Canes Growing Confident Up Front
By Christy Cabrera Chirinos
HurricaneSports.com
CORAL GABLES, Fla. – It’s a group that has, at times, been defined by its youth.
When the Hurricanes took the field for their season opener in August, their starting offensive line featured two first-year players, true freshman Zion Nelson at left tackle and redshirt freshman John Campbell at right tackle.
They were joined in the trenches by junior Navaughn Donaldson at left guard, redshirt sophomore Corey Gaynor at center and sophomore DJ Scaife at right guard.
Between them, the linemen had – at that point – a combined 30 starts at the collegiate level with Donaldson making 22 of those starts. And as one might expect, the line took its share of lumps against a veteran Florida defense that managed 10 sacks in a tough opener for Miami.
Since, the line has only gotten younger, with true freshman Jakai Clark starting the Hurricanes’ next nine games at right tackle.
Turns out the group’s also grown up, considerably.
As the Hurricanes prepare to play the final two games of the regular season, the offensive line has become a reliable, sturdy force that has not only protected quarterback Jarren Williams, but has helped him make school history.
Against Louisville earlier this month, Williams had enough time to throw six touchdowns passes, something no other Miami quarterback had ever done in a single game. Williams was sacked just once.
Pittsburgh and Florida State didn’t fare much better in their efforts to bring Miami’s quarterbacks to the ground either. The Panthers, who entered their Oct. 26 matchup against the Hurricanes averaging a nation-leading 5.14 sacks per game, managed a season-low two sacks that day, while a week later, the Seminoles only brought Williams down twice.
The Hurricanes won all three of those games and players and coaches agree: the offensive line was a big reason why.
“Even when there were results that didn’t look good and sack numbers and this, that, and the other, they continued to stay focused on their improvement and being positive and teaching,” Hurricanes head coach Manny Diaz said. “I think [offensive line coach] Butch [Barry] has done a phenomenal job with all those guys and [offensive coordinator] Dan Enos has done a really good job with play-calling to help those guys out.
“Then it comes down to individual player development, which you would expect of course from guys like Zion and Jakai, who are first-year players. But even Corey Gaynor, Corey taking a role of leadership and the way he communicates pre-snap, he makes all the players around him better. I think that’s what’s helped them stay connected as a unit. Offensive line is about five guys living as one organism. With Corey in the middle and the guys getting more accustomed to playing with one another, it only stands to reason they’ve gotten better and better and better as the year’s gone on.”
Added running back DeeJay Dallas, who had a game-high 96 rushing yards against Louisville, “I really attribute it to Coach Barry and Corey Gaynor, for sure. He’s stepped up as a vet and is leading that group. We have two freshmen starting and from Game One to now, they’ve improved and they’re going to continue to improve. I’m bought into them. I’m bought in.”
While gaining game experience has proven invaluable, Diaz said he believes Miami’s improved offensive line play can also be traced to something a little less tangible: confidence.
When the group struggled to find its footing, the linemen faced plenty of noise from outside their locker room, with critics largely blaming them for the Hurricanes’ early-season struggles.
But Barry, Enos and Diaz worked together to counter any negative messages and Gaynor, one of the line’s veterans, consistently reminded the younger players to stay focused.
Their efforts have paid dividends.
“Butch Barry, number one, managing their psyche has been key. When you’re told you’re the problem, it’s tough,” Diaz said. “On the offensive line, confidence is as important as anything. It’s a very unusual skill set. You don’t drive down the street and see people blocking each other. If you don’t have confidence you can do it, it’s very hard to do it at a high level.”
Added Barry, “I think consistency, just trying to have consistency in everything we did, was important. How I coached them in terms of drills we do and just trying to talk to them about consistency every day they step on the field, I think that was the number one message we could give them. I know there’s always going to be noise, but it’s just a matter of getting back to what you do. And I think if you really focus on doing a lot of the same things over and over, you start to build confidence in what you’re doing and then that starts to show up on the field.”
As well as the offensive line has played of late and as much as it has improved, however, players say their work is far from finished.
When Miami takes the field at Marlins Park on Saturday, it will face an upset-minded FIU team hungry to try and notch its first win over the Hurricanes. A week later, Duke may be fighting for bowl eligibility. And in December, a bowl game that could set the tone for next season looms.
What the line has done of late has been significant – but it isn’t enough.
“I’m really excited about our future,” Gaynor said. “I used to tell the guys, ‘I don’t see us as we are now. I see us as how we’re going to be and we’re going to be pretty damn good.’ But we have to continue to put in the work, every single day. We cannot waver from what has gotten us to this point. The hard work, the dedication, the obsession – we can’t waver from that.”
Added Clark, “If our work ethic carries over, we have the chance to be great.”
