The spring season for Miami has come to a close and the Hurricanes came out of the spring game healthy and with plenty of hype surrounding new QB Cam Ward.
The Miami Hurricanes 2024 spring season came to a close on Saturday, April 13th at Cobb Stadium in Coral Gables. There has been an appropriate amount of hype surrounding transfer quarterback Cam Ward and he didn’t disappoint.
Ward finished the first half, the contact period, 17 of 23 passing for 260 yards and two touchdowns. Much like former QB Tyler Van Dyke, Ward looked to wide receiver Xavier Restrepo early and often including a touchdown in the first half.
Isaiah Horton scored on the opening drive on a crossing route that left Darryl Porter Jr. in the dust. It was good to see a QB go through his progressions and finding an open target over the middle in the end zone. However, much like 7-on-7 season in high school, it won’t come that easy in the fall.
The run game never got going and the Hurricanes desperately need a transfer portal back to serve as a starter, along with the return of OL Mauigoa to the lineup to get the run game really going.
Above– Ward looks off his first couple of options and finds Restrepo on the comeback route.
Above– The run game never got going. The tight end, Elijah Arroyo, there misses the kick out on GY counter and Wesley Bissainthe was all over the field making plays. The trio of backs clearly aren’t starting material.
How did the defensive backs look?
Oh buddy, I wouldn’t want to try to tackle a spark plug like Restrepo either but…
Above– Jadais Richard is showing why Miami has to go after multiple DB’s in the transfer portal this spring. The issue with too many programs is that they’re always a month behind on true agility work, and contact prep heading into something like spring. Your tackling work can’t be diving into rings on pads with no intensity once pads are on. Save that for January.
Above– It’s good to see Bissainthe putting it together. His development has been slow but the light bulb has certainly come on.
Above– Horton smokes Porter Jr. on mesh in the red zone. I’m a big fan of mesh in the red zone as many teams play man and it’s a man beater.
Above– I’m not typically one to post a clip with a clear pair of holding calls with a ‘dead’ QB but it’s a nice throw and catch to Riley Williams the TE.
Above– you know OC Shannon Dawson loves the tunnel screen. Ward does a good job of changing arm angles and getting the screen to the right spot.
The difference between Ward and the other three QB’s- accurate ball placement. Watch the other three throw similar screens, Jacurri Brown misses by a mile, Reese Poffenbarger and Emory Williams don’t throw the target open.
Above- Ny Carr with a beautiful diving catch. The DL clearly lets the QB throw this one as he steps up but great catch from the freshman.
Above– I get it, it’s a spring game who cares… but damn Ward is known for doing some crazy stuff on 2nd and 3rd and long, like taking ugly sacks or fumbling because he’s trying to extend plays. It’s fun here but a death sentence in a game.
Above– nicely executed pick play there for Restrepo. He’s clearly the only target and catches the arrow route for a TD.
Above– Condensing the box and running zone didn’t work for Miami towards the end of the half, either. The ILB’s took on blocks, shed them, and finished plays much better than in the previous two seasons under Cristobal.
The Wrap
Spring games are a funny thing. They’ve gone from a fan spectacle to a recruiting spectacle as a great reason to have a ton of recruits on campus. Miami’s spring game was even held on campus, rather than in the NFL or MLS stadiums they often play in. It made sense- get families on campus, on a beautiful day in Coral Gables, FL while football alumni and recruits were on site at the same time.
The spring is kind of like OTA’s for the NFL. It’s a great time to get content brewing and fan hype going. But holding stock in more than them being a fun experience is a foolish game. Did I like what I saw from Ward? Hell yeah. But there’s a difference between how I play when I’m going to be hit and when I know I’m not.
We’ll see how ‘improved’ the team is in Gainesville, FL on August 31st in The Swamp. The Gator faithful will be rabid because it’s Miami, and their vitriol will be pointed at the ‘Canes rather than Billy Napier for at least Week One.
What does Miami need to do in order to be a College Football Playoff contender? Sign a starting RB in the portal, find a pair of defensive backs to add to competition, and stay healthy.
Staying healthy is part of the last piece which is COACH BETTER. Dawson and DC Lance Guidry had their bad games in ‘23, and Cristobal had a coaching malpractice moment. Let’s hope they’ve done some work on themselves as much as they’ve done it in the portal.
Let’s enjoy a few weeks of the spring portal before a long summer of speculation!