Blue & Gold Illustrated: America's Foremost Authority on Notre Dame Football
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34 NOV. 13, 2017 BLUE & GOLD ILLUSTRATED backs as well. It's not an easy cover for defenses, and Mark Richt knows how to set up big plays. "They have a lot of guys on offense who make plays and cover up the in- consistencies of the offensive line and to some extent the quarterback. Every time Miami has been in trouble they have been able to hit big plays. That's living dangerously and ultimately could be the thing that catches up to them. But so far it has been working." Miami was expected to be a force on the ground this season after return- ing 1,000-yard rusher Mark Walton, but the junior hurt his ankle against Florida State and is out for the season. Sophomore Travis Homer is now the featured back and has done well with 517 yards and five touchdowns on 81 carries in the team's first seven games. In the three contests following Wal- ton's injury, though, the Hurricanes have averaged only 126.3 yards per outing on the ground. "Losing Walton was huge, even though Travis Homer has done a nice job," Ferman explained. "The offen- sive line has also struggled a bit. It's a finesse line, not a power running line. "There is no question they have not run the ball as well as they would like, and that has been a big deal in keep- ing games close even though Miami seemed like a superior team." When looking at the Hurricanes, its strength might be its scoring defense. In the first seven games, Miami ranked 20th nationally with an average of just 18.7 points allowed per contest. "For starters, they get after the quar- terback and force a lot of bad throws, which often lead to interceptions," Fer- man stated. "They have done a great job avoiding coverage busts when they blitz — they have been very sound. "The secondary was one of the question marks coming into the sea- son, but they actually have played quite well. Miami has been most vic- timized on the ground, which could be a factor in this game with Notre Dame's ability up front." The Hurricanes have forced 11 in- terceptions, including four by junior cornerback Michael Jackson. In the first seven games, Miami ranked third nationally in defensive passing effi- ciency rating at 97.90. "The secondary has done well and has done far better than was antici- pated coming into the season," Fer- man said. "Their coaches have done a nice job with these kids. Neither of the safeties had ever been full time at the position. "The corners were mostly new, and they have held up and are not giving up a lot of big plays." The unit is anchored by a defen- sive line that accumulated 17 sacks through seven games, including four by senior Trent Harris, 3.5 by senior Demetrius Jackson, three by senior Chad Thomas and 2.5 by sophomore Joe Jackson. Against Notre Dame's offensive line, Ferman doesn't see the Hurri- canes backing down. "They may not be as dominant as expected, but they certainly have not played poorly," Ferman said of the unit. "There have been a few occa- sions where teams busted long gains, but for the most part these guys have been pretty good. Teams have been getting rid of the ball quickly, which has limited their sack totals. "They should hold up well. They have done well in smash-mouth situ- ations this year, like goal-line defense, and did well against Georgia Tech, which runs the ball almost every down." For Notre Dame, running the ball has been the mainstay of the offense. The Irish were No. 6 nationally in rushing through eight games, aver- aging 317.9 yards per outing. Notre Dame posted a 318-yard performance against a North Carolina State unit that was allowing less than 100 yards on the ground heading into that matchup. Ferman, though, sees Miami's of- fensive line as the key to the team's success against Notre Dame. The Hur- ricanes want to use their speed on offense to neutralize defensive coordi- nator Mike Elko's game plan. "Miami's offensive line against the front seven of Notre Dame's defense will be a critical matchup for the Hur- ricanes," Ferman stated. "They must be able to run the ball and not become one dimensional. "Miami's speed is supposed to pay dividends in a game like this. I would say Miami's receivers against the Notre Dame secondary might be the most favorable match up." ✦ GAME PREVIEW: MIAMI (FLA.) 2017 MIAMI (FLA.) SCHEDULE Date Opponent (TV) Result/Time (ET) Sept. 2 Bethune-Cookman W, 41-13 Sept. 9 at Arkansas State* — Sept. 23 Toledo W, 52-30 Sept. 29 at Duke W, 31-6 Oct. 7 at Florida State W, 24-20 Oct. 14 Georgia Tech W, 25-24 Oct. 21 Syracuse W, 27-19 Oct. 28 at North Carolina W, 24-19 Nov. 4 Virginia Tech W, 28-10 Nov. 11 Notre Dame (ABC) 8 p.m. Nov. 18 Virginia TBA Nov. 24 at Pittsburgh TBA * Cancelled due to Hurricane Irma Senior tight end Christopher Herndon IV has been a key component of Miami's aerial attack, hauling in 30 passes for 331 yards and three scores through seven contests. PHOTO COURTESY MIAMI ATHLETICS 2017 NOTRE DAME SCHEDULE Date Opponent (TV) Result/Time (ET) Sept. 2 Temple W, 49-16 Sept. 9 Georgia L, 20-19 Sept. 16 at Boston College W, 49-20 Sept. 23 at Michigan State W, 38-18 Sept. 30 Miami (Ohio) W, 52-17 Oct. 7 North Carolina W, 33-10 Oct. 21 USC W, 49-14 Oct. 28 NC State W, 35-14 Nov. 4 Wake Forest W, 48-37 Nov. 11 at Miami (Fla.) (ABC) 8 p.m. Nov. 18 Navy (NBC) 3:30 p.m. Nov. 25 at Stanford TBA