Miami's offensive juggernaut, previously seen as unstoppable, was completely dismantled by Louisville. How did the Cardinals expose the Hurricanes' flaws so thoroughly, and what must Miami do to avoid a repeat? This isn't just about one bad game; it's about the future of their entire offensive strategy.
Before their face-off with Louisville, the Miami Hurricanes boasted a potent offensive attack. Quarterback Carson Beck's passing game was considered a major threat, perfectly balanced by a powerful three-headed rushing attack. The general consensus was that Shannon Dawson's offensive scheme, while perhaps predictable, was too multi-faceted for any defense to completely shut down. It was almost a 'we do what we do, good luck stopping it' mentality.
Then Louisville delivered a brutal reality check.
Miami's highly-touted rushing game was practically non-existent, mustering a mere 42 yards on 16 carries from Mark Fletcher, Jordan Lyle, and Marty Brown combined. Carson Beck appeared confused and indecisive, leading to four costly interceptions. The offensive line struggled to create running lanes and provided only adequate pass protection.
There's no doubt Louisville used their bye week to meticulously analyze Dawson's preferred plays – the inside run and quick perimeter passes, his so-called "bread and butter." They clearly identified vulnerabilities and devised effective countermeasures.
So, let's dive into the game film, because you can bet that Miami's future opponents will be dissecting this game to replicate Louisville's success. Miami, too, needs to make significant adjustments to get their offense firing on all cylinders again.
The following clip is from Miami's third play, a third-and-forever situation, but it exemplifies how Louisville defended Dawson's favored quick passes, a theme that recurs throughout the game. At the snap, Louisville shows seven players on the line, indicating a blitz. But here's where it gets controversial... The Cardinals are essentially baiting Miami into this play. Strongside linebacker Antonio Watts peels off at the snap, moving towards Beck's intended pass to Malachi Toney. In reality, the Cardinals only rush three, disguising it effectively. After the pass, with defenders peeling off, Toney faces three defenders with only one blocker in front. While the down and distance made this a low-risk play for Miami, Louisville's pre-snap look and post-snap reaction laid the groundwork for their defensive strategy throughout the game. They showed Beck one thing pre-snap and then took away the perceived open target. Beck struggled to progress to his second or third reads, becoming increasingly hesitant to throw as the game progressed. Dawson relies on this play, so Louisville's preparedness is noteworthy. Keelan Marion executed his blocking assignment, but the Cardinals consistently had an answer for Toney in the open field.
This next example illustrates how Louisville lined up to anticipate and neutralize a likely first-down run up the middle... and highlights what Miami (particularly Beck) needs to learn. Miami presents a two-back formation, often a precursor to a run straight up the gut. Consequently, both deep safeties align almost side-by-side. The middle linebacker and nickel back are also positioned tightly in the middle of the box, at staggered depths, optimizing their ability to fill gaps and make tackles. Simultaneously, Louisville shows a blitz with five players on the line, dropping one back into coverage after Beck's drop. Initially, they appear to be in single coverage on the outside. Miami correctly identifies this and attempts a pass against the run-stopping formation, seeking to exploit what appears to be one-on-one coverage for Malachi Toney. And this is the part most people miss… The nickel back and safeties are in a read-and-react mode, immediately transitioning into coverage as Beck drops back. A play-action fake might have been beneficial, but Dawson has both backs releasing into pass routes. This isn't a situation to attempt a deep shot. Beck seemingly locks onto his initial read, watching the safety backpedal towards his intended target before releasing the throw. It's perplexing why Beck didn't recognize the wide-open checkdown options on either side, which could have yielded significant yardage and a first down. Instead, he launches a high, arcing pass into triple coverage. Beck needs to learn from this, as he seemed to be making pre-snap assumptions and failing to adjust to the evolving defensive picture.
The third clip showcases a stop-and-go route where Beck fakes a throw before releasing the pass. But the problem here is the defender has given Keelan Marion a seven-yard cushion at the snap. This demonstrates Louisville's thorough scouting of Miami's personnel, recognizing Marion primarily as a deep threat. Beck sees the corner hesitate with the pump fake but fails to recognize how easily he can recover due to the significant cushion. If Marion had cut off the route to the sideline upon the pump fake, it could have been an easy 10-yard gain. Dawson didn't adjust to the generous spacing the defenders were affording his receivers on certain plays. This play was essentially designed to fail, even in single coverage, due to the circumstances, resulting in an interception. The intermediate passing game needs greater emphasis in the playbook; currently, it seems limited to quick hitters or deep shots, a strategy Louisville was well-prepared to counter.
Returning to the first clip, Louisville essentially signals to Miami that they are confident in stopping a quick pass for decent yardage on this third-and-six play midway through the third quarter. The Cardinals stack seven players on the line. As Beck prepares to snap, he has three receivers bunched to the bottom, covered by two defensive backs and a single high safety on that side of the hash. Just before the snap, Louisville reveals their plan. Two linebackers peel off and sprint towards the anticipated throw's direction before the pass is even thrown. Then, upon release, they charge upfield. Meanwhile, Jabari Mack defeats a CJ Daniels block to slow down Toney after he catches the receiver screen pass, leading to multiple defenders converging on the ball and forcing Miami to punt. This highlights Louisville outsmarting Miami, seemingly anticipating the play based on formation and pre-snap reads. Watch Mack closely as the ball is snapped – he immediately charges upfield. The Cardinals thoroughly studied Dawson's offense, and now Dawson needs to incorporate wrinkles to exploit teams that employ similar tactics.
This next play is one of Miami's more successful runs, believe it or not. Louisville presents five players on the line. Again, note how they initially stagger the two defenders in the middle to help stop the run up the middle (Dawson draws one off a few steps by bringing Jordan Lyle in motion). There is massive soft coverage on Toney in the slot, and Daniels is given a free release at the bottom of the formation. Isn't this a perfect opportunity to send Daniels on a slant while Toney cuts toward the sideline? At the snap, observe the generous space Toney is afforded. With Lyle in motion from left to right, a throw to him could have resulted in significant yardage. However, Brown receives the handoff and runs left, charging between the tackle and guard. He does a decent job powering through to set up a third-and-short, but this play exemplifies the challenges faced by Miami's rushing game against a defense that dared them to make plays through the air in the intermediate part of the field, an area that was not targeted often enough (Pro Football Focus noted 22 of Beck's 32 charted passes were thrown within nine yards of the line of scrimmage).
Given the quick passing game's significance in Dawson's offense, particularly with Beck's struggles on deeper throws, let's re-examine how Louisville effectively minimized gains on many of Miami's staple plays. Louisville rushes three (with the linebacker blitzing at the snap) with a one-high safety look. Marion attempts a stutter step at the line to fake a pass route, a somewhat unconvincing feint. Toney tries to block ahead of him. However, Toney's block is defeated by a hard-charging Watts, who, at 225 pounds, has a 37-pound weight advantage over the Miami freshman. He drives Toney back into Marion. Louisville also excels at staggering its defenders at different levels, as previously mentioned. The safety and outside cornerback are able to collapse inside onto Marion, even if he had evaded Watts. This play never had much of a chance against this defensive alignment. The Cardinals are essentially daring Beck to throw downfield – note the off coverage by both corners. The most effective way to exploit cornerbacks playing seven yards off the line is through well-executed intermediate routes that capitalize on the spacing. Force the cornerbacks into backpedals, then cut off the routes to the sideline. If they start pressing, then you can start beating them over the top. Dawson failed to find a way to exploit this off coverage. Tomorrow, when we analyze the defense, we'll see how Louisville capitalized on Miami's lack of press coverage.
We'll conclude with the above clips, as ugly as Miami's finish was. This is a crucial fourth-down play midway through the final quarter, with Miami trailing by 11 points. The issue lies with Matthew McCoy and Markel Bell being beaten one-on-one in blocking assignments. The resulting pressure exacerbates Beck's continued lack of awareness of the defensive scheme. CJ Daniels' downfield route has drawn both defenders, leaving Elija Lofton wide open in the left flat for an easy first down. But Beck simply doesn't recognize or see the opportunity. As the play begins, Beck glances quickly to the right, seemingly to deter defenders from Keelan Marion or CJ Daniels on the left side, where the play appears designed to go against the zone coverage. He quickly focuses on the left side, but with the oncoming pressure, he throws the ball nowhere near any receiver and is intercepted (we assume Beck thought this would be where the hole in the zone would be, but Louisville has taken it away with an underneath linebacker sliding over). Also questionable, in retrospect, is lining Mark Fletcher up as an extra blocker on the right side, as Francis Mauigoa didn't require assistance, while Bell/McCoy clearly did. Louisville only rushes four on the play, dropping into zone coverage, and when you generate pressure like that from just four rushers on such a key play, it speaks volumes about Miami's offensive line failing to hold up as they have been. So, as mentioned earlier, a complete breakdown all around, and it's a shame Beck didn't recognize that with the defenders all peeling off into the secondary, Lofton was open for the easy first down.
The bottom line from all of the above?
The loss was a failure on numerous fronts offensively, from problematic play calling against a Louisville defense that dared Miami to adjust to playing off coverage on the outside while stuffing the run on the inside. Dawson simply had no answers, and it didn't help that Beck didn't seem to understand what he was seeing at numerous points and had several checkdown opportunities for big gains that turned into interceptions instead. There's a lot to correct, as other teams are likely to try similar approaches. Now it's on Dawson to make sure he figures out how to fix this and make sure Beck is on the same page.
What adjustments do you think Miami needs to make to their offense? Do you agree with this analysis of Beck's performance? Share your thoughts in the comments below!
