Miami Football: Grading the Hurricanes Win over the Duke Blue Devils

Offensive coordinator Jedd Fisch decided to make some changes during the week, and it worked out tremendously.

The Hurricanes dominated the Blue Devils the entire game, racking up 467 yards of total offense.

Miami did things they hardly ever do, like working out of the wildcat formation and rotating Stephen Morris into the mix to improve the running game.

Whatever they did, it worked, as Miami scored a touchdown on their first five possessions.

The defense wasn't great, but they did look better than they have in the past.

Here is my report card for the Hurricanes' 48-14 win over the Blue Devils.

Quarterbacks: A+

Jacory Harris continued his tremendous play by completing 14 of 20 passes for 202 yards and three touchdowns.

Once again the most important stat was no interceptions.

Harris now has 18 touchdowns to just four interceptions and is in the top 10 in the country in passer rating.

Against Duke he didn't have the huge eye-opening numbers, but he played to his ability and made some terrific throws all day.

It also helps Harris when you have receivers like Tommy Streeter and Travis Benjamin to throw to.

Harris may be one of the best quarterbacks in the ACC right now.

Running Backs: A

Welcome back Lamar Miller.

After going three straight games without a 100-yard rushing game, Miller torched the Blue Devils for 147 yards and two touchdowns on just 20 carries.

Miller not only eclipsed the 100-yard mark for the sixth time this year, he became Miami's first 1,000-yard rusher since 2002.

Mike James also got into the mix, running for 58 yards and two touchdowns on just seven carries.

Miami rushed for 265 yards against Duke, and if they are able to continue with this great balance, they could beat anyone in the ACC.

Wide Recievers and Tight Ends: A

Another great performance by the wide receivers and tight ends.

Although the numbers weren't huge, they didn't need to be. What was more important was the fact that they only had one drop and continued to attack the ball.

Streeter led the way, again, as he had four for 62 yards and a touchdown, but the most impressive thing about Streeter is his play making ability.

"Touchdown Tommy" attacks every pass thrown his way instead of letting the ball come to him.

Tight end Chase Ford even got into the mix, catching his first touchdown pass as a Hurricane.

Offensive Line: B

This is how the Hurricanes offensive line was supposed to perform.

The entire line did a much better job protecting Jacory Harris and opening holes for the Hurricane running backs.

Seantrel Henderson got the start at right tackle and did a great job pushing around the Duke defenders.

After being called out by his head coach, Brandon Washington stepped his game up and played very good at left tackle.

Defensive Line: C+

I could easily write the same thing every week, because nothing changes. The front line puts zero pressure on the quarterbacks in almost every game.

Duke pushed around Miami's defensive line and probably could have ran for about 250 yards if not for their poor defensive performance forcing the offense to pass more.

When the defensive line does actually get through, they over pursue or do not wrap up the ball carrier.

The good news about the game was that Miami allowed only one big play of 20 yards or more, and created two turnovers that turned into 14 points.

Overall, they need to improve a whole lot more, especially since the next game is against the Seminoles.

Linebackers: D+

Same old story, just a different day. 

The Hurricane linebackers along with the defensive line have the same problems every game. Missed tackles, over pursuing, and missed assignments.

What really irritates me lately with the defense is not how bad they tackle, but how they attack the ball carriers.

I am not sure if it's the coaching or the athletes themselves, but how come Hurricane defensive players attack the blockers instead of the ball carriers?

A perfect example was when Duke's quarterback, Sean Renfree, scored their second touchdown of the game. The running back came late to block Spence, and instead of Spence going straight to Renfree, he moved right to take on the blocker.

Renfree walked into the end zone.

Miscues like these are the main reason why the Hurricanes are 5-4 instead of 8-1 or 9-0.

Note: Just to let everyone know, Denzel Perryman is the next great linebacker who comes out of Miami.

Defensive Backs: C+

Inexperience is a major reason for the grade. Only Brandon McGee has any experience at the college level at cornerback.

It shows.

Sean Renfree completed 19-25 passes, which gave him his second best completion percentage of the year.

Although Ray Ray Armstrong got an interception late in the game, the Hurricanes defensive backs seem lost at times.

Again, some of the blame can be put on the defensive line for putting no pressure on the quarterback.

Overall, the Hurricanes did a little better and came away with a turnover, so it wasn't as bad as it could have been.

Special Teams: A

The kick and punt return teams haven't been as good as they should have been, but the coverage teams have been spectacular.

Miami has the right personnel and great special teams coaching that doesn't give up big returns, period.

Jake Wieclaw didn't attempt a field goal but was busy kicking seven extra points.

Dalton Botts also had a slow day, only punting twice for a 44.5 yard punt average.

Overall, it was a slow but productive day for the special teams unit.

Coaching: B+

The coaching staff did a tremendous job in this game with play calling on the offensive side.

The only reason I didn't give the coaches a better grade is because the defense still isn't making good enough plays.

You would figure by now that defensive coordinator Mark D'Onofrio would have taught the defense how to make a basic tackle.

Something needs to be corrected for this next weeks game against Florida State, or Miami is in trouble defensively.

Intangibles: A-

The Miami Hurricanes put together their best game of the year after having one of their worst games of the year against Virginia.

The offense was clicking and the defense was able to somewhat control an opposing offense, even creating turnovers.

Duke is a much improved team compared to years past, but it doesn't mean it was a huge win for Miami. Maybe it was in terms of qualifying for a bowl game, but other than that is was just a stepping stone for finishing the season strong.

The Hurricanes are superior athletically to most teams, and if they can continue to get the ball into the hands of the play makers, they can end the season at 8-4.