It Didn’t Work: Miami beats North Carolina Tar Heels 47-20
Yeah, that did not work. 47-20.
The only real takeaway from the big Miami Hurricane defeat of the North Carolina Tar Heels was not the bizarre scoring sequence in the first half. It was not the two snaps that leaped over the head of punter Tommy Hibbard. It was the loss of the line of scrimmage on both sides of the ball.
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On offense, the Miami offensive line outweighed the Tar Heel defensive line by forty pounds per man and Miami actually used that knowledge in their playcalling. They kept running the ball at the defensive front six, and succeeding over and over again. Duke Johnson finished with 177 yards rushing, but any decent running back could have run for similar numbers. Even Johnson’s ninety yard touchdown run in the second quarter was well blocked to spring the runner.
Nov 1, 2014; Miami Gardens, FL, USA; North Carolina Tar Heels quarterback Marquise Williams (12) is tackled by Miami Hurricanes defensive back Nantambu-Akil Fentress (28) during the first half at Sun Life Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Steve Mitchell-USA TODAY Sports
On defense, the Miami front four also controlled the line. They forced running plays out wide or opened up blitzing lanes for other players. Middle linebacker Denzel Perryman made a number of plays because blockers never found him. The rush also prevented quarterback Marquise Williams from finding options down the field.
The only thing that the North Carolina Tar Heels can walk away with is that they get next week off. During next week, they determine if they have a kicker. They can attach weights to the long snapper’s behind. However they won’t be able to fix the defensive and offensive lines in this season. That will take recruiting. The other issue that needs to be addressed is juke-happiness. In several situations, Tar Heel players kept juking instead of selling out on the run and trying to make something happen.