Miami Hurricanes aim to impose will on playoff semifinal opponent Ole Miss with ‘identity’ drives

4 days ago 1

PARADISE VALLEY, Arizona — Carson Beck knows what is coming.

When the Miami Hurricanes want to seize control of the game, they give the ball to their big running backs, Mark Fletcher Jr. and Marty Brown, and they run behind their skilled offensive line.

“I go in the huddle before — because you know it’s coming — and I just tell them, ‘Yo, we’re behind y’all. This whole ride has been behind y’all. We lean on you when we need to move the ball,’ ” Beck said.

“That O-line has really been the identity and heart of this team.”

No. 10 Miami will lean on its offensive line again when it faces off against No. 6 Ole Miss in the College Football Playoff semifinals at the Fiesta Bowl on Thursday evening. The goal: Make the Rebels quit. A trip to the program’s first national title game since 2003 is on the line.

“I love dominating,” Fletcher said. “Our team loves dominating. So we’re able to make guys quit. Shoot, who doesn’t love that?”

Multiple times this season, Hurricanes running backs have been stopped near the line of scrimmage, but the UM offensive line has pushed and powered the pile forward for extra yards.

“Man (it feels) just crazy,” Fletcher said. “I just feel all these big guys pushing me, and my body just continuing to move forward. My job is just to hold that ball, keep my legs moving.”

It’s an inspiring sight, said Beck, who watches it from afar.

“I love it,” Beck said. “I wish I could go in there, too, but I’m not trying to get hurt.”

The ground game has been key for Miami in its two playoff victories. The Hurricanes ran for 175 yards against Texas A&M, with Fletcher accounting for 172 of those. Against Ohio State, Miami had 153 yards. Fletcher led the way with 90 rushing yards.

Ole Miss has not excelled at stopping the run. The Rebels rank 65th nationally with 146.07 rushing yards allowed per game. UM’s previous playoff opponents ranked seventh (Ohio State) and 45th (Texas A&M). Pro Football Focus does give Ole Miss the No. 22 run-defense grade, though.

Leading 17-14 against Ohio State with just under six minutes remaining in the fourth quarter, Miami got the ball back. If the Buckeyes got the ball back quickly, they would have plenty of time to drive for the game-tying or game-winning score. But the Hurricanes leaned on their ground game.

Fletcher began the drive with a 19-yard run for a first down. UM ran the ball with Fletcher or Brown seven times on the 10-play drive (and Brown also caught a crucial third-down pass), culminating in Brown’s 5-yard touchdown run. Miami had drained five minutes off the clock, leaving less than a minute for Ohio State to try to score 10 points. It would prove impossible, as UM safety Jakobe Thomas ended the game with an interception.

“We trust our big guys up front,” offensive coordinator Shannon Dawson said. “We feel that’s the strength of our offense. And we have some backs that can get some muddy, bloody yards. And I think the key is success early. If you look at those drives, typically, we’ve had some success early in the drive, which allows you to keep grinding it. If you don’t, you have to switch plans, right? Ultimately, I’ve got to get a first down.

“And so I think those guys up front, bullying in those situations is huge, running backs knowing that they are going to commit a lot of people to the box when they know you are running the ball. And so those yards are harder to get, and we have guys that buy into those muddy yards.”

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