Miami Hurricanes run game has been making great strides since Jacory Harris went down
The Miami Hurricanes lost a starting quarterback but might have found a rushing attack.
In the two games since starter Jacory Harris was knocked out of the lineup by a concussion, the No. 24 Hurricanes have revved up their run game, compiling close to 500 yards on the ground.
Against Maryland Nov. 6, UM had 218 rushing yards on a season-high 49 attempts.
During last week's 35-10 rout of Georgia Tech, the Hurricanes ran 46 times for 277 yards, the highest output by Miami since Nov. 3, 2007.
Offensive coordinator Mark Whipple has put the onus on his offensive line and four running backs - Damien Berry, Lamar Miller, Mike James and Graig Cooper - to keep pressure off true freshman quarterback Stephen Morris, who replaced the still-wobbly Harris.
"Between Berry, Miller and James, I think that they have like 186 rushing yards a game,"
Virginia Tech coach Frank Beamer said this week. "Now you have a fourth one. So they keep them fresh and they pound you."
With Morris starting a third straight game Saturday against the 14th-ranked Hokies, UM likely will stick to the run. The Hurricanes must win to maintain hopes of reaching the Atlantic Coast Conference championship game and, to do so, they will have to run far better against Virginia Tech than they did last year.
During a 31-7 loss in rain-drenched Blacksburg, Va., the Hurricanes were held to 59 yards on 34 carries.
"That game makes me sick to my stomach,"
senior offensive tackle Orlando Franklin said. "The first half we had what, minus 19 yards rushing? It definitely wasn't a good feeling."
The Hokies aren't quite as good on run defense as they've been in the past. This season they rank 65th nationally, allowing 155.1 yards per game.
Meanwhile, Miami's running game has improved considerably. Even before Harris got hurt, the Hurricanes were leaning on their running backs. UM has rushed for more than 200 yards in four of its last five games and is averaging 185.8 yards per game. That's the school's highest rushing average since the 2001 national championship team (204.6).
Berry, a bruiser, is the team's leading rusher and is third in the ACC with 763 yards. But he has been overshadowed recently by the speedy and elusive Miller, who gained a combined 210 yards the past two weeks. Against Georgia Tech, Berry, Miller, James and Cooper each scored a rushing touchdown.
The tailbacks have been the beneficiaries of the offensive line, which was considered a question mark before the season but has since become a pillar of the team.
The unit has jelled since 6-foot-8, 355-pound Seantrel Henderson was inserted as a starter at right tackle against Clemson. UM averaged 211.8 yards in the ensuing seven games.
"Oh, wow,"
Beamer said. "That Franklin guy, I think he's big-time. He's 6-7. Then you go on the other side and they're playing that freshman Henderson and he's 6-8."
"It's a good offensive line. They have good backs, but you have to have good blocking to get yards, and they're really good."
