Alex Donno from Locked On Canes and Isaac Schade from Locked On Tar Heels cross over to break down the keys to the game for the Miami Hurricanes and North Carolina Tar Heels.
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00:00 >> All right, Isaac, keys to victory for the Tar Heel side.
00:03 And then people know we're gonna get into those predictions as well, but
00:06 let's start with the keys.
00:07 >> Interestingly, I have a general broad one, and
00:11 then two quick specifics, if I may, Donovan.
00:14 My general one, it sounds weird to say, but
00:18 just keep doing what you've been doing.
00:20 One of the Carolina struggles last year was that we talked about how bad that
00:24 defense was, and it was like the offense had to win games.
00:26 You had to score more to win, and Carolina's defense would routinely let them
00:31 down, and then they're either clinging for dear life, hoping for a turnover, or
00:35 maybe Drake May makes a last minute play.
00:38 This year, Carolina, this is wild,
00:41 has actually been able to pull away from opponents a little bit and finish games.
00:45 Dono, it's the craziest thing, because the defense has been making some plays.
00:49 The offense keeps going, but the offense,
00:52 what I wanna get to with some specificity of keys to victory.
00:56 Number one is to continue the balanced offensive approach.
01:00 Carolina under Phil Longo last year, who's now the offensive coordinator at
01:03 Wisconsin, that I'm still trying to figure out that move,
01:06 was very much just straight up air raid.
01:08 And it was like, we'll turn to our running game if and when we can.
01:12 And Drake May ended up as the leading rusher last year.
01:15 Sam Howell was the leading rusher the year before that.
01:18 Carolina under new offensive coordinator Chip Lindsey
01:21 has employed a much more balanced offensive approach this year.
01:25 If the ground game is what's working as it did against Appalachian State,
01:29 where Omarion Hampton ran absolutely wild, Carolina's gonna lean into that.
01:33 Even if it means that Drake May, my goodness, doesn't get to 300 yards and
01:37 the fan base freaks out cuz he's not getting high spin numbers.
01:40 It's more important to get a win, and that's what Carolina is doing better this
01:43 year, is balancing that offensive approach.
01:46 As part of that, my second key is for Drake May to get 50 rushing yards.
01:51 Sometimes that's gonna be on a designed run.
01:54 Sometimes that's just as I was saying a minute ago,
01:56 him just recognizing an opportunity to take off on third down or
02:01 whenever it is.
02:02 A North Carolina writer recently said, I think Drake May might purposefully screw
02:07 up on first and second down sometimes so that he can win on third down.
02:11 And it's that kind of thing, but man, he's so successful at it.
02:14 And so I think that that threshold I'm looking for for
02:17 Drake May is in that 50 yard range.
02:19 And I think that'll help be that balanced approach that Carolina needs to get that
02:23 victory on Saturday night.
02:24 >> That was excellent, and I hope Mario Cristobal was listening so
02:28 he can game plan for all of those great points that you've made.
02:31 For me, my first key for Miami, it's something I've been harping on all week.
02:35 Put Georgia Tech behind you.
02:37 I shouldn't have to say it, but I do have to say it because that was such
02:42 an emotionally draining loss.
02:44 There are definitely concerns about how you respond to that.
02:47 I actually think it's a good thing that this is a road game because road
02:51 opportunities, you're traveling together, you can shut out the outside world and
02:56 the campus a little bit and just kind of focus on each other as teammates.
02:59 I think sometimes it's better to go on the road after you suffer a tough loss like
03:04 that, so that might help Hurricanes players avoid some of those distractions.
03:07 That's number one.
03:09 Number two would be protect Tyler Van Dyke.
03:13 That's the big thing.
03:14 Hopefully Miami can hold North Carolina to one sack and
03:19 not the nine that they were able to grab against South Carolina because Miami's
03:23 gonna need to throw the football to win this game.
03:26 If nothing else, I think best case scenario is you win a shootout.
03:31 A best case scenario for Miami, because I think a shootout is very possible because
03:35 you're not gonna shut Drake May down.
03:37 So and part of protecting Tyler Van Dyke,
03:39 kind of a bonus key to that is spread the football around a little bit more.
03:43 Miami's been very reliant on Xavier Restrepo,
03:45 who's been their top receiver this year.
03:48 He seems to be always open somehow, but
03:50 I think spreading the football around a little bit more, getting Colby Young,
03:54 Jacoby George, maybe Tyler Harrell off the bench involved could help Miami
03:59 diversify that attack a little bit.
04:01 My third key, I know I kind of glossed over this last segment, but
04:05 I'm gonna hit it hard now.
04:08 You've got to put May under pressure.
04:10 Even if he deals with that pressure well, create chaos,
04:14 because chaos creates opportunity for a defense.
04:17 I would argue for the past three weeks or so,
04:20 Miami's best defensive lineman has actually been true freshman Ruben Bain.
04:24 >> Wow. >> I don't know if I can say that's
04:26 great or maybe that's not so good, right?
04:28 Cuz Ruben Bain has been such a monster.
04:32 He's been a difficult guy.
04:33 A lot of times he gets held and they don't always call it or
04:36 he gets double teamed.
04:38 Leonard Taylor really needs to step up.
04:40 His reps are very productive, but he's not always on the field a whole lot.
04:45 I think that may say something about his conditioning.
04:47 He's gotta be consistently putting pressure on May this week.
04:50 Jafari Harvey on the outside as well, Branson Dean in the interior.
04:54 And then I'll throw in a bonus key number four.
04:57 If you are fortunate enough to have a lead in your final offensive drive,
05:04 take the knee.
05:06 [LAUGH] >> If you're fortunate enough.
05:09 >> [LAUGH]