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Tar Heels Offense Exposes Miami Hurricanes’ Deep Defensive Woes
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- Tar Heels Offense Exposes Miami Hurricanes’ Deep Defensive Woes
Credit: Bob Donnan-Imagn Images
The Miami Hurricanes survived a scare in Chapel Hill, but the box score tells a scary story about their backfield. North Carolina quarterback Billy Edwards Jr. looked like a Hall of Famer against a Miami defense that struggled to stop the pass. The Tar Heels racked up 341 yards through the air while Edwards threw four touchdowns without a single interception.
This was not the usual defensive performance fans expect from the Canes. The game ended 38-35, a narrow win that relied on two failed onside kicks by North Carolina rather than a defensive stand. Miami needs to fix these issues fast before facing the Fighting Irish offense on Saturday.
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Pass Defense Hits a New Low
The numbers from this game are hard to swallow for any Miami fan. Pro Football Focus gave the Hurricanes a 30.1 coverage grade, which is the lowest score the program has ever received since records began in 2014. North Carolina entered the game with the nation's 76th-ranked passing offense, averaging just 221.9 yards per game.
Edwards completed 82 percent of his passes, a massive jump from his season average of just over 60 percent. The Tar Heels converted on 10 of 13 third-down attempts, keeping their drives alive whenever they needed to. Miami head coach Mario Cristobal admitted the defense missed assignments in the secondary.
"I thought there were some soft spots in our coverage where our zone drops weren't as good, as detailed," Cristobal said per the Sun Sentinel . The coach noted that players did not swarm to the ball as they usually do, leading to easy gains for the opposition.
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Missed Tackles and Big Plays
Even when the defense got close to the ball carrier, they often failed to bring them down. Miami had 14 missed tackles during the game, which ties their second-most in a single game this season. Freshman safety JJ Dunnigan led the team with nine tackles but also led with four missed ones.
Defensive end Marquise Lightfoot forced a late fumble that helped shift momentum, but he noted a problem with players trying to do too much. Lightfoot said too many defenders were looking for the big play instead of sticking to their assignments.
"One of the main things we came out of the halftime thinking about was just making sure we did our jobs," Lightfoot said. The defensive line did record four sacks in total, with Lightfoot getting two and others contributing as well.
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Offense Carries the Load
The Hurricanes offense stepped up when the defense could not. Quarterback Darian Mensah completed 22 of 29 passes for 274 yards and three touchdowns. Running back Mark Fletcher Jr. set a new school record with 38 career touchdowns, surpassing legends Edgerrin James and Stephen McGuire.
Fletcher finished with 86 total yards on 15 touches, scoring three times in the game. Wide receiver Toney also had a huge day with seven catches for 75 yards and two touchdowns, tying the single-season record for receiving touchdowns. The offense scored on six of their seven complete drives.
"Just got to go out there and keep scoring," Mensah said per the Sun Sentinel. Miami now has four conference road wins this season, becoming the first team since joining the ACC to go undefeated on the road in conference play.
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Miami will look to carry this momentum into their next game against Notre Dame. The Fighting Irish offense is rated 52 points higher in SP+ than North Carolina, which means the defensive cracks seen in Chapel Hill could be exploited even more if not fixed.
