'Canes Positional Grades vs Louisville

Before you scroll down to the grades portion of this article, beware that these grades are NOT for the weak.

You've been warned:

Quarterback

F

Stephen Morris was really, really bad in his last game as a Hurricane. He finished the game completing only 12 passes in 27 attempts for 160 yards. He almost got intercepted twice in one drive and after a boneheaded mistake by Louisville's Charles Gaines, he fumbled the ball inside the five-yard line. That led to a Louisville score before the half and the rout was on. Just a bad day for Morris, and it will be the last game Canes fans remember of him.

Running Backs

D+

Well, it's pretty tough to run when you don't have a passing game and your offensive-line is clearly being man handled. Dallas Crawford and Gus Edwards combined for 73 yards on 23 carries and Edwards was the only Canes player to find the end zone. It goes without saying that Canes fans can't wait until Duke Johnson is back in the backfield.

Wide Receivers/Tight Ends

C-

Much like the running back position, it's tough for wide receivers to do much when your quarterback is struggling. Stacy Coley and Allen Hurns had a forgettable day as they were completely shut down by the Louisville defense (who wasn't) and the inept play of Stephen Morris didn't help either. Clive Walford, who told us after the game that he will be staying for his senior season instead of entering the NFL draft, recorded 4 catches for 82 yards.

Offensive Line

D-

The offensive line was supposed to be a strong point for the season and they were pretty solid this season, but tonight might have ruined that solid work to most Canes fans. The group was destroyed by Louisville's frontline and didn't have great run blocking either. They allowed four sacks; they had only given up 13 sacks before this game. Not a good way to finish off the year for this group.

Offense

F-

The offense was the biggest problem throughout the first half. Stephen Morris was horrible, the offensive line was horrible, the running game was horrible, the playcalling was horrible and they just didn't come to play tonight against a very good Louisville defense. Miami went 0-11 on third downs; that should tell you everything you need to know.

Defensive Line

F

Well, the defensive line has been a problem for a really long time now and today wasn't much different. They started out the game strong stopping the run, but they couldn't get to Teddy Bridgewater, and the few times that they did, it seemed like he would make a guy miss and throw down the field.

Defensive Backs

D-

The only reason that this isn't an F is because of Deon Bush's safety at the beginning of the game. Ladarius Gunter and Artie Burns both got beat often by Louisville's talented receiving group. Bush was the lone bright spot from this group as even Tracy Howard struggled at times. Allowing over 400 yards to Bridgewater through the air didn't help the cause either.

Linebackers

F

The linebacker group struggled all night long to make any kind of an impact on Saturday night. None of the linebackers had a sack and only Thurston Armbrister recorded a tackle for loss, but he also missed a lot of opportunities to bring defenders down. Denzel Perryman, who is usually very active, failed to make an impact in what could be his last game as a Hurricane.

Defense

F-

The defense was bad all season long, and although they weren't at their worst tonight, they still gave up 36 points. They were able to hold Louisville to field goals early, but the offense continued to fail getting first downs and then the onslaught ensued. Besides the safety by Bush early on, the defense made no positive impact in this game. Will this performance get Mark D'Onofrio fired, we'll see.

Special Teams

C+

When you have Pat O'Donnell in your group, you're guaranteed a passing score; It's just too bad that nobody helped him out in this phase. Stacy Coley wasn't able to do much in the kick return game and Matt Goudis only came on for one PAT, to no fault of his own.