The Hurricanes have completed nearly half of their regular season, starting the year 5-0 and earning the No. 4 spot in the AP poll.
Miami has rolled through its opponents, outscoring them 248-49. But it has not been a completely rosy start, as injuries have taken their toll on UM’s depth.
With the season nearly halfway over and the Hurricanes on a bye this week, it is a good time to take stock of each group’s performance so far. So here is Miami’s midseason report card, sorted by position group:
Quarterback: A+
Transfer quarterback Darian Mensah, the ACC Preseason Player of the Year, has been better than advertised. The former Duke and Tulane quarterback entered the season with high expectations surrounding him, and he has exceeded them. Through five games, Mensah has 1,438 passing yards (eighth nationally), 15 touchdown passes (tied for third) and an 84.2 completion percentage (first).
Mensah has been one of the nation’s best quarterbacks this year. Pro Football Focus gives him a 92.8 offensive grade and a 92.6 passing grade, both of which are No. 1 nationally among starting quarterbacks. Mensah has been particularly good at deep passes, completing 73.3 percent of passes of 20 or more yards — that’s the best in the nation among quarterbacks with 15 or more deep attempts.
Mensah’s backups, Luke Nickel and Dereon Coleman, have performed well in limited action. Thanks to Mensah and Miami’s offensive dominance, Nickel has played 50 snaps this year. He is 15-for-20 with three touchdowns and one interception.
Running backs: A-
The Hurricanes’ running backs have been solid, but there are some places to nitpick.
Starter Mark Fletcher Jr. missed one game with a minor injury but returned against Clemson last week. He has 307 rushing yards and five scores, averaging a career-best 5.9 yards per carry. He has a 78.8 rushing grade.
Freshman Javian Mallory has stepped into the No. 2 role after Marty Brown suffered a season-ending injury, and he has 289 yards and three scores, averaging 7.4 yards per carry. He has an 80 rushing grade.
Rotational running backs Girard Pringle Jr. and Jordan Lyle have 82 and 16 yards each, respectively. Chris Wheatley-Humphrey also performed well late against Central Michigan, and he has 104 yards and a touchdown.
Overall, the Hurricanes are doing well on the ground. They are 24th nationally with 220.4 yards per game. Against ACC competition, that decreases to 157 yards per game. PFF gives them an 87.9 rushing grade as a team, which is 11th nationally. Miami’s running backs have room to improve, but they have been good so far.
Wide receivers: A
A group led by Malachi Toney is going to earn a high grade.
The UM star has 604 receiving yards (fourth nationally) and six touchdowns on 39 catches. Toney has a 92.6 receiving grade from PFF, which is second nationally (trailing only Ohio State star Jeremiah Smith, who is the Heisman Trophy favorite).
Behind Toney, the Hurricanes’ receivers have done well. Cooper Barkate is second on the team with 241 yards and three touchdowns on 19 catches. He has a 68.2 receiving grade.
Daylyn Upshaw has been UM’s No. 3 receiver since Josh Moore suffered a season-ending injury. He has 13 catches for 129 yards and a pair of touchdowns; Upshaw has a 68.7 receiving grade.
Vandrevius Jacobs, who transferred from South Carolina, has five catches for 81 yards and a score. The Hurricanes have also gotten production from freshman Somourian Wingo (six catches for 114 yards).
The Hurricanes’ 89.9 receiving grade as a team is No. 1 nationally.
Tight ends: B-
The tight end room suffered a blow before the season began, as sophomore Luka Gilbert suffered a season-ending injury in the offseason.
Elija Lofton has carried the group so far. He has played 221 snaps, which trails only four offensive linemen, Mensah and Toney. The junior tight end is third on the team with 134 receiving yards, and he has one touchdown.
Lofton, who slimmed down in the offseason, has improved when blocking, too. He has a 66.7 run-blocking grade; last year, he had a 58.1 run-blocking grade. As a tight end, he does not block in pass protection often, but he has a 73 pass-blocking grade — up 5.3 points from last year.
The backup tight ends have not made much of an impact yet. Freshman Gavin Mueller has the second-most snaps, playing 67 snaps. Fellow freshman Israel Briggs has 50 snaps. They have combined for three catches for 13 yards. Neither one has great blocking grades. UM has used Owen Ruskavich as a blocking tight end, but he has missed two games with an injury.
Offensive line: B
The offensive line is a work in progress, but its performance has not been bad. Mensah has been sacked four times in five games.
Tackles Samson Okunlola and Matt McCoy have anchored either side of the line. Okunlola has graded out OK, earning a 58.5 run-blocking grade and a 69.3 pass-blocking grade. PFF has credited him with a team-leading seven quarterback pressures allowed.
McCoy has been solid, earning a 68.1 run-blocking grade and a 72 pass-blocking grade. He has three pressures allowed. McCoy suffered an injury against Clemson, but he returned to the game.
Ryan Rodriguez, one of UM’s longest-tenured players, earned the starting center role, and he has done well. He has a 78.4 overall offensive grade, which is the best among the Hurricanes’ starting linemen. He has a 76.9 run-blocking grade and a 76.3 pass-blocking grade.
Miami’s biggest offensive line issue is the guard spots. The Hurricanes started sophomore SJ Alofaituli at left guard in the first four games, and he had a 67.3 run-blocking grade with a 53.2 pass-blocking grade. UM opted to start freshman Ben Congdon at left guard against Clemson, and he was serviceable.
Sophomore Max Buchanan started all five games at right tackle, and he was putting together a solid season. He suffered an apparent leg injury at Clemson, but returned to the game. On Wednesday morning, he posted a picture from the hospital and said he would “be back,” indicating that the injury will keep him out for an extended period of time. In his absence, the Hurricanes will likely turn to Alofaituli.
Defensive line: A
Miami needed to replace two first-round picks on the defensive line, Rueben Bain Jr. and Akheem Mesidor. No problem.
The Hurricanes’ defensive line has excelled. They have played a huge role in terrorizing opposing quarterbacks and shutting down opponents’ running games. Miami has the No. 1 rush defense in the nation and is ninth in sacks.
Marquise Lightfoot has played a big role, leading the team with five sacks (which is tied for eighth in the nation). He has a 77.7 defensive grade with a team-best 87.2 pass-rushing grade. Lightfoot has also caught the injury bug, leaving UM’s win over Clemson with an undisclosed injury. His status has not been announced.
Damon Wilson II, a transfer from Missouri, started a little slowly, but he has come on strongly lately. He had a nation-leading 11 quarterback pressures against Clemson last week, racking up 2.5 sacks. He has 3.5 sacks this year.
Defensive tackles Ahmad Moten Sr. and Justin Scott have been solid, too. Moten had half a sack and forced a fumble against the Tigers last week.
Miami’s rotational linemen like Armondo Blount, Keona Davis, Jarquez Carter and Third Scroggins also have been solid.
Linebackers: B
Miami’s two veteran linebackers, Chase Smith and Mo Toure, have gotten the bulk of the work.
Toure has 18 tackles, and Smith has 17. Smith has one tackle for loss. The pair of linebackers has been particularly good at run-stopping, with Smith earning a 73.8 run-defense grade and Toure getting a 66.3 run-defense grade. PFF credits Smith with eight stops (defined as “tackles that constitute a ‘failure’ for the offense”); Toure has seven stops.
Both linebackers have struggled in pass coverage at times. Smith has allowed eight catches on nine targets for 42 yards, earning a 63.5 coverage grade. Toure has a 45.6 coverage grade, allowing 14 catches on 15 targets for 193 yards and a score.
The Hurricanes’ rotational linebackers — Kamal Bonner, Ezekiel Marcelin Jr. and Bobby Pruitt — have been solid when on the field.
Cornerbacks: A-
Grading the cornerbacks has to be done on a bit of a curve. The Hurricanes are missing their top two corners, OJ Frederique Jr. and Xavier Lucas. Both have been out since the season opener.
Despite the injuries, the Hurricanes have gotten strong performances from their two main cornerbacks, Ethan O’Connor and Bryce Fitzgerald.
O’Connor has one interception and two pass breakups, and his 87.1 coverage grade is second among Power 4 cornerbacks with 100 or more coverage snaps. He has allowed 10 catches on 18 targets, and his 6.5 yards allowed per reception is tied for 14th nationally.
Fitzgerald, who moved from safety to outside corner, has not missed a beat at a new position. He has two pass breakups and an 80.2 coverage grade, which is 15th nationally.
Transfer Omar Thornton has spent the most time at nickelback, and his performance has some major strengths and some weaknesses. Thornton has dominated around the line of scrimmage. He has an 81.4 run-defense grade and a 79.5 pass-rush grade, getting credited with 12 stops. Thornton is second on the team with 4.5 tackles for loss, and he has two sacks with 11 quarterback pressures.
But Thornton also leads the team with nine missed tackles, according to PFF. His coverage grade is only 51.4, second-worst among the team’s defensive backs.
Miami’s rotational corners have been a mixed bag. Redshirt sophomore Ryan Mack has performed well in his 72 snaps, allowing catches on four of 10 targets. Damari Brown, who has dealt with injuries, has a 48.8 coverage grade and has allowed catches on seven of 12 targets.
Freshman Brody Jennings has one of the team’s three interceptions, picking off a pass late against Central Michigan.
Safeties: B+
Zechariah Poyser has been a solid contributor to the Hurricanes’ defense. He has 15 tackles with one tackle for loss and two pass breakups.
Poyser has a 61.4 defensive grade, earning high marks for pass-rushing (84.4) but has missed eight tackles.
Freshman JJ Dunnigan, who took over a starting role when Fitzgerald moved to cornerback, has played well. He made his first career interception, a pick-six, against Clemson last week. He has shown the ability to play well in coverage or in the box. He has a 70.4 defensive grade with a 70.3 coverage grade. Dunnigan has 17 tackles and nine stops, which is third on the team.
Junior Dylan Day has missed some time with an illness but has been solid when available.
Specialists: C+
Kicker Jake Weinberg has been good to start the season.
The FSU transfer took over as the Hurricanes’ main kicker, and he is 5 of 6 on field goals. Weinberg’s one miss was a 54-yard attempt that Wake Forest blocked. Weinberg has also done well on kickoffs, forcing touchbacks on 30 of 34 kicks. His 87.2 kickoff grade is fifth nationally.
Punter Dylan Joyce’s numbers are a mixed bag. He has a career high in yards per punt (46), but a career low in percentage of punts downed inside the 20.
Miami’s punt and field goal teams have had some bad moments. The UM punt team has allowed 17.7 yards per return. When Joyce punted last year, the average return was 4.3 yards.
As a result of some poor punt and kick defense, Miami is 55th nationally with a 78 special teams grade.