Miami held a scrimmage closed to the media on Saturday morning, and Hurricanes coach Mario Cristobal said the defense got the better of the offense.
“Well the offense is doing a really fond job running the ball, and then throwing the ball a little inconsistent today,” Cristobal said in a video released by UM.
“I give credit to the defense I knew areas: the way they affected the pocket and affected the passer was really effective. Then coverages were all … really snug, really just locked up and really competitive. Every ball seemed to be contested at some point in time. A little bit of success in the red zone, but overall, I thought the defense had a better day than the offense.”
New Miami quarterback Carson Beck has not started practicing as he recovers from offseason elbow surgery, so returning quarterbacks Emory Williams and Judd Anderson and freshman Luke Nickel have split reps. The Hurricanes also return key running backs Mark Fletcher Jr. and Jordan Lyle.
On the defensive side, Cristobal said new defensive coordinator Corey Hetherman is on schedule with installing his system.
“It’s probably on schedule, Cristobal said.” He’s (a) super intense guy, extremely smart, high football IQ, really really intense. If you’re not about learning, if you’re not about intensity and just bringing it on a daily basis, it’s not going to be for you.”
This guy (is) like Shannon Dawson. They’re both elite professionals,” Cristobal added. “Coach Hetherman has brought in his own style, his own demeanor of being a tough and physical defense that communicates really, really well, lines up and makes no excuses.
Miami’s defensive players have praised Hetherman’s defense for being easy to understand and play in.
“Technique and fundamentals are at the forefront,” Cristobal said. “There’s been a lot of progress, and you saw it today. If you talk to them, they’ll tell you we still need a lot more. A lot more work, a lot more to do, a lot more improvement. But you heard the guys coming off the field, there’s legitimate excitement because it’s really starting to look different.”
Miami has one week of spring practice left, concluding with its spring game next Saturday.
“This is not the time for ease and comfort,” Cristobal said.
“We’ve made a lot of progress at the University of Miami the last couple of years. We want to continue that trajectory. To do so, this next week has got to be a really strong and hard work week. Continue to work situations, continue to work our rotations and find out what guy can contribute in what practices and just galvanize ourselves as a program.”
