Miami hosts surprising Duke on Saturday at Hard Rock Stadium. The Canes owns a 16–3 record against the Blue Devils since 1983 but only 3-2 since 2017.
A top story line is the return of former Miami head coach Manny Diaz. Since leaving Miami, Diaz was a successful defensive coordinator at Penn State for two years. He has taken over the head job at Duke this season with not much expectation. Surprise, he has brought his high pressure defense to Durham and has Duke bowl eligible. Can Manny beat Shannon Dawson in chest?
To come away with a victory, there are three keys to Miami winning this game.
Limit negative plays and turnovers…
Duke enters today’s game #2nd in nation in turnovers. Fourteen forced fumbles. The Blue Devils are second in the country in tackles for loss, averaging 8.9 per game. They blitz 44% of the time, with a 32.6% pressure rate. They live by that sword. Will they die by it? The PFF tackling grade from Duke ranks No. 75 overall in the country while the run defense grade ranks 46th in the country.
Establish the running game…
The aggressive Duke defense is susceptible to the run, grading out at #88th in the nation. If Miami offensive can establish a strong ground game, it could be a long day for the Blue Devils. The Canes offensive line will be the key here. Win that trench battle.
Pressure QB Maalik Murphy…
Duke has a young and talented quarterback in Maalik Murphy. He has thrown for 1,796 yards and 17 touchdowns with only 5 interceptions. He has a very quick release, but when pressured his accuracy drops substantially. He is not much of a dual threat. Miami leads nation in pressure rate at 40%. Stay in his face and Duke’s offense suffers.
BOTTOM LINE:
Play a clean game with minimal turnovers and negative plays. Grind it out on the ground and stay in the quarterback’s face. We could be in for another power football game on Saturday. That would be good for Miami.
GO CANES!
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