Miami football prevails against Central Michigan in Week 4

After playing tight in the first half, Miami football never pulled away at home against Central Michigan. What should we take away from the win?

Miami survived a scare on Saturday afternoon in Week 4 action at home, barely hanging on for a 17-12 victory over Central Michigan. The MAC challengers forced a safety in the second quarter to pull within 7-2 before halftime, and the two teams traded field goals and touchdowns in the second half as the gap neither widened nor narrowed by the final whistle.

Young quarterback Jarren Williams had a solid day for the Hurricanes, completing 17 of his 24 passes for 250 yards and a touchdown. Most importantly, Williams avoided turning the ball over on a day where the offense in general struggled to put points on the board. Williams busted off an 11-yard run, but he was also sacked several times and finished with negative rushing yardage.

DeeJay Dallas ran for a touchdown, but he also managed only 34 total yards on 14 carries. The Hurricanes struggled as a team to move the football on the ground, finishing with 51 net yards on 34 carries — hardly a good sign for future prospects given that they were running the ball against a Group of Five front seven.

Central Michigan quarterback David Moore was held under 50 percent passing, completing 23 of his 50 attempts for 217 yards and an interception. The Chippewas had an even harder time running the football than the Hurricanes, managing to compile only 31 yards on their 27 team carries.

Thus the defense once again did their job, with the Turnover Chain coming out three times over the course of the contest. In addition to Moore’s interception, the Chippewas fumbled the ball away twice. With each giveaway, the dream of a big statement win over a Power Five opponent faded even as it remained painfully within reach.

Miami ended up doing just barely enough to come out on top against Central Michigan, which should be a sobering reality check for Hurricanes fans and the team itself. Manny Diaz and his staff get a bye week in Week 5 to try to sort out the myriad issues on this offense, and the players will hopefully benefit from a break before they take on Virginia Tech at the beginning of October.

For Central Michigan, the Chippewas have to look at this as a huge chance frittered away. A Power Five upset was well within reach, but the MAC West hopefuls just couldn’t latch on and get a firm grasp of the opportunity. They can’t dwell on what might have been, though, as a trip to Kalamazoo looms in Week 5 as they face Western Michigan in a key divisional battle.