Duke Johnson looks to be a workhorse for the Canes in 2014. (Robert Mayer-USA TODAY Sports)
HURRICANES at a GLANCE
LOCATION: Miami, Fla.
COACH: Al Golden – At Miami: 22-15, 3 years; overall: 49-49, 8 years
OFFENSIVE COORDINATOR: James Coley
DEFENSIVE COORDINATOR: Mark D’Onofrio
LAST LEAGUE TITLE: 2003, Big East co-champions
LAST TIME DIDN’T GO BOWLING: 2012
RETURNING STARTERS: 11; 5 offense, 5 defense, kicker
PLAYERS TO WATCH: TB Duke Johnson, WR Phillip Dorsett, WR Stacy Coley, C Shane McDermott, LG Jon Feliciano, DE Anthony Chickillo, LB Denzel Perryman, CB Tracy Howard
PRIMARY STRENGTHS: Perryman has been an anchor at linebacker, and now there’s some depth there. If safety Dallas Crawford carries over his play to the fall, he’ll get the secondary playing mean. When Johnson is your tailback, that’s a strength. He’ll run behind a pretty good offensive line.
POTENTIAL PROBLEMS: Can any quarterback get the ball to a solid group of receivers? With Ryan Williams lost for the season to an ACL injury, Miami has young, inexperienced signal-callers. There is no space-eater in the middle of the defensive line, and the pass rush has to make big improvements.
OFFENSE
The quarterback situation might have been tricky, even with Ryan Williams, who was the projected new starter before he suffered a torn ACL in the spring.
Kevin Olsen, projected as Williams’ replacement at the end of the spring, must battle to keep his job. The redshirt freshman was suspended for the bowl game, then struggled in the spring game, completing just 7 of 21 passes for 65 yards.
Offensive coordinator James Coley is leaving the door open for incoming freshmen Brad Kaaya or Malik Rosier to start.
Good news is that running back Randy “Duke” Johnson should be fully recovered from a broken ankle suffered against Florida State in 2013. He still had 920 yards in eight games. He took out his frustrations in the weight room, adding 15 pounds of body armor.
Allen Hurns and his 62 catches are gone, but tight end Clive Walford (34), receiver Stacy Coley (33, seven touchdowns) and receiver Herb Waters (28, five TDs) are back. Wide receivers Phillip Dorsett (knee) and Malcolm Lewis (groin) were slowed by injuries in 2013 and reduced to 20 combined grabs. Dorsett had 58 catches in 2012.
The left side of Miami’s line has a combined 73 starts among center Shane McDermott, guard Jon Feliciano and tackle Ereck Flowers.
DEFENSE
Miami’s D resembled an old NASCAR line: They ran good, then they blew up.
The defense ultimately spent too much time on the field, and defenders wore down. Opponents had a third-down conversion rate of 42 percent, while Miami forced 27 turnovers, many coming early in the season. The defense was on the field for 34 minutes per game.
Defensive coordinator Mark D’Onofrio has talked about getting bigger, stronger and deeper, and excellent recruiting classes could help him reach that goal. He has a Lindy’s preseason All-American in linebacker Denzel Perryman, while cornerback Tracy Howard and defensive end Anthony Chickillo are potential All-ACC players.
What Miami doesn’t have is a 300-pound-plus defensive tackle, a Russell Maryland/Warren Sapp/ Vince Wilfork-type who can collapse the middle.
One intriguing addition is safety Dallas Craw- ford, who started at tailback last season when Duke Johnson went down.
SPECIAL TEAMS
Stacy Coley finished 2013 as the only FBS player to score touchdowns by punt and kick return, and by rushing and receiving. No wonder he was a Freshman All-American. He and Duke Johnson form one of the most dangerous return tandems in the country. Punter Pat O’Donnell will be missed. Kicker Matt Goudis also might handle the punting duties.
OVERVIEW
The Sept. 1 Labor Day night opener against Louisville will be fascinating because the Cardinals also lost their QB — former Miami commit Teddy Bridgewater. The game kicks off a tough schedule that includes non-conference opponents Nebraska and Cincinnati. If Miami can’t get decent quarterback play, this team’s record could take a serious step backward.
TOP NEWCOMER
RB Joseph Yearby: Ranked No. 44 nationally in 247Sports Composite rankings, Yearby enrolled early, but was hurt this spring. Coaches still like him enough to move Dallas Crawford to safety, helping clear the way for Yearby to back up Duke Johnson.
