Miami Defense Is Still A Year Away

The Miami Hurricanes rolled to a 7-0 start and were a Top 10 team in early November, but a three-game losing streak weeks later truly defined the 2013 football season.

“The U” gave up 131 points and 1,631 yards in back-to-back-to-back games against Florida State, Virginia Tech and Duke—a harsh reminder that the Hurricanes still have a long way to go in their return to glory.

Miami finished 116th out of 120 Division I teams last year in total defense and arguably won’t fare much better when this season is in the books. The Hurricanes secondary took a step forward and created its share of turnovers, but too many yards and points were given up week in and week out.

A “wait ’til next year” mantra has been thrown around Miami for over a decade. Regarding the defense, that could again be in play come 2014 due to some outbound upperclassmen, coupled with a freshman class that will be thrown into the fire.

The Hurricanes lose some depth on the defensive line with Curtis Porter, Luther Robinson and Shayon Green wrapping up their careers. The same goes with one-year transfers David Gilbert and Justin Renfrow, both added months back and relied upon for depth’s sake.

Tyrone Cornelius and Jimmy Gaines depart at linebacker, while senior-to-be Denzel Perryman could be NFL-bound and financially motivated, having recently become a father.

The Hurricanes also parted ways with Eddie Johnson, Gionni Paul and Gabe Terry over the past year. Head coach Al Golden sent two of the three packing for disciplinary reasons—adding to a running total of 36 players from the 2010 through 2012 recruiting classes who no longer sport the orange and green.

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