Miami Football: Grading the Hurricanes' Victory over Bethune-Cookman

The Miami Hurricanes defeated the Bethune-Cookman Wildcats on Saturday, 45-14.

Although the score looks as though it was a complete domination by the Hurricanes, it truly wasn't as Miami was only ahead 14-7 at halftime.

The Hurricanes defense did not look good against the FCS subdivision Wildcats.

Here is the report card for the Hurricanes' performance.

Quarterbacks: A

Although it was Bethune-Cookman, Jacory Harris was very accurate in most of his passes as he went 12-of-17 for 175 yards and two touchdowns.

The most impressive stat, though, was—for the first time in six games—Harris did not throw an interception.

He threw the ball very well throughout the night, as he never pressed any passes into coverage and even threw a couple balls out of bounds to avoid a sack.

This game will hopefully be a stepping stone for future games.

Backup quarterback Stephen Morris also got into the mix late, completing all three of his passes for 34 yards.

Running Backs: B

The running back position has obviously been the bright side to a so-so start to the season as Lamar Miller ran for over 100 yards for the third straight game.

Fighting off a shoulder injury Miller was still able to gain 102 yards on just 14 carries and a two touchdowns.

As the game started though, everyone could tell that Miller was a little hesitant on that shoulder as he was not finishing his runs like he should have been.

With backup running back Mike James also injured (ran just one time for -1 yard), Eduardo Clements got some playing time and was impressive running the ball four times for 37 yards and a touchdown.

Although they scored three times on the ground, I truly believe Miami should have been able to run more than 126 total yards against the Wildcats.

Wide Receivers/Tight End: A

The Hurricane wide out have actually impressed the heck out of me so far this season.  They don't have the huge numbers like a lot of other teams, but they are doing something they haven't been able to do in a few years, catch the ball.

For the third straight game the Hurricane wide receivers never dropped a catch-able pass which plagued the team last year as they had over 60 them.

Tommy Streeter caught just two balls but both of them went for touchdowns. He also had 83 yards receiving.

Travis Benjamin was the main receiver for Harris as he caught six balls for 66 yards.

Clive Wilford was the only tight end to make a catch as it went for 11 yards, but fumbled the ball.

The Hurricanes have very good tight ends and they really need to get them more involved.

Offensive Linemen: C

Going into this season I honestly thought that the offensive line was one of the best in the ACC, if not the country.

As of right now, they aren't even the best in the state.

Granted they have had some injuries and did a great job in the Ohio State game, but they are just really inconsistent.

The big uglies struggled against the speed of Bethune-Cookman all night, allowing some hits on Jacory Harris.

Also, after re-watching the game, they created very little openings for the Hurricane running backs which is the main reason why they only had 126 yards rushing.

Defensive Lineman: D-

I may be mean for writing this but they deserve it.  The defensive line sucks. Period.

I really have no answers to why the line is playing as bad as they have been, but its horrible.

Adewale Ojomo and Marcus Forston can not off their blockers and it is very noticeable as the Wildcats gained over 200 yards on the ground.

The Wildcats offensive line bullied the Hurricanes, like every other team this year, every snap allowing huge holes for the running backs.

The line did have a few sacks and is the only reason I did not give them an F.

I will give props though to true freshman Anthony Chickillo who seems to be the only player that makes any kind of effort on the defensive line.

Pathetic.

Linebackers: D

Besides Sean Spence, this was a question mark position when the season starter and after the Bethune-Cookman game, it still is.

It doesn't matter who it is, the second line of defense misses tackles like crazy.

Instead of going for a strip or a monster hit, they may want to try wrapping up and driving the ball carrier to the ground.

There is no way the Wildcats should have been able to blow through the tackles of the Hurricane linebackers. 

With Virginia Tech coming up next, I sure hope defensive coordinator Mark D'Onofrio gets his defense to play a lot better than they have been.

Defensive Backs: B

The defensive backs struggled at times against the Wildcats, but overall I believe they did a solid job.

Their coverage was the main reason the horrible defensive linemen were able to get a few sacks on Wildcat quarterback Jackie Wilson.

Miami's safeties have been playing very well and with the return of Ray Ray Armstrong this week, they will be even better.

The cornerbacks do show some lack in coverage, but what do you expect when they only have one experienced cornerback.

JoJo Nicolas will slide back to cornerback when Armstrong comes back which will make the defensive backs even better.

Special Teams: A-

Jake Wieclaw stayed perfect this year on field goals nailing a 30 yarder in the third quarter. He also went six for six on extra points.

Punter Dalton Botts didn't have his best day punting, but is also a bright spot for the special teams.

Travis Benjamin did another good job returning kicks and punts as he averaged over 30 yards per kickoff return and had one punt return for 44 yards.

The kick off coverage was pretty solid once again allowing only 19 yards per return.

Coaching: C

I am not sure if the coaches do not study film going into these games, but it sure doesn't look like it.

For the second straight game the Hurricanes offense in the first half was horrendous.

Yes, Miami did take a 14-7 lead into halftime, but it was against an inferior team which gave up 31 points to Hampton and lost to South Carolina State.

Miami can not allow teams to get jumps on them, especially being a run first team.

Just like Kansas State did to Miami the week prior, Bethune-Cookman was able to control the clock the entire first half.

They did make a good adjustment going into the second half, but against a good team, they maybe behind too much to comeback.

We will see next week against top 25 ranked Virginia Tech.

Intangibles: D

I know the Hurricanes won the game 45-14 there are still huge question marks going into the heart of their schedule.

There were some questions answered like, Tommy Streeter being the deep threat they need in the passing game.

There are still plenty of questions that haven't got answered.

The defense, which was to be one of the best in the ACC, has been horrible at times.

The offensive line needs to play much better and if they do, Lamar Miller can average about 175 yards per game, he is that good.

Overall Miami needs to play to their potential.  They have some of the best athletes in the country and it's time for them to shine.

No better way than this week when they take on Virginia Tech in Blacksburg.