The Clemson Insider recently caught up with Adam Lichtenstein to get some insight on Miami ahead of Clemson’s game against the Hurricanes. Lichtenstein covers Miami football for the South Florida Sun Sentinel.
Lichtenstein hit on a number of topics during the following question-and-answer session, including Miami’s quarterback situation, a special-teams area in which the Hurricanes are excelling, former Clemson receiver turned Miami wideout Frank Ladson and more heading into Saturday’s game at Memorial Stadium.
Note: This interview has been edited for clarity
Tyler Van Dyke has been nursing a shoulder injury, thrusting true freshman quarterback Jacurri Brown into the starting lineup last week against Georgia Tech. So who’s going to get the start against Clemson?
It’s funny you ask that because we spoke with (Miami coach) Mario (Cristobal). He was asked point blank if he would be disclosing the starting quarterback this week, and he goes, “I think you know the answer to that.” So no, don’t really know yet. He said that Tyler Van Dyke has made progress and is doing better, but I personally don’t expect that. I don’t expect Tyler Van Dyke to play on Saturday. I expect Jacurri Brown to play. And why not after the way he played against Georgia Tech on Saturday? He looked pretty solid.
Miami’s offensive line is pretty banged up, and they like that Jacurri Brown can run and escape pressure. So I think more likely than not, he’ll be the one starting. But there’s always a chance that Van Dyke does come out as the starter, and I think Mario definitely wants (Clemson coach) Dabo Swinney preparing for that.
You hinted at it there, but what’s the biggest difference in how Miami’s offense operates with Brown behind center as opposed to Van Dyke?
It’s pretty clear Jacurri is an incredible athlete. Very fast. I think (Miami offensive coordinator) Josh Gattis said at one point that he might be the fastest player on offense right now. He’s got incredible speed and is a great runner. He rushed for I think 98 yards (last week). So when he’s in, they can really utilize RPOs and option runs. There was one play last week where Georgia Tech just blew Jacurri Brown up on an option run. The problem was (running back) Jaylan Knighton had the ball, not Jacurri Brown. And he was already making his way toward a 20-yard run. So when Jacurri Brown is in, they can really work that running game more effectively.
They want to run the ball, but for several weeks, they just weren’t able to. But when they had Jacurri Brown in and Jaylan Knighton running well against Georgia Tech, they had over 200 yards rushing with them. It was their best rushing game since they played an FCS team to open the team. Tyler Van Dyke, he’s more of the veteran who started most of last year and most of this year obviously. So when he’s in, you’ll get that experience. He’s got good timing. He’s got that trust with the receivers, and he’s been a more effective passer. Jacurri Brown is still working on that.
So does Miami’s offense have an identity at this point?
At the point where they’re at where there are so many players hurt and you’re onto now your third-string quarterback, it’s kind of just whatever works I think. With Jacurri Brown, they can run the ball and run the quarterback. If Tyler is healthy, they can be more effective in the passing game. The identity is kind of hard to find. I think they kind of want it to be a power running team, and at the beginning of the year, they had several healthy scholarship running backs. Lucious Stanley is a walk-on, but they’ve gotten him into the rotation as well. But with the injuries, they’ve had to change things up. And then Van Dyke gets hurt, and that changes the entire offense. So it’s kind of hard to play to an exact identity. I think right now it’s just kind of whatever works.
Defensively, what are the strengths and weaknesses of his Miami group?
The strength all season has really been the defensive line. I haven’t checked where they’re at exactly now, but they’re over 30 sacks for the year. They’re one of the best teams I think in the conference for sure and maybe in the country at getting pressure on quarterbacks. Sometimes it’s to their detriment. They might flush a quarterback out of the pocket and then lose him and then he gains five to 10 yards on a scramble. But they’ve been very, very good at that all year, getting into the backfield and stopping plays for losses or short gains.
They’ve also been pretty solid in the secondary lately. Safety Kam Kinchens had a fantastic game against Georgia Tech. Had three interceptions against Georgia Tech and was the conference defensive back of the week. A really good ball-hawking safety. I keep comparing to him to a center fielder. And then weaknesses, they’ve had a propensity for giving up big plays a few times this year. Didn’t really have that problem against Georgia Tech, but Georgia Tech has really struggled on offense this year, so they’re not the best test of that. But they have given up some big plays in the passing game, especially at bad times. It’s cost them, so that’s probably their biggest weakness.
Miami leads the nation in kickoff return average (27.6 yards). Do you think that could be an X-factor for the Hurricanes comes Saturday?
It could be. Key’Shawn Smith had some good returns early in the year. He nearly had one that he took for a touchdown but then it got called back. He stepped out of bounds at the 15-yard line. But lately it’s been a lot of Jacolby George and Brashard Smith on special teams, and they’re both very fast players. Brashard Smith is a guy that if he gets into some space, he can really move. And they’ve been using him on offense lately just trying to get him the ball anyway they can – short screens, lining up in the backfield and doing whatever they can to get him the ball in space. Because of the space on kickoff returns, he’s a guy with home-run potential. He can take one back. He hasn’t this year, but he’s got that potential.
How do you view this matchup overall from Miami’s perspective?
I don’t think it’s a good one. Miami has really struggled on offense lately. Not so much against Georgia Tech, but before that, they had nine quarters where they didn’t score a touchdown against Virginia and against FSU. They looked a lot better against Georgia Tech, but Georgia Tech is not the strongest opponent. But they had their moments where they were that team that’s struggling.
I think Clemson’s defense is as talented if not more talented than any defense they’re going to face all year. I was looking it up earlier, and they’re really good with their run defense. And that’s what Miami is probably going to try to do, especially with Jacurri Brown if he’s playing. You want to run the ball, and Clemson is really good at defending that up. So it’s kind of a strength on strength there, and I don’t know if Miami has the edge. So I don’t think it matches up well. Clemson is just a better team. Clemson has got one loss, and Miami has five. When it comes down to it, it’s a rough matchup for them. I don’t think they win this game.
Lastly, Frank Ladson is a name Clemson fans are familiar with having played at Clemson for three years before transferring to Miami. What has his role been within Miami’s offense?
He’s had his moments. He’s not been one of their primary receivers for most of the season, but he’s gotten in the mix. He’s rotated in, and he’s made some big plays. He’s been solid. It’s funny. Mario got asked earlier if (Ladson) is someone that can give you an advantage because he knows the team and he knows Clemson, and Mario is like, “Well he can help a little bit. Emotions might be a little high, but we see all this stuff on film anyway.” I’m sure he’ll play. He’ll get in there. Maybe he comes in and has a big game. It’s not impossible. It wouldn’t be the first time something like that has happened.
Photo credit: Brett Davis/USA TODAY Sports
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