Weekly Report Card: Miami

Carolina went down to Miami on Saturday and were destroyed by the Hurricanes. This game really showed a gap in talent between the Heels and the Canes. The Hurricanes had better and stronger players on both sides of the line and they beat the Heels up all game long. The Heels simply did not have the players to compete with the Hurricanes. This game never really looked close, and the Heels would have needed every break to win this game, unfortunately they had none of them and lost in resounding fashion 47-20.

Onto the grades:

Keep the rush off Marquise Williams: D

The Miami defensive line ate the Heels up all day. On the day, the Hurricanes had seven sacks on Williams, but the pocket collapsed on several other occasions. There were a few instances in which Marquise Williams attempted to scramble out of the pocket but he did not get his normal gains on the ground because the defensive line was able to effectively pursue him. If the Heels want to become bowl eligible, then they must keep defenses off of their star quarterback going forward.

Win the turnover battle: D

The Heels did well to force an early turnover and score of a Brad Kaaya strip sack. That was the only bright spot during this game. The two blown snaps might as well be turnovers, due to their effect on the game. Additionally, Marquise Williams threw an atrocious interception into triple coverage.

Special Teams: F

Carolina really found a way to hit profoundly new lows during this game. Nick Weiler missed an extra point, two different snaps went over the head of punter Tommy Hibbard and a holding penalty on a punt Ryan Switzer returned for a touchdown. Weiler was benched for Thomas Moore. Larry Fedora came to Carolina priding himself on special teams and this game should shame him with how that unit played. If the Heels give points away on special teams like this they would be lucky to win the game.