Miami Football: 3 Ways Canes' Defense Will Improve in 2014

The Miami Hurricanes are closing in on a 10-win season for the first time in a decade, but the 'Canes will be looking to improve even more in 2014.

Al Golden's offense hit some rough patches, but the defense was the biggest problem when Miami lost three of its final five games.

In 2012, youth was both a common and logical excuse, but two years later, the Hurricanes have no reason to continue allowing more than 500 yards in nearly five straight games.

Miami has the talent on defense, and the unit will improve because of a few factors.

Of course, if the 'Canes do not progress defensively, another second-place finish in the Coastal Division will be on its way. And defensive coordinator Mark D'Onofrio would be on his way out.

Better Pass Rush

Early games appeared to show a marked improvement, including 16 sacks during the first five games, surpassing the 2012 mark of only 13 such tackles.

But as the season progressed, the Miami defense failed to consistently pressure quarterbacks when it was just a four-man rush. Therefore, the need for blitzing linebackers increased, but it left the secondary exposed.

When Virginia Tech traveled to Sun Life Stadium, Logan Thomas looked like the ACC's best quarterback, which is far from the truth. Thomas completed 25-of-31 passes for 366 yards and two touchdowns, including a bizarre score by Demitri Knowles.

Since the 'Canes needed to bring extra men to even disrupt the quarterback, six Miami defenders were left to guard five receivers. Add in the fact that Tyrone Cornelius was lost in the middle, and Thomas had an easy third-down conversion.

He hit Willie Byrn on a crossing route, and the simple toss resulted in a lengthy gain. Considering Miami's defense allowed the 101st-most 10-plus-yard passing plays, this was a recurring theme for the Hurricanes.

Note: Opponents gained 119 10-plus-yard plays against Miami, which is nearly 10 per game—or, in other words, not good.

Shayon Green, Curtis Porter, Justin Renfrow, David Gilbert and Luther Robinson will all have their eligibility expire. Consequently, Anthony Chickillo and Olsen Pierre are the only returning linemen with more than 10 tackles.

Al-Quadin Muhammad has been groomed to replace Green, while Earl Moore is the leading candidate for a defensive tackle spot. With that being said, Golden has received commitments from a pair of 4-star tackles in Travonte Valentine and Anthony Moten plus 3-stars Michael Wyche and Courtel Jenkins.

Chad Thomas certainly has the physical tools to immediately contribute, so the local product will attempt to prove himself in practice. And if Thomas can do just that, the early-down Miami line could be made of Muhammad, Pierre, Chickillo and the freshman.

Then, as the 'Canes force third downs, Tyriq McCord can once again be utilized as a speed rusher—something at which he excelled as a sophomore.

And that unit is certainly more promising than what the Hurricanes fielded in 2013.

Allow Fewer Third-Down Conversions

As highlighted previously (possibly ad nauseam), opponents were not experiencing much difficulty gaining the necessary yards on third down.

Overall, Miami allowed 41.3 percent of third downs to be converted (81st in FBS), and 49-of-92 attempts were converted during the latter half of the season.

The problem, though, was not necessarily the high percentage; instead, it was that the 'Canes were not forcing long-yardage situations. Florida State, Virginia Tech and Duke would run their way into short third downs and sustain drives down the field.

About 500 yards, 25 first downs and 38 points per game later, Miami's defense was doing absolutely zero favors for the offense over the final six outings. Florida State, Virginia Tech and Duke each scored at least 40 points to beat the 'Canes.

Due to the lack of timely stops—or any stops for that matter—the Hurricanes needed to outscore opponents to win. But quarterback Stephen Morris' senior campaign was like a roller coaster, and losing Duke Johnson to an ankle injury meant Miami could not score enough touchdowns to win.

Stopping opponents on third down and forcing a couple more punts will translate into a better chance to win but most importantly, an improved defense.

Healthy, More Experienced Secondary

Deon Bush showed lots of potential as a freshman, but offseason surgery limited his early-season action. Bush never really hit his stride, struggling to make a large impact—as was expected by many, including myself—in his scattered appearances throughout the year.

Seniors AJ Highsmith and Kacy Rodgers were decent for a few games during Bush's rehab, but Highsmith turned into a liability, and Rodgers was nothing special.

North Carolina's Eric Ebron scored a 71-yard touchdown, but the long gainer could have been avoided if Highsmith had not taken an atrocious angle and Bush shed his blocker sooner.

Rayshawn Jenkins was a pleasant surprise, starting 11 games, tallying 44 tackles, eight pass-defenses, five breakups and three interceptions. If Jenkins had not stepped up as much as he did, the Miami secondary would have been an absolute wreck beyond its corners.

Tracy Howard was undoubtedly the unit's star, picking off four passes and rarely allowing receptions. It would not be surprising to see Howard become one of the nation's top cornerbacks by the end of 2014.

Ladarius Gunter will be a senior, and he was thrown at more often than Howard, too. He defended nine passes, broke up six more and intercepted another three.

Throw in Antonio Crawford, Artie Burns and Jamal Carter with a year under their respective belts, and Miami can go three- or four-deep at will.

It's time for potential to be fulfilled in the secondary, but there is much more experienced depth at the position, too. Essentially, one injury is less likely to doom the 'Canes next season.