Mario Cristobal and his Hurricanes will keep the 1-0 mentality no matter the opponent.
Even though Miami won't be taking the Central Michigan Chippewas lightly, I can't help but notice the Hurricanes being favored by 41 and a half points for their Saturday night matchup at Hard Rock Stadium.
I am viewing this game as the final tune-up of the season before the schedule turns into all-ACC plus Notre Dame the rest of the way. Cristobal's team hasn't yet hit midseason form. There are things they must sharpen.
Here are my keys to the game:
Tackling and eye discipline: Central Michigan is COMMITTED to running the football. They average 219.3 rushing yards per game but only 46 yards passing. That's dead last in FBS football through the air. Also, The Chippewas are the only team in the nation who hasn't registered a passing touchdown through their first three games.
They'll run the football with three different quarterbacks and countless running backs. They'll try and hit you with option runs. They'll try and lull you to sleep. The Hurricanes must play disciplined on defense and they must finish their tackles. Miami missed 15 tackles last week against Wake Forest. It's time to clean that up!
Get young linebackers involved: Losing Ezekiel Marcelin to injury for multiple weeks will provide chances for those behind him in the depth chart. Miami still has their veteran linebackers in the form of Mo Toure, Chase Smith and Kamal Bonner, but I hope to see new blood push the envelope on Saturday. I'm looking at Cameron Bobby Pruitt and Kellen Wiley Jr as two LBs with opportunities to impress their coaches this week.
Get out of this game HEALTHY: I didn't lead off with this one because I wanted to mix it up. The Hurricanes have way too many injuries already this year and can't afford many more.
More reps for young offensive guards: In a win over Wake Forest that finished tighter than expected, Miami's depth on the interior offensive line didn't get many reps last week. For emerging talents like freshmen Jackson Cantwell, Ben Congdon and Rhys Woodrow, extended snaps is the only way to get them ready to boost an up-and-down unit throughout the season. I am hoping to see snap counts in the 20s for some of them on Saturday.
Receiver and RB depth: Miami has lost running back Marty Brown and receiver Josh Moore for the season. It's time for the "next man up" mentality to take effect. Darian Mensah told me he expects freshman Somourian Wingo and transfer Dre Jacobs to step up at receiver to fill the Moore void. At running back, you'll see more snaps for backups Javian Mallory and Girard Pringle, but I'm also hoping for the Jordan Lyle season debut this week. Coach Cristobal confirmed that Lyle is off suspension now. How many reps will he get on Saturday? I hope his workload is substantial.
