How the Miami Hurricanes rebuilt their defense into one of nation’s best

NCAAF College Football News, Photos, Stats, Scores, Schedule & Videos...

Mario Cristobal had a problem to fix in the offseason.

The Hurricanes’ offense, led by No. 1 NFL draft pick Cam Ward, was the nation’s best last year. But the defense lagged well behind and likely cost Miami a shot at the College Football Playoff due to collapses against Georgia Tech and Syracuse.

So Cristobal went about fixing it. He fired former defensive coordinator Lance Guidry and hired Minnesota’s Corey Hetherman. He brought in position coaches Zac Etheridge, Will Harris and Damione Lewis to fill out the defensive staff. And he gave the new coaches new options, adding nine defensive players via the transfer portal and another 10 in UM’s high school recruiting class.

But there was no guarantee all of those changes would work. Hetherman had to install the defense, and the players had to mesh with their new coaches and new teammates.

Through 10 games, Hetherman and his group of coaches and players have exceeded with flying colors. As the No. 13 Hurricanes (8-2, 4-2 ACC) prepare to face Virginia Tech (3-7, 2-4 ACC) on the road at noon on Saturday, they boast the No. 7 defense in the nation — a major shift from the unit that ranked 68th last year.

“I give credit to the coaches,” safety transfer Zechariah Poyser said. “We have great coaches, and we have great culture, too. So I give credit to the coaches. That’s not easy, with how (many) new guys you have on the team. So they put us together, and the chemistry, as well. So I give credit to the coaches for using our strengths to make us a good defense.”

Miami defenders raved about Hetherman’s defense through spring and fall camp, saying the former Minnesota defensive coordinator emphasized communication and a three-word motto — excitement, swarm, violence — that helped guide UM’s playing style. The defense is not particularly complicated, players said, and all of them were focused on their own jobs.

“I think it’s the approach he brings to the game,” defensive end Akheem Mesidor said. “That violent approach that you hear him say all the time and hear everybody else talk about.”

The season started out well, as UM surrendered 24 points in a win over Notre Dame to begin the season. The Fighting Irish are now eighth in the nation with 38.5 points per game. The strong run continued through the middle part of the season, as the Hurricanes shut down USF’s up-tempo offense and dominated three quarters against FSU before allowing 19 points in the fourth quarter when the game was out of reach.

Even in Miami’s two mid-season losses, the defense allowed just 24 points to Louisville and 26 (including an overtime touchdown) to SMU.

Last week, UM surrendered just seven points to N.C. State, and that sole touchdown came in the game’s final minutes when Miami had started substituting backups into the game. UM surrendered 143 yards to the Wolfpack, which was N.C. State’s lowest total of the year.

“They’re getting used to playing as a group or as a unit more collectively every week,” Hetherman said. “… Early on, you had guys that played the game together all the way through camp, and then you get a couple injuries there in the midpoint the season. A couple new guys are in there now. They’re starting to learn how to work together and communicate and play.

“I think our guys have really done a good job of coming in and meeting and working things out and communicating as they watch other games and film cut-ups. I think the last two weeks you’ve really seen where they’ve worked the best together through a lot of different pictures, communicating and then just letting it go and playing fast.”

The Hurricanes have excelled in pretty much all aspects of their defense. UM has the No. 3 defensive grade in the nation, according to Pro Football Focus. The site also gives it the No. 8 run-defense grade, the No. 3 pass-rush grade and No. 11 coverage grade. The only area Miami scores low is in tackling, where it ranks  an abysmal 119th.

But if there are tackling issues, it hasn’t shown up in the box score. In addition to being seventh in points allowed per game, the Hurricanes are ninth in yards allowed per game, third in rushing yards allowed per game and 28th in passing yards allowed per game.

Miami has accomplished this by succeeding with nearly all of their transfer additions. Nickelback Keionte Scott was one of the best defensive backs in the nation until he suffered a potential season-ending foot injury. Safety Jakobe Thomas, who had two interceptions against N.C State, has an 89.7 defensive grade, which is third in the nation among safeties with 200 or more snaps. Other transfers like David Blay Jr., Xavier Lucas and Ethan O’Connor have all taken on key roles.

Returning players have played a massive role as well. Defensive end Rueben Bain Jr. has entered himself into the conversation to be next year’s No. 1 pick, posting a PFF defensive grade of 93.9, which is No. 1 in the nation. Fellow defensive end Akheem Mesidor has also dominated, ranking 12th nationally with a 91.7 defensive grade. Other returning players like veterans Wesley Bissainthe, Damari Brown and Ahmad Moten Sr. have been key parts of Miami’s success.

“Everyone here has the same mentality,” Thomas said. “We’re all chasing the same dream. So that’s really what it is. But all these guys, we love each other. There’s a lot of time that we spent outside of the facility with each other to really just grow a relationship with each other. And like I say, man, there’s a lot of stories I know about some of these guys on this defense that make me go harder in games because I know what they’re fighting outside of football.”

The Hurricanes’ penultimate regular-season test comes in Blacksburg on Saturday against a struggling Hokies squad. Virginia Tech made big news this week when it hired former Penn State coach James Franklin to take over next season, but on the field, the Hokies have played poorly. Their offense is 102nd in the nation. Virginia Tech scored 34 points in a narrow defeat against the Hurricanes last year, so UM is not taking the Hokies lightly.

“There’s a DNA to that program,” Cristobal said. “They’re always extremely physical, extremely tough and play really, really hard.”

More at NCAAF College Football News, Photos, Stats, Scores, Schedule & Videos