The reason Manny Diaz is back to being defensive coordinator at Miami: in the ‘Canes three games against FBS teams, they’ve given up 35 points and 427 yards a game.
Diaz was appointed in 2019 to succeed Mark Richt after his 2018 D led the ACC in total defense (278.9 yards per game) and was second in scoring defense (19.5 points per game).
More was expected, to say the least, when Diaz got the job. His first team finished 6-7, and all the 8-3 finish in 2020 did was raise expectations for a program that continually has issues living up to its recruiting numbers – ranking eighth, according to 247Sports, in 2018, 27th in 2019, 17th in 2020 and 11th in 2021, a span that has seen the program record a 23-18 record.
The U opened the 2021 season ranked 13th in the AP poll, fools’ gold, because the season opened with top-ranked Alabama, who treated the ‘Canes like so many tackling dummies in a 44-13 win.
Week 2 was a middling 25-23 win over Appalachian State, a second ugly loss, 38-17 at home to Michigan State, and a 69-0 win over Central Connecticut State, which, breaking news there, actually fields a football team, and in addition is apparently a school.
That all said, Miami is a clean slate in terms of ACC play, Thursday’s game with Virginia being its conference opener.
With preseason favorite North Carolina already saddled with two conference losses, the ESPN tilt represents a golden opportunity for Diaz and Miami to start anew.
Players to Watch
QB: Will it be D’Eriq King? (Not likely.) Tyler Van Dyke and Jake Garcia split reps in the win over Central Connecticut State. Both had big games, but you or I could have had a big game against the Bishop Sycamore fill-in.
RB: The ‘Canes get back second-year tailback Jaylan Knight, who had been suspended for the first four games of the season. They need bodies: Cam’Ron Harris (272 rushing yards, 119 receiving yards, 4 TDs) has been shouldering the load since Don Cheney went down to a season-ending injury two weeks ago.
WR: Charleston Rambo is your All-Name Team nominee from The U (26 catches on 36 targets, 288 yards, 2 TDs, 0 drops). He’s mostly used on screens and short passes – only four of his catches have traveled more than 10 yards in the air.
D: Pressure on the QB is the focus. The ‘Canes average 21 pressures per game. Three guys lead with nine each – linebacker Corey Flagg, and defensive ends Jahfari Harvey and Zach McCloud.
Broadcast Info
The game is scheduled to kick off at 7:30 p.m. and will air live on ESPN. In addition to the ESPN broadcast, fans can stream the game live on ESPN.com or the ESPN app. The contest can be heard on Virginia Sports Radio Networks around the commonwealth and live on VirginiaSports.com. A list of stations can be found here. Fans can follow along via live stats and the Virginia Mobile app and get in-game updates on the team’s official twitter account, @UVAFootball.
Betting Line
- Vegas: Miami -5.5
- ESPN FPI: Miami 71.2 percent win probability
Forecast
It seems simple, to hear UVA defensive coordinator Nick Howell tell it. Guys have just been out of position in the run game the past two weeks. If the linebackers keep their gap responsibilities, the thing gets turned around. I’m betting it gets turned around. It’s a different game with D’Eriq King at QB1 for Miami with his ability to push the perimeter. I like Virginia to play enough D, and get plenty of offense with Brennan Armstrong going 400+ again against a weak Miami secondary. Prediction: Virginia 37, Miami 28.
Story by Chris Graham
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Chris Graham
