Clemson vs Miami Film Review: 2nd Half

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Miami put themselves behind the eight ball on the first play of the second half. They had already gone about ten yards by second down, but the offsides killed them. Baylon Spector and Mike Jones, Jr., have been flying around the field.

It’s common for quarterbacks to struggle with ball security compared to running backs because the way you hold a football to throw it is much easier to punch out than when you cradle it against your body. There’s a reason that “tuck it” is the first part of “tuck it and run.”

It’s pretty common for quarters teams to leave their corner in man coverage to the backside of the formation against trips, and Jones makes a fantastic play. This interception erases what is essentially a red zone possession in an 11 point game. You can see why King liked the matchup, but you’d rather miss long than short here for exactly this reason.

I really like OC Rhett Lashlee’s scheme, but we’ve seen what happens to “power spread” teams when they can’t run between the tackles. The Hurricanes do not have the offensive line talent to pass forty times a game without some sort of run action helping them, and can’t run well enough to stay out of passing situations.

An inherent problem with schemes based around picking at how the defense react to your base plays (between the tackle runs here) is that if the defense can shut them down they can take quite a bit of your offense off the table. Tempo isn’t going to save you if you’re running three plays and giving the ball back either.

Field goal blocked by Bubba Bolden, his second of the game. The Hurricanes got two defenders matched up on one blocker and Bolden explodes through the line for the ball.

On the plus side, the rest of the line held their blocks. On the downside that young man got left in a bad situation and then got annihilated.

Clemson’s defense has enveloped Miami’s receivers, without the threat of run action (and Brevin Jordan banged up) the Hurricanes can’t get open. The Hurricanes’ running backs finished the game with eleven carries for five yards. King has had to do everything and can’t afford to make a mistake. It’s not going well.

I’m going to end the film review here because I’m a little behind schedule, and the Tigers just took a 25-point lead. Some key takeaways I had: One, I’m impressed with how the younger members of the secondary are coming along. Two, Etienne is the engine that makes this offense go. Be it in the running or the passing game, the attention he demands sets the table for everything else we run. Spector and Jones, Jr., are fast and instinctive. I’m higher on our linebackers in pass coverage than I’ve been in a while. This was one of the more creative offensive game plans we’ve seen in some time. It’ll be worth monitoring whether some plays/packages, such as DJ Uiagalelei’s QB package, are going to be featured against the Georgia Techs of the world or if they’re kept on ice for big games.