Hurricanes notes: Miami offense starting to take advantage of speed
Though University of Miami players will be the first to admit there's still work to be done on offense, the unit's performance against Arkansas State showed flashes of its dangerous big-play potential.
Miami's improvement from Week 1 to 3 starts with taking advantage of the speed of its playmakers.
Senior Phillip Dorsett, who can run a 4.2 40-yard dash, earned Atlantic Coast Conference Receiver of the Week honors on Monday for his display in the 40-21 victory over the Red Wolves.
Dorsett caught four passes for 201 yards and two touchdowns to become just the third Hurricane to nab 200-plus yards in a single game, joining Eddie Brown (220) and Wesley Carroll (208).
Three of his catches went for at least 50 yards, making him the first receiver in the nation this season to achieve that feat. He also earned the distinction of the first ACC player with two touchdowns of at least 60 yards in the same game since Georgia Tech's Stephen Hill in September 2011.
"I think it helps out when it's just not the deep ball but the overall scheme of it comes together," offensive coordinator James Coley said. "I think one of those concepts we hit we had called in the first game and couldn't get it off. Right now I think our guys are really dialed in up front. Our right guard and right tackle have done a great job the last two weeks. I think the quarterback has slowed down for himself, too. A lot. He's so comfortable out there.
"It helps out anytime you can hit four balls over 50 yards."
Rather than turn to junior running back Duke Johnson for the majority of the workload, Coley allowed true freshman quarterback Brad Kaaya to air it out against Arkansas State.
In the first quarter alone, Kaaya went 6 for 9 with 163 yards -- just 16 fewer than his total at Louisville -- and two touchdowns. On the second play from scrimmage, he found Dorsett in stride for a 63-yard score. On the ensuing possession, Kaaya threw on all three plays and connected with senior tight end Clive Walford on a 19-yard touchdown.
Eight plays -- whether on the ground or through the air -- went for 20 yards or more.
By starting out fast, the Hurricanes scored 40 or more points for the second straight game, doing so for the first time since closing the 2013 regular season with solid efforts against Virginia and Pittsburgh.
"On Saturday and the week before that we just showed we can hit a few of our deep plays, execute on offense," Kaaya said. "We showed as an offense we can balance out our attack."
Following Saturday's game, Johnson said the deep ball could only benefit the ground attack since defenses will need to respect the targets' speed and Kaaya's ability to throw it accurately.
Johnson believes it should play a big factor in this Saturday's game at Nebraska in what could be the classic storyline of speed vs. brawn.
"Like you said before, we have a lot of speed on this team, especially on offense to where we can get guys in space and run," Johnson said. "As you can see, Phillip Dorsett's one of the fastest guys I've known in my life. Find ways to get him the ball."
INJURY UPDATES
Sophomore receiver Stacy Coley, who missed Saturday's game with a shoulder injury, isn't at 100 percent but took part in Monday's session.
"He got a great workout before the (Saturday) game before you guys were out there early," Golden said. "He's working out with Ryan (Williams) and Rashawn (Scott). That was good. Yesterday we gave him off and today he ran really well. We've got a long way to go before Saturday night, and hopefully he'll climb into the high 90s by then percentage (wise)."
Both sophomore Walter Tucker (leg) and senior cornerback Ladarius Gunter (shoulder) participated in Monday's practice. Both underwent x-rays on Saturday that turned out negative.
"Tuck did a little bit today," Golden said. "Just going to be careful with him the next 48 hours. We'll see where that goes."
Junior kicker Matt Goudis, who was a scratch minutes before Saturday's game, didn't practice. Golden said he was going to be held out anyways for further evaluation on his back.
His replacement, walk-on freshman Michael Badgley, went 5 of 6 on extra-point attempts. He did not line up for a field goal.
"I think you probably can," Golden said of waiting on a decision. "I prefer not pregame like last game. Honestly, it was just one of those deals where Matt was in a lot of pain. You can't foresee that until you go out there and you're striking it. I had to make the call then.
"Badgley's a mentally tough kid. He's a multiple-sport kid. He's not just one of those kids where all he does is kick. He's a competitor and he got better today. Excited about his opportunity if Matt can't make it."
WILLIAMS NEARING RETURN?
Although Williams was cleared two weeks ago, Monday marked the first time he had taken significant reps with the 2s, and a few with the 1s.
Miami continues to tape his work in drills to see his progress. Golden called it tough to fully analyze his status on Monday when players weren't in helmets or pads.
"Just the ability to evade without premeditation and just instinctively and protect himself and obviously go through all the movements," Golden said of what he wanted to see from Williams.
SPECIAL TEAMS TWEAK?
Kickoff return coverage has been an issue through the first three games of the season.
Opponents are averaging 24.9 yards per return (Miami is at 19.4), including a 97-yard touchdown at Louisville. On Saturday, sophomore Justin Vogel's second kick went out-of-bounds, allowing Arkansas State to start at the 35 for a second consecutive drive.
After three games and little improvement, the Hurricanes will continue to make personnel changes by going with more experienced players.
"Our punt coverage (3-yard return average) has been pretty good," Golden said. "We have to get more starters from our defense onto our kickoff coverage and let the young guys learn from them. That's my mistake. I've got to do that and the young guys have to learn to get better."
You can follow Christina De Nicola on Twitter @CDeNicola13 or email her at cdenicola13@gmail.com.
