MIAMI FOOTBALL - MONDAY NOTEBOOK

RedHawks overcame weather challenges at UMass

By MIKE SMITH
​Years from now, 2023 RedHawk players may still be talking about last Saturday's 41-28 Miami win over UMass. Even if they don't remember the score, they'll have a story or two about the circumstances.
The game was supposed to start at 3:30 p.m. but was held up by lightning in the area. Oh, it looked fine at the stadium where the two teams had finished warmups. As MU Head Coach Chuck Martin pointed out, that just made it harder to give his players the news of a delay. 
Radar had indicated lightning within the eight-mile radius of Warren McGuirk Alumni Stadium, and by rule that required a stoppage, but the players' eyes . . . 

---

. . . told them another story. 
"It's 84 and sunny (at the stadium) ... so its hard to get your kids to understand why we're not playing. ... You have a really unhappy locker room."
While the UMass players could retreat to an air conditioned building, Miami players went back to a very hot and uncomfortable visitors locker room. Martin noted that conditions at UMass were very warm, even comparing it to the previous week in Miami (Fla). 
"It was really smoking at UMass on Saturday," he said. "I felt like I was sweating more at UMass than I was at Miami at the outset. ... We're going (back) into this really small locker room (and) there was no (cool) air in there."
With the delay going on for several hours, adjustments had to be made. 
"Our kids basically sat on the bus where at least they had air conditioning," Martin noted.
Finally, play started. The teams had played nearly one quarter when incoming storms then halted the contest. Miami owned a 7-0 lead and had just stopped UMass twice within the RedHawks' one-yard line. Again, play was halted. This time, bad weather had reached the stadium.
Another issue was food, which eventually resulted in players eating post game food. "We (hadn't) eaten since 11:30 on 12," Martin said.
At one point, there were discussions about options for resuming or cancelling play. According to Martin, players had strong feelings about getting the game in. "There would have been a mutiny if we tried to cancel that game. We want to play. We'll play tomorrow morning. We'll play in the middle of the night. We've trained since March for 12 (game) opportunities."
Considering the conditions, Martin was proud of how his team handled the adversity. He also praised how they responded on the field. When play resumed, Miami had the ball on its two inch line. Two plays later, quarterback Brett Gabbert hit Gage Lardavian on a 99-yard touchdown pass play. 
Despite a deflected ball that UMass turned into a pick-six score, Miami built up a 28-7 halftime advantage. 
UMass managed to pull within three at 31-28 with three second half TDs, but MU closed out its win by scoring the game's final 10 points. 
"Every time (there was a stoppage), they were ready to play. We came out and (were) excited to play"

Rashad Amos averaged 5.0 ypc against UMass.

MORE NOTES . . . 
-- The RedHawks entered 2023 hoping to generate an effective run game that could compliment a good passing attack. While the first week didn't reveal much, Saturday's game at UMass offered some hope. Rashad Amos, a 6-2, 234-pound sophomore formerly with South Carolina, averaged 5.0 ypc while logging 23 carries for 115 yards. Miami totaled 144 yards on the ground and 302 through the air. "We ran the ball in the fourth quarter when you have to run the ball," Martin said. "The run game complimented the pass game. The guys up front did a great job."
-- As much as Martin appreciated his team's performance under difficult circumstances, he recognized some issues that contributed to UMass scores. Among them were:
* Two interceptions, with one returned for a touchdown. 
    * A fumble inside MU's own five to set up a fourth quarter Minutemen TD.
   * A couple plays when Miami defenders allowed UMass receivers to get behind them. One of those plays came on a third-and-20 play that went for 50-yard touchdown pass from Carlos Davis to Mark Pope. We "got thrown over our heads twice. That can't happen," Martin said.
-- It can be difficult to predict how well transfers mesh. Two games in, however, it looks like WR Gage Larvadain is a GREAT fit for the Miami attack. He is leading the nation in receiving yards (353) and has led the team in receiving each game, and his 16 catches are 14 better than any other RedHawks receiver. He would also own all four MU receiving TDs. However,  a UMass defender stripped the ball from him on a long fourth quarter completion. The ball ricocheted into the end zone, Cade McDonald fell on it for a final RedHawks touchdown. Still, Larvadain registered three TDs among his eight catches for 273 yards against UMass.
-- Kicker Graham Nicholson is perfect so far -- 4-of-4 on PATs and 3-of-3 on field goals with a long of 48. 
-- MU will try to clean up some penalties before Saturday's clash at Cincinnati. The RedHawks were flagged eight times for 72 yards. As Martin noted, several of those kept Miami's defense from getting off the field and extended opportunities for the Minutemen. However, one of the penalties -- a 15-yarder -- came after Larvadain completed his 99-yard touchdown with a front flip into the end zone. He was flagged for unsportsmanlike conduct, which was assessed on the kickoff.
-- Miami gained 446 yards despite going 2-of-8 on third down. Big plays on early downs accounted for much of the total.

---