Miami kicked off the season with a win against Miami (OH), but now the first best test of 2023 is here in Texas A&M. Here are the keys to a Miami victory.

Last season against Texas A&M, there was stability in the run game and a solid performance from the defensive side of the ball that allowed Miami to be in a position to win. Before that game, if someone told you that Miami would hold the Aggies under 20 points and run for 175 yards, averaging almost five yards per carry, you would expect a win that night.

An inability to get in the endzone and make chunk plays killed the offense as drives had to near double-digit margins just for a chance to score points. There was no reception over 30 yards for this team, and on 41 throws, quarterback Tyler Van Dyke averaged about five yards an attempt.

Texas A&M defensive coordinator DJ Durkin is one of the best in college football, and dinking and dunking with five-yard runs will not cut it, especially with so much talent on the field on all three levels of the defense for Texas A&M.

This is a night for Colbie Young, Tyler Harrell, Brashard Smith, Nathaniel Joseph - SOMEBODY with some speed - to have an actual breakout game and bring life to a Miami passing offense that has been dead since 2021. Young had about 80 yards last match, but his big play came on a 44-yard screen where he had to break several tackles to make it happen.

Offensive coordinator Shannon Dawson came here with an 'Air Raid' scheme that was supposed to open this offense up, and he hinted at it in press conferences—time for the turn-up to happen.

There is a reason Aggies' quarterback Conner Weigman was the top dual-threat quarterback in the country in 2022. He has a rumored 4.3 40-yard dash speed and averaged 10 yards a rush last week against New Mexico. He fits the mold of quarterbacks like North Carolina's Drake Maye, Duke's Riley Leonard, Florida State's Jordan Travis, and more who gave Miami headaches last year defensively.

He can change the game both in the air and on the ground. The Texas A&M running game is still finding itself after last year's starter Devon Achane, left for the NFL. Amari Daniels is a South Florida legend and was a four-star prospect, but he led the team with 51 yards rushing last week - not exactly an elite stat line against a subpar opponent.

If Texas A&M is going to make noise on offense, it will be because Weigman was able to break the pocket and either make gains with his legs or via getting the backend of the defense to bite in coverage due to that threat of running and getting guys open. The Miami defensive line is loaded and healthy.

Guys like Akheem Mesidor, Nyjalik Kelly, and Rueben Bain will have to contain Weigman and force him to show he can pick apart a Power Five defense from the pocket, something he has not proven he can do. He had just eight passing touchdowns in five starts last season; four came in one game against a bad Ole Miss defense. Turn him into Max Johnson rather than Johnny Manziel.

In the 2022 receiver class, there may be nobody better than Evan Stewart. He was a top-five receiver prospect and has lived up to those expectations thus far. He led the team in week one with eight receptions for 115 yards and two touchdowns. He was pelted with 11 targets, five more than any other receiver. The offense is running through him.

The cornerbacks for Miami are probably the weakest link right now, so this is going to mean that All-American safety Kamren Kinchens is going to have to cheat at times over to the speedy receiver. Make wide receiver Noah Thomas duplicate his week one success of three touchdowns on six catches. That is unsustainable efficiency, and the talent difference between Miami and New Mexico is drastic.

Weigman is still such a young player, and much like Van Dyke early on, he likes to lock on to his receiver. If you can eliminate the option of Stewart getting pressure via one of the best fronts Miami has had in some time, you have a real shot at shutting this offense down two years in a row.

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