Heel Tough Blog: Stock Report- Miami
The Tar Heels came close to pulling a massive upset on Saturday night in Kenan, but came up just short because of a late turnover. While competing with the No. 1 team in the country till the end can be a confidence boost, the team needs to bring the same fight that they did on Saturday night into what feels like a crucial game on the road at UConn in the hunt for six wins. As the Tar Heels prepare for that important matchup, here is a look at who we have trending up and who we have trending down.
⇩Entire Defense on Important Downs
The identity of this defense all season has been bend-don’t break, but they have really struggled on important downs in the last two weeks. While the Tar Heels made enough plays to get it third down often, the team simply could not get off the field on 3rd or 4th down. The Hurricanes were a combined 8-13 on those two downs on Saturday and it was the main reason that they scored on six of their eight offensive drives. In the final four games of the season, the team must find a way to get off the field.
⇩Greg Smith
Coming into the game against Syracuse, Smith was playing as well as any safety in the country, but it has been a rough couple of weeks for him. After misplaying the game-changing touchdown against Syracuse, he had another blunder on Saturday in the second quarter where he made a half hearted tackle attempt on Mark Fletcher and instead ran right past him leaving him to scamper 31 yards to the end zone. In the 4th quarter, he had another important missed tackle on a play that should have resulted in a tackle for a loss if he made the tackle, but instead turned into a first down. In order for this defense to return to the form they were in during the first six games of the season, they need Smith to snap out of this funk and play smarter football down the stretch.
⇩Jaiden Patterson
All things considered, Patterson handled himself well in coverage against Umari Hatcher and Syracuse, but Darian Mensah went after him on Saturday and he struggled. Patterson was targeted seven times in the game and allowed five of those to be caught for 66 yards and two touchdowns. It has been a bit of a rollercoaster season for Patterson this year, but they will need him to turn back into the corner that thrived so much a year ago in these final four games.
⇩Isaiah Johnson
Johnson hasn’t been the same player in the middle of the defensive line since returning from a lower body injury a few weeks ago. While he did finish with two tackles, he did not have a strong night in run defense and was the guy Miami had the most success running at on Saturday. The hope is that as he gets further away from the injury, he will become more effective, but that is far from a guarantee.
⇩Jordan Hall
Hall returned against Syracuse and played arguably the best game of his college career against a talented group of edge rushers, but he took a step back in this game. After allowing just one total pressure in the Syracuse game, he allowed a sack and five total pressures on Saturday against Miami. We’ll give him a bit of a pass because of who it was on the other side, but the Tar Heel need him to limit the pressure on Billy Edwards down the home stretch.
⇩Derek McDonald
McDonald has been a shining light for this defense the last few weeks, but he definitely took a step back on Saturday against Miami. Although he led the team in total tackles again in this one with 11, he did miss a tackle and was bothered by the speed that Miami had at the skill positions. This is a guy that we trust to bounce back and he should with less athleticism on the field than a week ago.
⇩Aidan Banfield
With Jordan Hall back healthy, the Tar Heel have thrust him back into the starting line and Banfield appears to be the person who has lost playing time because of it. After playing 43 snaps against Syracuse, Banfield tied his season low for snaps in last week’s game, playing just 16 snaps. With Andrew Threatt battling a lower body injury, there may be more snaps available to him for the time being, but it’s becoming clear that the emergence of Cristian Alvarez has taken Banfield out of full-time starter role.
⇩Shamar Easter
The return of Jordan Washington has been a nice boost for the tight end room, but one guy that is suffering is Easter. He played a season-low five snaps on Saturday against Miami, receiving just one target, which he caught for a seven yard gain. At this point, it seems like Jelani Thurman and Washington will be receiving the bulk of the reps at tight end, except maybe in certain obvious passing downs.
⇧Billy Edwards Jr.
Edwards played the best game of his college career against Miami. In a night that started with two missed throws early in the game, he would finish 28 of 34 for 341 yards and four touchdowns, matching Heisman favorite Darian Mensah drive for drive most of the night. He did hold the ball a little too long on the fumble that ultimately won Miami the game, but this game proved why Edwards is your starter. The hope is that the success that he had last week can carry over into this week and beyond to help close the season strong.
⇧Jelani Thurman
Thurman has been one of the Tar Heels most consistent weapons this season and Miami had no answer for him most of the night. He led the way for the team with five catches for 70 yards and found the end zone twice on the night. This is all part of a huge breakout season for Thurman that has him amongst the nation’s best in tight end receiving numbers. He should be a guy that continues to get targeted heavily down the stretch.
⇧Trech Kekahuna
Kekahuna had a quiet start to his Tar Heel career, but he is coming on strong in the last few weeks. Saturday against Miami was easily his best performance of the season, as he caught three of his five targets for 57 yards and a touchdown. The touchdown catch was impressive, as he simply blew by the nickel corner for Miami with his speed on an in breaking route and hauled in a beautiful throw from Edwards to help cut the lead back down to three. The Tar Heels have been looking for others in this pass catching room to emerge besides Thurman and Jordan Shipp and Kekahuna might be developing into that third option in the passing game.
⇧Kaleb Cost
Cost returned to the field for the first time since suffering an injury in the game against Pitt back in Week 6 and had a really strong showing for most of the night. While Malachi Toney would eventually finish with seven catches for 75 yards and two touchdowns, he was quiet for most of the game thanks in large part to Cost. When matched up against Toney, Cost allowed just two of three targets to be caught for 36 yards. All things considered, that is a pretty good night against what might be the best receiver in the country. Finding consistency down the stretch will be big for Cost to help this maligned secondary out.
⇧Javion Butts
Butts has seen some important snaps at safety with starter Peyton Waters on the shelf and he played the best game of his collegiate career on Saturday. In just 26 snaps, Butts piled up four total tackles and handled himself very well in coverage. In 17 coverage snaps, he was targeted just one time, which resulted in his highlight of the night where he registered an impressive pass breakup to prevent tight end Elija Lofton from hauling in the pass. Until Waters returns, this staff needs Butts to play well and this was a promising game that showed he has the capability of doing so in a big spot.
⇧Demon June
The Tar Heels running backs had a solid night across the board considering they were facing the No. 1 run defense in the country and it was June leading the way. He carried the ball 13 times and finished with 44 yards, but he found the end zone once and picked up some key first downs on Saturday. He was also very impactful as a receiver, catching three passes for 40 yards. With some less productive run defenses on the horizon, June could be set up for a strong finish to the season.
⇧Donovan Hoilette Jr.
Hoilette may not have registered a tackle in this game, but he played well off the edge for the Tar Heels on Saturday. He had a strong night in run defense, constantly forcing runs inside and he recorded two pressures and should have had a sack if he was not held. With Melkart Abou Jaoude and Jaylen Harvey starting, Hoilette is reserved to that rotational role and he is starting to make plays and the hope is that his impact can be felt in the final four games of the year.
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