Winning streak, Bill Young, 2008 recruit off the team?

Enough of the intro shit. Let's talk Hurricane football.

When was the last time the our Canes won 4 games in a row? The answer is 2006, when we beat Houston, North Carolina, FIU (literally), and Duke. Not exactly Murderer's Row, but nonetheless, any time you win 4 in a row, it's important.

But what happened after we won our 4th game? We proceeded to lose the next 4 games to Georgia Tech, Virginia Tech, Maryland, and Virginia. Part of this was the backlash from the FIU brawl, part was Larry Coker, but one thing that everyone forgets about that season is the complete lack of passing on first down.

In 2008, Passing on first down is going to be the key to sustaining success on offense. While Patrick Nix has opened up the playbook up the past few weeks, he still needs to get his QB into a rhythm earlier in the game.

Anyone who has watched a Miami game can predict what play is going to be called at least 70 percent of the time in the first half. Nix seems to have been following this game plan early lately.

1st down : Deep playaction pass down the sideline or draw
2nd down : Bubble screen, run off left tackle, or draw
3rd down : Button hook or middle screen to Cooper

Coach Nix has to use the middle of the field more earlier in the game. Granted, it is a more risky method of throwing, but it's imperative that he test the defense early and attempt to get Marve into a rhythm. Another wrinkle he should put in is the use of more pick routes over the middle. Most teams tend to play either a 2 man under or matchup zone against us early in the game. Pick routes could get guys like Aldarius Johnson and LaRon Byrd (guys who appear to be great at crossing routes) free early in the game.

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How about Bill Young? He's allowed a grand total of ten points of offense in the 2nd half over the last 4 games (Kick return vs UCF doesn't count). Granted, the level of competition is going to get better, but any good coach must make adjustments at half time in order to be successful.

Talk about clamping down after halftime....

One thing that I have noticed that he's done is use more delayed blitzes after half and really try to defend the flats. Did anyone see how UVA got 2-3 yards on their dump passes instead of 6-7 yards in the 2nd? I think the main reason for this is to prevent the deep ball and try to keep the game close. In my estimate, he does this because he doesn't trust the offense to get off to a hot start and wants to give them time to get into the game.

He still does not have his personnel on this team yet. In an interview with CaneSport.com a few weeks back, he stated that he barely even has half of his defensive scheme in place. He likes bigger corners to help press the receivers right away to give the QB less options to throw right away when he sends his patented blitz packages. Brandon Harris is going to be a good player here, but he's simply not strong enough yet to be effective in Young's defense. Same with Chavez Grant. If you notice, the times that they have been turned into burnt toast this year is due to the fact that they have tried to press the WR but the guy has gotten a clean release off the line.

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There is a strong rumor going around that a class of 2008 defensive recruit has left the team due to personal reasons. Stay tuned for more updates.