It’s about that time again! The Miami Hurricanes will kick off the 2015 season in less than one month. Before the 2014 season began, I pointed out 5 areas that the Canes needed to improve upon and I will be doing the same for this upcoming season.

While the team improved in all 5 of the areas mentioned last season (3rd down conversions didn’t improve much and is still a major concern), they still finished a very disappointing 6-7. This 2015 Miami team will need to improve in all aspects (some much greater than others) as the team was ranked very low in many NCAA team ranking categories and wasn’t ranked in the top 10 in any statistical category from last season. It’s very apparent that the Canes will be looking to find ways to fire on all cylinders this upcoming season.

Here are 5 areas that need to be improved:

Red Zone Offense

The Canes tied for 87th (out of 125 FBS teams) in college football last season in the red zone offense category. Breaking down the numbers, they had 11 rushing TD’s, 13 passing TD’s and 13 FG’s (37 scores) out of 47 redzone attempts. They scored 78.7% of the time while in the redzone, which is just about three out of four times. It is baffling that in about 1 of 4 attempts the Canes came away with no score at all while inside the 20 yard line (not even a FG).

I believe this stat will improve because of the increased experience of Brad Kaaya and the weapons he has surrounding him. Kaaya has about 7 WR/TE’s on the roster that are 6’4″ or taller which should increase the Canes chances of a redzone score (fade or simply someone that can high-point the football). The fact that all of the running backs have got faster and stronger only helps. The addition of Mark Walton will improve the depth at the position as well.

3rd Down Conversions

It’s no secret that the Canes had trouble converting on 3rd down. They were bad enough to be ranked 92nd last season out of 125 FBS teams. Out of 163 third-down attempts, only 60 were converted, which is 36.8%. That definitely has to improve.

This category was included in my ‘5 areas that need improvement’ article from the season prior (here’s the link again). This area needs MAJOR work as the Canes only improved from 96th to 92nd, which isn’t really an improvement at all.

Finding ways to convert on 3rd down is vital to this team’s success this upcoming season. Sustaining drives is very important and this team hasn’t been very good at that for quite a while (the time of possession was also poor again last season).

It’s hard to pinpoint the exact cause for the lack of success on 3rd down conversions, so this one is on the team as a whole, all the way down to the coaches. Learning to convert on 3rd down SHOULD be a main focus as fall practices continue.

Tackles For Loss

Ah yes, this should get the crowd riled up. The Canes ranked 102nd of 125 FBS teams in tackles for loss last season. They averaged only 4.9 tackles for loss per game.

This stat MAY be due to the conservative approach that the Canes play on defense (can you sense the sarcasm?). The players, and more importantly, the speed is there to get around defenders and to the ball carrier behind the line of scrimmage. So, what’s the problem? I’d have to go with scheme. During the spring, there were rumblings that schematic changes to the defense had taken place. In fact, the defense did seem more aggressive during the spring game. Canes fans will have to take a wait-and-see approach here.

Penalties

As we all know, penalties kill drives and they sure won’t help a team win any games. Are you ready for some painful stats? The Canes ranked 105th out of 125 FBS teams in penalties last season. They had 93 penalties called on them which resulted in 827 lost yards (!!!). This averages out to 7.15 penalties/63.62 yards lost per game. It sure would be nice to have some of those yards back wouldn’t it?

Great teams can still win games with a high amount of penalties (the Canes of old) but this team isn’t quite polished enough to do that. More discipline is a MUST!

Kick Return Defense

Initially, one may think, “Kick Return Defense isn’t THAT important!” It would be then, that I would have to respectfully disagree. I believe strongly that field position is very important in football. The Canes ranked 114th of 125 FBS teams in kick return defense last season. They gave up 1253 yards on 51 returns which averages to 24.57 yards per return, while also allowing one kick return for a touchdown. Think about that stat for a second. Best case scenario is the returner takes the ball from 4 yards deep in the end zone but he still ends up making it out to the 20 yard line. The worst case scenario is the kickoff is fielded at the 5 yard line and the returner then makes it out to around the 30 yard line. Any offense would be glad to start at the 30 yard line on any possession.

The special teams has been atrocious the past few years. Canes fans all know who is in charge of special teams, so I will leave it at that. Special Teams needs to be a HUGE priority as fall practices begin.

Dishonorable Mention

Turnovers Lost– tied 84th/125, 24 turnovers lost (12 fumbles lost, ranked 93rd)

Defensive TD’s– Not Ranked (need 2 TD’s minimum, Canes only had 1 all last season)

Punt Returns- 87th/125, 6.59 yard avg (With all that speed?!?!)

Kickoff Returns– 80th/125, 20.11 yds avg (See a trend with special teams?)

Passes Intercepted– tied 82nd/125, 10 interceptions from the defense

Time of Possession– 78th/125, 29 minute avg/game