Grasping fact: UM drops six balls per game {HEADLINE2} Thirty drops over five gamesadds to the

Published Oct. 14, 2010 10:09 a.m. ET

foxsports

Midway through the third quarter of Saturday's 45-17 blowout loss to Florida State, Miami still had a chance to make it a game.

But on FSU's 18-yard line, UM running back Graig Cooper and the normally sure-handed Leonard Hankerson dropped consecutive passes and the Hurricanes' drive stalled. Forced to settle for a field goal to make it 31-17 Seminoles, Miami never got any closer.

The drops were emblematic of UM's disappointing passing attack, one that was expected to be among the most potent in college football.

While quarterback Jacory Harris has taken his share of heat for poor decision-making and nine interceptions, blame also should go to his receivers. UM has dropped 30 passes through five games, coach Randy Shannon said.

"It's 30 drops in five games and it's not just one person," Shannon said Tuesday. "Why? I can't tell you. Like anything, when it comes in bunches, you have to weather the storm. You have to keep coaching them and coaching them and eventually it will change."

The inconsistency has been exasperating.

Look at Hankerson. He was coming off a career-best performance against Clemson, where he had 147 receiving yards and tied a school record with three TD catches. But against FSU, he dropped three passes, according to UM coaches, before leaving the game early with a head injury.

UM's running backs and tight ends have contributed their share of dropped passes, such as tight end Chase Ford, who has four receptions and four drops. But it's the team's receiver corps -- ranked by Athlon magazine as the Atlantic Coast Conference's best group of receivers prior to the season -- that has often been the most frustrating.

There's Hankerson's dropathon Saturday. And while Travis Benjamin has provided some big plays, he also was blamed by Shannon for four interceptions that Harris threw against Ohio State and Pittsburgh. LaRon Byrd has only three catches in his last two games. Aldarius Johnson, who had 31 catches in 12 games as a freshman in 2008, has only 25 receptions in 15 games since then.

"It's confusing, because coming into the season, I thought the passing game was going to be a strength, with all the weapons they have," said Lamar Thomas, the Hurricanes' second all-time leading receiver and a UM post-game analyst for radio station WQAM. "It just hasn't translated in performance. It's a pass catching-friendly offense, and those guys aren't taking advantage of it."

The proof is in the numbers. The Hurricanes are tied for fourth in the ACC in passing offense (234 yards per game) but rank ahead of only Wake Forest in yards-per-attempt (6.5).

While Harris has struggled with his accuracy, he's completed just 52.4 percent of his passes this season after connecting on 60.8 percent in 2009.

"Jacory has thrown some questionable passes but, at the same time, how can a quarterback have any confidence when he does throw on the money and we don't make the plays?" Thomas said.

The Hurricanes' passing game has a chance to get well Saturday when it faces Duke (1-4) in Durham, N.C. The Blue Devils rank 75th nationally in pass defense (223.6 yards per game) and 115th -- out of 120 FBS schools -- in scoring defense (39.8 points per game.)

"We're 3-2 so we definitely aren't playing as well as we should be playing," said Byrd, who has 15 receptions for 152 yards. "But there's no problem. We'll get this turned around."

~jorge_milian@pbpost.com