The 9th-ranked Hurricanes put together an impressive offensive performance in a 44-41 comeback win over NC State.
The 620 total yards since Oct. 11, 2014 when they put up 621 in a 55-34 win over Cincinnati.
Quarterback D’Eriq King (530 yards and five touchdowns) was named Walter Camp National Player of the Week and picked up his third weekly ACC honor while Mike Harley (153 yards and two scores) was named the ACC Receiver of the Week for the second straight game.
The big offensive output put Miami in fifth, up two spots from last week, in the ACC in total offense (443.1 yards per game). They also moved up five spots to third in passing offense (270.9 yards per game) and one spot to seventh in rushing offense (172.3 yards per game).
Offensive coordinator Rhett Lashlee has seen the Hurricanes (6-1, 5-1 ACC) face different schemes each week as teams have had different approaches on how to contain them whether it is stacking the box more to stop the run, forcing King to make throws on the perimeter, or mixing up different blitz packages while having defensive line show different looks.
Still, Lashlee aims to remain true to his playbook while adding in a few adjustments on ways he thinks they can take advantage of their opponents.
“We run a lot of different plays every week,” Lashlee said. “Maybe to the naked eye you wouldn’t think so. Our playbook may not be huge compared to what it was here last year, but honestly we probably have too many plays sometimes. I think sometimes it makes perfect sense if you’re watching a game from a fan’s perspective or even a journalist’s perspective or even when I watch games when I’m not involved in the game, you could think things seem simplistic or whatever, the reality of it is all of the good offenses do the same stuff every week. They do it maybe a little different, maybe a wrinkle here and there, but if you don’t have tendencies and don’t do a lot of stuff over and over again, it’s hard to be good at anything and be consistent. It’s that way for us as coaches.
“We think this play is the answer or a new play is the answer and sometimes it is and that’s our job to strike that balance of having enough wrinkles or new plays or a new wrinkle to the scheme to give our guys an advantage schematically or give a new challenge to the defense, but at the same time it’s nothing about the plays. It’s about execution. It’s about the players and if you do things players can execute, you have a better chance for a success. Sometimes a great player can make a bad play-call right and if you don’t have the players or execute a great play-call can be wrong. We mix it up every week. We give guys a different look each week, but we also have to have some form of identity because if not, then we wouldn’t be any good at all.”
The passing game has seen noticeable improvements over the last two games averaging over 10 yards a passing attempt in each game after failing to even average more than eight yards in any of the previous three games while completing 73.6 percent (53 of 72) of their passes.
“I think it’s just a collective effort of everybody being on the same page,” Lashlee said. “The first three or four games we weren’t very good throwing the ball vertically down the field. It was no secret. Everybody knew it. When we’re not hitting them everybody thinks it’s the quarterback’s fault and when we are everybody thinks it’s all his doing as well. D’Eriq can throw a really good deep ball. You all have seen that the last three games—even in the Pittsburgh game when we weren’t hitting them, he was throwing them well—and we always knew he could throw a good deep ball. But it takes time in game situations with new receivers, a new system, and not having the timing and continuity. That’s why the passing game takes a little longer to get on the same page. Ever since the bye week after the Clemson game our guys have slowly gotten on the same page more and more even though we didn’t hit the deep ones against Pitt, we were a lot closer and it showed against Virginia and last week. I think you’re just seeing D’Eriq’s natural ability on the deep ball and I think him and the receivers are a little more in sync. I think they’ve gotten better and he’s gotten more confidence in them. I think it’s been a collective effort all working together.”
Harley along with fellow starting receivers Mark Pope (9-145-1) and Dee Wiggins (10-113-1) have also seen their production increase the last two weeks as they have been able to improve on their leverage with their routes.
“You’re always trying to find leverage,” Lashlee said. “Football is a big game of leverage and numbers. Any time we can give our guys the right leverage to get those kinds of angles to maybe give them an advantage to the route or concept we’re trying to, we’re going to do it. There’s a bunch of different ways you can do it with formations, stacks, motions, etc. We try to do that the best we can each week and striking that balance of allowing our guys to know what to do and play fast. Sometimes you can’t and guys have to make a play.”
Miami plays at Virginia Tech (4-3, 4-2) on Saturday (12:00 p.m., ESPN2). The Hokies are 11th in the ACC in pass defense (257.9 yards allowed per game) and 12th in pass efficiency defense (139.8 quarterback rating).
NEWS & NOTES
• QB D’Eriq King rushed for a season-high 105 yards against NC State on 15 carries, also a high for the season. Lashlee said with the way that NC State played King, which included forcing him to throw deep in one-on-one situations and trying to contain with the ends, there was going to be more opportunities to keep the ball in running situations, which proved to be the case. “He probably ended up running more than anticipated,” Lashlee noted.
• RB Don Chaney Jr. was limited to three carries on 14 carries on just the first series of the game. Lashlee said his light day was due to an injury. (Link)
• WR Mike Harley has racked up 18 catches for 323 yards and three touchdowns the last two games, earning ACC Receiver of the Week twice. In the first five games he had 17 receptions for 174 yards and one score. Lashlee said: “Mike, along with that whole group, has worked really hard and when you work really hard at something and when the first half of the season isn’t going the way you want from a production standpoint and they hear all of the outside noise and when you’re working really hard and doing everything you’re supposed to do to have the production you want and it’s not coming, that’s tough and I credit Mike and all of those guys, (Mark) Pope, (Dee) Wiggins, (Jeremiah) Payton, the tight ends, the young receivers, and D’Eriq of just pushing through all of that and continuing to work, trusting the process, and knowing that if you keep doing the right things over and over again, you have a chance to be successful.”
• TE Will Mallory (ribs) has been playing through an injury all season without missing a game and turned in his most productive day as a Hurricane in regards to catches with six. He also had 78 yards and a score. “We’ve missed having Brevin (Jordan) and Will has really stepped up,” Lashlee said. “I think even Larry Hodges and Dominic Mammarelli have done some good things too. I think the most impressive thing about Will that nobody talks about is he has not been 100 percent since game one. The guy is out there playing and I sometimes joke with him and call him ‘G.I. Joe’ because it’s like he’s duct taped together, got to get some WD 40 and grease him up every now and again, but every week he comes to practice, gets the work in, goes out and plays hard, makes plays, and doesn’t complain. I think he’s a winner, a tough kid, and really has showed some leadership in the way he prepares and goes about each week.”
• Lashlee says the length of Virginia Tech’s secondary is similar to what they have seen the last two games against Virginia and NC State: “As a defense they’ve got good length on the back end similar to last week with NC State and Virginia who have some long corners. They have some long corners and safeties as well and they do a good job of mixing up the looks. We’ll have to play well as we do every week.”
