In Order For Miami To Win In 2020, The Offense Must Keep Up With Their Defense

Over the past several years, there has been a usual constant for the Miami Hurricanes, a dominant defense, but an offense that struggles immensely. This has especially been the case the last two seasons.

In 2018, the Hurricanes D had an incredible year, ranking fifth in total defense, and was truly one of the more dominant teams in college football on that side of the ball. On average, the defense gave up less than 20 points per game that year.

However, the offense struggled mightily, averaging around only 22 points per game against FBS schools. In five of the games in 2018, the offense failed to even score 20 points. Even though the defense dominated, the offense prevented Miami from winning more games, as they ended the year with a 7-6 record.

This past season in 2019, it was much of the same story. While they didn't reach the level that the 2018 defense saw, they were still stout throughout the year. UM finished 16th in total defense, gave up 20.2 points per game, and held opponents to under 20 points in five games.

Sadly, the offense could never find its groove, and failed to score points at a consistent rate, averaging 22.5 points per game. Just like in 2018, five times they were held under 20 points, and the Hurricanes somehow regressed, finishing the year 6-7. It was so bad that offensive coordinator Dan Enos was fired the day after the season ended, lasting just one year at Miami.

While the old saying in football used to be “defense wins championships,” I'm not sure that still holds the same merit in 2020. Just look at the LSU Tigers, a school that has been known for years to have a ferocious defense, instead it was their juggernaut offense scoring nearly 50 points per game, that drove them to winning the national championship.

Football nowadays is run by the offense, more so than any other time in history. It’s all about who’s the next innovative OC, what kind of system does he run, and who can score the most points. Unfortunately, Miami has proven in the past several years, that it doesn’t matter if your defense is ranked in the top 10 or even the top 5, you need a high-powered offense to win football games.

It seems that the 2019 season really showed Manny Diaz that, which is why he fired Enos and brought in new OC Rhett Lashlee from SMU to replace him. This past year, Lashlee’s Mustang offense averaged 41.8 points per game, as SMU went 10-3.

At the end of the day, Miami’s defense isn’t asking the offense that much. All the Canes need to do is score 30 points per game, and this team and this program is looking a whole lot different.

And let’s be honest, there’s not a whole lot of reasons why the Hurricanes couldn’t accomplish that offensive feat. With players like D’Eriq King, Brevin Jordan, and Mark Pope just to name a few, scoring points shouldn’t be an issue for the 2019 Canes.