Miami Football: 3 Takeaways from Hurricanes narrow win over North Carolina
By Shawn Ekwall
1. Miami looks more pretender than contender
Mark Richt has done a magnificent job in Coral Gables. He has righted a ship that was way off course. He is a candidate for coach of the year. Kudos to him and his staff.
However, this Miami team looks to be more of a pretender than contender. Serious flaws exist and if the Hurricanes hope to compete against Virginia Tech and Notre Dame the next two weeks, they need to be fixed quickly.
Miami gained only 59 yards on the ground against the Tar Heels. That won’t get it done the next two weeks. The Hurricanes must find a semblance of a rushing attack to compete. Travis Homer was held to 40 yards, and couldn’t shake free all day. Several times, Tar Heels’ defenders were waiting in the backfield for the runner and disrupting play flow. If North Carolina was having success doing this, the Hokies and Irish will wreak havoc.
I’m not sure many pundits predicted Miami to be 7-0 right now. An earlier win on the road over Florida State – which looked great at the time – now looks marginal at best. The Hurricanes will get their chance to prove their mettle, but I’m guessing they aren’t quite ready for prime time.
Yes, an ACC title is still on the table. Miami is in good shape. And at 5-0 in the league, everyone in the Coastal Division is chasing them. Virginia Tech is right on their heels and next week’s battle in Miami is huge. The winner has the inside track to a title-game showdown with Clemson.
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Can the Canes keep surviving? They will need to be better with the running game and cut down on turnovers to make it happen.