Miami Football: 5 Things the Hurricanes Learned from Last Year

The Miami Hurricanes learned a lot about their team last year, some good and some bad.  This year coach Al Golden will be trying everything he can to turn around the mediocre Hurricanes.

There were too many off-the-field problems and many positions that had to be filled by true freshmen, something that is very hard to do at a big college like Miami.

Don't get me wrong, although Miami ended the season at just 6-6, there were definitely some positive things to take from the season especially the play of two true freshmen.

Here are the five things we learned about the Hurricanes last year.

The Distractions and Suspensions Hurt Miami Early

The Hurricanes started the 2011 season down eight players due to NCAA infractions, and having to travel to a conference foe didn't help that cause.

Missing their starting wide receiver, quarterback and most of their best players on defense, Miami didn't have enough on the field to come away with the victory.

They played great, though, considering all the suspensions and left Maryland with just an eight-point loss.

It was a similar defeat just a couple weeks later to undefeated Kansas State.  The Hurricanes' defense, still missing Olivier Vernon and Ray Ray Armstrong, struggled in stopping the Wildcats' Collin Klein.

In fact, it wasn't until the seventh game of the year when Miami finally had all their suspended players back on the field.

Two of the best players on defense, Armstrong and Vernon were never able to get going after coming back from suspensions and were basically non-factors for the remainder of the season.

If Miami never had the suspensions, there is no doubt they would have won at least two or three more games.

Lack of Production on Offense

Gone are the days when the Hurricanes put up 40 points per game and had 10-win seasons like they were nothing. Now it's a big deal when Miami scores 30.

Even in the SEC, where defense is king, opponents are putting up more points than Miami can.  Many have said defense wins championships (which is true), but both Alabama and LSU were averaging over 35 points per game as well.

Miami averaged a whopping 26 per game and against weaker opponents.

The Hurricanes' defense was bad as well. There is no doubt about that. But with the type of players Miami recruits there is no way this offense should average less than 35 points per game.

Miami must utilize their speed and find players that can move the ball down the field.

The defense will be much improved from last year, so it's on the offense this year to pick up the slack and put a lot of points on the scoreboard.

If Miami can average over 35 points per game, they will win at least eight or nine games this year.

Denzel Perryman and Anthony Chickillo Are the Future

When I saw tape of Denzel Perryman on YouTube, I just knew this kid was going to be special.  He had a terrific motor and could hit like a truck.

I would have never guessed he would have produced so much in just his freshman season, though, as he ended the season second on the team in tackles with 69.

Although Perryman started only five games, you could certainly tell that he had what it took to play at the next level.

Anthony Chickillo was another player that played above what I expected. 

I first saw Chickillo at the Under Armour All-American game when he dominated anyone trying to block him and won the teams' MVP trophy.

Chickillo was a bright spot for a very poor defensive line last year, tying for the team's lead in sacks with five.

When the season was over, both players made Freshman All-American teams and showed the entire nation that they were going to be the next great players that came out of Miami.

Offensive Line Was Overrated

When the 2011 season started, I thought Miami would have the best offensive line not only in the ACC, but also possibly in the country.

Boy was I wrong.

The Hurricanes struggled all season long, and if it weren't for the outstanding play of Lamar Miller, Miami may have not won a game.

The line struggled to block anyone and it didn't help that their best player, Seantrel Henderson, was coming off of back surgery.

The good thing about the struggles on the offensive line was the fact that they were able to rotate younger, inexperienced players to get their feet wet for the future.

With Henderson fully healthy and multiple linemen who got some experience last year, this year's offensive line could finally live up to the hype.

Al Golden Was the Right Man for the Job

Al Golden was not on the top of my list when Miami went searching for a replacement for Randy Shannon.  He was an unknown to me until I read more about him.

After what I saw last year and the beginning of this year, he was definitely the right man for the job.

I do not think there are many college coaches that could have done what Golden did last year.  Going into the season, he did not know anything about the NCAA investigation yet stayed positive about the season.

Even though they ended the season with six losses, he kept Miami in every single game as their largest margin of defeat was just eight points.

After going 6-6 and facing a possibility of severe NCAA penalties, Golden was still able to recruit over 30 players including a couple 5-star recruits in Tracy Howard and Duke Johnson.

I have been extremely impressed with Golden and there isn't another coach in the country I would rather have coaching Miami.