just over 20 points per game. Unfortunately, the ‘disease’ that Manny Diaz referenced in fall camp still hasn’t been ‘eradicated.’ Similar issues the ‘Canes faced last season have carried over into 2019, and the disheartening showing against the Chippewas has brought many of the concerns back.

The main issue seems to be the offensive line, which lost some depth as Cleveland Reed entered the transfer portal on Friday. The struggling line prevents Miami from expanding the playbook, as Jarren Williams rarely has time to drop back and go through his reads. Williams was sacked 4 times on Saturday, the same total from Miami’s visit to North Carolina.

Williams is, however, one of the only bright spots on Miami’s offense. Despite the pressure and adversity, he still hasn’t thrown an interception, and completed over 60% of his passes for the 4th consecutive game.

‘Fixing’ the offensive line isn’t an easy task, obviously. However, it’s something that needs to happen if the ‘Canes want to reach the ACC Championship Game again. Luckily, Miami has a bye week before facing Virginia Tech at home — which they’ll presumably use to form a coherent offensive plan.