Five Keys to a Miami Victory vs. Georgia Tech

The struggles have continued for Miami through nine games and they are back in the familiar territory of trying to claw back to .500 for the season and conference play after an embarrassing loss to bitter rival Florida State.

Miami will need a win against Georgia Tech for any chance at a bowl game appearance.

Things got ugly quick last week, and Henry Parrish had just six carries in a game where Miami had no way of getting the passing game going.

In the second half, the offense got moving a little bit with positive runs by Jaylan Knighton and quarterback Jacurri Brown. Knighton actually showed some life, rushing for the longest gain of the year on a 48-yard carry and we likely will get a heavy dose of Brown with starting quarterback Tyler Van Dyke out of action this week.

If Miami can string together long drives, get the combo of Parrish and Knighton 30-plus carries, plus utilize Brown in the read option and power run game, the offense may be able to get up early while controlling the clock and limiting big play opportunities for the Georgia Tech offense.

Whether Jeff Sims or Zach Pyron are named the starter for Saturday, Miami will need to once again, limit the rushing ability of the quarterback. Sims is a known athlete with over 1100 career rushing yards despite missing multiple games each of the last three seasons.

Pyron stepped in as a first-time starter last week against Virginia Tech, and was named ACC Co-Rookie of the Week thanks to 253 passing yards, 66 rushing yards, and two scores. The offense will be a little different if the freshman is leading the way but as seen on his game-winning touchdown run against the Hokies, he can hurt you with his legs.

With an emphasis needing to be heavily run-focused, Miami will have to play off its rushing success to take advantage of big play opportunities. Since the injury to Van Dyke, the passing game has all but completely disappeared. The offense threw for just 187 total in the last two games.

Brown and Jake Garcia are obviously not ready to take on the TVD share of throws, but both have the arm talent to hit receivers on vertical throws and are actually better suited at throwing deep than picking defenses apart.

If Miami can get the defense to start stacking the box and force them to try and stop the run, there might be shots available to the likes of Colbie Young and Xavier Restrepo. Both receivers have shown the ability to get behind defenses this season.

So many of the offensive issues, this season have stemmed from long drives stalling once they get to the red zone, forcing Miami to kick field goals or fail to score points completely. Miami is 69th in the country in red zone efficiency this season, scoring 83.8-percent of the time, but just 54 percent of the time being a touchdown.

The one-read throws to tight ends that constantly get covered or using Parrish or Knighton is not the answer to reverse the issue.

Thad Franklin and Lucious Stanley will need to have more of a role near the goal line, as both players fit the profile of power runners that can get the tough yards needed when things get close.

Miami did not do a terrible job getting to Jordan Travis last week, sacking the FSU quarterback three times, but it was a drop off from the previous couple of games where the Canes were consistently getting near 5-plus on a weekly basis.

Georgia Tech is one of the worst teams in the country protecting the quarterback, allowing nearly four sacks per game.

This will be a game where Ahkeem Mesidor, Leonard Taylor, Darrell Jackson, and Jahfari Harvey all get pressure on whoever gets the starts for the Yellow Jackets. The big plays of last week will be a distant memory if Miami can get back to the upper-echelon sack and tackle-for-loss numbers.

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