Miami Hurricanes 2022 College Football Preview
August 1, 2022
2021 Recap
Record – 7-5
ATS – 6-6
YOUR Miami Hurricanes got off to a slow start getting blown to bits by ROLL TIDE and Michigan St in the first three weeks of the season. They lost a pair of ACC games by a combined five points and hit the midpoint of the campaign at 2-4. The Canes get full marks for sticking to it and winning five of their final six contests to finish at 7-5.
Mario Cristobal FINALLY left Oregon to lead this program and there’s a ton of optimism in South Florida as we approach press time. What can we expect in year one?
Miami Hurricanes 2022 Outlook
OFFENSE
Miami rode the hot hand of Tyler Van Dyke in the final nine games and ended up ranked #19 in the FBS in total offense (449 YPG), #10 in passing offense (321 YPG), and #23 in scoring offense (34.1). Van Dyke posted a fine 25-6 TD to INT mark LY but he loses his top two WRs (Rambo, Harley) who combined for over 1,700 yards and 12 TD in 2021. There’s plenty of speed at WR but no proven #1 threat. TE Will Mallory is a legit target and hopefully Clemson transfer Frank Ladson can make a big impact. The RB room is deep and it features #1 RB Jaylan Knighton (561, 8 TD LY), Ole Miss transfer Henry Parrish, and a small handful of highly-recruited specimens. The OL should be fine with the return of three starters and over 130 (!) career starts, and note that Cristobal always finds a way to get the big boys to play well. This looks like one of the best offenses in the ACC and we expect to see more balance (#97 rush offense LY) in 2022.
DEFENSE
There was nothing special about the Hurricanes’ defense LY as they finished #5 in the ACC in run defense, #7 in pass efficiency D, and #5 in sacks (33). Miami brings back seven starters and four of their top-five tacklers, but also lose their top-two sack producers. We hope that new DC Kevin Steele strays from the FAST MIDGETS THAT CAN’T TACKLE defense they’ve featured recently but time will tell. The DL appears to be the clear strength of the stop unit as they added a ton of talent via the transfer portal that’ll supplement the promising youngsters like NT Leonard Taylor. The LB unit brings back the team’s top-two tacklers (Flagg, Steed) and they’ve got an experienced secondary to work with in 2022. We project improvement but don’t see a ton of “star power” on paper.
SPECIAL TEAMS
Yes, guy.
Miami has one of the best kicking duos in the nation in freakshow punter Lou Hedley (43.1 net LY) and PK Andres Borregales (17-21 FG, 45-45 XP). PR Jacolby George did a good job LY (10.9) but they could use more explosiveness at KR.
Schedule Analysis
Overall – Miami should be able to get off to a good start as they play three PATSIES in September and have four of their first five games at home. The bad news is that they have a nasty draw from the Atlantic (at Clemson, Florida St) and go on the road to take on Texas A&M (!) in week three.
Potential ATS Trouble Spot – September 24 – MTSU
This contest comes after the yuuuge game with the Aggies so it could be a prime letdown spot no matter how they fare in College Station. It’s also not a great point spread role for Cristobal (see below).
Season Win Total
Over 8.5 -130
Under 8.5 +100
MEGALOCKS says:
Lean: Over
It’ll be a close shave but the schedule is very tame once you throw out the road tilts at Texas A&M and Clemson.
MEGAmazing Tidbits
HC Mario Cristobal has a mediocre 56-64-2 ATS record (47%) and he’s been particularly gross in the role of home favorite (13-22-2, 37%).
The world is a better place when Miami wins lots of football games. **
** fact check true
MEGALOCKS Outlook:
You’ve heard this before, but the expectations are high in Coral Gables. The hire of Mario Cristobal means that the program can finally take advantage of the recruiting hotbed that is the GREAT FREE STATE OF FLORIDA, and note that they’ve got plenty of money to throw around. The long-term outlook looks really good but we think a reasonable goal for 2022 is to take down the Coastal division. They’re our pick to do just that as they’re a talented bunch that gets Pittsburgh and North Carolina at home. GET CHO POPCONE!
Want more Miami Hurricanes football ?
WEBSITE
https://hurricanesports.com/sports/football
FORUM
https://www.canesinsight.com/forums/eye-in-the-sky.9/
http://www.miami-hurricanes.com/forum/tt.asp?appid=1
http://miami.247sports.com/Board/Miami-Hurricanes-Message-Board-Forum-92
https://miami.forums.rivals.com/forums/gary-fermans-war-room.12/
NEWS
http://www.sun-sentinel.com/sports/miami-hurricanes/
https://caneswarning.com/miami-hurricanes/
https://www.espn.com/college-football/team/_/id/2390/miami-hurricanes